Xbox Exclusives Hi-Fi RUSH & Pentiment Reportedly Coming To "Rival Consoles"

man, this is not gonna be a surprise in the direct but idc we're getting sonic generations AND hi fi rush on switch those are my 2 main go-to pc games cant wait to have them on the go

Rare Replay would be really cool to see on Switch.

I have zero knowledge or factual basis for saying this, but here goes with the speculation:

Is it possible that Nintendo is delaying their usual February/winter direct so that MS can make their own very Nintendo-relevant and important announcement first? If MS is going to allow some of their signature games of the generation to come to other consoles, maybe NCL would like to talk up that fact in the Direct...

Rare Replay please. But on a cartridge. Not that mandatory download nonsense the plagues the xbox version.

It doesn't matter what the fanboys say. But this is a smart move from Microsoft. Just like Cuphead and Ori, this will be a hit on Switch. I can't wait to play it.

I really just want “Rare Replay” to finally come over to the Switch.

I don't really think this is the news this week. I mean, we're going to find out what games are coming on Thursday, and this has been a rumor for a while.

What's interesting and ... ya know, actually new and not something that's had an article about it already, is that with over 2200 lay-offs at MS, it looks like almost none of them have impacted hardware or hardware R&D.

Microsoft also sent out a memo on Friday ensuring that hardware development was still part of Xbox divisions strategy for the foreseeable future.

So, if anything, that's makes it even more likely we're going to see a lot of games, or simply Game Pass, coming to other systems. If they don't have any plans to chance their console strategy, why else would they have an event to talk about the future?

I also want to point out that you can get an Xbox One used for like $50-$75 and Rare Reply is around $15. I know that's a lot of money for most people, but if you REALLY care about playing "Rare Reply" so much that you are going to comment about it on every article that involves Xbox, Rare, any Rare game, is about any remake, or even a completely unrelated article that happens to have the word "Reply" in it ... seriously, you can just go buy it.

It would be a $70 release on Switch anyway, so honestly, it's about the same price! And you get an Xbox!

It's going to be interesting seeing how Hi-Fi Rush runs on Switch. I've heard that the director really thinks the game needs to run at 60fps, but even with the art style likely making it a less taxing port and the possibility of Panic Button returning to work on another Zenimax Switch conversion, I'm not sure they'll be able to pull it off. I hope they can, just because it seems like a perfect fit for Switch. If nothing else, considering Hi-Fi Rush is one of very few Xbox games that's been rumored for Switch to begin with despite the explosion in rumors for PlayStation ports, that makes me think Microsoft only greenlit it for Switch because they were confident they could get it working well. (Then again, many of those rumors have since been retracted.)

Portable Fallout 3 and NV please!

Assuming this is true, sign me up for both.

@PikaPhantom

That's a really good question.

It runs at 1440p on the series S, and that's with AO and SSR. It's a very non-demanding game because it uses a extremely basic lighting model for it's cell shading with only two color pipes for each texture, and unlike most cell shaded games, it uses these same basic textures for the backgrounds and environments. The game doesn't even use DRS.

So, just based on overhead reduction due to pixel count, it should run at around 600p on the Switch with a simple conversion. Based on MS work with Switch ports in the past and the fact that they can cut back on a few rasterization options, I honestly think 720p/60 is very possible without much of a reduction in fidelity.

@HeadPirate I hope you're right! Microsoft's track record isn't perfect, but that's mostly thanks to Mojang dropping the ball with their Switch ports. The Ori ports are pretty good, especially Blind Forest, though Will of the Wisps can get blurry at times. I just hope Microsoft sees fit to release a physical on Switch as well, even if it ends up being more expensive.

I loved Hi-Fi Rush and it would be perfect on the Switch, if they somehow figure out how to run it on a stable frame rate.

If on a Nintendo console it will be probably be on the next console. Would make a great launch game.

Welcome to the new NetfliXbox

@HeadPirate thank you! Plus no one is porting Rare Replay when it consists of the base game, 4 separate XBLA games, and 5 separate Xbox 360 games.

Unless they are 👀

I'd get Pentiment for sure! It looks great.

But please Micro, you know the games that would sell best on Switch are Rare Replay and Psychonauts 2. If making money is what you look for, just bring those over!

@StevenH If it ever happens? Whatever they announce, it will be this Thursday lol. Didn't you hear?

Killer Instinct and Rare Replay to come home, please. If other stuff goes multiformat, that's a happy bonus.

@StevenH This event has been announced precisely in response to all the rumours. It's clearly related to them.
And which rumours have been proven incorrect? I don't know what you mean.

@K1LLEGAL

There are also something like 170 different rights holders. There is an actual piece that's part of the extras on the disk that speaks to how impossible making the collection was, and how it was basically lawyers and not developers that made it happen.

But hey ... they made it happen once!

@the_beaver I think it might be the other way around - the event was apparently already planned (but not yet announced) and somebody leaked some of the content: the info about 'select' games going to other platforms. Fanboys, 'leakers' and every youtuber desperate for clicks piled on and 'select games' soon became pretty much every game, which in turn grew to 'Xbox are leaving the console space and becoming a third party publisher'.

@StevenH @dmcc0

It's podcast format. While YouTube is the lead, It's being streamed on audio-only platforms as well.

While anything could happen, the idea that any developer would agree to have their project revealed without any trailer, footage, or visuals at all is just insane. You're basically signing your games death warrant, voluntarily giving up all the hype that comes from an announcement. No one signed up for that.

Microsoft can obviously impose whatever they want on their own studios, but I would expect general statements, non-commitments, and corporate speak fire-fighting, but not much else.

@HeadPirate As @StevenH has already stated, its a 'business update' rather than a Direct, so I'm not really expecting reveals so there's no need for trailers etc. It's entirely possible that this was always going to be a low key discussion via podcast, but the rumours flying around this last week or so have brought it into the spotlight perhaps more than it needed to be. They just did a Direct-Style presentation a few weeks ago, so I doubt they'd have anything new to reveal anyway.

There have been rumours of a Nintendo Direct this week too, so I expect if any games are coming to Switch then I guess they'll be revealed there - the timing of the Xbox podcast lines up with this theory. I suspect there will be some discussion around why they've decided to put select games on other consoles (not entirely a new thing given Switch has Ori & Cuphead and PS has Psychonauts 2 and Minecraft is on pretty much everything) and maybe an update on if/when ABK games are going to Game Pass and possibly a lot of the often repeated 'we'll consider on a game-by-game basis' if asked about other games going multi-platform. I doubt they'll mention the previously-leaked digital-only Series X as it'll get a proper reveal if/when it releases.

Hopefully Sea of Thieves comes to Switch or Switch 2. It’s a really fun game. I’m surprised of what Rare accomplished with it.

@CANOEberry It would be a stab in the back if Nintendo was the one to break the news first.

Game Pass is coming to Nintendo. 😉🤣

@HeadPirate You're acting like people don't wanna play these games portably without being tethered to a retro subscription service.

@Qwiff Not really. It makes more sense for the platform that's getting it to announce it. Xbox may want games on other platforms, but they're certainly not going to promote those platforms.

@dmcc0 Sure, but the context here was this week's hypothetical Direct implicitly confirming a change in Xbox strategy, before giving Microsoft the chance to do so themselves later this week.

@Qwiff It's not really a change in Xbox strategy though - we've had games that were initially Xbox exclusives on Switch before so I don't think it's that big a deal. All the crazy rumours that have spiralled out of control over the last week that have made it seem like some big announcement, when in all likelihood it's just an update explaining that a few games will be available on other platforms, and maybe an update on he ABK stuff coming to Game Pass. I suspect they might also confirm they have no immediate plans to ditch hardware in response to some of the rumours.

@JohnnyC

I'd love the SNES version of Killer Instinct on Switch.

I put hundreds of hours into that game as a kid and I miss it.

Bring Gears of War 1-3 collection to Switch!

@SBandy1 Same. Killer Instinct Gold dazzled me on the N64 too. I remember footage of that was in the early compilation trailers back in 96/97.

@JohnnyC

I loved it too but have been able to get my fix of that on Rare Replay, but really it is the SNES version I want.

@JohnnyMind

I mean, for sure, in a perfect world they port it to Switch. And PS5!

But, as I often bring up, we unfortunately live in this one, where something like 170 rights holders would have to agree to a Switch port, and there is an entire feature in Rare Replay itself about why a port or re-release is highly unlikely. It's not even on Game Pass cloud as a collection, despite all the XBLA, Xbox, and Xbox 360 games that are part of the collection being there.

Who am I to criticize someone who wants a pet unicorn. I want a pet unicorn! But there comes a point where, after spending years expressing how badly you want a pet at every possible movement ... maybe just go get a cat?

Cats are awesome!

@Samalik

Looks at comment
Look at Rare Reply CD
Looks back at comment

What exactly are you talking about? I mean I get the portable part. But this game is a physical release for a system that doesn't need to be online. And I also get that people want to play it portable. But you can't. You almost certainly never will be able to.

So if you want to play it, you have an option. If you want the impossible ... power to you! Reach for the stars!

But you have an option to play it right now.

@HeadPirate I'm talking about Nintendo. Wanna play Banjo? Better sign up for 60 bucks a year for a game you're essentially barrowing.

Wish they would keep their garbage away from Nintendo consoles.

Hoping for rare replay

It's like Microsoft wants to moonlight as a third party, but a third party who has their own console.