Constellation, Episode 26 | Why Xbox?, Self Care, Reality

I know I’m late to the party. But I really would have expected stronger defense and support for Cog from his boss and his co-host. Just shocked that they didn’t stand up for him or stop Jaffe because Cog wasn’t there to defend himself. I know Jaffe later apologized but I expect my boss, my team, and my friends to have my back when it comes to my integrity

Raymond Stuart

That's so crazy Chris, I just came here to type the exact same thing. The "how could you do this to me" broke me, and I have a 6-year old as well. You're awesome Colin; I know on the community side we don't get to see 100% of the real you, but I appreciate that the aspects of "you" you DO share with us are entirely authentic.

Allan Sweeney

The whole 'how could you do this to me' hit really hard talking about divorce. I have a 6 year old and there's so many times where I get hit with an unlocked fucked up memory

Chris Dell

As Colin would say, I think he’s making much ado about nothing over GamePass and the Microsoft deal. Great conversation though!

Daniel E

He’s getting old real quick

Adam Barnes

Hard pass

Adam Barnes

I’m skipping every episode he’s on from now on. Colin is too in love with him to pull him into line

Adam Barnes

Jaffe thinks Graham Hancocks’ theories are full of shit… Shocking.

Adam Barnes

I enjoy whenever Jaffe is a guest because he breaks everything apart and does his own thing. It's a nice break from the usual stuff.

Kaleb

Jaffe really needs to learn when to talk and when to sit back and let the conversation marinate naturally. Colin tries to expound upon him being misty eyed about his reflection of his childhood and Jaffe just bulldozed him to talk about Will Smith’s childhood. Like, relax and be quiet for a second, dude. There’s a difference between a poignant comment or thought provoking dialogue and just making noise with your mouth. Completely stifled a moment that Colin sounded on the verge of having and even though he came back to it, the momentum was halted.

Matt Llewellyn

Was stoked to listen, then I saw jaffes name. Oof. Maybe next episode.

DIS-Bee

Honestly loved this episode. I am pro Jaffe being on these shows so bring him back whenever you want. Great topics and really good convos. Thanks for more great content!

PsychCoffee

Interesting perspective. I think it’s great because so often Colin goes completely unchallenged and I like it when Colin has to think on his feet because it gives him the opportunity to sharpen his points and we ultimately get more out of it as the consumer of the content

Tom Gentry

Make Jaffe a mainstay! Lovin it!

The Chicken Chaser

I used to know a Nick Renaud in high school… are you Canadian by chance?

Jake H.

Jaffe really killing the vibe for me, seems like he’s been constantly nitpicking on everything Colin says for the sole purpose of challenging his takes.

Arthas did nothing wrong...

The second topic literally had me pause the video because I was getting choked up thinking about my own life and desire to seek therapy one day. Fantastic episode. Not to discredit the other two one bit, but that’s the Jaffe charm ;)

Dylan Michael

Stellar episode yall ✨️

lazer_josh

By far the best constellation episode ever. I really appreciated the gamepass convo going alittle longer. Having 4 different perspectives was great. Matty/Jaffes topics were also fascinating and made me reflect on myself. We need more Jaffe. I love how he respectfully challenges the thought processes of the other hosts.

Nick

I think I mostly agree with Colin, though I am weary to assume too negative an outcome of all of this. I feel like, at the end of the day, there are games we didn’t get from good studios because Sony (just for example) bought them. No one can know what the opportunity cost truly is. But maybe we’d get a couple less iterative sequels and some more original stuff. To me that’s the danger of consolidation. Also, I think most of my concerns about gamepass would be gone if they just had more tiers. Like an “indie” tier etc. I just feel like AAA games shouldn’t be included in a $15 level, for the health of the industry.

Bryon Edington

Jaffe was on fire as usual. Loved the Habroxia comments. 😄

NeO JD

Maybe it’d be an interesting topic to pursue an expert guest for sacred symbols +, but I’d really like to hear an expert break down the economics of subscription services in general. There are examples like OG moviepass where it’s obvious even to the lay person that it can’t work… then there’s stuff like Netflix or gamepass where I struggle to understand the minutiae… and how they can be both creatively flexible and also profitable.

Bryon Edington

Dont agree at all, this is the perfect podcast for random discussion (ie the entire point) it would take too long and be too limiting with 2 people

Stinkling

damn what a great episode. Jaffe, you and Colin literally helped me a ton in that heart to heart I love you guys thanks!

Otacon_Ocelot

Absolutely killer episode guys. I think I could listen to Colin and Jaffe talk all day long. Matty was on his game too. Just really good episode. I wouldve liked to hear Dagan weigh in on the other topics. He was missed for sure.

Jason3d1

My favourite Constellations episode to date. Loved it.

Josh Lee

I can’t wait until this acquisition is over and done with lol.

Antonio Pereira

Jaffe is a gem. Sorry Colin, but the Habroxia bit made me laugh so much, there might have been tears. I asked my wife what she thinks 'Habroxia' is and she said definitely a cleaning product.

Tefo

Great episode as always! My only gripe with Consolation is 4 people is too many for any podcast. I think two is best, and having over three just doesn’t work as well.

Napoleon in Rags

Jaffe always brings such great discussion! Very unfortunate Dagan couldn’t stay until the end but great episode regardless

Josh Paradysz

Good on Jaffe for addressing the somewhat "unique" Influencer/Journalist sphere around Xbox. This plus Matty explaining that most of these guys just want Sony to take a hit no matter what, really explains alot.

ToiletDrummer

Jaffe always makes me think and reassess my stand on things, really enjoy him on the podcast

Jason Hjartarson

Haven’t finished the Xbox topic yet, but I find it interesting when Colin starts off the show asking why people would be loyal (or rooting for) Xbox, no one mentions Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, or at least free backwards compatibility (across every Xbox gen), including performance improvements. Seems like every time this topic is brought up, it’s always centered around creativity and hit-making, with no thought given to quality of life and service improvements, and more competitive pricing models. IIRC, Game Pass isn’t mentioned until Colin brings up his what-if scenarios later in the show. I absolutely have to disagree with Colin’s thoughts about publishers and their purported negative thoughts on Game Pass. His stance seemed to be if Take Two, Sony, and Activision all think it’s a detrimental service, we should be listening to them. However, Take Two and Activision all have at least one major hit every year that are entrenched in the best-seller charts, so they have no reason to want to partake in subscription services, considering they get $70 for each game sold. Sony’s already on record as saying that model wouldn’t work for their games (primarily because their games don’t have a ton of replay value or multiplayer functionality leading to recurring revenue, in my opinion). You also have to take into account publishers with histories of both hits and misses (IMO), as that would include most publishers. If you look at EA and Ubisoft, I can’t imagine either one of them view Game Pass as “value-destructive,” as both of those publishers offer day and date games on PC subscription services. If this industry only marched to the beat of highly-successful publishers, competition would suffer. No idea why we should only listen to the most highly successful publishers, who at this point are practically too big to fail.

Fenixrisingxl21

After Colin had to correct and then explain Habroxia to David Jaffe, I don’t wanna hear him trash-talking Kena: Bridge of Spirits, or any other titles!!! Lol In all seriousness, this was a great episode. It was interesting hearing Jaffe press Colin on “what if” PlayStation went third-party or didn’t make the games he enjoyed anymore. For me, following a brand has always been so much more than the sum of its parts. Yeah, you can name why you love PlayStation, but I think most people - rightfully so - might not be able to qualify their fandom. They like PlayStation, or Xbox, because they do. For me, PlayStation, like Nintendo, is synonymous with games. It’s a pop cultural phenomenon that reaches leagues beyond (Beyond?) our industry bubble. Nike, Travis Scott, and other massive brands aren’t running to make million-dollar deals with Nintendo or Xbox. And PlayStation just so happens to make some of the world's most critically acclaimed games. It seems to me like it became cool to hate on PlayStation in the PS4 generation as if EVERYONE WASN’T PLAYING PS4. The narrative confuses me because Sony’s roots aren’t just connected with the tech that once ruled the world, but with the very same company that gets to do whatever they want and give you the same game each and every generation. They’ve been here since the beginning, and you can’t shake that kind of staying power. As a fan, I just hope this new push to capture even more money and eyes doesn’t overshadow all the people who are already here. From core to casual, PlayStation has our attention, let’s hope they don’t lose it.

Dennis Johnson

Jaffe is just the best

Joshua La Rosa

I've been following Colin since he left ign to start kinda funny. I've always liked Colin for his authenticity, but my gaming tastes are far away from his. I'm much more inclined to listen what Matty and Cog have to say about what games they are playing, and it's clear that their ties with Xbox don't affect their final opinions on those games. They can be rather harsh on Xbox. Thought Jaffe went too long one this topic and it's clear he doesn't listen to that show.

Frodoor

Elections should be funded at all. You don’t need tv commercials anymore. Just make a few YouTube videos on my you should be president.

Taylor kazemba

Hey Colin, Is it possible that Bungie is giving advice to Sony on who to aquire next? Haha

james glenn roten

Jaffe done gone ham on this one

Jacob R.

What are YOU even talking about? You may not like either of those games, but they’re far from “bad quality”. They may not be the most groundbreaking or innovative, but they’re far from badly made.

Brandon Garvin

Love having Jaffe on. Such a character and breath of fresh air on any appearance.

Alec Rock

Liz Folley

So great to have Jaffe on. Nice to hear someone that will push back and challenge other’s opinions, makes for a much more interesting pod.

Keenan

This could have been a Xbox ultimate Duke episode. I really wish we would get Jeffe for more interesting topics like aliens, conspiracy theories and such.

Asique Alam

I like Jaffe, but maybe just keep him on a show with just him and Colin. Seemed like they just talked to each other the whole time and I am feel Constellation is the best when everyone gets to talk. Mind you, I am not watching the video just the audio only and it maybe just my perception.

Brian Heninger

A couple of different thoughts from the show 1. If the acquisition is about bringing in the mobile customers, isn’t Gamepass antithetical to their(mobile gamers) current model anyways. The most successful are free to play games meaning the value of Gamepass is eroded. 2. The thought of Sony going third party from this deal or any other seems to be the opposite of how this is heading. After every new acquisition Microsoft seems more and more like a content provider through Gamepass not the box itself. Going after mobile, streaming, pc, and xbox doesn’t seem like they are interested in selling a system but more the subscription. Games that won’t go into the subscription like GTA need a platform that continues to sell games and hasn’t turned the fan base into subscribers rather than customers. I believe in the long term all three platforms will end up being highly specialized platforms designed for unique players and will have smaller overlap. 3. While it’s definitely fair to say that Xbox has released fantastic games from a more niche spot in the industry, crediting all of that to Gamepass seems disingenuous. Gamepass surely relieves pressure from these games sales wise but doesn’t the fact that Xbox is “losing” place more pressure for experimenting. The “Sony game” wasn’t an exact science when they first did it. It came from a competitive landscape where Sony was pushed into trying things. It’s why the PS3 is still my favorite generation.

Ethan

The thing I love about last stands coverage on the matter is that I have full certainty that if PlayStation was in the same boat as Microsoft it would be a 4 hour show about the cluster fuck sony is in. No doubt!

Nicholas Renaud

I personally like Xbox best for 3rd party because of all their work put into their backwards compatibility program. Out of the big three console makers, Xbox respects their user's purchases the most. I can still play the vast majority of my 360 physical and digital games, and a lot them have frame rate and resolution bumps. I trust Xbox the most to continuously support my library. They earned that trust.

I agree with everything you said. Idk, I have been a fan of his for a long time and I know when he is just taking the piss out of something or if he is just talking with an interest of addressing a topic. His thoughts on Game Pass and the Microsoft plan comes off alot like Games Journalists. He seems to almost have a personal issue with it.

Joe B

I don't see why Sony would go 3rd party when PS5 is outselling Xbox by nearly double and Gamepass subscriptions are stagnating and PS5 exclusives make close to a billion in revenue

Walker Simmons

Yeah Colin has some weird opinions on this topic and I say that as a PlayStation fan since 1998. Sony will be just fine in the long run if they just keep with their undeniably superior first party output. Jaffe really had a few perfect counter arguments so I'm glad he was on the show. I think Colin gets too much caught up on a few specifics. This whole "we are doing bad" argument Xbox is making is only because the accuser (a.k.a. FTC/Sony) are pointing fingers to the one in the last place and saying that this will hurt them. Microsoft is forced to make those statements so I don't blame them. I feel like all 3 players will be competing on 3 different lanes in the future and each one will still be winning for what they are trying to achieve.

Kaim Argonar

Degan giving out some wisdom today. Loved his perspective on the Xbox/Sony crap. I also wished PlayStation would stop and just take that competitiveness and make some new shooters, platformers, etc . Great episode so far. Great fast as well! MAAATTTYYYY

Johnny Lamotte

Xbox fans right now are in the same position that Sony fans were in with the PS3. I think it’s as simple as folks routing for an underdog. People worshipped Trenton, Yoshida and Layton. Sacred is a descendant of two shows built deeply on corporate fandom. Now Sacred has become a lot more objective, but Beyond and PSILY definitely weren’t in the same way.

Noah Trujillo

Colin asks why people care to use an xbox, then follows up 40 minutes later by saying he wouldnt want Sony to go 3rd party with their games because of the history he has with the console, trophies, game library, etc. I feel like its a really strange thing to keep asking on your shows why a fanbase is a fan of a product/brand when you dont use or have any affiliation with it. It also needs to be pointed out that Xbox picked a lane, Nintendo picked a lane, and Sony picked a lane. Subscriptions, Handheld hybrid console, and selling consoles/high quality first party games. Sony is the leader of the 3 yet are also the only ones intentionally trying to hurt the others with moves. (Lets make exclusive deals, and put out a half assed subscription game pass ripoff, and a half ass handheld switch ripoff that only streams your PS5 game locally). Sony also pays to keep games off Game Pass (Which seems weird to do if every publisher hates the service) and now people are surprised Microsoft are trying to fight back in a way only they can? The status quo had to change cuz Microsoft wasnt going to stay 3rd forever, and that means either making big moves or closing the Xbox business.

Joe B

Not that my opinion matters much but I recently purchased a Series X. I will prefer the Xbox over PS5 for 3rd party mostly bc of Jim Ryan's behavior lately and through this acquisition. Its just venmous and gross. As youve said many times Colin, PS3 Sony Playstation seemed fun but PS5 playstation would be terrifying as a Monopoly

Drewbuntu