This week on Xbox Casuals

Corey Dirrig⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Josh Finney return after a few weeks off—and there’s a lot to talk about, though not all of it’s good.

They kick things off with the ROG Ally X and its awkward Good Morning America debut. The problem? The ROG Ally isn’t an Xbox console—it’s a PC. Branding it with the Xbox logo has caused major confusion, and while Xbox is promoting the device, they’ve publicly blamed ROG for its pricing, hinting at tension between the two companies.

Next, they dive into the latest on Halo. Reports suggest Halo Studios is developing two new projects—one likely a Halo: Combat Evolved remake, and the other Halo 7. Meanwhile, Certain Affinity is said to be building a live-service multiplayer Halo title, with Microsoft hoping for a longer tail than Halo Infinite.

Unfortunately, all isn’t well within the studio. Two former employees recently spoke out on social media about internal issues they can’t fully discuss yet but plan to when the time comes—suggesting ongoing cultural and management problems.

Finally, Corey and Josh share their thoughts on the latest Game Pass price hike, the pressure it’s putting on Xbox’s studios, and their hopes that beloved teams like Double Fine, Compulsion Games, and Ninja Theory won’t be affected by layoffs or closures.

All that and more on this week’s episode of Xbox Casuals.

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Follow our Hosts

Corey Dirrig is the Founder and President of Boss Rush Media. He is the host of The Boss Rush Podcast, Nintendo Pow Block, Tower Casuals: The Destiny Podcast, and cohosts a variety of other podcasts and content. You can follow Corey on Bluesky, on X/Twitter, and on Instagram or connect with him on LinkedIn for Business Inquiries.

Josh Finney is the cofounder and cohost of Tower Casuals: The Destiny Podcast. He is also the lore master of many games and an experienced podcaster. You can follow Josh on X/Twitter.

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