VG Leaks: BC for NextBox to be an add on, can play offline

So it's a modernization of the once-planned Famicom Adapter for the Super Famicom?

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Woah never seen that before ! Great post
 
It's funny, because it's essentially what it is doing - duct taping a 360 and Durango together - but removing the need to deal with them separately from a user interface POV.

Actually it's not, because it doesn't sound like this feature will work with current 360's, only the new mini model.

But it does give me hope that the 360 LIVE DLC content won't be taken out of the LIVE store anytime soon and will hopefully last through another generation. I don't want those hundreds of Rock Band songs to be shut down indefinitely...not yet anyway.
 
Confused.

I still need to know where Xbox Live Gold fits into all this, and if/why I'd need a persistent online connection to play 360 games via this setup.

And I don't have cable, and don't want TV or ads. Do I even fit into this picture at all?

Keep your 360 and buy Durango for next Gen games.
 
Do you play old school games with Durango peripherals? Are the controllers and peripherals between the two units completely compatible?

If I want to play a multiplayer game via the attached 360 do I still need a Gold subscription? And if so, does that mean that Durango uses the same kind of paid Gold service for multiplayer? Is there a NEW Xbox service along with a legacy Xbox one? Or is there just the one service between both machines?

I imagine the controllers are similar enough that the new one could play old games, but probably not vice-versa (MS wants to sell new controllers obviously, and they'll probably try to justify it somehow with small improvements). And Xbox Live Gold will almost definitely still be required for online play on both consoles. It will be the same service but more features will be available on Durango.

As far as online features, it will go Durango > 360 mini > current model 360.
 
I see the Xbox Mini as an Apple TV like device.. would be awesome if when signed in it lets you stream any 360 game you ever owned but arcade games for sure.

I knew the always on no used games worry was not going to be the case. Hope this all means we have official info soon!
 
$100 dollar Xbox 360, digital only. I can see a market for that. Does everything an Apple TV can do, plus plays every game available on Xbox Live.

You can buy a used 250GB 360 right now for $140 on Cowboom/eBay. This price is just going to drop later this year when gamers sell/trade-in their 360s for credit for the new Durango.

The people who care about BC already have a 360 that can do everything that this new console can do, and can function on it's own. Is it a little bigger than the new one? Of course. Is it a little bit of a hassle to pick up a different controller? I suppose. But does that mean a gamer is going to go through the process of selling their 360 (with all their saved games, downloaded games, settings, etc) and pick up this new unit? I don't see it.

It's totally great that this means that the next XBOX may be cheaper because it doesn't have BC. But this just seems weird.

They should just release a cheaply made 360 this fall for $129 if they're going to make anything at all.

Edit: I mean to say that people will sell their 360s because they don't want to play the older games anymore.
 
I knew they wouldnt go anti used games and skip b/c. Its there if you want it, they give ua choice to have it, very very cool. Many of us want that. And now looking back to ALL those threads bitching and moaning how Microsoft were the devil forskipping out on b/c and not allowing used games. LOL.
 
The Durango is not 'always online' but the mini is 'always online.' BC seems to require online, according to the article, perhaps because of lack of storage. Couldn't saved data just be stored on the Durango drive? I can see the online requirement for arcade games, but if you have the disc I don't see why the mini can't just be used as a local hardware device.
 
Thread title really needs to change to reflect that games can be played offline.

I mean, someone has (maybe) lost his job because of the always online crap and a 1000 page thread here on Gaf nearly killed the internet. Yet, the focus here in this thread is BC...

Sometimes GAF, you so crazy...
 
The Durango is not 'always online' but the mini is 'always online.' BC seems to require online, according to the article, perhaps because of lack of storage. Couldn't saved data just be stored on the Durango drive? I can see the online requirement for arcade games, but if you have the disc I don't see why the mini can't just be used as a local hardware device.


If Durango is streaming game data out through a port, then the only real way to prevent people from hacking it is by requiring always online.
 
Wait... The 360 mini BC solution works via (W)LAN? So I can also possibly use the mini in my bedroom to stream the Durango signal from my living room to my bedroom?

As an IT dude, this could work well on wired home networks or private xbox's wireless signal.

well this certainly seems like a much prettier option of BC than Gaikai.

And lot better possible.

Also: Microsoft Patents Touch Xbox controller.
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I'm interested. The lack of BC is why I'm going to wait on the PS4 at launch. If the 720/nextbox supports BC, even through a goofy scheme like this it will be much harder to ignore at launch.
 
Do you play old school games with Durango peripherals? Are the controllers and peripherals between the two units completely compatible?

If I want to play a multiplayer game via the attached 360 do I still need a Gold subscription? And if so, does that mean that Durango uses the same kind of paid Gold service for multiplayer? Is there a NEW Xbox service along with a legacy Xbox one? Or is there just the one service between both machines?

Does this setup add latency to playing 360 games via Durango?

We can only guess at this point.
 
I knew they wouldnt go anti used games and skip b/c. Its there if you want it, they give ua choice to have it, very very cool. Many of us want that. And now looking back to ALL those threads bitching and moaning how Microsoft were the devil forskipping out on b/c and not allowing used games. LOL.

Let's just hope this is true. If this rumor doesn't bear out to the "t", I will be shocked at Microsoft's stupidity. This just seems so perfect compared to everything we've been hearing.

If Durango is streaming game data out through a port, then the only real way to prevent people from hacking it is by requiring always online.

Game data is very easily obtained if you own a PC with a DVD drive. That's not where the vulnerability comes in.
 
Only if you buy the new "mini-360" though.

I think it'll work with existing 360s too.

The solution is essentially 'keep your 360 plugged in and use that' :P But it unifies the user interface between the two systems so there's less to juggle to use your old system and new system.
 
People are missing the point. This solution allows you to have your 360 in a separate room (bedroom, kids room etc...) while your main entertainment center remains elegant and clutter free. And all that is required is a home Network (not to be confused with an ISP connection).

You may not be taking the term 'Network' literally enough.

It may be a custom serial port or USB. Still technically networked
 
Transfer speed doesn't even matter if you can pop a 360 disc in the Durango and it installs to the 360 mini. It could even do that over wifi. And the game could be played back over wifi with no appreciable latency, just like with the Wii U controller.

And stream Durango games to my 360, which is in my bedroom... Hopefully.
 
This is actually very compelling...

hooking up my old Xbox to the new one to integrate all my older games is a great alternative if backwards comp isn't possible.
 
I find this rumor very very silly.

Why require always online for BC but not for Durango? The whole thing seems over engineered too. This does not pass the sniff test.
 
No, it's not. This is a very fair compromise on Microsoft's part. If you want backwards compatibility, then you have to jump through the hoops. The rest of us living in 2013 want a reasonably priced NextBox, and that entails not having legacy hardware baked in and inflating the price.

Exactly. If you want it they are providing it, it's up to you if you want to buy it. I hope I can say the same for Kinect 2.0.
 
As an IT dude, this could work well on wired home networks or private xbox's wireless signal.



And lot better possible.

As another IT dude, how many of these houses do you see wired vs wireless. Then count how many people have a terrible wireless setup and will try to stream something over it.
 
So Durango is going to have streaming out technology over USB2? Seems ripe for hacking.

You can buy full retail 360 titles on the Marketplace and put them on a USB drive that you can disconnect from the 360 and plug into a PC and you think THIS is ripe for hacking?

Not sure if playing ignorant or just trolling.
 
I'm interested. The lack of BC is why I'm going to wait on the PS4 at launch. If the 720/nextbox supports BC, even through a goofy scheme like this it will be much harder to ignore at launch.
Yup. I actually sold my 360 several weeks ago, but want to have it again some day due to my library, so I'm looking forward to the shrunk version. I would prefer Durango having BC out of the box but I understand why it's not feasible. And even though it's not a big deal (as I have 3 games for it total), I hope that 360 Kinect titles can work with Kinect 2 connected to Durango.
 
You shouldn't.



I wouldn't even classify this as "good", it'd just negate the "bad", so it's back to neutral.

Also, this is not BC, Durango can't play 360 games, you need to buy a separate device (a 360 LOL) to do it.

Its better than not having an option at all like the PS4. If you have this, and it's small like an apple tv, you can easily hide it. Games go directly into the Durango, and there you go. It's an option for those who want it. It's not an emulator, it's full on 360 hardware but with the capability of having all the Durango UI features available unlike the 360 guide features that couldn't exist while playing Xbox games. Also, emulator issues will not exist with this method.
 
I find this rumor very very silly.

Why require always online for BC but not for Durango? This does not pass the sniff test.

I think you're jumping to an unwarranted conclusion. It sounds to me like the 360 mini will require an internet connection to function as a standalone unit only insofar as that's the only way it can access content without a Durango attached. The rumor probably isn't implying that it requires an always-on connection. This would be a silly thing to do anyways, since without a disc drive the major security vulnerability of the Xbox 360 is removed. The only other way to pirate games would be Jtag/RGH, but you can't go online with those mods and they will likely design the 360 mini motherboard to patch up those vulnerabilities anyways.

And stream Durango games to my 360, which is in my bedroom... Hopefully.

I wouldn't count on that, as it would basically mean admitting that 360 controllers work just fine with Durango games. Or maybe Durango controllers can connect to Xbox 360s after a dashboard update or something.

If I try to play my XBLA games on another Xbox 360, I can play it only if I'm online... what if...

This restriction would likely remain in place.
 
I think it'll work with existing 360s too.

The solution is essentially 'keep your 360 plugged in and use that' :P But it unifies the user interface between the two systems so there's less to juggle to use your old system and new system.
I can imagine the new 360 having some low power mode so that it can be activated by Durango at any time, and have the OS reworked so that it doesn't need to load the dashboard, just the game directly (but that should be possible with OS update for the old units as well).
 
You can buy full retail 360 titles on the Marketplace and put them on a USB drive that you can disconnect from the 360 and plug into a PC and you think THIS is ripe for hacking?

Not sure if playing ignorant or just trolling.
Huh, I've bought a few games off the Marketplace (such as Crackdown, as I couldn't find it in stores) and downloaded it to a thumb drive as my 360's hard drive was full at the time. Are you saying I can pop the thumb drive into someone elses 360 and it will play? I just assumed it wouldn't.
 
Hmm...actually, I may have been getting a bit carried away about this probably working with existing 360s, if it works over the network.

That would require video encoding and streaming etc. - and might not be possible on vanilla 360s unless they can squeeze the necessary into the existing OS footprint. That might not be possible. It's possible the new mini 360 has hardware to handle this if existing 360s AV hardware cannot manage it on its own.

Hmm. We'll see.

I can imagine the new 360 having some low power mode so that it can be activated by Durango at any time, and have the OS reworked so that it doesn't need to load the dashboard, just the game directly (but that should be possible with OS update for the old units as well).


Wake-on-lan should be possible with 360 as it is... (it was possible on PS3?) ... the alternate OS mode for communicating with Durango would be a software/firmware issue only. However the above stuff around video encoding etc. might raise problems that only new hardware can solve, if the solution works over the network. If it works via some other HDMI-in or AV signal management trickery, it may be possible with some 360s but not all. And I think the HDMI-in will be reserved for other devices.
 
You need to calm down, you're not making much sense.

Firstly, I never claimed the Durango had native BC.

Secondly, Why would I lose my existed disc games? Is it hard to read the OP? Did you even bother reading the OP? Not doing so is frowned upon.

Thirdly, I'm not worried about data or bandwidth caps, I was merely pointing a benefit to having an optional, hardware based solution to one that's stream based and all the risks such a solution carries.

Stop projecting dude

You need to calm down, replying everyone with opposing ideas as you must take a toll. Your logic is twisted and you are not making any sense as has been pointed out by many in this thread

That is some strange logic. You don't have to worry about playing your 360 games if MS stops making the 360 because now you can buy a disc-less 360 to play them
 
If this mini 360 add-on is true, then I could sell my 360/controllers/batteries/chargers, buy the mini 360 and maybe break even or make a small profit, save on shelf space, clear room for 720 accessories and still be able to play 360/xbla games and stick with one controller. This will be awesome for people going form 360->720! Only downside is buying new extra controllers to replace the 360 ones, but most people will be doing this anyway.

If I end up getting a 720 I'll be doing this for sure.
 
I think you're jumping to an unwarranted conclusion. It sounds to me like the 360 mini will require an internet connection to function as a standalone unit only insofar as that's the only way it can access content without a Durango attached. The rumor probably isn't implying that it requires an always-on connection. This would be a silly thing to do anyways, since without a disc drive the major security vulnerability of the Xbox 360 is removed. The only other way to pirate games would be Jtag/RGH, but you can't go online with those mods and they will likely design the 360 mini motherboard to patch up those vulnerabilities anyways.

You're assuming this mini xbox unit can work standalone.

The rumor never said it can work by itself.
 
Its better than not having an option at all like the PS4. If you have this, and it's small like an apple tv, you can easily hide it. Games go directly into the Durango, and there you go. It's an option for those who want it. It's not an emulator, it's full on 360 hardware but with the capability of having all the Durango UI features available unlike the 360 guide features that couldn't exist while playing Xbox games. Also, emulator issues will not exist with this method.

Don't forget Gaikai. Although with all the people who have spotty connections/poor speeds, that's probably not an option.
 
Hmm...actually, I may have been getting a bit carried away about this probably working with existing 360s, if it works over the network.

That would require video encoding and streaming etc. - and might not be possible on vanilla 360s unless they can squeeze the necessary into the existing OS footprint. That might not be possible. It's possible the new mini 360 has hardware to handle this if existing 360s AV hardware cannot manage it on its own.

Hmm. We'll see.

It's why I think Durango will have HDMI input, then all 360 SKU can be the media extender to Durango :P
 
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