Be Excellent To Each Other

I think I already know the answer to this but is anyone here looking to buy Sea of Thieves?

I'm half tempted but would only end up playing with random folk if I get it.

YES!

I've been eyeing up Monster Hunter World and Subnautica.

Cuphead!

I totally forgot about that as a “console exclusive.” If I wasn’t so consumed by Persona 5, I’d be gerrin next.

Interesting article on the potential of the Xbox subscription service.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2018/03/20/the-sea-of-thieves-launch-has-convinced-me-xbox-game-pass-is-the-future/

Hmmm, turns out I was outputting 'Stereo uncompressed' via the optical output on the One X, which explains the lack of 5:1 positioning. What I needed to do was start rummaging around in the menus to find the option to change the Optical Audio setting to 'Bitstream out', and then from the 'Bitstream format' submenu make sure I selected 'DTS Digital Surround'.

Upon doing this my sound system's display automatically changed itself to 'DTS' and I had 5:1 sound.

Bit complicated these consoles, innit.

I can also test Doc's theory now, as the HDMI audio setting allows 'Bitstream out' too, and because I've got a modern swizzy telly now and not the ancient 40 incher, I'm rather hoping that with HDMI set to 'Bitsream out' as well, it'll all pass through OK and give me 5:1 sound. This would be handy as I could then leave the speaker input on 'DIGITAL' all the time, rather than switching between 'XBOX 360' and 'DIGITAL'.

Grumble grumble.

DocG is correct.

(1) When the optical out is piped straight into the back of the amp on 'Bitstream out' I get full 5:1.

(2) When it's the HDMI passthrough arrangement, I get stereo. (Even with the HDMI set to 'Bitstream out'.) It still utilises all the speakers in this scenario, but the rear two speakers basically just mirror what their front counterparts are doing.

So in Burnout Paradise Remastered for example, I get full positional audio for everything that's happening in (1), but in (2) it's just duplicated stereo to the rear speakers.

That's a bit shit though as the new telly has a proper breakout box and everything, and invites you to have HDMI inputs in, and then a digital optical audio out.

Tchoh.

Like I said: what you want doesn't exist because it doesn't work. Most HDMI-carried audio formats need a higher bandwidth than an optical cable can carry. It doesn't matter how fancy the TV is.

FML. I'm not even sure I want to carry on anymore.

Anyway, the end result is fine, I've got proper 5:1 sound from my One X which is what I was after, and now I understand it all a bit better too.

Cheers for the input Doc, knowledge is always a good thing.

Who had xbone for PS4 in the next hearthly trade in sweep?

While you're on a spending spree, get a Harmony (or some other programmable remote) and set it up to do all of this for you. When I had telly that did anything other than show kids TV, and AV gear that worked, and consoles that weren't just used to smear food into, the Harmony One was impressive. Now, it is just a backup for when the kids lose the other remote AGAIN.

There's one on sale at Amazon right now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MTYI1F4

There’s also a version without the Pop buttons for a tenner less (but I’d be very happy to give anyone £20 for them.)

I don't understand, it's a fancy remote control for nearly £300?

It's no biggy anyway, I'm quite close to the telly and I only really need two remotes, the Samsung smart remote and the remote for the speakers.

Also, NEX MACHINA is not on Xbox One, I was rather hoping to play that in 55 inch big-o-vision.

Reviews are in for Sea of Thieves: rubbish and disappointing. Lack of content; samey quests; not worth the money. The sea is great though. Meh.

Shame. It looks glorious and ideal for me and my 3 friends to play together... Not that we ever will. They don't like spending money at the best of times.

Hopefully it will improve as time goes on.

You can all play it for free if you take the free 14 day trial of Xbox pass. That’s all you’ll need to see all you need to, apparently.

Should've got a PS4 after all!

Yes but we can not play Sea of Thieves in Native 4K, take that PS4 Pro owners.

We can not play Sea of Thieves in 4k, too.

It didn't take long for you to go from 720p peasant to 4K overlord, did it?

All I need to do now is stop playing XBox 360 games on it.

I haven't even looked at Gears of War 4, quite possibly never will.

Have you tried Quantum Ninja in 4K yet?

Has anyone tried to use 360 controllers with an Xbone?

I'd think one in each hand is probably about the limit, 360 is just stupid.

This made me chuckle more than it probably deserved to

Yeah, I saw that but it's pretty old. There are adaptors you can buy but I've no idea if they're any good.

I do think that the 360 pad is better than the Xbone pad but not by much. I don't see why you'd want to use a 360 pad on an Xbox One... Unless of course you had a broken pad. Then that makes sense.

Or for couch multiplayer and didn't want to buy another 2-3 XBO pads.

Good point. I stand corrected.

Because of a love of shitty dpads

XBox One X games played so far. Zero. (Well, I know Burnout Paradise Remastered is an XB1 game, but it's a remaster of a decade old 360 game.)

Other than that, imported 360 XBLA games are the only other thing I've played.

Oh wait, I did one lap of the course on that TT game, we found our house on it (which is actually there, individually modelled), haven't loaded it since.

I've found myself hankering to play Burnout Revenge again, but that would entail getting the 360 out of its new home in a cupboard and setting it back up.

Trousers is an arsehole with his scores on the various Geometry Wars games.

Don’t friend me then

Is your gamertag 'DBSnappa'? Want to make sure I'm not just adding some random dude as a friend

That’s me.

The games with gold for April. Nothing to see here... Move along... Soon be May.

I'm not sure I'll be paying for Gold or Game Pass once my one month trials expire.

Unless they start putting a load of old arcadey 360 games on there, of course.

The XB1 is a fantastic Netflix player by the way, better than the telly's own app or using a browser on the media centre PC. And I get proper 5:1 DTS because I've got an optical out from the XB1 into my amp.

I just play Burnout Paradise Remastered and watch Netflix with it, really.

Well there’s a bunch of shit games I don’t want.

Really? That Assassin's Creed game was brilliant fun and The Witness is meant to be great.

Assassin’s Creed games can get fucked. Overrated bollocks. All of them.

The Witness on the other hand just isn’t for me. Line puzzles for 50 hours just ain’t going to hold my interest. I’ll give it a punt to see what’s crack-a-lacking but I don’t expect much.

I've literally only played that one so have no loyalty to the series or expectations going in and it was just really good fun throughout.

Glad you enjoyed your time, but I find them generic, bland, collectathons that couldn’t tell a decent story if it had been written for them by Shakespeare himself. There’s zero atmosphere and you’re hardly a stealth assassin in any of the games.

The latest episode turns the middle east into Grand Theft Egypt. But of course it wouldn’t be a Ubisoft game unless enemies shone bright colours through the scenery or had large numbers hovering into their noggin, y’know, just to spoil the fabulous worlds that their artists painstakingly create before someone from The Gameplay Department comes and shoves a thousand collectibles and mission markers all over it.

The visible numbers thing is a new feature believe it or not as Origins is a bit of a departure from previous games in a few ways by all accounts. Eh, I'm not really defending the series because I suspect that playing only the best one and none of the others makes for a fun time, and I realise I'm in a near unique position to have done that.

That’s why I mentioned it as part of GTE. Ubisoft should learn a trick or two from Breath of the Wild because if they removed the HUD and all the bullshit they could probably make an incredible AC game. They certainly have the artistic talent. I doubt they have the Nintendo to do this though but FC5 has paired back on some the bollocks so maybe in a few years when they’ve properly studied BoTW there might be an actual classic game in them after all. Let’s just hope that game reverts to Prince of Persia.

Ultimately, for better or worse, "Ubisoft open world game" has basically become a genre in its own right. If you only play one of them every now and again then it's an undeniably good time. Playing too many of them in general engenders fatigue very quickly. They definitely need to allow for more innovation across the board, but their stuff is well done and I like that it exists.

Oh, if you have sent a FR and am wondering why I haven’t responded, my 360 isn’t connected to the Ethernet at the moment, but should be rectified in the next few days.

Best "Ubisoft open world game" is Mad Max, even though it wasn't by ubisoft. Everything is so so smooth. Beautiful deserts to have fun driving.

That and Far Cry 3, but yes, the formula is beyond stale now.

Mad Max is free on PSN this month, so I'll remember to check it out.

Also the best Ubisoft Open World Game is Mercenaries 2, also not by Ubisoft.

Helps if one is fan of the source material (who isn't anyway?). Apparently it was low rated by reviewers for being a reskin of Shadow of Mordor, but when we are driving at smooth 60fps through a gorgeous desert who cares.

Besides, the game has the best story of recent AAA games. Someone stole Max car. Max just wants to get his car back. No pretentious bullshit or "cinematic" experience.