Microsoft Xbox Reveal Event - May 21, 2013

[Deleted member 13524]

Yes, the console looks as if it had lots of high-quality D/A and power circuitry in there for powerful analog outputs..

And then there's only digital outputs, and the SoC is only 100W, so what gives?

I don't care much for box design but that is really... design-less? Not a deal-breaker though.



BTW, anyone else noticed the HDMI-in connector in the back?

 

[AstoundingHolmes]

Lot'S of pics at WIRED:

Those memory traces... this does sorta explain why MS PR were so incredulous about Sony not showing off the PS4 box. It must require a forklift.

Or not, Billy Idol's pic makes it look quite reasonable in size.

 

[-tkf-]

Isn't that the 360?

edit: nvm too many ports

It looks smaller in these pictures.. very nice kit

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/xbox-one-development-photos/#slideid-138497

AND BEHOLD THE PSU IS INTEGRATED!

 

[DJ12]

Does Europe not have a crazy obsessions with managing fantasy sports teams like proper football (FIFA manager or the like) etc?

Not really.

Some hardcore fans get into that, but not enough that you would try and sell a console to them.

 

[jonabbey]

Either they are very building very aggressive against a new RROD disaster and/or they have something a tad more juicy than what we expect..

Wired is saying they're on 40nm.

 

[loekf]

Lot'S of pics at WIRED:

Rough guess... SoC BGA is ~50 mm x 30 mm, assume laminate / PCB inside with 2 dies (DRAM / ESRAM and CPU/GPU combo like the Wii U. AMD Trinity GPU in 32nm is ~250 mm2 => SQRT (250) = ~15 mm x ~15 mm. Add some secret sauce, so maybe it's even 300 mm2 in 32nm ? From the WiiU it seems like 32 MB eDRAM is 2-3 mm2.

So should fit.

However, I can't imagine Microsoft went with 32nm. Should be 28 nm TSMC, which probably doesn't give much for die size (??), but lowers power.

PS: guess the second IC on the left (another large BGA) is the south bridge or I/O chip (= SATA, audio out, PCIe)

PS2: 10 DRAM chips ???? Maybe they are using two seperate DRAM controllers, but why 6 chips on one side and 4 on the other ?

 

[2real4tv]

You think the used game policy is why they are getting exclusive support from EA?

 

[Accord1999]

Does Europe not have a crazy obsessions with managing fantasy sports teams like proper football (FIFA manager or the like) etc?

Why would they, when for the most part they can simply and legally gamble on the sport?

 

[dobwal]

They did pretty much what I'd expect, concentrate on what Sony didn't, the overall experience of using the box.
I thought it was probably as good as it could have been for what it was, there will be some backlash with so few games shown.
I'd like to understand how the live TV integration works exactly.
MS will show games at E3, Sony will have probably have less new stuff to reveal there having shown a lot of stuff at the reveal, so we'll see how that goes.

Agreed. They pulled an Apple pretty much, who tends to concentrate on features versus tech. With E3 around the corner, there isn't much need to show a ton of games.

Want to see how much actual hardware information comes out of Major Nelson.

Todd Holmdahl, Corp. Vice President, IEB Hardware
Nick Baker, Distinguished Engineer, Console Architecture
Boyd Multerer , Director of Development
Dan Greenawalt , Creative Director Turn 10 Studios

If we don't get a more intimate look at the hardware from these guys, then MS is obviously hiding the specs.

 

[babybumb]

How many cable boxes actually have HDMI CEC. This is a huge issue for TV functionality to work as advertised

 

[Nisaaru]

Does Europe not have a crazy obsessions with managing fantasy sports teams like proper football (FIFA manager or the like) etc?

It's definitely not some social group event I'm aware of. The US sports bar concept is also alien. Sure, people might go to a bar/restaurant/home to watch some football game between friends, drink some beer and eat some snacks but that's it.

 

[jonabbey]

Allow me a few sentences of total geek-out on this: A new 500-GB hard drive was designed in-house, likewise a custom-built Blu-ray–capable optical drive. A single 40-nanometer chip contains both the CPU and GPU rather than the two dedicated 90-nm chips needed in the 360. In fact, a custom SOC (system on a chip) module made by AMD contains the CPU/GPU chip, the memory, the controller logic, the DRAM, and the audio processors, and connects directly to the heat sink via a phase-change interface material. Whew.

40nm. No wonder the box is huge.

 

[bkilian]

I will keep saying this untill someone tells what the big deal :

ummm....I can already switch between TV and games at the press of a button ! Whats the big deal? I don't have to change inputs, I have them all connected already !

You mean you will keep saying it until someone bans you. It's not the channel changing, it's the fact that because you're not on another input, you can do all the other stuff like voice control and snapping and Skype.

 

[loekf]

How many cable boxes actually have HDMI CEC. This is a huge issue for TV functionality to work as advertised

Don't count on UPC here in Europe with its crappy settop boxes. They can't even get HDCP working.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

With the ability to switch between movies, internet, Tv and games, how much of that 8GB RAM can the games use?

 

[Wynix]

HOLY SHIT< Now theres Tweets that the Xbox won't work without Kinect !

I don't even...

 

[BRiT]

With the ability to switch between movies, internet, Tv and games, how much of that 8GB RAM can the games use?

Those details were not revealed.

 

[DJ12]

Forgive me this probably dumb question, does transistor solely refer to the APU or could memory be included and all other chips?

 

[Brad Grenz]

How many cable boxes actually have HDMI CEC. This is a huge issue for TV functionality to work as advertised

It has an IR blaster port. Depending on the attached DVR they can use IP control, HDMI-CEC or IR to control the channel.

Interestingly, they only showed live television watching. How well can it control the guide and DVR functions? No one just watches whatever is on CBS at the moment. Does it us it's own guide or can it control the cable box one?

I think the fantasy sports stuff is also a pretty weak feature. It replicates the functionality of a smartphone or tablet people already use while watching games. Shrinking your view on the TV to get the same real time stats is not an improvement.

 

[liquidboy]

40nm. No wonder the box is huge.

28nm ... im guessing that 40nm was a typo

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/...utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Processor and graphics: as rumored, a heavily customized AMD chip that combines an eight-core CPU, a GPU tailored for DirectX 11.1 graphics and 32MB of high bandwidth embedded ESRAM memory. The 28nm chip will consume around 100 watts, which is slightly higher than current Xbox Slim and PS3, but Microsoft promises noise from the cooling fans will be "four times quieter."