News MS begins work on next Xbox

No, I don't think we'll see MS move away from the Live Marketplace model - that way they can protect the console from things like viruses and hackers. I don't think we'll see direct downloads for the same reason.

I don't think there'll be a need to tweak options, either - they exist on the PC because the range of target hardware is so huge, so developers need to allow their games to run on the widest range possible, hence the availability of different graphics settings, etc. Console hardware is fixed, meaning developers are only writing for a single hardware configuration, so no need to offer tweaking as the game will be guaranteed to run on every console because they're all the same.

The one thing you've got right is the downloadable content - developers have really jumped on this with the PS3 and Xbox, and this is only going to get more popular (at least from the developer's viewpoint) in the future - it extends the lifespan of games and is a reasonably cheap way of generating revenue for the games companies.

 

I think its not that crazy... lets take a look at this, Im sure you remember this move by Intel:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/18/intel-wants-to-charge-50-to-unlock-stuff-your-cpu-can-already-d/#

Yes, for $50 more you could "unlock" some extra L3 cache memory, a feature that was already there.

Now my point with this is, it is entirely possible to make a console with "unlockable" feature in it, be it unlock more memory, unlock an overclocked setup(it doesnt even have to be custom, lets just say its a preset overclock unlocked), and charge more for this features, features that wont damage the console because it was already made to work that way. And with this new unlocked features, revamp some game features aswell (antialiasing enable, some AF, higher texture resolutions). Yes, its entirely possible and for how the technology business is working right now, Im pretty sure this is the way they gonna go!!

NINTENDO DI IT IN A VERY SMALL SCALE, BUT IT DID IT:


Its the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, with this your console could have a woping extra of 4 MB of memory, and with this your games could run now at resolutions of 800 * 600 (that's some "tweaking" right there)

I give you the virus and stuff, that part was more to point out the "pc-ish" trasformation consoles are having

 

console upgrades never work as devs then never know which sku to make the game run on.

As has been said, they don't need to really make any big changes to the next consoles, just faster, silent, no rrod, keyboard and mouse support - job done.

 

Ohh great more console fags

 

Surely there aren't many people qualified for this job "The candidate must have taken designs from investigation to end-customer shipment during their career" Either they invented the wii, DS, PSP or PS3

 

Gosh, whoever would have thought people would be discussing consoles in a thread about the next Xbox console...

 

Typo: "The roles currently being advertising include..." (paragraph 3)

 

shocking isnt it, i dont know the nerve of some people

 

My god the 360 is ancient.

As others have said, I do think M$ needs some sort of upgradeability in the next console. Take all the good ideas from laptops:
Easy to access sodimm slot
express card
MXM or AXIOM card (graphics)

The graphics card would be the toughest and would probably require a more proprietary slot, just to prevent people from trying to plug in a 6990 and having to RMA the xbox because the power supply shat its innards all over the floor.

 

HAHA, it would so happen.

 

No chance. Most 360ers don't even know what a SODIMM slot is. The whole idea of a console is that it's a standard platform.

 

The whole point of the xbox is to give gamers the ultimate gaming experience and so far MS has done that with the 360 and Slim. Though i do admit i was expecting more when they came out with a completely new console (Slim), so far I have found nothing wrong with my Slim and hope to continue using it for many years(College's gonna be awesome ), That said, hopefully this new xbox should be out in about 3-5 years to give us a better gaming experience than any other. But if the thing has 3D only capabilities i'm sticking with the 360. I HATE 3D GAMES.

 

I'm with Bindi on this one. The whole point of the XBOX is that it's a standard platform where developers can tailor their games for specific hardware capabilities and gamers know that an XBOX game will run on their console no questions asked (mostly).

I already have a computer, but one of the reasons I prefer to game on the xbox is that I don't have to worry about hardware specs etc. I know I am playing the game as it was intended and not missing out on the pretties because I haven't upgraded in a year etc.

 

If I were Sony I would keep in mind that MS have an ace up their sleeve with PC install bases in homes. Whether it is the next gen consoles or the gen after, etc, if MS were to ever incorporate PC to Xbox streaming then Sony would be up **** creek. How many of us would love the simplicity of a dedicated console in the lounge with the ability to receive the best quality streamed games over fast network from our PCs?

Who would have guessed that Steam would make a showing on PS3?

 

With MS using basically off-the-shelf PC hardware I don't see why the development cycle needs to be terribly long. A Sandy Bridge CPU, DX11 graphics card and a uATX mobo with a really good, silent cooler and some software upgrades and they're in business. Maybe add a SSD in place of the spinny thing to justify a higher price.

The more interesting question is what's going to be under the hood on the PS4. I predict Sony will move back to the mainstream with a x86-64 CPU in order to make the platform easier to code for and therefore more attractive to developers.

 

Problem is that if microsoft just uses "off-the-shelf" PC hardware then it would be just like have a PC cept with a gaming quality added to it. I hope that MS actually puts alot of effort into this console because if they do the PS4 or whatever will be blown outta the water.

 

yeah, but how difficult is it to code

If memory > 4GB then
Feature-xyz = true
else
Feature-xyz = false
end if

If feature xyz was something like microsoft medaroom IPTV running in a small PiP in the corner, or the ability to power a second display for eyefinity(assuming the red team gets the nod again), other content, or just to avoid the crappyness that is splitscreen I think a sodimm slot makes sense.

 

I bet 20$ that they will go the Nintendo way and just make a "spin off" of their last console by adding some gimmick to it (aka kinect to a new console that's not more powerful than its predecessor)

 

Honestly, what happened? I mean, from the 80's until this gen they always had a console twice as powerful every two years. Some complained (mostly those who waited till end-of-life before buying in finally), but personally I liked the cycle (though it was much appreciated once they started putting in some backwards compatibility).
But this gen should be ready for replacement and there are NO replacements in sight. What happened? Don't tell me we reached any sort of ceiling, there's still PLENTY of innovation to be done (without slap-dash hacking your console with after-thought motion control. I'm lookin at you MS and Sony.) I can think of a dozen serious improvements to be made on a new gen of consoles.
All three consoles are stale in my opinion (I'm actually thinking about giving my 360 to a childrens hospital or something, I haven't touched it in a year, may as well give it away. I'd almost consider the same for the Wii, but I'm looking forward to the next Zelda, so I'll hang on to that.)

 

Cycles were always about 5 years long, not 2 years.

You're right though, this time is different