Xbox Series X game showcase: CrossfireX and Fable excite gamers in China but Halo Infinite draws flak

Microsoft shows off more games for the upcoming Xbox Series X next-generation console

Experts expect consoles to become more popular in China, but stringent government approvals remain a challenge

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Halo Infinite launches during the holiday season later this year. Photo: Handout

Published: 6:12pm, 24 Jul 2020Updated: 6:12pm, 24 Jul 2020

When Microsoft unveiled its next-generation Xbox in March, it seemed like gamers in China were impressed. But now that they’ve had a look at more new and exclusive titles coming to the Xbox Series X, some say they might just save their money for something else.

While China didn’t lift its 15-year ban on gaming consoles until 2015, gamers there are no strangers to the Xbox. Microsoft beat out Nintendo and Sony in the country by being the first to introduce its console there. Since then, Microsoft has lost ground to its rivals, but the Xbox game showcase still drew fans in China who stayed up until midnight to tune in online.

Some wished they didn’t, though.

“Going to bed,” one dismayed person wrote on Weibo shortly after the event. “From now on I’ll have to carefully evaluate whether it’s worth breaking my sleeping routine for an Xbox event.”

“I’ve stopped following all Xbox-related people and bloggers,” another commented. “Bye, what a waste of time.”

A lot of the complaints centred on Halo Infinite, the highly-anticipated sixth instalment of the blockbuster military sci-fi series.

The game was described by developers as a “spiritual reboot” that aims to recapture the look and feel of the original trilogy. Yet the attempt at nostalgia was lost on some players who thought the visuals looked crude and old-fashioned.