Xbox Play Anywhere & Laptop Spec

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by Villalad, Mar 23, 2026 at 7:12 PM.

  1. Villalad

    Villalad Member

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    Looking to upgrade my laptop and considering one that can handle a few games without spending £1000s (doesn't need to be something that can handle things like the next GTA, should it ever get released) but ideally one that can handle TSW and one or 2 others, at least with better performance than Xbox series X as i'm getting tired of console performance issues that are unlikely to get resolved anytime soon, especially as routes seem to be getting busier and more complex. I have a LOT of DLC purchased for xbox and understand that through xbox play anywhere, i can still play these on PC. I have some questions (and yes, i know these probably sound stupid to some but i should caveat i am not, nor ever have been, a PC gamer):
    • Can all DLCs purchased on Xbox indeed be played on PC via xbox play anywhere?
    • Will playing on PC via xbox app unlock the full frankfurt s bahn timetable, and any other full timetables on future DLCs where timetables are reduced for consoles (as i suspect FFT s bahn won't be the last)?
    • What is a good spec laptop to give decent performance? I know i can find this out myself but i'd rather defer to the community than rely on info online (spec of laptop i'm looking at: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 6gb GDDR6, 16GB RAM, AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor)
    • Stupidest question of all - will doing this actually improve performance? I.e. do Steam players enjoy better TSW performance than those that play via PC xbox app?
    thanks in advance
     
  2. randomshunter

    randomshunter Member

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    Whichever laptop you buy, it's going to get very hot and start thermal throttling, because laptops have bad ventilation and cooling at the best of times.

    You honestly would be better with a PC tower, with a decent PSU, good ventilation and a "proper" 4060 / 4070.
     
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  3. Tigert1966

    Tigert1966 Well-Known Member

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    I'm assuming he needs a laptop for portability so buying a desktop probably isn't an option. I need a laptop so I can work away from home and I'd feel pretty silly trying to set up my desktop up in Starbucks

    To answer the questions as best that I can

    Yes all DLC purchased for Xbox can also be played on PC.

    Not 100% sure but I think I read that Frankfurt S Bahn gets the full timetable on PC.

    No idea about Spec. My old laptop had a 10th gen i5 and a 3060 + 16gb ram. That used to be ok. My new one is a Ryzen (no idea which one) with a 4070 and 32gb ram. That runs it really well.

    There is virtually no difference in performance that I've ever noticed between Xbox PC and Steam. I switched a couple of years ago just because of lack of sales and general issues with the Xbox console version (Z fighting and sound really annoyed me). I played on the Xbox PC version until the routes I wanted turned up in a Steam sale.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2026 at 1:16 PM
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  4. randomshunter

    randomshunter Member

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    Completely understandable.

    Laptops will always be more expensive and have lower performance than a dedicated PC tower, so I just try to steer people away from them.

    Plus the warranty usually doesn't cover the screen... which has caused me headaches in the past.
     
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  5. Villalad

    Villalad Member

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    Thanks so much for this. I think the big question is whether 16gb RAM is enough, as 32GB is where laptops go into £1k+, which is more than i intend to spend. if 16gb is going to give me the same stuttering/crashes as a console then there's little point.

    when you say your old laptop was 'ok' - did you have any issues with TSW with this spec?
     
  6. Tigert1966

    Tigert1966 Well-Known Member

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    No problems with my old laptop with TSW it runs on high settings at 1080p. Frame rate varies by route but I've always found it to be fine. I still use it on holidays when I don't want to risk taking my new one. 16gb is fine in my opinion.
     
  7. Double Yellow

    Double Yellow Well-Known Member

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    I’d personally opt for a desktop gaming PC over a gaming laptop. A Ryzen or Intel 7 CPU, 32 RAM and a graphics card in the 40 series RTX at least for adequate performance.
    My PC only has 16 RAM and I feel like it’s not enough.
    I also play on high/ultra settings with 120% screen percentage. Any higher and my fps tanks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2026 at 5:12 PM
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  8. Villalad

    Villalad Member

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    thanks all for your help. lots to consider then...my worry is that even if 16gb is fine now, what if the game becomes more detailed and complex
     
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  9. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    I have a mid range laptop (cost me about £1300) an about 3 years ago and with decent fan tray under it I’ve had no thermal throttling or overheating so far. It runs TSW on ultra settings as well

    I’d much prefer a desktop but due to my circumstances that’s not possible and this has handled TSW extremely well.
     
  10. vik#4717

    vik#4717 New Member

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    I've just bought myself a new laptop price was around £3k plus, I don't have the space for a full system, and for the money I got intel core ultra 9 5.4ghz boost, 4tb ssd 96gb ram rtx 5090 16 inch screen but it's hooked upto a 27 inch monitor, tsw runs perfect all settings cranked to max at 1440p, you do get what you pay for! And all my other games run perfectly
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2026 at 5:59 AM

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