So I just gotta say coz I keep seeing people saying that we should apologise to Ryan from IGN for how bad he was playing Redfall (coz it’s definitely the games fault right) … he was playing a character that can 1 shot the rook and was still playing like he’s never used an Xbox controller before. So no, nobody should apologise to that fraud, the game plays a hell of a lot more responsive than what was shown. Also just hit 9hrs in this, I’d rate this around a 7/10 I very much doubt I’ll rate it higher but i did buy the bite back upgrade as I can completely justify spending £26 on this, I’m sorry if this upsets some people :L

Just watched this video and Benji disagrees with some statements made by Phil about being 3rd and how they cant compete.

Benji for example mentions the turnaround from Wii U (only 13.56 million units sold) to the Switch. And he thinks games like Starfield can attract PS5 users to their Xbox ecosystem, without having them sell or abandon their PS5. If games are like Starfield are amazing, people cant ignore them and will buy Xbox consoles or/and Gamepass. Phil saying otherwise, makes him sound a bit like a defeatist.

It is a pretty long vid but I found it interesting.

Yeah I agree with that sentiment. Mainline Bethesda games are always an event in the gaming industry and they are now a system seller studio, or subscription service seller studio lol. If Starfield turns out to be Skyrim in space and more, Xbox will attract a lot of new customers whether switching from PlayStation or PS gamers buying an Xbox or subscription to play on the side. 

Will it turn the tide entirely in Xbox's favor? Of course not lol. That would take at least a couple of years of consistent quality AAA releases once per quarter as Phil has been saying before that happens.

GameCube to Wii and Wii U to Switch are big jumps in sales. But there were reasons beyond the usual big Nintendo games as to why there was such a big jump in sales. Wii had motion controls and Switch combined Nintendo's home console and handheld lineup into one system, plus mainline Pokemon on its own is going to sell 20M+ consoles. 

1st party/3rd party exclusives are important to help sell hardware. That is why Microsoft has acquired so many studios in the last 6 years. Xbox sales dropped last holiday and continue to be down year-on-year due to no big exclusive. Not that there have been no good exclusives (High On Life, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment), but there hasn't been a killer app since Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 in November/December 2021.

What I am getting at is that 1st party/3rd party exclusives are important, but there is more to it than just that.

I'd give it a 6 but I agree with the rest of this

Hm, I think people who think Xbox can genuinely beat PlayStation again are being a bit naïve.

As Phil said, they lost in the worst generation to lose in, when digital libraries were mainstream and the network effect at its peak, it's not just the libraries that they've lost but the communities, all those people who play multiplayer titles depending on where their friends play them, millions of CoD, Fortnite, GTA, etc. Players will follow where their friends are and many are already entrenched in the PlayStation ecosystem.

For Nintendo to "compete" with Xbox and PlayStation it has THE strongest 1st party in the industry by quite some margin which they've spent like 40+ years to build up, versus Xbox's 22 years in the market, they also have a completely unique piece of hardware which places itself quite nicely as a device which sits alongside Xbox and PlayStation for many users.

The Nintendo comparison is poor because it basically says Xbox needs the strongest 1st party in the industry and to create a unique piece of hardware, Xbox and PlayStation hardware aren't unique, they're just like custom built PCs, Lol. Nintendo had to do something different, Wii had the motion craze and Switch has the whole portable aspect.

Not to mention, Wii U did have a strong Nintendo line-up IIRC but the device itself wasn't desired, so 1st party isn't all that you need, Mario Kart 8 one of the best selling titles on Switch did nothing to save Wii U for example. It's a combination of factors which have to be taken into account and PlayStation/Xbox have different types of gamers they attract too.

Example, how are you getting the millions of CoD/Fortnite/GTA players already entrenched into PlayStation's ecosystem to move over to Xbox now?

I think people are misinterpreting Phil though, he didn't say he can't do better in hardware, he said it's a key focus, he didn't say they can't grow their market-share, all he is saying is that they can't beat PlayStation or Switch and I don't think that's being a defeatist, but a realist, that doesn't mean they won't try to increase their market-share, it wasn't him saying they can't increase market-share.

The worst that could happen if Phil and people like myself are wrong? Well, Xbox releases a bunch of huge titles and Xbox does actually suddenly sell millions upon millions and overtake PlayStation...I'd accept being wrong happily if that happens, I just don't think it will, Lol. Xbox will stick with hardware because they can still be successful, they won't beat PlayStation but that's okay, it seems they've accepted that fact too.

For Xbox to beat PlayStation, PlayStation would have to shoot themselves in the head, PlayStation's brand power is ridiculously strong and even if Xbox releases a bunch of AAAs one after another, so will PlayStation, PlayStation isn't slowing down or stopping, Xbox sales may increase but so will PlayStation's.

That's what Phil meant that, PlayStation users won't sell their PlayStation's, they'll just buy an Xbox as a secondary device for Starfield (or PC) and that they won't overtake or come close to PlayStation in market share but that's okay with them.

Idk how I forgot Starfield is in Q3. Okay.

• Q3 - Starfield (September)
• Q4 - Forza Motorsport (October)
• Q1 - Hellblade II (February)
• Q2 - Avowed (May)

Still crazy to think that there were 2 Forza Horizon releases between the last and most recent Forza Motorsport lol. Game is going to be an absolute showcase! 

You guys need to stop with the Q2 :) I'm getting my hopes so high and this is going a Q4 or even worse 2025 release window at the end!

I really wish for a late Q4 release for Hellblade II like early/mid-December, 3 heavy hitters at the end of 2023 will just do so much to change the narrative. Of course, I don't want them to rush anything just hope the natural development will lead to this.