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CNET Rumor: Xbox Design Boss Replaced, Xbox 3 Heading For 2013 Release
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Gamers these days hate progress, they'd be fine with playing COD 9/10/11/12/13 etc. untill they die, and god forbid you change anything because their intoxicated GTTV minds can't handle anything else.
Since AMD is rolling out 28nm chips en masse now, I don't see why it can't be a console with a 28nm chip in 2012.
Sapphire Dreams
Member
I really hope Microsoft know what are they doing.
I just hope they test the hell out of it before launching it.
Aizu_Itsuko
Member
Get used to longer generations because that's how it's going to work from now on unless something revolutionary comes around.
Also waiting for a lower fabrication process isn't a bad idea right now when they are around the corner and we're going to be stuck with this tech for a long while.
1b mistake says they have learned from it
MightyHedgehog
Member
Graphics are obviously important, but you're right about the online being the main draw and why the series continues to be so popular. With MS' three-year deal with Acti-Blizz for 30-day exclusives to all CoD DLC expiring after next year, it should continue to be a feather in their cap even in the event that Wii U receives a version on par with or, perhaps, better than ones released on the current MS and Sony hardware. That, and the already well-established social networks for gamers on current platforms are too entrenched to be flipped so quickly. That community advantage will obviously carry forward as XBL/PSN span the gap between generations by taking current memberships across with them and improve their feature sets while also leapfrogging Wii U's hardware capability, but perhaps not erasing whatever advantages come from its unique features. Of course, MS and Sony have their own unique features to differentiate from each other and Ninty.
Basically, Call of Duty needs to be on Wii U day 'n date, too, but Ninty needs to rely upon something else if they want to wedge themselves into the online-based groups who form the hardcore of MS' and Sony's userbases.
I still can't believe people think 2012 is a good year to launch new MS and Sony home platforms. Current gen is still not low enough in price and the economy hasn't gotten better or more stable in the markets where MS and Sony do best. 2013 with fully-fleshed out hardware and software is just the best way to go.
Fallout-NL
Member
Eh, I guess I should have worded that better. For the record, I don't think having the "best" console version of CoD will convince people to pick it up over the 360 version. Xbox Live is too alluring and minor graphical differences wont push people to jump ship to the Wii U. However, it'll probably be a decent marketing ploy used on people who are going to buy the Wii U anyway or Wii owners who don't already own a 360 and will be upgrading. It also might be able to be used to market towards people who haven't really tried out CoD yet since it'll be one of the few high profile games in the earlier parts of the Wii U's lifecycle plus probably advertised as bigger and badder with more xtreme compared to other versions.
What I meant when I said hardware specs wont matter was in regards to future consoles competing with each other. Activision will have a chance to market the Wii U's version of CoD next year a little differently simply because it'll be to a new audience, but that's a unique situation since its future competition, the xbox 3 and PS4, wont be out yet. I don't think performance disparities between future console builds of games will ever be the norm. After all, you don't see publishers advertising "Looks best on 360!" or anything for current games.
edit: I meant to write advertising performance disparities
I feel perception will really work against Nintendo here.
Anyone who buys an Xbox 3 or PlayStation 4 can pretty much assume that they are getting all the major, core focused multiplatform games from next generation.
Anyone who has had a history with Nintendo consoles in the past three generations isn't likely to assume that.
Nintendo has to fight that perception, successfully argue that their version is the best version due to their controller, and also offer a hugely robust online service that can compete with next generation's versions of Xbox Live and PSN.
Woo-Fu
Banned
Makes you wonder why Microsoft copied the navigation of XMB which was just the opposite of their original dashboard flow. Hmmm.
Basileus777
Member
Eh? Both UI changes for the 360 were based off of UI in Windows products.
Nintendo has to buy studios. or get them to develop Nintendo only properties.
I would gladly have just one console/PC but Halo/Uncharted/Zelda definitely means I get to have all three plateforms.
The lack of core oriented franchises by Nintendo means they miss some sales.
No one can argue, that Nintendo can't produce excellent games, they just need to extend their portfolios, since getting a Zelda (home console) every 2/3 years ain't gonna happen.
As a third party plateform they can get away with humbler hardware only if enough in-house games making use of the very specific hardware attributes can be copied by 3rd party companies.
3rd party studios need to have the job cut for them. it's a mistake to think EA/UBI etc..will get anything more than Map/Inventory out of the WiiUmote.
Had Skyward Sword came up earlier (way earlier), I'm pretty confident some companies would have used it as a template for their Wii action games.
Eh, kinda. Yes, you have a point, but I don't think it's as big of a deal as you're suggesting. People will buy popular games for whatever system they have, provided there is some semblance of performance parity. Imagine if the Wii had been a bit more powerful. What if nintendo had produced a machine at cost of MSRP ($250) instead of opting for higher profits? What if the Wii had been a little more than roughly half as powerful as the 360 for the same price? I don't think it's current situation would have been avoided entirely, but I do think there would have been far more multi-platform releases that would have placated a lot of consumers who picked up the Wii because it was so cheap. I think this gen showed us that the majority of the market doesn't care about specs. To attain widespread hardware success, you need two things: 1. Marketable games, and 2. An affordable low price. That's why the Wii tanked in 2011 (compared to previous years) and why the 360 has soared to new heights. I know it sounds like common sense but you can't have just one. While millions of gamers are presently invested in the 360's xbox live, I don't think it has more sway than a good mass market price. If the Wii U is cheap and has a hook similar to wii sports then hey, people will go out en mass to buy it. Then if CoD MW 13 comes out on it and is comparable to the xbox 3 version and has decent online play (doesn't even have to be on the same level as live), those masses will definitely buy that version instead of opting to buy a whole new console.
That is different though from people opting to buy the Wii U version over the xbox 3 version if they have both consoles. Basically I'm saying consumers are lazy, cheap bastards, and they'll follow the path of least resistance to get what they want. The reason that didn't happen with the Wii is because that path wasn't ever there in the first place.
I feel this argument works in both directions though.
Why go out and buy a Wii U if the Xbox 360 still has the games they want and all their friends already own one?
And this is where i think Nintendo will fluff it with the 'core' we have two solid online services PSN and Xbox Live that have taken years to set in and get their bases used to how they work Nintendo is starting from scratch even if they buy in online help it's going to take years before their service is anywhere near the other two.
Cuz devs wont be making 360 games forever
That's also why I said the Wii U would need a Wii Sports type hook. Wii Sports (and kinect for that matter) are fantastic trojan horses. The problem was the Wii eventually stopped give them greeks a reason to stay.
bigtroyjon
Member
The path of least resistance will be staying with Live since all their content, friends, and achievements will be on there.
$400+ for a new console is not the path of least resistance
Roland Deschain
Member
Even if I stop buying games right now (not likely) I'd still have enough backlog to get me through to 2013.
bigtroyjon
Member
60 million people aren't going to jump to the WiiU in it's first year. For almost every 360 user they will be uprading when both consoles are on the market. Path of least resistance will be the console with Xbox Live on it, doesn't matter if it costs $100 more.
MS and Sony know they have to get top of the class graphics, that's what brings core gamers which are then copide by female-voiced teenagers.
The casual market is a desperate one, and the day Apple introduces a set top box that makes use of an easy interface and the powerof their marketplace, they will rape everybody.
Nintendo knows it, and desperately tries to play the family oriented card even thoug the long-time fans are weeping like babiez.
MS knows it, and desperately tries to implement an OS wide environment to maintain their stronghold before Apple goes all out.
Sony is left weeping in a corner, there is no way in all circles of Hell they can challenge both MS and Apple on the digital front, they are just too far away. But their games portfolios and superb hardware knowledge can't be snobbed by MS.
If/When Apple introduces connected TVs and/or iOSified set top boxes (capables of playing COD, AssCreed etc...), MS will want to reconsider its XBOX strategy.
I can totally see a day when MS and Sony make an alliance with Sony playing the sort of role Nokia is playing in the smartphone business.
The casual market is a desperate one, and the day Apple introduces a set top box that makes use of an easy interface and the powerof their marketplace, they will rape everybody.
Nintendo knows it, and desperately tries to play the family oriented card even thoug the long-time fans are weeping like babiez.
MS knows it, and desperately tries to implement an OS wide environment to maintain their stronghold before Apple goes all out.
Sony is left weeping in a corner, there is no way in all circles of Hell they can challenge both MS and Apple on the digital front, they are just too far away. But their games portfolios and superb hardware knowledge can't be snobbed by MS.
If/When Apple introduces connected TVs and/or iOSified set top boxes (capables of playing COD, AssCreed etc...), MS will want to reconsider its XBOX strategy.
I can totally see a day when MS and Sony make an alliance with Sony playing the sort of role Nokia is playing in the smartphone business.
The iPad 2 is a lot more expensive than the Kindle though, but I doubt the Kindle will outsell it.
It's also notable how many people are just buying an Xbox 360 now. It may be a very long time before they buy another console.
For those willing to jump on in year one, I feel price is a far smaller barrier as long as it isn't insanely expensive.
Right, you go on believing that.
For a subsection of enthusiasts, I'd say you are right. But for the mass market? People wont give a shit. Do you really think the average layperson knows the difference between xbox live and PSN? You really think the majority of 360 owners are so tied down to their live accounts that they'd be willing to shell out an extra couple hundred dollars? The majority of owners don't care. If the Wii U is cheaper and offers similar features, people wont think twice. If there's something that grabs people's attention like wii sports or wii fit or mariokart, their decision to buy a Wii U will be completely disconnected from any concerns about trophies or achievements. They'll be buying it because it's cheap and it has something they want, then they'll buy more games for that system (provided they exist unlike on the original wii) rather than shell out a couple hundred more dollars for a brand new system just so they can pay a subscription fee for live.
I also don't buy all this "negative perception" crap people think the market has about nintendo. That all goes away with each new generation. Market perception of the gamecube and nintendo was way shitty at the beginning of last gen, but it didn't make a lick of difference. Every new product is a new opportunity to improve marketing and improve consumer perception.
iPad 2 is an exception because the demand for the product is so unbelievably high. I don't think any console will ever have similar market demand as any apple product such that they'll have people desperate to shell out $500 every year for a slightly updated model. That's insane. Even at the height of their popularity, the Wii, PS2, NES, etc. never had that kind of overwhelming demand.
Honestly, I don't think saying "Apple gets away with it" is ever a viable argument. They're almost always the exception, not the norm.
As for price, it's not a matter of being a small barrier but rather removing that barrier altogether. The price of the iPad is not a barrier to most because the demand is so high. The price of the Wii at launch was not a barrier because demand was so high, but also because it wasn't that expensive to begin with, which only increased demand. It was affordable from the get go. The ipad isn't really affordable, but it's demand is so high that affordability is no longer an issue. I don't think a $400 console will have ever have a high enough demand such that price is no longer a barrier. Frankly speaking, $300 is probably too high as well, and I don't expect the Wii U to be much cheaper than that.
Always-honest
Banned
Sounds good to me.
bigtroyjon
Member
I think you don't understand what makes Live as popular and successful as it is. The community is the biggest feature and selling point. If you can buy a new console but still talk to all your friends who have a 360 then people will buy the console that allows them to do that.
Also not sure how you think that the WiiU will offer similar features while also costing hundreds of dollars less.
I think you don't understand what makes money so popular and successful as it is
xbox live is popular, but it's not that popular. I don't think it sells massive amounts of consoles. For most, it's a feature, not a selling point (CoD crowd withstanding). If it were nearly as appealing as you'd like to think, the Wii wouldn't have dominated so decisively for 4/5 of this gen. The 360 isn't doing as well as it is because of live.
Angelcurio
Member
Next generation is gonna be interesting. We'll have next generation hardware not designed by the original designers of the HD twins. No Kutaragi, no Allar and no Bach.
bigtroyjon
Member
I think you don't understand what makes money so popular and successful as it is
xbox live is popular, but it's not that popular. I don't think it sells massive amounts of consoles. For most, it's a feature, not a selling point (CoD crowd withstanding). If it were nearly as appealing as you'd like to think, the Wii wouldn't have dominated so decisively for 4/5 of this gen. The 360 isn't doing as well as it is because of live.
Yep, it's just one giant coincidence that people buy the console that all their friends are on and that community aspect of live doesn't factor into people buying the console.
Yeah that doesn't refute anything I'm saying. I get it, you really like live. A lot of people like live. But I repeat, it is not that big of a selling point. The 360 is selling like gangbusters because of price and because of kinect, not because of live. It's asinine to think it's because of live. For the majority of this gen, Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and Mariokart were bigger reasons to buy a console for most people than live.
Good point. An interesting generation to see unfold.
The_Endgamer
Member
Most people would rather buy a videogame console for their games, not because of their ability to play with friends. That is why we have the good fortune of real life to hang with friends.
Being able to play physical discs of Halo, Gears of War, Uncharted, Mario and Zelda on their respective consoles are a much better selling point than paying for a non-tangible service that is free on every other console.
You see though, there is a reason that the demand is high.
That demand wasn't generated out of thin air. It came from good content and being viewed as a high quality device worth the money they were charging.
Kinect even shipped 10 million units in its first holiday despite being in $300 and $400 bundles and costing $150 for a stand alone IR camera.
If their initial target audience views their product as worthwhile, they won't have problems selling it.
I'm with Nintex. I still want to believe in 2012. It's just perfect timing. I don't see why MS would want to launch anywhere near the PS4, or risk giving Nintendo too much time to recapture some core demographics. A 2012 launch, even if it was front-loaded with more upgraded ports than new titles, would have been a killer blow to both Sony and Nintendo. Now it'll be a repeat of this gen, with MS getting creamed in Japan, successful-but-overtaken by Sony in Europe, and only really winning in the US.
But, if anything, this is very bad news for Nintendo. It would have worked out much better for them if the Next Xbox launched closer to the Wii U. It would have reduced the likelihood of people thinking the Wii U is significantly inferior like the Wii was, it would have changed the narrative and made Sony the odd man out this time around, and it would have encouraged 3rd parties who were already making games for the Next Xbox to consider a Wii U port. Now it'll be a repeat of this gen: Nintendo versus the HD(er)Twins.
Unless Nintendo comes out swinging with amazing online and some tricks that not even the optimistic see coming, I don't see hardcore PS360 owners switching for a console that's mostly going to get games already planned for consoles they already have and likely-to-be-inferior online. Especially when you know Sony and MS will make sure their consumers know new consoles are around the bend.
MS in 2012 would have meant the next gen starts now. Now Nintendo looks like the crazy one.
Oh well...they've been here before, though...
But, if anything, this is very bad news for Nintendo. It would have worked out much better for them if the Next Xbox launched closer to the Wii U. It would have reduced the likelihood of people thinking the Wii U is significantly inferior like the Wii was, it would have changed the narrative and made Sony the odd man out this time around, and it would have encouraged 3rd parties who were already making games for the Next Xbox to consider a Wii U port. Now it'll be a repeat of this gen: Nintendo versus the HD(er)Twins.
Unless Nintendo comes out swinging with amazing online and some tricks that not even the optimistic see coming, I don't see hardcore PS360 owners switching for a console that's mostly going to get games already planned for consoles they already have and likely-to-be-inferior online. Especially when you know Sony and MS will make sure their consumers know new consoles are around the bend.
MS in 2012 would have meant the next gen starts now. Now Nintendo looks like the crazy one.
Oh well...they've been here before, though...Synth_floyd
Banned
2013 Xbox = yay
AdventureRacing
Member
I think the next xbox failing in Japan is pretty much a given. They showed this gen that even when they have far bettter Japanese exclusives early on they still got thrashed by the PS3.
MS need to just concentrate on imporving their standing outside of Japan.
Edit: People think 2012 is too soon? Fucking hell i feel like this gen has been going on for ages.
Do we know how many kinect bundles were sold compared to just standalone units?
I'll concede that it's hard to judge at the moment how well a new $400 console would do, but my opinion is that cheaper is always better
The largest hurdle is definitely having that appeal and draw outside the hardcore fans on day 1. New consoles always feel like everything resets. It'll be interesting to see how much momentum any of the big 3 are capable of transferring to the next gen.
Barack Lesnar
Banned
2013 is great news, I'm relieved.
needs more dating sims.
flyinpiranha
Member
The only reason I'm happy about this is for greedy personal reasons. Just spent 3k on plane tickets for vacation next year and will be saving throughout so not having (yes, 'having' lol) to drop $500 on a new system and games will be great (on top of the Vita).
Otherwise, I wish it was coming next year.
Otherwise, I wish it was coming next year.
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