Of course it is, but revision on consoles happen every gen. This is just a revision on specs and that's not unheard of either.
Microsoft unifying PC/XB1 platforms, Phil implies Xbox moving to incremental upgrades
- Thread starter dancrane212
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Of course it is, but revision on consoles happen every gen. This is just a revision on specs and that's not unheard of either.
If there is a revision that is more powerful, why not? You didn't have to buy the elite controller, but it sold like crazy. Didn't the 3DS have a upgrade in hardware?
To say console owners don't like change man. Don't change the hardware and make it a better system dude, is silly.
old manatee
Banned
That's because they are used to waiting for mama to drop a chewed up nightcrawler in their mouths.
Yeah, they added a nub. Can you imagine the e3 megatons if they add a nub to the Xbox One?
Bitch Pudding
Member
Despite a few which believe in whatever the CEO of their favorite brand says, yes. (hey, if the shoe fits you, then wear it)
It's a nice exit strategy, I like it because I own a gaming PC. Right now and with everything we experienced within the last 30 years I asume that this concept will bomb so hard that they won't even need a PR statement to declare it's time of death. Apple could indeed get away with that idea, but MS wont. Just the fact that they more or less already announced this AND said goodbye to exclusive games will have a major impact on XBOX One sales starting now. People with last gen consoles will migrate to PS4 and NX. People who want a goddamn "console" will migrate to PS4 and NX. People who like exclusive games will migrate to PS4 and NX. And people who think it's awesome to play XBOX branded games and have an upgradeable system will buy a PC. MS just created a niche within a niche, which is far too small to justify an own hardware division within a giant corp. like MS. Hence, some of us think that this news is the beginning of the end of MS as a producer of gaming hardware.
Some of the hardcore Xbox fans will buy it I didn't say none wouldn't. I'm talking about the console market in general. I don't see buying a console and having to buy parts to keep up with games working.
Cite the example where the company splitting games between platforms, owned both platforms, also had the core OS shared between both platforms.
Microsoft's goals for the XBox division seems to be more about blocking what is happening in mobile happening in the living room. That's not to say that they don't want money (it is M$ after all).
See the answer to #2
While this may well be true, look to Microsoft's recent moves around Hardware. For tablets/laptops they didn't trust 3rd party manufacturers to come up with premium hardware so they built the Surface line. On the Phone side, they were sick of Vendors using phones made for android and throwing WP on it.
skepticism should always be forgiven, but this is borderline assuming the worst will come true. If you think that MS hasn't innovated in the gaming space, then perhaps you should do a bit more research first.
I 100% agree with this, but jumping to the conclusion that MS is leaving the hardware space based on not much more than feelings, is intellectually dishonest at best.
Imo exiting the purely dedicated console market =/= putting the brand to pasture.
Heck, they fully integrated Xbox Live within Win10 (which allowed for a nice, if deceptive, boost in MAU too).
They built the Xbox brand into a recognizable name associated with gaming, at great cost, so I do not see a reason to not use that to fight in a domain where they majorly screwed the pooch a while ago: PC digital store front.
It will also help drive them closer to their ideal of an all digital world, as I don't see the next Xbox (which will imo be a small form HTPC possibly custom built by Dell or other) featuring a disc player (PCs have moved on from these a while ago).
justsomeguy
Member
I don't think they're looking at upgraded parts. Just new console iterations.
OK, some people have made some plausible arguments pro MS' new strategy.
For me, this would mean the end of the Xbox vs. Playstation console war. It just wouldn't make sense anymore.
I just can't see how PC focus and hardware updates will ever give MS the edge over Sony in the console race.
It's more like this: 'OK. we will never win world-wide, let's focus on PC, offer a cheap alternative to PC and work with what we have'.
Why should I upgrade my console every 2 years when major exclusive titles take longer to develop? No, this discussion is going nowhere. If this is going to happen, for me personally, Xbox is indeed dad.
And here's why I think, this won't be a 100% success: Take DLC/pre-order bonuses as an example how the gamer psyche works:
No one forces you to pre-order games for bonusses or to buy DLC either - they are optional. The base game still works. Still, this leaves a sour taste in my (and going by GAF threads also for many others) mouth and I tend to not buy games with 100 DLCs, because I'm feeling that I'm missing out on something and on the other hand I don't want to spend much more than the base price.
Same situation with 'Xbox2.x'. Let's say Xbox2 is released in fall 2018. Knowing that this hardware will be upgraded along the road, I will be even more critical in evaluating Xbox2 at release, meaning 'are the scheduled games worth it" to buy the console at launch/ in it's first year or should I wait, because this will feel like the inferior experience in 1 or 2 years.
Yes, upgrades may be a nice thing to have, but I don't think they will become a winning factor in the console space. Upgrading PCs is different, because the enthusiast PC-gamer is a totally different breed than the COD, GTA, FIFA console gamer. Apples and oranges. Master and peasant ;P
And to close this of, I'm 100% sure that however those upgrades may look like, we will have even smaller leaps in terms of graphics, KI, physics in 5-year cycles. Yes exchanging the GFX might be a easy thing to do, but what about the other components? What if they are doing a XboxOne.5 in 2017? The processor in XboxOne will still be shit and can't be easily exchanged like a module. Devs will have lots of fun optimizing games that are CPU-hungry for two platforms(remember AC Syndicate). So we will be stuck with fidelity and fps improvements only for a very long time.
For me, this would mean the end of the Xbox vs. Playstation console war. It just wouldn't make sense anymore.
I just can't see how PC focus and hardware updates will ever give MS the edge over Sony in the console race.
It's more like this: 'OK. we will never win world-wide, let's focus on PC, offer a cheap alternative to PC and work with what we have'.
Why should I upgrade my console every 2 years when major exclusive titles take longer to develop? No, this discussion is going nowhere. If this is going to happen, for me personally, Xbox is indeed dad.
And here's why I think, this won't be a 100% success: Take DLC/pre-order bonuses as an example how the gamer psyche works:
No one forces you to pre-order games for bonusses or to buy DLC either - they are optional. The base game still works. Still, this leaves a sour taste in my (and going by GAF threads also for many others) mouth and I tend to not buy games with 100 DLCs, because I'm feeling that I'm missing out on something and on the other hand I don't want to spend much more than the base price.
Same situation with 'Xbox2.x'. Let's say Xbox2 is released in fall 2018. Knowing that this hardware will be upgraded along the road, I will be even more critical in evaluating Xbox2 at release, meaning 'are the scheduled games worth it" to buy the console at launch/ in it's first year or should I wait, because this will feel like the inferior experience in 1 or 2 years.
Yes, upgrades may be a nice thing to have, but I don't think they will become a winning factor in the console space. Upgrading PCs is different, because the enthusiast PC-gamer is a totally different breed than the COD, GTA, FIFA console gamer. Apples and oranges. Master and peasant ;P
And to close this of, I'm 100% sure that however those upgrades may look like, we will have even smaller leaps in terms of graphics, KI, physics in 5-year cycles. Yes exchanging the GFX might be a easy thing to do, but what about the other components? What if they are doing a XboxOne.5 in 2017? The processor in XboxOne will still be shit and can't be easily exchanged like a module. Devs will have lots of fun optimizing games that are CPU-hungry for two platforms(remember AC Syndicate). So we will be stuck with fidelity and fps improvements only for a very long time.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
At least we know that the next Xbox will be BC.
Well, Just remember DX12 and efforts from MS on the dev side. It doesn't matter if it takes 2 years of development. It's supposed to run on a range of devices. Just like PC games are today, with different cards all around the world...
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
They tried this already iirc.
Who said buy parts?
Well that's even worse imo, I definitely don't think console gamers are gonna buy a new console every couple of years.
Didn't the 3DS get a ram upgrade?
They did in the past. It isn't like console buyers bought one console and only one console during the life of a generation.
MilkyJoe
Member
I would
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Yeah, Xbox branded PCs would definetly help drive the message.
Caipirinha
Member
They are struggling to accept that what to them is a "big three" gaming company is in reality a productivity and OS company that dabbled in the console market for reasons primarily other than gaming, and now that the latest iteration has commercially failed they are leaving the market and repurposing the hardware left in the wild and on shelves as Windows boxes.
This is very very clearly the situation but I suppose if Microsoft is your Nintendo or Sega you're going to try and spin it into some kind of new chapter in the continuing Xbox legacy or something, but no, Microsoft is leaving the console business and that's all there is to it.
Exactly. The Xbox One is becoming a low end gaming PC for any enthusiasts that happen to want that, and if there are enough of those enthusiasts they will get an upgraded SKU at some point.
2016 is basically it for the Xbox One as a console platform this gen, after that you're looking at it becoming a Windows box for not-too-demanding PC games that have controller support. MS might try and push for controller support in more games but outside of that you should expect emphasis to switch entirely back to PC; if you're a gamer that wants to play Microsoft franchises then you're now a PC gamer. Conversely, MS are obviously gearing up for another attempt to monopolise PC gaming.
Yes people buy different consoles not iterations of the same console. I just don't think it's gonna work, but hey that's just my opinion.
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Well you do have Geforce Experience which can just set all your settings for you based on your system, but even then the extent of difficulty with in game settings isn't exactly baffling. It's literally flipping a switch and deciding if you're happy with the result.
As everyone has said Microsoft wants to be a services company so it's obvious why this is happening.
I could see this working in one way - if they released a new Xbox every 2 years (lets say) but the games would, like on a PC, work regardless. The newer xbox gets better features, maybe higher res textures, runs better. Maybe a guarantee each game will run on the the most recent 3 - giving a 6 years lifespan to an xbox purchase
I could see this working in one way - if they released a new Xbox every 2 years (lets say) but the games would, like on a PC, work regardless. The newer xbox gets better features, maybe higher res textures, runs better. Maybe a guarantee each game will run on the the most recent 3 - giving a 6 years lifespan to an xbox purchase
I'm sure some would some people bought ouya as well That doesn't say much.
Sure they do. People didn't buy the PS3 slim? Didn't buy the 360 with the built in wifi and hdmi? Of course they did. Those had hardware changes and made the system better, smaller or whatever. If you better a system people will buy it.
Being on the Windows team now gives them an out to focus game development on any Windows 10 hardware where they're seeing the most success (game revenue, MAU) in the long term. In time a console may not be a priority for the Windows team to drive more adoption and revenue. That's far off though considering that Xbox gamers are likely the biggest category of consumers driving revenue for the Windows Store today.
I don't think people are saying MS is leaving the living room now or even next Gen. It just won't be a traditional console.
Without the exact numbers, Isn't that exactly what they said?
Thing is, I've seen this much longer ago. It was really with Ray Ozzie (former MS CTO) talked about this very "future" with the Microsoft platform (3 screens and a cloud...you should read up on it...I believe this was Vista planning days or something, so forward thinking). it's only truly coming to fruition now. Microsoft has had these pieces in place for a long time (GFWL was an attempt but they just royally screwed that up) and I have been waiting for them to freaking hook everything up together in one cohesive juncture. They really couldn't do it because of the DOJ stuff that basically had them in lockdown till like 2010 or something, I forget. So now seeing that that vision is coming true, gaming is just another cog in the machine (and that's why some people have been saying in other thread that people don't see the bigger picture). I just love gaming and seeing gaming take a new form is exciting to me (especially for the game I'm developing). I don't like doing the same thing over and over again, I like new experiences.
But they have a lot of work to do in order to make this actually work. I will say that I don't know how much more I will be involved in these discussions as it gets tiring repeating myself (as i said before i don't like doing that). I'm glad some people see it though.
corporate cheerleading grates on some, you kinda need to know that if you are going to participate in social media.
I sure as fuck don't want a single company controlling every device and having every bit of information in my life run through their algorithms, hence my hope they fail with their "One Microsoft" strategy of domination.
In an ideal world, these companies would be broken up once they reach a certain size. There should also be a maximum wage and punitive inheritance taxes to get rid of the controlling oligarchies that have captured 'democratic' governments. Power to the people!
You feel the same about Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Google? They each spend every day dreaming up ways to get more of their devices and services into your life.
VincentMatts
Member
Why would they? Have iPhone sales nose dived after having a new one every year that essentially does the same thing, only with more power?
People rebuy consoles all the time when re-designs come out, but you're telling me they wouldn't dish out for one but with more power?
Youre kidding right?
Caipirinha
Member
They wanted to, but their failure to do so is basically what defines this era of the company, and the corporate restructuring basically rearranged their priorities almost entirely back around productivity, services and the OS. Surface lingers on because the enterprise market has not yet decided entirely which let platform to back, although it's still losing to iOS and Android it's not quite sewn up, but their interests in that market are purely to prevent enterprise from moving away from Office and Windows as they move from desktop to mobile computing.
You need to prepare yourself for a big change in the amount of money and emphasis MS place on the Xbox One. This is it for exclusive AAA development now, that content will be created primarily for the PC and may/may not run on the Xbox One, and there will probably be few to zero major third party deals from here on out. E3 will mention the Xbox One a lot, but probably entirely under the "Windows 10 umbrella". They are winding the console down bro.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
Moving to a unified platform doesn't mean upgrades every year like smartphones/tablets. Every 4 years is fine with me.
You're comparing Different things Consoles have Had slim versions for a long time. There's never been a console released that was Obsolete 2 years later. That model works with Smart phones, I don't think it will with consoles.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
HOLY CRAP!!! This is a really nice set of thoughts. I did notice Phil said Windows more than Xbox also.
Sidewinder
Member
Well that would just be like shorter console gen cycles, why even call it an upgrade then? Just call it Xbox Two with forward and backwards compatibility, done.
While I don't agree that MS is "leaving" the console market, lets play around with that idea:
Is that not the smart thing to do anyway?
I really don't see consoles existing in the traditional sense past whatever next-gen brings.
Honestly I believe that sooner or later its all gonna converge into a singular device, much like smartphones have, and that device in its current form is what we call a PC.
Not really an expert on tech, but from what I'm seeing MS do with their work on augmented reality and these recent shifts towards W10>everything suggests MS is not playing the "keep all the forums and websites happy with our immediate decisions" game, they are far more interested in planting the seeds that give them Iphone/Apple levels of success within the next decade.
And this talk of MS being "directionless" is flat out BS to anyone who's been watching since Nadella took over.
Is that not the smart thing to do anyway?
I really don't see consoles existing in the traditional sense past whatever next-gen brings.
Honestly I believe that sooner or later its all gonna converge into a singular device, much like smartphones have, and that device in its current form is what we call a PC.
Not really an expert on tech, but from what I'm seeing MS do with their work on augmented reality and these recent shifts towards W10>everything suggests MS is not playing the "keep all the forums and websites happy with our immediate decisions" game, they are far more interested in planting the seeds that give them Iphone/Apple levels of success within the next decade.
And this talk of MS being "directionless" is flat out BS to anyone who's been watching since Nadella took over.
I think it does better for their numbers because there is no risky population drop off between generations.
Which means the platform remains a good target for developers...
It also means there is no empty library at the start of new generations. Which should appeal to customers I think.
These always crack me up because the CEO has flat out said Xbox is now part of the Windows strategy and will be part of the integrated play across Windows 10 devices. That was nearly a year ago.
Spencer has been reporting to the EVP of Windows since he took the job as Head of Xbox back in 2014. The Xbox hardware was also moved to the Surface team, who also reports to the EVP of Windows.
All the signals have been in plain sight and they even explicitly stated their intention, but it somehow falls on deaf ears.
You do realize that Surface is a billion dollar business, right?
Right? What's your point? You think your current Xbox is two years old so it's obsolete?
VincentMatts
Member
Theyre not winding down anything for this gen. They need to see it through (with this console) till the end of this cycle. Next gen is another story. I can totally see them having an hybrid pc/steambox style thing next gen. But for this gen, the console and its games arent going anywhere. There will be tons of support. And you can quote me on that.
Google, Apple, Amazon, they are in the same league as MS, facebook too. Although, tbf, google's OSs have open source code, so that is nice.
Samsung is hardware and their power only really extends to the S.Korean govt, so not the same.
But they aren't obsolete in this case... They just are no longer top of the line. They will still be capable of playing the latest games.
Sidewinder
Member
Well that's what MS will have to fight against, at least during the transition to their new business model.
Imagine the One.5 releases Fall 2016, how will most One owners feel? "Oh cool I'm gonna upgrade" or "damn what's going on, my 3 year old One is already old-school ;("
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
So why would most hard core gamers just wait for the Xbox with the upgraded GPU that can do 1080/60? Why get the launch console?