Microsoft: We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox.

lastmessiah said:
MS bread and butter is enterprise software; there is zero threat from Steam OS there.
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The danger would be PC gamers switching from Windows to Linux. The irony is that those SteamOS gamers would still be playing games written for a Windows OS and that MS would still make money selling games to Linux gamers.
 
Ebrietas said:
Steam took over PC gaming. Sony/Nintendo control console gaming now. Mobile gaming is all Apple/Google.

Without Xbox, MS no longer has a "stake" in the gaming platform battle. I can definitely see them try to take on Valve to get control over Windows gaming. But they will probably end doing it in the only way they know how: by trying to buy them out.
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Many of the most popular current PC games aren't even on Steam - it's a player but they hardly 'took over'.
 
Are We Live Fx GIF by BasketsFX
 
nial said:
One question, K KeplerL2 . Is it necessary for the Magnus chip to be used on an actual console rather than the plan just being fully pivoting to the OEM PC line that is, indeed, using the same chip?
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I don't know the exact details of the AMD contract, but they must have a minimum amount of units ordered from AMD, and the "Xbox PCs" from ASUS/MSI/etc are probably not enough to reach that amount. So they would have to either pay a fine, or buy the chips and give them away to OEMS for free. IOW, it's likely more expensive for them to cancel the 1st-party console than to release it.
 
DreamcastSkies said:
I hope they can figure out compelling hardware. A console landscape made up of Nintendo and Sony as the only real pushers of hardware is not as exciting to me as an industry where there are three manufacturers releasing compelling hardware. This Xbox situation just feels stale at this point (it has been two gens in a row now where they just can't seem to make a dent in Playstation's hold on dominating high end hardware). I'm interested in another challenger entering the hardware sphere but what must people seem to say when that idea is floated around is that it's too late in the game for that to happen.
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sega GIF
 
There's a ton of hardware options, Xbox is direct to consumer, the announcement of the handhelds, the unique controller, I think back to 360 a very sensitive time with RROD and people felt burnt, things with series x are certain now.
 
Taking this statement at face value and not letting skepticism from past events get the better of me, it still doesn't assuage my concerns about the viability of Xbox as a brand.

Let's say for the sake of argument that the earliest they could get new Xbox hardware out is Q3 or Q4 2027. Where will the brand even be at that point? That's two years from now and Xbox is already on the ropes in their strongest market. Major retailers pulling hardware from physical shelves and/or not being included in holiday shopping marketing. Two hardware price increases in a year and two Game Pass Ultimate price increases in a little over a year have weakened their standing even further. In the rest of the world, Xbox is already a non-factor.

In two years, will anyone even want a new Xbox?
 
I wouldn't be shocked if next gen turns into the cloud pucks and next gen devices are new controllers. Just so much that doesn't make sense if they are staying in console imo.
 
KeplerL2 said:
I don't know the exact details of the AMD contract, but they must have a minimum amount of units ordered from AMD, and the "Xbox PCs" from ASUS/MSI/etc are probably not enough to reach that amount. So they would have to either pay a fine, or buy the chips and give them away to OEMS for free. IOW, it's likely more expensive for them to cancel the 1st-party console than to release it.
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Is the development of the chips done? Why would they sign contracts way advance on how many chips they want if they're not ready yet? That's what i'm getting from sneakerso and timdog. I mean they were developing their own handheld as well and it's on hold no? So why wouldn't it be the same for the console?
 
demigod said:
Is the development of the chips done?
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Pretty much, it was supposed to tape-out in Q4.
demigod said:
Why would they sign contracts way advance on how many chips they want if they're not ready yet?
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Because AMD needs the commitment to justify their R&D
demigod said:
I mean they were developing their own handheld as well and it's on hold no? So why wouldn't it be the same for the console?
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AFAIK the handheld was cancelled because AMD wanted a commitment of 10m+ units to justify making a dedicated SoC, but with Steam Deck only selling ~5 million units and ASUS ROG/Lenovo Legion only selling 1-2 million MS didn't want to take the risk.
 
I imagine MS are busy crunching the numbers. If cancelling the next Xbox costs them 1 billion dollars in cancellation fees you would think they wouldn't want to lose that money. However if launching a dead console ends up costing them 2 billion dollars suddenly the penalty isn't so severe.
 
KeplerL2 said:
AFAIK the handheld was cancelled because AMD wanted a commitment of 10m+ units to justify making a dedicated SoC, but with Steam Deck only selling ~5 million units and ASUS ROG/Lenovo Legion only selling 1-2 million MS didn't want to take the risk.
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Wait, this is actually interesting. Do you know if they wanted to push it as some premium device against PC handhelds despite being a console, or was it just another portable PC?
 
KeplerL2 said:
It was supposed to be a portable console like Sony is doing.
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So, it's the former. But thinking about it, yeah, this wouldn't be different from their home consoles going the premium route as well with the third-party storefronts being available, which I imagine was supposed to be the case with the handheld.
 
KeplerL2 said:
... AFAIK the handheld was cancelled because AMD wanted a commitment of 10m+ units to justify making a dedicated SoC, but with Steam Deck only selling ~5 million units and ASUS ROG/Lenovo Legion only selling 1-2 million MS didn't want to take the risk.
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Ah, that would be the missing piece. Makes sense, frankly, given how their hardware is moving currently.
 
I will believe it when I see an actual new system from MS. Til then, anything they say cannot and should not be taken seriously due to the terrible position they put themselves in.
 
As late as the end of 2016 ms ensured everyone windows phone was here to stay, 6 months later ,dead
With retailers dropping space ms is in a bad spot as getting that space back will take something special
Ms incompetence has been so vexing,
 
KeplerL2 said:
AFAIK the handheld was cancelled because AMD wanted a commitment of 10m+ units to justify making a dedicated SoC, but with Steam Deck only selling ~5 million units and ASUS ROG/Lenovo Legion only selling 1-2 million MS didn't want to take the risk.
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Are there no plans for z3 and beyond chips? What is Valve going to do.
 
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The next XBOX is going to be $1000

I never had any doubt there would be another console, however this was clearly the XBOX PR department:

Quick, put out a statement on next-gen to change the dialogue about our 50% GamePass increase.
 
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KeplerL2 said:
Pretty much, it was supposed to tape-out in Q4.

Because AMD needs the commitment to justify their R&D

AFAIK the handheld was cancelled because AMD wanted a commitment of 10m+ units to justify making a dedicated SoC, but with Steam Deck only selling ~5 million units and ASUS ROG/Lenovo Legion only selling 1-2 million MS didn't want to take the risk.
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Is the tape-out on track?

So if MS canceled the handheld, can they not cancel the console? Or would the fees be way higher than the handheld cancelation?
 
KeplerL2 said:
I don't know the exact details of the AMD contract, but they must have a minimum amount of units ordered from AMD, and the "Xbox PCs" from ASUS/MSI/etc are probably not enough to reach that amount. So they would have to either pay a fine, or buy the chips and give them away to OEMS for free. IOW, it's likely more expensive for them to cancel the 1st-party console than to release it.
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Or they could use the allotment of AMD chips to be produced and utilize them to replace the Xbox Series X chips currently powering xCloud in their data centers, thereby creating an upgraded cloud console...
 
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SneakersSO said:
Or they could use the allotment of AMD chips to be produced and utilize them to replace the Xbox Series X chips currently powering xCloud in their data centers, thereby creating an upgraded cloud console...
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xCloud will use AT0 + probably some EPYC CPU and virtualize many instances in one socket. Magnus SoC + AT2 is specifically made for the console.
 
Proelite said:
Why not Medusa Halo mini. Also why can MS use Medusa Halo Mini instead of a custom design.
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The whole point of the "custom" design is to include the backwards compatibility IP for older Xboxes so they don't need to relicense everything as a PC game (not going to happen). So if they drop the custom part in favour of a general purpose APU, they give up on the backwards compatibility (that's my take).

I mean given what has been happening I can't say they won't have another brain fart and decide to ditch bwc for the next-gen machine - but then it really isn't a console *at all*
 
KeplerL2 said:
I don't know the exact details of the AMD contract, but they must have a minimum amount of units ordered from AMD, and the "Xbox PCs" from ASUS/MSI/etc are probably not enough to reach that amount. So they would have to either pay a fine, or buy the chips and give them away to OEMS for free. IOW, it's likely more expensive for them to cancel the 1st-party console than to release it.
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Given the multi year partnership was for R&D required for PC chips, data centres blades, etc… not just consoles maybe the number of units required for everything but the console is not so small and Magnus is a modular design so maybe there is more that can be reused, maybe MS paid more upfront already (are they betting on such a large minimum order with similarly sized cancellation fines?), without seeing the contract it is hard to know.

You do make a good point about minimum units ordered, but I am not convinced of the total cost of launching the console being so dominated by the SoC.
While very expensive the BoM of a console is not just the SoC and there are assembly, shipping, and marketing costs too so I am not convinced it would be more expensive to release it and keep it on the market than to cancel it.

Mind you, I am not sure it has been cancelled either…
 
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KeplerL2 said:
xCloud will use AT0 + probably some EPYC CPU and virtualize many instances in one socket. Magnus SoC + AT2 is specifically made for the console.
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One would hope they wise up comparing to the XSX derived setup they used for Xcloud at launch. Then again both chips are going to have the same customisations they need for HW BC for the console, so the contract might include orders for Xcloud in the tally.
 
Oh well. Things can change, and they likely will. At this point Xbox as a brand is basically dead. Nobody cares. People hated the Xbox One, but you what's worse than hate? Apathy. Now Microsoft has a brand that no one cares about anymore. And they've given us no reason whatsoever to feel differently. Good luck coming back from that. Fuckers.
 
I don't think Microsoft has earned any trust or good will here. I still don't believe it until they announce something. So many loops holes around that statement. Until proven otherwise, just more spin.

I'm not sure MS has some sort of WiiU -> Switch transformation in them or not. Either way, Phil needs to go, he's not the guy.
 
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