News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[Platon]

I look at Kinect has a bonus, for me it is for voice commands, but I get this really cool motion controller for the kids and they love it. So I guess that is my justification, the kids! lol

I was leaning to jump ship this gen from the 360 and get a PS4, more power less money and stuff. However, having a one year old at home and most likely two years before I get the next gen console, does put things in perspective.

I think in this case kinect should offer at least the possibility of gaming even for him making it more accessible, much more so then a controller. The thing I'm waiting to see is what kind of kinect/children games there will be, something waving hands jumping around should do. And as we have a Sony xperia tablet that we use daily with him maybe we "need" and XB1 to not make him into a brand fanboy already ...

 

[Platon]

Agree. $500 is not good value for the 90% of people that will be buying launch consoles to play Madden, BF4, and COD. MS has not shown a "killer app" that requires Kinect. I think a pre-launch relaunch is a smart idea. I think its suicide to charge a premium without showing a premium experience. Xbox1/kinect is PS3/Bluray all over again, only a bit worse. Launch availability will not be the issue it was in past, due to the mature tech in these machines. Both companies will be cranking them out pretty quickly.

My gut says MS underestimated hardcore backlash and assumed they would get good early adopter/hardcore support to lead them into their casual consumer based strategy. The surveys and numbers are probably painting a bleaker picture.

The thing that is derailing the whole strategy is the casual go for two things. 1) Fads. Im sorry wii, as far as the casuals are concerned, was a fad despite what hardcore nintendo fans would have you believe. 2) Monkey See buyers. they buy what everyone else is buying. Back to early adopters.

I would add: 3) Price

My opinion, MS is chasing a ghost demographic based on 2008 market data. Casuals are on facebook and ipads now, Its a cart before the horse strategy and they're starting to see it.

That was/is my concern as well. I don't really know how they do their sampling/demographics and stuff and most likely they have had an eye or two on the Wii success as well and to me it feels like they are drawing the wrong conclusions/learning the wrong lessons.

Like the xbox is used now more for media than gaming, sure might be true, if it is there you use it, that is though entirely different from getting the xbox for that purpose.

You need a gimmick to draw the "casuals" so here is kinect, problem is you sell it for a "core" price.

Right now it feels they are trying the XB1 to be jack of all trades and it will be extremely interesting to see how things pan out and if it will be a master in any of them...

 

[-tkf-]

150m ps2s were sold. Only 70m ps3s have been sold.

Why would everyone have a ps4 ?


It lacks launch games , it lacks next gen features . Its like buying a blackberry when you could buy an iphone or android device.

Because it's cheaper than the XBOX One, because it already has a better reputation, and yes, this includes the major news outlets. Because it's going to be the "best spec'd" gaming console and every PS4 vs XBOX1 game comparison is likely to show this, and if that is the norm it's going to be tough for Microsoft . Because stores like Gamestop got a burn mark from the XBOX1 introduction, what do you think they prefer. Because it doesn't paywall online services that people already pay for. You know how important VoD is, you preach it at every opportunity.

Because the PS3 has some AWESOME exclusive games and they are more than likely to keep that going into the next generation. Last of US 2 on the PS4, Uncharted Four etc etc..

It has every next gen feature you could expect from a next generation console

If you want to compare to a phone, XBOX = Nokia

 

[Brimstone]

That was/is my concern as well. I don't really know how they do their sampling/demographics and stuff and most likely they have had an eye or two on the Wii success as well and to me it feels like they are drawing the wrong conclusions/learning the wrong lessons.

Like the xbox is used now more for media than gaming, sure might be true, if it is there you use it, that is though entirely different from getting the xbox for that purpose.

You need a gimmick to draw the "casuals" so here is kinect, problem is you sell it for a "core" price.

Right now it feels they are trying the XB1 to be jack of all trades and it will be extremely interesting to see how things pan out and if it will be a master in any of them...

I agree with these observations.

More power to MS if they capture a big audience with Xbox One. I don't get the vibe of the platform but if it works them great...if it struggles early on "crash and burn" comes to mind. I don't see much of a middle ground because of the $499 price point.

 

[Tap In]

"best spec'd" gaming console and every PS4 vs XBOX1 game comparison is likely to show this

not so fast.. I really think this concept will be proven wrong soon enough. If E 3didnt surprise people comparisons will be as close or closer than the current gen.

 

[Rangers]

Here's a interesting, extremely esoteric news

Albert Penello ‏@albertpenello 4h

@DWARF180 Unlike the 360 controller, the Xbox One controller acts as wired when you plug it in - data is actually transmitted over the wire.

He also said in reply to a question if XBO supports MKV that file support announcements would be coming later.

Penello seems to be pretty active suddenly and a good follow. I remember him protesting that he's not in PR he's an engineer, but he seems to have embraced the PR role.

I don't see much of a middle ground because of the $499 price point.

Then they'll just cut price until it's not a failure anymore. 399 (or even 299) no kinect SKU here we come.

Failure is not much of an option for Sony or Microsoft, realistically, in a duopoly market where they are dependent on third party support. As long as you have enough hardware power (cough, not Wii U) then you can price until you're OK.

 

[liolio]

not so fast.. I really think this concept will be proven wrong soon enough. If E 3didnt surprise people comparisons will be as close or closer than the current gen.

It is unlikely though soft V-sync is a great tool to hide discrepancies from one system to the other.
We have no idea about how the ps3 and the xbox really compare, we have analysis of shipping games with v-sync or soft v-sync.
For proper benchmarking you would need to remove it and redo all the work DF and others have done this generation.
Who know what we would find out, it could be that the ps3, if it were to act as PC, could achieve higher FPS, with a bit more dips in perfs but lot more spikes (which are erased by the locked 30FPS nature of most shipping games). It could be the other way around, we just don't know.

 

[Brimstone]

Then they'll just cut price until it's not a failure anymore. 399 (or even 299) no kinect SKU here we come.

Failure is not much of an option for Sony or Microsoft, realistically, in a duopoly market where they are dependent on third party support. As long as you have enough hardware power (cough, not Wii U) then you can price until you're OK.

I doubt they would ever remove kinect at this point. All the TV integration effort and NFL relationship. It would be so traumatic. They will eat the cost first.

 

[-tkf-]

not so fast.. I really think this concept will be proven wrong soon enough. If E 3didnt surprise people comparisons will be as close or closer than the current gen.

We can only guess, which is fun But i would expect the difference to be more visible than last gen. The major difference is, that unlike this gen where each console had their advantages there doesn't seem to be any significant advantages on the XBOX 1 side.

 

[Jwm]

I was leaning to jump ship this gen from the 360 and get a PS4, more power less money and stuff. However, having a one year old at home and most likely two years before I get the next gen console, does put things in perspective.

I think in this case kinect should offer at least the possibility of gaming even for him making it more accessible, much more so then a controller. The thing I'm waiting to see is what kind of kinect/children games there will be, something waving hands jumping around should do. And as we have a Sony xperia tablet that we use daily with him maybe we "need" and XB1 to not make him into a brand fanboy already ...

When XNA came out I wrote a simple ABC game for XBLIG, all really for my son. I should still have free codes though! (I really really need to update it, almost looks DOS like by now)

This is really the wrong thread, but we own all the consoles. My son always goes for the 360, and I can hide the PS3 for months before he notices and wants to play LBP. I think Kudo is his longest running game that he plays, of recent stuff it is Minecraft. As a gamer dad I can't wait to see what the twins will do.

I better get back on topic.. For motion games it is by far Kinect with Dance Central (or some dance game 4) and Kinectimals leading the way in our house. When family members come over he always wants to show them the tigers. Good stuff - but the best game of all is the Kinect video app that just follows you around the house a bit. Not sure what it is about him seeing himself on a TV, all I have to say is thank goodness Wal-Mart stopped doing it on those overhead monitors.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Here's a interesting, extremely esoteric news



He also said in reply to a question if XBO supports MKV that file support announcements would be coming later.

Penello seems to be pretty active suddenly and a good follow. I remember him protesting that he's not in PR he's an engineer, but he seems to have embraced the PR role.



Then they'll just cut price until it's not a failure anymore. 399 (or even 299) no kinect SKU here we come.

Failure is not much of an option for Sony or Microsoft, realistically, in a duopoly market where they are dependent on third party support. As long as you have enough hardware power (cough, not Wii U) then you can price until you're OK.

I wonder if using the controller wired will reduce controller latency? That could be interesting. Hopefully they do a better job of supporting a multitude of video and audio file formats.

It seems unlikely that either Sony or MS could totally flame out this gen. The balance could swing more heavily to one side again, but I expect both businesses to be profitable in the long run.

 

[expletive]

I wonder if using the controller wired will reduce controller latency? That could be interesting. Hopefully they do a better job of supporting a multitude of video and audio file formats.

EDITED: It may just work this way so you can plug it directly into a PC as well and it will work. IIRC, a 360 controller with a Play n Charge kit wouldn't work in a PC as a wired controller. Simpler manufacturing for MS to cover all their bases... (And yes i wonder if latency will be better wired though they did talk about even the wireless has better latency this time around)

 

[Scott_Arm]

This may just simply mean you can plug it directly into a PC and it will work? IIRC, a 360 controller with a Play n Charge kit wouldn't work in a PC as a wired controller.

Yeah, the USB cable for the charge and play kits was strictly for charging the controller. It didn't carry any data, and the controller was still operating in wireless mode. I imagine that was just to keep it simple so the console didn't have to handle switching back and forth between wired and wireless seamlessly. It would be nice if all Xbox One controllers worked on the PC as wired controllers.

 

[Scott_Arm]

EDITED: It may just work this way so you can plug it directly into a PC as well and it will work. IIRC, a 360 controller with a Play n Charge kit wouldn't work in a PC as a wired controller. Simpler manufacturing for MS to cover all their bases... (And yes i wonder if latency will be better wired though they did talk about even the wireless has better latency this time around)

I didn't find the wireless latency to be too big a deal, but any improvement is nice. There are certain games where I might actually take a wired advantage if I could, because why not? NHL and Battlefield come to mind.

 

[Rangers]

I'm pretty sure MS reworked their wireless tech to lower latency as well? That's why all the 360 wireless peripherals dont work on XBO...

And actually, nobody ever believes this and I'm sure you guys wont either, but a pro streetfighter player did technical frame tests and on the 360 the wireless latency was just as good as the wired.

I'm not sure why MS this time had the signal come down the wire. Pretty much maybe it helps charge it faster since the wireless is not draining it while it's charging?

I would have said maybe it's for MLG pro players, but i think those guys all use aftermarket wired anyway.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I'm pretty sure MS reworked their wireless tech to lower latency as well? That's why all the 360 wireless peripherals dont work on XBO...

And actually, nobody ever believes this and I'm sure you guys wont either, but a pro streetfighter player did technical frame tests and on the 360 the wireless latency was just as good as the wired.

I'm not sure why MS this time had the signal come down the wire. Pretty much maybe it helps charge it faster since the wireless is not draining it while it's charging?

I would have said maybe it's for MLG pro players, but i think those guys all use aftermarket wired anyway.

Yeah, they did say they reduced latency on the Xbox One wireless controllers.

I'm not sure why they'd put data on the USB connection this time around. Could be so that it charges a little faster, like you said. Maybe USB3 has big latency improvements so plugging it in will have more of an advantage? Could be for cross-use with PC as well, so they only have to sell one model of controller rather than build inventory of both. Maybe help with uptake of the controller on the PC.

 

[Nisaaru]

You sound like you miss your NES. The world moved on from the 80s.

I'm just a member of that silly cult that the console's software should follow the philosophy of good house elfs which is "not to be seen". If they had the mind blowing idea of automatic installing game discs to the HD I would see it even less. But that idea was probably too progressive for the people at MS.

 

[warb]

I'm seriously wondering why some people buy consoles. I thought the point is playing games and not playing around with some user interface. I would even guess my time spent in the dashboard doesn't even reach 1/1000 compared to my time spend on games.

We know the games will be there. There's enough in the box for the proper next-gen experience.

The NUI extends through and beyond games. Being able to power up the system and get to anything in a few sentences seems very cool. Along with recognising individual user preference with less faff. That and it being always on should encourage more general use of the box.

 

[Nisaaru]

The NUI extends through and beyond games. Being able to power up the system and get to anything in a few sentences seems very cool. Along with recognising individual user preference with less faff. That and it being always on should encourage more general use of the box.

Time for somebody at MS to develop an adventure game where people have to hunt after some function's avatar though the maze of dashboard menus/worlds. Let's call it XBone Pitfall. Maybe that would convince people like me of the transcendental relevance of that piece of technology.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Time for somebody at MS to develop an adventure game where people have to hunt after some function's avatar though the maze of dashboard menus/worlds. Let's call it XBone Pitfall. Maybe that would convince people like me of the transcendental relevance of that piece of technology.

The reality is Sony and MS have been shifting away from pure gaming consoles since the PS2, Xbox Original days. That was taken significantly further with the 360 and PS3. If you want a pure game console, especially next-gen, you're shit out of luck. Rumor has it both MS and Sony are pursuing larger multimedia goals in the living room.

I'd also like to add that Kinect's purpose in voice control for the Xbox One seems to be to get you to whatever you want to do without having to dig through menus. It seems like you should be able to launch into whatever you want to do with one command. That could be wrong, but I don't see how that could possibly be seen as a bad thing. If I can just say, "Watch Netflix" from anywhere, or "Play Castle Crashers," then that's pretty nice. On 360 you had to sort of work your way through the menus, even with the voice commands, which was dumb. Hopefully with more memory they can have a large library of voice commands available at all times.