Microsoft shouldn't follow Sony's lead by releasing an upgraded Xbox One

"After several leaks surfaced on the internet, the gaming community is buzzing about the alleged Playstation 4 Neo - the mid-life console upgrade to the Playstation 4 console. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed the existence of the console, it seems likely that the upgraded PS4 is destined to launch as soon as this year. Now, many are speculating over whether Microsoft is going to follow suit with an upgraded Xbox One console. While the company certainly has the ability to follow Sony's lead, and very well may, that doesn't mean it should."

[Team_Litt]

I really hope they don't. Sony loyalists may be the Apple fans of the console industry but some of us are not into agreeing with everything console makers push on to us. I was ready to buy a PS4 back when MS wanted the One to be always online and hinder game sharing/selling but I'm beginning to doubt that the lesser evil won out in the end.
I do not want the future of gaming to be new consoles every 3 years, that's just ridiculous. Great for those who love being taken advantage of and guising it as "more options" but the rest of us like consoles how they are.

If you want to fleece your fans then go into PC component making Sony and leave the console structure as is!

[nowitzki2004]

"Sony loyalists may be the Apple fans of the console industry"

Apple sells underpowered hardware for more money... Like MS did this gen.

Remember when consoles were breaking last gen and people had to buy the saame console less than every 3 years?

And I am pretty sure I heard of MS upgrading the X1 into a PC type console before I heard about PS4.5

[Ck1x]

I actually hope that Microsoft doesn't do anything upgrade and just waits to provide a true next-gen Xbox. Even if they make a more PC like Xbox Next, that would mean parts of the device will be upgradeable from the beginning instead of buying a whole new box that has similar parts to the previous.

[naruga]

Xone is just slowly dying ...MS prepares an Xbox Two and it probably will be announced in E3 ..that s the reason why Sony chose to just upgrade a bit PS4 and keep their install base intact rather than release a PS5 in 3 years (also MS has the budget to do it,in contrast with Sony which are litteraly hanging from PS branch success)

[Arrow2283]

You sir are 100% correct

[Yetter]

I remember when my console broke last generation and MS replaced it free of charge. I remember when that one broke and MS replaced it, free of charge and its still running today

Seriously when I see comments like this I just assume these people were total morons who didn't bother to call MS repair department and just ran off to walmart to buy another one

[Liqu1d]

@Yetter I remember when my X360 broke and they repaired it for free, then it broke again and the third time the tried to charge me. That was in addition to it occasionly scratching my discs, I switched to PS3 because the 360 was so unreliable.

[iTechHeads]

Apple products blow away the competition in real-world benchmarks and performance. They are in no way underpowered.

As for price, Apple products are the same price as Samsung Galaxy phones......

[lelo2play]

Microsoft has no choice, they have to release a new console. With Sony and Nintendo releasing new consoles, Microsoft will stay behind if they don't release a new console.

They are already behind with the X1... it will only get worse if they don't release a new console.
Who will buy a "old" X1 with new more powerful consoles getting released? ... unless Microsoft have a crap load of exclusives we don't know about.

[kenwonobi]

This is the one of the most sensible post I've seen so far. Microsoft is simply reacting to Sony lately. Not much can be done. There is a ton of things PS4 has going for it.

[Obscure_Observer]

Microsoft is confortable where they are. Sony is doing incredible. Microsoft is doing great. Xbox One is selling more and faster than 360 did. They are second in the console market.

We don´t know nothing about the NX yet. Only "Power" will not solve Nintendo´s problems with third party publishers and skeptic gamers alike. Nintendo must go through 3 fases if they want to be in Microsoft´s position. Revise their politics and vision for the console market, launch the console AND suprass the X1´s numbers.

Then, and only then, MS should worry about launch a new console.

[S2Killinit]

MS was first to mention they were doing upgrades remember?

[Loktai]

Shhh, don't remind people of true shit, they all want to witch hunt Sony for something MS have actually themselves talked about doing, vs Sony who has made no official statement yet at all.

[Yetter]

Yeah but then Phil said like 2 weeks later he doesn't like the sound of an XB1.5. So where does that leave us? A module upgrade? XB2 released in 2017? Its pretty hard to read, but E3 is gonna be really interesting this year

[S2Killinit]

@yetter
Yeah, he said he does't like "increments". If you ask me it could mean one of two things:
1) xbox two or some other variation (as in "Neo") OR
2) xbox two
what's more important though is whether the name has anything to do with what the system really is; is it:
1) a "new" console (like any other new console) --> meaning xbox one will be treated like a last gen console. OR
2) its really an upgrade like Neo --> meaning xobxone purchasers will still have their system supported.

Timing is everything. If what MS mean by not liking increments is that they want to abandon xobxone in favor of a whole new console, then the question is: "HOW SOON?" If xboxnext is coming anytime close to PS4 Neo, then I hope they are doing what Sony is doing, otherwise, THAT would be a real let down to people who bought the xobxone.

[Obscure_Observer]

@S2Kilinit

"Upgrade" yes. Like a memory expansion device like Sega and Nintendo did in the past, and NOT another 0.5 new console. Sony had been smart enought to not jump in MS´s fail boat with all the "always online" crap.

If MS learned something from their past mistakes, they will let Sony do their thing alone.

[Zeref]

No they didn't. They talked about an UPGRADEABLE console. Not a console upgrade. And he clearly said that he doesn't want to do an Xbox One.5

[Ju]

True. I guess MS does what they do best. PC business. And with that they will turn the next XBox into a "SteamBox" like console based on the XBoxOne OS with even more UWP integration. I'm am not sure if I'll like that.

At the end of the day a machine without connectors and a certain lifetime will always be cheaper to build than a modular machine. But MS could transform the console market...by defacto destroying it.

Might still work out fine. It works on the PC. This will simply be a pure gaming optimized PC. Without access to the OS, though.

I also agree, that MS is under pressure. They must release something new ASAP with both Nintendo and Neo passing the XO power wise.

[Chevalier]

The original 360 had no built in wifi, RROD and no hdmi input, maybe they shouldn't have upgraded mid cycle last time right?

[Team_Litt]

The mid cycle 360 didn't get better fps and resolution though

[Yetter]

and the CPU/GPU stayed the same, like it always does with any console lifecycle....until now

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Che- great point.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

I don't know why xbox fanboys have a problem with others being loyal to Sony. Aren't you a loyal as well that has been buying Xbox consoles and will probably buy an upgraded xbox as well?

Also you are forgetting that MS started this thing with rumors

You are also forgetting that Xbox 360 lacked wifi, HDMI, ans other things PS3 had, and MS later upgraded it including all of it and charging you again for it.

Hypocrite

[Yetter]

Thats a nice straw man argument

[Hold_It]

You mean like how the Fat PS2 didn't have an Ethernet port, decent fans, or a reliable laser lens, and then they turned around made a new model with all of those features and then charged you for it. Just like when the fat ps2's had ejection issues with the disc and if you sent them back to Sony to get fixed, they would throw your disc out even if it worked.

[kraenk12]

Pretty ignorant to the fact that Sony isn't abandoning PS4 but will continue to sell it, just with the opportunity of an upgrade for those who want it (which are quite a few).

[Yetter]

and what happens when developers start to target the neo for their lead platform and they leave the base model version of games running at 15 fps

[kraenk12]

@Yetter

Why should they abandon 40+ (it's gonna be more like 60+ by the time Neo releases) potential users of their games?!

[Ju]

Scaling down will always work. The gameplay will not change significantly between the two. The raw non-gpu specs are too close to change this dramatically. And what's wrong with current PS4 games? UC4 will once again blow everything else out of the water.

I would expect more games drop the strict 1080p resolution for hitting 60fps, though. Being the 1080p+/60fps reserved for Neo. Technically there will be pretty much no difference in texture resolution on current and next gen machines. But filtering and possible shadow resolution due to the higher bandwidth will increase

Scaling polygons and textures is a no brainer, for new effects you need another shader programmer. But that's about it.

[Budrazor]

The console makers don't push nothing on you. You either buy their product or not.

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

S2Killinit is correct

The very first rumors of a mid-gen upgraded console pointed to the Xbox 1.5

[notachance]

it's not even a rumour since MS officially talked about it

[deathtok]

Think platform not console. It seems like by modeling after SmartPhone/PC that Sony may be looking to extend the life for many years to come.

As a fan, I like that it solves backward compatibility problems and naturally allows innovation in shorter spans of time.

[Fin_The_Human]

No thank you.

Sony can keep its PS4.5 and PS4.5S...just keep supporting one console MS.

[trooper_]

Of course you will.

[Gman32]

I agree

[_-EDMIX-_]

Oh yes the smartest thing for Microsoft to do is to not have any other option to have a better platform and remain having the least powerful platform by an even greater margin.......

Basically Microsoft not having an upgraded option would be as stupid as Apple never releasing a new phone and essentially waiting years while Samsung is upgrading their phones every year and getting massive sales every year.

Exactly what would they even be trying to achieve? The only real legitimate concern would be towards stabilizing the install base but because there will be no exclusive games on 4.5 the market will remain the same and the install base will remain the same.

I'm sorry but it's an absolute stupid decision and sabotage to not have an upgraded option because what you're basically saying is you want to remain the weakest and you have no intentions of giving your consumers a better option despite your competition having both.

In business you must diversify or die, you could not ignore what your competitor is doing that is outselling you and giving consumers more value and options there is no damn benefit a pleasing cry babies who want to inflate their egos and emotionally justify their purchase, exactly what is this company even getting financially by appeasing idiots like this? Are you buying two Xbox Ones because they never upgraded? Lol what would a consumer honestly realistically do for a company because they decided to not go this route? Unless you could really show that they would be increased sales by such a move I just don't really believe it makes sense. it makes more sense to give the option than to remain with none, because I do not believe people reward you for simply not having better options as if you own the system so someone else doesn't have better....

People buy things MOSTLY because they want them not JUST because they assume somebody else will not have better. That seems to be an extremely strange reason for someone to purchase anything technologically based as by default it is already dated in something else will always be better on the horizon I don't even see the damn benefit to someone crying over such a thing.

You could either be the Microsoft that pleased its fanboys and inflated their egos by not making an option that would be offering value to an upgrade or you could be the Microsoft that gave the option and got money because of it.

What benefit is it really to an install base to know someone else isn't getting anything? Are you giving the company more money because they decided to not upgrade to help other people?

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Can't take you seriously after the first sentence.

[kenwonobi]

It doesn't matter if Microsoft does. Nobody is really paying much attention to what they do if you look at the sales.

[sk8ofmnd]

No one is forcing you to buy anything. Thats what the author needs to understand. More choice is always a good thing in my opinion unless it screws over the lowest denominator...

[Obscure_Observer]

@Team_Litt

PERFECT! That´s exactly how i feel about this nonsense!

[aftershock]

Team_Litt what you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[MagicBeanz]

Wow your propaganda speech was so poignant it nearly made me want to sell my PS4 and run right out and get an xbone, that was the point right?

[Sonyslave3]

Wasn't Ms the first one that though flirt with the ideal of a upgradeable console before sony like months ago.

[Lennoxb63]

Someone asked Phil Spencer and he gave his suggestions. Then someone turned it into something else trying to get clicks.

[TwoForce]

Oh really ? MS did said that they would like to upgrade console.

[S2Killinit]

The old "someone asked phil" defense lol anytime they bring up statements made by MS's head, in essence the defense is: it dont count because "someone asked him" and he had to give an opinion, therefore its not MS's position. Can someone tell me why phil is asked so much controvercial stuff? Do they corner him or something, and interrogate him?

[FITgamer]

Point is he brought it up first, then he backpedaled and said they weren't interested in incremental upgrades, and now they'll release and Xbox One.5 equivalent of Sony's new PS4. We should all know by now how Microsoft works by now. If they say something can't or isn't going to happen, then it's going to happen.

[TwoForce]

Yes ! It was. But nonetheless, i don't like the idea of upgrade console.

[iTechHeads]

Then don't buy them. No one is forcing you to.

[iTechHeads]

Actually Shuhei mentioned it a couple years ago in an interview as well. These things don't get made overnight, they've been in development stages for years.

We can safely say that the first to release was the first to think of the idea. It seems the PS4 NEO might come out this holiday. We haven't heard anything about the new Xbox so that might be really far off.

[Mrveryodd]

If the cloud is a thing then they will not need to bring out a new Xbox as it was supposed to give Xbox a lot more power .

[nowitzki2004]

That and DX12 = 4k gaming

Sony just trying to keep up so they are releasing PS4.5

/s

[S2Killinit]

Whatever happened to all those promises by the way?

[Chug]

They sure have been quiet haven't they? Did they think people would just forget these bogus pipedreams?

[kraenk12]

They were all just marketing.

[stuna1]

They floated away on the "Clouds"! The thing about both console camps is, it's never about what the particular brand you support, but more about the one you don't support. That's why it's easier to notice what the competitor is doing.

It will always be a situation of one brand trying to outdo the other, it's business whether we understand it or not. Truthfully both fanbases need to be thankful that the console makers haven't become stagnant and are trying to stay competitive not only with one another, but with the industry as a whole. Technology is moving forward at a greater pace than ever before, and these companies have to adapt or get left behind! It's not just about the gamers themselves, it's the natural order of things considering the leaps that technology is taking today as opposed to the leaps it was taking 10 years ago. Technology is becoming obsolete a lot quicker than it was just 10 years ago.

[Liqu1d]

Still waiting.

[kraenk12]

You forgot the /s

[_-EDMIX-_]

Lol I see many are not letting Microsoft Live up that comment on Cloud.

[iTechHeads]

Are you actually being serious?

[alb1899]

But, but a saw MS first talking about upgradable Xbox and compatibility between them.......so I don't know who follows who.

[Ju]

I don't think a fully customizable upgradeable machine will work in the console business. I can see that their business model will be making money with upgrades. But the, consoles have a very tight coupling between memory and CPU/GPU. Those upgrades will always require to upgrade all three. Unlike PCs I do not think these consoles will do away the unified memory. To increase CPU/GPU performance, the bandwidth to the memory will need to increase. Not a problem on the PC. Because CPU and GPU are separe and each have their own memory. And CPUs can upgrade by keeping the bandwidth, but GPUs can't. Graphics cards always come with their own memory. You can't upgrade a GPU alone.

So, now taking all this into consideration, this business model is just not feasible for consoles. You basically need to replace a new APU/memory all together which is basically 90% of a console. All what really stays is the case and drive.

Entry price will be higher, components will be more expensive because they will come through one vendor only. You might as well get a new machine and sell the old one.

Selling just for example memory upgrades will be night!are unless itllbe restricted. Imagine all of a sudden having machines with 8, 12, 16 or just 4 GB .... MS doesn't understand the console business get again. They'll get burned again if theyll do it that way. It will lead to even more fragmentation.

Sony's approach will fragment also. There is a risk with these things. But I feel it is better thought out than a fully customizable machine.

[alb1899]

My point is that MS stared the talk about new console. Spencer just made clear that he is not fan of the .5, he will prefer a new complete powerful console and since XONE is way behind is ps4 and the VR tech is here to stay they ar the beneficiaries of the cut of this generation.......don't forget ether that Nintendo will launch a new console soon.
Just imagine a new Xbox that support oculus rift, htc vive and all windows 10 friendly VR.......it will be a kille machine!

[Ju]

Spencer's "no 0.5 increment" refers to the architecture, not so much pure power. Make no mistake, Neo is at least twice as fast as the PS4 currently (x2.25 or something). This alone would warrant it to call PS5. But why it isn't, is because it does not break the basic architecture. PS4 becomes a platform - this consist the established OS and online infrastructure.

Xbox wants to move the "architecture" forward. A side effect jwill be a more powerful machine, inevitability. MS has a software architecture which is scalable and includes the XB one. But they are taking a bigger risk introducing more HW inconsistencies. Hower, if you take the latest success they have with 360 games on the One, their Software layer works. I give them that.

If console would be more open, I would appreciate MSs approach. But this ain't a PC. Sony knows the business better. The Neo is better suited for a console business model. At least for the next 3 years.

MS s model will lead to crazy fragmentation and turn the console market into yet another PC market. Of course this is the environment where MS can thrive. And knows best. Of course that's where they want to be.

[alb1899]

MS must make a powerful machine that is compatible with every VR that support Window 10. This will be a winner.

[Loktai]

So... a PC?

[alb1899]

The xone already is but has not the power. Windows 10 is the key word not PC.

[from the beach]

How can they overtake Sony if they just keep following their rival's moves? I would love to see Microsoft dismiss the idea of an upgrade and just release a next gen system when the time is right.

[S2Killinit]

So in like 4 years? That would be the usual console cycle. MS already said they dont "believe" in calling it an incriment (ex. Xbox 1.5) the question is: what do they mean by that? Does it mean that they will do the same thing but call it xbox two? Or do they mean they will be releasing a new console soon after Sony's Neo (the only difference being that it will be independent from xboxone in that it would have exclusives like a regular new console)

Imo if we are to get new consoles so soon, and MS plans an entirely new console, then Sony's approach is actually the more consumer friendly because they are not abandonning the people who bought regular PS4s. That would be an interesting twist. Take your pick: new console in a years time (MS); OR upgrade with support for both versions(Sony).

PS: of course it all depends on time of release as well. Ex. If MS's new console comes 3-4 years from now then its clearly not leting current owners down, but if it comes right after PS4 Neo, then its clearly the less consumer friendly route.

[from the beach]

A new Xbox in maybe two years, so say winter 2018, would be the best way to go in my opinion. That's a much shorter cycle than last time and would probably let them get out before Sony with proper next-gen hardware.

I don't see any scenario where Xbox One outsells PS4 - as far as that race goes it's over already. Microsoft won't be in it for extending the current generation since they're losing. Wait and see how the .5 move plays out for Sony.

[Warbuccs]

Your comment is retarded, why would MS abandon support for the X1 if they dropped a new console?? Smh, the new machine would run off win 10 same as the current console. To say they wouldnt support the X1 further sounds like Sony fanboy dribble.

[kraenk12]

@Warbuccs

Because that's exactly the thing MS likes to do. They always abandon their old consoles early. Of course being x86 that new console will be backwards compatible.

[S2Killinit]

@warbucks
Remember the second half of xbox360?

Anyway, my comment isnt retarded, besides you missed the point, although its implied in my comment that MS would "abandon" xboxone (if their past business model is any indication), it actually wasnt the point of what i was saying. I was saying "abandonned" in the sense that now there would be a "new" xbox with its own exclusives (like a new console, as in 360 vs xboxone) whereas the Sony plan would be to maintain the two PS4 versions simultaneously as one console with the same games.

Between those two options, release dates being equal or close, Sony's method would be more consumer friendly.

Ps: Although i believe MS will be doing exactly what Sony is doing, even with their smaller instal base, there are still a lot of xboxones out there for MS to just start anew.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Absolutely not it's not going to have its own exclusive says that would be complete suicide there's a very very good reason why Sony stated in those rumors that it wouldn't have exclusives they're not trying to fragment the install base as it's actually not going to help them it would have sent really kill them.

Developers would not support that specific version exclusively simply because it already has less units in comparison to the original Xbox one so they would see no benefit to making any content only on there even Microsoft themselves couldn't see a benefit to making a game solely on that version this still a company looking to make money, they technically make less money doing that than more money. Its idiotic and when you really add up the math you'll realize why such a thing doesn't make any sense.

I also don't see Microsoft trying to rush the generation and release a brand new platform as it would again be complete suicide, you lost the previous generation, the installed base in terms of the numbers do not support your move so even if Microsoft made their own it would be difficult to find support because third-party would essentially still want to support the 60 to 70 million install base that exists elsewhere on console.

There's a very good reason why PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released around the same time they still have to meet the demands of third-party Publishers if they wish it to have real long-term support.

What Microsoft would basically be saying is " by the way I'm leaving my 30 million install base and making a new console would you politely make an exclusive on my platform?" lol. If you're a third-party publisher are you really going to be ignoring the three other healthy install bases?

The only way that works is with both Microsoft and Sony for such an agreement to work with third-party or they're not going to see the benefit of spending hundreds of Millions on two platforms both with extremely low install base.

( i say both with including PC because of the platform still being able to support multi-generational games but because of the specs increased the installed base of such Next Generation games, it would be limited)

[kraenk12]

If they do this too early only hardcore fans will follow but they will fuck off a majority of their fanbase..again.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Because that's the concept of business you need to diversify or die you can not continue to do something that's not helping you yet watch your competitor do something which is helping them and decide not to do it it doesn't even make any sense.

That's like telling Burger King to not put a drive-thru window because McDonald's already did it. So because another company did it and it's been proven successful continue to be stupid and not do it? Lol

Microsoft at this point essentially needs to release an upgraded version if they believe the PlayStation 4.5 rumor to be true. What Sony is offering is an option to have greater value what Microsoft would be offering is absolutely nothing what value is it to the consumer that a company releases nothing?

You're basically saying for them to wait until the next Generation , you do know that PlayStation 4.5 is not its own platform right? PlayStation 4.5 is a PlayStation 4 it will run all the same PlayStation 4 games it will not have exclusives once again it is not its own platform or generation.

What Microsoft would be doing is offering their consumers less options for the remainder of the generation which I have no clue how that benefits the end-user. At the end of the day Microsoft will reveal their next console sooner or later and Sony will reveal the PlayStation 5 you're making it sound as if this option is as opposed to releasing a PlayStation 5 or something lol

When this generation ends if such a thing actually happened Sony would be known as the company that offered more options for value for consumers Microsoft will be known as the company that offered only the same thing for an entire generation with no upgrades I have no clue how you would see the company that offered less as valued more...

I assure you Microsoft is not that dumb they very much are planning their own upgrade so they're able to continue to compete.

[Rarefaction]

Xbox was losing this gen because it's a weaker box. They no doubt were planning an upgrade like they did last gen with the elite to get back customers but sony are knocking that idea on the head with their own upgrade.
Personality I don't understand the problem. Most phones have a premium version, like the IPhone s series and the z5 premium and the galaxy s7 edge. This will be just like that for those who want it. It won't effect anyone else. Stop crying about it.

[kraenk12]

It isn't just losing because it is weaker. It is mainly losing because of politics and wrong marketing decisions.

[Goldby]

The thing about comparing this to Cellphones is that you aren't spending 100% of the cost of the phone every time a new one comes out. you go through the providers who discount the phones huge (~80%). all of a sudden a phone thats normally 800-1000 is only 200 max. so if you want to compare consoles to phones, lets see our ISP's started selling us PS4 and X1 at 50-100$.

now the argument about its only every 4 years so its easy to have that kind of money aside.
Well for some people they don't have enough money. i have bought 2 ps4's. first one broke in a move (my own fault not holding that against this). and i purchased the PSVR. in 3 years i have spend 1800$ with Sony. and i can't afford to buy a brand new half console that wont even be worth the .5/neo upgrade cost.

Sorry folks, but im waiting for the PS5 that at the earliest is releasing next year. bt you guys can go play with your shiny objects this winter

[Loktai]

1800.... assuming you bought both machines new at 399 and the psvr with camera and move at 500. Even with tax you're 500 short. Did you buy a dozen years of PS PLUS?

[Goldby]

@Loktai
im in canada, launch ps4 was 399, second was 429. and 800 with exchange and shipping for PSVR

[Ju]

You always pay for you phone in full. You just won't see it. It's part of your plan and basically a 0% financing to the next upgrade. Go get a three years credit card and buy a console. There, it's free now.

[_-EDMIX-_]

But it will affect...... their emotions lol

@gold- you are just perfectly showing how irrelevant it actually is what you're saying is personally based on your own finances nobody is actually asking you to go out and buy a third PlayStation 4 because you want something more powerful. You could choose to stay with that same platform just like people could choose to stay with their same phones they're still going to get a lot of those same basic features and apps.

I'm not even entirely sure what somebody would even be getting upset at if you can afford it well that's tough luck you could still play your PlayStation 4 and games are still releasing for PlayStation 4 this isn't actually changing anything other than SOMEONE else getting a game platform that's better.

Even your analogy with phones doesn't make sense how on Earth is that relevant to the manufacture of that phone? They are people that still purchase iPhones and Samsung phones literally unlocked every single time they release new iterations..

They want the latest phone they have the money for it I don't see the actual issue or problem because no one is forcing anyone to upgrade I own a Galaxy S6 which I bought on Black Friday you don't actually see me crying over the existence of the S7. My phone still works I'm still using it I have no plans to actually upgrade to a new phone for a very long time....BASED ON MY personal likes.

[mark_parch]

i don't want a new console i just want loads and loads of really good games. sea of thieves is a good start but we need pgr, banjo, perfect dark, fable 4, alan wake 2, sunset overdrive 2 or another game by insomniac and if you reall want to make an impact and win e3 buy silent hills and get that game finished

[from the beach]

Totally agree, just double down on great games and let this play out however it does for Sony. What's there to lose?

[_-EDMIX-_]

I don't disagree with you I just fail to see the relevancy, the engineers that would be making a brand new Xbox One would never actually be making those games so I don't really understand the point of what you're actually trying to say...

Could you not have both? Lol

Mind you the likeliness is Microsoft has their own upgrade plans and likely has a lot of games still planned again still fail to see how any of these are actually relevant to each other considering they're not really the same areas lolz

I don't disagree with you bud merely that you could probably have both this isn't an either/or.

[rainslacker]

MS, and Sony, created systems with the intention of providing a base platform with which developers could develop their games on. The engineers over years determined what would be required to make that happen for the duration of the console cycle.

I don't really care if the engineers over at MS or Sony, or their corporate ideals to keep releasing new products, get the hankering for deciding that they can just go and half-ass anything and not really push any real innovation or forethought because if they screw up they can just release a new console in a few years time.

If both or either of these companies feel that the current tech isn't sufficient for the common console cycle, then THEY SCREWED UP, spent too much time trying to compete with one another, and made sacrafices to design choices in order to do so, leaving the entire generation up in the air, which they now expect us to pay more for to remedy the situation.

Before this gen started, Sony went on about how they asked devs what they wanted. Went on about how they designed the PS4 to be good for the generation based on what the devs wanted. They pushed out what was considered a reasonably spec'd console, and now....they feel it time to refresh because....well why exactly? Did the devs lie to them? Was Sony more interested in beating MS competitavely? Did Sony knowingly sacrafice what could have been to do so? Was Mark Cerny, Sony, MS, and MS engineers so oblivious to the fact that the tech would be irrelevant within three years of release, or was this the plan all along?

Seriously...at what point was it decided that the consoles being pushed out simply weren't suitable to carry out the gen on their own? If it was before launch, then shame on these companies. If it was after, they're just incompetent, and for all the praise Cerny got, he should be flogged for not actually doing what he set out to do, and getting everyone's hopes up with a rather huge thing pre-release of the consoles.

Screw relevancy. The systems should have been launched with all the relevancy they need to last the typical(or at least minimum) of a console lifespan.

Why bring this up since it's not really about the OP's post?

Well, the word relevancy struck a chord with me...explained above.

But more to the OP, good games can and should be made with what is given, and all these people who aren't happy with current graphics performance can go back to being the marginal group they are, while the rest of us actually get the most out of our consoles with really good games....regardless of system preference.

[Arrow2283]

I first thought this could be a dumb move and after talking about it with other friends. It's not that big of a deal, the specs aren't super insane. Plus, does everyone forget that the games alone with out Neo look amazing? I mean UC4 speaks for itself plus ratchet (yes both exclusives). Third party titles even work and perform better on PS4. Your silly if you think other wise. Let's see if this thing is real and if so, we can only judge then. Other wise there has been no other proof.

ALSO with AMD talking about another system this year? Duh NX. Come on now.

[Goldby]

and reports also proof that these systems aren't happening in October. the Revenue AMD would have from either or both Sony and MS would have been shown on their last quater earnings, and it isn't there. and there isn't any way they would wait for the last 3 months to finish prototyping, shipping, manufacturing the console and Market it for E3. afterall, it took them only 5 years to R&D, prototype, manufacture, market and ship the PS4...

[Arrow2283]

That is a good point Goldby

[_-EDMIX-_]

But you actually have to factor they're not making a brand new PlayStation 4 they're actually just adding better specs to an existing one so I don't believe it would take them years to actually do that and for all we know it could be this fall that that version really does release.

[Goldby]

@_-EDMIX-_
i mean more that they haven't had any sort payment for these new products their are supplying for Sony and MS. with the "consoles" being released this year they would have already been paid at least for the first batch of chips, the PS4.5 would have already been in production phase, and i don't think AMD would let Sony or MS carry the cost over to a new year let alone both of them...

[rainslacker]

Good point. If they were releasing this year, they'd already be in production of the systems, or at the very least the parts would have to be sourced by now. Assuming even if only half of new PS4 sales are for the Neo, then that still amounts to around 2 million consoles required to go from Oct-Dec, and no signs anywhere that Sony has ramped up any production or even started any new fabrication processes.

[rainslacker]

If they're so good, that begs the question, why would these companies consider releasing an upgraded console? Neither system has even peaked in performance as of yet, so if they know they can get more out of it, and supposedly the specs were what devs wanted going into this generation anyhow, what is the reason to actually release a new console which is obviously going to cause some upset among the fan base?

So many things don't make sense on why either company would consider doing this, regardless of what the spec increase is.

[DarthZoolu]

This was originally a MS idea.

[kraenk12]

Just because they talked about it first doesn't mean they started working on it first. Could be it was just a reaction to them hearing the Sony rumours early.

[Brohan]

I would be a bit disappointed if they release a upgradable xbox one... I don't see anything wrong with the current Xbox one. Why not just wait to make a new generation console and put more money into that.

[demonddel]

Didn't Microsoft spoke on this 1st awhile ago this industry is crazy and delusional

[Theo1130]

I think MS should just go for the Xbone 2 now, If you're going to refresh, go all the way. Launch in mid-2017.

[Goldby]

All jokes ahead.

Phil: "This year we are releasing the brand new all redesigned Xbox One two"
Reporter: "To what?"
Phil: "Huh?"
Reporter: "You said you're releasing the Xbox to. What are you releasing it to?"
Phil: "No its not being released to anything. you seemed to have been misunderstood by our naming. let me try this again. This winter, we are releasing the Xbox One Two"
Reporter: "Yes Phil we already know about the Xbox One, you released it 3 years ago. there's no need to say you keep releasing it."
Phil: "What? no this is the Xbox One Two" *Holds up a peace sign*
Reporter: "Ohhh. Who named it?"
Phil: "i did."
"Reporter: "i should slap you.... needs a better name"

[_-EDMIX-_]

Haven't laughed that hard in a long time buddy we need that bubble system back so I could give you bubbles for the immense LOLz!!!!

[343_Guilty_Spark]

They've already said it won't be a .5 upgrade like the Neo.

[S2Killinit]

isn't that just semantics? you need to know what it does, not what its called. They could call it xbox two and still have it be an incremental upgrade. Just because its going to be called a whole number doesn't mean its more powerful or something. Also the real question is: When is it being released? if its being released close to Neo, then it would be really unfair to consumers if MS decides to just move on from xbox one (which I don't think will happen btw)

[_-EDMIX-_]

Honestly why would you actually take what a company is saying as face value? It has been known for an extremely long time now that companies will never actually be one-hundred-percent transparent on all their damn moves lol

Do you really think Sony would have had the great impact that they did at E3 if they announced long ago with the price of PlayStation 4 would be? I even heard talk that they change the price based on what they heard Microsoft was officially releasing it for meaning that they can't just release all their information just because that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. As someone that works in real estate that's like telling the person that's going to buy your clients house that they're desperate to sell lol

That type of transparency is not actually going to help you it's actually going to hurt you. Consider their silence is great strength to their advantage as they can't just be transparent about something years in advance it just sounds kind of stupid.

[rainslacker]

Phil said it wouldn't be incremental. However, if it's the same premise as the PS4K, then it's incremental regardless. The level of increment doesn't make something un-incremented. Basically Phil meant to say he didn't support marginal upgrades....like the current PS4K specs would be for the most part. Never said he wouldn't be all for a full on awesome super duper upgrade that would likely be more akin to a new console cycle....or surpasses it since actual 4K native renders are the logical next step beyond Neo.

[hiawa23]

If Sony releases the Neo, with the NX on the horizon, MS has no choice but to release a beefier xbox One. Reality tells me that.

[GamerGT]

Primarily as a PlayStation fan I think it would be kind of cool to see MS try this upgradeable console. Sony or MS for that matter. But if MS did it then I would get both that and the Playstation for the games they have. But having an upgradeable console doesn't have to be like PC. Gaming focused only. Netflix, chatting and messaging are just bells and whistles.

[Rock31]

I believe that Microsoft should not follow Sony, they should make there nextjen Consol with ultra blue ray one t hard rive 4K native resolution and with 8k up grade for the future. A 1080p 60 upgrade is not the way to go, Microsoft and Sony should have done that now

[ScorpiusX]

Don't know about following , but they should have released a capable system like they did with Xbox , xbox 360 . Had they kept their drive to always be ahead no matter what instead of this friendly BS mentality , they would not be in this predicament now . Most rather they do nothing , i rather they come out Guns blazing now with this opportunity they have .

[corroios]

It will. No doubt about . The console very underpoweredand even the exclusives show that.

[joeorc]

Well since Microsoft has never made Hometheatre versions of the living room xbox consoles like Sony has for their PS2 & PS3..so I think its a safe bet.to say they would not follow sony doing such with their xbox..hey that could change though.

Chances are no though..they just did not do it with the 1st XBOX, or the XBOX360..and now they have not done such with their XBOX one.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Um, didn't MS address this kind of thing first? How is that "following a lead"? I VERY DISTINCTLY remember several people on this site talking about how horrible it would be for MS to do that, and saying things like "MS is admitting that X1 is too weak"....then suddenly when PS4.5 rumors came out...now it's a GREAT idea (according to the people that were saying it was a bad idea when it was rumored MS would be doing it)...and now it's "MS following Sony's lead"

Let's not forget that out of the two companies, MS is the ONLY one to address anything close to these rumors at this point. True what MS said was that they were looking into making it so that X1 and all future Xboxes would be Backward/Forward compatible....which is essentially the same thing...it just doesn't address WHEN a more powerful X1 would come out.

[rainslacker]

Well...all MS did was ask. Or rather Phil commented on it at some point about two weeks before Sony rumors started. He then back tracked.

If Phil is to be believed with his back tracked statement, then MS is nowhere near releasing a mid-gen upgrade, whereas most rumors point towards Sony being close to it, which would mean Sony has been working on it for a while.

Taking that all into account, probably best to just chalk it all up to rumor and speculation, and then come to the conclusion that neither company is actually considering it, or we've all misjudged what exactly is going on.

Then at least if it does get announced, people won't be tired of the subject and already have made up their minds about it...which is going to be the case right now barring some awesome implementation no one conceived of.

That being said, whether it's a bad idea or not is really inconsequential of who's following who.::)

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

I thought it was a new Xbox1 rumor the surfaced 1st...

[ILostMyMind]

It's strange to see people criticizing Sony by launch a new PlayStation 4 entirely optional and asking Microsoft start a new generation in 2016, abandoning the current XBOX. It makes no sense to me.

[rainslacker]

I criticize because at the reveal, and in many interviews afterward, and at E3, and many interviews afterwards, Sony's Mark Cerny went on at length about how the PS4 was created with developer input to be a system that wold be desirable for devs for the kinds of games they would want to build this generation.

By using that metric, Cerny implied that the PS4 was all we'd need for the entire console generation, and that our purchase would insure not only continued support, but an ever growing showcase of what was possible with the hardware. We assumed such things because that is how all console generations go.

This new "optional" thing, while indeed optional, actually does have an affect on us original owners. Sure, we'll still get to play any PS4 games, but history hasn't exactly made me confident in the legacy versions of cross-gen ports....which basically makes the option either pay up, or get the scraps until they eventually decide not to give a sh*t about us anymore

Edit:

I recall at one point Cerny said that hardware has reached a point of stability...meaning that changes weren't drastic between architectures like in the past. But if that stability means that we're going to be on three year console generations...barely enough time to create a single AAA game...what's the point? The new hardware will be outdated as soon as it releases, and most games won't even target it until the next cycle begins.

[Ju]

Game development has changed dramatically since introduction of the current generation. It has matured as well. Nobody hits the metal like they did before. Thus, it is a great common layer for the future. Everything else sits in the OS and the middle tear. And games sit on top of those. With that, the software infrastructure is more important than the hardware and it allows upgrading the physical layer with a bit more freedom. It's still an experiment which hasn't been done before in the console business. So, we'll eventually find out if this will work.

[rainslacker]

No, game development is pretty much the same as it was before. Consoles get to the metal. PC's use a midlevel API. Nothing has changed.

I think there's some things going on which want to see less need to code to the metal, hence the adoption of new techniques in DX12, Vulkan, and new GCN specs. However, I don't think those things are mature enough yet to actually implement them, and I'm not sure just releasing a new more powerful console will make that happen, as the tools are not going to be ready right now.

Developing tools myself, I can say that there has yet to be a call to make tools which use a higher level on consoles, and since my company wouldn't be left out of the loop, it seems like an extreme oversight to not include us in helping to develop such a principal.

I do think your right though. Consoles are going to add another layer of abstraction at some point. While it will remove a bit of performance, the gains you get on the development side will be well worth it, and make things a lot more consistent. Even making tools will be easier, as porting between many different PC configurations and several different consoles can be done with more standardized practices.

While this would have seriously hindered consoles ability to keep up in the past, the fact that performance is reaching a plateau in terms of frame rate and graphics quality, not to mention the games subroutine complexity really getting more advanced(although there is more of it), means that brute forcing with an added driver layer is likely to become the norm. I'll also concede that with the current console, such a method of abstraction could possibly hold it back.

But again, I feel that releasing something now to take advantage of an added abstraction layer on the development side is premature, as the tools just aren't there to handle it....and if these companies have those tools available, then that means this has been in the works for a long time. MS is actually better suited in this case, due to the flexibility of DX12, whereas Sony's API's are highly customized to the hardware, although based on GCN and OGL/Vulkan.

[Destiny1080]

they should wait 3/4 years,

it would be hilarious

[Bruh]

They shouldn't launch it, what would be smarter is to make "Slim" unit that has no disk tray and costs $150. Put it on par with Roku 3 and Apple TV price wise and you can hit a whole other market while appealing to casual and core gamers as well.

[Destiny1080]

a slim will be at e3

[Gman32]

Yeah i agree microsoft should wait and take there time and get it right this time

[mochachino]

I know I had to buy a new 360 after 3 years because the refurbs kept breaking.

[Movefasta1993]

lol

[Yetter]

I really starting to think this PS neo is just a way for Sony to save face with Nintendo. They can't have a Nintendo console on the market that has more power than the PS4

[rainslacker]

Nintendo has in the past had two consoles which were more powerful than Sony's offering, and they obliterated Nintendo. Nintendo kind of obliterated Sony and MS last gen with the weakest system.

These companies know power isn't everything. Nintendo has more issues than the power of their consoles.

[Smokingunz]

I dont think ms should follow sony at all, instead they should wait one to two more years and release a powerful 4k system similar to how they did with the original xbox and the 360 two great consoles that was ahead of its time.

This new generation is a joke and i sulting to fans and the gaming industry as a whole. No creativity, barely any new games, ips and only just remasters that barely looks significantly better than the previous gen is just ludicrous. This is the first time iv ever felt like i wasnt excited for games anymore or mabye im just getting older and my drive for playing games is dwindling. This generation was dissapointing not only that but the industry as a whole seems confused on where to go now, thats why im glad nintendo is still around i hope they save gaming once again because neither sony especially ms doesnt seem what to do anymore. Since when does consoles have to compete with pc's? Which they cant in some sense as far as upgrading go's. Why not stick to what works and concentrate on consoles strength like making a new powerful up to date console every five to six years and having exclusive games that oc doesnt have?

These current gen consoles may be my last until sony and ms stick to one standard and impress and wow me.

[WilliamSheridan]

First of all, it was revealed earlier that Microsoft wss was doing this first. The fact that we already see patents coming through shows they are ahead of Sony here. Microsoft was thought to be doing this for quite a while...

Second of all, it's a great idea for a company and for the gaming community. 3 year upgrades is perfect for those who want cutting edge and allows people to get in cheaper and still play with the big boys...

[_LarZen_]

If Microsoft doesn't it will only escalate the lead of millions on millions more PlayStation consoles in homes around the world.

So yes. Microsoft is in dire need to do the same. And better to even have a chance.

[Night99]

Yes I really hope Microsoft don't follow this bullshit Sony tries to pull on us. I really don't want Sony to have success with this attempt to make consoles to become like Smartphones. I don't want Playstation S4 and Playstation SE4 to become the norm from now on.

[kenwonobi]

Not that it would matter.

[Silly gameAr]

They were talking about the Xbox 1.5 way before the PS4.5. Who's following who's lead here?

[3-4-5]

I'd rather they both save the upgrades for the next Xbox & PS5.

[Fist4achin]

It is just going to be a more efficient slim model. Look at the past, two original Playstations, two ps2s, three ps3s,... it's just time for the newer model people.

[WilliamSheridan]

Microsoft was first out of the gate with this one, for better or worse

[howiewowwee]

I really do not want a XBOX 1.5 or whatever it would be named. From my perspective, it looks like we are getting 3 new consoles within this year like it or not. Sony PS something for better VR support, Nintendo NX because currently the Wii U is the low man on the console totem pole , and XBOX 1.5 ,or whatever it will be named, because of the XBOX One's inferior specs vs the PS4. It's catch up time. I really like my 1tb Xbox One and just wish things would stay as is a little longer. Like at least another 2 years.

[iTechHeads]

They will.

[n1kki6]

This is a terrible headline.

[D-riders]

Sad why people dony want ms to have upgrade to their system when they may not evennhave anothet system. Silly xbots

[Kyizen]

I dont get why people think the PS4.5 will make the PS4 obsolete. If that was the case Xbox was obsolete at launch....

[Jag-T1000]

Maybe you are obsolete.

[ITPython]

If Sony does release a new console that is MUCH more powerful than the PS4, then the XB1 will be at an even worse disadvantage than it is now. The only real way the XB1 can redeem itself and start grabbing more of the gaming market is to have a graphical advantage over the PS4. This is one of the biggest reasons last gen that the 360 was so popular (that plus releasing a year earlier). I remember seeing endless articles on the net about how much better the 360 versions of games were than the PS3 (the PS3 got so many crappy ports, it was unbelievable). This was the case for about the first half of last gen, and even though the PS3 had the exclusives advantage, the small bit of a performance edge that the 360 had (for a little while at least) kept them above the PS3 in a lot of gamers eyes.

But then when developers started getting a grasp on the PS3's architecture and games started looking and performance on par, or better, than the 360 versions, the PS3 quickly started to jump ahead in the console race. As games got better on the PS3, and worse on the 360, sales started to skyrocket. And as we all know by the end of the generation, the PS3 had taken the gold cup and won.

If MS has any sense, they would release a newer XB1 that beats the PS4Neo, so that they could have at least ONE very strong advantage over their rivals. Otherwise it just lose-lose buying an XB1, especially now that so many of it's exclusives are heading over to Windows as well.

[Razuel]

absolutely correct, they should instead offer a console with an optional upgrade slot for the consumers preference.

[NewZealander]

Both consoles released half baked and underpowered. Sony and Ms should have held off another year and released true next gen consoles, I think rebooting both with extra juice is the best thing Sony and Ms could do, I haven't bought a ps4 yet so I'm Def going to get the neo, and I'll happily get a upgraded x1 also.

[rigo8582]

If when Sony does release Neo. Microsoft has no choice. They're already getting destroyed by the resolution and being less powerful. I also don't think a $199 Xbox One would sell that well with two more powerful consoles hitting the market this holiday season. Microsoft has to release something that has better specs then Neo and NX, if that means its an "upgraded" xbox one or what they consider the "next generation" xbox. Granted they're not doing as well as Sony, but that doesn't mean they're not doing well with the Xbox. I personally think even if its an upgraded Xbox One they need to call it something different. They need to distance themselves from the negative perception of the XB1. Too many people are still bitching and crying about the reveal of the XB1. They essentially need a new box they can have a do over with consumers.

[showtimefolks]

but wasn't it phil spencer/xbox camp that originally started this whole more powerful xbox console mid gen?

or are we giving free pass once again to phil can't do no wronf spencer

even though he was the right hand man of don matick and sat quietly while that whole original launch of xbox one was going on

you know what's funny is that many of you who are not happy today will buy ps4k and xbox1.5 day one

[Scottyxboxoneandps4]

Yes they should, they need it more than sony. Everybody knows that both consoles were underpowered at launch, especially one.
These consoles should have released about 2011. I will be pretty happy if both sony and microsoft release upgraded versions of their consoles.
It will be interesting to see if ms put it of a year and release a more powerful console than the rumored neo, then again they probably put themselves out of the market if they leave it to long.
With the nx coming too, shits getting interesting.

[Captain_TomAN94]

LMAO it doesn't matter if they do or don't. Either way XBOX is nearly irreverent.

[jznrpg]

I dont see why not, it could help them.. the way things are for them now isnt going to change much. But most likely they will release XB2 sooner than expected or just go full service

[MagicBeanz]

"because Microsoft now has an opportunity to slingshot ahead of both Sony and Nintendo in sales and technology."

Oh its another one of these articles. Pass.