Wednesday, August 12th 2020
Xbox Series X Launches this November with Thousands of Games Spanning Four Generations
Today, we announced updates to Halo Infinite's launch timing. Our vision at Xbox and 343 Industries has always been to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever for our fans, while also balancing the team's well-being. To do that, we will need some more time to finish the critical work necessary to launch Halo Infinite, which will come in 2021.
We have plenty to keep you busy until Chief arrives: there will be thousands of games to play, spanning four generations, when Xbox Series X launches globally this November and over 100 optimized for Xbox Series X titles, built to take full advantage of our most powerful console, are planned for this year. And with brand new console features like hardware-accelerated Direct X raytracing, framerates up to 120 frames per second, faster loading times, and Quick Resume for multiple games, playing will look and feel better, no matter which games you choose to play on day one.
Play thousands of games across four generations of content
Playing your favorite games and franchises across four generations of Xbox was a key tenet for us in the next generation of console gaming. This commitment means that you will have access to thousands of titles across four generations of content - from Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Our back compat team continues to develop new innovations that can be applied to a curated list of titles that will enhance them even further than was possible when they were originally created. These optimizations include the ability to render titles with increased resolutions up to 4K, delivering new HDR reconstruction techniques to games that were developed years before HDR came into existence, applying anisotropic filtering to improve image quality, and creating ways to increase or double the frame rate of certain titles.
Whether you've played for years or have just recently picked up a controller, we can't wait for you to see and feel the first big step into gaming's next generation with Xbox Series X this November.
We have plenty to keep you busy until Chief arrives: there will be thousands of games to play, spanning four generations, when Xbox Series X launches globally this November and over 100 optimized for Xbox Series X titles, built to take full advantage of our most powerful console, are planned for this year. And with brand new console features like hardware-accelerated Direct X raytracing, framerates up to 120 frames per second, faster loading times, and Quick Resume for multiple games, playing will look and feel better, no matter which games you choose to play on day one.
- More than 50 new games planned for this year across generations and optimized for Xbox Series X, including Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Gears Tactics, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Watch Dogs: Legion. With Smart Delivery you only have to buy these games once to play the best versions for your console, across generations.
- New games developed for Xbox Series X and launching with Xbox Game Pass, including exclusives like The Medium, Scorn, Tetris Effect: Connected, and more.
- More than 40 popular games newly optimized to take full advantage of Xbox Series X such as Destiny 2, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Madden NFL 21, and more.
- A shared library of great games through Xbox Game Pass
Play thousands of games across four generations of content
Playing your favorite games and franchises across four generations of Xbox was a key tenet for us in the next generation of console gaming. This commitment means that you will have access to thousands of titles across four generations of content - from Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Our back compat team continues to develop new innovations that can be applied to a curated list of titles that will enhance them even further than was possible when they were originally created. These optimizations include the ability to render titles with increased resolutions up to 4K, delivering new HDR reconstruction techniques to games that were developed years before HDR came into existence, applying anisotropic filtering to improve image quality, and creating ways to increase or double the frame rate of certain titles.
Whether you've played for years or have just recently picked up a controller, we can't wait for you to see and feel the first big step into gaming's next generation with Xbox Series X this November.
15 Comments on Xbox Series X Launches this November with Thousands of Games Spanning Four Generations
They've already earned the "elite" crown by having the most powerful console. That gives them a halo positioning in the console gaming sapce, and users that are mostly interested in multiplatform games( CoD, Assassin's Creed, and whatnot) will flock to the best-performing console instead of the less powerful option.
With that covered, Microsoft is looking at where the real money is - software. Releasing games like Halo infinite for PC as well opens Microsoft up to a huge market that they didn't have before. Halo 3 was the most successful gaming release when it launched - despite being only available on Xbox. Add to that the multitude of PC gamers, and you've got a recipe for success in sales and revenue - this is where companies make money. This and Game Pass, which now is also available for PC users.
Any PC user that spends a single dollar on a previously xbox-console exclusive game is a win. Every PC user that signs up for Game pass is a win as well for Microsoft - it's a revenue stream they didn't have before.
Microsoft will do just fine. And their franchises will too. They don't need to sell boxes with their thin margins and warranty claims and logistics issues. They need to move digital assets. And that's what Microsoft is all about this generation.
Nice, but I have a PC for that and all I need to do is click an install button...
The gamepass-centric approach has a lot of flaws (Imran Khan did a great job outlining most of them here), we know that gamepass is a strong source of revenue, but how profitable is it for game studios? How profitable is it for Microsoft itself? And if most games will be required to run on all/most Xbox systems, then we are going to end up in a situation where most multi-platform games are held back from a technical standpoint just so microsoft can keep its Gamepass offerings uniform across all its product range?
I have a feeling Sony is going to win this gen, at least in its initial period.
So @Raevenlord was technically correct, they "could care less" which means they do care.
Furthermore, early adopters generally set the trends for everyone else. If a hardcore console gamer chooses a PS5 over a Series X, what do you think there friends and associates will more likely buy? They're going to go with what more of their friends and families have, regardless if cross-play exists or not. All this has a big knock-on effect. Less consoles sales, means less software sales and less subscriptions.
While Game Pass is oft seen as being great value (and it really can be) and does present some big AAA titles, there really isn't that much on offer. Select Ubisoft and Bethesda titles mixed in with primarily first-party or partner studio games. Where's EA, Rockstar, etc? Once the initial thrill and promotions of Game Pass are over, I don't know if there will be enough reason for people to maintain the subscription. Giving it away for a dollar and releasing the occasional first-party title isn't going to make Microsoft much money.
XCloud may change things up a bit, but in reality, not everyone has the internet to reliably stream games, so will be niche for the foreseeable future.
The home console is the trojan horse for software.
As for the money point: MS saw it as worth it to develop the .... Series X. How much money did they make on the 360? We don't know, but evidentally they thought it was worth another go.