Sony PS6, Microsoft neXt Series - 10th gen console speculation [2020]

[JPT]

According to the accurate Discord leak. xbox will have 3rd party consoles.It may be meaningless to discuss next xbox because 3rd party may make whatever they want. Maybe a $1000 high spec console or $500 lower spec console.

Challenge will be, how long will new games run on your $500 lower spec console? If its 3rd party, MS might just say, screw you Mr 3P HW dude, we want to release Gears of War super duper V2 MK5 and min spec is $1000 console.... How long will that take, 1,2,5,10 years?

I would rather buy a MS XBox or even just bite the bullet and get a PC.

 

[Dominik D]

This is MSX model, something I've been waiting for ever since 360 released. But I don't buy that MS would go with a third-party hardware.

 

[QPlayer]

Challenge will be, how long will new games run on your $500 lower spec console? If its 3rd party, MS might just say, screw you Mr 3P HW dude, we want to release Gears of War super duper V2 MK5 and min spec is $1000 console.... How long will that take, 1,2,5,10 years?

I would rather buy a MS XBox or even just bite the bullet and get a PC.

It is possible that future Xbox consoles will run PC versions of the game. So they will be graphically current as long as PCs with similar specifications.

If that's the case, I can imagine that the games will run slightly better on Xboxes with PC-like specs, since the hardware doesn't need to run anything other than the game in the background.

But this is all just speculation. They need to show something at the Showcase in June or we'll really be left with building a PC for gaming.

 

[JPT]

It is possible that future Xbox consoles will run PC versions of the game. So they will be graphically current as long as PCs with similar specifications.

If that's the case, I can imagine that the games will run slightly better on Xboxes with PC-like specs, since the hardware doesn't need to run anything other than the game in the background.

Well if its bonk standard windows, sure no user programs in the background, but Windows do have other stuff running (I assume my last windows install was XP). Or they mod the OS, which means another OS again. Anyway the longevity of a 3rd party PC branded as XBox will probably be a bit longer if its stock Windows. But what would be the acceptable lifecycle for one of those boxes? Consoles are 7-8 years now right? Do we expect that from 3rd party xbox'es to? Still I do belive it would be easier for MS to shaft a 3rd party than their own hardware

//edit

And yes, the same would apply to Sony, Apple, Google, Amazon, Valve etc, if they took the same route. I am curious about Valve and their steamdecks.

 

[QPlayer]

Well if its bonk standard windows, sure no user programs in the background, but Windows do have other stuff running (I assume my last windows install was XP). Or they mod the OS, which means another OS again. Anyway the longevity of a 3rd party PC branded as XBox will probably be a bit longer if its stock Windows. But what would be the acceptable lifecycle for one of those boxes? Consoles are 7-8 years now right? Do we expect that from 3rd party xbox'es to? Still I do belive it would be easier for MS to shaft a 3rd party than their own hardware

//edit

And yes, the same would apply to Sony, Apple, Google, Amazon, Valve etc, if they took the same route. I am curious about Valve and their steamdecks.

If only game sales matter, as they have in the past, it would make a lot of sense for them to only operate as a software publisher.
But here is the Game Pass subscription system, which brings in a lot of money. You should know that most of the subscribers are on Xbox consoles. Add to that the fact that they are adding more and more big games to Game Pass, and it shows that this model is successful and an important part of their future strategy. However, it also points out that they need their own consoles because of Game Pass subscriptions.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well if its bonk standard windows...

Polite correction - the term is 'bog standard'. Unless you're spawning something new.

 

[JPT]

Polite correction - the term is 'bog standard'. Unless you're spawning something new.

I claim the none native english speaker defence

 

[Charlietus]

I claim the none native english speaker defence

Bonk standard is pretty good

 

[BoardBonobo]

Unless they create a handheld, battery and game, friendly OS they are never going to make an impact int this market. They must also be willing to license whatever they create for free if they want any chance of beating SteamOS. I can't them doing either in any respectable time scale, they're already late to the handheld market like they were with the mobile market.

'bonk' standard should be the new baseline measurement adopted by this site

 

[Seanspeed]

If only game sales matter, as they have in the past, it would make a lot of sense for them to only operate as a software publisher.
But here is the Game Pass subscription system, which brings in a lot of money. You should know that most of the subscribers are on Xbox consoles. Add to that the fact that they are adding more and more big games to Game Pass, and it shows that this model is successful and an important part of their future strategy. However, it also points out that they need their own consoles because of Game Pass subscriptions.

But they're giving people less and less reason to buy their consoles(and the sales are showing that). And they were already having trouble growing Gamepass to a level they actually needed. This is only going to make it harder. Phil saying that they want Xbox consoles to sell based on 'capabilities' when that's never even been the second biggest priority of what people look for in a console, let alone the first.

There's seriously no good avenues for them to go down at this point. They've screwed themselves right and good.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

But they're giving people less and less reason to buy their consoles(and the sales are showing that). And they were already having trouble growing Gamepass to a level they actually needed. This is only going to make it harder. Phil saying that they want Xbox consoles to sell based on 'capabilities' when that's never even been the second biggest priority of what people look for in a console, let alone the first.

That's mostly true because they had different libraries. If they played all the same games, this would be the only deciding factor, same as for a DVD player or TV that shows exactly the same content but in a different way and with different interface.

Of course, so long as Sony hold out publishing on XB consoles, PS has a library advantage. But if XB hardware just plays Windows games and Sony games are on Windows...

 

[Seanspeed]

Of course, so long as Sony hold out publishing on XB consoles, PS has a library advantage.

Well that's it, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Microsoft can proclaim their idealist notions all they like, but they dont exist in an ideal world where any of that is reality. So in practice, it's just a losing move.

And frankly, we know it's not really some noble idealism anyways. They would not be doing any of this if Xbox were thriving.

 

[iroboto]

That's mostly true because they had different libraries. If they played all the same games, this would be the only deciding factor, same as for a DVD player or TV that shows exactly the same content but in a different way and with different interface.

Of course, so long as Sony hold out publishing on XB consoles, PS has a library advantage. But if XB hardware just plays Windows games and Sony games are on Windows...

Not fully true. There are other levers that MS can pull on.
A) they aren’t required to discount their first party titles on retail. This is common practice of course, but Nintendo doesn’t do this, and technically MS doesn’t have to either. If you want to play all the MS titles on the cheap there is gamepass. For everyone else retail prices can be set at MSRP and never be discounted.

B) by letting go of the library, they can now differentiate on hardware. They are not required to make a mass consumer appeal console anymore. They also can work on accessories that may not exist on Sony’s platform.

C) Xbox still has some form of ecosystem lock in. If their mobile strategy is successful on android, those players will naturally be inclined to progressively move their experience from small screen to big screen. They don’t want rebuy and remake save states, so the natural evolution would be moving to Xbox console if you started with xcloud.

 

[raytracingfan]

Challenge will be, how long will new games run on your $500 lower spec console? If its 3rd party, MS might just say, screw you Mr 3P HW dude, we want to release Gears of War super duper V2 MK5 and min spec is $1000 console.... How long will that take, 1,2,5,10 years?

I would rather buy a MS XBox or even just bite the bullet and get a PC.

The easy solution is that third parties shouldn't make HW weaker than the official MSFT Xbox.

 

[Nesh]

I suspect MS will be releasing XBOX branded PCs, something like Alienware with an XBOX menu taylored for PCs

 

[Arkham night 2]

High Bandwidth Memory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Red gaming tech was hinting

HBM memory!

If true its madness!

 

[raytracingfan]

High Bandwidth Memory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Red gaming tech was hinting

HBM memory!

If true its madness!

I don't believe this is plausible for a console. GDDR7 should provide a sufficient improvement in memory bandwidth to enable a generational leap, especially if the SoC has 3D V-Cache for the CPU and Infinity Cache for the GPU as other rumors have suggested.

 

[Color me Dan]

According to the accurate Discord leak. xbox will have 3rd party consoles.It may be meaningless to discuss next xbox because 3rd party may make whatever they want. Maybe a $1000 high spec console or $500 lower spec console.

This is just thoughts falling from my brain live (welcome to the show), but I had come to understand Microsoft's dual Xbox approach to have been viewed as part in it's fall from grace, both in the eyes of consumers and developers, this gen? The one sales argument that is bulletproof for consoles is that you don't have to worry with consoles (well, aspirationally if not actually). Everything just works. Pick up and play. Devs will push the hardware to the limit, and that's your lot. Same for everyone. Enjoy!

How would a third party console ecosystem even work? Microsoft releases an internal "reference design" for different tiers like nVidia does for their GPU's? Devs happily customize and develop for different tiers? Good people of Beyond3D, my gast is flabbered by this theoretical future direction. I am flumoxed.

 

[iroboto]

How would a third party console ecosystem even work? Microsoft releases an internal "reference design" for different tiers like nVidia does for their GPU's? Devs happily customize and develop for different tiers? Good people of Beyond3D, my gast is flabbered by this theoretical future direction. I am flumoxed.

It will all depend on how MS wants to control the ecosystem.
A model that we can use as guidance will be Android.
They own the OS, Google has it's own Pixel phone, and people are allowed to buy 3rd party devices that use their won flavour/customized Android and purchase their titles from the Play Store.

In this case, to keep all the features of Xbox: Manufacturers come to MS with and form factor idea, they approve it and the SoCs are provided to the manufacturer at some cost, and the rest of the build cost is on them. Games are purchased through the Xbox Store.

The low level nature of XboxOS is not too low that there isn't wiggle room. As long as it's high enough level to work on other hardware other than the Lockhart and Scarlett chips, then there are additional options there for hardware.

 

[LiveGamer]

If Microsoft wants to be in anyway competitive they need to release their next console with Nvidia. AI is taking over the graphics domain. AMD is so far behind and there's no telling when they will catch up.

Microsoft is also in the unique position of being the only console maker with an OS that can change GPU and/or CPU providers and still have BC. Sony and Nintendo are stuck if they want to maintain BC. Microsoft NEEDS to take advantage of this.

ARM with Nvidia for a home console and a handheld with tensor cores, ray tracing cores and the whole suite of Neural tech would really shake up the current dynamic.

Games are already built tailored to Nvidia's technologies. The Switch 2 will also help with this.

Going with AMD again with no differentiation between what Sony has is fast tracking them to being irrelevant in the console hardware space.

This seems so obvious to me. If they go with AMD or they do this whole 3rd party thing (which means no one's hardware will be maximized plus they will be expensive) will result in sales less than the original Xbox. In that world you might as well just buy a PC.