Xbox : What should MS do next? *spawn

[Rangers]

I think MS is doing the best they could have within a year. Hoping they stay hungry and desperate, that's the best MS.

Yeah they've turned a lot around. And we recently got positive Xbox sales news from both UK and China.

Not to go "there" again but I wonder if China could be a natural market for them given alleged China-Japan historical animosity. If so it could be a real boon for them from left field this gen, but there's a long way to go to say that obviously.

The biggest factor working against them is going to be that hardware currently. The only question is can they "succeed" in spite of it, minimizing it and trying to make it fade as an issue as much as possible.

Also as I point out "succeed" can still include being substantially outsold by Playstation, imo.

Regardless, I have seen it mentioned a few times that MS has been hiring console industrial engineers of late. So either a (more likely) slim revision of X1 is already even in the works, or even early work on another console iteration.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Split memory was actually one of the least of our problems when dealing with ps3 way back then. There's a long list of other pitfalls to that platform which made us bang our heads against the wall but I won't dredge that up again here.

No doubt the many shortcomings affected people in different ways. Here's a Skyrim dev expelling why split memory compromised the PS3 version. Here's a Naughty Dog's welcoming PS4 for many reasons, one of which is unified memory replacing PS3's split memory.

One has to wonder how long they would consider risking millions to possibly lose billions, or possibly earn slightly more millions when talking about only going after consoles and targeting core gamers. Seems to me there is much more money and stability to be had with a broader approach.

No risk, no reward

Damn. You just made me realise that my shiny brand new Macbook pro retina (i7, 16GB RAM and GT 750M) should be quite powerful, not sure if more or less than my PS4 as I have no idea about that GT750M, though the i7 is a monster... But I haven't tried a single game on it!

I have the original 2012 retina model, which is also 16Gb, 2.6Ghz i7 and GT650M. Plays Skyrim great! iMac is 16Gb, 3.9Ghz i7 and 4Gb 780M. Also plays Skyrim great :smile: I still play so much Skyrim and would buy it again for PS4

I recommend a windows install on an external or something, because Windows gaming performance is incredibly better. For older games i play in OSX, but if it's something relatively new you'll want that Windows game performance.

Seconded, for AAA graphics-heavy games you want to be running native (bootcamp) Windwos although plenty of SteamPlay (multi-platform) games run great on OSX. Recently I've been playing Wasteland 2 on OSX and The Long Dark. Plus World of Warcraft - runs well in OSX.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Also, you're wrong about games. There are tons of good games. You're just old and bitter so you can't enjoy them anymore I find I just can't get into games as much anymore, no matter how good they are.

We've been looking for coop games. We've ended up trying lots of MMOs because that's what devs are making, and they're pretty sucky. Tried Guild Wars 2 most recently because we all liked GW1. GW 1, you formed a party and played the game and killed monsters. GW2, you form a party and run around with a million other people doing irrelevant stuff and killing monsters that reappear moments later. Even online coop games are hard to find, let alone local coop. That's a major issue with PC at the moment in that it doesn't support the local-coop experience because devs assume PC gamers don't play locally, I guess, but XBox on PC would change that. Except if no-one makes local coop or sane coop any more, it won't make any difference!

 

[orangpelupa]

years ago, playing coop on PC means bringing huge PC for lan party. Then laptop came cheap and powerful, lan party become easy but... no more games released with lan feature

 

[KongRudi]

We've been looking for coop games. We've ended up trying lots of MMOs because that's what devs are making, and they're pretty sucky. Tried Guild Wars 2 most recently because we all liked GW1. GW 1, you formed a party and played the game and killed monsters. GW2, you form a party and run around with a million other people doing irrelevant stuff and killing monsters that reappear moments later. Even online coop games are hard to find, let alone local coop. That's a major issue with PC at the moment in that it doesn't support the local-coop experience because devs assume PC gamers don't play locally, I guess, but XBox on PC would change that. Except if no-one makes local coop or sane coop any more, it won't make any difference!

There isn't as many triple A-local coop anymore.. But there are quite abit of indie-games wich support local coop..

PS. Just 4 more days until one of the best local-coop game collections (Sportsfriends) stop's beeing free, on psplus.

4 player local-coop example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hssjLNXf7r0&list=PLGxCL8JAojAMVZ2M2xZ8c7YoHYqbwhPHL

 

[dagamer]

Yeah they've turned a lot around. And we recently got positive Xbox sales news from both UK and China.

Not to go "there" again but I wonder if China could be a natural market for them given alleged China-Japan historical animosity. If so it could be a real boon for them from left field this gen, but there's a long way to go to say that obviously.

The biggest factor working against them is going to be that hardware currently. The only question is can they "succeed" in spite of it, minimizing it and trying to make it fade as an issue as much as possible.

Also as I point out "succeed" can still include being substantially outsold by Playstation, imo.

Regardless, I have seen it mentioned a few times that MS has been hiring console industrial engineers of late. So either a (more likely) slim revision of X1 is already even in the works, or even early work on another console iteration.

I'm really hoping they don't wait another 8 years between this console generation and the next. Makes me wonder how far ahead they though for a hypothetical Xbox Two running Xbox One games and apps so they don't have to start over from scratch. Regardless of how well the Xbox One sells relative to the PS4, if they don't have to start from zero next-generation like they did with this one, that will be a *huge* boost.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

...if they don't have to start from zero next-generation like they did with this one, that will be a *huge* boost.

We could actually do with knowing that ASAP. Someone who doesn't want XB1 because they fear it'll age too fast must be more willing to invest in it knowing their games will carry forwards.

 

[Megadrive1988]

I'm really hoping they don't wait another 8 years between this console generation and the next. Makes me wonder how far ahead they though for a hypothetical Xbox Two running Xbox One games and apps so they don't have to start over from scratch. Regardless of how well the Xbox One sells relative to the PS4, if they don't have to start from zero next-generation like they did with this one, that will be a *huge* boost.

I don't believe it'll be 8 years between this gen and next. Probably a solid 6 years.

 

[eastmen]

6 years ? 5 years at most , esp if MS can't catch up. There will be the low hanging fruit of 16nm (or less ) and stacked ram maybe even processors taking advantage of stacking. VR might be something the masses want and I don't think either system will deliver a suitable vr experience. Look at the bloody murder people cry when a game is now 900p. Can you imaging what will happen when they have to play last gen looking titles on their VR headsets with this gen ?

 

[arijoytunir]

I think Microsoft will get out of console business after Xbox one. simply because they wanted a media box all along and not a box that only cater to gamers . Don tried to bring in new audience with entertainment options but gamers pulled the Xbox only about games. its a good thing but its the same as ps4. Microsoft got rid of kinect and hence the differentiating factor went out. may be they will merge the Xbox IPs with their other platforms like PCs and such .

OR

They will prove me wrong and bring out a full on gaming box that cater to gamers only in the next gen as Sony did this gen.

But it will be profitable for them to leave the console business overall. That's why they are building the IP portfolios. so that they can sell the brand at a hefty price and recoup their losses.

 

[DJ12]

And just who do you think it's going to buy it for a hefty price?

Samsung and Apple would do it themselves if they wanted to enter the console market, as would Google.

I'm struggling to see a major company with enough money to develop a new console that could keep the brand going when you rule out the above.

 

[arijoytunir]

maybe amazon

 

[Deleted member 11852]

maybe amazon

I don't know where Amazon would get that kind of cash. Wall Street loves Amazon because of their growth but in real terms their margins are lousy and they have few assets in which to raise cash.

Nor can I see Amazon getting a loan to buy Xbox if the perceived reason Microsoft are selling it, real or imagined, is due to lack of profitability.

The truth nobody knows how profitable Xbox division is because the financials are masked by their inclusion in a larger Microsoft division, whose finances are equally vague.

 

[rekator]

Game market grow and game console market is very profitable. So If MS go out (personally don't think that, more they switch to "service" solution via their cloud) a new actor probably come. In futur games will probably seeing like other media on a business pov.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Game market grow and game console market is very profitable.

There's certainly a lot of revenue in games but "very profitable"? Sony's figures for their PlayStation operations show them currently doing well, Nintendo are doing poorly (but have a big pile of money to sit on) and nobody knows how well Microsoft are doing with Xbox.

Revenue does not equal profit and the economics is being a platform holder is much more complicated than being a developer or publisher. I wouldn't take anything for granted.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Game market grow and game console market is very profitable.

Game console market is evil and has sunk many endeavours. Supposedly PS3's costs wiped out all PS2's profits, while XB360 had to build on a $5 billion hole created by XB. In Japan, an ancestral powerhouse of gaming, it's fizzling out. Then there's the ongoing view that mobile will take over the industry. If MS had a really strong XBox mobile brand as well as the console, I could see the value in it from a prospective buyer. As just a console brand, it'd be one helluva risk, especially presently where there's a possibility of PS4 becoming a significantly dominant platform.

Far more sensible for MS to keep the brand and turn it into a wider platform, which is what Windows 10 looks to be doing. Then XBox and PC merge into an uber-platform, and MS can use Window's ubiquity to leverage a mobile OS that otherwise is going to remain a bit-part.

That is the only sensible move AFAICS. Selling Xbox would thus be plain stupid.

 

[arijoytunir]

Game console market is evil and has sunk many endeavours. Supposedly PS3's costs wiped out all PS2's profits, while XB360 had to build on a $5 billion hole created by XB. In Japan, an ancestral powerhouse of gaming, it's fizzling out. Then there's the ongoing view that mobile will take over the industry. If MS had a really strong XBox mobile brand as well as the console, I could see the value in it from a prospective buyer. As just a console brand, it'd be one helluva risk, especially presently where there's a possibility of PS4 becoming a significantly dominant platform.

Far more sensible for MS to keep the brand and turn it into a wider platform, which is what Windows 10 looks to be doing. Then XBox and PC merge into an uber-platform, and MS can use Window's ubiquity to leverage a mobile OS that otherwise is going to remain a bit-part.

That is the only sensible move AFAICS. Selling Xbox would thus be plain stupid.

any source on how windows 10 indicates to merge Xbox ?
well can they do this to compete with steam machines ?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

any source on how windows 10 indicates to merge Xbox ?

It's already been posted. Official image from MS showing Windows being one OS/Store for all platforms and including XB1. It's still a rumour, but it's what MS should have been doing and what many have been expecting them to do.

well can they do this to compete with steam machines ?

It's unproven that Steam machines offer any competition.

 

[arijoytunir]

say they merge Xbox and windows . so now they have to build games for both platforms . how will they set the minimum requirements if they released a Xbox os ?

 

[orangpelupa]

my understanding is that they merge windows with xbox but not xbox with windows.

so xbox can run windows apps from store, but windows cant run xbox apps