I'm not a consoler but I'd guess something like this: Xbox Phantom (or Xbox Venom or something nerdy like that) IBM quad (possibly 6) core CPU at 4.5GHz AMD Xantaclause - 1536 cores 900 MHz, 2gig GDDR5 at 6000 MHz 2gig DDR4/DDR5 RAM 1TB Samsung disk Blueray and HDDVD drive 2 mini DisplayPort, hdmi, dvi, usb 2 and usb 3. It'll all be fan cooled, and comparable volume wise to the current 360, but more reliable. And if I was in charge of MS, it would come with a custom made Microsoft wireless keyboard with trackpad, based on this:
I think it's going to be necessary to compete with the competition, and it's mainly for internet I'm thinking of.
I know so many people who look at me puzzled when I mention mouse + keyboard for gaming. Like, they ask me "how does that even work?"
Hehe, well to be fair keyboard and mouse kind of doesn't work with driving games. They really need analogue controls. But consoles already have a good controller with analogue, add in a keyboard and mouse and you have all bases covered!
naming will be goofy. It will be the third Xbox, but the name won't be "Xbox 3" because that will be too confusing. Probably won't be "Xbox 720" either. They probably will hold on to the "Xbox" name. I'd expect something along the lines of at least 8 cores. Perhaps some special "APU" with on-die graphics, but significantly more powerful than the basic graphics we've seen already. I'd guess that they would go AMD for processor and graphics. I don't understand all of these negative comments about how slow it will be. The original Xbox 360 had a triple core CPU when the very first dual cores were hitting the market and were still uncommon high-end. The GPU in it was based on AMD's best offering at the time. We can diss it now, 5+ years after launch, but it launched as a very capable console, and it's foolish to think that the next generation won't be on the same level as an average gamer's PC at the time. I think we'll see a higher core count. It's not like PC games, where devs don't like to bother optimizing for more than 2 cores because 3+ cores are still the minority. MS isn't concerned with clock-for-clock performance and really high clock speeds. They are like the server market - concerned with price and cost, since they can optimize their software to however many cores they want. If they're x86 cores, I think "console port" will stop being a stigmata and start being a good thing, as it will mean it has support for higher core counts. The beauty of consoles has always been that games can be made to fully utilize one specific set of hardware, so they can throw compatibility out the window. PC games have to be playable on an Athlon X2 with integrated graphics, and on a hexcore i7 with quad-Crossfire graphics cards. Undoubtedly, I think we will see Bluray and 3D. Probably more media center options on the whole. Perhaps built-in wireless. A decently large hard drive.
QFT. But! We might or might not see Blu-ray. MS will roll out a semi-Steam like service that'll let you download the game or buy it from store (so as not to piss off publishers). It depends on the balance of power in 4 years. All games will be installed though. I'd imagine a 1TB 2.5in disk will be normal, as long as it's a single platter (cheaper). No SSD - too expensive. I find it hard to see an optical drive though. In fact, I don't expect any ports on it. It'll all be wireless with an encrypted handshake - no inputs, less chance of hacking it. I would think the current tri core CPU (but with an upgrade to the latest PPC core) will be plenty but with a massive GPU instead - the trend is more towards GPU power these days, and thermal budget will be awarded accordingly. I'd imagine it was all an evolution of the current hardware: IBM PPC + ATI. Imagine a GPU driven game (OpenCL+DirectX) - which would piss Intel right off (PC ports could be entirely GPU driven too?) and pay it back for its refusal to use MS software, instead pushing its own MeeGo. MS will stay ATI because ATI has a console dev division and NV ****ed them off before on Xbox 1. Maybe stay with IBM, depending on the relationship after IBM copy-pasted the PPC core on Xbox into the CPU they gave Sony. Also depends on ARM's performance in the future. ARM will be cheaper and there are more ARM makers out there = cost down. In fact, the more I think about this it's highly likely! MS is making an ARM version of Win 8, so it'll have development experience with it. Unified memory base of 2-4GB (whatever true 1080p needs, no AA) depending on cost and density nearer the time, ATI hardware with 3000-5000 shaders (depends what's available on TSMC 28nm), DX11/12 (depends when MS is pushing 12/Win8). ATI also has experience and IP with ARM - it was originally going to launch an ARM chip with ATI graphics until it got bought by AMD and then laid everyone off in the financial crisis in 2008 when it shelved the idea. An ATI+ARM chip could be back on the cards for MS. Launches on 28nm (the current timescale for a mature High-Perf process at TSMC), and drops to 14nm when TSMC manages to pull that off, but given the lack of success at 40nm, 32nm and lateness of 28nm, obtaining a successful 14nm process is like catching a fart in the wind right now. It also needs High-Perf production capacity spare beyond meeting NV and ATI's needs. It will have WiFi-n, GigE and will be HDMI only. Remember, transistors cost real money but frequency only costs thermal budget.
Two things. The above comment will be certified by Micro$uck and also it's Futurama, so therefore automatically correct.
it will be called the xbox 4th dimension (xbox 4d) will be a 4 core cpu will have a duel gpu set up ala croosfire/sli (numbers sell when marketing things 2 6950s instead of 1 6990) have 2-4gb of ddr3 ram and 1tb hard drive with the models above having bigger 1.5 or 2tb drives BR will be optional built in wireless n connection will operate a steam style DRM which means all games will have to be downloaded even if you have got a disk and games will be linked to your xbox live account so no second hand sales will only have HDMI connections the controller will have some form of fold out/enclosed touch screen to allow for limited internet browsing/control
I reckon: Name: XBox 3d, playing on the fact that it has 3d support and is the 3rd installment (Like Windows Vista being Called "Win VI" at MS) Hardware: Not really too concerned. Something that'll be more or less on par with current/next year top-spec PC's... DX support as Bindi says depends on the Windows lifecycle. 2TB hdd, Streaming vide will stay (home theater capabilities), and Steam-like distribution will be part of the core spec as well. Will have HDMI and DisplayPort/Thunderbold I/O built in Wireless N.
Project Halo will be a small hardware improvement but will focus more on social gaming, Kinect will be built in to the front of the unit for when it sits under your TV. Who wants to bet?
I'd say you're probably going to be bang on about this. I don't really see a Blu-ray drive in there because why would you give the competition money? I'd almost say this is going to be the first internet required major console. The implementation is already there for complete digital distribution and you're likely to just walk into a store and see a rack of game cards instead of game cases. And BRAWL, piss off with your trolling. It's getting pretty old at this point.
It will undoubtedly have an optional keyboard peripheral, and they might start treading into mouse territory too if there's a demand for it. The 360 already had those little mini-qwertys for instant messaging, and the ps3 accepts keyboards for its browser. The next generation will probably include the ability to map the keyboard in games and use it instead of the gamepad. TL;DR: they're turning into small, specialized PCs in ITX rigs. Which is no bad thing - the PC market is shockingly lacking in this regard. Let's face it, the reason consoles succeeded is because the PC market is terrible for gaming unless you build your own. Prefab gaming machines are hideously overpriced and very large in form factor. When I first saw my mate's shuttle case back in the early 00's, I thought: "a company should make these, tiny PCs with good gaming hardware. They'd make a fortune." Microsoft and Sony are now doing precisely that. And seriously, good for them, it was needed.
Can I have two guesses 1) An increment to the current tech, but more media hub focussed. Think movie rental, free to play games, web portal. It'll be tied into a future windows OS in some fashion, maybe just compatible with plug in apps / widgets. Maybe (very unlikely) they'll do deals to get the tech built into TVs. Intel + nvidia 2) My blue sky idea is it'll have a new generation of combined CPU + GPU that's not being talked about fully yet. Multi-multi core, threads can be used for GPU pipeline or standard code. Will be capable of 1080p full 3D graphics that are of a generation beyond anything currently. Tech will be all intel (Who will be desperate for the work by then with world gone ARM mad) Both will need for MS another revenue stream, something to win back Steam sales and get some of that lovely casual revenue that goes on iOS apps. Allowing PC games + 360 games to be developed as one release (Really one release) may get the publishers on their side. (My secret option 3 is they'll feck it all up)
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/microsoft-hiring-for-next-generation-console-engineers/#comments http://www.thetechgame.com/News/article/sid=1412.html
Sadly I see them going for something like that OnLive crap. It's got a lot of upsides for the business end of things. Cheap (client) hardware and a rental scheme so the customer can pay through his/her/its nose until the end of time. It's also easier to upgrade the backend hardware. Sometimes I really hate the future.
Same, it seems to just be pointless technologies that suck people in so they can "talk to their buds". Of course, I'm one of those people that feels that Facebook is pointless. Besides, I only just noticed the ATI logo on the side of my Wii Sometimes I really hate the future.
I'm going to stick my neck right out and say I think we will see Sony and MS come up with a similar hardware architecture or shared API's. As development costs increase I think devs will be asking for easier ways to port games across systems. Sony has always been a hardware focussed company ran by engineers which is now changing and I think they will focus much more on producing something the dev's can easily programme for instead of technical power like they did with the PS3. How ever despite the complexities of the cell architecture developers like guerilla games and naughty dog have show how you can utilise the multiple SPU's on the cell to reduce the load on the GPU and produce graphics far better than the GPU alone is capable of. So I reckon we are going to see a multi core (12?) CPU/GPU hybrid where the cores can be completely programmed by the developer to do different things. Lots of RAM as that seems to be the limiting factor for MS and especially Sony at the moment. Optical drive as MS will want the console to be a media hub and a steam like system for purchasing games. Games will still be available from stores for those with out a decent internet connection and so parents/grandparents can buy games as presents. There are still a lot of people who just don't get digital purchases. Terra byte hard drive, built in wireless N, integrated kinnect, 3D and USB 3 or something faster. Most of all it will be quiet and cool running as after the RROD's that has to be a priority. MS have publicly said they wont be releasing a new console for a few years yet and more importantly the game developers are indicating they don't want to see a new console as they are happy with the current generation.
What I want to know whether MSFT is thinking about adding hardware support for physics acceleration. If they go with an Nvidia GPU they'd get PhysX with it for free, and GPU-accelerated PhysX is pretty awesome, especially if they perform some tricks to decrease the delay between the CPU and GPU (PCIe link is slow...). I can imagine this being a real trump card over the upcoming competition.
I cant see mouse and keyboard or even track pad coming to the next xbox as controllers, maybe for typing only. Controllers offer pros for more genres than mouse and KB. PGR and forza are big MS franchises and they wouldnt work with M&KB and FPS isnt that hard with a controller it just isnt optional and a console tries to keep as many people happy on the same hardware as possible. Too few people see the advantage of M&KB, myself included and it would also fracture the hardware which isnt very console-like Itll probably just bring the xbox up to date with current PCs, which will already be more advanced than the new xbox when it comes out but thats the way consoles go, its not really about the best graphics, ease of use is more important in the console world and unifority Optical media is the big question, will they go blu ray, its a big draw to the PS3 and simpler/more attractive for most people than downloading movies but that would be giving in that sony was right. I dont think DVD will suffice in the next xbox and downloading whole games isnt a great option for alot of people. MS wont want to disclude alot of people that might be on poorer BD by going download only or even focusing on it heavily. Add to that fact you wont be able to pay by cash and I can see MS trying to keep with physical media for the time being. Im sure theyll do something to kill the preowned market though You have to think of their target market, not just what would be best
