News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[Rangers]

I could be remembering wrong but with the 360 we knew there were contracts with ATI and IBM but it really was the block diagram (that turned out to be correct) leaked and published by TeamXbox that got the ball rolling which really set legit parameters for what we were looking at.

Worth noting that schematic came out according to my google-fu as early as February 1st 2004, and thats just what I could find. Close to two years before the 360 actually released. Although, I dont think i initially believed the schematics back then and I'm sure I'd doubt any that came out this time for a while.

Worth noting for timeline purposes imo, with a lot of gaffers still nonsensically thinking 720 is going to come out in 2012 (though at least even that nonsense finally seems to be sinking in to them that it's not happening).

I'm starting to realize along with some others there really may be something to this MS kiboshing used games thing. It would probably be pretty ginormous if they could pull it off. I've never been a big used game buyer (I figure for 5 bucks difference I'd rather have the pristine new copy by far anyway, on new-ish games) but I did pick up Killzone 3 used recently, for older games its a pretty good value and i bet a lot of people do it almost exclusively.

My initial thought/worry would be if they ban used it will just push more rampant piracy perhaps. I'm not so sure though. Publishers would love it and might be inclined to support the Xbox more than other platforms.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

We are getting a console with and without a Blu Ray drive and it has ARM, PPC, and x64 chips! It will have 8GB of memory but a lowly AMD Radeon HD 6670 class GPU. It will somehow be smaller and cheaper than the 360 and will perform a miracle launch in 2012 AND 2013--probably because the 2012 model will be recalled due to crazy defect issues caused by the heat generated from so many different CPUs in one box!

The only logical explanation is a modular system where you buy separate CPU, GPU and chassis modules from official XBox parts and assemble your own.

 

[MarkoIt]

With current DRAM technology, there is no way they can ship more than 4GB. They won't use DDR3, and they won't use 16 GDDR5 chips.
There were rumor about Apple ditching drives unit this year, I don't see many problems in a driveless console, with a large drive, and some "solid-state" media to replace it.


I'm pretty sure, that this is how Microsoft E3 will go:
- 1 hour of boring Kinect stuff, and market results.
- The speaker: " And now, just a glimpse of the future of gaming. See you at E3 2013"
- 1m 30 s of Epic(MS-owned- top new IP running on Unreal Engine 4
- Done.

 

[Rangers]

With current DRAM technology, there is no way they can ship more than 4GB. They won't use DDR3, and they won't use 16 GDDR5 chips.
There were rumor about Apple ditching drives unit this year, I don't see many problems in a driveless console, with a large drive, and some "solid-state" media to replace it.


I'm pretty sure, that this is how Microsoft E3 will go:
- 1 hour of boring Kinect stuff, and market results.
- The speaker: " And now, just a glimpse of the future of gaming. See you at E3 2013"
- 1m 30 s of Epic(MS-owned- top new IP running on Unreal Engine 4
- Done.

I guess. Dont even see the point of that really.

Interestingly when MS responded to the no disc drive rumor they said: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/exclusive-no-disc-drive-for-next-xbox/092534

“Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation"

Whats interesting about it is they keep specifically hammering the long generation theme. Even if nobody seems to be listening. You could even surmise they're warning 720 isn't due soon by reading between the lines, though of course it could mean relatively nothing.

 

[Squilliam]

Maybe the issue with the rumours is that they are some combination of fantasy, idealism and trend fitting the past into the future, I.E. no nVidia because of Xbox 1 issues.

I believe the real question to answer is what the Xbox 360 will be doing in the future because the Xbox 3 will obviously be adjusted in relation to what will happen with the 360. Knowing the fate of the 360 would tell us pretty well where the direction the Xbox 3 will fit into the market. If there is a decent revision of the Xbox 360 would we then have to expect that the nextbox is two years distant due to the level of effort applied to the old legacy system?

One thing I do wonder is if the 360 isn't enough of a good thing and a decent Xbox 3 is too much of a good thing, then wouldn't the best/easiest answer to this problem be to improve the 360 to keep it relevant rather than bring the Xbox 3 down to a level to (attempt to) satisfy all aspects of the market?

 

[AlNom]

Whats interesting about it is they keep specifically hammering the long generation theme. Even if nobody seems to be listening. You could even surmise they're warning 720 isn't due soon by reading between the lines, though of course it could mean relatively nothing.

I've been saying set top box for awhile (WRT the 28nm SoC rumours & Oban). At least this article doesn't say "Xbox Next", rather... the next xbox. *ahem* I mean, FWIW, 360S will have been around for 3 years by mid-2013. It's about time they jumped onto the next major node for cost reduction.

 

[bkilian]

Ooh! So it's going to be nVidia, is it, bkillian?

Well, I'm surprised there hasn't been a tegra or nvidia rumor yet. How about a PowerVR while we're at it?

Now watch some site like Kotaku or N4G pick that up Btw, I have some internal conflict about certain... posters... commenting in this thread. It seems so... unfair, cruel, and slightly irritating. In a good way mind you

Evil person, trying to generate buzz from a simple observation. Mind you, I also have some internal conflict about posting to threads that are about things I may, or may not, be working on. I would have stayed away from this one but the simple breadth of the rumors was too much for me not to comment on

Ehh, I was never under the impression bkillian was in a position at MS to know "stuff". Could be wrong

Well, that will have to remain a mystery, you will not see anything from me that has not been officially disclosed by MS. I like my position. I tend to check my posts twice before posting them to make sure I haven't said anything that can be misconstrued.

 

[Acert93]

Oh it wouldn't matter anyhow. You reported that the infamous forum poster known as Acert93 has been sporting a signature for 6 years, "There are no Microsoft rumors. There are only Microsoft leaks." and decided if you cannot beat them, join them. Honestly, if it is happening or not, MS would be wise to leak a ton of invalid information that looks real just to confuse the issue. Last time was so... predictable. Anyways, what better way to totally screw with fans than to have reliable sources reliably planting unreliable information?

 

[Barbarian]

Well, that will have to remain a mystery, you will not see anything from me that has not been officially disclosed by MS. I like my position. I tend to check my posts twice before posting them to make sure I haven't said anything that can be misconstrued.

Smart man!
I've made the mistake to get carried away on B3D and got in a lot of trouble for it.
So as hard as it is not to participate in the discussion, now I just sit back and enjoy all the guesswork

 

[Acert93]

You guys are no fun

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Heh, which always begs the question...

Is it better to know there are people on the forums that know things but can't say anything about them...

Or to not have them at all?

I think most of us would go with the former although it kills us to not know what they know.

Regards,
SB

 

[Nesh]

Whats interesting about it is they keep specifically hammering the long generation theme. Even if nobody seems to be listening. You could even surmise they're warning 720 isn't due soon by reading between the lines, though of course it could mean relatively nothing.

Nah, they just want to keep people interested as much as possible on the 360 before the next XBOX is officially announced. They sure dont want to lose current sales by preparing people for the next generation.

 

[Acert93]

Phil thinks the old console model is dead and it isn't about technology:

Speaking at the Develop conference in Brighton, England today he said, "I think the era of the console where hardware companies spend $3-4 billion to build a chipset and then it's supported on a tax on the software - that's the business model of the last 25-30 years - that's over.

"The new business model is going to become a combination of retail and services, and it's going to be an interesting decision for the likes of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, is the next console race about chips and CPU, clock speed and graphics, or is it about business models and monetization and discovery, and I think it's probably going to be about the latter."

 

[Rangers]

Phil thinks the old console model is dead and it isn't about technology:

Old interview. May change his tune now he works for MS.

 

[Rangers]

Nah, they just want to keep people interested as much as possible on the 360 before the next XBOX is officially announced. They sure dont want to lose current sales by preparing people for the next generation.

If this is true, then I dont see why so many think they're going to reveal Durango at E3 2012 when it presumably isn't launching until late 2013.

But yet EVERYBODY thinks that...except me

Anyway your sentiment is possible, but I do think it's wise to pay attention to what these companies actually say.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Old interview. May change his tune now he works for MS.

No kidding. He's was working for Gaikai when he said that. Their whole business model is contingent on services supplanting hardware.

 

[Nesh]

If this is true, then I dont see why so many think they're going to reveal Durango at E3 2012 when it presumably isn't launching until late 2013.

But yet EVERYBODY thinks that...except me

Anyway your sentiment is possible, but I do think it's wise to pay attention to what these companies actually say.

"So many" may be relatively few compared to the rest that either dont believe it to be revealed in 2012 or havent even thought about it
We havent seen any gallops. The only sample we ve got is us, the people who post in forums and try to follow every news.
The average joe is more likely to buy a 360 or a PS3 now. If sales got low and stagnant due to consumer anticipation for next gen, then we would expect news sooner.
Regardless whether it will be released in 2013 or 2014 companies would rarely speak much about their next product unless we are much closer to the announcement window, sometimes for strategic reasons too. They dont want competition to be able to predict their milestones

 

[babybumb]

Obsidian RPG was started 7 months ago before cancelled by MS according to kotaku

Only 20 people. Pre production?

 

[McHuj]

Obsidian RPG was started 7 months ago before cancelled by MS according to kotaku

Only 20 people. Pre production?

30 people were laid off.

I don't believe it's been stated actually how many were working on this project, only the rumored head count for the layoffs was reported.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

Phil thinks the old console model is dead and it isn't about technology:

I don't see his statement as saying so much that it isn't about technology, but rather that the costs will be recovered not only through a 'tax' on software but also through sales of services.

I think that's a completely accurate statement. The money made off of, and through, Live and PSN have to be factored into the revenue streams.

If anything, I think those new revenue streams make it more possible for Sony & MS to create even more expensive hardware sold at an even bigger loss, recognizing that they will receive additional income not only through the sales of games but also through the services they are providing through their set-top box strategies.