The XB2 — An Xbox & Gaming Podcast

Latest Episodes:

289: Xbox Partner Showcase, Xbox restructured, Blizzcon, PlayStation problems? Oct 28, 2023

Show notes

Jez and Rand get into it with another Xbox Two Podcast! This week, we discuss the reactions to the Xbox Partner Showcase, we talk Blizzcon rumors and speculation, discuss Xbox's big re-org, as well as layoffs and firings going on at PlayStation.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00: Intro.

00:20:00: Xbox Series S price hike in Brazil, Blizzcon schedule, GOTY nominations.

01:30:00: Xbox budget increases, Alan Wake 2 impressions, Xbox partner preview, Satya interview.

02:10:00: Xbox leadership restructured, Doug Bowser on Xbox acquisition.

02:33:00: PlayStation layoffs and firings, Spider-Man 2 thoughts.

03:02:00: Patreon Q&As.

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XB2+1 (Ep. 11) Talking Xbox, ABK, Bethesda, and more with MrMattyPlays! Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

Jez and Rand are joined by Gen-Z's favorite Xbox YouTuber MrMattyPlays to get some insights into the future of Xbox, ABK, Bethesda, and more!

Aired first exclusively on Patreon.com/XB2 on October 17, 2023.

Follow MrMattPlays on Twitter and on YouTube!

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288: Xbox and ABK future, Starfield success story, Halo Infinite comeback?! Oct 21, 2023

Show notes

Jez and Rand get into another beefy Xbox Two Podcast! This week, we discuss Xbox and ABK's bright future together, Xbox's marketing ramp up for the holidays, Starfield's big success story, and Halo Infinite's resurgence?!

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00: Intro.

00:35:00: Mid-gen Xbox, skill-based matchmaking, leveraging ABK.

00:58:00: Blizzcon discussion, Odyssey gameplay? Phil Spencer interview. Xbox marketing ramp up.

01:40:00: Halo Infinite revival. Starfield success.

02:30:00: Phil Spencer discussion, Pete Hines leaves Bethesda.

03:00:00: Patreon Q&A!

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XB2+1 (Ep. 10) Talking Xbox with Digital Foundry's John Linneman Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Aired originally exclusively on Patreon.com/XB2 on October 10, 2023.

Jez and Rand gear up for the latest XB2+1 guest show for the Xbox Two Podcast, joined by Digital Foundry's insightful editor John Linneman. In this ep, we discuss the future of Xbox, digital vs. physical, the state of the games industry, John's history, and much, much more.

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287: Xbox FINALLY gets Activision-Blizzard, PS5 Slim and mid-gen Xbox, and the future Oct 14, 2023

Show notes

It's time for a celebratory Xbox Two Podcast! Finally, after 22 months of regulatory battles, Microsoft has closed and finalized its deal for Activision-Blizzard. We discuss what all of this could mean, with guest appearances from Colt Eastwood and Shpeshal Nick.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00: LIVE.

00:12:00: Xbox ACQUIRES Activision.

01:15:00: Xbox's next acquisition?

01:45:00: Activision games to Xbox Game Pass, Colt Eastwood joins the battle.

02:20:00: Shpeshal Nick joins the battle to discuss the future.

02:30:00: PS5 Slim, Xbox mid-gen upgrades?

03:00:00: Patreon Q&A.

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286: Xbox to close ABK deal, Redfall hits 60 FPS, Forza thoughts Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

Jez and Rand talk the latest Xbox news in this week's XB2 show. We discuss the reports that Xbox will close the ABK deal on Jez's birthday?! Redfall finally gets updated to 60 FPS, Rand offers some thoughts on Forza Motorsport, and much more.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00: Intro

00:12:00: What we've been playing (Forza, Darktide, and more)

01:15:00: Indie GOTY and Contraband thoughts.

01:30:00: Gears 6 speculation and rumors. Xbox's "super hero" game.

02:00:00: ABK approval next week? Game industry problems. Xbox and Sega.

02:35:00: Redfall patched, length vs. value in games.

02:55:00: Patreon Q&A: Jez's celebrity encounter, top 5 games of the year, and more.

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285: Jez returns! Big Xbox leaks, Xbox's future, Jim Ryan quits PlayStation, and more! Sep 30, 2023

Show notes

Jez is BACK from Iceland and hanging out with Rand_Al_Thor_19, the man with the 100K subscribers! This week, we recap last week's insane news cycle, from the wild Xbox leaks, to Phil's emails, and more. We talk PlayStation's Jim Ryan leaving and the future of the industry in general, and much more.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00: Intro!

00:28:00: KOTOR killed? Embracer issues.

00:44:00: Next-gen Xbox architecture, Starfield vs. BG3 vs. Cyberpunk.

01:38:00: Kamiya leaves Platinum, Capcom doesn't want to be acquired.

01:44:00: Xbox leaks, Phil "wants" Nintendo, Xbox heads to Japan.

02:53:00: Jim Ryan leaves PlayStation, and the future of gaming.

03:15:00: Closing and Patreon Q&A.

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284: Xbox's MEGA LEAKS, Xbox wins ABK approval, Phil wants Nintendo?! Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

Join Rand, Colt Eastwood, and Lord Cognito to discuss one of the biggest weeks of Xbox news so far this year! JEZ sure picked a good week for a vacation huh?

(Timestamps will come a bit later cuz it's super hard uploading and formatting the show on my phone. If you need them sooner they're up on Rand's YouTube!)

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283: Xbox's big success, Unity debacle, State of Play and Nintendo Direct Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

Rock out with Jez and Rand on another XB2 podcast. This week we talk about Xbox's big sales surge, the massive Unity industry drama, PlayStation State of Play and Nintendo's latest direct, and much more.

SPONSOR: Get 15% OFF an epic Valari gaming pillow with our code XB2 at http://Valari.gg or https://glnk.io/8l99j/xb215 🛌🏻🎮

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 - Intro, Superchat tangents

00:40:00 - Forza Motorsport and The Crew Motorfest

01:15:00 - Starfield discourse

01:40:00 - Xbox console sales, Game Pass numbers

01:55:00 - PS State of Play and Titanfall tease

02:20:00 - Immortals of Aveum and dev layoffs

02:30:00 - Unity debacle and iPhone 15 AAA gaming

03:00:00 - Patreon Q&A

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282: Starfield breaks records, Xbox's next big show, Starfield hate Sep 09, 2023

Show notes

Jez is back after some COVID fun with a new Xbox Two Podcast with Rand! This week, we discuss our Starfield impressions, the ongoing discourse, and the confusion from the games' media about Xbox having some kind of "win." We talk Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, PC gaming handhelds, and also Xbox's Tokyo Game Show potential announcements.

SPONSOR: Get 15% OFF an epic Valari gaming pillow with our code XB2 at http://Valari.gg or https://glnk.io/8l99j/xb215 🛌🏻🎮

PATREON: Go ad-free on PATREON, with guaranteed Q&A sessions, and more. http://patreon.com/XB2

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro.

00:20:00 - Starfield discourse, PS+ Price increase dichotomy.

00:40:00 - Baldur's Gate 3 vs Starfield, Jez's thoughts on Starfield.

02:10:00 - Starfield breaking records. Nintendo Switch 2 at Gamescom.

02:35:00 - Xbox at TGS, Indiana Jones and Redfall, Xbox September Update, studio closures.

02:50:00 - Patreon Q&A.

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