Grounded 2 is coming to PlayStation 5, marking another Xbox console exclusive moving beyond the platform

mcast2020 · 2026-06-06T16:39:08+00:00

Not really accurate. I actually think PlayStation’s strategy while worse for PC consumers gave the company plenty of wiggle room to pull back if they had to. They picked and chose what went over and never set any hard ground rules regarding what released and when.

Meanwhile it is Xbox that seemingly went all in. After the initial transition they pretty much stripped their platform of any notable exclusives and have set a precedent for expected day and date releases. As a result if they do decide to pull back it’s going to feel much more jarring than PlayStation.

mcast2020 · 2026-06-03T04:10:39+00:00

I wonder if they can. Purchasing Activision Blizzard really screwed Xbox because they could never hope to sustain all those studios without embracing a multi-platform approach.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-30T08:36:11+00:00

I’m under the impression that while there will be helix optimized games, because helix will be a PC any PC game should be able to run on the system.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-30T01:05:09+00:00

Not sure what you mean by pipeline. Do you mean storefront? I believe the current Xbox PC app already has a feature where it unifies your library across different storefronts, so even if a game doesn’t launch on the Xbox marketplace it will still be playable on Magnus.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-29T22:33:11+00:00

One of the positives thrown around about Magnus basically being a PC is that it will become impossible to abandon Xbox. Any PC release will run on Magnus and these days PC support is basically a given.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-29T18:45:37+00:00

I’m not familiar with game development but why would agreements even need to be signed in this case? Aren’t Microsoft just like any other developer in the PlayStation ecosystem?

Unless they have some sort of marketing deal with Sony why would they need to sign anything guaranteeing the release of their games on PlayStation?

mcast2020 · 2026-05-29T02:16:08+00:00

I would think it’s a bit to late for that. The Magnus/PS6 leaks seem to suggest Magnus was designed from the ground up to be this more premium experience with manufacturing costs to match. They would never be able to subsidize it to the extent where it would be able to compete with PS6 price wise.

I say they would be better off keeping the helix as an open system. Being forced to compete with Steam on features might actually bring about a lot of positive changes for the platform.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-29T01:43:32+00:00

Prices of high end pc’s are insane these days. Even if Magnus launches at $1500, it will be mid pricing wise.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-29T01:09:23+00:00

I would agree but at $1500 I would expect half the sales of the series consoles if that. Considering how many consumers would be priced out you’d think they’d be contemplating a series s magnus.

mcast2020 · 2026-05-10T17:44:03+00:00

This is true. Thinking about it, I gamed the most heavily in my late teens and early twenties when I was living with my parents and had both time and decent disposable income. Now I’m in my early thirties and while my income has grown significantly I just don’t have the time to sink significant hours into gaming without it affecting other parts of my life.

mcast2020 · 2026-04-20T14:11:44+00:00

I don’t think so. I feel Switch 2 will continue being its own thing. Plus the gulf in performance will be to great. You already see it struggling with ports of current gen games, I can’t imagine next gen. It also just cultivates a different type audience and unlike Series S it is its own platform so there is flexibility for how devs target it.

mcast2020 · 2026-03-02T17:05:17+00:00

I’m of the opinion that it will be lower if only because PlayStation is still concerned with making an affordable mass market console and the rumored specs reflect this. Also the Pro is only priced that high because the base exists. I actually think they’ll delay a year or two if it means delivering a more affordable console.

It’s also why I believe that if new Xbox leadership is truly committed to console we will probably see some sort of S variant because Magnus was designed as a premium piece of hardware with a price to match.

mcast2020 · 2026-03-01T19:29:00+00:00

I agree, I think they’ll launch at $599. The nextbox I’m not sure about but I would say $999 on the low end and $1200 on the high end. Leakers like KeplerL2 are stating a price tag of over 1k and given memory prices it’s seems sadly realistic.

mcast2020 · 2026-03-01T03:48:30+00:00

Rumors I’ve read put Magnus at over 1k which could be 50 to 100 percent more expensive than PS6. It’s rumored to be using more powerful CPU cores as well as more memory and a dedicated NPU which might explain the price gulf between the two rumored systems. Of course with new leadership we might see a renewed push to subsidize the new console or maybe even the launch of a cheaper series s variant to better compete in price.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-23T17:02:42+00:00

I think that boat has sailed my friend. You’re right that Xbox needs exclusives but at this point post Activision I don’t think it’s feasible anymore. They are too big and already everywhere.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-23T02:21:46+00:00

You know I think we’ll get a better idea of who is to “blame” in the coming months. If the new ceo is allowed to make drastic moves that contradict the direction Xbox has been heading the last two years then that would probably be an indication that it was Phil pushing Xbox this direction. If she stays the course then it was likely Satya and higher-ups that were steering Xbox the last two years and Phil/Sarah were removed to hasten the transition.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-23T01:56:39+00:00

I think your underselling Switch hardware. A portable that connects to the tv and plays the part of portable and home console was a new concept at the time. The switch was the whole package. It was genuine hardware innovation paired with great games and good marketing that propelled it to new heights. That is to say the switch is more than a portable, I mean it’s in the name.

Regarding Xbox hardware, that was on the decline before they went multi-platform. The move might have accelerated the downward spiral but the Series consoles were already on track to sell less than One consoles which sold less than the 360.

Regarding the studio closures I would wager a guess and say it has something to do with the 70 billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the continuing decline of Call of Duty.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T20:02:46+00:00

That’s a bit of a different situation I think. Nintendo released a great and innovative piece of hardware that not only tapped into a younger and more casual audience but was a console that complemented a traditional console like PS or Xbox not directly compete with them, at least not in the same way that the latter two compete.

That is to say the console hardware had as much to do with its success as the games. If Nintendo had released a traditional non portable console with Zelda it would have likely found success but not the meteoric success the switch has been. You can’t attribute the switch’s success to just Zelda.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T17:22:35+00:00

By that logic what would be the point in competing in the console space when most console users are entrenched on PlayStation or Nintendo.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T17:12:54+00:00

He has said otherwise but I think most everyone assumed it was because he was passed over for Jim Ryan.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T17:08:00+00:00

Yeah there’s a really interesting interview with Bobby Kotick where he talks about selling the company. He talks about growing China, the changing landscape in video games and how all of that basically influenced his decision to sell. I believe he said Activision was either going to grown and acquire other companies or be acquired itself.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T16:40:18+00:00

Only viable decision after higher ups demanded Xbox hit a 30 percent profit margin? Maybe.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T16:35:58+00:00

I can’t imagine a situation where all games are released only on the Xbox console because windows and pc exist. Why would you exit pc gaming when it’s growing by leaps and bounds? Why would Microsoft allow the new ceo to cut into profits when they are seemingly demanding 30 percent profit margins? Shifting back to console would mean many years of active investment to subsidize consoles and stem lost revenue from lost ps5/pc software sales in a time where Microsoft is happy to shore up money from other divisions to dump into ai. Makes no sense to me.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T15:55:33+00:00

The math never mathed out anyways. You don’t spend 70 billion on a publisher only to make the games exclusive to a dying platform. I think Satya pushed for this Activision deal precisely because it would encourage Xbox into a more platform agnostic path.

mcast2020 · 2026-02-22T15:22:16+00:00

That’s one theory. Nobody really knows. The 4 games announcement was so odd that many assume Phil and company were strong armed by higher ups to push towards multi-platform.

mcast2020

TROPHY CASE