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XBOX One 2016+ Speculations (Newer Hardware)
- Thread starter Larogue
- Start date
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shacklesmcgee
Member
This imaginary made up system sounds amazing! Why hasn't anyone done this before?
If hardware changes between xbox's it's not really dedicated hardware. You've just given PC's a "name" now
You're just talking about the xbox 4 while calling it xbox "pro". The next Xbox and PS will both be 100% backward compatible, just like you describe.
In fact, the x4 will be very close to what you've describe, only it won't release until xmas 2018 at the earliest.
BlastProcessing
Member
Do you have something against game developers ever seeing their families or something? You are hand-waiving an insane workload on them to whip up these simple patches.
riskVSreward
Member
You seem to have this all figured out. Just keep addressing all of the glaring issues presented in this thread so the engineers from MS who read GAF can start making this happen. I mean, if you can hypothetically create said system, and some amount of people agree with you, then surely it will happen!
Speak reality into existence, OP! The power of positive delusions!
You won't think of it as an X1 library and instead just an Xbox library. Which can be played on anything that runs that platform. Such as a PC or X1. It is certainly headed that way. For example, if someone already owns Season 1 of KI, as soon as it is released on PC, that person can play it there too.
Larogue
Member
There are people who want to play XB1 exclusives at it's best.
Not every XB1 game is available on PC.
Look at 2016/2017
Mr. X is a gamer, wants the best of whats available on the market. What does he find?
A 2013 tech console at $299/245.
But Mr. X already spends $500+ yearly on mobiles, tablets. Why there isn't any cutting edge alternative hardware to play the games he love.
Steam machines would already be there, with tons of customizations, prices and specs up to what you can afford.
Microsoft should evolve and dispose the old strategy of a 5/6-years-cycle console. And instead release more frequent revisions of its hardware.
Ninja Scooter
Member
There aren't enough Mr. X's in the world for this to be a viable strategy. You can find a niche for anything, that doesn't make it a viable mainstream business endeavor.
The 8-Bit Raider
Member
Same here. I'm actually shocked that this thread made it this far.
Final Verdict
Member
Would be bad move for this generation.
I feel that maybe next gen. it could work if they keep the SKUs down to two, and they all release at the same time.
But I mean why not just create one standard version that runs all games well like PS4? Isn't that what a console is supposed to do (and mind you that is what xbox did in gen 1 & 2 versions).
I think it is good for them (Xbox team) to have to live with the fact that they have the weaker console throughout the whole generation because it will motivate them to not be in that same position when next gen. comes around (and therefore benefit us in the long run when we get a better effort from them).
Anyways, just my opinion.
I feel that maybe next gen. it could work if they keep the SKUs down to two, and they all release at the same time.
But I mean why not just create one standard version that runs all games well like PS4? Isn't that what a console is supposed to do (and mind you that is what xbox did in gen 1 & 2 versions).
I think it is good for them (Xbox team) to have to live with the fact that they have the weaker console throughout the whole generation because it will motivate them to not be in that same position when next gen. comes around (and therefore benefit us in the long run when we get a better effort from them).
Anyways, just my opinion.
neogaffer1
Banned
Weaker GPU is pretty much the biggest differentiator between XB1 and PS4, and it's one of the only negative ones. Take that away, what do you have? A slower OS, but that's going to be replaced in a month. No replaceable HDD, but it supports usb HDDs. Plus it's cheaper, has BC, and has bigger exclusives this year vs. PS4.
Larogue
Member
No, it should be similar to the way Microsoft made Xbox 360 playable on XB1.
Not a single game developer involvement is needed. The XB1 Pro hardware has to be set to play every XB1 game they way it plays and looks today. And its up to the developer to patch their game if they want to improve it's look.
Industrialist
Member
And then watch as Sony and Nintendo completely dominate the console market as the 99% of gamers who AREN'T NeoGAF users refuse to spend $500 every two years for a non-subsidized new games console that may or may not run the games that are available very well.
You're making assumptions about what MOST people (and by "most" I mean "people who don't frequent NeoGAF") want and expect from a games console, and a lot of assumptions about how games are made.
If you want the absolute tip-top latest graphics hardware and CPU and the most RAM, buy a PC. A very large percentage of people actually enjoy not having to worry about whether individual part A works with motherboard B or game C, and they'll continue to enjoy that in spite of how much you want the Xbox One Pro 2 Dash Ex Plus Alpha to be released.
shacklesmcgee
Member
So...it does need game developer involvement?
Ofcourse MS can do it! People DO understand that Microsoft has some of the smartest graphics programmers IN THE WORLD. They CREATED DirectX, the standard APIs that everyone programs against. So while people laude Sony for their HW skills, do you really think they dont know how to build a system optimized for maximizing graphics for programmers? Seriously? There is no way they're giving up a 30%+ advantage to Sony again. And ANYONE who has seen both systems running could say there are great looking games on both systems. If there was really huge performance difference it would be negligible since they output into 1080p anyway.
Better hardware won't fix the shitty image xbox has outside of the US & UK.
BlastProcessing
Member
Developing console hardware is an insanely expensive endeavor you know. You generally need to recoup that cost across through software sales across the generation. If you move away from that model, the consoles will need to be sold at a much higher price to make ends meet.
Oh and look at tablet sales, people sure as hell aren't buying a new tablet every year.
Ninja Scooter
Member
I wonder if MS could just follow the Steam (and Steam Machine) strategy for next generation. It might appease the share holders who want them to get out of the costly hardware manufacturing game, and turn Xbox into a competitor for Steam moreso than Playstation and Nintendo. It's gonna be an interesting couple of years.
Developer decides to push the limits of performance in such a way that puts it out of reach of the latter model - you can say 'it plays the same games', but it's really up to the developer.
Console gaming is not the platform you are looking for if you are searching for the latest and greatest.
In any case, I have explained earlier - power is not the problem. It's more the social knockon effect of the PS4 having a strong launch and this can be recovered from with a steady stream of exclusives to turn the tide.
Larogue
Member
Apple is releasing new iPad every other year. Does people get angry and mad? No Actually they are more excited than ever with every new announcement during apple conferences.
BlastProcessing
Member
360 back compatibility took 2 years to become a reality. We don't know how buggy it will be and it only works with a subset of the library. It doesn't even work with multidisc games yet. One of the many things that stands in it's way is that software licensed for one platform, needs to be relicensed.
How is high rolling Mr. X going to react when even one game doesn't run perfectly on his pricey uberbox?
You really think people want to buy a new console every other year? Hell, a quality game takes longer than that to be made. Most people who spend hundreds on a console want a generation out of it. These systems are not throw away items that you replace every other year, Jesus Christ.
Holy shit, he is still at it I see.
This reminds me of the "since Phil Spencer took over poster" thread.
I'm going to agree with everyone else that it's not going to happen. If MS did, would be shake things up. Not sure if in a good way for them.
Sell every game for 1$-10$ and i might actually consider it. There is no way i pay 400 for a console + 400 for games every year.
BlastProcessing
Member
Let's look at how iPad sales have been going:
Oh look they are actually tailing off.
This is because there is no reason to buy a new, marginally better iPad every year. Which means that developers have to keep supporting older hardware because it is the largest part of the user base. Which means that users feel even less of a reason to upgrade.
Chobel
Member
I don't think that matters when this new XBO supposedly launch in +2016.
Larogue
Member
You do realize that Xbox 360 games are meant to run on PowerPC CPU? then converted to run on an absolutely different architecture, the x86 CPU of XB1.
That's ton of work and programing. And its running on emulation system not natively.
Both XB1 and XB1 Pro share the same x86 CPU and games will run natively with no emulation needed.
JayhawkerStL
Banned
Most people just play games and don't count pixels. The XB1's specs are not a problem at all. There is a niche that actually drill down over every multiplatform title, but it's all really silly. And yes, there is a contingent that want to paint the difference as much more blatant than it is.
Microsoft would be idiotic if it played into narrative that the tech specs matter. The XB1 is getting great versions of all the great multiplatform games. Microsoft is doing exactly what it should be doing, which is pumping out great exclusive content and shoring up its UI for post-Kinect life, as well as enabling BC to lure their base of 360 customers to upgrade to the XB1.
I wonder how long it is going to take the average Gaffer to realize that beating the PS4 sales totals is not the point. Microsoft is selling enough consoles to keep third party devs making games for them. Are people looking at the Xbox One list of holiday games and really think there is a problem with the hardware not being up to the task?
The console's only issue continues to be recovering from a disastrous launch that let Sony define it. All things considered, the recovery is going well.
BlastProcessing
Member
I am aware of the differences in architectures. The changes you are positing for the memory system are, in many ways, actually more difficult to overcome. You completely ignored my point on relicensing btw.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
That's Apple. Not Microsoft, and not the Xbox.
Let's look at how iPad sales have been going:
Oh look they are actually tailing off.
This is because there is no reason to buy a new, marginally better iPad every year. Which means that developers have to keep supporting older hardware because it is the largest part of the user base. Which means that users feel even less of a reason to upgrade.
That is endemic of tablets in general not apple's yearly release strategy. iPhones are released every year and sales have increased with each model.
Consumers will accept incremental upgrades but they need to be conditioned to do so. Console gamers have never really had to deal with it before so it would take getting used to.
Heh, I mean shit, I just picked up an XBox One like 3 days ago. PC gamer ordinarily, I just know that sort of non-changing hardware is one of console gamings last big draws in many ways.
Look at the difference between iphone and ipad - the key one is that iphones are bought largely on contract, so there is an impetus of sorts comeplling year on year replacements. By comparison, the iPad doesn't have any sort of impetus, relying purely on hardware improvement hype and it falls comparatively flat in comparison. Take contracts out of the equation and I doubt you would see phones replaced so frequently.
BlastProcessing
Member
The subsidy model for cell phones combined with the fact that phones get dropped in the toilet makes them radically different as a business model.There is also the fact that phones are a personal item where tablets and consoles are generally one per household.
Phones and tablets are not sold on a razor/blade model. Consoles are.
People buy consoles for software. As long as the games constantly evolve, they have traditionally been happy.
Interceptor
Banned
There are no leaks about NX. It´s all official.
Larogue
Member
The motivation and drive of customers towards the XB1 is influenced by different factors. Microsoft has the power of exclusive games. The ability to swallow you in their ecosystem. People will want and have to play their games.
And the same drive that push PC gamers to upgrade their gaming rig to play the witcher 3 at it's best, is gonna push gamers to adopt the beefier hardware.
Are you telling me that Microsoft that was able to do the miracle of running X360 games on XB1 won't be able to offload ESRAM task on a memory of almost double the bandwidth? Come on man.
As for licensing, no. Did Sony need to relicense their games when they made PS2 run PS1 games, or PS3 run both PS1 and PS2 games? No. As long the device reads the game disc natively.
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