r/gaming • u/Force_Hammer • 17h ago

Microsoft to impose time limits on Xbox cloud gaming subscribers as costs continue to climb

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/03/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-cloud-limits.html
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u/spmbx 14h ago

“Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity: it's called Xbox 360.”

  • Don Mattrick

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u/GlassLost 14h ago

You have no idea what morale was like for us when he said that. Like... We were working insane hours to get Hydra going and he just shot us all in the back.

I was a very new engineer at the time, it was my first interaction with stupid management.

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u/diiegojones 13h ago

How was the after shock? Did you witness any internal fallout?

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u/GlassLost 12h ago

I had been an engineer for like a year. And I was insulated from politics. All I can tell you is that the vibe suddenly sucked - it went from hopeful to pointless.

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u/DaleDimmaDone 12h ago

How do you deal with that? I have a similiar feeling at my job rn but for multiple reasons a job search is not a possibility atm

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u/GlassLost 12h ago

I dunno. I was young - it didn't really phase me. I was working in the video game industry and I didn't appreciate the ramifications of what he'd said. I was more affected by everyone else.

Now that I'm older I have many more options - I left a team last year because I didn't think they were on a good path. My coping mechanism would be to leave.

When I finally burnt out at Xbox, 4 or 5 years after that console launched, I went out pretty hard (your first experience with burnout "sneaks" up on you in my experience).

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u/SirSoliloquy 8h ago

Not OP, but for similar low-morale situations at other jobs I started to take the following perspective:

My job is to do what they tell me in return for a paycheck. I’ll do my job as well as I can, and I’ll make suggestions if I think of anything, but I no longer personally care whether a venture succeeds or fails.

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u/ikarikh 7h ago

I just focus on "I meed money. This is my way of making money right now. At least i have a job and money. So many don't. My life could be a lot worse. Just gotta bare with it and save whatever i can for now until i can afford to find something better."

Yes, other people having it worse doesn't mean i'm suddenly "happy" with my job. But it's more about perspective. I could be homeless and starving or worse. I'm thankful to have a job that i can keep a roof over my head and food on my table with even if i'm not very happy at the job.

And tomorrow's another day. So there's always hope, even 12 years later into the job.

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u/Zer_ 12h ago edited 12h ago

You don't. When working in the arts, each time something like this happens it eats away at your desire to work at all. 16 years ago when I started in the industry, there were people already burning out constantly after only a few years (And that was working as a contractor). Everyone has a different breaking point here and well, the only way to "deal" with that is to offset the pointless work with something that brings you fulfillment. I mean if none of this resonates with you, then perhaps your of the same ilk as all these leaders making compromising decisions that undermine artistic vision.

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u/DaleDimmaDone 12h ago

I deeply understand.. its driving me mad. Thank you for sharing

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u/Zer_ 11h ago

I wish I had better to offer. I guess the only consolation is to try and find hobbies outside work that bring you the fulfillment you need. Free time permitting of course. (Free time being a luxury many don't have).

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u/RetPala 12h ago

At the time I walked past this statue every day going to work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy%C5%84_Memorial_(Jersey_City)

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u/wombatcombat123 12h ago

Hydra?

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u/GlassLost 12h ago

Sorry, that was the OS, the more regular codename was Durango, or Xbox One.

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u/Kills_Alone PC 12h ago

Ironic timing given that Negan was playing Gears 2 with an Xbox 360 in a recent episode of TWD: Dead City, because yeah it got me thinking how many newer consoles/games wouldn't even work without internet.

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u/R_W0bz 12h ago

Ahead of his time in hindsight.

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u/ProfessorBylethBoobs 11h ago

“We recognize there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2's] price point. That's why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available, so [people] still have an opportunity to come into our gaming universe, be a part of these characters in these worlds, and see value, if you will, in whatever rung of the platform they come in."

- Doug Bowser

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u/articwolph 9h ago

Oh shit I almost forgot about that

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u/doubledeus 9h ago

That should be on his tombstone.