Xbox Series S [XBSS] (Lockhart) General Rumors and Speculation *spawn*

Change isn't surprising, I mean PMI don't sell cigarettes anymore and MS don't sell consoles (j/k) What market would they be aiming for if they put lockhart in a laptop instead of a console? The cheapest is always the big seller, that's why PS4 was such a success. It was just a stroke of luck it was the most powerful too. If they take lockhart out of the console space and put it in some no man's land between cheap gaming laptops and the iPad market they will just hand the console market to the Digital only PS5 - which will be the cheapest console then.

 

Well lets see what the pricing is for PS5 before making that assumption right? The mobile market is a massive market where lots of people play on ipad. And that's not exactly a cheap device either. Ipad Pros and Ipads in general are not cheap. Surface is not a cheap device either. But these devices are being snatched up and mobile gaming market is the biggest market there is.

So if you're going to make a new product category, you'd compare it to the category it's going up against, which should not be PS5 in this case. XSX is competing against PS5.

 

So you think MS will sacrifice lockhart to the mobile market to compete with iPads, mobile phones, the Switch, et al? It would get lost in seconds. I mean what would make it a better purchase than any of those devices that you probably have already?

And the PS5 Digital - being cheaper than the XSX means it won't actually have any competition unless of course MS are willing to sacrifice profit in order to level the playing field. Even releasing lockhart as a console it going to hurt the XSX. And then that will hurt the quality of games by being the lowest, and most, common denominator. You say that MS have changed, so far it seems like they've changed into to an absent minded codger who's lost his marketing strategy as well as his keys!

 

I'll say that the potential for Lockhart (reaching lower power levels) allows it to compete in other markets that does not necessarily have to be a console. It would obviously with 8 core Zen 2 would be much better at productivity applications and the gpu would trounce them all in games. The only question becomes how portable they can make it is the Lockhart low enough is spec to hit this market.

We are talking about a company that just released a dual screen phone with a mega precision hinge that folds both ways and is now trying to show people the use case for a dual screen phone; and soon to be an equivalent dual screen tablet device.

In the last few years, MS in any of its verticals has not been following any of it's traditional playbooks. They have made some very specific statements that their goal is to not sell the greatest number of consoles. You're not going to get more users onto MS ecosystem by releasing 2 consoles that compete in the same market.

Lockhart can be anything. It doesn't need to be another traditional console that is just cheaper and weaker. You're talking about the company that build this:

how do you know that Lockhart isn't an accessibility console? I dunno, I think it would just be uncharacteristic of MS to just release another console that is a cheaper SKU.

 

Absolutely agree. If they're still making the One S that should fit the bill.

That's an interesting idea. Trying to figure out what that would look like. Something like a laptop but instead of a fold-out keyboard it's a tray to hold the Adaptive Controller? Hmm. That could be cool.

Or no screen at all. Just take the adaptive controller & put the console in it & then have a place to put either a phone or tablet? Found this concept design for a xCloud Adaptive Controller...




https://sarangsheth.net/portfolio/microsoft-xcloud-adaptive-controller-concept/
https://www.yankodesign.com/2020/07...s-smartphone-cloud-gaming-to-specially-abled/

That would be bonkers cool!

Tommy McClain

 

How much of the 9GB RAM were used for data not needed in the next 30-60 seconds? If you compare One X and Series S you can't ignore their storage solution and what SSD mean for RAM usage.

 

Sampler feedback might well be key.

From their tech blog.
Through specialized hardware added to the Xbox One X, we were able to analyze texture memory usage by the GPU and we discovered that the GPU often accesses less than 1/3 of the texture data required to be loaded in memory

That's 2/3 off all texture data not needed and left on the SSD for fast retrieval if required.
As a hardware feature this would be possible to implement when going BC similar to how they made other rendering tweaks.

 

Brad Sams



Doesn't seem fake. The price however, at the bottom states "Estimated Retail Price"

If that price proves correct........

 

Nothing definitive, but possibly a genuine first image of it and nebulous estimated price, or entirely false info to find leakers...

 

It looks absolutely tiny. Like maybe 1/2 the size of the XBO-X? And obviously MUCH smaller than the XBSX.

Regards,
SB

 

I like it. Price is a great start.

He said it was already leaked, but can't find it.

Tommy McClain

 

Dayum. Jeez. When you take so long Brad Sams does the reveal for you

 

I think he meant they posted it on their site earlier today but just released that YouTube Video. Or maybe just the general idea of it?

 

2 1/3 controller heights. It’s visually smaller than the units today

 

Confirmed no optical drive by Jez ...

 

Price a placeholder?

Tommy McClain

 

$299 is a price point I didn’t think they could hit. I was thinking they were at 399 ish. I gave up on LH being a console because I didn’t think they could hit that price.

but I guess I was wrong. Interesting. I don’t mind the design; I guess they want people to take care not to cover the fan

 

Come on $279 / $429!

 

$399 is not a price for a low-end 2 SKU strategy. $399 is what you release 1 SKU at. At $299 it's meant to slide right in at your existing One SKUs that are no longer being made. I always believed the unit will not sell at higher pricing. Would be better to just continue selling the One X at $299.

Tommy McClain

 

And with a lot less depth. They literally could have made it look like the Gamecube. Or maybe even smaller.

Regards,
SB