Its only a matter of time till Halo is on Switch 2 (Microsoft)The Tuesday letters page is surprised the PS5 is outselling the Xbox Series X by so much, as a reader asks when the first State of Play of the year will be.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukIntroductory gamesPhil Spencer can talk a lot of nonsense sometimes, but I really dont think he can be any clearer about his plans for Xbox exclusives. Everything is coming and theyre probably only waiting for an appropriate time to release the games on PlayStation 5 and beyond.They want the first Halo or Gears Of War to be an event, not just some quick remaster of a 10 year old game. Or at least thats what seems sensible to me, obviously I dont actually know what theyre going to do.But I wouldve thought Gears Of War: E-Day will be multiformat, especially since its a prequel. For Halo theyll either have to wait for the new game theyve teased or itll be the rumoured new remake of Combat Evolved. In fact, I imagine both that and E-Day were designed specifically to be the introduction to the franchises for new non-Xbox owners.For Starfield, I imagine maybe theyll wait for all the DLC to be out and do a deluxe edition or something like that.I cant deny its sad to see the Xbox dream die like this but if they continue to make good games it will never truly be over.JigsawQuid pro quoIt is going to be so odd seeing games like Halo and Forza on Switch 2, but Microsoft are clearly all for it so Im sure Nintendo isnt going to complain. I wonder though what else Microsoft is going to be needling Nintendo for.We already know theyd love to get Game Pass onto Switch 2 and doubly so now, given how irrelevant Xbox consoles have become. But how would Microsoft try to convince Nintendo now, in this new reality theyre working under?I cant imagine itd be as simple as just giving them money, so will they offer free streaming services for their own games, maybe? Thats tech that Nintendo is going to have to use someone else for and allowing Game Pass may be a relatively small price to pay for access.We have seen a lot stranger things in the last few years than Game Pass on Switch, so I wouldnt be that surprised if it happened.FocusNo changeAm I right in thinking that theres still no hint as to when Sony might have their first State of Play of the year? Theyre actually being more secretive than last year, at this point, because I remember last year they had a montage trailer in early January that confirmed a few things, but we havent had anything like that.Theyve got Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Ytei to talk about for definite this year and at some point theyve got to explain whats going on with Wolverine. So on paper theyve got a lot more to talk about than they did at the start of last year.What Im trying to say is that I see absolutely no sign of any change in approach with them. My theory is that theyve signed a marketing deal for GTA 6, and they just cant be bothered with anything else now theyve got that in the bag already.Tom MeadowsGC: There have been some vague whispers of February or March but nothing specific.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukSister seriesIs anyone getting Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance vibes off of Ninja Gaiden 4? Obviously thats also a Platinum game but it seems to me that theyre purposefully playing off the game, with the sword combat and the way the camera works and everything.Not a problem with me, as I much preferred that game to any of the old Ninja Gaidens, but it does look a bit weird when you place it next to the new Ninja Gaiden 2 remaster. If you didnt know their names I dont think anyone would guess they were part of the same franchise.Like I say though thats not a problem for me, but I just hope this is a hit. If its not then Platinum is probably going to be in real trouble. I expect Microsoft to give Ninja Gaiden 4 quite a bit of marketing, so maybe thatll work, but well have to see.The BishopDead againI dont like to ask an obvious question but are we basically never getting another Dead Space game again, after the remake didnt do as well as EA wanted? That is such a shame because to me, as a fan, I thought it was pretty much the perfect remake and the team definitely understood the original and what it was all about.When it outsold The Callisto Protocol I though that was enough to secure it a future, but unfortunately not. I really dont know what EA was expecting. Sure, it wouldve been great if it was a breakout hit, but the original wasnt and basically no survival horror game has been since the 90s, that isnt called Resident Evil. Just seems like someone didnt do their research before even okaying the game.WhalemThe sweet spotWell, Mass Effect 2 being 15 years old certainly makes me feel old. And yet, if youd told me it was even older, Id probably have believed you. Not only is it a great game but it comes from a time when you could make giant, epic games in a relatively short amount of time and not break the bank. It was only three years between 1 and 2, and just two between 2 and 3. Nowadays youd have to double those development times, at least.I really do feel the Xbox 360 era was the sweet spot for games in terms of the balance between quality of graphics and length of time needed to make things. PlayStation 4 was probably sustainable but that was the absolute limit and now we see what happens now that limit has been passed and publishers refuse to stop.This puts Mass Effect 4 in a very difficult position, especially after the failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. If I had to guess Id say it was never coming out. If it does itll probably be by the skin of its teeth and with severe budget cuts.The problem is that to remake something on anything like the scale of Mass Effect 2, with the improvement in graphics people expect today, takes so much more, and thats before you start trying to do anything new on top. Mass Effect wasnt the most successful game ever, but it was pretty big, I thought, but even that isnt enough today, where its all or nothing and frequently nothing.DalsonSensible parametersId be surprised if the Nintendo Switch 2 price was anything surprising. Somewhere between 350 and 400 would be my guess. I dont think Nintendo are silly enough to make it more than that and while its a lot of money its well within birthday/Christmas range and less than most new consoles.Not that they have to really worry about that though, as the majority of people buying it at launch are going to be hardcore fans. So if they do get the price wrong, or people feel they want to wait for a Lite version, theres still going to be plenty of time for that.TiggerStrange daysWhat a strange situation we are in.After another year of, with the exception of Astro Bot, Sony giving us no reason to buy a PlayStation 5, let alone a PS5 Pro, and yet its still selling like hotcakes, 7% more than the PlayStation 4.Microsoft, on the other hand, have finally started to release worthwhile games in 2024 and with the Developer Direct signalled that 2025 is going to start as 2024 left off, with some promising games to come. Yet with all this they seem to actively not want to sell the actual console.Over Christmas you could get a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for 309 or a full version for 389.Microsoft were still selling the 1TB Xbox Series S for 299 and the Xbox Series X for 479.Who in their right mind would buy one? Why no discounts to drive sales?Worse, there were no promotional bundles.No Call Of Duty bundleNo Indiana Jones And The Great Circle bundleNo Game Pass bundleThey have totally given up on the console market, but surely that should at least mean a fire sale to get rid of old stock. which makes me wonder just how many consoles are still being made?Maybe, as the EU have updated the Digital Markets act, Microsoft are counting on consoles having to open up to third party marketplaces, so they dont have to pay Sony and Nintendo 30% of their software sales. But that will lead to the PlayStation 6 costing a fortune and limiting its mass market appeal, as Sony will need to keep its profit margins up.Also, would it really open up to third party marketplaces in the US? Imagine if Call Of Duty was an Xbox Marketplace exclusive on the PlayStation 5 for a month? Would gamers flock to the Xbox Store over the Sony one or would there be a backlash similar to Steam users moaning about the Epic Store?But its all very depressing, as the Xbox Series X is an excellent machine, which I still use far more than my PlayStation 5.This is mainly due to:Game PassInstant resume, which is the most next gen console feature and something Im amazed Sony have not copied, even if just for the PS5 Pro.And my preference for the Xbox style controller, if only they had released Sebile I would say its the best console controller, but its really third party apathy to the DualSense features that keeps my preference in place.Irve77 (gamertag/PSN ID)Inbox also-ransI feel weve had so many rumours of Skies Of Arcadia coming back over the years that its probably never going to happen. I just dont think the original was well known enough and every year that pass less people are going to remember it.JoolsIs it just me or was The Simpsons: Tapped Out not very good? I remember playing it for half an hour and be disgusted at the microtransactions. Not something I feel very nostalgic about.KosMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy