New Xbox for 2013?

Pov06

You cannot compare PC specs with consoles.

When console games are developed, the developer knows what platform he/she is developing for. They know the exact spec of the hardware and can take 100% advantage of the hardware which makes it run much more efficiently on a PC. They don't have to worry about using thousands of lines of extra code to make it cross-hardware.

When PC games are developed, they use different types of drivers to suit many GPUs, which makes everything inefficient and not suitable for any card 100% and therefore requires much more powerful hardware to achieve the same results.

Therefore even though the XBox 360 has 512mb of RAM (as far as I can remember) it probably handles as well as a computer with 4GB ram does.

Same with the other hardware parts.

Pov06

Pov06 wrote: »

You cannot compare PC specs with consoles.

When console games are developed, the developer knows what platform he/she is developing for. They know the exact spec of the hardware and can take 100% advantage of the hardware which makes it run much more efficiently on a PC. They don't have to worry about using thousands of lines of extra code to make it cross-hardware.

When PC games are developed, they use different types of drivers to suit many GPUs, which makes everything inefficient and not suitable for any card 100% and therefore requires much more powerful hardware to achieve the same results.

Therefore even though the XBox 360 has 512mb of RAM (as far as I can remember) it probably handles as well as a computer with 4GB ram does.

Same with the other hardware parts.

Exactly. I remember when the xbox 360 came out everything on it looked way better than what my computer (2gigs ram, midrange gfx card) could handle. Of course, soon it becomes way more attractive to spend 200euro on a console than 800euro on a pc.

Blowfish

Pov06 wrote: »

You cannot compare PC specs with consoles.

Again, I wasn't comparing them at all. All I was doing was a rough 'timeline' of the graphics technology available and where the 360/ps3 and WiiU stand on it, in order to show that the WiiU will be a significant upgrade to the 360/Ps3.

Pov06

Blowfish wrote: »

Again, I wasn't comparing them at all. All I was doing was a rough 'timeline' of the graphics technology available and where the 360/ps3 and WiiU stand on it, in order to show that the WiiU will be a significant upgrade to the 360/Ps3.

...if the developers take full advantage of it :P

chin_grin

Glad I didn't have to start up a new thread just to post this.

http://kotaku.com/5862439/next-xbox-will-have-two-models-just-like-the-current-xbox

Next Xbox Will Have Two Models, Just Like the Current Xbox

One of the more maddening aspects of the Xbox 360 has been Microsoft's insistence on a "two model" strategy. A bare-bones, cheap version, and a souped-up expensive one. It's helped shift units, especially since Kinect's release, but it's also held other Xbox 360 games back since developers can't assume everybody has, say, a hard drive.

I'd like nothing more than to see this strategy go away quietly into the night, but according to a report from Digital Foundry, Microsoft is looking at sticking with it for the next Xbox console.

"It's...believed that Microsoft will continue its successful two SKU strategy", the story claimed, "and indeed take it much further with its new platform: a pared down machine is to be released as cheaply as possible, and positioned more along the lines of a set-top box (the use of 360 as a Netflix viewing platform in the US is colossal) and perhaps as a Kinect-themed gaming portal, while a more fully-featured machine with optical drive, hard disk and backward compatibility aimed at the hardcore would be released at a higher price-point."

Interesting. That actually wouldn't be too bad; if only the "hardcore" console had an optical drive, then the "pared down" version would only play Xbox Live Arcade titles, leaving developers of larger, disc-based games free to design for the beefier machine.

Can Microsoft Launch the Next Xbox in 2012? [GI.biz]

chin_grin

chin_grin wrote: »

Glad I didn't have to start up a new thread just to post this.

http://kotaku.com/5862439/next-xbox-will-have-two-models-just-like-the-current-xbox

EDIT: Ah actually it's BS.

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-720-wont-launch-until-2014-rumors-for-2012-are-just-plain-silly/

Xbox 720 Won't Launch Until 2014, Rumors for 2012 Are Just Plain 'Silly'
Posted November 21, 2011 by James Brightman


Xbox 720 rumors have been circulating quite a bit in recent weeks, with multiple sources claiming that the next-gen console might even launch by the end of next year to give Nintendo's Wii U a real challenge. The most recent report stated that Ubisoft Montreal is currently working with 'target boxes' and "all signs point to the finalized console arriving at retail in late 2012." If you ask Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, however, it's all hogwash.

Speaking to IndustryGamers in an upcoming "Pachter's Podium" column, the analyst told us that launching an Xbox 360 successor by the end of 2012 doesn't make much sense for Microsoft. Instead, he's fairly confident that Microsoft is actually getting set to release an updated version of the Xbox 360.

"Those rumors are silly. Microsoft is still selling a ton of Xbox 360s, and they won't replace the existing one until sales begin to slow. I think the rumors are based upon leaks about modifying the current Xbox 360 to allow it to operate Windows 8," Pachter commented. "I fully expect a new model of Xbox 360 by holiday 2012, but don't think we see a new console altogether from Microsoft until 2014."

What do you think? The Xbox 360 is already 6 years old, but it's still doing tremendously well and has room for further price cuts.

amacachi

As I've said before, the last few generations all had major, tangible, obvious improvements over their predecessors, the next generation won't. Arguably this generation (other than the Wii) really trailed the adoption of decent-sized HD TVs. PS1 generation had 3D graphic, PS2 generation was a huge improvement with 3D graphics that filled more than half the screen (:pac: ) and this generation had HD graphics.
The next generation will obviously look better but when one asks what improvements there'll be the answer is usually things like tessilation (doesn't matter too much in FIFA or CoD) or sometimes the ability to run in higher resolution, something that a small amount of people would be able to make use of and most of those people would be PC gamers.

Vyse

chin_grin wrote: »

EDIT: Ah actually it's BS.

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-720-wont-launch-until-2014-rumors-for-2012-are-just-plain-silly/

Yeah, but this is just Michael Pachters opinion, which, like every news story before it, is just pure speculation. A new Xbox at the end of 2012 wouldn't suprise me. If not a Christmas 2013 is the next most likely option.

The 360 has been out nearly 6 years. The unfortunate truth is that we are all just getting older and console generations don't seem so long (relatively speaking). If I was 16 again I would be going mad for a new console:D

wotzgoingon

1. It will be released next year
Xbox 720 speculation hit its frothy peak this week, after Edge magazine published a report online claiming that that the next-generation console will be released some time in 2012. It’s not the first time that next year has been mentioned in relation to the console, with T3 also reporting that it might be unveiled at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. So, is it likely to happen? Not according to Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter, writing at GamesIndustry.biz: “Moving on to the next-gen within 12 months would essentially see Microsoft calling time on it’s own profits... for example, 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor has stated unambiguously that Halo 4 is an Xbox 360 title. It's hard to imagine that Microsoft would launch its next-gen console within a month or two of its flagship franchise game appearing on the older console.
Probability rating: 3/10

2. OK, so it’ll be released in 2013 or 2014 then?
While looking more likely, it’s far from definite, with some suggesting consumers may even have to wait until 2015 for the next-generation Xbox. Others such as industry analyst Michael Pachtner are plumming for the more reasonable-sounding 2014, while still others have posited 2013’s E3 as the possible announcement date. OK, so it’s all just rampant speculation at the moment, and the people who do know ain’t tellin'. Our guess, plucked from our patented MSN Games Random Speculative Release Date Generator: December 5th, 2014. You heard it here first.
Probability rating: 7/10

3. It’ll have massively improved graphics
This one’s a no-brainer really. For 2005, the Xbox 360’s Xenon 3.2GHz triple-core architecture and ATI Xenos Graphics processor packed some serious clout - these days, however, even a modest Sandy Bridge gaming PC can make it look long in the tooth. And with PC hardware improving exponentially, the 720 is going to need some serious firepower to stay in the game. Fortunately, the rumour mill is already going into overdrive, with reports so far suggesting everything from hex-core processors with dual ATI graphics cards to dedicated system on chip (SoC) arrangements. Either way, industry legend John Carmack seems convinced it’s going to be at least 10x faster than the current generation.
Probability rating: 10/10

4. It’s going to run Windows (sort of)
Those of you who’ve seen previews of the Xbox 360’s new dashboard update (launching on December 6th) will already have noticed a certain, ahem, convergence with Microsoft’s Metro UI, as seen on Windows Phone products and the forthcoming Windows 8. It’s not hard to extrapolate that the 720 will take things even further, with rumours already seen in the wild claiming that Microsoft’s ‘integration ecosystem’ will see it based upon some version of the as-yet unconfirmed Windows 9.
Probability rating: 7/10

5. It will be entirely ‘cloud’-based
With developers already having to resort to two DVDs to pack in all their game content (we’re looking at you, Battlefield 3), one of the most tantalising questions about the next-gen Xbox is how Microsoft will tackle the issue of storage media. With Sony’s ownership of Blu-ray presumably making it a no-go, will MS be forced to resurrect HD-DVD? Or create a new proprietary format? Some would even suggest that the new generation will emulate the successes of Steam and OnLive and head for the cloud. While a download only future sounds an enticing prospect, it does raise some questions - is Britain’s digital infrastructure robust enough to allow near-universal adoption of full-game downloads, or even OnLive-style streaming? We’d suggest not.
Probability rating: 2/10

6. It’s going to be called ‘Loop’
OK, so it’s almost definitely not going to be called the ‘Xbox 720’ - mainly because that name would imply that Microsoft are essentially going around in circles, but also because it is, well, really quite bad. The current frontrunner on the Internet Speculation-o-meter is that it will be known as the ‘Xbox Loop’, which is only fractionally less rubbish. Fortunately, Richard Leadbetter is also keen to pour water on this rumour - which emanates from the same MS Nerd blog as the Windows 9 story - as well: “it sounds like another project entirely - if it exists at all”.
Probability rating: 3/10

7. Games are already in development for it
Ah, at last something we can be fairly certain about. Maybe. There’s certainly reports suggesting that Xbox 720 dev kits are already in the wild, and have turned up at high profile studios such as Ubisoft Montreal. Unfortunately, it would seem the case that these are in fact ‘target boxes’ - a collection of off-the-shelf components that give a rough equivalent of the intended next-gen spec. Still, it’s promising news - if studios have a rough prototype of the hardware, you can bet your *** they’re going to be using it. There’s also rumours that the ‘proper’ developer kits will be delivered by Christmas - although it’s apparently from the same source that told us the 720 will be released next year. So don’t hold your breath just yet.
Probability rating: 6/10

8. Kinect will be fully integrated
"With total sales passing the 10 million units mark over 8 months ago, it’s fair to say that Kinect has done a lot extend the lifespan of the Xbox 360 - it would therefore make it pretty darn likely that Kinect-like features are going to be the forefront of the 720 hardware. Our old friend MS Nerd agrees, going as far as to claim it will also “be cheaper than 360, futher enabling Kinect adoption.” Whether his claims are accurate only time will tell, but it would be extremely surprising for Microsoft to drop such a successful technology from their next-generation hardware. Just so long as they don’t drop the traditional gamepad as well - then we’d be REALLY angry.
Probability rating: 9/10