Kepler: PS6 $600 and Xbox Magnus $1200

You smoking dust if you think the next Xbox console\PC will only be $200 more than the PS6.
Why, is it suddenly using a much more advanced fabrication process than PS6?
Xbox is supposedly 30% more powerful, $200 is roughly 30% of $700...this is not exactly crazy math for APU's from the same relative family.
Or do we think this thing is gonna burst onto the scene with 28TB of storage and gold plated controllers?

People are just running with that $1,200 number, eh?

And this is all before we know about hw subsidy plans for either company.
 
Why, is it suddenly using a much more advanced fabrication process than PS6?
Xbox is supposedly 30% more powerful, $200 is roughly 30% of $700...this is not exactly crazy math for APU's from the same relative family.
Or do we think this thing is gonna burst onto the scene with 28TB of storage and gold plated controllers?

People are just running with that $1,200 number, eh?

And this is all before we know about hw subsidy plans for either company.

If MS can get their console in at $200 above Sony, or if Sony is dumb enough to chase MS at pricing too high, I would consider that a win for Xbox.
 
Why, is it suddenly using a much more advanced fabrication process than PS6?
Xbox is supposedly 30% more powerful, $200 is roughly 30% of $700...this is not exactly crazy math for APU's from the same relative family.
Or do we think this thing is gonna burst onto the scene with 28TB of storage and gold plated controllers?

People are just running with that $1,200 number, eh?

And this is all before we know about hw subsidy plans for either company.

The bolded is the main problem.
 
The bolded is the main problem.
It really isn't.
The problem is people parroting guesses as facts.
There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker that ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would, with all due respect to Kepler.
 
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It really isn't.
The problem is people parroting guesses as facts.
There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker that ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would, with all due respect to Kepler.

Of course the $1,200 price is a guess. What isn't a guess is what MS is saying this will and won't be. It WON'T be a console. It WILL be a PC with multiple stores on it. You know what means for Microsoft right?
 
... There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker...
There's three reasons to expect the next Xbox to have a pretty eye-watering price tag:
  1. No hardware subsidies due to third party stores
  2. Microsoft's CFO demanding Xbox produce some of the highest profit margins in the industry
  3. Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative
With third party stores available on their next console, there's no guarantee Microsoft will sell any of it's own software on it's own console. So, the hardware needs to be sold at a profit in its own right. Right now, the Xbox Series X is priced at a loss, so that raises the entry level price for the next-gen console considerably to well above the Series X. Next, Microsoft's CFO has apparently demanded a 30% profit margin to fuel Nadella's over-extend on AI. This would be among the best profit margins in the entire industry. You won't get there with underpriced hardware, so that raises the price of the console to give it a higher profit margin than even Nintendo's hardware. Lastly, Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative. We're reaching the limits of what can be done with current technologies, so there's no more free lunches: if you want more power, you have to pay for it somewhere. This increases the cost of the hardware as Microsoft tries to squeeze as much brute force into the box as it can. According to the leaks we have, Xbox's next console is aiming to be 30% more powerful than the PS6. For contrast, the Xbox Series X has an on-paper advantage of 15% or so, which has only recently begun to manifest.

The next reason is speculation, but I suspect Microsoft is positioning itself towards an off-ramp out of the platform business entirely. I believe they'll continue to manufacture hardware, but only hybrid gaming PC consoles, which will be priced well outside the typical console pricing sweet spot. This will be a low volume, high margin business for them. As a result, they'll clearly push the "premium" angle and use their price tag to justify that position. A $400 console isn't premium. A $1200 hybrid is. And lastly, it's always worth noting the current generational pricing trend. The Orange One's economy has caused some the wildest market fluctuations we've ever seen in this industry, with consoles now being more expensive than when they first launched five years ago. That's not really happened before, and there's no reason to think it'll stop before next-gen launches. These things will only get more expensive as the American economy continues to slide.

Add it all up, and I USD$1,200 for Microsoft's hybrid desktop Xbox PC is entirely reasonable. I suspect Sony will also price high, coming in well about the USD$599 speculated, but also well below Xbox's "premium" price tag.
 
It really isn't.
The problem is people parroting guesses as facts.
There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker that ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would, with all due respect to Kepler.
When/where did I say Magnus would not have BC?
 
It really isn't.
The problem is people parroting guesses as facts.
There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker that ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would, with all due respect to Kepler.

I think you have your wires crossed somewhere, pretty much all communication from either Kepler or Heisenberg has been saying repeatedly that it will have BC.
 
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There's three reasons to expect the next Xbox to have a pretty eye-watering price tag:
  1. No hardware subsidies due to third party stores
  2. Microsoft's CFO demanding Xbox produce some of the highest profit margins in the industry
  3. Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative
With third party stores available on their next console, there's no guarantee Microsoft will sell any of it's own software on it's own console. So, the hardware needs to be sold at a profit in its own right. Right now, the Xbox Series X is priced at a loss, so that raises the entry level price for the next-gen console considerably to well above the Series X. Next, Microsoft's CFO has apparently demanded a 30% profit margin to fuel Nadella's over-extend on AI. This would be among the best profit margins in the entire industry. You won't get there with underpriced hardware, so that raises the price of the console to give it a higher profit margin than even Nintendo's hardware. Lastly, Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative. We're reaching the limits of what can be done with current technologies, so there's no more free lunches: if you want more power, you have to pay for it somewhere. This increases the cost of the hardware as Microsoft tries to squeeze as much brute force into the box as it can. According to the leaks we have, Xbox's next console is aiming to be 30% more powerful than the PS6. For contrast, the Xbox Series X has an on-paper advantage of 15% or so, which has only recently begun to manifest.

The next reason is speculation, but I suspect Microsoft is positioning itself towards an off-ramp out of the platform business entirely. I believe they'll continue to manufacture hardware, but only hybrid gaming PC consoles, which will be priced well outside the typical console pricing sweet spot. This will be a low volume, high margin business for them. As a result, they'll clearly push the "premium" angle and use their price tag to justify that position. A $400 console isn't premium. A $1200 hybrid is. And lastly, it's always worth noting the current generational pricing trend. The Orange One's economy has caused some the wildest market fluctuations we've ever seen in this industry, with consoles now being more expensive than when they first launched five years ago. That's not really happened before, and there's no reason to think it'll stop before next-gen launches. These things will only get more expensive as the American economy continues to slide.

Add it all up, and I USD$1,200 for Microsoft's hybrid desktop Xbox PC is entirely reasonable. I suspect Sony will also price high, coming in well about the USD$599 speculated, but also well below Xbox's "premium" price tag.

Damn it bro.......say a number and put your flag down for once. If you think Sony will come in WELL ABOVE $599.....then predict what you think that means. Don't hide behind "well above".
 
It really isn't.
The problem is people parroting guesses as facts.
There is absolutely NOTHING that points to the price of the next Xbox being $1,200 other than a guess by a leaker that ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would, with all due respect to Kepler.
You can look towards the Xbox ROG Ally for what to expect in terms of pricing, OS and general functionality (minus the BC).
 
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Damn it bro.......say a number and put your flag down for once. If you think Sony will come in WELL ABOVE $599.....then predict what you think that means. Don't hide behind "well above".
Sony will likely include multiple SKUs for the sake of marketing, just like they did with the PS5 Digital SKU. USD$799 for the base model, USD$699 for a stripped back SKU. The stripped back SKU might be stripped back in odd ways, like noticeably smaller SSD, or even missing a controller if they just run with the PS5's Dual Sense again.
 
"The next console will be a very premium, very high-end curated experience." - Sarah Bond.

I am hoping for the best-case scenario but this is said when they currently have an $800 console in the market.
 
If only if it were true. People buy PCs mainly for the flexibility and all they can do. If power was the reason, the average rig would sport an RTX 5080.

This device isn't trying to appeal to the average customer. Neither is Alienware and ASUS's ROG line of laptops and prebuilts.
 
I think they're deluded enough to release it at above 1000$ and then blame Sony for their failures.

MS is very much like that, looking at the competition is very much what they are doing, just look at how they keep chasing whatever Apple does for the Pc and whatever Amazon\Google do for cloud.
 
I think they're deluded enough to release it at above 1000$ and then blame Sony for their failures.

MS is very much like that, looking at the competition is very much what they are doing, just look at how they keep chasing whatever Apple does for the Pc and whatever Amazon\Google do for cloud.

There's nothing to blame on anyone. They will release it and continue talking about content and services and how great that is doing. We probably wont hear anything about hardware once it's released honestly.
 
There's nothing to blame on anyone. They will release it and continue talking about content and services and how great that is doing. We probably wont hear anything about hardware once it's released honestly.
I think that they want to be third party AND get the PR benefits of first party attention, like Nintendo and Sony do.
 
Sony will likely include multiple SKUs for the sake of marketing, just like they did with the PS5 Digital SKU. USD$799 for the base model, USD$699 for a stripped back SKU. The stripped back SKU might be stripped back in odd ways, like noticeably smaller SSD, or even missing a controller if they just run with the PS5's Dual Sense again.

I'm assuming you're saying the worst ps6 version will sell for $700 based on today's price of the PlayStation 5 Pro , correct?
 
I'm assuming you're saying the worst ps6 version will sell for $700 based on today's price of the PlayStation 5 Pro , correct?
Partly. Unlike Microsoft, Sony actually knows how to maintain perception of it's products, not just PlayStation. Here, I imagine the PS5 and PS5 Pro both get a price drop prior to the PS6 - even if it's just $50.00. Then, they'll take the "worst" PS6 and slot it into the "best" PS5's pricing placement to help build the perception that PS6 is superior to the PS5 Pro. If they're able to stomach steeper price cuts, they could in theory get the launch price of the "worst" PS6 down below the current PS5 Pro price, but I think Sony knows they won't have any competition or financial motivation to do so.
 
I actually can't find the specific one I was referring to, which, paraphrasing, you said it was "impossible" due to licensing, I believe...which prior to knowing the full picture, I also believed to be true.
Edit. sorry, double post.
 
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I can't even believe they are trying for a new console, although it's very welcome to keep the competition alive with Sony consoles, because otherwise... Oof
 
Why would someone pay a premium for console with barely any exclusive ?...
All their games can be played on other devices via gamepass/PC.. So its even worse! At this rate, the console will be for Xbox fan boys who just play on console, anyone who plays on console with half a bran should not be choosing Xbox as their main/only console.
 
I posted the quote.

The quote you've chosen, and Kepler's posts after that in that topic highlight that he's talking about two different things. The "console" and a more generic Xbox branded PC.

The "console" which also side-loads PC stuff is the main thing we're all referring to with the 'Magnuc' moniker.
 
There's three reasons to expect the next Xbox to have a pretty eye-watering price tag:
  1. No hardware subsidies due to third party stores
  2. Microsoft's CFO demanding Xbox produce some of the highest profit margins in the industry
  3. Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative
With third party stores available on their next console, there's no guarantee Microsoft will sell any of it's own software on it's own console. So, the hardware needs to be sold at a profit in its own right. Right now, the Xbox Series X is priced at a loss, so that raises the entry level price for the next-gen console considerably to well above the Series X. Next, Microsoft's CFO has apparently demanded a 30% profit margin to fuel Nadella's over-extend on AI. This would be among the best profit margins in the entire industry. You won't get there with underpriced hardware, so that raises the price of the console to give it a higher profit margin than even Nintendo's hardware. Lastly, Xbox is once again chasing the power narrative. We're reaching the limits of what can be done with current technologies, so there's no more free lunches: if you want more power, you have to pay for it somewhere. This increases the cost of the hardware as Microsoft tries to squeeze as much brute force into the box as it can. According to the leaks we have, Xbox's next console is aiming to be 30% more powerful than the PS6. For contrast, the Xbox Series X has an on-paper advantage of 15% or so, which has only recently begun to manifest.

The next reason is speculation, but I suspect Microsoft is positioning itself towards an off-ramp out of the platform business entirely. I believe they'll continue to manufacture hardware, but only hybrid gaming PC consoles, which will be priced well outside the typical console pricing sweet spot. This will be a low volume, high margin business for them. As a result, they'll clearly push the "premium" angle and use their price tag to justify that position. A $400 console isn't premium. A $1200 hybrid is. And lastly, it's always worth noting the current generational pricing trend. The Orange One's economy has caused some the wildest market fluctuations we've ever seen in this industry, with consoles now being more expensive than when they first launched five years ago. That's not really happened before, and there's no reason to think it'll stop before next-gen launches. These things will only get more expensive as the American economy continues to slide.

Add it all up, and I USD$1,200 for Microsoft's hybrid desktop Xbox PC is entirely reasonable. I suspect Sony will also price high, coming in well about the USD$599 speculated, but also well below Xbox's "premium" price tag.
By the sounds of things Microsoft are putting subscriptions on the same shelf as game sales, so hw subsidy is very much still possible, IMO. Also, this AMD partnership is surely giving them a better component price vs. SX.

And guessing SoC pricing based off of SX is inherently flawed bc it had such a poor wafer yield...this is where I think people are deriving the component cost of the SoC for Magnus, but I could be wrong.

Maybe I'm just waaaay off base here, but I don't think there is a world where even Microsoft thinks it wouldn't be disastrous to launch this console at $1,200. They are aggressive when it comes to pricing, and even the smoothest of brains over there would see that this would be a massive mistake. Just bc they are demanding 30% profit margins doesn't mean they suddenly forgot how this all works or that they won't throw around billions in fuck you money to ensure they don't have yet another bad console launch. Or maybe not, can't really predict their moves anymore, haha.

I feel like some crucial information in missing from multiple areas of this conversation to get a good gauge on things. Like how certain are we there isn't two SKU happening here like with S/X? Just because it hasn't leaked doesn't mean it doesn't exist...and the OEM console possibility is also very real. Like how they do with the Surface line...they roll out a Premium 1st party device and let OEM roll in and undercut them. Same team working on this, btw.

This all started with me being cheeky about people quoting a guess as gospel.

IMO, it will probably, realistically, be a $999 MSRP console, + a $100 disk drive attachment. But that raises another interesting point, if Magnus will also be used in gaming rigs, what's keeping Microsoft from making their next console even more modular than that?
 
The quote you've chosen, and Kepler's posts after that in that topic highlight that he's talking about two different things. The "console" and a more generic Xbox branded PC.

The "console" which also side-loads PC stuff is the main thing we're all referring to with the 'Magnuc' moniker.
He said "Magnus will be used for console and pc, but only the console has BC"
 
"The next console will be a very premium, very high-end curated experience." - Sarah Bond.

I am hoping for the best-case scenario but this is said when they currently have an $800 console in the market.
You saw the rog ally x price ?

How on earth you expecting a more powerful console to be less ? Just because it's without a screen and a battery that both don't cost 100$ together in parts for OEM bulk purchase..

If MS is going with a PC-Xbox and not subsidized it like what they did with the Xbox series X before the price hike, then you are in for a bad surprise.

I mean just look at the Xbox series X price after they stopped subsidizing that system . It's 700$ for the 2 tb version and that system is more than 5 years old.


If MS doesn't shift it's strategy back, then only the PS6 and switch 2 will be cheap systems ( or cheap compared to what the Xbox will be )

You ain't getting a 9070xt level next gen Xbox 2 years from now for less than 1300$.

That's assuming we don't end up with ram Crysis or some other bullshit that pops up along the way.

I swear it's almost like it's done on purpose. Every generation release there is a disaster is happening. COVID, crypto. AI, expensive components.

Almost makes someone try to secure a used parts of for decent price and fuck these companies. It's almost a joke at this point.
 
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You saw the rog ally x price ?

How on earth you expecting a more powerful console to be less ? Just because it's without a screen and a battery that both don't cost 100$ together in parts for OEM bulk purchase..

If MS is going with a PC-Xbox and not subsidized it like what they did with the Xbox series X before the price hike, then you are in for a bad surprise.

I mean just look at the Xbox series X price after they stopped subsidizing that system . It's 700$ for the 2 tb version and that system is more than 5 years old.


If MS doesn't shift it's strategy back, then only the PS6 and switch 2 will be cheap systems ( or cheap compared to what the Xbox will be )

You ain't getting a 9070xt level next gen Xbox 2 years from now for less than 1300$.

That's assuming we don't end up with ram Crysis or some other bullshit that pops up along the way.

I swear it's almost like it's done on purpose. Every generation release there is a disaster is happening. COVID, crypto. AI, expensive components.

Almost makes someone try to secure a used parts of for decent price and fuck these companies. It's almost a joke at this point.
You got me confused. I am not expecting it to be less.
 
... Maybe I'm just waaaay off base here, but I don't think there is a world where even Microsoft thinks it wouldn't be disastrous to launch this console at $1,200. They are aggressive when it comes to pricing, and even the smoothest of brains over there would see that this would be a massive mistake...
Launching a console at $1,200? Absolutely disastrous. However, launching a hybrid Xbox PC that runs PC games with RTX5080 performance that has built in Xbox backwards compatibility and no paid online multiplayer? A steep entry price, sure, but I can still see the market here. Entry level PC gaming prices for high-end PC gaming results is a pretty great value proposition. But Microsoft will need to kick the console moniker with their marketing for it to land, otherwise it'll be compared to the Xbox consoles which are dramatically cheaper. "Low-cost Xbox gaming PC with high-end performance" is a better sell than "Most expensive Xbox console ever made!". Given their current marketing campaign can't even tell the difference between an Android smart phone and their flag ship console, I think it's safe to say they'll fuck up the messaging here enormously.
 
I actually can't find the specific one I was referring to, which, paraphrasing, you said it was "impossible" due to licensing, I believe...which prior to knowing the full picture, I also believed to be true.
Edit. sorry, double post.
You can't find the specific quote because he never said the console won't have BC. Just admit that you misunderstood his comment on the OEM built PC to apply to the console as well.

Some of us follow our boy K KeplerL2 real close. May be a bit too close.

I made a thread on comments around that topic a while ago. Review it if you need a refresher:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/wtf-...onsole”-and-“xbox-pc”.1687688/#post-270751715
 
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You can't find the specific quote because he never said the console won't have BC. Just admit that you misunderstood his comment on the OEM built PC to apply to the console as well.

Some of us follow our boy K KeplerL2 real close. May be a bit too close.
I literally linked the post and quote.
I said I couldn't find the post where he said it was "impossible due to licensing". It might not have been on this site.
 
I literally linked the post and quote.
I said I couldn't find the post where he said it was "impossible due to licensing". It might not have been on this site.
Yes. But your quote doesn't back your original insinuation. So either back it up or clarify.

ALSO said that the Magnus APU wouldn't have BC a month before it was announced that it would,

Do you agree that he only meant the lack of BC for the OEM built PC and not the first party "console"? If so, where is this alleged inconsistency you are trying to call out?
 
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But the same thing goes for steam deck isn't really steam since it doesn't play all steam games. The same goes for the new Xbox not playing old Xbox games .

Or PS4 and ps5 not playing PS3 and PS2 and PS1 games.

At some point there is a cutt off point where old games won't make it.

Only the PC is the absolute legend. It's called master race for a reason
Steam itself does not have most old games before 2010 from the GFWL live era. Playstation plays all games since 2013 plus many classics from old generations. Probably many PS3 games will be added. There is GOG but its selection is limited like Playstation classics. So Steam/GOG and Playstation are equal when it comes to old games.

The difference is DRM and physical games. In Windows you need a Microsoft account for first time setup but Playstation can be setup offline with offline accounts. The same with Switch.


Also, Playstation and Switch have physical games that don't need a DRM called an online store which controls your ownership of the game. Most Sony and Nintendo first party games, Rockstar AAA releases on Playstation, and many single player Playstation/Switch games can be played offline without day one patch. For this very reason, Sony introduced 100 GB discs with PS5. The selection of Playstation/Switch physical games which don't need day one patch is way bigger than GOG's selection.

And lets not forget, all PC physical releases since 2000 are DRM.
 
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Launching a console at $1,200? Absolutely disastrous. However, launching a hybrid Xbox PC that runs PC games with RTX5080 performance that has built in Xbox backwards compatibility and no paid online multiplayer? A steep entry price, sure, but I can still see the market here. Entry level PC gaming prices for high-end PC gaming results is a pretty great value proposition. But Microsoft will need to kick the console moniker with their marketing for it to land, otherwise it'll be compared to the Xbox consoles which are dramatically cheaper. "Low-cost Xbox gaming PC with high-end performance" is a better sell than "Most expensive Xbox console ever made!". Given their current marketing campaign can't even tell the difference between an Android smart phone and their flag ship console, I think it's safe to say they'll fuck up the messaging here enormously.
Well, that's been their language so far, haha. But yes, I agree 100%
That being said, these projections just seem so far-fetched. I actually thought this looked more like 4xxx raster and mayyyybe 4xxx RT, but I've seen a few echo the 5xxx projections, so I'm a little leery of these numbers. Claims that it will be pegged at 3ghz also seems high to me. I dunno, every console generation people that claim to know targets based of leaks have projections that far outstrip reality. This is usually bc people look at this stuff like it's 1:1 from production to retail. This happened with PS5, with people claiming it would be more powerful than what actually released bc they were basing those specs and projections off the dev kit leaks. I'm not necessarily saying that is the case here, but given what we know about them having multiple variants for different skus and form factors, I wouldn't be surprised. Also, going from 1050Ti ish to 20170ish to 5080ish seems...unrealistic. I guess doubling your fab cost would get you there though, lol.

Let's put it this way, I'll believe the next Xbox is as powerful as a 5080 when it's in the wild and someone like DF posts side by sides of it being true, but not a second before. Much like the 5070, lol.
 
If there was S2 planned I am sure it would have also been leaked.

the X2 isn't leaked either really. just the APU.

given that they are developing multiple APUs for both Microsoft and Sony, it's probably not easy for any leaker to fully figure out which APU is meant for which product.
it's not as straightforward as with Nintendo, when the moment a custom SOC is even remotely in the works at Nvidia, you instantly can be sure it's for Nintendo.

that's how the Switch 2 hardware was basically known for almost 4 years prior to launch... there was only 1 chip that was only really plausible to be used in 1 product.
 
Yes. But your quote doesn't back your original insinuation. So either back it up or clarify.



Do you agree that he only meant the lack of BC for the OEM built PC and not the first party "console"? If so, where is this alleged inconsistency you are trying to call out?
It does though, and no, I don't agree.

"Magnus will be used for console and pc, but only the console has BC"
This is pretty clear, but i will break it down anyways...
The Rog Ally X is an OEM pc with Xbox branding, but does not have Magnus and thusly does not include BC. Right?
Right.

The Rog Ally X 2, if it were to be made, could have a Magnus chip and thusly have BC...But IT WOULD STILL BE AN OEM PC. They, Asus, could, and likely WILL make a desktop pc with a Magnus chip, and guess what, it would be an OEM pc and it would have BC.
 
Of course the $1,200 price is a guess. What isn't a guess is what MS is saying this will and won't be. It WON'T be a console. It WILL be a PC with multiple stores on it. You know what means for Microsoft right?
You are speaking in absolutes when Microsoft themselves are billing it as a console, lol.
So bc I can buy pc games and run them via Gamehub on my phone, does that make it a pc?

And yes, I DO know what it means for Microsoft, it means that if you want to access said stores, you'll need a $ubscription.
 
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