Rumor: MS to Make 'Huge' Xbox 720 Announcement at CES

[Guest]

omfg im not getting it. This generation is SOOOO incomplete. And were advanced enough.

 

[opmopadop]

[citation][nom]billybobser[/nom]The Xbox720 is so bad, that when you see it, you turn around twice and walk away.[/citation]

That would be a Xbox900. A Xbox720 is when you see it, turn around twice, find yourself still facing it, then walk towards it...

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]warezme[/nom]minimal graphics would have to be equivalent to 6990 for AMD to assure it does not become obsolete within 2 years. CPU wouldn't have to be as extreme since for the most part you are talking about 1920x1080 as your max target resolution which is generally not going to be CPU bound with anything quad core that moves along at around 3Ghz. The only way I would be impressed is if it maxes out GPU beyond current PC standards.[/citation]It won't be a 6990 because nobody's buying a $1,000 console. It is an established fact that you get more performance/dollar with multiple GPUs IF you can fix microstutter stuff that hurts quality. My guess is something more like dual 6850's. That will get around GTX 580 performance (if microstutter is ignored/fixed) at around $220. That's what I'd go with anyhow since it would be the best performance you can get in a $400 package--much better than most PC gamers have.

I have no idea what they're doing with the CPU since IBM made the original Xbox CPU--not AMD or Intel. My guess would be an underclocked Piledriver CPU or Phenom II x6 on a die shrink since consoles usually have pretty low power usage. But I'd actually go with an Ivy Bridge i3 if I were building it.

Well...I hope it's not too weak of a console.

 

[Antichrist]

I know people like to gripe about the capabilities of the consoles and how it hampers graphics for PC development, but I've been so happy with all the 360 and PC games I've been playing recently, that I'm sure I'll be pretty satisfied with a new console Microsoft might put out. I'm curious.

 

[atikkur]

not AMD again, i think i will buy it when they release jasper 720 . .

 

[wolfej26]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to go with power hungry Bulldozer chips... or x86 chips in general. Has any gaming console in history ever used an x86 processor?[/citation]

The original xbox used a pentium 3.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

If developers were actually intelligent, they'd customize games strictly for PC, then dumb them down for consoles. Then, when newer consoles arrive, optimization techniques would not be so new.

So what this article is telling me, is that the new XBOX 720 will basically be a Core i7 990x with an AMD 6990 with only 2 GB of GDDR5?

I really hope this new XBOX introduces cloud gaming capabilities, but idiot proofs them so it is either allowed/disallowed per console based on the user's network performance. I think you need higher up/down rate for cloud gaming, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[kastraelie]

[citation][nom]blubbey[/nom] Why would they do that? They'd make no money unless they price it at like £750/$1000 or something ridiculous. Learn about the basics of business.[/citation]

You might be forgetting the unit cost (vendor) of a 6970 is $80. If MS decided they wanted to buy, say, 57 million over the course of 6 years I'm sure they could drop the price...dramatically.

I'm actually surprised at the ram limit. 2GB GDDR3 is nice to beable to play around with, but with more they could really do some amazing stuff. Take a look at some of the Skyrim LOD hacks that require loads of RAM, they are pretty neat.

Granted, MS has done their research and knows what they are doing...and I can't fairly comment.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Can't wait to purchase!

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]JOSHSKORN[/nom]So what this article is telling me, is that the new XBOX 720 will basically be a Core i7 990x with an AMD 6990 with only 2 GB of GDDR5?[/citation]You should spend longer reading:
*It never says i7 or 990X--you made that up on your own. An AMD Thuban is more likely due to price constraints and architecture versatility.
*It never says 6990--merely dual GPU. More likely it'll be dual 6850 than 6950 because $1,000 is a bit steep for a console and dual 6850's get roughly GTX 580 performance.
*It never says only 2GB of GDDR5, but rather 2GB of DDR3 system memory. My guess is 2GB (2x1GB) GDDR5 VRAM though. They might up it to 2x2GB though if they plan to focus on 3D gaming. But that's not too likely considering the [lack of] success of the 3DS and how painful 24fps gaming is to watch.

 

[Pinhedd]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to go with power hungry Bulldozer chips... or x86 chips in general. Has any gaming console in history ever used an x86 processor?Wasn't the rumor a few weeks ago that it's going to be an ARM based CPU with specialized co-processors on the same die? That would explain the 6 "cores".Dual GPU sounds weird though...[/citation]

The original XBox used a Pentium III

 

[jasonpwns]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to go with power hungry Bulldozer chips... or x86 chips in general. Has any gaming console in history ever used an x86 processor?Wasn't the rumor a few weeks ago that it's going to be an ARM based CPU with specialized co-processors on the same die? That would explain the 6 "cores".Dual GPU sounds weird though...[/citation]

Uh, the Original Xbox did. Where have you been?

 

[stevo777]

Personally, I think there should be more then 2GB RAM. 2GB RAM stick prices have become dirt cheap and going to at least 4GB would not add much cost to the system at all. Adding more RAM allows for games with a much larger area of exploration--such games as Red Dead Redemption and Skyrim etc... Such things as melting and accumulating snow would be possible with more RAM.

 

[dragonsqrrl]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to go with power hungry Bulldozer chips... or x86 chips in general. Has any gaming console in history ever used an x86 processor?[/citation]
...the original xbox.

 

[dragonsqrrl]

[citation][nom]wolfej26[/nom]The original xbox used a pentium 3.[/citation]
[citation][nom]Pinhedd[/nom]The original XBox used a Pentium III[/citation]
[citation][nom]jasonpwns[/nom]Uh, the Original Xbox did. Where have you been?[/citation]
Damn. And that's why you sweep the existing comments before you post...

 

[leaderWON]

2gb of ram is fine considering its singular purpose of gaming. dvds would be ok as long as you can install the games computer style. hd-dvds would be interesting not only for the increased capacity but also for anti piracy. i can't imagine that the use of hd-dvds would be much more expensive than standard dvds. user friendly (standard) hdd replacement is a must (one thing the ps3 got right).

 

[Supertrek32]

Don't forget about all the driver optimizations which go into consoles. A console 6850 will blow a PC 6850 out of the water. Looking at hardware isn't going to tell you the whole story.

 

[alidan]

there are a few reasons why xbox would be announced at ces over e3,

1) games now cross platform, get it on 720 plays on pc too.
2) they are making the 720 a home theater staple, basically making it like a tvio that plays games.
3) its even more of a casual experience than it is now, and an e3 crowd despises that far more than a ces

 

[sinfulpotato]

[citation][nom]gamerk316[/nom]Not shocked at the 2GB RAM; doesn't make sense for consoles to have any more. I do find dual-GPU's interesting though, and wonder how much poor scaling will affect the long-term viability of the console...[/citation]

Only ported games should feel the effect of the dual GPU. Games made for the xbox will be coded to take advantage of the two GPU's. For you PC gamers using crossfire or SLI this could be a good thing, as more games can take advantage of the tech.

 

[koolkat574]

[citation][nom]upgrade_1977[/nom]Ok... If anyone remembers, The last article on the xbox 720 said the graphics would be equal to the movie "Avatar".... I don't see how that is possible running such meager specs. From the specs listed, it appears to be exactly twice what the xbox 360 is. Keeping in mind that if they are using crossfire or some ver. there of, then scaling isn't going to be 100% in all games. I am a PC fanboy, and i'll say that if they are "truly" equal to Avatar, ill eat my words and buy one.IMO, it'll be outdated by the time it hits the market, but console players will probably snatch it up in record numbers anyways.RUMOR: I heard, it will have built in AI, so that it will tell you when it red rings.[/citation]

I heard that the AI will also be able to be projected with the next generation Kinect to give you hugs =0