News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[Acert93]

http://www.windowsitpro.com/article...o/wininfo-short-takes-february-15-2013-145253

Evidently he posted this over a week ago. Found that last bit interesting. Corroborates an earlier rumor about there being 2 Xbox systems. I find it odd that Microsoft would release another Xbox 360 model at the same time they release their next gen. Does that mean the 720 is not backward compatible? or maybe it is backward compatible? Confusing.

Tommy McClain

Random thought: New Xbox 360 model = Kinect 2.0 with all the side functionality of the new Durango (PVR, Skype, etc) without having Durango game support.

So they could have a $249-$299 Xbox 360-Kinect 2.0 SKU and then a $399-$499 Durango-Kinect 2.0 SKU. Basically push "Kinect 2.0" as a platform that bridges hardware.

 

[expletive]

Well I would imagine that it is a redesigned 360, and of course the 360 will continue to sell alongside the new Xbox. They will probably announce a price cut too.

Maybe the new low cost STB is a 360 with a die shrink and no optical drive? Wondering how small, cheap, cool, quiet, they could get the 360 innards to be a competitor to the the ATV...

Random thought: New Xbox 360 model = Kinect 2.0 with all the side functionality of the new Durango (PVR, Skype, etc) without having Durango game support.

So they could have a $249-$299 Xbox 360-Kinect 2.0 SKU and then a $399-$499 Durango-Kinect 2.0 SKU. Basically push "Kinect 2.0" as a platform that bridges hardware.

I still think they need a $99-$129 pricepoint in the lineup, where does that come from?

 

[AzBat]

Mabye they are finally able to get the xbox 360 down to a complete one chip design and the console wont have a hardrive but flash ram. Perhaps they can get it down to the size of the wii u or smaller ?

Would make sense to drop a $100 redesigned 360 into the mix and then maybe a $300-$400 xbox next. Would certainly put a lot of pressure on sony.

I think this likely, but like Acert said with regards to bundling Kinect 2 with the 360. I think they could go with 3 tiers: low price redesigned 360, mid priced redesigned 360 + Kinect 2, high priced Durango + Kinect 2. They could go this route even with Kinect 1, but it would be a complicated message selling both cameras at the same time. Would be easier to just sell one of them.

Tommy McClain

 

[AlphaWolf]

I doubt kinect2 is in the cards for the 360. Lack of bandwidth over usb 2 isn't going to have changed. How much advantage would be offered by higher rez cameras if you don't have the throughput or processing to deal with that extra information?

 

[AzBat]

Random thought: New Xbox 360 model = Kinect 2.0 with all the side functionality of the new Durango (PVR, Skype, etc) without having Durango game support.

So they could have a $249-$299 Xbox 360-Kinect 2.0 SKU and then a $399-$499 Durango-Kinect 2.0 SKU. Basically push "Kinect 2.0" as a platform that bridges hardware.

I like this idea. They could shrink 360, add Kinect 2 & just have newer dashboard to support a few(not all) of the newer Kinect 2 features(probably Skype & better voice recognition). They will want Durango to have a lot more side functionality than 360.

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

I doubt kinect2 is in the cards for the 360. Lack of bandwidth over usb 2 isn't going to have changed. How much advantage would be offered by higher rez cameras if you don't have the throughput or processing to deal with that extra information?

I don't think game side of Kinect 2 would be functional on the 360, but the dashboard(voice recognition & Skype support) could work on the 360. Basically it would function just like Kinect 1 but a little extra dashboard support. It doesn't make sense for Microsoft to continue selling 2 different cameras. Just build one for both systems.

Tommy McClain

 

[expletive]

I doubt kinect2 is in the cards for the 360. Lack of bandwidth over usb 2 isn't going to have changed. How much advantage would be offered by higher rez cameras if you don't have the throughput or processing to deal with that extra information?

I suppose would have to come out with a "360 Plus" as their mid-tier offering that has USB3 included (unless the Kinect port on the 360 S is higher speed than USB 2 already?). The other issue is there reserved processing required for Kinect 2. Its probably higher than the original kinect so the Kinect 2.0 features are going to be relegated to OS ops only and not games.

As i'm thinking it through i can see how tiered strategy makes a lot of sense where the $99 SKU is an entry point to the entire Xbox ecosystem. And each subsequent jump in tier ($99, $199, $399) builds on the features of the tier below it.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I don't think game side of Kinect 2 would be functional on the 360, but the dashboard(voice recognition & Skype support) could work on the 360. Basically it would function just like Kinect 1 but a little extra dashboard support. It doesn't make sense for Microsoft to continue selling 2 different cameras. Just build one for both systems.

Tommy McClain

I don't think they need a new kinect to enable dashboard features, probably just need ram to set aside.. And it would make sense to keep selling kinect 1 if the bom is significantly lower.

 

[AzBat]

I don't think they need a new kinect to enable dashboard features, probably just need ram to set aside.. And it would make sense to keep selling kinect 1 if the bom is significantly lower.

Point taken, but I still think 2 different cameras will be a confusing message to consumers. The only way they get a round it is no longer selling it separately.

Tommy McClain

 

[AlphaWolf]

If Kinect 2 is in the box with durango, standalones won't do much business aside from a PC version.

 

[eastmen]

Of course kinect can hav3 all the prosessing done in it self and only need to send the completed idnformation over usb.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I doubt kinect2 is in the cards for the 360. Lack of bandwidth over usb 2 isn't going to have changed. How much advantage would be offered by higher rez cameras if you don't have the throughput or processing to deal with that extra information?

There is no reason a redesigned X360 couldn't upgrade the USB port which Kinect uses from 2.0 to 3.0 as well as addressing some of the things that prevented even USB 2.0 from operating at full speed.

They've done more extensive and more difficult hardware changes than that in the past. Like when the CPU and GPU were integrated into one die.

Regards,
SB

 

[wco81]

So they're putting a lot on Kinect 2 selling the console?

Are those dance games that popular?

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

So they're putting a lot on Kinect 2 selling the console?

Are those dance games that popular?

dance central sold nearly 3 million

dance central 2 sold nearly 2 million

dance central 3 didn't break a million.

Have no idea why Microsoft wants to double down on Kinect...every year that passed, popularity/interest diminished. (disclaimer: these number are rough estimates based on a certain site. I am not claiming them to be 100% accurate, but the game definitely never appeared on the npd list)

Guess they think lightning can strike twice in the same place. Should be interesting.

 

[AlphaWolf]

If people on the forums had any say kinect would have sold 2 dozen units and faded out of existence. Instead it moved a million times that, go figure.

 

[manux]

If people on the forums had any say kinect would have sold 2 dozen units and faded out of existence. Instead it moved a million times that, go figure.

I think the magic will be in duplicating the sales with another product. Was kinect one time hit or is it something people will feel is worth buying into again?

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

If people on the forums had any say kinect would have sold 2 dozen units and faded out of existence. Instead it moved a million times that, go figure.

Kinect was a successful product. No doubt about that.

The software side was pretty strong too the first year to year and a half, but the last year + has been pretty horrid for Kinect software sales wise.

My simple view is that Kinect had it's spotlight, but people have already simply moved on. But hey, I could be wrong and Kinect 2.0 will catch the imagination of people similar to the wiimote.

 

[Strange]

Guess they think lightning can strike twice in the same place. Should be interesting.

Lightning does strike the same place through the same path many times, in short succession. Bad analogy.

 

[MBDF]

I really do think HDMI in is going to make all the difference in this upcoming console war.

 

[Acert93]

I really do think HDMI in is going to make all the difference in this upcoming console war.

Why?