News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[Squilliam]

I have a question:

Would it be cheaper to use the same chips for both the 360 and next model and simply use a salvage part for the former if it is a compatible CGPU with full backwards compatibility than it would be to use different chips?

Would a business strategy of say:

2012: Release an Xbox 360 + with Blu Ray/Kinect 2.0 and new system on chip at old price.

2013/14: Release Xbox next with full version of CGPU and use salvage parts for Xbox 360+

2015: EOL old 360 software support.

2016: Drop old Xbox 360+. reposition Xbox next in price bracket.

Make sense?

 

[AlphaWolf]

Why would there be an xbox360 with blu-ray? The only thing they could do with it is play movies.

 

[Squilliam]

Why would there be an xbox360 with blu-ray? The only thing they could do with it is play movies.

Forwards compatibility? They could sell the same game which played on any future Blu Ray capable Xboxes.

 

[AlphaWolf]

DVD is already forwards compatible with a blu-ray drive. I really don't see them launching an sku of the 360 with a blu-ray. No one is going to ship software on blu-ray for it, because it means locking out 70million xbox owners.

 

[Squilliam]

DVD is already forwards compatible with a blu-ray drive. I really don't see them launching an sku of the 360 with a blu-ray. No one is going to ship software on blu-ray for it, because it means locking out 70million xbox owners.

What about releasing dual layer with both blu ray and DVD? That way if you've got the space you can support all present and future consoles with the one game release without needing multiple skus

 

[AzBat]

Next Xbox console started manufacturing? I bet it's the first dev kit if anything.

The next Xbox console is apparently in the manufacturing stages. According to an IGN source, assembly of the next-generation Xbox hardware started recently at the Austin, Texas branch of Flextronics. This is the same electronics company currently assembling Xbox 360 hardware, and is the manufacturer of the original Xbox.

Prior to reaching the manufacturing stage, Flextronics created a new testing group separate from the rest of the company. This team was solely dedicated to comprehensive marketing, software, and hardware tests of the next Xbox. With that activity concluded, Flextronics started building the hardware -- but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the Durango soon.

The most likely case here is that new manufactured hardware would be development kits, consoles created specifically so game designers know what they’re working with. Microsoft said flat-out it wasn’t debuting a new console at E3, so rumors regarding new manufactured boxes probably wouldn’t stack up to a reveal.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/03/is-microsoft-already-manufacturing-the-next-xbox

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

I cant figure out any way this makes sense (even for dev kits), so I chalk it up to IGN is stupid.

Xbox 360 Lite? MS could be doing a stealth ship at E3 like they did for the slim.

Tommy McClain

 

[rekator]

Xbox 360 Lite? MS could be doing a stealth ship at E3 like they did for the slim.

Tommy McClain

A first batch of alpha or beta dev Kit 18 months before launch (if launch is end 2013) is not impossible. Now are these dev kit are the final dev kit, probably not.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

But arent they talking about design? Arent dev kits normally just PC boxes with the internals shoved inside?

 

[AzBat]

Looks like more rumors. This time from Nukezilla(thanks Babybumb)...

Next Xbox to have Backwards Compatibility, 10 Year Lifespan

the next Microsoft console will have hardware based backwards compatibility <SNIP> there is a plan to remove BC from the follow-up to the Xbox 360 as early as its third year on the market. They are aware that pulling BC support too early is an issue though, citing cases of BC Playstation 3s selling for highly inflated prices in ebay.

http://nukezilla.com/2012/05/02/exc...ave-backwards-compatibility-10-year-lifespan/

Early Details on Microsoft’s ‘Kinect 2′

some of the goals Microsoft has for the next version of Kinect include a better RGB HD camera, dedicated processing, four player simultaneous tracking, better tolerance for less than perfect lighting conditions, better voice recognition and an improved “3D play space” <SNIP> That last point is addressed multiple times in the documents, which at one point say, “Kinect sees your living room better than ever which means there’s no need to re-arrange furniture. Play seated or standing with your entire family.” <SNIP> It also appears that Kinect 2 will come in the form of two separate cameras, as seen in the above image. One of the documents does raise questions about whether the unit will ship with one camera or two.

http://nukezilla.com/2012/05/01/exclusive-early-details-on-microsofts-kinect-2/

Next Xbox to have Blu-ray, Support Augmented Reality Glasses

According to documents seen by Nukezilla, Microsoft’s Innovation Center in Foraleza, Brasil has been developing a set of augmented reality glasses for some time now. <SNIP>

The glasses won’t be included with the next Xbox console, or even available at the system’s launch, but there are already plans in place to make the two technologies work together. No concrete release date is given, but the documents suggest sometime in 2014 at earliest. <SNIP>

“All in one modern entertainment box with native 1080p 3D video capabilities, Blu-ray and multiple power states.” <SNIP>

“At launch we believe Yukon ships with a multi-format ODD with Blu-ray support. This fulfills two key launch requirements: 1) position Yukon as the only box you need and 2) support backwards compatibility. It is not a requirement that game discs ship on Blu-ray (whether we support that or not can be a late binding decision). Blu-ray, much like backwards compatibility, is a user perception issue more than anything else. Having it removes one more barrier to purchase and leaves our competition with one fewer talking point. Of course this does not preclude a SKU being offered without and ODD at a reduced price point. This should be planned for as our audience moves more and more to digital distribution.” <SNIP>

“Yukon will enable the next step in cross screen functionality. At its most basic Yukon will be little different than a PC, Windows Phone or Slate albeit with a unique I/O interface. Developers and Creators will be able to deliver application experiences across three screens easily and dependably via HTML5 authoring and the scotch platform. The platform will enable cross platform game development to allow companion gaming experiences.”

http://nukezilla.com/2012/05/04/exc...ve-blu-ray-support-augmented-reality-glasses/

Next Xbox Pricing, Launch Window Revealed

It seems like there was still a debate going on within Microsoft when these documents were created. In some places it suggests a retail price of $399, in others, $299. In fact, they bring up the phrase “$2000 PC in a $300 box” multiple times.

http://nukezilla.com/2012/05/06/exclusive-next-xbox-pricing-launch-window-revealed/

Wow, that was a lot to digest. Seems like too much to be believable.

Tommy McClain

 

[Platon]

Looks like more rumors. This time from Nukezilla(thanks Babybumb)...

Next Xbox to have Backwards Compatibility, 10 Year Lifespan

http://nukezilla.com/2012/05/02/exc...ave-backwards-compatibility-10-year-lifespan/

Tommy McClain

So according to this they want to change to ARM/x86 processors and will keep the PPC ones only for BC? Seems a bit expensive. And wouldn't another problem be the EDRAM, but maybe they will have one of those just that it is not shown here...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Wow, that was a lot to digest. Seems like too much to be believable.

Your excerpts are very much in line with my thinking, except the $2000 PC in a $300 box. That's a way to just lose money. One even wonders if it's sneaky business practices, trying to scare Sony into putting in more costly hardware that their finances can't afford, when MS knows it'll be the whole experience that sells the platform. The same content on your Windows device (although if it's HTML 5 based, won't it be portable to non-MS devices? Or are they customising the HTML standard once again?) will be more important probably than slightly better visuals (depending on the competition, which we know nothing about).

So according to this they want to change to ARM/x86 processors and will keep the PPC ones only for BC? Seems a bit expensive.

Not for supporting their new software platform. A PPC console means rewriting everything for a new architecture. MS (like Sony, as AI say the same with their rumoured x86 migration) would rather just have two ISA's to support. Xenon could be a...$5 chip by then (?). It doesn't have any fancy requirements unlike Cell with its FlexIO XDR, so should be an easy addition. eDRAM may be part of the hardware, but even if not, with enough system BW it won't be needed. You don't need 256 GB/s RAM BW to support the operations of Xenos's eDRAM as it's mostly working well below that rate.

 

[Rangers]

That "Nukezilla" stuff is laughably bad.

Also as pointed out on GAF note the spellchecker squiggle under "Compat"...real professional.

For another they say 64 ALU's at 1ghz (very underpowered) then mention $2k PC in $300 box?

Finally, the codename is Durango, not Yukon.

Definitely seems like a new site looking for hits. Also it's a few days old, at least I first saw it a few days ago, even if it was only posted on GAF yesterday.

 

[manux]

Nukezilla stuff looks like internal pitch/wishlist more than a concrete spec list. Probably the stuff is still on drawing board and possibly changing.

 

[AlNom]

Who knows how old those slides are... You'd think they would have figured out which CPU architecture to use by now (x86 or ARM). *ahem* Just saying.
>_>
<_<

 

[3dilettante]

If legit, the slides would need to be pretty old by now. It's late in the game to be going "hay guys here's our choices for the CPU".

 

[orangpelupa]

better tolerance for less than perfect lighting conditions

wha.....
the current kinect already work in less then perfect lighting condition.

- it already work in darkness. The lightsource is only HDTV, i play Child of eden.
- it already work indoor with sunlight coming in. (when i open my bedroom door while playing kinect sports to get fresh air)

 

[AlNom]

wha.....
the current kinect already work in less then perfect lighting condition.

Doesn't kinect have some issues with a particular skin colour? Maybe there are problems with a certain combination of that with lighting (or clothing even). I could be wrong about that, just heard some rumblings awhile back about it.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Kinect is goddamn racist I tell you.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Who knows how old those slides are...

He even says as much:

Although these are early planning documents...

So quite possibly they're old docs, predating the current project title Durango? They lack meat. For made up rumours to drive hits, they've put in more effort than was needed, but it's hard to tell these days. The terminology is a bit odd with 64 ALU's, but slides don't include the presentation that went with them, including the guy pointing to the '64 ALU' figure and telling us they aren't arithmetic logic units but...Art Leveraging Units (??). Or pointing to them and telling us they're a typo and he meant APUs.

Doesn't really matter. The content is clearly drawing-board stuff with zero details. Things like dual-camera Kinect are probably concept/protoype ideas that could or could not feature in the final product.