News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[expletive]

No-one's had an abundance of processing power available to 'waste' on procedural content. If MS went crazy and stuck a second 1.2 TF GPU in Durango without changing anything else, devs (at least those daring enough to invest in Durango specific engine optimisations) would start to use the compute power on non-data-dependent tasks. They wouldn't leave 1.2 TF idle lamenting, "we haven't enough BW to do anything with all that potential, so don't use it."

Since the CPUs don't seem to be receiving a generational 'leap' in computational power (just similar raw FLOPS at lower clocks/power requirements) I would think that GPU compute could be used to supplement functions that should be part of a next gen CPU? (physics, AI,etc)

 

[Cyan]

I'm guessing out of all of those, the 12 GB is the most likely. No idea how they could increase the CU count or ESRAM now.

Don't see how much benefit 12GB will bring though, they're BW limited more than anything.

Strange that the rumours aren't mentioning clock increases, as that's the most plausible out of any changes.

But we'll see in 4 days I guess.

I will stand by bkilian's words and to some extent the leaked specs. The new specs don't sound very credible to me.

However, there are people who haven't detailed the specifications -in this case they are more credible 'cos of that- but have said that they aren't what we expect.

http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/latest-new-xbox-leaks-some-old-some-new.453025687/

Don't ask me where I got this info, because I can't and won't tell you. The New Xbox team is a locked down group and only project managers know the full story. So a good portion of this is pieced together info with extrapolations based on what I think makes sense.


Specs:

Almost everything you've seen and heard is bullshit. I choose to let you hear about this at the conference so you'll be pleasantly/unpleasantly surprised (based on your agenda).

Product Announcements:

• Two products will be announced a revised Xbox 360 and a New Xbox
• Revised Xbox 360 will be rebranded as Xbox <new brand> will contain a shrinked 360 SoC and will be positioned to compete with Roku and AppleTV. Will "piggyback" onto your Cable box. Old rumors had it overlaying Xbox stuff over your cable connection. It's the other way around, will "inject" your Cable into the Xbox dash via a tile. No different than Windows Media Center. First few minutes of the conference will be focused on this. The thing may be released later next week or the following week.
• Will play current 360 library via download.
• Revised 360 won't have a DVD drive, small internal NAND flash and USB ports for controller charging and external HDDs.
• Box is bigger than Roku and much, much thinner and smaller than current 360 model.
• Price will be $150.00

• New core gaming box will be announced. This box will be branded Xbox <newbrand> and will have all of the functionality of the smaller box along with the ability to play new core games.
• No price announced until after E3, so don't hold your breath.
• Controller will include technology from MS touch mouse for web browsing, apps and menu nav.
• Here's the biggie: Two SKUs, One with updated Kinect, one without. Kinect not mandatory.
• UI is minor upgrade over NXE. No full-blown Windows RT. Smooth as butter though.
• Multi-tasking OS. Switch to OS and apps without having to leave the game. Game pauses automatically.
• Console is always on and always online. Will run in low power state via Xbox 360 SoC to download updates and interact with Smartglass. "Always online" doesn't mean that it requires Internet just to function just like "always on" doesn't mean it will work when you lose electricity. Always on, always online implies that it will function in that manner assuming you have electricity and a working Internet connection. Duh! Much ado about nothing.
• Little box will be aimed at casual gamers and big box will be aimed at core gamers.

Ancillary tidbits:

• Final devkits and SDKs won't go out until later this year. Not unusual because MS didn't release Windows 8/WP8 SDKs to developers until two months before the product launched. The rationale is that launch/launch Window games won't be able to take advantage of the improvements and functionality in time anyways. The decision behind this was the same as the other incidents: To protect their IP and prevent leaks.
• Indie devs will be happy.
• World-wide launch in question. Sorry Europe?
• Japan will not be a major focus for MS. Stronger focus on Europe and developing markets.

 

[DJ12]

Just last chance to get five minutes of fame without actually saying anything.

 

[Cyan]

The thing I don't like is the fact that there isn't going to be a worldwide launch, or that the probability of it is low.

The rumours kind of make sense -Kinect not mandatory? - if we take into account that indie developers seem to be happy with the new leaks, that's something the guy who wrote that info got right.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Developer-Microsoft-Wants-Weird-Games-f​or-Xbox-720-354005.shtml

OT..., well, sort of, but Bill Gates could help funding a more powerful hardware if he wanted to. He has become the world's richest man again. -thanks link0 :smile: for sharing-

http://www.wpcentral.com/gates-richest-man-stock-rising

 

[DJ12]

Pretty sure Bill would sooner give a billion to cure the worlds ills and not a cent to making the xbox a bit better.

Seriously theres nothing there I couldn't have made up based on what fanboys want to hear. Kinect will be mandatory as they have dedicated hardware to it inside every console and someone said kinect usage Is part of ms's trc.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The rumours kind of make sensehttp://www.wpcentral.com/gates-richest-man-stock-rising

No it doesn't. He opens with "almost everything you've seen is bullshit." Ergo everything else there is made up (and it's not like anything is even made up).

 

[eastmen]

So lets pretend the leak is real. What could they do with the xbox 360's soc during game play ? could they use it as a physics processor or just have it basicly run Kinect and the os ?

 

[Cyan]

Pretty sure Bill would sooner give a billion to cure the worlds ills and not a cent to making the xbox a bit better.

Seriously theres nothing there I couldn't have made up based on what fanboys want to hear. Kinect will be mandatory as they have dedicated hardware to it inside every console and someone said kinect usage Is part of ms's trc.

Beautiful point.

No it doesn't. He opens with "almost everything you've seen is bullshit." Ergo everything else there is made up (and it's not like anything is even made up).

I concede that you are most probably right and in fact the only credibility I give to his words is that he doesn't say anything about the specs. Aside from that, instead of just creating some specs out of the blue he mentions other issues, which is why his post is quite confusing in my mind.

Not worldwide launch -that's a bummer- and not mandatory Kinect sound very unlikely to me.

 

[Rangers]

There's many things wrong with that post. I'd dismiss it entirely.

For example

He talks of a new budget 360, with no DVD drive. The market for this console would be casuals who would use discs. Then, how are you supposed to play games on it? He says there is no drive and a small amount of NAND, so I guess that means the "external HDD's" connected by the USB ports?

So this is a console that comes with no native way to play games? Rigghhhhhtttt.

Also, the "low power 360 SOC". That's like a oxymoron. 360 chipset is old and power hungry.

Piggyback onto your cable box? This makes sense why?

Post is baloney.

 

[Jwm]

Seems to mirror various pastebin rumors, so... I will just wait for Tuesday.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[eastmen]

There's many things wrong with that post. I'd dismiss it entirely.

For example

He talks of a new budget 360, with no DVD drive. The market for this console would be casuals who would use discs. Then, how are you supposed to play games on it? He says there is no drive and a small amount of NAND, so I guess that means the "external HDD's" connected by the USB ports?

So this is a console that comes with no native way to play games? Rigghhhhhtttt.

Also, the "low power 360 SOC". That's like a oxymoron. 360 chipset is old and power hungry.

Piggyback onto your cable box? This makes sense why?

Post is baloney.

I don't believe the guy however

1) You don't need a dvd drive. He states that it has usb slots. The 360 can install games to sd cards or thumb drives . So if a customer wants to download and play a game they can do so.

2) I would assume this would be a media box meant for casual gaming and Netflix / hulu whatever else there is to do

3) Best way to sell a customer services is to see what they are watching and to then sell it to them.

Oh they are watching angel on tbs ... Well guess what for X amount a month hulu plus offers all of angel with no commercial interuptions and hundreds of other shows and so on and so forth.



Anyway a 360 price drop is coming and I wouldn't be surprised if it got a second redesign esp if the chips are on a new micron process. WE are getting to 3 years of the current slim design.

New smaller slim (maybe no drive or maybe a slim drive or something ) bump up internal flash instead of 4 gigs make it 16 gigs or something and drop the price. I believe the cheapest 360 is $200. So a $150 price point with a redsign can move quite a few units Esp if the next xbox is twice or more the price.

 

[Rangers]

1) You don't need a dvd drive. He states that it has usb slots. The 360 can install games to sd cards or thumb drives . So if a customer wants to download and play a game they can do so.

you're asking a customer to have to buy an add on to play games. That's a non-starter.

the only possssible way it works is if the "small amount of nand" is like 32gb, or enough to get started with a game or 3.

 

[mosen]

Please provide a link to the AMD VSP patent.

Maybe he means this patent.

http://www.google.com/patents/US201...&sa=X&ei=xFSWUZKME4KYPa37gKAD&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA

 

[Rangers]

not strictly a durango rumor, but some modest leaks from the verge

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/17/4340490/xbox-dashboard-update-beta-ui-changes-for-next-gen

Microsoft is preparing to update its Xbox 360 with another dashboard update. Sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans have revealed to The Verge that the dashboard update will enter into a public beta in late June or early July, with changes and updates in preparation for the next-generation Xbox. We're told that the user interface will be refreshed alongside smaller Live Tiles, similar to what Microsoft is preparing for Windows 8.1. Microsoft is also said to be tweaking the look of the Xbox dashboard, with the possibility of darker or lighter themes.

We understand Microsoft is aiming to ensure Xbox 360 users can transition over to the next-generation console and interact with existing Xbox 360 users using messaging, beacons, and achievements. Microsoft will also phase out the use of its Points system with this dashboard update, replacing it with currency and gift card options. We're told that the final update will be made available, providing the public beta testing goes to plan, in August.

ALL WILL BE REVEALED SOON

Microsoft is holding a special event at its campus in Redmond on May 21st to unveil the next-generation Xbox. Sources have revealed to us that the event will include details of the new interactive TV features that the company is building into its next console. Microsoft is also expected to show off a smaller and denser Xbox console with newly designed controllers that are said to be "flattened" in appearance. Stay tuned to The Verge for our usual live blog coverage and a special edition Vergecast on May 21st.

 

[eastmen]

you're asking a customer to have to buy an add on to play games. That's a non-starter.

the only possssible way it works is if the "small amount of nand" is like 32gb, or enough to get started with a game or 3.

If its such a non-starter how did the playstation ever sell ? 99% of the games required a memory card to play .

Besides you can download a lot of xbla games in just 8 gigs of space or even 16 gigs.

But in reality how much would 32GB of nand cost now . $5 bucks for ms ?

 

[Rangers]

If its such a non-starter how did the playstation ever sell ? 99% of the games required a memory card to play .

i dont even remember back then. are you sure?

i remember some exec saying a lot of people would just play like madden one off and literally never save a game.

anyway lets say that was 1995-2000 too.

 

[Sonic]

Memory cards were required back then because console didn't have internal storage. Well the Saturn did, but even that was only 512k and would easily be filled up by a few games, especially RPG's.

The vast majority of gamers on PS1 ended up buying memory cards in order to progress through the game. There were probably a small, yet sizable minority, who didn't purchase a memory card, but again I'd think it is less than 10% of total owners who never got one. All my friends had memory cards and multiple ones as those things were a cash cow for Sony.

 

[dobwal]

I can see you have not done your homework, so i will help you, but where will i start?

Because your reading, and also understanding what the numbers in the vgleaks articles actually represent incorrectly.

Lay person here. But by definition isn't a CU a VSP? It’s a scalar engine paired with a vector engine, the vector engine being an array of 4 SIMDs totally 64 ALUs.

So, saying a SIMD has 4 VSPs makes no sense as a better description would be 1 VSP = 1 SIMD paired to 4 scalar engines. Futhermore, someone point me in the direction where Vgleaks states 4 VSPs per SIMD because I see no reference to it.

 

[marcberry]

Lay person here. But by definition isn't a CU a VSP? It’s a scalar engine paired with a vector engine, the vector engine being an array of 4 SIMDs totally 64 ALUs.

So, saying a SIMD has 4 VSPs makes no sense as a better description would be 1 VSP = 1 SIMD paired to 4 scalar engines. Futhermore, someone point me in the direction where Vgleaks states 4 VSPs per SIMD because I see no reference to it.

Don't give it away so fast. Slow him into it.

 

[dobwal]

Don't give it away so fast. Slow him into it.

Give away what so fast? I looked at Vgleaks docs again and see no reference to even the term VSP. Futhermore, you are basically saying each SIMD has 4 CUs in it. You need to point out where Vgleaks makes reference to 4 VSPs being inside each SIMD or else it seems you are mistaken.