Microsoft Xbox Reveal Event - May 21, 2013

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I don't think he's talking about downloadable updates to game code. He's referring to the fact that right now games made for certain "firmware" versions currently require that firmware version to be installed in order to run. Each game ships with that version so that it can be installed in case the user hasn't already. With the Game OS already self contained within the game package, that's not necessarily the case anymore. Of course if the game relies on a specific App OS version, then that would need to be separately updated. But the Game OS shipping version would now be independent of that.

Ok, so I asked about your and Grall's VM questions and got this reply:

Title updates copy into the VM. It has a special structure designed for that. The rest of the "OS" as it is, is almost the same as they have in the 360 today; all 360 games ship with the OS libs linked into the game (that's the XDK you compile against).

The game VM expands that a little to also include the drivers that talk to the host. It's a few tens of megabytes, and should load in well under a second. Since a VM is partly a memory image, it loads as fast as you can copy that data into memory.
 
The decision of Microsoft to not focus on hardcore gaming reminds me of Microsoft decision to force pc users to adopt an OS (Windows 8) designed for mobile computing. As you all know, it was a disaster for Microsoft. So now, Microsoft has promised an upgrade, Windows 8.1, or Windows Blue. It seems like Xbox One will turn out to be a disaster, so should Microsoft promise an "Xbox Blue", a console for hardcore gaming? I guess it's too late for that.
 
I like the idea of cloud computing very much but internet connection will still be the limiting factor so IF cloud has to be for everyone it will have to offer something everyone can have and so I expect to have "gameplay applications" (AI, persistence, dynamism, etc..), so to speak, rather then pure graphic and performance applications.
Now I sincerely doubt it will be free since MS would have to sustain the cost of those 300K servers in some way.(is 300k the right number or I heard wrong)
 
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I have to wonder....

I'm also highly skeptical of the "cloud buzzwords," would anything that "cloud blaglebligglebuzzword" can do help more than just GIVING the console better specs in the first place? Im sure there are a minority of situations but i'm pretty certain just slapping a better GPU in would give better results most of the time....but hey, look at it this way, now we get to fund microsoft's uberserverfarmfantastic9000!
 
I am confused :???:

I don't like or care for all the gesture and TV stuff they showed. We still have SD tv and its connected to my TV and only my Mom and my niece watches it. Neither me , my Dad or my Wife watches any Television.

I don't like the Windows 8 tile based stuff they showed. Give me simple Menus, they save time and space.

I am simple gamer, who likes to switch on his console and play. My console/PC is not even in the living room. I use Headphones and game close to my screen. All of this is contrary to Kinect. :???: Sitting close to my 1080p monitor is how I see myself gaming in the future too.

Yes, we watch movies on our console, but TV died years ago , for us, atleast. Is TV such a big deal in the US, still?

Now, what I liked:

What I like is their talk of cloud enhancements to games, but unless they can promise that to all , can games use it at all? :???:

They seemed to have made a fleeting mention of recording gameplay and saving on the cloud. I like that but that was hardly explained.

My question:

With all the concurrent stuff happening, and the ability to switch from Game to TV or internet or Skype seamlessly, without quiting the game, How much of that hardware is available for the Game developers to use? How much of that 8 gb DDr3 and how much of the 8core CPU and GPU is free for the Devs?

Cos in the end, that is what is going to define the actual quality of games on the Xbox and not the other stuff ! This is B3D, and I think its th ebest and most civil place to ask.
 
Dude, it doesn't matter what I say, you've already made your mind up. One of my favorite games this generation was 99 nights. It had hundreds of enemies on screen, with kind of crappy ai. Move the ai to the cloud, and you can have thousands of smart enemies on screen simultaneously. Single player game, doing something using the cloud that the console cannot do alone, requiring only a few KB per update bandwidth.

And what would this bring to 99 nights specifically...?
It's not a simulation, it's a game.
In a simulation, hundreds of enemies around you, means you are dead.
And the enemies in 99 nights, are dumb equally because of limitations as well as design.

I can't think of an example, except perhaps on strategy games, where cloud computing of that sort, will enrich the gaming experience...
 
After what they demoed today, is it surprising? The whole experience is sold on being able to interact with a slick voice and gesture controlled UI.

Now the other part of the rumor was Kinect needing to be calibrated in order for the console to function. So.. no turning it around and facing the empty corner of a room? Will we need to break out the mannequins..?

i love how everybody's so concerned about privacy now when every single laptop, tablet and cell phone has a camera in it. are they also beaming everything back to headquarters?
 
i love how everybody's so concerned about privacy now when every single laptop, tablet and cell phone has a camera in it. are they also beaming everything back to headquarters?

I think that it's because kinekt has the ability to be used as a tool for marketing as well as studying behavior, and that's what creeps people out.
 
i'm confused about the size of the thing based on one gaf post that claimed it's smaller than a x360 slim. wait what?

in the photos it tends to look huge.

also if it's only 100 watts why does it need to be so big?
 
Well, I like the example bkillian gives...such a game could be really cool...just think about a Gears style Horde mode but large scale with an army of human players against a super large army if AI controlled bastards...cool!
 
What I like is their talk of cloud enhancements to games, but unless they can promise that to all , can games use it at all? :???:

They dint'say it.
They have 300K servers which IMO hints at a service for everyone and not just for few.

Also I wonder if every developer/publisher will be able to use MS serves.

With all the concurrent stuff happening, and the ability to switch from Game to TV or internet or Skype seamlessly, without quiting the game, How much of that hardware is available for the Game developers to use? How much of that 8 gb DDr3 and how much of the 8core CPU and GPU is free for the Devs?

Big question there.
IMO considered all the stuff they want to do simultaneously the 2GB for the OS + 1 reserved for eventual update hinted by (((interference))) make sense.
 
I think that it's because kinekt has the ability to be used as a tool for marketing as well as studying behavior, and that's what creeps people out.

It creeps me too. The fact that it constantly analyzes and collects all kinds of data from me and its always on makes it a whole different story than a simple camera on laptop or smartphone that exists to just take images when I want to.
And the recent pass of CISPA makes this even more scary
 
Well, I like the example bkillian gives...such a game could be really cool...just think about a Gears style Horde mode but large scale with an army of human players against a super large army if AI controlled bastards...cool!

Yeah that sounds nice. :)

I think though, that AI in games, is supposed to be cannon fodder.
If you can simulate a battle of huge scale, it's infinitely more interesting to have more players than more bots.
The human mistake is what makes the experience fun.
Anyway, I guess that we'll know soon enough.
E3 is just around the corner!
 
gaf has a rate the xbox conference poll stickied

so far 47% of people rated it a 1/10. 15% a 2/10, and 13% a 3/10. those were far and away the most popular choices, in fact except for a slight blip at the top, the poll perfectly follows a lower number=more votes model.

this is getting pretty ridiculous. unless people are just doing their usual nonsense of "i heard something about always online no used games 1/10" there's no way that show was that bad.

some site also had a twitter poll, ps4 vs xbone, 86% chose ps4 14% xbone.

like i said, getting just out of hand.
 
gaf has a rate the xbox conference poll stickied

so far 47% of people rated it a 1/10. 15% a 2/10, and 13% a 3/10. those were far and away the most popular choices, in fact except for a slight blip at the top, the poll perfectly follows a lower number=more votes model.

this is getting pretty ridiculous. unless people are just doing their usual nonsense of "i heard something about always online no used games 1/10" there's no way that show was that bad.

some site also had a twitter poll, ps4 vs xbone, 86% chose ps4 14% xbone.

like i said, getting just out of hand.

The twitter battle is here :

http://asia.gamespot.com/twitter-battle/xbox-vs-ps4/
 
It creeps me too. The fact that it constantly analyzes and collects all kinds of data from me and its always on makes it a whole different story than a simple camera on laptop or smartphone that exists to just take images when I want to.
And the recent pass of CISPA makes this even more scary

Yeah...
I can't say that it's comparable to a simple laptop camera...
Some marketing people could kill for this kind of data.!:p
 
They dint'say it.
They have 300K servers which IMO hints at a service for everyone and not just for few.

Also I wonder if every developer/publisher will be able to use MS serves.



Big question there.
IMO considered all the stuff they want to do simultaneously the 2GB for the OS + 1 reserved for eventual update hinted by (((interference))) make sense.

They did mention the cloud thing at the conference clearly. He even mentioned it can be used for persistent worlds (MMOs?) and AI computing.

And for the memory, so u guys saying only 5GB DDR3 will be available to the games? ANd any news on any restrictions on the other hardware?
 
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