26 votes

Rumors of new tiers/prices for Game Pass, next Xbox(es) will be Windows based, will include Steam/Epic + full Xbox library emulation and backwards compatibility

14 comments

  1. [5]
    macleod
    Link
    This is where we thought it was going to be headed ten years ago, good to hear they are finally stepping up. I tried to turn an old PS4 into a Linux box with varying levels of success and failure...

    This is where we thought it was going to be headed ten years ago, good to hear they are finally stepping up. I tried to turn an old PS4 into a Linux box with varying levels of success and failure (not tangible, but fun!) because it just makes sense to be able to use them as computers/servers.

    • wouldn't surprise me if the pay off of digital sales is massively larger than the hardware revenue.
    11 votes
    1. Nihilego
      Link Parent
      I was for a while considering making my PS4 a Linux PC but it was such a miserable experience, drivers working or not working, emulation performance was poor… wouldn’t recommend.

      I was for a while considering making my PS4 a Linux PC but it was such a miserable experience, drivers working or not working, emulation performance was poor… wouldn’t recommend.

      2 votes
    2. babypuncher
      Link Parent
      Historically, console manufacturers whose names don't start with "N" have relatively little profit margin on the actual hardware, specifically because they want to entice as many people into the...

      wouldn't surprise me if the pay off of digital sales is massively larger than the hardware revenue.

      Historically, console manufacturers whose names don't start with "N" have relatively little profit margin on the actual hardware, specifically because they want to entice as many people into the ecosystem as possible where they make the real money on accessories and a 30% cut on every piece of software or microtransaction.

      1 vote
    3. [2]
      BlindCarpenter
      Link Parent
      How far did you get with Linux on it? Sounds exciting Wondering if I could turn an old PS4 into a media machine/ retro gaming machine

      How far did you get with Linux on it? Sounds exciting

      Wondering if I could turn an old PS4 into a media machine/ retro gaming machine

      1. macleod
        Link Parent
        Booting, and then the age-old problem of 'drivers' and 'proprietary protocols and binaries' for interfacing with virtually literally anything remotely useful stepped in.

        Booting, and then the age-old problem of 'drivers' and 'proprietary protocols and binaries' for interfacing with virtually literally anything remotely useful stepped in.

  2. [4]
    datavoid
    Link
    A full Xbox emulator on PC would be awesome, hopefully it would include the full catalog of original Xbox and 360 games as well. I'm fairly sure the steam news is legit as Microsoft leaked it...

    A full Xbox emulator on PC would be awesome, hopefully it would include the full catalog of original Xbox and 360 games as well.

    I'm fairly sure the steam news is legit as Microsoft leaked it themselves in a trailer, so hopefully the emulator news is true too!

    5 votes
    1. ButteredToast
      Link Parent
      I think for most people, 360 emulation would be the most interesting part. The original Xbox had a few good games, but the 360 greatly eclipses it in that regard, and while some titles of that era...

      I think for most people, 360 emulation would be the most interesting part. The original Xbox had a few good games, but the 360 greatly eclipses it in that regard, and while some titles of that era technically have Windows ports they’re often saddled with Games for Windows Live which was abandoned ages ago and makes them a real pain to get running under modern Windows.

      The big question is if it allows people to use their old discs or not. There’s a ton of cheap used discs that’d make the feature really shine, but if it requires re-purchasing that’s a lot less interesting.

      8 votes
    2. [2]
      Gummy
      Link Parent
      If you just mean Xbox emulation on pc in general, have you tried Xemu? I don't emulate Xbox games often so I'm not up to date on its compatibility, but the 360 emulator has come pretty far so I'm...

      If you just mean Xbox emulation on pc in general, have you tried Xemu? I don't emulate Xbox games often so I'm not up to date on its compatibility, but the 360 emulator has come pretty far so I'm sure Xemu is looking at least decent.

      2 votes
      1. st3ph3n
        Link Parent
        Back before Rockstar finally released Red Dead Redemption 1 on PC, I used Xenia to do a full playthrough of it using files pulled from my original 360 discs. Since it is such a high-profile title...

        Back before Rockstar finally released Red Dead Redemption 1 on PC, I used Xenia to do a full playthrough of it using files pulled from my original 360 discs. Since it is such a high-profile title I think that caused the emulator to get enough development specifically for that game to run very well, including features like increased framerates and resolution upscaling. That was on my previous PC built on ~2020-era hardware too.

        1 vote
  3. JIGABOT
    Link
    I've seen this pop up again and again over the past couple days as it is rehashed by different sites. The only source to any of these recent articles about xbox + steam integration is a single...

    I've seen this pop up again and again over the past couple days as it is rehashed by different sites. The only source to any of these recent articles about xbox + steam integration is a single spanish podcaster.

    2 votes
  4. comma
    Link
    It’s certainly interesting but I’d only consider switching back from pc gaming if I could play games online for free, like literally every other service.

    It’s certainly interesting but I’d only consider switching back from pc gaming if I could play games online for free, like literally every other service.

  5. JIGABOT
    Link
    I think what is likely to happen is that Windows 11 xbox will get a console/handheld layout. Steam will be further integrated but the xbox app will act as a launcher. This will be to shore up the...

    I think what is likely to happen is that Windows 11 xbox will get a console/handheld layout. Steam will be further integrated but the xbox app will act as a launcher. This will be to shore up the deficiencies in Windows 11 handheld support. Through this integration, xbox windows also gets to piggy back off the steam deck compatibility ratings.

    Currently, one of your better options is to install Bazzite on your pc handheld. Installing Bazzite functionally turns your handheld into a Steam Deck equivalent.

  6. [2]
    phoenixrises
    Link
    Can we also put in the title that this is just rumors? Feels really misleading otherwise.

    Can we also put in the title that this is just rumors? Feels really misleading otherwise.

    27 votes