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[Xbox/XBL] Battlefront II SP Sucked (but Gavankar was great): A Retrospective

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Posts

  • HardtargetHardtarget There Are Four Lights VancouverRegistered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    @Hardtarget As promised, I've played the first little bit of Vampyr (just the prologue and a bit further) on my old Xbox One and on the X now, and I'm sorry to report no noticeable improvement in framerate; it's still dropping frames all over the place on the X at 1080p. I think the textures look a little sharper in places but I can't really verify that, without running it side-by-side which unfortunately I can't do. But there's no night-and-day level difference at all.

    That said, I'm enjoying the game so far, it's really atmospheric and the jankiness isn't too offputting. (As for your other complaint, loading times, they don't seem too bad to me - that's obviously YMMV, but just FYI I've been running it from a 1TB 7200rpm external drive on both consoles.) I'll have to play some more of it, it seems really good despite its technical deficiencies.

    ya the loading times get worse once you start progressing into chapters 1 and 2. Sadly i've been so busy dealing with my 2 young kids I have not had a chance to play any more Vampyr since we talked about it last time :( Thank for checking though!

    I was really hoping the X would just increase everything across the board but that doesn't really seem like the case.

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  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Hardtarget wrote: »
    Jazz wrote: »
    @Hardtarget As promised, I've played the first little bit of Vampyr (just the prologue and a bit further) on my old Xbox One and on the X now, and I'm sorry to report no noticeable improvement in framerate; it's still dropping frames all over the place on the X at 1080p. I think the textures look a little sharper in places but I can't really verify that, without running it side-by-side which unfortunately I can't do. But there's no night-and-day level difference at all.

    That said, I'm enjoying the game so far, it's really atmospheric and the jankiness isn't too offputting. (As for your other complaint, loading times, they don't seem too bad to me - that's obviously YMMV, but just FYI I've been running it from a 1TB 7200rpm external drive on both consoles.) I'll have to play some more of it, it seems really good despite its technical deficiencies.

    ya the loading times get worse once you start progressing into chapters 1 and 2. Sadly i've been so busy dealing with my 2 young kids I have not had a chance to play any more Vampyr since we talked about it last time :( Thank for checking though!

    I was really hoping the X would just increase everything across the board but that doesn't really seem like the case.

    Yeah, there are definitely games that seem to run exactly the same on the X as on a standard or S console. I've mentioned Watch Dogs 2 as one (and, annoyingly, apparently the PS4 version is enhanced on the Pro, so the work has already been put in - not to mention there's the PC version - so that one's a real shame).

    Most games seem to get at least a modest boost, even if just through supersampling and improved AF, or slightly faster loading times, but it certainly seems to not be all.

    Vampyr, though, since it is officially X enhanced, is a weird one because I just cannot see how. Unless it's got a resolution boost that I can't see due to the limitations of my old TV. It's not full 4K, but that doesn't mean it can't do 1440p or something. Someone with a fancier TV would have to report back on that. But that it would do that without tidying up the framerate - at least to a steady 30 - seems bizarre.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Yeah, Vampyr was an interesting concept turned into a mildly-disappointing entry when I tried it, but it is probably unfair to compare it to the flood of well-optimized triple-A action titles that are already on Xbox. I realized I wasn't going to play it further after about 30 minutes, but I do hope it was well-received for its fan following. We need more B-grade action games.

    Anyway, because things are slow, more complicated and suspect rumors on the next Xbox console. The highlights are:
    • As before, 'Scarlett' refers to the whole line of machines, whereas 'Lockhart' and 'Anaconda' refer to simultaneously-launching low and high-end hardware (likely in 2020). It's almost as bad as taking all your code names from The Matrix.
    • Both Microsoft and Sony apparently want to surpass Google's promise of Stadia hardware in the 10-teraflop range, with their high-end (versus low-end) SKU. Microsoft has talked more about this than Sony, since they've long been on the forefront of gaming graphics API and the Surface line is familiar with powerful (and expensive) hardware, but Sony is likely to do so as well.
    • The so-called "GameCore" will ensure complete continuity with the current Xbox One library (including its Xbox 360 and old Xbox titles). This almost guaranteed at this point, compared to the other rumors, like "GameCore" as it relates to Windows 10 and Xbox One software running on PC.
    • Project xCloud (to phones, and other consoles like the Switch) hasn't been killed off. We just haven't heard much further on it, beyond Microsoft's continued partnership with Razer to produce more related peripherals.
    • Nothing about VR. Considering PSVR has firmly leveled off at between 4 and 5% attachment rate (for comparison, that's less than a sixth the attach rate of Kinect on Xbox 360, and probably lower than the Kinect on Xbox One), Microsoft might not be convinced they could do any better, making it difficult to justify. Just my take on it.

    So, not much. Also, people are expecting for Microsoft to release an Xbox Gold/Game Pass bundle subscription (so you can...pay for both at the same time?). In the meantime, the LTT guys discover the adaptive controller and make a big fuss about it.

    https://youtu.be/MwYTLiXI6zY

  • SaraLunaSaraLuna Registered User regular
    I don’t know what LTT guys are, but the thumbnail for that video sure looks like something that will poison my youtube recommendations for a week if I click on it

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  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    I don’t know what LTT guys are, but the thumbnail for that video sure looks like something that will poison my youtube recommendations for a week if I click on it

    It's actually a pretty well done video that goes into a pretty good dive with the Adaptive Controller and some of the other accessibility features in the Xbox.

    I do like his intro summation of the controller: "The Xbox Adaptive Controller is not specifically designed for anyone...so it can be used by everyone."

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    cB557Jazz
  • baudattitudebaudattitude Registered User regular
    I don’t know what LTT guys are, but the thumbnail for that video sure looks like something that will poison my youtube recommendations for a week if I click on it

    Linus Tech Tips is actually pretty solid entertainment; they do boneheaded things with technology that occasionally works and frequently backfires. Things like ordering random processors off eBay that correspond to no known Intel part number and trying to make them work.

    JazzUndead ScottsmanSynthesisLocal H JayZilla360
  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Linus is a YouTuber who, aside from being aggressively Canadian, is pretty inoffensive as far as tech reviewers go. He does have a lot of haters but his reviews seem pretty middle of the road. He's not as cool as say, Marques Brownlee but he's pretty decent

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  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Surpassing 10 teraflops? I should hope so. The 1080 in my laptop is rated at about 9, and it's nearly two years old - and it wasn't a new chip even then.

    I do find myself wondering where the price point will fall. If we're looking at a console with 10+ teraflops of GPU performance and a CPU that can keep up, on board storage that surely is going to have to be at least 2TB and hopefully faster than 5400rpm (not sure if an SSD that size is really realistic even for the high-end SKU but an SSHD certainly could be), with probably at least 16GB of RAM and maybe even 24GB (the X1X already has 12GB of GDDR5 - might the new machine even sport GDDR6?), that is going to start to add up quick. And you have to assume they'll want to keep it under the $500 mark (definitely below $600, if only to avoid the PS3 jokes) - also assuming a price drop for the not-cheap X1X in the meantime. Otherwise you're taking the console customer into a whole new pricing tier that could backfire badly.

    And, if the low-end SKU is going to have to be the baseline by necessity, will that even offer a meaningful increase in power over the 6 teraflop X1X?

    It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out. And, of course, what they'll end up calling the thing (really, who saw "Xbox One" coming?).

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Jazz wrote: »
    Surpassing 10 teraflops? I should hope so. The 1080 in my laptop is rated at about 9, and it's nearly two years old - and it wasn't a new chip even then.

    The teraflops comparison is...really only useful between consoles, and even then, pretty flawed. At least the consoles are all systems-on-a-chip.

    That being said, GTX 1080 video cards by themselves still sell in the range of $700 to $800, which is kind of madness in its own right. But I think it can tell us something a little useful about how much an entire functioning console (with possible solid state storage, along with a motherboard, in addition to that aforementioned system on a chip) could run. They'll want to match GTX 1080 ultimate performance, or exceed it, but they're going to need to be much cheaper about it.

    Synthesis on
    Jazz
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Yeah, I know it's only a vague comparison going by teraflops - not to mention consoles tending to be more efficient when compared to PCs with similar hardware.

    But yeah, you're right. And even factoring in the likelihood of the consoles (at least early on) selling at a significant loss, that sort of performance does not come cheap.

    Jazz on
    Synthesis
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    DF summed it up very nicely: consoles are vastly more efficient for gaming. Windows gaming comes with a lot of overhead. Linux gaming comes with a lot of overhead compared to consoles, but less, but is hampered by shittier drivers and graphics API. The Xbox One X is more than a year old, and be had for $400: what kind of PC can you get for $400? "But everyone already has a PC, and for $400, you can get a GTX 1060 and..." Bull shit. We're going to pretend everyone is using Windows PCs, and that no one's bought an Mac since the Apple II. Then we're going to pretend that everyone's Windows PCs aren't laptops, and have compatible ATX motherboards and a sufficient power supply.

    A $400 GPU, by itself, can absolutely win the teraflops race. But just cramming that video card into your PC isn't a guaranteed situation. The obvious necessity of PCs--internet browsing, email, etc.--are increasing the domain of phones and tablets, or handled by PCs that can't be upgraded. And by itself, that video card is just a $400 paperweight. A $400 PC is...a lot less robust. You can probably forget about having an SSD.

    (Has a GTX 1080 Ti he uses to play original Skyrim like a damn fool.)

    JazzWraith260Mulletude
  • rahkeesh2000rahkeesh2000 Registered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out. And, of course, what they'll end up calling the thing (really, who saw "Xbox One" coming?).

    "One" was all about being the "one" media hub that did all that unwanted bullshit like switching to ESPN with Kinect voice commands.

    Therefore the next console is Xbox Zero. None of those useless features, not even blu-ray player, just games. Mark my words.

  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    The Xbox naming conventions have been all number related but really make no sense at all

    Xbox - 360 - One is pretty silly and is hard to guess what they'll do next. Zero would be nice and make sense but almost too easy for them, they'll definitely swerve a weird direction. Honestly almost all prototype names sound better, the One X is not as cool as Scorpio, or there was the classic Revolution to Wii downgrade. The codenames for the discless one is Maverick while the successor to the X is Scarlett.

    If I was a marketing jargon guy my list of potential names would be

    -Xbox Z
    -Xbox Circle
    -Xbox XL and X Lite
    -Xbox O
    -Ybox and Zbox

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  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited April 2019
    *twit-snip*

    That's rad.

    So....does that mean the controls in Sims 4 will be improved as well? 'Cuz that's the number 1 complaint that I've heard about Sims 4 console that's been preventing me from going all-in on that one.

    Erlkönig on
    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    The Xbox naming conventions have been all number related but really make no sense at all

    Xbox - 360 - One is pretty silly and is hard to guess what they'll do next. Zero would be nice and make sense but almost too easy for them, they'll definitely swerve a weird direction. Honestly almost all prototype names sound better, the One X is not as cool as Scorpio, or there was the classic Revolution to Wii downgrade. The codenames for the discless one is Maverick while the successor to the X is Scarlett.

    If I was a marketing jargon guy my list of potential names would be

    -Xbox Z
    -Xbox Circle
    -Xbox XL and X Lite
    -Xbox O
    -Ybox and Zbox

    I still ike the Xbox Duo (as it'll hopefully be a dual platform device, everything the Xbox One can do, plus ask the new stuff. )

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    All terrible names, like the ones I would come up with.

    Xbox Home and Xbox Home Pro.

  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Xbox 2: Xbox Harder.

    Crippl3
  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    Xbox: With a Vengeance

  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Xbox Episode IV: A New Hope

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Xbox: Nostalgia Edition

    (Is large, with green highlights.)

  • SirialisSirialis of the Halite Throne. Registered User regular
    Xbox Box.

  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Xbox One X2 360.

  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Just to further fuck with historians, call it The Original Xbox

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  • tastydonutstastydonuts Registered User regular
    X

    “I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
  • shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    Just to further fuck with historians, call it The Original Xbox

    And then sell a premium version called: The Original Xbox, 360 edition.

    In marketing that one, occasionally lose the comma. But then also sometimes don't.

    JazzLocal H Jay
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Call it now:

    New Microsoft Xbox

    New Microsoft Xbox X

    Synthesis on
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Call it now:

    New Microsoft Xbox

    New Microsoft Xbox X

    It worked for Nintendo.

  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    X-2-the-mo'fuggin'-Bizzox

  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Call it now:

    New Microsoft Xbox

    New Microsoft Xbox X

    It worked for Nintendo.

    Did it?

    Synthesis
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Call it now:

    New Microsoft Xbox

    New Microsoft Xbox X

    It worked for Nintendo.

    Did it?

    Sort of :lol:

  • descdesc Goretexing to death Registered User regular
    I feel like they should respect the naming conventions of their own platform’s users and give it a name like xXdewchugger420Xxbox

    Respect the community, Microsoft

  • HardtargetHardtarget There Are Four Lights VancouverRegistered User regular
    They should just call it "The Xbox" and be done with it.

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  • tastydonutstastydonuts Registered User regular
    Hardtarget wrote: »
    They should just call it "The Xbox" and be done with it.

    They tried that with the fifth-generation Surface Pro. The latest iteration is called the Surface Pro 6.

    “I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
  • HardtargetHardtarget There Are Four Lights VancouverRegistered User regular
    Hardtarget wrote: »
    They should just call it "The Xbox" and be done with it.

    They tried that with the fifth-generation Surface Pro. The latest iteration is called the Surface Pro 6.

    ok fine, the new xbox

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  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    New Microsoft Xbox. You gotta' say the whole thing, like Nintendo.

    Zilla360
  • Crippl3Crippl3 oh noRegistered User regular



    yoooooo this is a good set of games this month
    Monster Hunter World and Prey are both phenomenal games

    cB557JazzLocal H JayZilla360Nitsua
  • HardtargetHardtarget There Are Four Lights VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited April 2019
    ugh boy do i regret buying monster hunter world on launch even more now. i barely played it.

    Hardtarget on
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    Nitsua
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Hardtarget wrote: »
    Hardtarget wrote: »
    They should just call it "The Xbox" and be done with it.

    They tried that with the fifth-generation Surface Pro. The latest iteration is called the Surface Pro 6.

    ok fine, the new xbox

    Wasn't there The New iPad once as well?

    Nitsua
  • HardtargetHardtarget There Are Four Lights VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited April 2019
    U7Ghu2s.gif

    Hardtarget on
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    Jazz
This discussion has been closed.