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Robbie Bach: Next generation will be a whole new game

Z

ZhugeEX

Banned
An interview with Robbie Bach, former Xbox boss, that I thought was interesting. I've quoted the main points but the full article is linked below.

Thoughts?

Robbie Bach, original Xbox boss, has said that there will be another console generation after this one, but it’s not likely to make use of physical media.
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Bach said that the lines between a home console and set-top box are likely to blur even further, and that physical media will be pushed to the sidelines.
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Bach also commented on the observation by some that Microsoft should spin-off its successful Xbox business into a separate venture, noting that the two are intertwined through technology. And besides, current Xbox One boss Phil Spencer is leading a renewed games business.

“I don’t think it really matters because I think Microsoft has been pretty definitive about the direction they want to go. They spent a lot of money on Minecraft. They’ve been very definitive about restructuring the group to put Phil Spencer in charge and he really is running the business now. I think they’re investing in the games. I think it’s somewhat of a moot point.

“I also point out, people don’t realize how intertwined the Xbox business is with Microsoft technology. It’s not a simple thing. I think Xbox as a standalone business would have its own set of challenges.”
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http://www.vg247.com/2015/09/08/the...-be-a-whole-new-game-says-original-xbox-boss/
 
We're still a ways from a digital-only console imo. Still too many places, even in the US, lack good enough services to handle it.
 
RPGamer92 said:
We're still a ways from a digital-only console imo. Still too many places, even in the US, lack good enough services to handle it.
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I would agree.

For console to remain a mass market proposition then physical media will still be required. Whilst digital will continue to grow it won't account for the majority of full game sales for a while.
 
If they come out of the gate with a console that has no optical drive at all, and has easy HDD replacement (internal or external wise) then I think it could work.

Putting a blu-ray on it, then basically saying the disk does not matter and the possible restrictions that were supposedly going to be in place for trade-ins and so forth is a whole different matter entirely.

Personally, I can't wait for the physical to go the way of the dodo. However I am in a good position and internet is good for me. Not the same for everyone I know, but that's just for me personally.
 
The idea of effectively kicking physical media to the curb, even if not literally doing so, almost killed the Xbox One before it was even released. Admittedly amongst other reasons, but it played its part in setting a tone which is likely to last this entire gen, in terms of Xbox playing catch up for hearts, minds and consumer dollars.

I don't think things will change so much in the next 5 years that a company could ditch physical media entirely and consumers would be OK with it. Personally I still think there's another generation of physical media ahead after this one.
 
I really don't see the next gen having that much of a chance to be all digital. Some people like and want physical media. I have no idea what the internet availability is going to be in 7-9 years from now, but somehow I don't think the current issues of the glorious digital only future will be solved by then.
 
They can try pushing that angle again but there is no way Sony is making their next console all-digital.

So the next xbox won't be either.
 
I don't see all-digital arriving as soon as next generation, not while install sizes continue to balloon for AAA console games and bandwidth does not make any huge jumps. For hard drive management purposes, it's just more convenient for me to have a disc as a backup than having to download it again. And people love that Gamestop resell cycle, even if a lot more are buying digitally.

And he's right about that Microsoft spinoff nonsense, I think Microsoft deaded that discussion with all the moves they've been making over the last year.
 
Robbie Bach it's underestimating how long American telecoms will drag their feet when it comes to full territorial coverage and the lucrative nature of data caps and corporate greed.
 
Seems like this has been said ahead of the last few gens. Not that I dont think it will eventually happen, more that I still think it is a bit premature still. Being a person that avoids digital whenever possible, I would like to think we have at least a few more generations of physical media left but I know that is fanciful.
 
If the next xbox is digital only you can be sure i'm not buying it. With games reaching more than 50gb in size alone ( without patches) it's getting ridiculous.

Not only that but they'll probably sell you a 500gb vanilla version too... lol. Yay, it can hold 10 games..
 
Mesoian said:
Robbie Bach it's underestimating how long American telecoms will drag their feet when it comes to full territorial coverage and the lucrative nature of data caps and corporate greed.
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True. And the only reason we're getting the little progress we're getting is because the Telecoms are afraid of Google Fiber, which they should be.
 
It surprises me when I hear people who are supposed to be leaders in their respective fields say things like this.
I get random people online saying stuff like this as their own world perspective is probably very limited, however a person like this, who surely has to have people who collect and present the data for them, say something like this, when there is a very large percentage of the world who is still not ready for all digital, well it makes me think one of two things...

1) They are just not very bright.
2) They are pushing an agenda.

I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it is not #1, so that leads us to #2.

So let's see, why would a company want to push an all digital future? Hmmmm, I wonder. /s
 
The problem with digital only consoles is that games are being made up of bigger and bigger file sizes each gen, we would need a really massive hard drive to support a digital only next gen console.
 
ZhugeEX said:
An interview with Robbie Bach, former Xbox boss, that I thought was interesting. I've quoted the main points but the full article is linked below.

Thoughts?



“I also point out, people don’t realize how intertwined the Xbox business is with Microsoft technology. It’s not a simple thing. I think Xbox as a standalone business would have its own set of challenges.”



http://www.vg247.com/2015/09/08/the...-be-a-whole-new-game-says-original-xbox-boss/
Click to expand...

Do those set of challenges include the fact that the Xbox business might not be able to compete without Microsoft's deep pockets? The xbone launch was a massive blunder and the insane Christmas bundles wouldn't have been possible without Microsoft's ability to simply throw money at the problem, tactically they're not agile enough as a group to survive on its own.
 
Who remembers The Phantom?

bjtCg88.jpg


10 years later and consoles are still playing discs.
 
Robbie Bach, original Xbox boss, has said that there will be another console generation after this one, but it’s not likely to make use of physical media.
Click to expand...

Based on the way this generation started, I believe physical media will still have a presence in both Sony and MS's next gen console.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next Xbox doesn't include an optical disk drive, instead having it as an option that can slide into a drive bay, or be connected via usb. Putting the cost of that on the consumers that still choose to buy physical media.
 
The spinoff thing was from back in '13 when the One had shat the bed upon launch. Now we know their money's on it being some console+GFWL thing plus selling user data. Its no longer "beat Sony and Nintendo" (was it even at the time?)
 
It doesn't seem like PC gaming is suffering too terribly from being a primarily digital marketplace. I can see this happening, when MS rolled out XBL but only for high-speed internet there was talk of "excluding" people but MS wanted a baseline standard and stuck with it. I guess we'll see what happens in a few years.
 
We haven't even seen physical media for movies disappear yet and won't for a really long time now with UHD blurays so why are games going to? A large portion of consumers do not want only digital when it comes to anything other than music.
 
Draft said:
The wealthy 10% of the world that spends idle time playing videogames on hardware setups worth $1,000+ is probably ready.
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Continuing to milk your whales instead of expanding your market is how you lose money over time, not gain it.

The marketshare fallout would be huge in America alone, let's not even talk about Europe or China.
 
BigDug13 said:
So you think the entire world of Steam users are downloading their entire game online and are not buying the plethora of physical PC copies that get printed?
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I would think the vast majority of Steam users download their games. 100% of iOS and Android users do. It's really not that crazy to see this approaching sooner rather then later.
 
Mesoian said:
Continuing to milk your whales instead of expanding your market is how you lose money over time, not gain it.

The marketshare fallout would be huge in America alone, let's not even talk about Europe or China.
Click to expand...
AAA console gaming is already dependent on 13-35 year old men who pre-order $60 games multiple times per year. Those guys all have fast internet connections. They won't be too put out.
 
Stormy said:
Personally, I can't wait for the physical to go the way of the dodo. However I am in a good position and internet is good for me. Not the same for everyone I know, but that's just for me personally.
Click to expand...
No thanks. Physical needs to stay around, and I think it will for some time.
So you're fine with not being able to play your current games years down the line because of servers being shut down etc? And be forced to pay over-the-top prices?
 
creatchee said:
Entire world? No.

Vast majority? Yes.
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I guess. My dad lives 10 miles outside Tampa city limits and he's still unable to get any broadband other than 30GB data cap home Verizon Internet. 10 miles from a major city in the U.S. And he can't download games or movies.
 
King_Moc said:
Very few PC gamers are paying $60 for their games. The lower cost of PC games is a trade off for having no resale value.
Click to expand...

So the world IS ready then, just depends on the price. That was my point.
 
Robbie Bach, original Xbox boss, has said that there will be another console generation after this one, but it’s not likely to make use of physical media.
Click to expand...

Here we go again, another case of not thinking about the rest of the world. Does he really think broadband speeds around the globe in 5 years will be mature enough to go all digital? Maybe MS plans to retreat to a few countries with good speed, but I don't see Sony doing away with physical media when they've become so dominant in the emerging markets with not so good speeds.
 
Az987 said:
We haven't even seen physical media for movies disappear yet and won't for a really long time now with UHD blurays so why are games going to? A large portion of consumers do not want only digital when it comes to anything other than music.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see the numbers for netflix compared to blurays.

There will always be a portion of customers who don't want things to change, it comes down to when the costs of delivering physical media are larger than the potential profits of those customers.

One of the biggest pushes for digital only consoles may actually come from Apple with their latest AppleTV
 
Next-gen won't be digital only, not even close.

Internet connections across the globe simply aren't good enough. I personally wouldn't go digital until I could download a 50GB game in five minutes or less, and of course that's not gonna happen any time soon.
 
Isn't there a new blu-ray format with 100GB capacity on the way? If so I don't see digital being able to compete with that for a long time.
 
This will only work if MS works something out with publishers to match console game prices to PC and if distributors start selling only codes instead - which I would presume will would be much like buying a disc for those that want the retail experience and getting covers and shit.
 
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