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[Codes 208]

So I found this post on reddit earlier today...


Which led to this Thurrott article.

For the past few weeks, forums, Twitter, Reddit, and nearly every other gaming community has been filled with ‘leaks’. While I think most of them are simply logical guesses, after talking to many people in the industry and insiders at Microsoft, here are my expectations for Microsoft’s E3 event.

On the hardware side, I expect Microsoft to start to peel back the layers on the secrecy around their next generation consoles, Anaconda and Lockhart. For those who are hoping to see a list of raw specs, I don’t think that’s on the agenda quite yet. Instead, look for the company to provide performance multipliers for the hardware; I have heard that Lockhart and Anaconda are targeting at least a 4x performance gain for the high-end (Anaconda) and 2x for the lower end hardware(Lockhart).

On the games side, Microsoft will be showing off 14 titles from their own game studios, according to Phil Spencer. Of that, I expect titles like Gears of War 5 (codenamed Halifax) will have a strong presence, and we will also see items like new DLC for State of Decay 2, Forza Horizon 4 Expansion 2, Halo Infinite trailer and gameplay, Age of Empires info, Fable details may be tossed in as well; it looks like there will be at least 3 new IPs that we haven’t seen previously.

Microsoft’s Aimes to Set the Bar High at E3

For Halo Infinite, this will be the first real showing of the next generation game. Microsoft will be running the demos from a PC with an Xbox controller as they don’t want the first impression of the new game to be running on the now dated Xbox One hardware.

Using the pc version in this context makes sense as the xbox 4 isnt finalized yet, this coudl be the first and closest we get to seeing what a next gen AAA title could look like.

So the main take-away so far are:
-halo infinite will be shown off on pc with an xbox controller to suggest next-gen potential.
-of the 14 studios at e3, atleast three will be new IP.
-xbox 4 will be discussed in lite details. Supposedly no direct specs however.

(I apologize if thsi has already been discussed, i searched and found nothing.)

 

[mckmas8808]

E3 HYPE TRAIN! LET'S GO!!!!!

 

[ResilientBanana]

I like that they aren’t committing to hard specs. I think that’s important to keep them close to the chest this early. Sony is wise to do the same.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

In that one tweet by Phil he talks about 14 game studios but he doesn't necessarily say they will talk about 14 different games. He goes on to say this E3 MS will show the most first party games they have ever shown at an E3 event. Even though it could still be speculation, 3 new IP's sounds believable. I'm excited either way. Now let's speculate on what the new IP's could be! An RPG would be nice and an adventure game would be welcome. Please no more shooters as the market is totally saturated. Does dino crisis count as a new IP or a reboot?

 

[JLMC469]

4x and 2x performance gain over the X?

 

[Stuart360]

Just to pount out that its all specualtion in that post, hense the numerous 'i expect' points.

 

[Stuart360]

4x and 2x performance gain over the X?

Yeah that doesnt really make sense, 4x over the base XB1 would be way too low, and 4x over the X would be way too high (24tf lol).

 

[nowhat]

4x over the X would be way too high (24tf lol)

FP16, duh.

(I'm trying to troll both Xbox and PS fans. I think I'll succeed.)

 

[Codes 208]

Just to pount out that its all specualtion in that post, hense the numerous 'i expect' points.

Take with a grain of salt as anything else but he suggests he has insiders

“While I think most of them are simply logical guesses, after talking to many people in the industry and insiders at Microsoft, here are my expectations for Microsoft’s E3 event”

 

[DynamiteCop!]

4x and 2x performance gain over the X?

They wrote it backward, 4x for Lockhart over the Xbox One S, 2x for Anaconda over the Xbox One X.

So basically a 6 Teraflop Zen2 machine and a 12 Teraflop Zen2 machine, likely identical CPU and clocks with different memory capacity.

 

[mckmas8808]

They wrote it backward, 4x for Lockhart over the Xbox One S, 2x for Anaconda over the Xbox One X.

So basically a 6 Teraflop Zen2 machine and a 12 Teraflop Zen2 machine, likely identical CPU and clocks with different memory capacity.

And what's the purpose of a 6 TF Zen2 console?

 

[DynamiteCop!]

And what's the purpose of a 6 TF Zen2 console?

1080p - 1440p market, ability to hit the same graphical and performance profile as Anaconda at a lower resolution and price.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

He replied to the whole 2x 4x thing over at the other forums:

Was told they are expected to talk in multiple % terms of performance gains, IE 2x,3x,4x,

So XB1S - 4x performance for Lockhart, 2x of XB1X for Anaconda.


This was hard info to lock down mostly becuase I dont think Microsoft fully knows yet, they just started getting production samples from AMD and performance output can vary widely right now with simple things like adjustments to clock speeds etc. Among those talked to, who absolutely would know this information, these performance figures were the consuses of the group.

 

[Stuart360]

And what's the purpose of a 6 TF Zen2 console?

Cheaper version of the main console. If its really 6tf and 12tf, the cheaper console will probably run the same games at 1080p-1440p, and the 12tf console probably 1800p to 4k.
And before all the tiresome 'the cheaper console will hold back next gen' posts, it will be just like on PC, everyone buys the same games, but you lower rez or settings depending on your PC specs. In these consoles cases, it will probably just be a resolution difference between both consoles.

 

[NickFire]

I really hope they give us concrete specs and prices. But I suppose it probably is not likely with Sony laying in the shadows and the time to expected launch.

Also, I hate marketing bs. If they are going to release multipliers, they should be based on a single version IMO. Guaranteed someone in the retail chain tells parents or grandparents that the lower spec machine is more powerful than it really is when they only remember the multipliers and not what the multipliers are based on.

 

[bitbydeath]

1080p - 1440p market, ability to hit the same graphical and performance profile as Anaconda at a lower resolution and price.

Wasn’t it said the Xbox One S was still going to be included for the foreseeable future?

Xbox One S - 1080P
Lockhart (X replacement) - 4K
Anaconda - 8K

 

[mckmas8808]

1080p - 1440p market, ability to hit the same graphical and performance profile as Anaconda at a lower resolution and price.

But why? For what? And how much cheaper? Seems like a confusing move for MS.

Mom: "Hey son did you want the Xbox Next X or the Xbox Next S?"
Son: "I want the Xbox Next X".
Mom: "Well.....what's the difference?"
Son: "The X plays games in 4K"
Mom: "I thought your Xbox One X did that"
Son: "It does....."
Mom: "So why do you want me to buy you this Xbox X for $500 after I bought you the other Xbox X last year for $500"
Son: "Well....can you at least buy me the Xbox Next S?"
Mom: "Okay....but how is that different from the other one?"
Son: "It does the same thing, it just doesn't play games in 4K"
Mom: "So it's a worse video game box than the one I bought you last year? No way you'll keep your Xbox X from last year!!!"

*Both leave the store empty handed*

 

[Stuart360]

Wasn’t it said the Xbox One S was still going to be included for the foreseeable future?

Xbox One S - 1080P
Lockhart (X replacement) - 4K
Anaconda - 8K

babydeath i keep seeing you mention 8k in various posts, just let it die will you.

 

[Armorian]

Wasn’t it said the Xbox One S was still going to be included for the foreseeable future?

Xbox One S - 1080P
Lockhart (X replacement) - 4K
Anaconda - 8K

XS would be theoretically (is MS allow that) able to stream X4 games but with jaguar cores both S and X will be death after ~2 years of cross gen games.

8K is out of the question (native res and I think anything above 4K is a waste of power).

 

[Stuart360]

But why? For what? And how much cheaper? Seems like a confusing move for MS.

Mom: "Hey son did you want the Xbox Next X or the Xbox Next S?"
Son: "I want the Xbox Next X".
Mom: "Well.....what's the difference?"
Son: "The X plays games in 4K"
Mom: "I thought your Xbox One X did that"
Son: "It does....."
Mom: "So why do you want me to buy you this Xbox X for $500 after I bought you the other Xbox X last year for $500"
Son: "Well....can you at least buy me the Xbox Next S?"
Mom: "Okay....but how is that different from the other one?"
Son: "It does the same thing, it just doesn't play games in 4K"
Mom: "So it's a worse video game box than the one I bought you last year? No way you'll keep your Xbox X from last year!!!"

*Both leave the store empty handed*

If having 2 seperate consoles will be confusing for the general public, then the human race is screwed. I dont see a problem with the S and X, or PS4 and Pro.
My guess is $350 for the 6tf console, and $500 for the 12tf console.

 

[mckmas8808]

If having 2 seperate consoles will be confusing for the general public, then the human race is screwed. I dont see a problem with the S and X, or PS4 and Pro.
My guess is $350 for the 6tf console, and $500 for the 12tf console.

Do you remember the Xbox 360 Arcade and the PS3 Poor (The 20 GB PS3 at launch)? Consumers in the video game console market don't tend to buy the obviously weaker console even if it's a $100 difference. And plus.....if the Xbox Next S is $350, how much with the X1X console cost?

 

[EverydayBeast]

Halo Infinite is Microsoft's hail marry to win next generation, SONY never had an IP as big as Halo.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Is it possible that maybe Halo: Infinite being shown on PC Hardware indicates or hints at a cross-platform announcement release, Both Xbox NXT and PC?

 

[Stuart360]

Do you remember the Xbox 360 Arcade and the PS3 Poor (The 20 GB PS3 at launch)? Consumers in the video game console market don't tend to buy the obviously weaker console even if it's a $100 difference. And plus.....if the Xbox Next S is $350, how much with the X1X console cost?

Well the cheaper console will probably be more parents buying it for children, or simply people who cant afford a $500 console. Having more options is never a bad thing. The market will speak and one of the two will sell more than the other.

 

[Stuart360]

Is it possible that maybe Halo: Infinite being shown on PC Hardware indicates or hints at a cross-platform announcement release, Both Xbox NXT and PC?

I'd guess more that they will be using Halo Infinite as an example of what the next gen Xbox can do. Cant see why else they would show it on PC. It would make sense if they were going to show it towards the end of the show, right around when they talk about the next gen Xbox.

 

[mckmas8808]

Well the cheaper console will probably be more parents buying it for children, or simply people who cant afford a $500 console. Having more options is never a bad thing. The market will speak and one of the two will sell more than the other.

Hold on.....isn't the Xbox One S 1.3 TFs? Wouldn't that make the weaker Xbox Next console 5.2 TFs?

and

If MS really does this dual console thing, I can see the 12 TF version selling 90% or more of the consoles. So many more to the point that MS will realize how silly it was to release a 5 TF console. For instance....what happens if a game developer makes a next-gen game to render natively at 1440p with amazing\clean AA that looks super close to 4K because they put most of the rendering budget into the open world and graphics, but also wanted it to run at 60 fps? At what resolution would you think the weaker Xbox Next will run at? 900p?

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

I'd guess more that they will be using Halo Infinite as an example of what the next gen Xbox can do. Cant see why else they would show it on PC. It would make sense if they were going to show it towards the end of the show, right around when they talk about the next gen Xbox.

I can see this being the main reason for sure, but how come Xbox wouldn't be able to use their own Dev Kit of the Anaconda during the conference? I have a gut feeling Xbox will drop a megaton and announce it on both Xbox and PC.

Whether this is a good idea or not would require an entire separate discussion.

 

[DanielsM]

I can see this being the main reason for sure, but how come Xbox wouldn't be able to use their own Dev Kit of the Anaconda during the conference? I have a gut feeling Xbox will drop a megaton and announce it on both Xbox and PC.

Whether this is a good idea or not would require an entire separate discussion.

Going forward there is no real choice, generally speaking. They needs to go to where the customers are. There is no going back now, the announcement of new hardware to me is to appease the few console warriors remaining.

 

[Stuart360]

Hold on.....isn't the Xbox One S 1.3 TFs? Wouldn't that make the weaker Xbox Next console 5.2 TFs?

and

If MS really does this dual console thing, I can see the 12 TF version selling 90% or more of the consoles. So many more to the point that MS will realize how silly it was to release a 5 TF console. For instance....what happens if a game developer makes a next-gen game to render natively at 1440p with amazing\clean AA that looks super close to 4K because they put most of the rendering budget into the open world and graphics, but also wanted it to run at 60 fps? At what resolution would you think the weaker Xbox Next will run at? 900p?

Because chances are that wont happen. Devcs will be targeting 4k, or very close to it. Do you really think Microsft wont of had major discussions with devs and studios over the last few years?.
Christ devs target 4k on the 6tf X, i'm pretty sure they will be targeting 4k on 12+tf PS5/XboxNext.
I agree with you though, i expect the more powerful machine to sell more.

 

[TeamGhobad]

Halo infinite being nexgen exlusive is a good way to get people to buy your console.

 

[Stuart360]

I can see this being the main reason for sure, but how come Xbox wouldn't be able to use their own Dev Kit of the Anaconda during the conference? I have a gut feeling Xbox will drop a megaton and announce it on both Xbox and PC.

Whether this is a good idea or not would require an entire separate discussion.

Well dev kits are basically PC's anyway. Oh i get what you're saying, well Halo Infinite is a given on PC anyway imo.

 

[juliotendo]

Halo Infinite is Microsoft's hail marry to win next generation, SONY never had an IP as big as Halo.

You’re assuming Halo still is as popular as it used to be, which it isn’t.

 

[Stuart360]

You’re assuming Halo still is as popular as it used to be, which it isn’t.

I'm pretty sure he was joking.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

The xbox one x has been left to die? Ill be pissed if the X can't play next gen games. Even as a stop gap until I pick up a new xbox.

Ps5 day one with full ps4 BC and xbonex FC until the new wave of xbox 2 games drop

 

[Stuart360]

Anyone think Halo Infinite is going to be open world?, i just have that feeling.

 

[EverydayBeast]

You’re assuming Halo still is as popular as it used to be, which it isn’t.

Right, Microsoft was pretty lucky in MCC gaining momentum from the PC release
The momentum is there juliotendo

 

[NickFire]

Do you remember the Xbox 360 Arcade and the PS3 Poor (The 20 GB PS3 at launch)? Consumers in the video game console market don't tend to buy the obviously weaker console even if it's a $100 difference. And plus.....if the Xbox Next S is $350, how much with the X1X console cost?

I think you're mistaken if you bet on the more expensive version selling the most. I remember people buying the arcade 360 due to it being the only available option, and I think comparing it to PS3 is a mistake. The cheapest PS3 did not have WiFi I'm pretty sure, and I don't think people consider specs the same way as wifi / no wifi. and don't the cheaper versions sell the best this generation?

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

If having 2 seperate consoles will be confusing for the general public, then the human race is screwed. I dont see a problem with the S and X, or PS4 and Pro.
My guess is $350 for the 6tf console, and $500 for the 12tf console.

I see it being VERY confusing for moms out buying little Timmy the next console for Xmas who know ZERO about what they are looking at.

I very much see the convo that mckmas laid out.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Going forward there is no real choice, generally speaking. They needs to go to where the customers are. There is no going back now, the announcement of new hardware to me is to appease the few console warriors remaining.

I know the latest data shows that console gamers aren't the majority anymore but I wouldn't necessarily say there's only a few console warriors. The attachment rate for a platform is also another important factor to consider when evaluating whether a certain platform is dying out or not.

 

[juliotendo]

Microsoft will have to make Halo Infinite as revolutionary and awesome as the original Halo: combat Evolved from 2001 when the original XBOX launched — it was THE GAME to play back then.

It’s a really hard thing to do. I think they can do it, but Halo Infinite HAS to be incredible to pull it off — they basically have to REBOOT the franchise.

 

[mckmas8808]

I think you're mistaken if you bet on the more expensive version selling the most. I remember people buying the arcade 360 due to it being the only available option, and I think comparing it to PS3 is a mistake. The cheapest PS3 did not have WiFi I'm pretty sure, and I don't think people consider specs the same way as wifi / no wifi. and don't the cheaper versions sell the best this generation?

I remember the Xbox 360 Arcade getting smoked in sales because it was viewed as the dumb man's X360 back then.

 

[Stuart360]

I see it being VERY confusing for moms out buying little Timmy the next console for Xmas who know ZERO about what they are looking at.

I very much see the convo that mckmas laid out.

But how will it be any different than it is now with the S and X?. And even if it is confusing (to a tiny minority) what will happen 'little Timmy wants a new Xbox for Christmas but there are 2 of them, what do we do???????......fuck it, lets get him a PS5 instead'?

 

[NickFire]

I remember the Xbox 360 Arcade getting smoked in sales because it was viewed as the dumb man's X360 back then.

I remember that too. But people would buy at first, at least people I knew, because the 20 gb was sold out for a while. But what about PS3? Didn't the 20 gb lack wifi? I think that is something that is something that specifically turned people off, whereas power does not. Just like having no memory turned people off of 360 arcade if the alternative was stocked.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

But how will it be any different than it is now with the S and X?. And even if it is confusing (to a tiny minority) what will happen 'little Timmy wants a new Xbox for Christmas but there are 2 of them, what do we do???????......fuck it, lets get him a PS5 instead'?

Its EXACTLY how my nephews ended up with a PS4.

My wife's sister asked me and my wife to go Xmas shopping with her the year the X came out because her 2 boys wanted the X and she knew I was a gamer.

Almost exactly how mcmkas our convo went along the lines of:

Me: That is the X it does games in 4k.
Sister in law: What is this Xbox S?
Me: It does the same games just lower rez.
SiL: Thats pretty dumb, why would anyone pay that much more for 4k then?
Me: You just need it to make the games look nicer.
SiL: This PS4 Pro says 4k and its $100 cheaper.
Me: Well yeah it does some in 4k mainly checkerboard

Nephews got a PS4 Pro.

 

[mckmas8808]

I remember that too. But people would buy at first, at least people I knew, because the 20 gb was sold out for a while. But what about PS3? Didn't the 20 gb lack wifi? I think that is something that is something that specifically turned people off, whereas power does not. Just like having no memory turned people off of 360 arcade if the alternative was stocked.

Plus to add, I see no reason for MS to sell the worse version for $150 cheaper either. There is only a $50 difference between the Xbox One S and the Xbox: SAD.

Its EXACTLY how my nephews ended up with a PS4.

My wife's sister asked me and my wife to go Xmas shopping with her the year the X came out because her 2 boys wanted the X and she knew I was a gamer.

Almost exactly how mcmkas our convo went along the lines of:

Me: That is the X it does games in 4k.
Sister in law: What is this Xbox S?
Me: It does the same games just lower rez.
SiL: Thats pretty dumb, why would anyone pay that much more for 4k then?
Me: You just need it to make the games look nicer.
SiL: This PS4 Pro says 4k and its $100 cheaper.
Me: Well yeah it does some in 4k mainly checkerboard

Nephews got a PS4 Pro.

There's no way any of us can explain 4K checkerboarding to our moms, girlfriends, wives, etc lol

 

[CrustyBritches]

If MS really does this dual console thing, I can see the 12 TF version selling 90% or more of the consoles. So many more to the point that MS will realize how silly it was to release a 5 TF console.

Walmart was selling mountains of $199 X1S Minecraft consoles during Black Friday. Doubt they had more than 10 X1X units on hand. Purely a guess, but I'd venture to say the X1S is doing 75% of the sales between the 2 systems. In the first year I could see Ana being equal in sales, but over the whole gen it would be similar. It's a halo product. Most people will go for the affordable Minecraft, Roblox, SoT, Fortnite machine -> Lockhart.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Plus to add, I see no reason for MS to sell the worse version for $150 cheaper either. There is only a $50 difference between the Xbox One S and the Xbox: SAD.




There's no way any of us can explain 4K checkerboarding to our moms, girlfriends, wives, etc lol

My wife swears she can not see the difference between 1080p vs 4k on TVs or monitors even when I have the exact same content playing side by side.

Makes it even harder to convince her I NEED that 4k

 

[Stuart360]

Its EXACTLY how my nephews ended up with a PS4.

My wife's sister asked me and my wife to go Xmas shopping with her the year the X came out because her 2 boys wanted the X and she knew I was a gamer.

Almost exactly how mcmkas our convo went along the lines of:

Me: That is the X it does games in 4k.
Sister in law: What is this Xbox S?
Me: It does the same games just lower rez.
SiL: Thats pretty dumb, why would anyone pay that much more for 4k then?
Me: You just need it to make the games look nicer.
SiL: This PS4 Pro says 4k and its $100 cheaper.
Me: Well yeah it does some in 4k mainly checkerboard

Nephews got a PS4 Pro.

So Xbox having 2 consoles was a problem, but Playstation having 2 consoles wasnt?. Man Xbox just cant catch a break, PS4 wins again!

 

[DanielsM]

I know the latest data shows that console gamers aren't the majority anymore but I wouldn't necessarily say there's only a few console warriors. The attachment rate for a platform is also another important factor to consider when evaluating whether a certain platform is dying out or not.

I didn't mean to say there won't be consoles, just the traditional Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo thing is basically over, generally speaking. I just look at Microsoft as I would another big publisher i.e. EA, Activision, Ubisoft, etc.

Why doesn't Microsoft just go up on stage and show their games off at an EA event? I'm not even sure what Microsoft is offering publisher right now?

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

So Xbox having 2 consoles was a problem, but Playstation having 2 consoles wasnt?. Man Xbox just cant catch a break, PS4 wins again!

When her sons said they wanted the newest Xbox yes the dual sku was a problem for a soccer mom who knows ZERO about teraflops.

When both consoles were displaying 4k the extra $100 lost it had nothing to do with catching a break it was pricing.