• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Microsoft unifying PC/XB1 platforms, Phil implies Xbox moving to incremental upgrades

darkinstinct

...lacks reading comprehension.
Ease of console gaming with the upgrades of PC gaming

I have always been waiting for this

The question is: Why would you want to restrict yourself to one store with paywall multiplayer - when you can simply build a PC and get Windows Store, free multiplayer and Steam.

I would only buy into such a thing if they make it cheaper than the sum of its parts.
 

c0de

Member
Has this ever happened successfully with fixed console hardware?

Besides HDD upgrades and suchlike.

Well, in the past there were quite a lot problems due to exotic hardware and with that, limited tools support which made it hard for developers to invest additional resources for a hardware upgrade not many buy/bought.
On the other side, this is exactly what happened to almost every PC game in the past decades.
Xbone sits between both worlds and we don't know how this will turn out in the end. But they are more leaning to the PC approach, in my opinion.
 
I think folks are running away with this. I can see this notion becoming the standard in the next Xbox but not the current one.

I may be wrong but this Xbox One was designed for incremental hardware upgrades, unless MS comes out with a new box further segmenting their userbase. Don't you think if it was Mattrick and co. would have been tooting this horn as a feature when all the could blabber about was TV and Kinect?

I'm not saying this line of thinking is a bad idea but it's not what a home console is about. Consoles are plug in, pick up and play. You want PC like upgrades then get a PC.

This sheds a little light on MS making Xbox the box absolete and making Xbox the brand a service/platform.
 
Sony hinted at the same. I think NX will likely be built with this in mind as well based on comments from Iwata

Sony's implementation with a more powerful PS4 will be more like Game Boy Color and New 3DS XL, where the software is built for a fixed hardware specification only, but newer software will accommodate a more powerful model.

But yes, what MS is doing seems to be similar to what NX will do (though Nintendo is likely to leverage it to ensure games that work well on portables and consoles, in addition to having a software library that's forwards compatible with more powerful hardware). I'd imagine new games built on UWP will need to be optimised for the Xbox One form factors above and beyond PCs, first.
 

jwhit28

Member
I think it's a great idea. I'd like to see all consoles take on a cell phone style release schedule as long as consoles still get at least 5 years of new firmware support.
 
I don't think this would be a yearly thing. Maybe every 2 or 3 years. They could pull this off well. I'd actually like to see this happen since the traditional console method is kind of an old way of doing things. Wait 5-7 years for a new hardware generation and then lock in that system for the next almost decade. Basically they would be building off the current ecosystem. They would need to be smart and let users of current hardware know that they will still have support and get all the latest games. I can see an updated Xbox one console released this holiday that will last till 2022 which has probably seen 2 or 3 upgrades at least.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
They should seriously give that a shot. I never understood why every console maker keeps following this cycle Nintendo introduced back in the day. They need to break free from it, if it can work for phones and other devices, why not consoles?

The risk is in market reception, of course. One-off hardware investment, platform stability over 5 or 6 years, and the simplicity of software compatibility therein has been a key offering in the console space. Perhaps the key value point. Software purchases over 5 or 6 years often subsidise hardware prices and investment in research that goes into the hardware. Hardware is cost reduced and console prices go down over time to offset the reduced lifespan for the consumer as a gen wears on.

That's not to say refreshes couldn't work, but it would be a change, it might change some of the economics of the business, and any change brings some risks obviously.
 
Xbox Two should not make your Xbox One useless and should not have exclusive games not avaliable on Xbox One. Xbox One should run newer Xbox games with lower performance, just like a PC.
If that is the future I would probably update my Xbox One with a Xbox Three.
 
I think this is the key thing.

If you imagine a hardware refresh every two years, then as long as MS can give a commitment that games will be compatible and work going back 3 iterations (6 years) then I'm happy.

Sure, if they release a more powerful Xbox One next year I would fully expect it to play every game on the market now. But what about someones launch Xbox One? Now all of a sudden Gears 4 requires the latest model Xbox One and they have to buy the same console again only 3 or 4 years later? I'd be upset if I owned a Xbox One right now.
 

shandy706

Member
Microsoft tags in.

FTFY

Sure, if they release a more powerful Xbox One next year I would fully expect it to play every game on the market now. But what about someones launch Xbox One? Now all of a sudden Gears 4 requires the latest model Xbox One and they have to buy the same console again only 3 or 4 years later? I'd be upset if I owned a Xbox One right now.

They could easily have a settings profile for the Xbox One and the new hardware. Same game would run on both.

Stupid to get upset at this point.
 

hodgy100

Member
I think folks are running away with this. I can see this notion becoming the standard in the next Xbox but not the current one.

I may be wrong but this Xbox One was designed for incremental hardware upgrades, unless MS comes out with a new box further segmenting their userbase. Don't you think if it was Mattrick and co. would have been tooting this horn as a feature when all the could blabber about was TV and Kinect?

I'm not saying this line of thinking is a bad idea but it's not what a home console is about. Consoles are plug in, pick up and play. You want PC like upgrades then get a PC.

This sheds a little light on MS making Xbox the box absolete and making Xbox the brand a service/platform.

a newer X1 would not segregate the userbase. the older models would jsut run at a lower setting profile (like it pretty much does now with X1 / PS4 / PC)
 
I imagine the model would be similar to the iPhone and Galaxy phones. Updates every year and the apps usually work on three to four generations of smart phones.

Pricing is the only issue to work out.
 

SerTapTap

Member
I think folks are running away with this. I can see this notion becoming the standard in the next Xbox but not the current one.

I may be wrong but this Xbox One was designed for incremental hardware upgrades, unless MS comes out with a new box further segmenting their userbase. Don't you think if it was Mattrick and co. would have been tooting this horn as a feature when all the could blabber about was TV and Kinect?

I'm not saying this line of thinking is a bad idea but it's not what a home console is about. Consoles are plug in, pick up and play. You want PC like upgrades then get a PC.

This sheds a little light on MS making Xbox the box absolete and making Xbox the brand a service/platform.

I don't think by "upgrades" they mean "a new chip you slip into the console". Console hardware is mostly all soldered directly to the motherboard. I'm pretty sure they'll just sell a second, faster Xbox One as a complete unit not Xbox One Upgrade Kits. There's a ton of complications in expecting users to upgrade hardware themselves and the motherboard/gpu/cpu would all have to go and that's almost all the cost of the unit anyway, may as well sell the whole thing and remove user error from the equation.
 
I can only see this working if they sell a modular system that you can upgrade piecemeal or if they offer some steep discount for trading it in to them. The modular version is kind of why PC works in a changing environment, so I don't need to rebuild my computer every few years.

Or I suppose as long as they make sure that a game will run on all versions of an Xbone system. But god can you imagine the number of devkits and potential problems that would arise in bug testing each version?

This could be very interesting or a burning train wreck the likes of which we've never seen.
 

Ragona

Member
Nintendo and MS going the unified platform route is really interesting. Wonder if Sony persues it aswell, considering how the Vita failed.
Guess thats the future

Ps: I remember, I heard someone say in a Podcast, that MS is coming up with a massive suprise at E3. Guess that could aswell be Xbox one 2
 
It's exactly what Nintendo themselves did wrong during the Wii era imo, we saw the widespread adoption of HD TVs, the Wii was losing steam, looking quite outdated and they could have easily reinvigorated demand had they come with a Wii HD with improved motion controls, like 3 years into it's lifespan.

This isn't an argument for yearly consoles; it's an argument for not being short-sighted and cheap.
 
He was addressing the concerns of some Xbox One owners that the exclusives destined for that console are appearing on PC, thus eroding the value of owning a console.

Why even address this? Why give that errant notion oxygen to breathe?

"Who cares?" would be the best way to address it, albeit not the most diplomatic.

If you derive value by depriving others of value, then, yeah, I guess it's worth addressing. Hopefully other execs don't feel the need to focus a business strategy on puerile and adolescent tantrums.
 

Patryn

Member
Honestly, if it comes to this, I think I'd rather just switch to a PC and work on upgrading that. Quite a bit of the console appeal disappears with this for me.
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
I don't want to buy every year new hardware, ugh. This is why I never get around buying new PC parts! I always want the best, but there's always something new.

And you've answered your own question. Add to that three major third party developers will not cannibalise their own content delivery systems.

So is Microsoft throwing themselves into a situation that could backfire for them?
 

Peterpan

Member
I have a bad feeling about this, though I usually do for change where the future is unknown, until I see the effects. If Microsoft does do this, they will have to show us why we must abondon the way consoles are done now.
 

Sydle

Member
They want to make money through the windows store, why would they allow other storefronts?

To get Windows 10 and Windows Store into as many homes as possible. In addition to the Windows Store Xbox exclusives, Steam doesn't off movies, music, and other apps.

If I were at MS I'd see this as a way to make Xbox/Windows the preferred console for having the most games and the best performance.

This is MS though. I'm going to laugh when a competitor beats them to the punch.
 
Terrible ideia.

And It won't happen.

Why not?

Should they upgrade the hardware and just arbitrarily cut off compatibility with XBO games and accessories? I guess people might get initially confused when games come out that are "better on xbox two" and "requires xbox two or higher", but people have already wrapped their heads around the concept for their iPads and whatnot.
 
I love it. It makes a lot of sense for them to do this. I can't wait for all the threads telling me why this spells doom for Xbox. I would totally buy new hardware revisions though. This is perfect for me.
 

Alucrid

Banned
The "console convenience" isnt enough for me to spend hundreds each year for something that's still probably lagging behind the current pc tech. I'll stick with my ps4 and pc, thanks.
 
TowerofSega.jpg


Say hello to the future of Xbox One.

Does...does that work? Does it still play games? Or does it become sentient?
 
Play new halo need new console. Next year play new Gears need new console. Repeat. Unless they have some thing where the games must run on like consoles that are 3-4 years back this is going to end horribly for parents everywhere.

If they are bringing the games to PC which it sounds they are then I am done with the console brand personally.
 
Sorry, but when I buy a console I expect the first-party manufacturer to support it with games that take advantage of the hardware for at least 3-4 years.

When you add in the possibility of annual hardware upgrades as well as the reality of PC/Xbox cross-development, this goes away.

No real reason for a gamer to buy an Xbox unless you just want cheaper, mediocre access to PC games. Knowing Microsoft's history, I would not be shocked to see newer games being incompatible with hardware that's 2+ years or older. That's not the "console" market I want to be a part of.
 

DGaio

Member
Maybe they will adopt a business model where a "console" like hardware configuration / package will be the base minimum that is refreshed periodically to which developers will target as a baseline configuration but without a performance selling when ran in other hardware configurations.
 
Top Bottom