News & Rumors: Xbox One (codename Durango)

[(((interference)))]

You guys have fast internet, I live nearly 4km from the exchange and my ADSL2+ speeds are only around 150-200 kB/s at best.

 

[RudeCurve]

You guys have fast internet, I live some 14km from the exchange and my ADSL2+ speeds are only around 150-200 kB/s at best.

You need to move to another country...

 

[3dcgi]

I don't know if you all have heard about Approxy and Cloudpaging. They offer a white label service that matches some speculation. No idea if Microsoft is using them.

http://gfxspeak.com/2012/03/23/new-numecent-already-has-a-cloudpaging-spin-off-for-gaming/

 

[AzBat]

I don't know if you all have heard about Approxy and Cloudpaging. They offer a white label service that matches some speculation. No idea if Microsoft is using them.

http://gfxspeak.com/2012/03/23/new-numecent-already-has-a-cloudpaging-spin-off-for-gaming/

Interesting approach. Thanks for link.

Tommy McClain

 

[(((interference)))]

You need to move to another country...

Nah, Australia is pretty good, especially seeing what the economy of Europe and the US is like at the moment.

I just need to move house to someplace closer to an exchange - or with cable.

 

[Cyan]

MS wants to keep a strong relationship with retailers. A message for the future? I just hope that it is true that the stores survive as we know it, I am not against digital, but I am not happy with only digital either. I want a good manual and cases.

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-we-dont-want-to-upset-xbox-360-retailers-with-games-on-demand

 

[eastmen]

Ive said before. Retailers like target and walamrt would prefer game codes than physical copies. Less cost more stock in less room and theft doesnt matter along with limited returns

Its only gamestop that would really like discs

 

[Jwm]

What about predictive pre-downloads based upon your purchase history? If you keep your console offline though it would not work, unless you move your entire business model to a forced online mode.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[astrograd]

Microsoft publishes about 2-3 core games a year, compared to the more than 10 Kinect games it publishes.

That's...not even remotely true. Sony publishes more casual and motion games than MS does. I do agree with the rest of your post though. MS has some forumite perceptions to counter. Fortunately, at E3 ppl will be forced to actually compare the new consoles and will see PS4 is also shipping with a camera, will also be on at all times, and will also "anti-used games" in the same sense 720 will be most likely. At that point, it all comes down to the games and I think MS has an advantage there.

FWIW I think if it's in the box I'd guess the majority of games will require it, even if it's only for voice input using the mic array.
Once you put a peripheral in the box you dramatically change the way designers think about it.

You're thinking too narrow here. They include it for two reasons:

1) As you mentioned, having it standard completely alters the equation for publishers looking to invest in exploiting the tech in innovative ways.

2) It acts as the defacto input device for mediaphiles and casuals. They can now have a single box that can appeal to casual gamers, tech gurus, mediaphiles, and hardcore gamers.


I think if MS can really leverage Kinect 2.0 and an internet connection in interesting ways for gaming (cloud database searches, for instance, could be a major paradigm shift for npc AI), then all the sudden their platform has a unique, compelling, killer app that can generate considerable 'tech buzz' in all those aforementioned demographics from day 1 potentially. It can be leveraged as a pillar of the brand, permeating all demographics' core experiences much in the way XBL has.

 

[Rangers]

What about predictive pre-downloads based upon your purchase history? If you keep your console offline though it would not work, unless you move your entire business model to a forced online mode.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

It was already mentioned in the PS4 conference.

Most people hated it and seems like a terrible idea.

For myself, I buy so few games a year (maybe 3-5) I cant see it ever working.

 

[Rangers]

Ive said before. Retailers like target and walamrt would prefer game codes than physical copies. Less cost more stock in less room and theft doesnt matter along with limited returns

Its only gamestop that would really like discs

Game codes are pointless though, at that point just go digital.

I suppose one niche use would be, for little johnny who doesnt have a credit card to put onto Live. Same reason Live cards are sold, points cards, etc.

 

[Grall]

What about predictive pre-downloads based upon your purchase history?

That's great, if you want to blow through your entire monthly data cap in a week...if you have a cap, that is. Anyway, digital downloads will make this industry kill itself off through ritual seppuku.

No physical games = no game stores = no stores that carry consoles = no sales of consoles = no sales of games, digital or otherwise. The End.

 

[Wynix]

That's...not even remotely true. Sony publishes more casual and motion games than MS does. I do agree with the rest of your post though. MS has some forumite perceptions to counter. Fortunately, at E3 ppl will be forced to actually compare the new consoles and will see PS4 is also shipping with a camera, will also be on at all times, and will also "anti-used games" in the same sense 720 will be most likely. At that point, it all comes down to the games and I think MS has an advantage there.

Woah, this post is incredible.

Edit: because we do not know if the PS4 will ship with the camera, or that it will be on at all times, or that it will be "Anti-used games" similar to the 720, and if Sony do ship more casual games than Microsoft it doesn't matter because Sony publish a hell of a lot more Core games than Microsoft does.

 

[Nisaaru]

It was already mentioned in the PS4 conference.

Most people hated it and seems like a terrible idea.

For myself, I buy so few games a year (maybe 3-5) I cant see it ever working.

I don't really think it's such a terrible idea. That way non AAA games might get better sales because more people like the game despite its flaws/limits/lack of marketing. Just bothering to search and download demos is a disadvantage the minor titles have.over the AAA games.

 

[Nisaaru]

Game codes are pointless though, at that point just go digital.

I suppose one niche use would be, for little johnny who doesnt have a credit card to put onto Live. Same reason Live cards are sold, points cards, etc.

I use code cards for XBOX Live because 1) It's cheaper because of price competition 2) I try to avoid spreading my credit card details whenever possible. In our national economy people mostly use debit cards/direct transfer anyway.

 

[BRiT]

*ahem* Once again, this is NOT the versus thread. Keep all of that bullshit out of this thread or else there will be bans.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

That's great, if you want to blow through your entire monthly data cap in a week...if you have a cap, that is. Anyway, digital downloads will make this industry kill itself off through ritual seppuku.

No physical games = no game stores = no stores that carry consoles = no sales of consoles = no sales of games, digital or otherwise. The End.

Unless you have the BOM on consoles low enough that a store like Walmart, Target, or whatever the equivalent in other countries is, can have decent margins (30%+) just by selling the hardware. In which case retail stores don't need to sell games in order to make up for low and/or negative margin hardware console sales.

At that point it would be the same as selling a microwave oven or mini refrigerator. It's just another electronics "thing."

Microsoft at least appears to be heading in that direction with a low BOM for Durango. But not ready to commit to it as their comments have suggested they will give physical distribution media preferential treatment still in order to appease retailers.

Regards,
SB

 

[Cyan]

Ive said before. Retailers like target and walamrt would prefer game codes than physical copies. Less cost more stock in less room and theft doesnt matter along with limited returns

Its only gamestop that would really like discs

I agree with you that codes would be an excellent solution in many cases. They work well -at least they did for me when I purchased MS points cards- and they are easy to use.

Even so, I just hope that manuals and physical copies survive. I am not downloading a 50GBs game, no matter what.

 

[Grall]

Unless you have the BOM on consoles low enough that a store like Walmart, Target, or whatever the equivalent in other countries is, can have decent margins (30%+) just by selling the hardware.

You know, that's a possibility I didn't consider, but still I really don't think it would happen, because it has never happened in the past even with cheap hardware. Today's consoles are real cheap to build by now (360 in particular I would think; no - comparatively - expensive XDR memory, and more compact hardware in general with fewer components and MCM for the main chips) yet they don't come down in price and the sales margins are not good from all I've heard, not even for the wii with its pissy guts dating back to the 1990s.

I don't really see that changing, not just because of tradition, but also because sony and ms would very probably rather have the margins for themselves rather than just selflessly donating all that money to retailers, and (the gaming) gods know sony in particular could really use that extra bit of cash.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Game codes only solve one of the many issues of digital only. The main barrier to a digital only system is that the infrastructure doesn't exist for many. I know a number of people with caps(soft and hard, doesn't matter really) that would make downloading full games a painful experience.