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[soundwave05]

I think Microsoft will eventually release a handheld, maybe in 2006 after the Xenon launch is out of their hair.

I could see ...

- XBox level graphics
- PDA/Windows functionality
- touchscreen
- HDD ... that's right MP3/Windows Media Player
- WiFi Internet browsing

It'd be as much of a direct competitior to the i-Pod as to the PSP/GB Evo.

Apple has no game division whatsoever, could that maybe force them to enlist Nintendo?

 

[Ryudo]

Microsots handheld would be the size of a lunchbox :lol

 

[soundwave05]

Microsots handheld would be the size of a lunchbox :lol

Well hopefully IBM and ATi could help them out :lol

Portable Halo would be interesting though. I think they'd definitely have a HDD built in.

With i-Pod/i-Tunes gaining so many users seemingly by the second, you kind of have to wonder how long Microsoft will let Steve Jobs party before lowering the gauntlet.

 

[FightyF]

I've been wondering this for a while...

I've always thought that the portable media player market would be something they'd jump into.

But when Creative (and many other companies) came out with their own PMPs, all running Win XP MC edition, all with the same standard interface...it kinda showed me that MS is only interested in dicating the direction of PMPs, but not interested in making one themselves.

 

[soundwave05]

I've been wondering this for a while...

I've always thought that the portable media player market would be something they'd jump into.

But when Creative (and many other companies) came out with their own PMPs, all running Win XP MC edition, all with the same standard interface...it kinda showed me that MS is only interested in dicating the direction of PMPs, but not interested in making one themselves.

Maybe but then again, how many times did people say "Sony's not interested in the portable market, they would have released a portable Playstation a long time ago if they were".

I think the big thing that might draw Microsoft in is Apple's i-Pod. It doesn't seem like any of those competing MP3 players are able to stop Apple at all. Sony's much hyped MP3 player failed miserably against the i-Pod over Christmas.

MS may feel that they eventually have to take matters into their own hands, and one of the advantages they have over Apple is they have a full game division now. Apple can make a video i-Pod (that's probably coming this year actually), but a game i-Pod? Probably not.

 

[Up a RIVER OF TEARS without an account]

I'd say it'll be about two years or so.

 

[soundwave05]

I'm thinking 2006, maybe early fall.

If they wait too long Apple will have too many i-Pods sold and even Sony should have a huge lead in terms of PSPs out.

Didn't Bill Gates say MS wouldn't make a portable unless it could be as powerful as the XBox? That might be a ways off though. Maybe they can come close.

Right now obviously they will have to focus on Xenon (right?), but after that's out the door, I think a project like this would take no.1 priority.

To be honest I think Apple is a bigger threat than Sony is. Yeah, Sony's sold a lot of Playstation's, but really media wise it hasn't yet encroached on any of Microsoft's turf directly.

Apple on the other hand with i-Tunes is "infecting" (from MS' P.O.V.) people's PCs and replacing Windows Media Player as their choice of audio player for many people.

 

[Lemurnator]

The market would be too crowded and the system would fail.

Handheld consoles don't have a hardcore following and stay afloat. I don't think having 4 major handhelds on the market at the same time is a good thing.

Two is enough, spending too much on games as it is.

 

[cloudwalking]

I think Microsoft will eventually release a handheld, maybe in 2006 after the Xenon launch is out of their hair.

I could see ...

- XBox level graphics
- PDA/Windows functionality
- touchscreen
- HDD ... that's right MP3/Windows Media Player
- WiFi Internet browsing

It'd be as much of a direct competitior to the i-Pod as to the PSP/GB Evo.

Apple has no game division whatsoever, could that maybe force them to enlist Nintendo?

For all that stuff why not just get a laptop? It has pretty much all those features, and it's portable.

 

[Ryudo]

For all that stuff why not just get a laptop? It has pretty much all those features, and it's portable.

Same with the PSP......

Theres mobile devices and then theres practical mobile devices.

 

[soundwave05]

For all that stuff why not just get a laptop? It has pretty much all those features, and it's portable.

Well I guess I could throw my i-Pod out too since I can listen to MP3s on my lap top

 

[Great King Bowser]

For all that stuff why not just get a laptop? It has pretty much all those features, and it's portable.

And it fits in your pocket... oh wait.

 

[cloudwalking]

Just seems to me that it would pretty much be a tiny computer. Which would be cool, and Microsoft knows computers, that's for sure.

 

[Ghost]

I doubt MS is eager to sink money into another over-specced piece of hardware that they have to price at a huge loss to be competitive.

And what you're talking about is basically a really powerful PDA so it would almost certainly cost them a bomb to manufacture.

 

[aoi tsuki]

I think Microsoft will eventually release a handheld, maybe in 2006 after the Xenon launch is out of their hair.

I could see ...

- XBox level graphics
- PDA/Windows functionality
- touchscreen
- HDD ... that's right MP3/Windows Media Player
- WiFi Internet browsing

It'd be as much of a direct competitior to the i-Pod as to the PSP/GB Evo.

Apple has no game division whatsoever, could that maybe force them to enlist Nintendo?

Minus the Xbox-level graphics, you've described what's possible with a PDA, though they've yet to release their own PDA. i think Microsoft will continue development of multimedia and game-specific tools on Windows Mobile devices, and it'll naturally develop into a dedicated gaming portable, similar to the development to the Xbox, albeit with a shorter timeframe. i don't see them jumping into the portable arena anytime soon, with GBA, DS, and soon PSP available, and the next Gameboy over the horizon.

And considering the fact that we know nothing about the next Gameboy, i don't see how it can be considered a direct competitor to anything.

 

[cloudwalking]

And what you're talking about is basically a really powerful PDA so it would almost certainly cost them a bomb to manufacture.

That's pretty much what I was trying to say... it would just be a super expensive piece of hardware with a ton of PDA or computer-like extras. At that point I wonder if the games would even be a main focus anymore. I think that most people would expect to see them work on making PDAs more powerful/computers smaller before they'd focus on the gaming industry.

 

[ThirdEye]

Shrink a tablet PC and you have it.

 

[soundwave05]

I don't think Microsoft would jump into the portable biz, but I think it's APPLE (of all companies) that's going to end up forcing their hands.

It doesn't look like anyone else can get their shit together and actually give Apple a challenge and every day, Apple's selling more and more i-Pods and more people are starting to use Apple's i-Tunes/i-Photo software.

By giving a Microsoft portable the ability to also play games, it'd give them an advantage over Apple in terms of functionality. You can't play Halo or Madden NFL on your i-Pod.

 

[cloudwalking]

By giving a Microsoft portable the ability to also play games, it'd give them an advantage over Apple in terms of functionality. You can't play Halo or Madden NFL on your i-Pod.

Right, but it wouldn't give Microsoft an advantage to sell this super-handheld at a price the average consumer would be willing to pay for it, while taking a gigantic hit in the wallet at the same time.

If it was all (or at least mostly) about the games, then yeah, I could see it being practical. But throwing in all these extras would just up the cost for no real good reason. If I want to listen to MP3s, I have my ipod. If I want to surf the internet, I have my laptop. If I want to watch videos or movies, I have a portable DVD player.

I can see how combining all of these things into one machine would be appealing, but really, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Not everyone is going to be interested in all of the included features, and therefore they'd rather buy only what they need, not to mention it'd be cheaper.

 

[soundwave05]

I can see how combining all of these things into one machine would be appealing, but really, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Not everyone is going to be interested in all of the included features, and therefore they'd rather buy only what they need, not to mention it'd be cheaper.

I think the "anti-converganists" will be eating crow in about a year or so though. I agree maybe for home game consoles, that convergance isn't that big of a deal. But for portables, I think it's a totally different ball game.

The reason is people and their schedules are always changing. Just the other day I got stuck waiting at the repair shop because the shop didn't have the proper filter for the oil change I was getting. So I ended up blowing 30 minutes there just playing some crappy cell phone games. I have a Nintendo DS and an i-River MP3 player, but I didn't have either of those with me. For portable products there really is a benefit in just being able to have one device that does it all.

PSP's extra functionality will be a big hit and I think you will see Apple move to i-Pods that can do more than just play music -- they already are, look at i-Pod Photo. i-Pod Video is probably not that far behind, that will probably be out within this year. After that, who knows? Maybe some basic Mac OS functionality for i-Pods for things like daily scheduling.

Convergance will be the future for portable devices because its more convienant for the consumer. The problem right now is a little like what the MP3 market was before Apple made the i-Pod. There isn't one product that does all those things well.

PSP is very, very close, the only thing I think keeping it from being the "Holy Grail" of portable devices is the fact that current PSP models do not have a built-in HDD. Maybe some time in the future Sony will add that functionality, probably after a while of Apple continuing to kick their asses in the portable audio market, then they'll decide to make PSPs with HDDs built-in ... I'm just speculating that maybe Microsoft will beat them to the punch.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Right, but it wouldn't give Microsoft an advantage to sell this super-handheld at a price the average consumer would be willing to pay for it, while taking a gigantic hit in the wallet at the same time.

If it was all (or at least mostly) about the games, then yeah, I could see it being practical. But throwing in all these extras would just up the cost for no real good reason. If I want to listen to MP3s, I have my ipod. If I want to surf the internet, I have my laptop. If I want to watch videos or movies, I have a portable DVD player.

I can see how combining all of these things into one machine would be appealing, but really, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Not everyone is going to be interested in all of the included features, and therefore they'd rather buy only what they need, not to mention it'd be cheaper.

Thing is, we've reached a point where practically any handheld device can do all of those things to some extent. The GBA was probably the last generation of dedicated gaming portables not to have the processor power to satisfactorily decode MP3s or video. i personally think cell phones are going to be the devices to beat when it come to all-in-one personal technology given the fact that practically everyone has one, and that they always have them with them. They may not be the best for gaming or movies, but they get the job done, many have useful PDA features, a camera, and music playback is slowly picking up.

 

[cloudwalking]

Convergance will be the future for portable devices because its more convienant for the consumer.

I agree with you there. People have busy lives, they want less to deal with, less stuff they have to carry around, less worries. So that makes perfect sense. Making it cost effective is the hard part. But, then again, electronics drop in price pretty quickly, especially as the industry evolves and new and different things are introduced.

 

[soundwave05]

Thing is, we've reached a point where practically any handheld device can do all of those things to some extent. The GBA was probably the last generation of dedicated gaming portables not to have the processor power to satisfactorily decode MP3s or video. i personally think cell phones are going to be the devices to beat when it come to all-in-one personal technology given the fact that practically everyone has one, and that they always have them with them. They may not be the best for gaming or movies, but they get the job done, many have useful PDA features, a camera, and music playback is slowly picking up.

I agree in part too. That "Sidekick II" from T-Mobile seems to be headed in that direction. I think also being able to surf the internet/check your email on the go is going to be a big thing in the future. You can sorta do that these days, but its always awkward and limited, those things will change though.

In general the state of portable electronics is going to change dramatically in the next 3 years or so.

The i-Pod and the PSP are just the beginning. What the average 18-year-old can do with a little portable device that fits into their pocket is going to be dramatically different than what most of them are able to do right now.

I think if Microsoft doesn't do anything directly, Sony or Apple will likely control this new market of high-end convergant portable devices. I just can't see the likes of Gizmondo or Creative Labs being a serious challenger. It almost makes a Nintendo-Microsoft partnership make perfect sense, but that'll never happen.

For me personally the PSP is *almost* the perfect device. I wish it was smaller (fold out design) and had a HDD built in. Maybe in the future I guess.

 

[jarrod]

So... what should they call it? Xboy or Xpod?

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

At the moment, I don't think MS is interested in handheld gaming. They are focused on Xbox Next and taking a chunk out of Sony's dominance in home consoles in the next generation of systems. I think they want to stay on target with that goal for the time being, and are probably enjoying the fact that Sony is focused on the PSP at the moment, allowing Microsoft to sneak up on them a little bit.

Now, in three years or so, I could see that changing. Sony and MS may be battling it out neck and neck in the console wars, and Microsoft may see an opportunity to launch a handheld at that time. Launch a new system halfway into the life of Xbox Next to help offset costs and build on momentum. On the other hand, with MS, who can ever tell where they are headed exactly.

 

[tedtropy]

Same with the PSP......

Theres mobile devices and then theres practical mobile devices.

Ryudo, could you do all we wee dial-up users a favor and resize your avatar. Having a large-sized 115KB avatar resample down to basically the size of an icon ain't cool. Thanks.

 

[mashoutposse]

MS is probably waiting for Sony to create a market for them. Also, there are some significant engineering hurdles to overcome; they're probably waiting for such a handheld to become feasible to build.

 

[jedimike]

I also think they will try to develop a handheld device, but games won't be it's main selling point. They(MS) are one of the backers of TiVoToGo, which lets you transfer files from your TiVo to your PC or a "portable device". MS really wants to expand Windows Media Center, so they could use the portable for that as well. Then they have the portable OS and portable office suites for palm functions in the device and finally they have their games division.

MS would be foolish not to try and develop something to incorporate these features. Of course, they could just heavily back current PDA manufacturers to make something. Reduces risk and puts them back in their comfort zone, which is software.

edit: moved from other thread, more appropriate here.

 

[open_mouth_]

I don't think Microsoft would create their own hand-held, per se, but rather a handheld "standard" that would be licensed out to hardware manufacturers, to offset costs. I just don't see Microsoft jumping into the handheld market on it's own unless the Xenon is a resounding success and finally nets them a profit.

 

[Timbuktu]

Making hardware is not the MS way of doing things, that's the Apple way. As people have said, they're creating a standard at the moment and are betting the Apple and it's iPod would not be able to compete against all the other makers, it was the same strategy that pushed the Mac into a niche.

 

[Shogmaster]

XBOY!!!!!!

 

[Gaia Theory]

Microsoft has said time and again - they are NOT going to be making a gaming handheld.

 

[imastalker co.]

im too drunk for this one.... 7:36AM.

granted, im up for discussion, but do we really need more BS in the portable market?

i can touch my games as of now. there might not be any killer apps, but the potential is there.

im happy.

 

[imastalker co.]

p.s. paradigm shift.

 

[jedimike]

Microsoft has said time and again - they are NOT going to be making a gaming handheld.

No, they have said time and time again they will not be making the hardware for a portable. However, it seems plausible that adding game fuctions via XNA to one of their Media Center portable devices would be a worthwhile investment.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/26/no_mobile_console_for_microsoft/

Speaking the Game Developers Conference, Moore confirmed that although the company will continue to support game developers working on its mobile operating systems - which are used in certain smartphones and PDAs - with the launch of a version of the XNA platform for these devices, Microsoft has no intention of entering the market with hardware of its own.

"It's not our core competency," Moore told our correspondent in San Jose. "For us [the mobile market] is all about providing software solutions."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/155236_msftnotebook05.html

 

[Amir0x]

Screen sucks compared to PSP... it's a failure!

 

[LakeEarth]

Pffft, what if? What if I'm taking a shower tomorrow and I slip on a bar of soap! ... OH MY GOD I'D BE KILLED!

 

[DHGamer]

Kotor Portable sequel?!? ...Sign me up

 

[Trakball]

Gizmodo, anyone?