740°

Played right, Xbox One's upgrade plan could win it the console war

TechRadar: Imagine if instead of having to wait five or six years for a "big bang" moment where old is replaced with new, every year (or every two years, say) Microsoft unveiled a newXbox One that was slightly better than the preceding version - capable of slightly better graphics, or processing slightly more data, or with support for a new hardware standard. All the while, the software on the inside would remain the same Xbox operating system, able run more or less the same code.

While games for a brand new PlayStation 5 might start from zero users, games for the 2019 iteration of the Xbox One will still have tens of millions of older users who can play too. Incremental upgrades can begin the slow march towards rebuilding the market share it lost at the start of this generation.

This is also good for developers, who will have a readymade audience for their games even when they have been built to support newer platforms.

Most importantly, it could be a big win for gamers. No need to pony up another half-grand for a new console when Microsoft demands it - you can instead upgrade on your own schedule and still play new games in the meantime. And if you do pick up a new system, you already have a library of games that will work with it.

Read Full Story >>
techradar.com
2993d ago Replies(15)
ape0072993d ago

Sony said before that they may have a more powerful PS4, rumors say that the NX might be upgradable and now MS is considering it

to be honest the idea of a fixed console (6-7) years is a bit outdated, don't me wrong im a console gamer but it is actually the case

the idea if done right and in an accessible way will be HUGE and a win win situation for everyone, with consoles selling like crazy these day especially the PS4, it could further increase the revenue to these companies big time

now i know ps4 owners and PC owners are afraid of the concept, u can easily tell that by seeing their comments but let the childish antics aside and let's discuss this intelligently

DragonDDark2993d ago

Get a PC then if you think consoles are outdated..

ABizzel12992d ago (Edited 2992d ago )

@dragonddark

I agree for the most part. I all for the modular console, but that's also because I'm a PC owner, and I know the benefits of it, but I don't see how this is a good idea.

There have been several examples of hardware changing and those devices NEVER getting library of games to benefit them, because of it.

The 3DS is the newest example, developers aren't rushing out by the thousands to take advantage of that power.

The only way this is going to work is if console game development becomes more like PC, where your performance scales based on your hardware, but that opens a whole new can of worms, and at what point does console gaming simply because "locked PC boxes" even more than they currently are.

These are good ideas on paper, but their execution has never worked for any console before, so MS has to be VERY careful about how they implement this.

I'm all for SLI / Xfire for the consoles to provide more performance and a mid life-cycle refresh, but what happens to all those gamers who don't buy the hardware upgrade, and what happens when we have some gamers online playing 1080p @ 30fps, vs others at 1440p @ 60fps on console.

I think people will be up in arms, but IMO it's the right choice to make going forward from a business perspective.

dcbronco2992d ago

@Abizzel1

You commented not only without reading the article (I get that with the amount of junk), but also without knowing much of anything about what Microsoft even talked about. They have made it clear that games will scale and work across all versions of the console going forward. That means backwards and forwards compatibility. So even if you have three versions of the console, the same game works. No more separating like Xbox One games and 360 games. Just Xbox games.

People are thinking this means games will have more issues because of optimization. Not necessarily true. Because Windows 10 is the common platform the same code works across all devices. A Universal App works on everything from phone to Hololens.

Also when optimizing you may have many PC variations but even with an update every few years you will still only have three or four console versions to optimize. Not a thousand possible combinations like PC.

People aren't understanding what a single OS means. OS X and IOS are two different things. IOS doesn't run OS X programs, they are different. All Universal Apps do run on all Windows 10 devices. Some will refuse to get this, they always do. But developers get it. This saves money. What was normally spent making several different versions is now cut to a small percentage because you make one version and then optimize it for each platform.

Griever2992d ago (Edited 2992d ago )

@Abizzel

Spencer has already clarified in the Podcast that they will not be releasing a modular console. He said he will not be giving a screwdriver set with each Xbox. Instead he meant releasing improved console model each year like smartphones. However, will people buy a new console each year? You cannot buy consoles on contracts so you will have to pay $500 or probably a lot more each year because latest hardware does not comes cheap.

The plan sounds nice theorectically but there are so many obstacles. Will people pay each year for a new console? Will developers code for each console version? Will teh differences be significant enough? How will teh people who do not upgrade feel about playing substandard games? How long until a newer games stop working or work poorly on older models? What if MS forces people to upgrade by designing consoles to be disposable and obsolete in a couple of years? How much will you end up spending on consoles alone in 6 years? If it goes over $1,000 then why not just buy a PC?

This plan will just not work and it will ruin console gaming. Simplicity is the main feature and charm of consoles. You might as well buy a PC if you want latest hardware and best graphics.

dcbronco2992d ago

@Griever

You are not looking at upgrades on modern technology teh right way. You're not applying advancements in fabrication to consoles. There's a reason you can buy a $150 new laptop now when you couldn't buy a $1000 laptop fifteen years ago. You are right that he has said these won't be modular. But here's what people are assuming that is wrong.

The idea of a $500 console every year. Look online at Amazon and New Egg, you'll find GPUs with twice the power of current generation consoles going for $100. Consoles are no longer cutting edge power wise at launch. Back then those GPUs were expensive. Now they are cheap. Because of die shrinks you could double the power of current generation consoles and still launch them at $300. Triple the power.

The shrink allows more transistors on a smaller chip and a smaller chip means more chips per silicon wafer. That's how cost gets reduced while increasing power. There are also advancements in architectures and efficiency. Both in processing and electrically. All of that leads to smaller consoles, less heat , smaller power supply, less plastic, smaller box. All those things make the console cheaper. You should know this because you've watched the price of every generation go down over time.

This year GPUs could be as much as eight times the power of current generation. The Fury X won't remain at $650, it'll be a $300 card. GPUs got a double die shrink. That power will most likely be less. So three times the power will be available in a $300 console.

Given that the hardcore gamers might pay $400 every three years you could launch at $400 make a profit and subsidize losses on dropping the price of the lower tiers. Since the games are the same software remains the same. And people have played "inferior" versions on PC for years. I haven't seen a revolt yet. And the idea of forced upgrades doesn't work because the software works on all Windows devices. Universal apps makes Xbox like PC in that respect. No more One and 360 versions. Just a Universal App version. The hardware is just a device.

Satou2992d ago (Edited 2992d ago )

@dcbronco

However the die shrinks only happen once every few years. AMD really just needs to collaborate with console producers when they get a meaningful update.

Now this year is abit special for AMD and they're going from 28nm to 14nm... This is big and consoles kinda need an update. An Xbox One S and PS4 S make sense, however doing this every year would be kind of stupid.

Nex-gen a modular console would make sense as long as it's just the GPU/HDD and there's only 2(max 3 options) on the GPU end. Spread the updates throughout the gen to make them count, and give us good notice to save.

ULTp0ltergeist2992d ago

I think gaming and specifically PC gaming overall and understand PC parts are becoming more "building friendly" for consumers, especially today where young gamers are not scared of tech and it's uses. I can imagine the likes of Alienware and GPU manufactures creating HTPC like consoles but with Xbox UI on them. Brings in more competition, cheaper consoles, development tools and techniques stay consistent, meaning better games and a healthy industry overall.

If that were possible it's going to be the battle of the OSs and UI since gaming OS I would assume would be easier to design. Steam vs Xbox Live?

Dee_912992d ago

Looks like M$ putting the $ in M$ as usual.
If there's a trade-in system setup like phones then i'm all for it. Though I think the consoles are powerful enough as is, it would be good for the graphic sluts thats more interested in counting pixels than playing games to have the option to upgrade

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2992d ago
christocolus2993d ago

MS just needs to play their cards right. The idea isn't bad. Phil talked about console life spans of 7 - 8 years, so if we get new hardware upgrades once withing that time frame then it wouldn't be bad imo. It all boils down to how MS executes the idea.

akurtz2993d ago

no matter how, youll still praise them

christocolus2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

@akurtz

Praise? Wut? Dude I'm not praising, I'm just keeping an open mind but i'm hoping and leaning more towards this being positive, after all, MS hasn't even revealed much or gone into detail about their plans..for all we know it could end up being a really good idea or it could turn out bad. Would you rather i start bashing them when i hardly know anything about it?

dcbronco2992d ago

No matter what some will still hate. People that understand the benefits of this aren't against it. The idea of being held back would no longer exists. The top tier and PC could get more of what they want while the lowest tier still gets the games.

People also need to set aside price fears. Technology has gone down in price drastically since the 90s. The things that make that possible have only increased. This generation of consoles weren't sold at a huge loss at launch. And the next versions will increase in power several times but will be even cheaper to make. Die shrinks decrease the cost of consoles and we move to 14nm this year. That would have made these consoles launch at closer to $300. Then they'll move to 10nm, 7 and 4. Each time getting cheaper.

The other thing people aren't recognizing is what this will do for games. This means no more console specific games within a brand. A developer knows he has an instant install base. A developer has 60 million version one users, 35 million version two and 10 million version three along with 100's of millions of PC and phone users. That advantage of hundreds of millions of potential customers that makes mobile attractive now applies to your Xbox. This is great for everyone but fanboys of other consoles.

OoglyBoogly2993d ago

What a stupid comment! Explain to me how PC gamers are "afraid of the concept" of UPGRADING THEIR MACHINES???

You have no idea what you're talking about haha!

HawaiianDreads2992d ago

@ape007

Yeah you need to explain this, why would PC gamers be afraid of something they been doing for years? I mean "because they are" is not really a strong argument of the question OoglyBoogly asked.

JamesBroski2992d ago

The thing is people don't buy consoles to constantly invest money in them to play recent games. If that happens, consoles will become overpriced; pay for online, pay for upgrades, not as many deals on games.

I mainly play on my PC and have a PS4 and Wii U for exclusives. If consoles ever become upgradable I can tell you a lot of people will just stop buying them and focus on PC.

medman2992d ago

I find it hilarious that people are taking Phil Spencer's comments and assuming he's talking about the xbox one. I don't see that console as having been designed to be upgradeable. I see this as a hint at what Microsoft's next console might attempt to do. People are weird.

awi59512992d ago

They better have a great trade in plan because the first adopters will be pissed.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 2992d ago
Rookie_Monster2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

This is the perfect solution to usher gaming to a new era of how we think games should be played.

In the past, gamers have to buy a newly released nextgen console if they want to play the latest and greatest games. You want Halo 5, buy a xbox one as X360 owners don't have that option to play it on their X360. The install based will have to start from zero on the new Xbox One platform.

With this unified windows 10 initiative, this will no longer be an issue as games purchase on current gen Xbox can be forward carry over to a newer and more powerful Xbox in the near future with enhanced graphics fidelity all on the same OS and same code. New games that will be released in 5 years from now will work on this current iteration of Xbox One as well as future Xbox Two, three, etc, etc.

On financial reports and NPDs, no longer do install base be segregated between consoles as all Xboxes no from now on will truly be 'One' the same and share a single game license. Potentially, this can add up to over hundreds of millions for the foreseeable future of the entire Xbox brand. So that is indeed how MS can win the console war in the long run.

More importantly, this not only save developers time, money, and resources (they only have to worry about coding for a single playform), but give them access to many more audiences combined with multiple speced consoles and PC as well.

All the ingredients are set for MS to fully deploying this strategy with Windows 10, Unified Windows Platform, external HDD saved data that can be easily carry over from one Windows 10 xbox device to another. This has never been done before and unprecedented for console so like the author of this article had stated, if done right, this can be a game changer on the console and gaming front.

Overtime, this will benefit all from gamers, developers, to retailers. We should hear more about this from the upcoming BUILD conference in SF and E3. Can't wait.

Aenea2993d ago

Unified Win10 will not magically make sure that developers don't need to code specifically for certain hardware versions. Even if this magical thing would happen the hardware is different, it might run differently, it needs to be tested on all the different hardware.

So no, it doesn't help with development, that's a fantasy of some people who misinterpret the tech and don't know anything about development.

It might make porting easier since they can just recompile and have a version of a game that might at least runs, but it's not optimised yet or automatically adjusts to the perfect settings.

And this is really not much difference with or without this unified stuff since before the X1 was already using a Win like OS with DirectX which already made porting to and from PCs easier.

Not much changes for developers with this, by which I mean that for each and every new hardware combination there is it needs to be optimised for and tested and debugged, etc., etc.

So no, I doubt developers will be happy with this...

Rookie_Monster2993d ago

"it might run differently, it needs to be tested on all the different hardware."

Yea...two hardware..XB1 and XB2....just like Quantum Break on PC recommended hardware requirement is a GTX 970 and 8 gig of ram and a high spec requirement of GTX 980 Ti and 12 gig of ram. I am sure, MS, AMD and the software team are on the same page and figured it out already. They made the once thought impossible X360 BC possible on XB1 with totally different architecture.

This will be a walk in the park since pretty much it is just having the software detecting the hardware between 2 initial system and scale to fit the spec of each respective console. The OS made it possible, it is in the software man, the software. My games on my newly bought ipad Air runs perfectly on my old ipad 2. Same concept. :)

Aenea2993d ago

Yes Rookie, am sure MS have done something magical again and when a developer makes a game for the latest Xbox in 2040 it will automagically run great on the current Xbox One and all the ones between now and then.

Phil says so, so it must be true...

Aenea2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

No Rookie, it's really not that simple, but I doubt I can make you see that.

If what you were saying is true than the issues people have with PC games is a thing of the past. No more those articles "how to solve issues with game X", no more having to install the latest drivers on Windows to get a game to run perfectly, no more shoddy PC ports, etc., etc. If you think that's going to happen you live in a fantasy world.

Don't get me wrong, the idea of getting better and faster consoles quicker sounds appealing to me, the costs every few years not so much but there are ways to do that. I do see issues on the development side and I don't think developers will be happy with this.

Rookie_Monster2993d ago

Phil spencer already said it would so this is not a scret or a thought, it is reality incoming. You are in denial. LoL

http://www.ibtimes.com/micr... Spencer sees a future where the Xbox is updated on a more regular basis with more powerful hardware. Games built for the universal platform would run on both older and newer Xbox Ones, as well as on Windows 10 PCs.

Phil "We believe we will see more hardware innovation in the console space than we’ve ever seen,” Spencer said last week,according to the Guardian. “We’ll see us come out with new hardware capability during a generation and allow the same games to run backwards and forward compatible because we have UWAs [universal Windows applications] running on top of UWP [the universal Windows platform]."

Mr-Dude2993d ago

@Aenea
I said the same thing couple days ago. But here on n4g, you have developers, engineers, quantum mechanics etc. All fun a side, this isn't going to work.

Look at steambox, those things sold millions right?
Developers aren't going to embrase this, having to make maybe 3 or more Xbox versions of 1 game. But everytime when something like a secretsauce comes up, every xbox fan goes high. I get it, I would to. But this? No way

Griever2992d ago (Edited 2992d ago )

Man we have all heard of these grand ambitious plans to revolutionize console gaming just a couple of years ago with the reveal of alway-online, used-game restriction, mandartory Kinect and DRM featured Xbox One. You guys couldnt wait for that too. How did that end up? MS had to do a full 180 and Xbox fanboys had to eat crow.

The fact is that it is all upto customers to decide if this plan will work on not just like last one. Theoretically it sounds good that games will be backward and forward compatible BUT what about the price of each console that is released? Do you really think people will pay for a whole new console every year or couple of years?

You cannot upgrade your console components as Spencer pointed out so obviously you will have to buy another console. Nobody will upgrade a $500 console every year or two. Especially if there is marginal difference between games running of different units. Dont compare them with mobile phones because you cannot buy consoles on contracts. Just buy a PC and stop supporting MS with every BS plan they come up with to ruin console gaming.

Sciurus_vulgaris2993d ago

I could swear there was another article where Phil shutdown the upgradable consoles rumours (which were media spin to begin with).

Rookie_Monster2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

This is not about upgrading the current Xbox One with attachments like a new GPU and such. It is about using the Yearly phone upgrade model in which newer enclosed xbox hardwares in the near future using the same OS and coding for games and make them forward/backward compatible. Phil already said that is the route they can do with Xbox and the whole Windows 10 unified platform...similar to IOS and android.

EDIT @MRMAgoo below,

It is indeed the same system and platform. When tech companies like Apple release how many units of Apple iPads sold in a FY year, they combined all their iterations of ipads into one because they all runs the same IOS OS, play the same apps.

Consoles up to this point, were never like this. Native PS4/Xb1/Wii U games can't run on their respective pervious consoles. What the Windows United platform does is allow games bought on future XBoxes to be playable on current XB1 as well. That is what this article and point is about.

MRMagoo1232993d ago

How would that win any generation console war ? If they did that it would be their next gen console and every time a revision came out it would be another gen for MS .....all it does is shorten their gens and alienate their customers which unless they are hardcore fanboys such as the person that submitted the articles will drop xbox like a highly contagious birdflu ridden pigeon

Aenea2993d ago

If I develop a game for the Xbox that is current in 2020 I develop it for that Xbox. Since future Xboxes after that should be better it should run on those as well.

But if I use this unified windows stuff it won't magically run and look great on the current Xbox One or all the other Xboxes released between now and 2020. I need to go see how they run, if they run, what needs to be changed to make it run better which could entail changing the graphic assets, lower the resolution, take out certain effects, change the frame rate and then test it, debug it, rinse repeat until it works perfectly on that model too. Then I need to do the same thing with all the other Xboxes released in between, though I could just do the oldest one and not care about the ones in the middle since they should be forward compatible with the Xbox One, but people probably still demand a better looking/performing version so you do all this for all the versions available.

Yes, am sure the developers are loving this new MS idea.....

iamnsuperman2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

It would have to be either cheap (each upgrade) or on a payment plan. The reasons why this model works with phones and cars is because the short term costs are low enough to not notice. Phones enjoy this model because the high price tag is offset by the monthly payments. Microsoft can't just release a £300-£400 every 2-3 years and expect massive amounts of people to buy it. That is probably a bit too much for the majority of console gamers. This just seems like one of these initial ideas to generate buzz however they haven't really thought of the logistics. This generation should have come out of the gate with payment plans.

Rookie_Monster2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

Hw about ipads? Those are not on subsidized Payment plan and they do sell every year and Apple keep releasing them in all new type and forms.

Current XB1 owners don't need to upgrade to continue to enjoy forward compatibility of games made specifically for a XB2 in 2 years from now, for example. They can continue to play new games and decide on their own terms when they want to upgrade. When they do decide to upgrade, they can carry the entire library of games store in the cloud or on their external HDD and plug it in to their shiny new XB2 and continue playing but with extra enhanced spec and graphics, of course.

Also, for milions and millions of people that haven't upgrade to current gen yet, they can decide what xbox sku fit them the best..ie the cheaper XB1 slim or the new more expensive XB2. More choices and options available to them.

Pretty much how the ipad and MS surface models work.

iamnsuperman2993d ago

Actually people are buying less tablets now and fewer are getting a second even when they have planned obsoletion. This is because they replaced laptops in function and people don't replacing them until they fail. Sales of them are down year on year and these are seen as essential items. A console is far from that

Aenea2993d ago (Edited 2993d ago )

I bought my iPad with a mobile data plan so they can be bought that way...

If MS is really going to do this, they should do something like:
Pay $17.99/€17.99 a month for 24 months:
- new Xbox One Mk.2
- Xbox Live Gold for 24 months

Thing is, the upgraded hardware idea sounds really awesome, the costs to me for myself not so much, with a plan like this I might be persuaded.

Then there's the development stuff, people like you believe it would not cost developers anything extra, it will, forward compatibility won't cost them much (they might want to test it before saying that it works but extensive testing by MS engineers to see if the game is compliant should work), but when you also want to support the older versions of the Xbox that's where it's going to cost them more money, they want it to run and look great on the latest but don't want to miss out on sales to the people who have older devices and that takes time to optimise it enough on all older versions (and test, and debug, etc.)...

SegaGamer2992d ago

@Rookie_Monster. I just don't understand why you are getting so many disagrees. I think this is a great idea by Microsoft.

Goldby2992d ago

@Rookie Monster

Consumer shave choice already. if they like the xbox brand they have the 360 or the One. but my make multiple versions of xbox1 will only cause problems.

lets say xbox mk2 have 32 gigs of ram available. any developer wanting to make their dream game will take full advantage of the 32 gigs.

now all of a sudden all the first gen xbox 1 have only 8 gigs of ram and unless they fall into MS's ploy for more money, they they are shit out of luck on new games.

no dev would make a game for consoles only requiring 8 gig when they have 32 gigs available to them.

not only that, but by its nature an upgradable console, or versions of it will make alot of parents very confused, look at the wii u for proof. so many parnts believed that it was an accessory to Wii, based solely on its name.

so would they keep the XboxOne name or change it with each iteration? if they are changing it, they all they are doing is shortening the life span of their consoles, which will piss of the devs, if it takes them 4 years to develop a game on a console with 4 year life span.

Consoles are here and thriving becuase alot of gamers either dont want to upgrade every other sunday or cant afford to. simple as that. if it wasnt the case, we would all be playing on pc like the graphic whores we are /s

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2992d ago
Show all comments (112)
20°
4.0

Review - I Am Your President (Xbox One) | WayTooManyGames

WTMG's Oliver Shellding: "It’s a disheartening game that is tedious, seemingly random and honestly runs so terribly slowly on console. I Am Your President is trying to poke fun at the establishment and probably provide some spoof-esque humor, but the delivery is underbaked, flat and just a slog. For Americans, unless you’re already a zealot about the elephant or the donkey, this isn’t going to ingratiate the political circuit to you any further. If you’re from outside the U.S., I cannot imagine the appeal of this game in any capacity. If it’s something you’re truly curious about, grab it on PC when the price drops, but a Gerald Ford simulator on my Mountain Dew Box is the most assbackwards thing I’ve done this year."

Read Full Story >>
waytoomany.games
90°

Ghost Of Tsushima's PSN May Be Online-Only, But People Still Can't Play It

Sucker Punch’s massive samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima has come under fire because of the PSN requirement. However, unlike Helldivers 2, things are a lot different and more logical this time.

thorstein10h ago(Edited 9h ago)

"Sony has made it clear long before its release that the PSN requirement is strictly for the online multi-player Legends mode in Ghost of Tsushima and the PlayStation overlay. Online connection or PSN is not applied to the single-player campaign, which is honestly what the game is all about."

Extermin8or3_50m ago(Edited 50m ago)

Legends clearly was based around using the pan they hardly want to have to design a whole new account structure just to play it, that's alot of effort and work. Ultimately people kicked up a fuss despite there being workarounds in most of those territories that people with a ps console have used over there for literally like 15/16 years. This is the consequence of that, be careful what you wish for or demand because you don't necessarily get to pick the method by which you get it.

60°

Mullet MadJack Gameplay & Impressions 4K

CG writes: In this video we take a look at the full game of HAMMER95’s Mullet MadJack on PC in 4K. This is a rather cool rogue-like first-person shooter where you have to survive for 10 seconds by increasing your timer for each kill. Not the most original of ideas, but works wonders in context of the 80/90s aesthetic. Game releases May 15th.

Read Full Story >>
cramgaming.com