Is anyone else finding it frustrating, as an Xbox user, that very few developers make it clear whether their work is PC only or available for both platforms? I’m aware that, due to the current state of the Markeplace, Xbox releases will suffer a delay (and only be released on Thursdays) but it would be so useful if we knew what we can expect in the not-too-distant future.
To be fair, 95% of payware I see ends up on Xbox — eventually — but it seems so odd that a good portion of the devs’ customer base is effectively left to ponder and speculate.
Dev’s, please… it doesn’t take too much time to just stick a note in, so we know where we are.
Here’s a very easy way to look at it. Considering I haven’t heard of anyone using an Xbox console to code or develop before I think it’s easily safe to say and assume that since most if not all products are developed on a PC first that you can expect that with Xbox to eventually follow. Unless otherwise stated I would assume any initial release from development would be for PC and then later on Xbox. That is unless initially specified which you’d probably see in a big huge banner somewhere.
I see your point, however it doesn’t negate the fact that a bit of clarity isn’t much to ask for. I have contacted a couple of developers about their products — having found nothing alluding to an Xbox release — only to be told that there are no plans for an console version. I’d rather be put out of my misery at the earliest opportunity.
I’m not really a fan of navigating life by making assumptions…
One reason for a developer not producing a X-Box version, may be due to the hurdles, frustrations and delays in getting approved to be an X-box developer.
No, I know about those logos on the MP. I’m referring to the development threads, announcements and pre-release material. Once released, the best indicator of whether or not it’s on Xbox is, of course, if I can buy it!
But something that’s currently PC-only may or may not be due an Xbox release, and that kind of advance info I think would be helpful. If a product is NOT coming to Xbox, I can forget about it and plan on buying something else.
Sounds like what you’re wanting would at minimum require asking every developer for any product you’re interested in whether than plan to develop for Xbox or not. Some developers change their mind and choose to or not to. The only obligation they’re required to do is to specify which platform upon final release of their product. Until it’s released it can go either direction or both.
I can understand why some developers might not want to „commit to“ a statement they have done earlier.
And you must understand that some developers are a „one wo/man show“ and I guess the majority only very small teams. So „marketing“ is typically not a priority in the early days of development, and most developers might not even know whether an XBox version is even feasible (while certainly desirable, also by the devs).
So if your past experience shows that 95 percent of all products will eventually make it to XBox I suggest to „relax, and enjoy life“
I find if you look you can find an answer. For example PMDG have announced on their forums that the 737 will come to Xbox. Prior to the WASM implementation on the console there was a lot of questions around how and whether it will be done and the devs were relying on Asobo/Microsoft before they could confirm anything. Now that problem has been solved they can confirm that if the testing is successful you can expect to see it after submission to the marketplace, which again relies on Asobo/Microsoft to approve. It’s quite a convoluted process but it is what it is. Maybe this why and I can only think the devs can answer for themselves.
If I’m interested in a product I generally look on the devs forums and usually find the answer I’m looking for. As you point out that isn’t always the case and it can be a pain looking at times. But if I’m interested I don’t mind spending 10 minutes scrolling the forums or send them an email with my questions. Not all developers are made equally, some are really good and committed to delivering a quality product. Others not so much.
I have contacted several devs lately, asking about Xbox versions, and they’ve either told me, very succinctly, that there WILL or WIIL NOT be an Xbox release. In each case, this info could have been made available but wasn’t.
I’m simply saying that, if a dev intends to release on Xbox, it would be handy to know — even if the promise comes with caveats. It would save them wasting their time responding to emails like mine.
Why not just be surprised by what comes out? Why do you need to know beforehand? If you’re that financially cash strapped then play it smart and set aside a base amount so that if something does come out you can buy it without having internal regrets. A major issue, about wasting time, is that people want to know everything before even the developers even know. A lot of this stuff is on their own personal time and not their full time job. So the more time they have to spend responding to emails like yours, the less time they have to develop their product in their free time, the longer it takes for you to ultimately get your answer. Sounds like you need to busy yourself more.
That’s a bizarre attitude to say the least. “Hey will this produce end up on X platform?” Isn’t exactly an irrelevant question or hard one to answer. Nor is it unreasonable for people to ask who are paying customers of many of those same developer’s products on that platform.
ArchBlizzard278, exactly my point. And I’m guessing many of those who say things like, “why not just wait?” are PC owners who don’t have to worry about being continually left in the dark.
If the dev indicated whether or not there’s likely to be an Xbox version, I wouldn’t have to send an email, and they wouldn’t have to waste time responding to me and countless other Xbox users asking the same question.
Testament to my point is that two developers in the last few days have (via email) confirmed Xbox releases without so much as a hint in their internet promo material.
It’s nothing to do with being cash-strapped, it’s about planning my purchases ahead and potentially grabbing related stuff in the periodic sales. Besides, sometimes I’m just curious as to whether a great-looking scenery is going to eventually be available to me. I always hoped Aerosoft’s Brussels would appear on Xbox but that’s looking unlikely now…
I really don’t get why politely requesting something as simple as a brief statement of intention is receiving so much negativity.
So your (OP) question might be rephrased as: is it worth investing time and money in the Xbox version of the game or will it not get the content you’d expect to see in which case you might get tempted to abandon it and either focus on other games or switch to another platform.
Also my point. No doubt it’s great that Xbox has been included into the FS universe. But from the beginning it has always been PC platform based. So it’s no surprise that 99% of the developers or content creators would either make their products for PC or already be familiar enough with the tools and process to make products for that platform where they would have to restart that learning process for learning Xbox. So you just need to give it time to grow and mature. There’s no argument for being left in the dark. There’s the argument that people need time to learn and understand the process for Xbox. Depends on how patient you want to be with that. Or, as Speedbrake22 said, find something else interim or switch to PC.
A hypothetical situation: I’m looking for, say, a MAN scenery, but the only current one is nearly three years old and perhaps looking a bit dated. I’m just about to buy when a dev announces a superb rendition of MAN for PC and Xbox. It looks fantastic and this particular dev has an excellent reputation, so I abandon my purchase and, five weeks later, buy and download the best MAN scenery ever. Now, had that developer not announced that Xbox release, I may have bought the older version — which in turn would have made me loath to shell out again despite the obvious improvement. See where I’m coming from?
I think Speedbrake22 makes a pretty point, in that us Xbox owners need to perceive confidence from devs in order to instil confidence in ourselves and the FS console experience. The Xbox is now a fully-fledged MSFS market and, thankfully, most devs seem to have realised that. The advent of WASM apparently makes it far easier to port sceneries across, meaning that devs have relatively little to do, save for a bit of optimisation (it of course being easier to remove content than to add) and subsequent testing. That isn’t to say all devs are interested in releasing for Xbox — after all, it is an extra workload, regardless of how easy it might be — but at least the reasons not to develop console versions are becoming fewer and fewer.
Also, several developers have effectively demonstrated that extremely complex and detailed sceneries, unchanged from their PC originals, can run superbly on Xbox.
The Xbox will never support MSFS quite like a PC. But with the full backing of developers, I’m sure it will prove a lucrative sideline as the console market continues to grow. That they managed to get the base sim so close to the very best PC performance is truly astonishing in my opinion — there’s little doubt that the Xbox version offers more bang for your buck — along with a more user-friendly experience for those who just want to plug and play without having to spend time tinkering.
