Microsoft Xbox Reveal Event - May 21, 2013

[3dilettante]

That's actually a very good idea. I suppose there's all kinds of NPC type behaviour that could be pushed from the cloud without having to roll out game updates.

There's a potential convenience factor, but I wouldn't find this a particularly exciting use of cloud computing. It's little more than a content update. Computers can request data without making it a patch.

I think it's just becoming the reality that games are not going to be designed to last forever. That'll happen for PCs, consoles and handheld devices.

I'd characterize it a bit differently. As many have noted, digital data doesn't degrade and has little in the way of physical distribution cost.
What is becoming a reality is that content providers want to make it a universal design assumption that digital data that falls apart, and on their financial terms and schedule.

 

[Billy Idol]

If a dev wants to use the cloud for his game: Does he have to pay extra for it? Is this covered by higher price of games that support the cloud?
Is all of this covered by your Gold account?

This seems to be an odd issue as devs that don't use the cloud and devs that use it would be treated differently. Or maybe we get a Gold+ account (lol to myself for the +) where only + subscribers (again: lol) can use the cloud features. But than, this would mean that devs have to make a plus version and a standard version.

The cloud computing stuff sure is cloudy to me?!?!

 

[scooby_dooby]

That's actually a very good idea. I suppose there's all kinds of NPC type behaviour that could be pushed from the cloud without having to roll out game updates.

Which only makes sense because MS puts an asinine pricetag on each patch that a dev tries to push. It doesn't make a lot of sense at all if you remove those ridiculous fees and have a sane update system like Steam.

 

[eastmen]

No offense, but you gotta lay off the kool-aid.

Are you seriously suggesting a developer is going to tie a remote-server into their core game code, producing two totally different experiences for people with internet or without? Testing alone is a logistical nightmare there, not to mention you create a maintenance point for your project for eternity. Not to mention it's just a plan horrible idea from a technical standpoint with very little payoff or merit.

The only practical application I see for this stuff is some sort of server-side MMO style global computations, but that is ancient stuff we've been doing forever.

More advanced applications are syncing game saves across different devices, or even streaming from console to a remote device. What would be really cool, is if they used those 300,000 server to provide an OnLive type experience for any device (iOs, Android, Win8 etc), for all the games you own. Now THAT would be an exciting use of Cloud computing, but entirely too sensible for MS to pull off.

I'd assume there would be only one group of gamers. Those connected to the web and ms wants the console to be connected once every 24 hours. I would imagine the vast majority would connect it via wifi and it will allways be connected.

So it doesn't seem devs have to make 2 verisons of the game. Just a single one.

 

[wco81]

For all that chatter, i think the cloud will be used only for MP by devs.

Also, someone frm MS said cloud can be used to get 128 players in matches, we have already seen 256 on current gen without reaching for the clouds. Cloud talk is fluff for now. Either they show it right now, working and working well,, otherwise I can also make concept videos and talk thru it for hours.

Yeah I want to hear about which Xbone games are using the cloud and what the cloud is adding to those games that other versions (PS4, PC, iOS, etc.) don't have.

I get the sense that this cloud talk is a strategy to deflect from talk about specs comparisons.

Remember procedural textures generation? That was their answer to more limited storage capacity of DVD vs. Blu Ray. Was that really used?

Or how XNA would make games development fast but XNA is gone now, right?

Or how XBL multiplayer games would have spectator mode, so people could watch other skilled players in real time. That didn't materialize either, AFAIK.

I think people are going to want more concrete info. than buzzwords.

 

[Cyan]

Isn't this just a load of horseshit though? Are some magical new servers going to come to market in November that didn't exist 5yrs ago? And how in the world is any of this backend stuff going to ne exclusive to MS? This whole computation in the cloud thing just reeks of trendy buzzwordy garbage... "cloud computing", ya, it's cool, we've been living with it for 20yrs. It only took them a decade to figure out how to sync save files between two different devices...I'm not expecting miracles here.

Neither do I.

I am not against the cloud and its benefits, but against this internet dependency. That's why I am not completely sold on cloud services.

There is an interesting article about the cloud, Azure and all that.

http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-azure/

I am going to quote myself btw:

By forcing persistent online connections gaming companies are not helping you remove the stress of this digitally connected world but rather adding to that stress. It would cause the industry to collapse! Emails, the social networks, instant messaging, cell phones, and now even consoles, wth?

This is all things that can drain a person on a daily basis with the always constant barrage of information which is being shoved in our faces constantly. Hence why we have hobbies, and one of them is videogames.

 

[Arwin]

Certainly server hosting for multiplayer matches was ... Underused. But for XNA, that is justified for rolling back, as it makes a world of sense to have WinRT replace ot.

 

[James Car]

I think people are going to want more concrete info. than buzzwords.

Yep. And with this being the internet age, we want to see it now. There will be no waiting on the sidelines for a year waiting for their competitors to show their hand either.

Very surprised we didn't even see a mockup for how cloud assist could affect a modern game world.

 

[Cyan]

If a dev wants to use the cloud for his game: Does he have to pay extra for it? Is this covered by higher price of games that support the cloud?
Is all of this covered by your Gold account?

This seems to be an odd issue as devs that don't use the cloud and devs that use it would be treated differently. Or maybe we get a Gold+ account (lol to myself for the +) where only + subscribers (again: lol) can use the cloud features. But than, this would mean that devs have to make a plus version and a standard version.

The cloud computing stuff sure is cloudy to me?!?!

Sure! Another question mark would be if that the cloud means mandatory internet connection.

I can buy a console and go to my village, which is lost in the mountains, and I don't have internet there. What happens then? That I can't play? What kind of crappy thing is that?

I want a console that I can play anytime, anywhere.

 

[Daozang]

Very surprised we didn't even see a mockup for how cloud assist could affect a modern game world.

And that makes me very skeptical of the whole thing as well.
They didn't even provide examples...

 

[GrimThorne]

Sure! Another question mark would be if that the cloud means mandatory internet connection.

I can buy a console and go to my village, which is lost in the mountains, and I don't have internet there. What happens then? That I can't play? What kind of crappy thing is that?

I want a console that I can play anytime, anywhere.

Who doesn't? But from the moment the consoles connected themselves to the internet, we've been slowly heading towards this moment. It's only going to get worse as single player becomes less and less of a priority for developers. The walls have been steadily closing in on those of us who still like solo gaming experiences, but you can still play most of them without a connection.

I can't speak for what's coming down the road this new generation though. There's heavy emphasis on every experience being MP driven.

 

[Brad Grenz]

If a dev wants to use the cloud for his game: Does he have to pay extra for it? Is this covered by higher price of games that support the cloud?
Is all of this covered by your Gold account?

This seems to be an odd issue as devs that don't use the cloud and devs that use it would be treated differently. Or maybe we get a Gold+ account (lol to myself for the +) where only + subscribers (again: lol) can use the cloud features. But than, this would mean that devs have to make a plus version and a standard version.

The cloud computing stuff sure is cloudy to me?!?!

Honestly, I would guess paying for Live will simply be mandatory for Xbox One. I don't think there will be a free Silver option at all.

 

[RobertR1]

Honestly, I would guess paying for Live will simply be mandatory for Xbox One. I don't think there will be a free Silver option at all.

I hope there wont' be a Silver option. I want a unified experience that isn't being downgraded to cater to an audience that is holding back the system potential.

 

[DJ12]

Xbox one, only fanboys need apply.

Ms have got to go free online or they may as well not release it.

 

[James Car]

...I want a unified experience that isn't being downgraded to cater to an audience that is holding back the system potential.

Hm. I suspect many xbox gamers feel the same way wrt non-game related BOM killers in the xbone.

Myself included.

 

[bkilian]

The Halo team is using a cloud compute system. Maybe significant, maybe not.

 

[MfA]

Really? I think the TOF-sensor with all the necessary equipment alone is rather expensive. At least I have read on other forums that professional systems cost >>1000 dollar.

Assuming they use some type of electronic "shutter" it's just a piece of silicon, slightly more complex than a CCD ... but not that much more. Non recurring engineering for a custom IC used in video cameras sold in the dozens add a little more to the final price than in a console made in the millions.

 

[AzBat]

Yep. We tried to get them to remove optical out too (it increases the latency across the whole audio pipeline) but too many people still use it.

Sorry about that. I'm one of those. Still using the same Dolby Digital receiver with optical I bought back in 2003. LOL

Tommy McClain

 

[Shifty Geezer]

No offense, but you gotta lay off the kool-aid.

Are you seriously suggesting a developer is going to tie a remote-server into their core game code, producing two totally different experiences for people with internet or without?

What if the network computing ('cloud' as a term really bugs me; it's not a fluffy, environmentally friendly cloud, but a massive, energy guzzling server farm!) is used for MS exclusives as a console differentiator? Sure, you get the same games as the other console that aren't any different, but look at these awesome exclusives only possible on XB1 with the added power of Water Vapour! Fable taken to the next level with 'living' worlds beyond local computing. It'd be expensive, but MS could see it as a way to mop of free Azure cycles and promote the platform. A showcase of good uses could also precede enabling software on other platforms to use it, and MS get paid for Sony's games. If eventually we're looking at an end to consoles, taking that first step now might not be a bad idea. So maybe it shouldn't be evaluated as an unlikely resource for all devs to use, but as a differentiator for MS's first party which, at the end of the day, is the major difference between these games machines.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Maybe there is hope for people outside North America for some of the tv features.

“Particularly, we’ve received a lot of interest around the HDMI In functionality, and that really is enabling integration of television into the Xbox One console. We’ve very aware that each market has nuances in how TV is received, whether that’s through the internet, cable or satellite or free-to-air over-the-air, but all of those things have been taken into consideration so that when we deliver to market it’s a premium experience, no matter where you are.”

http://stevivor.com/2013/05/microsoft-xbox-australia-on-some-of-todays-lingering-xbox-one-questions/

There is some PR babble about the cloud at the end, and some "no info to be shared at this time" about used games and online requirements, except for a stastement that used games will be possible.