Next XBox: XBOX One

[novicius]

DOOM Quietly Removed From Xbox One X Enhanced List, No One Knows Why (https://www.gamepur.com/news/27469-doom-removed-xbox-one-x-enhanced-game-list.html)

What the fuuuuuuuh?? :erm:

Man, this was legitimately one of the games that I wanted to see on the X1X -- 'cause it looks like a muddy shit-slurry on the base Xbox One. :smh:

I hope this title gets an update and soon...

[novicius]

Booted up Ghost Recon: Wildlands last night and I gotta say, shit looks good. :D :up:

I'm not running HDR yet so it probably is a bit too sharp but this is just my standby 4K monitor until 4K HDR monitors come down in price. Still damn impressive. While some textures are still visibly low-res (like corporate logos), the tree bark and leaves that are super-tight and crispy. The jungle just flat-out looks great!

Plus for some strange reason bulletholes are crazy-detailed? I suppose it's because there's a lot of 'em. :lol:

::

GTA V is (as expected) lo-fi crap, visually. :lol:

::

I did boot up Destiny 2 and went down to the EDZ to look at some nature -- and it's scaling ok. :) Can't hold a candle to Wildlands foliage but that's fine.

So yeah, took a few days but my X1X is updated and ready to rock. Bring on the weekend!! :hard:

[Kchrpm]

I forgot, I was going to hop on with you. Glad you liked it. Have you tried the PvP?

[novicius]

I didn't -- Kid & I were struggling just to remember the base gameplay, I didn't need to get pwn3d in 4K. :lol:

[novicius]

My dilemma:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px3qD76H9lU

Just aren't any good solid HDR10 w/. FreeSync 4K UHD 27"-32" monitors that are out there right now. ASUS is coming out with two in Q2 of 2018 -- and those suckers are gonna be $1500ish. :lol:

So it'll be awhile before the early X1X adopters using monitors can fully maximize the graphical splendor.... guess that makes it futureproof for a bit. :assclown:


EDIT: For clarity.

[21Kid]

I keep meaning to ask you... Why do you use a monitor for the XboneX? 4k TVs are cheap. My 55" 4k HDR with local zone dimming TV was $500ish...

[novicius]

Because my wife & child also need a TV to use so it's easier for me to game PC-style than to have a living room with two honkin' 55" screens in it.

[Kchrpm]

So it'll be awhile before the early X1X adopters can fully maximize the graphical splendor...
Unless they buy a TV instead of a monitor. 4K HDR is ready, baby!

[novicius]

Both the content of my post and the YouTube vid I linked are in regards to using a monitor for an X1X. My statement isn't wrong.

[Kchrpm]

Thanks for clarifying :up:

[Rare White Ape]

A 4K monitor would be sweet for gaming. Low input lag, accurate colours, sharper image.

My dream is a 55” monitor for the living room, not a TV: HDMI 2.1, display port, 120Hz with frame sync, HDR, etc, but with NO image processing.

LG almost did it; a 43” in 4K but no HDR, for the price of a 55” TV.

https://youtu.be/2kYrQ-LOiXE

[thesameguy]

Man, having everything installed on an external SSD made for a swift onex install. So smooooooove.

[Jason]

Network transfer went pretty smoothly for me :up:

Unfortunately, I don't really have any enhanced games at the moment, but GTA's textures were a tad clearer and frame rate a bit more stable.

UHD BD looks really really good.

[novicius]

Great to hear, fellas! :D :up:

Surprisingly enough, The Witcher III doesn't show up as an "Xbox One X Enhanced" game on the game's list. Maybe the 4K patch isn't in play? Textures look really tight if it's just being checkerboarded to 4K! :lol:

[novicius]

If there’s ever another Xbox One game worth buying I’ll give it a shot :D
No worries, I tested it for you. :D

Just bought "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" used, installed the disc.

At the "Ready to Start" message (still installing to the HD from disc), I tried to play. This is where the X1X (and presumably the other Xboxen) checks the internet connection for any updates.

It found a big one and gave me a choice to either "Update or Cancel". When I opted to cancel, it kicked me out to the Dashboard and would NOT let me play offline.

Only when I pulled the internet cable out would it let me play. For everyone else on wireless, I don't know if you could disable it.

So yeah, that's kind of shitty. :down:

[Tom Servo]

UHD BD looks really really good.

Surprisingly, that's the one big criticism that I've heard so far, that the Blu-Ray player is one of the worst on the market, namely that black levels are dark grey at best.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2017/11/12/the-xbox-one-x-4k-blu-ray-player-is-a-disaster/#276e35a32bde

[Rare White Ape]

Only when I pulled the internet cable out would it let me play. For everyone else on wireless, I don't know if you could disable it.

So yeah, that's kind of shitty. :down:

See what I’m saying maaaaaaaaan?

FWIW, I turn off my Xbone’s WiFi all the time, but it requires a dive into the menus to flick it off and on again. Pulling a cable seems easier, but it requires getting off the couch.

[Jason]

Surprisingly, that's the one big criticism that I've heard so far, that the Blu-Ray player is one of the worst on the market, namely that black levels are dark grey at best.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2017/11/12/the-xbox-one-x-4k-blu-ray-player-is-a-disaster/#276e35a32bde

I lower my black levels a couple notches, and the "problem" is fixed. Almost every video source outputs slightly differently in my experience, so settings should be adjusted, imo. Also I wonder if the author has his video output settings correct on his X1X. I had to manually check a couple boxes. For example it defaults to 8bit color vs 10 bit color. Things like that.

MS could push out an update to fix these things, but at the same time, the author should do a better job at being flexible with their settings.

After initial setup, it takes me all of 10 seconds to change the black level brightness a little for UHD.

[novicius]

See what I’m saying maaaaaaaaan?

FWIW, I turn off my Xbone’s WiFi all the time, but it requires a dive into the menus to flick it off and on again. Pulling a cable seems easier, but it requires getting off the couch.
Yep I agree that this is total bullshit -- there should be a menu option that allows people to opt out of updating and then playing.

Many-a-kid is gonna have their Christmas Day ruined because they won't know to disable the internet and just play the damn game. :smh: :down:

[dodint]

"ruined"

First World calling with a problem on line 1...

;)

Savvy parents will preload the consoles. Any ruination of Christmas is on their shoulders. It's the digital equivalent of assembling the bicycle in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.

[novicius]

C'mon, a not-small percentage of parents aren't gonna open up an X1X and know how to update it -- that's the kids' job! :lol:

[dodint]

Then what's the problem? :D

[novicius]

:lol:

[21Kid]

Surprisingly, that's the one big criticism that I've heard so far, that the Blu-Ray player is one of the worst on the market, namely that black levels are dark grey at best.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2017/11/12/the-xbox-one-x-4k-blu-ray-player-is-a-disaster/#276e35a32bde

Was it updated when you read it?

[Update: Microsoft has gone public to say that the issues raised in this story should be fixed soon by a software update. Full story on that announcement here (https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2017/11/13/microsoft-responds-to-xbox-one-x-4k-blu-ray-playback-problem-and-its-good-news/#3915319e5a0c); I've left the original story untouched.]

[thesameguy]

"ruined"

First World calling with a problem on line 1...

;)

Savvy parents will preload the consoles. Any ruination of Christmas is on their shoulders. It's the digital equivalent of assembling the bicycle in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.

Yes, this. And while I'm sure there are some 60 year old parents buying Xboxen for their 10 year old kids who get a pass, most parents buying consoles this Christmas are going to be in their 30s or 40s and have *zero* excuses for not understanding this requirement. Every single one of them has multiple devices (computers, phones, tablets, even effing thermostats) that need day one updates. Not taking care of this is not loving your kids. :P

[21Kid]

:lol:

[dodint]

Exactly. I figure if Carlo knows, younger parents would surely know. ;)

[novicius]

Your collective mothers! :angry:

(:lol:)

[Rare White Ape]

You’re all talking about the subject assuming that everyone is tech-savvy. I know someone who complained that it took too long to get to the emojis in their iPhone keyboard. The problem was that they had every single language installed and they had to press the globe button a hundred times. Xboxes are much much harder to use than a relatively easy OS like iOS.

We are all tech nerds, and how many of you flinch when you see someone with a phone that displays 456 unread emails in their inbox? THIS is the general public for you.

And if we’re dismissing this as a first world problem, welll the first world also has PS4s and Switchs and… yeah things that run on iOS and they all run beautifully straight out of the box.

[dodint]

iOS is shit, though. Horrible example. ;)

[thesameguy]

Agreed. And I'm sure in 1982 a bunch of parents were baffled when their kids unboxed a pile of Huffy parts and not a bicycle. Or, in 1979 had to endure hours of tears while they hastily assembled a Barbie Dream House instead of taking pictures of their precious little angel enjoying a holiday morning. Look, not everyone gets it but that doesn't mean there aren't repercussions for not doing your homework. You make that mistake once. Then you make sure to check and see if assembly is required, batteries are not included, or updates may be required before use. If it's not a one-time mistake but a pattern of negligence, then see my note about your relationship with your kids.

[dodint]

Ohhh, batteries not included. Fantastic example. And when I was a kid NOTHING was open on Christmas. :lol:

Talk about ruining a childhood.

[novicius]

:popcorn:

[Rare White Ape]

When I was a kid at Christmas I opened my N64 and… started playing immediately.

[thesameguy]

Yeah, and when my dad was a kid at Christmas he pushed his toy cars around instead of controlling them remotely like I did. And when you ran into a glitch on your N64, you lived with it instead of waiting for a fix to come over the internet. More complex things require more complex prep. That's pretty much how it always works.

If I'd reproduced my kids would be applying to college right now. If I get it, all ya'll oughta get it.

[Kchrpm]

You never got not being a condescending asshole to people that aren't like you, other people didn't get other stuff. We're all on different levels.

:assclown:

[thesameguy]

There is a difference between being on a different level and not being on a level. Speaking as someone who has repeatedly and often been involved in a post-technology debacle and not a condescending asshole, if you don't understand the technology your kids are using you need to check yourself. Ignorance of good practice is no more forgivable with an xbox than a car or a gun. People need to understand the pieces. Or, I guess, pay people like me exorbitant amounts of money to fix the problems that result. I mean, I benefit from that but I still don't think it's good or right. I would certainly hope that people care enough to keep their kids out of harm's way. But, maybe not. Whatever.

[Kchrpm]

People are allowed to complain about the complications of technology that could and should be better. I understand that you're ok with it, you're ok with a lot of technological stuff. You know how to solve it, you're comfortable solving it, you enjoy solving it. But you shouldn't have to. There should be a solution for it. And you shouldn't be insulting people because they want a solution to it.

But I get it. You are on a higher level of understanding and manipulation of the world and the items around you. That's great. Congratulations. More people should be like you. But they aren't. And you don't need to shit on them for it, especially if you consider them friends or whatever we are at this forum.

[dodint]

You really need to shit on people for their deficiencies. It's the only way they'll find the motivation to better themselves. Shaaaaaame. Just stop being a terrible parent and quit ruining Christmas you tech illiterate bozos.

[thesameguy]

Whatever. Next time you need to fish a 13 year old out from under a freeway underpass you can come back and explain to me how parents who don't read up on the technology they give their kids get a pass because there was nothing that could be done.

Yes, I know there is some tangible difference between xbox updates and the internet, but it's the same "Whoops, I don't get it" mentality that nets both.

I don't have kids because I don't want that responsibility, but I assure you that when I was responsible for one it was my fucking mission in life.

But, to be clear, because apparently I was not: I am not defending how the xbox works. It could be better and should be better, but it isn't. Just like batteries should be included and bicycles should come assembled. But they're not. Complaining about it doesn't make things work better. Feel free to complain, but you still gotta buy the batteries, build the bike, run the updates. And if you didn't read the package, or the directions, or pay attention to the last ten years of Xboxes, or read the internet... well, it's probably Trump's fault.

[dodint]

Pokemon Go related?

[Kchrpm]

Yes, I know there is some tangible difference between xbox updates and the internet,

You're right. There is a tangible difference between being disappointed that a system can't at least give you a limited use mode out of the box, and letting your 13 year old roam around freely.

[thesameguy]

Pokemon Go related?

In a vague way, yes. There was this online "game" called Neopets that was Pokémon-esque (more like digipets... I can't remember the Japanese name), and after several years of basically trouble-free use various predator types started using it to take advantage of mostly children. I'm sure it's all out on the internet if you want to read, but the problems ran from money scams to things potentially far far worse. Including luring kids out of their homes.

[thesameguy]

Nevermind. I don't want to talk about this anymore.

[dodint]

Speaking seriously, I see your underlying premise and agree with you almost fully in that regard. I also think that result is pretty distant from what we're talking about here.

Novi is saying a kid can have his Christmas ruined by receiving a $500 premium game console and being forced to wait a few hours to actually play with it, an avoidable condition if the parents have even a basic understanding of what modern game consoles require.

I think that if that genuinely ruins a kids entire Christmas those kids and parents deserve each other making the whole argument moot anyway.

People striving for perfection are guaranteed to be disappointed.

[Rare White Ape]

All I'm saying is that parents can prevent tears by buying a Switch instead.

It's got that game with that guy Zelda on it, you know?

[novicius]

:popcorn:

[Jason]

So... I enjoy my X1X, anyone else?

[dodint]

I dunno. I've never owned an XBox of any kind.

[novicius]

So... I enjoy my X1X, anyone else?
:lol: #lovinit

[21Kid]

More people need to be like us. Got it RWA! ;)

edit: whoops, that was for the last page. Didn't see we moved on.
Also, Zelda is a dude??? This whole time I thought she was a princess? :(

[Jason]

Dudes can be princesses too, Bill

[Rare White Ape]

I might actually use my Xbone this week. I’ve taken time off work for over two weeks to volunteer at the Commonwealth Games, which leaves me a fair whack of free time in the middle of the week when I’m not on shift.

So I’ve subscribed to the two week free trial for Game Pass and bought three months of Live Gold for $12. Right now I’m downloading Sea of Thieves, ReCore, DmC: Definitive, Rise of the Tomb Raider and SuperHot.

Three of these games were titles that I was kinda-sorta-but-not-really thinking of buying on other platforms, but for almost $0 I can’t complain. Sadly I didn’t have a spare Live trial code to make it fully free.

[Rare White Ape]

According to this: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/04/20/may-xbox-update/#4BgXhVQ1zlsCvfi8.99

Microsoft will be adding 120Hz support to Xbox One. No word on if it will be available across both X, S and OG varieties or just on X, but it could be useful for those who game on a monitor or if you own one of the selection of TVs on the market that has an undocumented native 120Hz refresh rate.

For XboneX owners, I would love to see developer support for high refresh rate gaming on X enhanced titles running in 1080 or 1440p mode. For everyone else uncapped refresh rates in back-compat games would be fabulous.

[Rare White Ape]

This is cool:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzV_xrisMko

MS hinted at E3 that they've been working on a game streaming service based around Xbox. Now a working prototype is up and running in Washington state.

They seem like they genuinely want to make accessing Xbox games as easy as possible on any device, even if hardware isn't the main push (for comparison, Sony's PlayStation Now game streaming service is limited to PS4 and PC users).

I'd love to play FH4 on the go, but sadly my country's internet consists of two tin cans separated by a broken piece of string and it cost 96 billion dollars, so it'll never happen here for another 20 years.

[Rare White Ape]

Right, so here’s a thing. I haven’t played FH4 for a few days because my Xbox is exhibiting some issues displaying a HDR signal, with associated audio problems. Thus:


https://youtu.be/zjM2X8-TV2o

It only happens when 4K/HDR is being output to the TV. Bear in mind it’s an Xbox One S; it renders games up to 1080p but the video output is within a 4K container. In order to display HDR it also has to be displaying in 4K - you can’t turn 4K off and keep HDR on. The PS4 is different in being able to display 4K at 1080p, but I digress.

I can turn 4K/HDR off and run in 1080p/SDR, but where is the fun in that? All the games I’ve tried that don’t display in HDR run just fine when the console is set to 4K/HDR.

Now, the Xbox only started doing this when I first upgraded my TV to a 4K set back in May, I troubleshooted it and couldn’t find a solution, but a few days later it just went to displaying - and sounding- correctly. Fast forward to now and it’s started doing it again. I’ve looked online, checked all the cables (yes it’s a HDMI 2.0 cable, it came with the console), tried different inputs, tried different video settings, but can’t solve it or find a solution. It was working perfectly a week ago, now it isn’t.

Any ideas?

[Jason]

If it's not all the little stuff (cables, ports, settings check out fine), and there's no problems with any other 4k/hdr devices with your tv, then you probably need to send the Xbox in for repair :/

[Tom Servo]

I have had no luck at all getting all my 4K/HDR/60FPS stuff working. I will be of no help here.

[Cam]

720p 4 lyfe

[Rare White Ape]

On today’s rumour mill:

Microsoft may launch a revised, no-disc version of the Xbox One S, in Southern Hemisphere autumn next year.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-11-16-microsoft-is-reportedly-launching-a-disc-less-xbox-one-next-year

It’ll cost way less, allowing more people to jump on the current-gen bandwagon.

[Rare White Ape]

I’m making my fourth attempt, over two days, at downloading the latest update for my Xbone S.

It is a piece of trash. 0/10.

[balki]

NHL 19 is free with a XBLA / Games with Gold
Is it THAT bad? 2002 or 2003 is that last one I manage to play for more than an hour

[21Kid]

It's an EA game... Need I say more?

FWIW, I farted around with it for a little bit with my son. It's okay from what I can tell. I too haven't played a hockey game for over 10 years though.

[SkylineObsession]

After trying to play an NBA game that came with either Xbox or PS paid accounts a year or so back, i decided to not even bother downloading this NHL one. Too many button combos to remember, and i'm not as coordinated as i was when younger.

So i've downloaded less 'free' PS + and Live Gold games this year than i had by this time last year. :( Nothing much has tickled my fancy lately. Not into these stupid pixel retro games they keep releasing.

[dodint]

The NHL games have a 'simplified' button configuration you can use. It's very similar to the old school Genesis/SNES where it's just a d-pad and one button for each action. It might be hard to keep up with folks online, but for offline play or two-player it should be pretty fun.

[SkylineObsession]

Hmmm, if more games included that sort of controller layout i'd be more interested in them. :cool:
Especially fighting games like Tekken etc, as i still just button mash, lose, and quit the game. :P

[Blerpa]

I dunno if this is the right thread but I'll ask. Is anyone in here using an Xbox One S as a 4K blu-ray player? I've a 50" Samsung 4K HDR tv set and I'd like to view some 4K blu-ray movies on it, but my old Panasonic BD player is only 1080p capable.
I've seen that decent stand alone 4K BD players are pretty expensive, so I'm toying around with the idea of buying an Xbox One S instead, JUST for the bd player capabilities.
Anyone has experience with that? Will the 500gb version be enough? I suppose a remote control will be needed too.
I've bought the Dolby Atmos on my Windows license so I should be able to use that on the console as well, I presume.
Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks in advance!

[21Kid]

I use my XboneX for UHD Movies and it looks great. You can use the Xbox app on your phone as a remote. I don't know why you'd need more storage, if you want to use it mainly for movies.
I downloaded the Atmos app on the Xbox, but don't remember paying for it. Hmmm...

Honestly though, I can barely tell the difference between BD and UHD Movies on my 135" screen. I don't know if it'd be worth it on 50.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah I've used my Xbone S as a 4K Blu-Ray player.

It works just fine. It's probably its best feature if you're into collecting physical media.

500GB will be more than enough, and you can use the controller or the app as mentioned. HDMI CEC might work too, so if your TV remote has pause/stop/play buttons you're good. And if you don't use the controller for that it doubles as a fantastic PC Bluetooth controller.

You can't beat it for the price so go for it.

And yeah, the difference between 4K and 1080p is very negligible, but the main draw is HDR, the real game changer with UHD films.

[Blerpa]

Point is that usually there are both 4K and FullHD versions in a 4K bd package, so I'd get both... I still buy BD from time to time but lately I've stopped doing that because I feel like I'd rather take one version that would look even slightly better with my tv.
A bit like DVDs: I don't buy them anymore since I don't see the point when there are BD existing.

My Samsung remote has indeed those buttons, I can see if that works.
Thanks guys, I'll wait the Amazon Prime Days to finish while wait for a 95 euro Amazon bonus card my bank gifted me: prices have been hiked up for the Prime Days to a minimum of 229 euro about (meh, thanks always to Keepa plugin - it was around 190-195 euro two weeks ago IIRC) and I've yet to receive by mail the code for the bonus card. :cool:
Also all the offers are focused on the new All Digital One S without a disk reader... but I've no use for that.

[Rare White Ape]

With those HD + UHD packages, only the UHD disc contains the HDR color space. I bought The Last Jedi when it came out and I never even bothered to watch the HD disc because it's only in SDR. It's a useful thing to sell to people if they haven't upgraded their TV yet; they can get the movie now and have the UHD version available for later once they upgrade without having to buy another disc.

As an aside, it's kind of a shame that 1080p HDR has never been a thing. Smaller TVs that support HDR at 1080p would be great value. Of course, the support for HDR on the base PS4 and Xbox consoles has been a great thing for 4K TV owners, but the HDR has always been part of 4K. I'd just love to see HDR at a lower price on sub-50" TVs.

[Blerpa]

So, I've got my bonus on Amazon... as it stands right now I can get a new Xbox One S 1TB (sold and sent by Amazon) for 76 euro.
It's the version with PUBG in bundle (EWWW), but unfortunately it is the only version right now on sale.

Once I get the Xbox One S... what should I do? Sign in with my Windows Store/Windows 10 account? I think I'm already signed in in the Companion Xbox whatever program on Windows.
1) I also have already paid for Atmos on my Win 10 account - is it connected?
2) Without paying for Xbox Live... can I update the console regularly?
3) Is there a way to try game demos too?
4) Does Microsoft make game sales for people without Xbox Live or are you obliged to have the paid service in order to get digital sales?
5) How does Xbox Play Anywhere work? Is is related to PC Win 10 too?

[Blerpa]

I'm putting the purchase on hold: I've spent 2 hours of my afternoon comparing both my BD collection and my BD wishlist on Amazon to check if there are 4K equivalents.
Of around 100 titles like 12 or such are available on 4k.
Cost for a normal BD ranges between 6 and 14 euro, while a 4K BD may cost from 14 to 40-50 euro each.
A pretty big reality check on a purchase that would be hard to justify: few BD movies and a 4k upscaler player, basically. DAMN, I hate these things.
I'll think about it, I've like 3 months to spend my bonus on Amazon.

[Tom Servo]

I know you're putting it off, but...

First off, yes, the Windows Store account is the same as your XBL account (or at least it is for me).

1) Dunno, I think so?
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) I believe there are sales that are exclusive for XBL Gold and some that are not. The better ones will likely be for Gold, which also has a couple of free games a month.
5) For the couple of games that I have that support it, it works pretty much flawlessly. Forza 7 and Forza Horizon 4 I bought once on the Windows store and they were immediately available on my XBox, and the save games transfer between the two.

[Blerpa]

Thanks Bryan, really.
Number 5 could be interesting: I shall see if there are enough interesting games in the Windows Store (I've my doubts)... let's see if MS and Steam go on with their game agreement and if games on Steam and Xbox will share Play Anywhere saves. It would be great and could tip me in favour of the console.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, there aren't many games that I'm interested in. This list is a little suspect as they list titles that either do or "intend to" support Play Anywhere:

https://www.windowscentral.com/play-anywhere-list

That said, I really like the few games that I have that do support it. I almost never fire up my XBox anymore, because why would I when I can play at 4k/60fps on my computer?

[Rare White Ape]

Don’t forget Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is stunning value. About half of them are available on PC. The console side of it is a great way to play games you wouldn’t normally look at on PC.

[Blerpa]

I could be just very mildly interested in Forza games, but not much else otherwise.
Also I gather Xbox Play Anywhere won't work in relation to Steam... meh.
What a shame.

[Rare White Ape]

That would be correct.

But, you can use it to play Metro Exodus on PC without having to go to the Epic Games Store.

[Blerpa]

But, you can use it to play Metro Exodus on PC without having to go to the Epic Games Store.

I pirated it to try it (no way I'm giving my money to Epic Games Store): I was disappointed; I did find it boring, with stiff controls and lacklustre gameplay. Also full of irritating characters.
Still better than Metro 2033 and Last Light, but...
So moot point.

[Cam]

4) Does Microsoft make game sales for people without Xbox Live or are you obliged to have the paid service in order to get digital sales?

I am pretty sure that you can buy any game without a XBL Gold subscription. However, keep in mind that games that play online only require XBL Gold subscription to play.

[Tom Servo]

I am pretty sure that you can buy any game without a XBL Gold subscription. However, keep in mind that games that play online only require XBL Gold subscription to play.

Except on PC, you can play online all day long without XBL Gold.

[Cam]

I failed to clarify that I was talking about playing on the Xbox.

[Blerpa]

So, I bought Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition on the Windows Store and I already had Minecraft Win 10 edition (also from the Windows Store).
Does this means that, if I buy an Xbox One, I already own those two games also on Xbox, right?

[Tom Servo]

At least FH4 will definitely work, it's tied to your XBL account so as long as you've got the XBox One signed into the same account, it'll have access to it.

I'm not sure about Minecraft Win 10 edition. Looking at the store page, I don't see anything about it supporting "Play Anywhere", and it just says "PC" and "Hub" under "Available On", whereas Forza Horizon 4 also has "XBox One" listed under there, so I'm pretty sure that will *not* work on the XBox.

[Cam]

I am slightly annoyed that I had Minecraft for the 360, but have to buy it again to play on the Xbone.

[Tom Servo]

This appears to be the definitive list of "Play Anywhere" titles that will work on both the PC and XBox One with a single purchase: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere

Minecraft is not in the list.

[Rare White Ape]

But Minecraft is on Game Pass.

All new-ish first-party Xbox games will be on Game Pass as well as play anywhere, unfortunately Minecraft is not a recent enough game to be captured by this regime.

[Blerpa]

A bit disappointing Minecraft isn't there... I can't fathom buying it for a 4th time around.
The Play Anywhere list is a bit scarce, downloading the Forza Motorsport 7 demo on my PC to try it out.
Interestingly enough it is underlined that XBPA games are only digitally sold games.
So what does happen if I buy an Xbox with a game in bundle?

[Rare White Ape]

A lot of the time your pack-in game will be a download code, so you'll be able to play it on PC as well.

You never know, someone might be selling a Minecraft download code for cheap - they were provided with almost every XB1 sold for a while and someone would've had one with no use for it.

[Blerpa]

I supposed so.
Actually I've seen that there are keys for Minecraft Xbox One edition for about 12 euro around, what pisses me off more is that there's no cloud saves in the game anyway, so it would be another goddamn new world to create, instead of using one of mine (3 are already too much).
2019 and no cloud saves, that's even more shameful than Epic Games Store...
Meanwhile I'm downloading the demo for Forza Motorsport 7 on the main PC to try it out (and it should be an Xbox PA game).

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, Forza Motorsport 7 is and the cloud saves thing works with it as well. I've also got Gears of War 4 (it was free, I think) and Forza Horizon 3 as Play Anywhere games.

[Blerpa]

Played around one hour with Forza Motorsport 7: I must say I'm disappointed.
The experience feels sterile, graphics are competent but uninspiring (aside from wet tarmac, god, it looked wonderful. Also did a race in the rain at Suzuka, it was awesome as atmosphere goes), also cars feel funky handling-wise, dunno.
I think Forza Horizon 4 has spoiled me: I've not touched Grid Autosport and Project Cars 2 since ages.
FH4 is so vibrant, so full of things to do even if you get bored from racing... it is full of life! Incredible!

[SkylineObsession]

Not sure if my settings are fully right yet, but got a OneX the other day and have it and the TV set to do 4k, HDR10, but it almost appears too dark (the only way i've found to brighten it is to reduce the black level, but then things don't look as black)? And too much colour saturation, but if i turn that down it doesn't look as bright.

Have only played Generation Zero on it so far, as it was the only game that was installed enough to play, and that looks a million times better, especially explosions. And night time is actually dark.

I dunno, anyone else have this setup, and have a little trouble configuring/aligning the X and the TV? Even went through the tv calibration thing on the Xbox.

[Rare White Ape]

Nope, no problems here.

And HDR will sometimes look darker, depending on the content. It’s not all about brightness, although that’s a clear benefit of HDR, but it’s also about how much detail (or colour volume) can be displayed at all brightness levels of a frame without losing information. Some movies will look very dark because they’re intended to be watched in a dark theatre using a projector. You’ll have better results if you turn your lights off!

Have you got Netflix? You should watch the same thing on as many devices as you can to compare. I suggest watching episode 1 of Star Trek Discovery, as it has a good spread of light and dark scenes for you to check out.

[Yobbo NZ]

Have you also adjusted the HDR levels in the game options? If there is any that is.
What TV is it, as you might be able to find settings online to try.

[Rare White Ape]

I believe he has a fairly new Sony LED.

As with all HDR capable TVs, the backlight should be set to maximum brightness, with local dimming set to full.

[Yobbo NZ]

It took me a while to settle on decent settings that I liked.
Also took a while to get used to colours that popped with HDR, but now, I don't really notice it as much.

[Blerpa]

Did you check the HDR in Netflix? It seems sometimes NF has problems with HDR in 4K tv sets: it was like Netflix kept HDR on for everything on their app, even things without HDR, and fucking up the whole display reproduction as a result.
I'd toggle around with the settings of TV and console and check as many HDR feeds as possible (BD 4K, Amazon Prime Video, etc.) to check if the problem is widespread or just happening with a single app/feed.
I've heard Xbox One X had those troubles with HDR in the past on Netflix, but that should be solved updating the console to the latest patches.

[Phil_SS]

Could also be the game itself. Some games do not have good HDR integration.

[SkylineObsession]

Cheers guys.

Yeah it's a lateish model OLED Sony TV.

I played around with the settings a bit more yesterday, increased gamma to 1 or 2, turn contrast down a tiny bit plus a couple other things and it looks a lot better now. The TV saves the settings on each device/port, so i'd have to go through each port (PS4, PS3, TV etc) and make all the settings the same in order to compare. Don't have Netflix, as find too much stuff to watch on free to air tv as it is!

[Yobbo NZ]

I have my contrast up at 90, mine isn't an OLED though. Brightness at 20, colour 57, sharpness 50, backlight at 20, I think, and all the other stuff turned off.
Those are pretty close to settings found at..
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x750f/settings

Yours maybe listed there too.

[SkylineObsession]

Eeek, will have to take some time to read over those settings properly, if i can find all the menu options.

Mine has good ratings on there it seems.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/a8f-oled

[Rare White Ape]

Rtings also has a fucking DECENT glossary of all the mumbo jumbo features.

Most of which they tell you to turn off cos its all bullshit marketing guff for people who don't know what they're buying.

Whenever I buy a TV its usually set to a warm cinema mode with all motion smoothing and frame interpolation turned off, so I am basically immune to the *brightest* and *flashiest* TVs you see on a sales floor. I buy a TV and make it look really dull :lol:

A few things, like GT Sport, Breath of the Wild, and Gears 5, still make it pop, so I can't imagine the eye-horror people subject themselves to if they view that content on a vivid setting.

Here's an idea. Go check out The HDR Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCve7_yAZHFNipzeAGBI5t9g) on YouTube. They upload most of the looping demos you see in hi-fi stores. Not only is it an adventure in terrible stock music, it's also a great way to give your TV a workout, in lieu of a Netflix subscription.

[Phil_SS]

There is no better place to find out how great your TV is and how shitty your TV is than AVS Forums. It's like the Vodka Red Bull of Audio visual forums. https://www.avsforum.com

[Cam]

I am a little sad to say that I haven't turned on my Xbox One in months, since I let my XBL subscription lapse. I am thinking of getting rid of it. Anyone here want it? I pretty much only play iRacing and SnowRunner now on my PC. Friday nights, I drive Euro Truck Sim 2. I would like to give it to someone who will use it, not just resell it. I have two controllers and one headset. No games though. I only ever bought virtual copies of games for it. Heck, I do not even know if the optical drive works. It never had a disk in it!

[Rare White Ape]

Microsoft Cloud Gaming is now available in areas outside of Europe and USA, with Australia, Japan, Brazil and Mexico coming on board.

I had a quick go with Dirt 5 as it allows touch controls on my iPhone (I’m still sitting in bed this morning and my Xbox controller is downstairs ;) ) and the image quality is really good. The frame rate is probably as you’d expect: 30fps from an Xbox One S streamed from a hundred kilometres away over the internet with a few judders and hitches but nothing too hard to deal with. I haven’t tried a 60fps game yet.

Problems however are on iPhone you have no native app so you have to rely on Safari, plus there’s no way to easily make it full screen. You have to scroll the menu bar up before launching otherwise its there permanently and the bottom of the image is cropped off the screen. If you accidentally rotate the screen then you have to relaunch to remove said menu bar again, something that’s likely to easily occur on the train.

The biggest deal breaker is the input lag, which felt like 250 ms. It was near impossible for me to drive around corners with what felt like a billion frames of gameplay between steering input and car response. Now I know what pilot-induced oscillation feels like.

But given the quality of the video feed and the easy way of accessing games with no installs, I’d say this will be brilliant for chill out games, just steer clear of titles where you need careful inputs or fast reactions. I’m pretty sure anyone with a Game Pass or Live Gold subscription is able to access this.

[Cam]

I finally got rid of my Xbone. I gave it to someone in my neighbourhood.

The end of an era.