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Kotaku: XB1 Slim 2016, More Powerful XB1 Scorpio/VR 2017, iterative boxes from now on

Price perf ratio is usually very good on console, also it goes the other way, Xbox becomes a very cheap pc, specially when MS starts bringing apps and win32 games to the store/c Xbox.

I've already accounted for price. Other than price and simplicity out of the box, what does an Xbox console offer you over a gaming PC now? It's certainly not games by any degree.
 
If all the first party games are no longer exclusive, which is pretty much the bulk of the console exclusives, is there any reason to get an Xbox console over a PC other than price and the simplicity of it working out of the box? ... I'm not seeing a reason to buy an Xbox moving forward.

That's pretty much literally the point of MS' new outlook.

Prefer a simple, powerful device built to a budget and designed to fit the living room? Get a console.

Prefer ultimate flexibility at the cost of complexity? Get a PC. Hell, build yourself a silent living room one.

In neither scenario will you be penalised on the gaming front, and you carry your friends list, achievements, etc. across the two platforms.
 
That's pretty much literally the point of MS' new outlook.

Prefer a simple, powerful device built to a budget and designed to fit the living room? Get a console.

Prefer ultimate flexibility at the cost of complexity? Get a PC. Hell, build yourself a silent living room one.

In neither scenario will you be penalised on the gaming front, and you carry your friends list, achievements, etc. across the two platforms.

That's fine if that's the direction they're headed. I'm just trying to make sure I understand the direction correctly. I could always justify getting all the consoles in the past no matter how the outlook was on the platform. Every console had an exclusive likely worth playing. This is the first time where that no longer is the case and I couldn't figure out if there was a reason for me to get an Xbox moving forward. Interestingly, it seems like Microsoft makes less money from me going in this direction though.
 
Exactly.... It's strange to buy duplicated platforms.

Even more if the rumored xbox stick is capable of PC streaming.

If Xboxlive can support console-to-PC crossplatform play, then I think this is a viable argument (i.e., people who can afford an Occulus may very well have a PC that outclasses even the new Xbox).

However, if console gaming is still largely separate on Xboxlive, then I certainly will be gaming on both platforms. I'll own the console to game with friends who don't have a gaming PC, and I'll play the most demanding single player stuff on my PC, just as I do now.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

No matter what, I think their decision to provide exclusives on both platforms is a smart one. It broadens the userbase, makes PC gamers happy, and probably has little effect on the vast majority of console gamers (because they are not rocking gaming rigs, regardless of what GAF might lead you to believe).
 

LOCK

Member
I don't have an Xbox One, but wanted to get one so I was waiting for E3 and the potential slim announcement.

Now I don't know what to do. Get a slim or wait for the Xbox 2? Ugh

I can't afford an NX, a Neo, a PSVR, and a new Xbox in the span of a year either. The big three need to focus on games.
 

Halabane

Member
These iterative console articles...always sound like desperation and reactionary management to me. It's like they are finally seeing the writing on the wall. Wish them luck but I am out.

PC and Nintendo console is all I will require.
 
I don't have an Xbox One, but wanted to get one so I was waiting for E3 and the potential slim announcement.

Now I don't know what to do. Get a slim or wait for the Xbox 2? Ugh

I can't afford an NX, a Neo, a PSVR, and a new Xbox in the span of a year either. The big three need to focus on games.

Forego consoles altogether and build a PC. JOIN THE MASTER RACE.
 
Which are all good things. But, just proves what I'm saying. They're pushing you away from console gaming.

Like others are saying if these things release every 3 or 4 years, fine I can work with that. But, every 1 or 2 years. Fuck no.

Dude, there is absolutely zero evidence (or even rumors to the effect) of a new iteration of ps4 or xbox releasing every 1- 2 years. The only people who are spouting this unsubstantiated bs are those who are against iterative consoles and need to find every pessimistic reason possible to bring other people down on the idea.
I say wait for the official announcements. I'm pretty confident it will be no where near as bad as some of the doom mongers are trying to portray.
 
Dude, there is absolutely zero evidence (or even rumors to the effect) of a new iteration of ps4 or xbox releasing every 1- 2 years. The only people who are spouting this unsubstantiated bs are those who are against iterative consoles and need to find every pessimistic reason possible to bring other people down on the idea.
I say wait for the official announcements. I'm pretty confident it will be no where near as bad as some of the doom mongers are trying to portray.

The problem is waiting for an official announcement isn't going to answer that question either. We have to wait until the next console after that drops and who knows if they're going to give us any indicator of when that will be. We certainly didn't get a heads up about this one.
 
These iterative console articles...always sound like desperation and reactionary management to me. It's like they are finally seeing the writing on the wall. Wish them luck but I am out.

PC and Nintendo console is all I will require.

Nintendo are also going the iterative console route.
Natural evolution for them to apply their iterative handheld model to their next console when you think about it.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
Doesnt thus timeline mean the Slim will sell poorly? Seems like a pointless sku for most people now.

Release what you intended to release before rumours of the NEO, give yourself a year to put together a console to compete with the NEO and leak ridiculously high specs in the hope you can slow down the sales of the NEO in the mean time.

I'm not saying that's how it is, I'm just looking at that as a possibility.
 

maxcriden

Member
Nintendo are also going the iterative console route.
Natural evolution for them to apply their iterative handheld model to their next console when you think about it.

I agree with you but Nintendo hasn't done an iterative HH model across gens before, only within them. Isn't the idea here that consoles will be iterative across gens and essentially forward compatible?
 

cookienut

Banned
The way I see it working is:

MS release the slim X1 to actually replace all existing original shaped SKU's. That way anyone getting in now has the benefit of smaller hardware. Then in 2017 the Next Xbox comes out which I don't think at this stage is iterative at all. The power jump to me seems like a whole new gen for them.

So Slim X1 turns into the current '360' and the new X becomes the 'X1'.

All the while, we will see Windows 10 and the Xbox serivce come together. So eventually the platform will exist unified in both the console and PC space. Consumers can decide what to do. Cheevo's and accounts work between them all no problems (kind of like already).
 
The problem is waiting for an official announcement isn't going to answer that question either. We have to wait until the next console after that drops and who knows if they're going to give us any indicator of when that will be. We certainly didn't get a heads up about this one.

you make a good point. However as CosmicQueso (or was it someone else?) laid out in one of his posts, yearly or bi annual console upgrades are simply unsustainable from a business and end user perspective. Sure, there is a remote possibility that they do try the idea at some point, but then there is a remote possibility of millions of things we don't like to happen. Until there is any indication otherwise, it's better to go with logic and the evidence on hand.
 

maxcriden

Member
Yes but to some extent. I doubt Xbox One will run games that will come out on 2018 or 2019.

Gotcha. Then what would be the purpose of not just making the next Xbox backwards compatible with the previous one, and the doing the same thing next time, and so on down the line?
 
I agree with you but Nintendo hasn't done an iterative HH model across gens before, only within them. Isn't the idea here that consoles will be iterative across gens and essentially forward compatible?

Well, according to a speech made by one of their high ranking executives, it strongly hints they are very much going in a similar route as the other two manufacturers.
Can't find the link atm, sorry. If anyone else has the link to the article I am talking about, please post it. Thanks.
 

Zedox

Member
What I see with MS' move is that PC indie market and the console indie market. With Xbox Ones being devkits (finally)...smaller devs can get their box on PC and Xbox at the same time (yes, they won't have Xbox Live enablement unless they get those certs but still theoretically) with basically the same code (xbox one and xbox scorpion). It would leave indies to have use a lot of different code to get their game on PS4/K. Whenever (because I think it's a when and not an if) Steam accepts UWAs, developers can put their games on Steam, Windows Store, and Xbox all using the same code. If anything it leaves Sony out of the picture with indie games. Obviously that's all long term stuff, but that's what I think MS is trying to get with this.

Obviously you still have the other 3rd party apps that can be made for the Xbox and PC that aren't games (and that's where the streaming device comes in). But this whole move seems to me that Microsoft wants to get developers making UWP and making it easier for gamers to choose the Windows Store for the gaming habits. Like I said earlier, I think that Steam is going to try to support UWAs. Maybe not at first, but I think ultimately, they will. Otherwise, they'd be just like MS of old.
 
It won't become a yearly thing. There really isn't any financial incentive for the platform holders to do this because they ultimately make their money on software licensing and services, not on hardware margins. I think this is ultimately more about locking consumers into an ecosystem going forward (a la Apple and Steam) than it is about making money off of new hardware.

Bingo.
 
you make a good point. However as CosmicQueso (or was it someone else?) laid out in one of his posts, yearly or bi annual console upgrades are simply unsustainable from a business and end user perspective. Sure, there is a remote possibility that they do try the idea at some point, but then there is a remote possibility of millions of things we don't like to happen. Until there is any indication otherwise, it's better to go with logic and the evidence on hand.

I think it could go either way even though I agree that quicker iterations is not going to be a good idea. The iteration time frame is one of my concerns of the whole process. One possible problem though is what if everyone doesn't line up? If everyone is doing it at their own pace, while any one single platform is not going to be every one or two years, it may feel like the market as a whole is getting new platforms constantly.
 

GopherD

Member
Release what you intended to release before rumours of the NEO, give yourself a year to put together a console to compete with the NEO and leak ridiculously high specs in the hope you can slow down the sales of the NEO in the mean time.

I'm not saying that's how it is, I'm just looking at that as a possibility.

:) oh you.
 

heidern

Junior Member
Does iterative boxes mean forward compatibility?

Yes, considering this generation started with cross gen games and developers having an incentive to target the widest possible audience expect each version of a console to be fully supported for 7-10 years.

It also likely means the hardware will no longer be sold at a loss and maybe a profit leading to a disappointing price/performance ratio compared to systems of the past. However the affluent hardcore will upgrade and there will become a large second hand/hand-me-down market for the systems. In fact, if the systems are supported for a long time and come down in price you could potentially see some return of mid tier in a few years time.
 

sublimit

Banned
If this new trend becomes successful and the standard from now on for console manufacturers then i guess it's time i quit modern gaming and finally focus on my backlog and retro games.
 
I've already accounted for price. Other than price and simplicity out of the box, what does an Xbox console offer you over a gaming PC now? It's certainly not games by any degree.

As of now, just it's exclusives that haven't been brought to Pc yet, but I have a strong feeling that they won't just port xbone games to windows store and be done with it, they will also try to get games that are already out on the store as well, and with keyboard and mouse coming to xbox along all store apps things start geting way more interesting.
 

AmyS

Member
Microsoft's original internal codenames for main Xbox consoles (not counting all the revisions of the 360).

Project Midway (XBOX)

Xenon (Xbox 360)

Durango (Xbox One)

Scorpio (Xbox ?)
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
I like the idea of itinerating consoles like the cell phones.Every 2/3 years a new model of the console but bc with the software of the previous version.
 

RoKKeR

Member
The way I see it working is:

MS release the slim X1 to actually replace all existing original shaped SKU's. That way anyone getting in now has the benefit of smaller hardware. Then in 2017 the Next Xbox comes out which I don't think at this stage is iterative at all. The power jump to me seems like a whole new gen for them.

So Slim X1 turns into the current '360' and the new X becomes the 'X1'.

All the while, we will see Windows 10 and the Xbox serivce come together. So eventually the platform will exist unified in both the console and PC space. Consumers can decide what to do. Cheevo's and accounts work between them all no problems (kind of like already).
Yep.

Really interested to see to what extent they merge Xbox Live and the PC Xbox features. Full cross play? Xbox UI?
 

Sydle

Member
Yep.

Really interested to see to what extent they merge Xbox Live and the PC Xbox features. Full cross play? Xbox UI?

I think the upcoming Redstone update in June, in addition to merging the Xbox and Windows Store, is supposed to make things easier on the cross play front as well.
 

RoKKeR

Member
I think that's the idea. You'll be able to one day build a PC and essentially have an Xbox + steam machine ready to go.
Would be wonderful if so, and I might ditch the box if it pans out in the future. Wonder if something like this would require Gold. (ie firing up the Xbox UI, joining parties with friends and playing MP together) I doubt it but I'd they really are providing the "Xbox on a PC" service, it wouldn't surprise me. Guess we will see.
 

Rizific

Member
Well, there it is. Iterative consoles. That money I put towards a x1 could have been put to better use on my pc. Looks like I'll be selling off my x1 and ps4 and picking up a ps4k for the 4k bluray player.
 
Well, I was considering an XB1 Slim, but if the Scorpio is following just behind it... They've kind of just undercut the market for that new revision, no?

My prediction (that people will dislike): If the Scorpio is considerably more powerful than PS4k, it will outsell it, despite Sony's momentum. These things are multiplat machines at this stage. Which one runs Fifa/CoD/Overwatch/etc better? That and price are all people care about.

Microsoft is right to try and reset the power struggle. Hopefully they produce a good machine. Hopefully the fucking thing has folders - that might be the one thing that drives me away from Playstation.

I don't think so. A power reset isn't going to undo the brand power Sony as accumulated over the past few years. It's not going to suddenly make Xbox sell well in Japan, and it's not going to cause an upswing in Europe either.

The only place where raw people matters in such a big way is on game forums and the internet. Xbox One "Two" isn't going to help wipe out the 2:1 lead PS4 has over the competition. Especially if it comes out a whole year after Neo.
 
What I see with MS' move is that PC indie market and the console indie market. With Xbox Ones being devkits (finally)...smaller devs can get their box on PC and Xbox at the same time (yes, they won't have Xbox Live enablement unless they get those certs but still theoretically) with basically the same code (xbox one and xbox scorpion). It would leave indies to have use a lot of different code to get their game on PS4/K. Whenever (because I think it's a when and not an if) Steam accepts UWAs, developers can put their games on Steam, Windows Store, and Xbox all using the same code. If anything it leaves Sony out of the picture with indie games. Obviously that's all long term stuff, but that's what I think MS is trying to get with this.

Obviously you still have the other 3rd party apps that can be made for the Xbox and PC that aren't games (and that's where the streaming device comes in). But this whole move seems to me that Microsoft wants to get developers making UWP and making it easier for gamers to choose the Windows Store for the gaming habits. Like I said earlier, I think that Steam is going to try to support UWAs. Maybe not at first, but I think ultimately, they will. Otherwise, they'd be just like MS of old.

Steam to support UWAs!?? LMAO That one is good.

Look, Steam has a stranglehold on some hugely popular titles that will NEVER get a UWA that are huge pillars of the PC market. As long as Blizzard & Valve titles are not UWAs, that platform won't ever gain any real traction. Do you think Valve would ever consider bringing TF2/Dota 2/ CS:GO to UWA? Heck, the Steam machine was created specifically to counter Windows RT. Valve is not a fan of UWA/UWP at all.
 

Namikaze

Member
These iterative console articles...always sound like desperation and reactionary management to me. It's like they are finally seeing the writing on the wall. Wish them luck but I am out.

PC and Nintendo console is all I will require.

Pretty much. Although I could see myself getting a PS5 late in it's life cycle for the Sony exclusives and exclusive japanese titles (that are starting to come out on steam now anyways).
 

MilkyJoe

Member
Not exactly.

They'll announce the Slim at this year's E3 and most likely keep silent about the new one until next year. Otherwise it'll tank sales for the slim model.

Unlikely, with Neo set to release in October (?) they need to let the public know thaey have something coming or they risk people flocking to Neo. BC/FC and the death of generations is going to make jumping sides less likely in the future.
 
The Oculus Rift talk is interesting:

How will MS approach pricing if this is real?

It's got to be priced to compete with PSVR, but without massively undercutting the current OR pricing.
 
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