Microsoft: There's No Need for a New Xbox Yet

[Guest]

This pathetic old relic is already 4 generations behind in gfx hardware, that it will still be around for years to come is bad news for gaming progress in general.

 

[Guest]

They're not watered down PC's; the 360 is more like a watered down old Mac and the PS3 is a proprietary machine. They're just comparable in performance to slow old PC's.

 

[schwiing]

PC Gaming FTW...its ok M$, I still use Windows 7

 

[TeraMedia]

Here's a scary thought: What if the next generation of gaming consoles were embedded into Cable STBs?

Right now the 360 takes away some of the market that cable companies want to control: on-demand video, and viewer time. If an STB were built that incorporated DVR, on-demand, and gaming, and games could be downloaded through the cable connection, then why would anyone (read: joe-the-plumber and jane-the-teacher, not jack-the-PC-guru) want to buy an extra box as a console? Imagine two parents - a teacher and an attorney - faced with the following situation:

They want a system that provides parent-controlled TV, movies and gaming for their kids, but is dirt-simple to setup, use and maintain, and "just works". A PC - even store-bought - will never be that. A console and a DVR means that you have to switch the input from one to the other (again... imagine a 2-yr-old doing this). But all-in-one means one remote, one parentally-controlled content source, and one box sitting near the TV. And it can be rented from the cable company for imagine $15 / mo with all-u-can-play gaming downloads.

Of course... those games include substantial in-game advertisement in the form of product placement, etc., and possibly even transitition ads. And the cable company gatekeeps which games you can play. And the hardware capability would be

 

[datawrecker]

[citation][nom]hakesterman[/nom]PC's will never be supirior to consoles,never have and never will. Most people like just putting in a game and playing and not haveing to configure the entire pc each time they get a game. Also they don't want tobe bothered with Hard drive pauses and window crashes.[/citation]

Sounds like you have a shitty PC.

 

[TeraMedia]

My message got truncated apparently. ...And the hardware capability would be less than a Wii. And for some reason Netflix and youtube don't seem to work on it, though the providers swear they've done nothing to block those services.

If I were a cable company faced with the decline of traditional broadcast and cable-cast entertainment video being replaced with on-demand and gaming, I'd probably try to control those new market areas. Wouldn't you?

 

[Guest]

Consoles are for children/noobs.

 

[drip50291]

the next console must have 3D or else its nothing new..

 

[TheKurrgan]

PC Gaming is actually way down as far as the market goes. It has always struggled a little compared to the consoles, but today its worse than ever. I love my PC, and have a 360 as a rock band machine, and play all my serious games on the PC for 2 reasons:
1. keyboard and mouse. Must the way I roll for FPS.
2. I spent the bucks on a pretty decent rig, and it does leave the 360 eating its dust. Items look better, move better and provide a generally enhanced experience.
However, I must agree that the simplicity of consoles is attractive. It should also be pointed out that 1 of my 280's alone at the time i purchased it costed as much as the Xbox360 did, and it is JUST ONE of my 2 graphics cards in the system.
So at the end of the day, I enjoy tuning my system, pushing it to the absolute max, and all that goes along with PC gaming.
Most people though, just want to veg out, be entertained with absolutely no potential for headaches. I think any one reading this who has played PC Games for enjoyment at any point, can acknowledge that sometimes shit just doesnt work right without some tweaking.

 

[megamanx00]

Oh, I'm pretty sure we're past the midpoint on the 360. You see the thing is, Sony can't afford to put out a PS4 anytime soon especially when the PS3 has only recently begun to gain ground. The Wii is also still doing well enough that Nintendo doesn't have to put out a faster system anytime soon. Likely Nintendo will wait for another year or two before putting out a new system and then MS will have to evaluate what they want to do. As for Sony, they may not even put out a PS4 depending on how badly the PS3 does financially over it's life cycle by that time.

 

[datawrecker]

[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]How many times have you upgraded hardware to play your games? How many times do die hard PC gamers in general upgrade their hardware to play the latest games? How many times have you upgraded your console's hardware to play the latest games?[/citation]

I upgrade my PC once every two years. Factor in that if you buy 15 games every two years that is a $150 upgrade for a video card. It may not be a top of the line card but if we are comparing console to PC i want to be somewhat fair and get comparable graphics. Although it is not fair comparing a 5 year old video card in a console to a new midgrade PC graphics card.

Best thing is, my old video card is still in use in my PC. my 512 8800 GT ($150 when I got it) is acting as my PPU, while my 1 GB GTS250 OC (again $150) is pushing video. Too bad you can't tether your xbox to your 360 to do that. I havent had a need to upgrade my processor which is a Q6600 yet. I can still play all my games, even Crysis with ALL the eyecandy. I actually get a framerate boost when I pull the resolution down to the console equivalent 720p.

The misconception is that you NEED to upgrade your hardware to play the latests games. I didn't NEED to upgrade my 8800 GT to play the latest games. I WANTED the upgrade. There is no game available on PC that I could not play using the 8800 and still get better visuals than consoles. All for $150 upgrade.

 

[dextermat]

Microsoft: There's No Need for a New Xbox Yet :

we ripping off a lot of people with the good old xbox and xbox live gold account...

 

[HavoCnMe]

They should of made both the Xbox 360 and the PS3's memory banks accessible to consumers for down the road upgrades. It would of at the least prolonged the life of these console camp's.

 

[eccentric909]

[citation][nom]dextermat[/nom]Microsoft: There's No Need for a New Xbox Yet :we ripping off a lot of people with the good old xbox and xbox live gold account...[/citation]

You guys do know that Sony is working up pricing models to charge for it's PSN, right? That'll suck to lose one of the major upsides of the PS3.

 

[centra]

I'm cool with 2014-2015. By then the tech inside the new xbox will be amazing!! I can't wait!

 

[rooket]

I quit using mine. these 'next gen' consoles didn't live up to the hype at all and still don't. do they need a new one? maybe not, since the gaming industry hasn't even caught up with dx10 or multithread yet. I'd say 7 years would be the sweet spot but they can stretch it to 10.

 

[Guest]

You can’t buy a top of the line graphics card for $200, what would make anyone think that an entire console could be made with that kind of performance for less money? Unless they follow the InkJet printer model, where they give away the printer, then sell the ink for $50 a ½ oz, it does not make economic sense.

 

[Raidur]

Well... I have roughly 600% more gpu power on a generation old setup (4890+4870 1GB). I'd say its time for a new generation... this is going to be a spectacular year to own a pc!

 

[bildo123]

Plus releasing a new console in the middle of an economic slump that we're still isn't such a great idea.

 

[CptTripps]

I personally hope the next Xbox comes a little sooner than but; if good games keep coming out and new features (that I actually use - netflix) I will continue to use it until they do release a new console. The graphics are fine, not groundbreaking but they still look very nice imo. I love the online/friends/party setup and actually make some of my purchasing decisions based on what my friends are playing on.

I also have an i7 setup with 9GB of Ram and a 1GB 4850 (too poor for the 5850 atm) which I use to play MMO games, RTS games and some of the greatest PC only FPS games (STALKER) available.

I personally don't understand the PC vs. Console crowd. I owned my first computer (Apple IIe) and console (Atari) back in 1984, I enjoyed both then and still enjoy both current systems I have now.

There are pros and cons for each (no install on 360 vs. MKB on PC) but I find none of these to be deal breakers. It took a little time to get used to FPS on a controller but now I can pick up any console shooter and perform just fine. It is a bummer I can't slap a disc in my PC and play in 10 seconds but hey, 15 minutes later I am good to go and never have to do it again.

For people bitching about the $50 a year price tag for Live Gold, get over it as you aren't required to pay it. Keep spending 5$ on coffee and 2$ for a bottle of water while complaining to someone who cares. The service is solid, convenient and makes online gaming a joy. If 4$ a month is a deal breaker for you then stick with PC or get a better job.