News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[Squilliam]

I would say that what Microsoft is doing with the rumours of the extra functionality is to help make the extra 'features' such as the HDD and Kinect pay for themselves. Whilst you may not be able to justify having both Kinect and a HDD which probably means about $100-120 extra on the B.O.M and $200 retail for a machine which only plays console games. These features whilst they do add value from the perspective of just playing console games, if they can put them to use with multimedia they can spread the cost to that area as well.

Sony may have struggled to sell a $499 PS3 + accessories and games in the U.S.A. however Microsoft ought to have better luck selling a $299 Xbox 3 + $15 month subscription which can do work as a TV box as well as a games machine.

 

[wco81]

$15 a month for what, online gaming?

 

[Squilliam]

Also for hardware, an extension of their $99 xbox 360 deal.

 

[Rangers]

Also for hardware, an extension of their $99 xbox 360 deal.

Which judging by the fact their NPD numbers havent moved since that deal began, has amounted to little.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Which judging by the fact their NPD numbers havent moved since that deal began, has amounted to little.

Exactly how large an impact did you expect in year 7? It might be a more appealing option on a box retailing for $500.

 

[upnorthsox]

Exactly how large an impact did you expect in year 7? It might be a more appealing option on a box retailing for $500.

But then you wont get the same deal.

 

[AlphaWolf]

But then you wont get the same deal.

No kidding, but it could well appear to be a much better deal when compared with the competition and the potentially much higher entry cost of a new console.

 

[upnorthsox]

No kidding, but it could well appear to be a much better deal when compared with the competition and the potentially much higher entry cost of a new console.

Or it could mainly be used by people who would normally have paid in full except now you'd have to wait 3 yrs to fully recoup the sale.

 

[kagemaru]

Or it could mainly be used by people who would normally have paid in full except now you'd have to wait 3 yrs to fully recoup the sale.

It's an additional option and anyone who makes the choice should be well aware of what they are agreeing to.

IIRC the current option actually saves the buyer ~$10, so it could be a good value in the end. I can see people jumping on a $200+2 year contract deal instead of paying $400-$500 up front.

 

[Silenti]

It's an additional option and anyone who makes the choice should be well aware of what they are agreeing to.

IIRC the current option actually saves the buyer ~$10, so it could be a good value in the end. I can see people jumping on a $200+2 year contract deal instead of paying $400-$500 up front.

Throw something else in too. What if it is a DVR? Most rent theirs from a cable company at 8-13$/month/per box. If it acts as a DVR, that 15/month 200 upfront for a brand new console looks even better.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

It's an additional option and anyone who makes the choice should be well aware of what they are agreeing to.

IIRC the current option actually saves the buyer ~$10, so it could be a good value in the end. I can see people jumping on a $200+2 year contract deal instead of paying $400-$500 up front.

I think Sox's point was that it might be a negative for Microsoft. The same population that would normally buy the NextBox is the same population that would be using this deal, so MS would end up waiting to recover the revenue.

I'm not sure when MS gets paid currently, upon shipment to the store or sale through to the customer? If they don't get paid until sell through then Sox might have a point. Instead of getting $499 per sale, they'll only get $200.

Which means the financing charges for the deal would have to be higher than the current deal, so it would have to cost the buyer instead of saving them as is the case on the current deal. Which, in turn, makes it less attractive to all involved and therefore, less likely an option.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I doubt MS is even handling that financing. They probably sub that to a financial institution.

 

[kagemaru]

I always thought, just like software, retailers pay for the system and it's up to them to make the sale while MS already has their money. Might explain why only a select few retailers offer the plan program.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

I doubt MS is even handling that financing. They probably sub that to a financial institution.

Youre right. duh. MS would still get the full sale price, the financing company would deal with the rest. I dont know why I didnt think of that.

 

[AzBat]

Latest from The Verge...

Microsoft 'Xbox TV' device due in 2013 with casual gaming and streaming

Microsoft is building an Xbox set-top box. Multiple sources familiar with Redmond's plans have confirmed to The Verge that the company plans to introduce a low-cost alternative to its Xbox console, designed to provide access to core entertainment services. The move will allow Microsoft to further increase its presence in the living room, providing consumers with a choice between a set-top box or a full next-generation Xbox console.

We're told that the set-top box is part of a two-SKU strategy for Microsoft's next-generation of Xbox hardware that will be unveiled in 2013, with a release date ahead of the holiday shopping season. The device will run on the core components of Windows 8 and support casual gaming titles rather than full Xbox games typically found on a dedicated console. Although hardware specifications aren't fully locked down, we understand Microsoft will use a chipset to enable an "always on" device that boots quickly and resumes to provide near-instant access to TV and entertainment services.

Microsoft's Xbox set-top box work is said to be part of a broader effort to ensure its core architecture for the next-generation Xbox is scalable enough to be put together to run on a number of devices. We understand that the company could opt to combine its core system for the next Xbox with a phone stack to deliver a phone capable of running a full version of Microsoft's Xbox Live services. It has also investigated providing this functionality to TV OEMs, who could include the core services as part of a licensed Xbox television set.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/21/3674802/xbox-tv-set-top-box-casual-gaming-streaming-2013

 

[Proelite]

Xbox RT = Phones, Tablets, Setup-Box

Durango = Xbox RT chip, same OS, Apps and casual games as Xbox RT
AND Xbox x86 games

Xbox RT innards:
ARM SOC with 2GB of LDDR3 RAM

Durango innards:
ARM SOC with 2GB of LDDR3 RAM
AMD SOC with 4GB+ of DDR4 RAM

PC = Xbox x86 ports.

 

[bkilian]

Xbox RT = Phones, Tablets, Setup-Box

Durango = Xbox RT chip, same OS, Apps and casual games as Xbox RT
AND Xbox x86 games

Xbox RT innards:
ARM SOC with 2GB of LDDR3 RAM

Durango innards:
ARM SOC with 2GB of LDDR3 RAM
AMD SOC with 4GB+ of DDR4 RAM

PC = Xbox x86 ports.

We did the two-cpu thing for HD DVD (although then it was MIPS and x86) and trust me, _no one_ wants to do that.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

We did the two-cpu thing for HD DVD (although then it was MIPS and x86) and trust me, _no one_ wants to do that.

Except that the leaked slides from over a year ago (that Microsoft actively tried to make disappear, thus rendering them rather genuine) were pretty much explicit about having two distinct CPUs. One was a SoC/APU and the other seemed to have a discrete GPU. No word on architecture, though.

 

[bkilian]

Except that the leaked slides from over a year ago (that Microsoft actively tried to make disappear, thus rendering them rather genuine) were pretty much explicit about having two distinct CPUs. One was a SoC/APU and the other seemed to have a discrete GPU. No word on architecture, though.

It's a nightmare for designers: Do they share the same buses? How do they access memory? If CPU1 is streaming from memory, can CPU2 access any, or is it cache only at that point? How do they interact with the GPU?

In HD DVD, all access to memory was through the MIPS chip, and there was a proprietary bus that allowed the x86 to request memory and send data, it was complex, painful, and slow. These are not words game developers want to hear.

 

[wco81]

Description makes it sound like AppleTV. Use a mobile SOC to run some streaming apps. as well as mobile games.

The kind of games would obviously be for a different audience than the core gamer, so they can probably make them cheap. And probably try to leverage them for W8 and WP8 devices.