Rumor: New Xbox next fall? Repackaged 360?

[Atty]

New xbox due out next fall? (http://kotaku.com/5289168/new-xbox-to-launch-in-2010)


Last week, Microsoft's Shane Kim told us that the launch of the 360's motion-controlled camera system - Project Natal (http://kotaku.com/tag/project-natal/) - would be as big as a console launch (http://kotaku.com/5287069/natal-launch-will-be-as-big-as-360s). Maybe he was onto something with that.

Because 1UP are reporting a rumour that while Natal will be released next year for existing 360 consoles, it will also be released next year as a standard inclusion with a new Xbox console, due out in the Fall.

This console won't be as "new" as we're accustomed to with console generations; rather, 1UP say it'll be a slight improvement over the existing Xbox 360 (http://kotaku.com/tag/xbox-360/) technology, with games able to run with slightly faster framerates, or with slightly better graphics than those on the "older" 360 consoles.


Sounds crazy, but as 1UP point out, it's not that different to what Nintendo did the Wii; repackage existing hardware and re-release it in a new casing with a new control method.


I don't know how I like (or put much stock in) the idea of two 360 consoles, especially two with varying hardware configurations; what's to stop developers from optimising for the more powerful unit and leaving owners of the older 360 with a sloppy, sub-standard product?


Hopefully that's not a problem, and if true, the "new" console is just a rebranded, repackaged 360. Maybe in a smaller box, with a snappier name. First impressions, fresh start and all that.


We've contacted Microsoft for comment, and will let you know if/when they get back to us.


Seriously hoping this is just a rumor. I'm all for a new Xbox console but I'd like it to be an actual upgrade. I don't know if anyone else saw this but a few weeks ago one of the lead development studios claimed it has gotten all of the power out of the 360 that it can.

Discuss.


E:


Speaking to the media at E3 last week, Patrick Soderlund, Senior VP of EA Games Europe, said that the Xbox 360 has been "maxed out," but PlayStation 3 hasn't been.

"I do think that we'll see developers inside the organization getting to understand the PS3 better and I think that we're getting more power out of PS3 right now." Soderlund told OXM U.K. (http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=11181) "I think that we've maxed out the 360 but we haven't maxed out the PS3."

[Advancebo]

Didnt the microsoft guy on E3 said they wouldnt release a new game console?

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

Heh, I hope this is just a rumor, I want to see a new xbox console that also dies, is easy to fix, so I can make monies ^^;
Also, if this is true, then this sucks, considering that the xbox 360 limits the framerates to 29.5, for no appereant reason.

[Con]

If they release a new console, I hope they wait long enough to make it the best thing since sliced bread.

[flibitijibibo]

2 reasons why I hope this is true:

1: Less console hardware advancement means less advancement in PC hardware, meaning people can finally catch up without being outdone by a slightly better card that's released months later. If there's hardware capable of making stuff like Crysis run at 60 fps, then I think we're good for a little while; there's no need to outdo ourselves just to up TF2 from 1000 fps to 1005 fps.

2: Without the need to spend 99% of the effort on the fucking shaders, people will remember that whole "gameplay" thing that used to be important in a game. This is the reason why I believe New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Galaxy 2 will probably be in the top 3 games of the year. Instead of trying to make them look more real than life itself, they took an engine that already looked good enough and spent their time making the game part of the goddamn game. (Previous evidence of this is seen with any game that was developed on Unreal, such as BioShock)

[Atty]

If they release a new console, I hope they wait long enough to make it the best thing since sliced bread.All they need to do is release tomorrow's top of the line hardware, ship all the new Xbox 360 features they've announced, and integrate natal. After that what more would we need? Beyond good games to play.

[Bodzilla]

how about a console that actually works.

no hardware gremlins this time please.

[Atty]

2 reasons why I hope this is true:

1: Less hardware advancement means less advancement in PC hardware, meaning people can finally catch up without being outdone by a slightly better card that's released months later. If there's hardware capable of making stuff like Crysis run at 60 fps, then I think we're good for a little while; there's no need to outdo ourselves just to up TF2 from 1000 fps to 1005 fps.

2: Without the need to spend 99% of the effort on the fucking shaders, people will remember that whole "gameplay" thing that used to be important in a game. This is the reason why I believe New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Galaxy 2 will probably be in the top 3 games of the year. Instead of trying to make them look more real than life itself, they took an engine that already looked good enough and spent their time making the game part of the goddamn game. (Previous evidence of this is seen with any game that was developed on Unreal, such as BioShock)Yeah, becuase console hardware totally determines how advanced PC hardware becomes.

Yeah, well, people will make bad games no matter what the graphical capablity is.


how about a console that actually works.

no hardware gremlins this time please.Yeah because every new hardware release is always perfect and Microsoft should be shot for releasing a completely imperfect console.

[jcap]

Bullshit.

They're just going to release another hardware update like they have been doing every year for the past 4 years.

Kotaku is full of shit to get more hits.

And as for EA, they're the only ones who think developing for the PS3 is worth it. They're full of shit too. Most developers (and especially Valve) can't stand the PS3 because of its architecture. I have no idea how they can even claim that they're "maxing out" the 360 when it is even less limited when it comes to the hardware than the PS3. The only limitation the 360 has is with the optical media, and that's only if you don't know how to actually publish a game (there's this little thing developed called "compression").

[k4is3rxkh40s]

If Microsoft does actually come out with a "new" console, it will probably be something like what the PS2 Slimline was to the original. I'm /hoping/ so anyways.

[Bodzilla]

Yeah because every new hardware release is always perfect and Microsoft should be shot for releasing a completely imperfect console.
Theres acceptable problems, then theres the xbox 360.

It has one of the worst if not the worst record out of any console thats ever been released. multiple problems at every phase.
And these wouldnt have been a problem if they didnt keep switching designs and adding in new things (wireless) after the set outs had been finalized and the case's finalized.

None of it would have been a problem if they hadnt cut back on product testing and quality control and pushed for a deadline they couldnt possible meet to get market placement ahead of time of sony and nintendo.

They fucked up and yes you should hold a certain amount of contempt for them.
They disrespected their own consumers by selling sub standard products.

I'm not saying they have to be PERFECT as in no mistakes or we call for there head, but after what happened there should be at least some flaming pitch forks... atleast until they prove us wrong.

i cant defend people that hold such contempt and disrespect for me, especially if i'm supporting them and their products.
And i cant understand why you would.

[Atty]

1UP reported on Monday that Microsoft plans to release a new Xbox console as early as next year, featuring beefed-up Xbox 360 hardware and built-in Project Natal technology. From the 1UP report (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174762):


Microsoft will not only release Natal as an add-on for the Xbox 360, it will come standard with the next Xbox console.

Yes, there will be a new Xbox console next fall.

However, the new console won't just be an Xbox 360 with a camera, though -- we've heard it will be considered a new platform and carry a new name (Xbox Natal?). It's not clear what sort of upgrades we might see, but some have suggested it will be an slight upgrade of the current Xbox 360 technology.


1UP speculates on the idea that Microsoft could try a similar move such as the one done by Nintendo, which basically built the Wii around the GameCube hardware, with the motion-sensing "Wiimote" being the real addition:


Current Xbox 360 games would be playable on it, but future games would be able to take advantage of the added muscle. Similar to what we see in the PC space, games played on the more advanced Xbox would look or perform better, but publishers will still be able to support owners of both systems. Some developers have complained that they've already maxed out the Xbox 360; perhaps this will give them room to expand.

Make no mistake, we wouldn't be talking about the sort of hardware leap we've seen with Xbox (or most other) platforms in the past, and we're not talking about Microsoft ending one console cycle and starting another. We're talking about an evolution of the Xbox 360; similar hardware but upgraded, repackaged, and rebranded.
Over recent years, we have received information on Microsoft's future plans for the Xbox platform, and that's why, among other topics, we extensively covered 3DV Systems' Z-Cam. Avid TeamXbox.com readers know we were the first publication to report that Microsoft signed IBM to create the CPU (http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/4929/IBM-to-Power-Xbox-2/) for the Xbox 360 (at a time when no one would believe Microsoft and IBM would work together or that the Xbox platform would use a non-x86 CPU) and that Microsoft was doing research on video-based motion sensing (http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/16252/Microsoft-Patents-Wii-Remote-Killer-Game-Controller/).

Today, I can tell you that I have obtained the first details on the next Xbox (info that we'll reveal in the coming weeks) and that's why we can confirm that the rumor reported by 1UP is false. Microsoft is NOT launching a new, upgraded Xbox 360 disguised as a new Xbox in 2010 (although built-in Natal technology is a possibility for a new edition of the Xbox 360, similar to the Elite or Arcade flavors).

It's not our intention to tease you, but for now the only thing I'm going to say about everything I heard regarding the next Xbox is that it won't launch until a certain type of television becomes more widespread because...

Ah, yes.

[Warsaw]

Up the frequency on the Cell in it and add a new R800 series card...that should totally shut up complaints about it being maxed out while maintaining compatibility. Also, 2GB of GDDR5 RAM on the system wouldn't hurt the texture popping problem.

[sevlag]

Up the frequency on the Cell in it and add a new R800 series card...that should totally shut up complaints about it being maxed out while maintaining compatibility. Also, 2GB of GDDR5 RAM on the system wouldn't hurt the texture popping problem.
or we could all just go buy an atari 2600, because we all know pac-man could kick the shit out of crysis anyday

if you -rep this, then you have NO humor whatsoever

[MetKiller Joe]

They're just going to release another hardware update like they have been doing every year for the past 4 years.


I think this is probably what's going to happen. The next generation of GFX and CPU hardware probably won't come out for another year or two (maybe more), and when it does, MS will have something ready for the next 5.

If they surprise us, even better. I've got an Xbox sitting on my desk that is RRoDing sometimes.

Honestly, considering that present gen hardware still manages to impress us a lot, I don't think MS, or for that matter nVidia, ATI, or Intel, have much incentive to take on a big project like the next console.

[Limited]

I doubt it, I think it will be released as a new addition to the Xbox 360 bundles. Xbox 360: Natal. Just like the Arcade, Elite, Pro, etc.

[sdavis117]

Wasn't the 360 built with the idea that Microsoft would release Hardware updates for it? I mean I remember seeing a "Making of" documentary for the 360 with the creators of the 360 saying they had expandability in mind.

[kid908]

I thought the next line of next gen console were due in 2012? I really hope this release is false.

[Phopojijo]

And as for EA, they're the only ones who think developing for the PS3 is worth it. They're full of shit too. Most developers (and especially Valve) can't stand the PS3 because of its architecture. I have no idea how they can even claim that they're "maxing out" the 360 when it is even less limited when it comes to the hardware than the PS3. The only limitation the 360 has is with the optical media, and that's only if you don't know how to actually publish a game (there's this little thing developed called "compression").Compression only works on an optical device if you have a place to cache to... which is not true if you do not have a hard drive, which not every 360 does. In order to optimize for the lack of memory present in the console, just 512+10MB, you need to stream data from the optical media. It's really hard to stream compressed (depending on compression used of course) assets... and streaming often involves multiple copies of the same data on the disk to minimize seek times (which is why Halo 1's loading is so minimal...)

There's two problems with the PS3...

The first is that it is so radically different from the PC architecture... unlike the 360 which is very very PC-like.

The second problem is that it's RAM is not 512+10... it's 256+256... which means there's less reliable RAM available to load textures and stuff to. They have a lot more power with the Cell's coprocessors... but 4 less conventional CPU paths. You really need to think hard about how to optimize for the PS3. Often that equates to NOT optimizing.

Theres acceptable problems, then theres the xbox 360.

It has one of the worst if not the worst record out of any console thats ever been released. multiple problems at every phase.
And these wouldnt have been a problem if they didnt keep switching designs and adding in new things (wireless) after the set outs had been finalized and the case's finalized.

None of it would have been a problem if they hadnt cut back on product testing and quality control and pushed for a deadline they couldnt possible meet to get market placement ahead of time of sony and nintendo.

They fucked up and yes you should hold a certain amount of contempt for them.
They disrespected their own consumers by selling sub standard products.

I'm not saying they have to be PERFECT as in no mistakes or we call for there head, but after what happened there should be at least some flaming pitch forks... atleast until they prove us wrong.

i cant defend people that hold such contempt and disrespect for me, especially if i'm supporting them and their products.
And i cant understand why you would.1) The PS2 had terrible terrible terrible problems with dying. It's not uncommon to find someone how had multiple of them. The Xbox 360 only was more noticeable because Microsoft kept reminded everyone of it by upping their warranty.

2) Actually Microsoft apparently did quite a bit of QA testing... Epic was pushing them all throughout development to double their RAM from 256 to 512MB. They finally did... pulling already-assembled Xbox360s back and upgrading them.

P.S. That's why there was a shortage of them on launch...