Xbox 720 or Xbox 3 - Hardware, Graphics, Release Date and Games Speculation

GR - Xbox 720 or Xbox 3 draws a lot of speculation, so let's find out what we know so far regarding the hardware, graphics, release date, games and more.

[TrevorPhillips]

Do we really need a 720 right now, I mean Kinect is coming out soon and that should expand the 360's lifecycle right.

[HeroXIV]

Maybe. 2 years at best though. Which is about the time we all predict a new Xbox will come out.

[el zorro]

Well normal generations are usually around 5 years so if a new Xbox launches in 2012 that would mean the 360 would have been on the market for 7 years before its successor shows up. I think 2012 is the best guess. We will probably hear something about it next year.

[Conloles]

Nope all you need is a PC and you already have the 720!

[nveenio]

I honestly don't think that MS will be moving to a new platform before 2014. Why, you ask? Because the major IPs that 360 has (and people would love to see on new hardware) are done and gone. Bungie is gone. Gears is gone (or will be after #3). Lionhead never delivers. Valve is focusing on PS3 because Sony is letting them bring Steam to the platform. Mass Effect is now multiplat.

This is why MS is moving into the casual market. They'll probably spend the next two years testing the casual market. In late 2011, they'll be putting new hardware into the hands of devs (if there are any left, that is), and we'll see a new console announced in 2012's E3. Launch will probably be holiday 2013.

[ProjectVulcan]

You say they wont move to a new platform but i think they will and retain kinect compatability of course.

As sony moved onto PS2 from PS1, the older console was swamped with casual titles and kiddy titles. More hardcore titles arrived on the more expensive newer machine. This happened with the PS2 to PS3 transition as well. The older console continued to live for much longer as a result and still sold in good quantities.

I suspect microsoft will look to introduce a new platform, obviously the expensive next generation hardcore gamer machine and relegate 360 with cheaper kinect bundles as their casual vehicle, retaining it on their portfolio of hardware rather than retiring it immediately. The cheapest new 360 is now approaching a key pricepoint- the 100 pound barrier. Once that is achieved and i expect it inside the next 12 months it will signal the latter stages of 360s life as microsoft's flagship console.

Yes i know, its obvious you can get clearance old style machines at knockdown prices at outlets with old stock. That has always been the case. I clearly mean everyday official RRP price for the cheapest new models.

[milohighclub]

you can now get a 360 and 3 new games for under £100 at game

[AAACE5]

It said a first party sequel was being developed, but pushed into being a launch title for the next console... Sounds like Perfect Dark to me! Also, I believe the next gen will start in 2012! By next year, the average price for either 360 or Ps3 will be $200! That is the usual warning sign the next gen is coming!

I still say digital download only will kill our industry! In theory, it sounds like a good idea, but they are forgetting a lot of people have consoles who aren't connected to the internet. Not to mention people like me who don't want to hand over my credit card info to a game company, especially when I personally know several people who have had their accounts hacked by entering their numbers on a console!

If they think sales are down now... wait until the DD crap kicks in! Those numbers will get lower and lower. Primarily because people will be more cautious about what they buy! You won't have the security of buying a bad game and being able to sell or trade it... You are stuck with it!

More than likely, Nintendo won't follow this DD crap and will probably come out as the winner if MS and Sony go along with it!

The only good thing I see from having DD games is not having to worry about messed up disc and console has fewer moving parts which should lead to a longer life than usual... I mean like a Nintendo cartridge console life line long!

[bobcostus]

I really don't want a new console. I'm perfectly content with the current gen. Gameplay > Graphics.

[getonmylev3l]

They need to come up with a new name instead of "xbox" There is a lot of bad blood associated with that name. A new fresh name would represent a new beginning. Maybe the Microsoft Phoenix? haha just spit-ballin of the top of my head

[ThatArtGuy]

You sure you want a name that associates itself with being reborn from flame?

[TheLastGuardian]

I really hope that Ultra HD thing won't happen or I will be royally pissed. HDTV's look good enough and I don't want to buy another TV yet.

[Ju]

No need for a new console.

We are running into a dead end. 360 & PS3 need to be able to drop below $200 for reasonable production costs before we can even think about a new console - or the inflation puts the $400 price point where $200 is now. PS3/360 are way to complex to scale down to $200 at any time soon - not without stripping features.

Without that, a new console won't happen. It is much to risky to drop the old model and introduce a new one at a >$400 price point. This is the lowest price I can imagine for a new console - and it'll be tough.

The only reason for a new console I can see is, that the PC will eat into the console market and 3D will take off (which requires more horse power eventually).

But if neither will happen, and current tech can at least compete with those two factors, nobody will take the risk an invest another billion to just get a new more powerful machine to the market. Cash flow for those risky projects pretty much dried up these days.

[Ziriux]

We dont, the Xbox 360 is still got a lot of power and another 3-5 years left. We are good with the current system.

[etownone]

another 3-5 yrs????

the hell you smoking??

[gamerzBEreal17]

The 360 Has alot more time microsoft said KINECT WILL AD 5 YEARS TO THE LIFE CYCLE and sony said MICROSOFT AND NINTENDO WILL BE FIRST TO DO A NEW CONSOLE you wont see anything else till 2014-2015
jesus guys sony spent like what 5 years makeing ps move? there not just going to release it and move into another console that's stupid same with milc-o-soft, i mean microsoft.

[luke201]

loll 3-5 years is too much

[nveenio]

Three years at least. But not because the 360 has the power to last that long. It'll last that long because of MS focusing on casual market. Once they realize they need to get back into hardcore, they'll put a new kit into devs hands and announce it to us the following E3.

[AAACE5]

The Ps2 was the weakest console last gen and people are still buying it now! You were happy with it (I was as well) and didn't care about graphics that much. Now all of a sudden the Ps3 is the most powerful, you guys want to turn your noses up like snobs?

The only thing that matters in the end is if the games are still fun and if you can see good.

Processor...

Ps2........299MHz
Gamecube...486MHz
Xbox.......733MHz

Graphics...

Ps2........147MHz
Gamecube...162MHz
Xbox.......233MHz

...and the Ps2 is still selling well even though it was the weakest! Wii is the weakest and it is still selling well! Like I said, graphics don't mean sh*t... fun games are what count!

[n4gno]

@AAA, ps2, like ps3 now, had all the great games....now you can do a lot more with a ps3, and unlike ps2, it's the more powerfull console.

so, if people are not brainless, ps3 = ps2 or more, if not, bad for them :)

" i think the xbox is capable of producing the same graphics as ps3 but is held back by lack of disc space and a lack of harddrive in every console "

and most of all, cell !!! hd and disc space explain some real differences (compression, non hd sound, etc) but no AI, graphics, polygones, etc : ps3 is better for that, when optimised.

lo(again)@dchalfont, THE real joke of the day : he don't have ps3 or xbox, but read all the day console's news, and try to explain to gamers what he don't know anything about
the best : he is comparing old pc games, whith games 100 times more beautifull on consoles ! resolution can't do miracles dumbo, i also have a pc, and most of the games have inferiors graphics to uncharted, killzone (not all, but most of all)

"But this gen of console's haven't brought innovative gameplay to the table either..."

what a donkey ! you really don't know what you are talking about (oh wait, you don't have the consoles you are trying to talk all the day, pathetic :)), 2008 to 2010 was the best years for videogames, all the specialists confirm that ("golden age" articles are easy to find)

[OpenGL]

The clockspeed has nothing to do with the PS2 being the weakest of the 3 consoles last gen, as all 3 systems used different CPU and GPU architectures.

[CWMR]

True, but you can't completely disregard the difference in clock speed either. Then there is the fact that the PS2 also had half the RAM as the Xbox. It was unquestionably the weakest hardware by a large margin.

In any case, this generation the two HD consoles are much more equal in power.

[-SIXAXIS-]

"still got a lot of power"

LOL! It didn't have a lot of power to begin with.

[Ziriux]

@ etown

Whats wrong with the 360's games now. fine too me.

[curbowb81]

Yeah it will enhance the 360, but 720 kinect...imagine!

[hakis86]

"It's also been confirmed that Crysis 2 will be coming in 3D on the Xbox 360 so that means Xbox 720 will definitely be supporting 3D gaming and it will most probably be without those pesky glasses."
YOU WISH.
The only display that displays 3D without glasses is the Nintendo 3DS - and it's not even out yet! And TV size? Not yet.
My point is it depends on your diplay - not your Xbox 360.

Hopefully the next Xbox won't be as hot though.

And, as I said on the PS4 speculation, I doubt that Optical media/discs are going away anytime soon. I used to believe it, but seeing as my 10mbit connection takes several hours downloading some GB, who wants to wait that long to start playing a game they bought? Nobody.

[outrageous]

The tech behind Xbox 360 and PS3 is 7 years old. It's time for a new machine and I expect to here about it at E3 2011 with the new machines coming in 2012.

If kinect sells 50 million 360's on top of the 41+ million they have now, then maybe we may not see a new xbox for 3-4 years or more.

[Kamikaze135]

The power really isn't everything and Nintendo proved that with the Wii leading in sales. As long as Sony and Microsoft can continue to innovate and release innovative games, then there's no need for a new console.

[Rainstorm81]

you are truly outrageous...lol...Kinect selling 50+ mil....WOW!!!

@kamakaze

Nintendo didnt prove that..if any system did it was the ps2... it did the same last gen eaily being the weakest of the group.

As far as Power goes this gen is funny....last gen the xbox fans touted having the most powerful console while ps2 fans touted the most games.......fast forward to now PS3 fans has the most power (and games...now) and xbox 360 had the most games.......

[frostypants]

"Xbox 720 will definitely be supporting 3D gaming and it will most probably be without those pesky glasses."

I stopped reading right there. There is NO technology that supports glasses-free 3D on anything beyond a small display, and it only works for a single viewer in a very specific position.

There is also little need for resolutions above 1080P...anything higher is virtually undetectable unless you are sitting very close to the screen. That processing power is better spent on more detailed textures and higher polygon count.

[frostypants]

Disagree with what? My comment on the weaknesses of glasses-free technology is fact. As for 1080P, do you see any need for anything higher in terms of normal television? Hell, it's already like you're looking through a window at times. If the answer is no, why would you need it for games? The big difference between games and live TV is not resolution-related, it's detail-related.

[Otheros00]

You forgot that the bigger the display or the farther the viewing distance the higher the resolution that it is needed. http://carltonbale.com/1080...

[Lord_Doggington]

no glassesless 3d? i stopped reading there.

youtube glassesless 3d. there are PLENTY of options out there now waiting to be picked up by a major distributor. just a matter of time

[8thnightvolley]

maybe not right now but in a year it might be too obvious, but who knws. the ps2 is still doing well in this HD era, the one thing that i am quite intrested in is the ULTRA HD which i read about, first time hearing of it and its very intresting, thou the power consumption is sky high and alot of extensive research needs to be done b4 is consumer friendly in this eco times.. and probably will cost SHYT loads.. but what the heck.. am paid.. *chi ching*:D

[MuleKick]

Oh Boy. I just wasted 5 mins of my life. An article based on 95% speculation. I didn't need an article asking me to guess that the xbox 3 will be like. I can do that on my own.

[gcolley]

and yet you still read it. what did you expect, some leaked documents from the year 2012? not very practical if you ask me

[Buttons]

I agree. This isn't Terminator

[MuleKick]

I expected speculation based on thoughtful technological advancement. You know, tech that may actually be possible for the next xbox. Documents from 2012...that was a good one. Not funny, but witty to say the least.

[avengers1978]

This article is pure speculation, and that is it.

[MicroSony4Life]

Sony has been successful with the PS2 and the PS3 on the market.

MS could continue to support the 360 for the casuals, which I think is the purpose for Kinect, to draw them in. The can also bring out the 720 and make it for the hardcore.

[fatstarr]

The fact that they think we will have ultrahd is crazy.

But I can definitely say it will have a dual gpu system because thats the trend of graphics cards today. Hell a System with a dualcore and 2x 9800GT's can beat a 360 and thats technology from 2007.

[TheLastGuardian]

PS4 will be better.

[dabri5]

No telling how either company will handle hardware next gen. Possible it will only be minor improvements as both companies have been very impressed with how the wii sold and seem to want to copy it.

[palaeomerus]

Look, you'll hear about the new console a year before it launches, probably at E3. Since we didn't see it in 2010 it's not coming in 2011. If we hear about it in 2011 then it's probably coming in 2012.

[Ziriux]

Can't wait for the next system which will hopefully catch up to the PS3 technology and produce some even better games than the 360 and PS3.

[halocursed]

What do you think about the "Digital only route", I don't think they are ballsy enough to attempt it.

[bloop]

I can't see them doing digital only. If that was the case, the 720 would have to ship with a MASSIVE hdd to hold everything. Judging by their current prices for hdd's, I don't even want to imagine what they'd charge for the thing!!! Aside from that, what about people with with slow internet speeds waiting 24hrs to download a game, to people with no internet at all!!! Too risky.

[fredfenster]

@halocursed: World ain't ready for that yet. Look at PSP Go, sales are meh.

[gamerzBEreal17]

$599?? lol if we had that big of a price 4 years ago and now are only a couple mil behind MS can do the same go ahead dissagree :{

[GodGinrai]

Im counting on them not being ballsy when it comes to THAT...i dont mind Down loading arcade titles but i preffer bigger title on a disc.

Cant wait for thew consoles to arrive though. hopefully 1080p native games will the norm.And 3D without the glasses.And.....4D smell-o-vision. so we can smell the zombies when we play COD 20:super limited prestige edition by treyarch!...ok the last part was a joke...except for 4D smell-o-vision. lol.

[8thnightvolley]

digital only i hate.. not for the fact that it doesnt down cool, its just that now .. to game or to be a hardcore gamer that wants to play it all u will be spending such an insane amount of money.. i am a fan of lovefilm rental. its just the way for me.. since i wanna play a game and breeze thru it.. to imagine for those like myself that have both ps3 and 360 wtf would u be spending a year on games.. imagine 60 games u play for a year times £40= £2400 or $60 =$3600 that is just too much.. they wouldnt dare go only digital

[frostypants]

They could offer kiosks at retailers where you could plug in a thumb drive and copy over the game relatively quickly...or even have your hard drive in an easy-to-remove module that you carry to the store and install the game on site.

[MuleKick]

@halocursed
Not happening. The PSPgo proved that consumers aren't ready for that yet.

[TechnicalBS]

The Sony PSPGo proved that the "Digital only route" would be a failure. Maybe when digital distribution is more widely accepted, they'll release a limited amount of hard copies.

[evrfighter]

The only thing psp go proved was that charging full price for weak titles and never having any digital only sales doesn't work.

[el zorro]

LOL what? PS3 and 360 are extremely close in power already. The next Xbox will definitely be several orders of magnitude more powerful than either the PS3 or Xbox 360.

[futurenana]

In your dreams, perhaps? when was the last time you played one of the PS3 exclusives? the texture resolutions, poly rendering... it's all just SO much better quality.

Not arguing 360 doesn't have great games though. I find 360 games are more dependant on gameplay, games like Halo are pretty ugly but have great gameplay.

[hennessey86]

i own both consoles and i do admit that the ps3 has produced the better visuals with the likes of uncharted 2 and killzone 2 but to say the xbox is only about gameplay is abit wrong. mass effect 2, alan wake, gears 2, halo reach, splinter cell all look really good i think the xbox is capable of producing the same graphics as ps3 but is held back by lack of disc space and a lack of harddrive in every console

[mrcash]

He is saying they are close,the only game that really showcases the power when compared to xbox games is gran turismo double the cars on screen at 1080p, but other than that the other games are debatable.

[PS360PCROCKS]

@ future hahahaahaha dude come on you think the next xbox will ONLY MATCH PS3 graphics??? Lol oh man, maybe the launch titles. Look at Gears Of War 2, than look at splinter cell chaos theory, leaps and bounds difference, leaps and bounds.

[nickjkl]

im sorry henessy but alan wake and splinter cell dont fit on that list they are both sub hd and thus can not have the best graphics

[palaeomerus]

Well Futurena clearly knows nothing about reality. :) Just fanboy wank. Look at those textures and geometry again kiddo. LOL. PS3 is essentially an old weak PC with little RMA (just like the 360) and it's not busting down any graphical technology barriers nor is it impressing anyone with it's old GPU. Quit kidding yourself. They look about the same. Luckily Sony's exlcusive devs are spending a bit more money on fancy animations in some of their games that makes them look more polished than agmes with more primitive animations. But no, PS3 textures and geometry are about liek 360 textures and geometry. Always have been. Always will be. Memory and rendering speed are an absolute limit for that sort of thing. Sorry to bust up all the hype there but it's just silly to keep twaddling on about cell-miracles that never materialized.

@ nickjkl

Why waste time with irrelevant pixel counts? Alan Wake and Splinter Cell both look awesome. Plenty of games with higher native resolution look very meh. You're stuck in the past with that crap mate. CoD MW and MW2 are ALSO sub HD. Welcome to modern graphics techniques in AAA games on aging consoles that want to show horn in more effects in a bigger 3d environment without killing the frame rate.

[hennessey86]

R.E im sorry henessy but alan wake and splinter cell dont fit on that list they are both sub hd and thus can not have the best graphic

So your saying a game cant look great unless its hd. Alan wake is a stunning looking game and id rather have sub hd if it means better graphics, both cod4 and mw2 are sub hd but both look great. Resolutions only really matter on pc because thats the only format that can actually run hd games properly if you have an hd game on this gen consoles the games suffer in other areas.

[iJOIK3R]

I can't wait till anyone release a new system. I really just hope Microsoft put a lot more focus on building the consoles. The whole RROD situation left a bad impression on millions of gamers

[palaeomerus]

So did the YLOD's, removing BC, Removing Linux, reintroducing rumble months after launch, PS2 lens failures and the PSX being playable upside down to prevent over heating that caused CD-reading to skip and games not to load. Don't kid yourself, most people forget this crap mighty fast.

[xYLeinen]

It's kinda up to the developers imo. If they release their new consoles to early developers won't make games for them. Sure a few titles will be out there but it will be hell of expensive to develop for the new consoles.

[rufioho]

Another Microsoft RROD hardware, the PS4 will again win in the long run

[fredfenster]

You can't tell that, no doubt PS3 is superior this gen, almost every way. But you don't know what MS and Sony have been doing for the upcoming console.

[gamerzBEreal17]

yes i do
SONY: great excluseives (it has been that way every gen) great simple controller motion controller always ahead (CD-DVD9-BLU-RAY) not a big failure rate (going by ps3 not ps2 it seems sony has there head on stright now) careing about the community things like devs listening to us about a look on cole to makeing a hole website for updates to the console (and alot of the features on that website made it in) great deals LBP are KILLZONE2 with a dual shock 3 for $60?? at microsoft shooters, shooters, shooters...failure...shooters fanboys..rip-offs...shooters

[X_GAMER_X]

am ready for next gen. 6 years is enough with a console.
they will keep the 360 alive just like the ps2 and hopefully releases a new in 2012.

The 360 would be then 7 years on the market.

But I hope it will be announced in 2011. The PC is so far ahead of the current consoles so 5-6 years is enough.

And am really looking forward to Nintendo's new console. They have a special trend, one gen with a powerful console and the sec with Normal console like the wii to raise some money ;)

Next-gen, Welcome

[The real killer]

The 360 is allready on it's top, they can only now polish the game by software like build a better game engine that is more efficient for the 360 hardware.

But the hardware is allready maxing out.
I know that Microsoft built a new X-box sooner then we think :)

WOW, some people really think that the 360 has power enough.
Damn, they are so brain washed:) lets get the disagrees :)

[hoops]

Both the Xbox360 and the PS3 are dated technology.
They both barely run games at 720p with 4x real AA....
No multi-monitor support. How many games on either console run 60fps at 1080p that are graphic intensive games? Less than 1% of their entire libary.
The Xbox360 needs new hardware fast. The PS3 the same.

[gcolley]

only if you just care about graphics. 3rd playstation, 2nd xbox and enemy AI is still where it was before either company had a console out. we don't need better graphics, we need better gameplay. it seems a game only needs great graphics to be a 'game of the year' these days.

[commodore64]

@ hoops.

Gotta agree there, dude.

Both Ps3 and 360 are dated tech.
Both were designed over 6 years ago.

Five to six years ago, the cutting edge of GPUs was a Geforce 7800 architecture.
As we all know, the RSX GPU in the PS3 is based on this chipset.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Now, with this in mind, consider this chart:
http://www.videocardbenchma...

The GTX 7800 produces a PassMark score of 566.
Compare that to the cutting edge of graphics cards in 2010, the gtx 480.
The Gtx 480 produces a PassMark score of 3497.
Even a midrange compromise card like the gtx 460 still produces a score of 2275.

Of course I am not saying that the 360 gpu is much better than the ps3 rsx. Some people claim it is marginally better, but that point is moot.
The real lesson here is that both the 360 and ps3 tech is OLD, compared to what is available today.

There is no other way to say it.

[Nihilism]

I hope it comes soon, if id had full B.C then what's not to like. I would be nice hearing every PS3 owner silenced for good about who has the best console graphics.

I don't own a 360 or a PS3 because imo the improvement in graphics over last gen is minimal compared to the gen before. Doom 3 on PC in the xbox era looks as good as any current gen game when maxed out...

[gillri]

yeah nice one dchalfont, doom 3 on PC? really? better looking than any current gen game?

lol Shadow of the colossus looks betetr than Doom 3 and thats a PS2 game!

[Nihilism]

I said doom 3 ON PC.

I saw the abomination that was Doom 3 on console's, that was the first time it became clear to me the massive divide between console's and PC.

PC version=
1600x1200 16qaa, ultra settings 90FOV

xbox version=
640x480 no aa, low settings 55 fov...

Yes the PC version maxed was on par with current gen console games. I would know because I actually played the game on PC. Unlike console only gamers that rely on press releases to tell them where their console's stand in relation to each other... Doom 3 on PC looks better than quite a lot of current gen games.

I also owned all 3 console's last gen so I can be objective.

@futurenana

My graphics card cost more than a PS3, it is not a matter of money, it is a matter of quality.

I'll show you the graphical divide, because you seem to be unaware...

make sure you right click to view in it's full size, they are all 1080p ( likely bigger than most console gamers monitors )

http://img541.imageshack.us...

http://img718.imageshack.us...

http://img838.imageshack.us...

http://img835.imageshack.us...

and those are just multiplats...lol yeah PC is surging ahead, even with the console anchor tied to it's feet.

[ThanatosDMC]

^Reskin your Far Cry 2. His arms look messed up.

[likedamaster]

Lame attempt gillri. Doom 3 at the time was mind boggling. I wasn't a fan of the artstyle of their characters but couldn't deny the graphical prowess of the game. I had to buy a new card to max it. ATI's Radeon X800 XT Platinum was the best card at the time.

[gcolley]

deny it all you want, consoles are video gaming's future. where i work (distribution) we are selling less and less gfx cards each year. it may be better graphically but the library of games is shrinking fast. it sux, but there is no money in PC gaming anymore. i doubt there are many PC gamers that have paid for every game they have played (always exceptions of course), but i for one have on my 360.

[futurenana]

Your PC games will improve visually, when consoles allow them to. Yeah, I'm saying consoles hold PC gaming back... but eh, if you can't afford a PS3, PC games are still pretty cool.

[iagainsti120]

if you cant afford a pc, ps3 games are pretty cool, consoles only hold back very few games (mass effect 2) but most other games are miles better than their console counterparts, oh and PC gaming is way more expensive than console gaming, look at spending around $600 for the low end and around $1200-2000 to start getting into the high end.
High end GPU's alone cost around $500 to $1000 (the $1000 card being SAPPHIRE 100280-4GBB Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock))

Not that i have anything against PS3 or 360 I have those system because i cant afford a gaming pc (+ exclusives)

PS the article was rubbish to begin with my predictions for the next xbox make more sence

- IBM PPC7 6-7 core at 2.5-3.5Ghz
- Ati (Based on)HD5800 series with larger eDram (remember with the eDRAM it can do AA for almost no performance hit at all) and dedicated 512-1GB GDDR5
- 1-2GB of DDR3 or DDR4 ram
- 256GB - 512 GB SSD or 500 to 1TB HDD
- DVD/Bluray or UHD-DVD (some other large format disc
- Wireless-N, 10/100/1000 NIC

that's my take on whats going to be in the next xbox i have no clue about the PS3 mostly because Sony and Toshiba have halted development of the cell sometime last year i think

[mrcash]

Next gen will be great, because graphics wont be an issue anymore they will be able to focus on gameplay more.

[bjornbear]

not actually gameplay and enjoyment?

hmmm....thats what I got from

"I don't own a 360 or a PS3 because imo the improvement in graphics over last gen is minimal compared to the gen before. "

i own a PS3 because of the games and experience i get from it, and WHEN I CAN AFFORD IT i will get a gaming rig to experience PC games too. but to say you don't own something because "it isn't enough of an improvement" tells me your more a tech junkie than a gamer...but thats just the impression u give, i hope im wrong...

[Nihilism]

I don't play games just for the graphics. Right now I am only playing older games because i'm sick of shooters. But this gen of console's haven't brought innovative gameplay to the table either...same old shooters same old RPG's. The only innovative console gameplay wise this gen has been the Wii...I bought one and traded it because the software in the first year was terrible. I plan to buy another soon though.

All the console's this gen were also extremely overpriced so for the price, you would want it to be a big jump, especially considering the PS3/360/Wii costs like twice what the PS2/xbox/gamecube did the same length into its lifetime

[frostypants]

But PC games HAVE been innovative? You're always going on about them, so I'd like to hear what it is that draws you to them, if graphics aren't the motivation. Claiming that the PC as a gaming platform was anything other than dead last in gameplay innovations in recent years would be a tough position to defend.

My PC as a gaming platform is gathering a bit of dust.

[insomnium]

"But this gen of console's haven't brought innovative gameplay to the table either...same old shooters same old RPG's"

LOL! Every single idea you could possibly come up with today is same old same old if you want to see it that way. Every day is exactly alike. Sun rises and sun sets. Nothing is different.

Same old same old dchalfont. Always spewing his negative energy around him. Just ignore him.

He's a PC junkie. No matter what you say about PS3's exclusive games or Blu-Ray or whatnot. He has his billion dollar PC and he compares everything to it. It's he himself versus the world.

Every single game should be made to put HIS mean bean machine to the test. Forget the 40 million install base with similar machines on other platforms since he has his games the best way possible and all the rest get nothing worthy of a second glance.

He just told you his graphics card cost him more than a PS3 costs and still he says "All the console's this gen were also extremely overpriced so for the price, you would want it to be a big jump". He is a blind PC fanboy. You need not go any further than this news to call it.

He's come to "show you" how great the PC is "because you seem to be unaware". Only 2999.99 dollars.

@frostypants

Don't send him a PM. He'll call you insane and block you for what you just asked him.

[frostypants]

OK man, I know you like hating on consoles, but gimme a mothereffing break, the difference between the PS2/Xbox and PS3/360 generation is MASSIVE. The graphical difference between consoles games and their PC counterparts has never been slimmer than it is now.

I could also re-phrase the above as follows: Know how I know you've hardly ever played on consoles?

[MetalFreakMike]

In the article, they talk about the new console being digital download only. I doubt that MS is going to do that because Blu-ray won the format war and you can pick up a Blu-ray player for 80 dollars now. Also internet speeds might be faster but some ISP's ((Cough) Comcast) put bandwidth caps on the amount of data we can download in a month. It would not work out well.

Truth be told that no one knows what these new consoles are going to have and use. We just have to hope it works out in our favor and not theirs.

[Mike134nl]

The biggest problem with the xbox is their use of dvd instead of another higher capacity storage disc/solution. That alone might be a reason for the xbox 720 to appear sooner than later.

[heroprotagonist]

It's really not that big of a problem as it has only affected a few games. And by affected I mean having to be on two discs. Big deal.

That said, I'm sure the next Xbox will use a high capacity media format. I am willing to bet anything that it will not be digital only. I can see digital downloads becoming more important next generation, but it will still be too soon to go to a fully digital distribution model.

[futurenana]

A next gen console.

They've let all there big IPs slide, and are very slowly dissolving there studios. All resources are on Kinect right now... after that flops they'll step aside and return to what they do best. Windows.

[heroprotagonist]

Haha you wish.

[futurenana]

Why would I wish that?

The only console I own is a DS. Just my observations based on recent market trends. More like you're praying Microsoft stay in the market so you can win your 'console war'.

Pathetic fanboy.

[luke201]

dude you really think microsoft will do that? i mean, microsoft love money, plus xbox have been really successful. about exclusive and new IPs dont worry about that. lol theyll have some new sweet games soon.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

Agree with etownone on this one big time. "Microsoft won't make...
A next gen console." That is a stupid (total lack of understanding) comment.

[GodGinrai]

interesting point of view. i dont see MS as a gambling company and kinect is a pretty hefty investment even by MS standards. I think it will be the next gen that decides that question for them.

Im not impressed by kinect personally but this is MS we are talking about...they could sell snow to an eskimo...They have held off sony so far with an apparently "inferior" machine with the mother of all hardware failures(RROD)..AND a lack of exlusives...Not to mention taking away almost all of sonys 3rd party exlusives... makes you wonder what will happen when they get this console malarkey right...

but like you said, if xbox fails there is always windows...

[Moentjers]

And I think futurenana has a valid point.

They are gaining money on the XBOX-product line but the question is if the huge amount of money, time and resources that have been invested give enough return (ROI).

If they decide to invest all this into PC Gaming with a huge chance of having more return, I'll think they are at least wiser than trying to gain the same amount with a risky product as the Kinect. But only time will tell...

[PS360PCROCKS]

"Pathetic fanboy."

says the guy who has made 3 posts on an xbox related article and mentioned the PS3 in every single one. Hmm...

[I Call 9MM]

Hmm, hardware wise, I say it will be more of an evolution in terms of processing power rather than a radical change in hardware. A new ATI/AMD CPU coupled to another IBM based CPU, with an increase in overall processing power and cores, slapped with a great deal of RAM, that is what I think we will be seeing. It won't be like the Wii was to the Gamecube, but it will probably be like what PC's are now, maintain compatibility at the hardware level, but drastically upgrade the specs.

I think the new unit will overall be at least 4 to 5 times as powerful as the current 360. I still think if the current 360 let developers make mandatory use of the HDD and if they had more RAM to work with, we probably wouldn't need a new console for a quite awhile. RAM is the weakest part of all the consoles right now in my opinion.

[I Call 9MM]

A quick thought. If some new CPU design does come out that is hardware incompatible with that of the current 360, Microsoft may opt to include the CPU from the current 360, and utilize it as a co-processor (possibly on die with newer CPU), and use it as backwards compatibility with current 360 hardware, but utilize it as a dedicated processor for Kinect (in whatever form it may have next generation), like the Genesis did with the Master System's CPU, and the PS2 did with the PSOne's chip (those both used by the sound system). It could even be a slightly updated form as well. Sounds expensive, but could be beneficial. Might even be used for sound.

Can't see them including the GPU, if they go with ATI again, I'm sure they will make it compatible.

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

-

[goxbox360]

Don't think Microsoft will make a next gen console. They have next to no 1st party studios, and they're bleeding third party support like crazy... they could milk the IPs they have on PC games (PC Halo, etc) and stop losing cash with there 360.

[ElementX]

Speculation articles are lame. You never know, some sweet piece of tech might be announced by year's end which could be incorporated into next-gen systems. Why even bother thinking about the future? Just wait for it to happen.

[MoreRPG]

what the next xbox needs?
.better hardware quality
.blu ray

[mcstorm]

The Next Xbox is not needed just yet if you look at what we had on release and what we have now due to the updates to the dash live ect it has at lest 3 to 5 years left.

Kinect alone if done right should give it a new berth of fresh air.

They just need to get Kinect out and hit us with a load of hard core games and new IPs that use Kinect well and MS will be flying again with the Hard core.

Xbox live is what keeps the 360 going and did for the original xbox so when they make the next xbox they need to build it around xbox live but make sure we still get netflix sky zune ect on the next 360 too.

[I Call 9MM]

I also think that Kinect will be able to extend the lifecycle of the 360 another few years. If done right, this will end up being an excellent accessory for the casual gamer in your home. It may sell another few million consoles over the next few years, but I think what will make it successful enough is with hardcore gamers who already own a 360, but their spouces/girlfriends etc... who aren't but want to play these kinds of games. It is cheaper than a Wii is right now, and it looks like it will have the software that the casual gamer wants (my girlfriend really liked that exercise program). The fact that it is so casual might just be what it needs to be successful, and thus might have a high attachment rate to current 360 users. I'm probably going to get it for my girlfriend, she already enjoys Lipz, another game I could care less about but bought her because I have a 360.

This is what worries me with Move, in that it appears to try to bridge casual and hardcore alot more, especially with it's inclusion in Socom and RE5 Gold: will hardcore gamers want it for games like that, or would they rather just use the controller and sit back? With Kinect, it seems like the hardcore and casual are far more seperate. We'll have to see when they launch.

[mcstorm]

I agree I am getting Kinect when it comes out because my other half wants dance central and ea sports active plus the media side looks good for me.

I am in the same boat as you with Lips and Viva Pinata.

MS have got it right in how they are pushing Kinect where sony are giving 12 month old games the update to use move and I dont see this as a selling poing I want to see something that makes me want to say wow that game looks amazing using move rather than I know a game I played 12 months ago can use move so Ill go and spend an extra £150 just to wiggle my arms about.

Kinect is getting alot of bad press on this site but if MS pull this off with the hard core games as they say they are going to it could change the way we look at games from now on.

[Eazy-Eman]

It needs more original ip titles. Give me some action platforming titles, not generic space combat military fps's. If the next Xbox can do this than maybe I'll buy it.

[mrcash]

Just needs more variety, I wish they would make LO2

[frankymv]

fall 2011

[etownone]

i wish ... i've had my Xbox since launch, so i'm definitely looking forward to a new console. thats just the norm ... new console about every 4-5 years.

but i think, they'll annouce it E3 2012 for 2012 holiday release.
too much riding on Kinnect for the next year

[Halo_Reach]

LAter 2012 or earlier... This Gen is going to 6years now... Damn when Ps2 was 5 years we already know Ps3 -.-

[BrutallyBlunt]

I think they will want a full year of focus on Kinect and announcing a new system in 2011 would be a poor decision. I do think that they will announce a new XBOX @ E3 in 2012 with a release date following that same year. That would also mean the XBOX 360 would then be 7 years old. A much better situation than last generation with the XBOX only being out for 4 years until the XBOX 360 came out.

[I Call 9MM]

Agreed, with Kinect coming out, it would be foolish for them to announce anything new coming out soon, or bring out new hardware soon. They have to give Kinect a few years first before releasing another console.

[ndibu]

Xbox 3 won't make sense after 360

[luke201]

i think microsoft should release it in 2012 :) it would be awesome

[awi5951]

They will just like pc does put a game on several dvd's and make you install it with a code.

[GamingForever]

Should be 1080p HD if it comes out..

[milohighclub]

i heard sony are working on anouther disk format that will blow away bluray

http://playstationlifestyle...

"Sony, not-to-be outdone by anyone, is rumored to be working on a successor to Blu-Ray. According to an article in the current issue of GameInformer magazine (Dead Space Cover; Issue 201) Sony is hard at work on “the next jump”, a disc similar to the previously announced Holographic Versatile Disc. The disc is said to have a capacity of 6TB (terabytes) or 6,000GB (gigabytes), more than enough to support 1080p HD video, 3D imagery, uncompressed loseless HD audio, along with any other AV codec you could throw at it. On top of all that storage, the format can use the massive amount of available space to implicate extra security measures, a major positive when pitching the format to game developers (and movie studios) who don’t want their games pirated"

[CWMR]

Blu-ray will be plenty enough for next gen games.

[PS3-247]

I don't think 720 is gonna be that much powerful. Will be close to the PS3 power. I don't believe MS is gonna pay a whole lot to make it powerful than PS4.

[Belasco]

Can someone else please point out to ps3-247 what is wrong with his statement/opinion? Please?

[TheLeprachaun]

Everything is wrong with it.

[CWMR]

I'll tell you what's wrong with it: the assumption that the PS3 is more powerful than the 360 in the first place. It's not. The 360 has a superior GPU, superior memory architecture, the OS uses less of the available RAM, and the CPU has more general purpose processing power.

Sure, if programmed for in precise way, using massive amounts of parallelization the PS3's SPUs can make up for some of the ways that its GPU is weaker. For certain types of tasks it can even surpass the 360's CPU. But that is only on certain types of tasks. All in all both consoles have some advantages over the other but both are fairly equal. It's really up to developers to take advantage of their respective strengths.

So, even if the next Xbox was only two or three times more powerful than the 360 it would still blow away the PS3.

The PS3 and 360 are already essentially equivalent (each with a few of their own strengths over the other one), but it will be interesting to see how things play out next generation.

[SephireX]

360 has limited disk capacity though meaning that sandbox games like GTA have to be compromised. If you compare exclusives on both consoles on a technical level, the PS3 wins hands down. If the Cell architecture is taken advantage of, games are better technically on PS3 than on 360. Though it is a disadvantage when it comes to multiplatform games. Thus, it is a fact that exclusive games have better potential on PS3 than 360 so the PS3 is potentially more powerful than the 360. That doesn't mean it is a better console but it does help. Exclusives benefit and that's one of the reasons why the PS3 has better exclusives than the 360.

It's anyone's guess what happens next gen but there is no need for ultra-hd. 1080p at 60fps is fine. I want improvements in: a.i, loading times, frame-rates, physics depiction, active memory storage and the quantity of on-screen particles. Imagine playing a GTA game with over 70 cars on screen at once in 1080p at 60fps with insanely realistic physics. That won't be achieved next-gen by a long shot but that's an example of where games can go. Let's hope there are significant improvements in Internet speeds as well so full digital distribution can become a reality and that future fps games can feature over a 100 players per match. All in all, more powerful processing plus increased broadband speeds = win.

[Belasco]

I don't really think any of the big 3 should be launching anything as early as 2013, the state of the economy cant support new hardware.

[downwardspiral]

Releasing new consoles anytime soon would be kinda bad. Most developers are still trying to play catch up with this gens tech as it is already. The current gaming library is small compared to last gen because games are taking longer to develop, and they cost a lot more money.I can only imagine the library for next gen being even smaller because its gonna cost even more time and more money to make a game. Plus the economy is still in terrible condition.

[metsgaming]

yea lets release a brand new console during a recession.... NOT !

[xtremexx]

No new gents till we finish this gen properly with games that push the console to the max, if you were having dinner, would you get halfway through the dinner for desert? YES but would your mum let you NO!!!! what im saying is that we need to finish this generation by pushing this generation's consoles to the max then Sony/Microsoft will let you move on (If Your Good)

[Thecraft1989]

I expect xmas launch 2012 xbox 360 dead to me anyway I have not see any good games for it in next 12 months other than fable 3 gears of war 3 I will happily proofed wrong though.

xtremexx 360 has been pushed to max the max just seems to be sub hd shit.

[Dawn_Of_Ashes]

bs article... it make me rage.
I tought it was hhg
haha

[hiredhelp]

HA HA HA this is a joke. microsft pig off you brought nothing but shame to console industry DLC PRICE TAGS charging for our own internet connection.
oh breif history of if this is beleaved to be true on the graphics front.
nvidia started on ps2 microsft wanted it on xbox 1 but nvidia wanted too much money.so they had to take ati owned by AMD 360 come out they wanted to take nvidia b4 sony did.they won now sony running ATI now microsft (MAY IT SEEMS) want ati back. wtf. get real talk about copying.

lets face it sony does 60gb model, 360 does 60gb hdd sony does 120hdd, microsoft has 120gb sony does 250gb microsoft does 250gb sony bringing out 320gb. and guess wots next.??

[Belasco]

Holy crap can you please repost in a human language next time? Forget English, just anything as long as I can translate it.

[mightydog01]

I could see this coming a mile off. It happened with xbox 1....bungi gone and gears of war 3 the last one. few first party games announced....Its slowing down ready to announce next console. End of 2011 my guess...

[big_silky]

Hopefully I won't have to choose between shoddy workmanship or being "trojan horsed" again.

[xg-ei8ht]

hoops

Your judging a console by comparing to a PC.

Did people compare PS1 to PC? I know i did not care about it, just enjoyed the games that consoles had that pc did not.

I think the same is true today, yes there are multiplats on all platforms and of course if you like gaming on a pc, you can run higher rez, higher aa. higher quality shadows, etc etc.

Back when i started building pc's, all i did was benchmark, benchmark, always wanting more fps, overclocking that could fk your hardware and alot of the time for not much gain, unless you were running a game at 25fps and needed it abit smoother etc.

But when it comes to the PS3, that machine is far from maxed, rez or not.

[palaeomerus]

No, it's pretty close to maxed.

[hoops]

When a console cannot run the majority of its games at 60fps at 720p, it has no place calling it next generation. Lets not even mention the fact that less than 1% of consols game selection cannot run 1080p games @60fps with AA enabled.
When consoles cannot even use real AA sampled above 4...it has no place calling it next generation.
All these features PC's had YEARS before the PS3 OR XBOX360.
The PS3 is not maxed out. But you wont see ANY game running 1080p@60 fps with AA enabled looking like KZ2.
The Xbox360 and PS3 hardware is outdated. And its strating to show. The Xbox360 shows it more being outdated but the PS3 is no different.

[PS360PCROCKS]

earliest you'll see it is Christmas 2011, which is highly unlikely. I think the smart money is on a 2012 reveal at E3 and Christmas 2013 launch.

[All_4_One]

I refuse to buy a new console for at least 2 more years. Just because the 360 is loosing steam and has a very weak upcoming game lineup does not mean everybody is ready for next generation. I`m not going to suddenly jump into next-gen just because MS sucks at making a long lasting console.

[ljastangs21]

Whats with the random pic of the girl and The Joke? Dumb.

[Vortex3D]

When the next gen consoles are out, gamers will quickly find very few games are designed to the next gen hardware. It took 2 years for the current gen consoles to have most games designed to use the hardware capability. Remember the first year games? Most looked they were upscaled from the previous gen. On the 2nd year, only some games were designed for the current gen hardware.

With the next gen, the cost and time to get to the more powerful hardware will be far greater. Game publishers will either have to hire a lot of developers to build the next gen games at high quality with high cost which lead to high game price or take a long time to develop the games which still lead to higher game price. Or, simply develop next gen games slightly above the curent gen games to keep the development time and cost lower but still raise the game price.

Gamers today are so excited to have the next gen consoles and when the day arrives, they will be complaining where are the next gen games and why they have become a lot more expensive.

[scott182]

I want a new system! I love the idea.

[DarthBigE]

mind f***

[Belasco]

Thank you CWMR, that is one comment that admittedly gets under my skin due to its sheer ignorance and I am glad someone else out there feels the same way.

[JJFNIGHTS80]

Why would they release it NOW or next year? While they just release their SLIM newer model. TOO EARLY TO RELEASE anything NOW. Cause MS says NOT READY FOR A NEW HARD WARE PEOPLE.

[Rashonality]

B.S
but who know
let's wait and see

[dragonelite]

I just hope that next gen finally makes 1080p available at 60 fps.
There's no use to go higher because most people still need to buy a 1080p set.

[Lord_Doggington]

there won't be another console release until there is a final stand in this generation. that final stand is a successful mmorpg that will stand the test of time.

[palaeomerus]

I'd say a pretty good 360 would be six-core powerpc chip at 3 GHz, two GPU's (one DX-11 level expensive one to do most of the work, and one cheaper for Phys-X type stuff and some video-device/tuner functions and some full screen post processing), 3 Gigs of memory, an easily swappable HDD, last years sound system, and boom, there ya go. Focus on doing 720P really well at fast frame rates and 1080P at decent frame rates with more stuff on the screen at once. Don't bother with higher resolutions or 3D any of that crap. Just clean up and expand what you already have.

[rekof]

hahahahahaha,..

[heroprotagonist]

Watch me keep laughing at you when it never happens.

[darkdoom3000]

I really don't want a new gen yet...
It feels like It's just started.

[TheObserver]

Do you guys that wants a new gen to start live in reality? Global recession is still slapping everyone in the face.

[Droid Control]

The 360 is old and dated, PS3 is going to suppass it, Kinect will fail - once it has, expect M$ to unvail the new xbox at E3 2012.

[oghost85]

the reason SPIDER MAN is not in the new MVC3!!! this video shows why. spread the word!!

[FinalomegaS]

Not a fan of big time speculations though.

just need to have a check list;

- 1080P All games mandatory
- System RAM 2Gigs Min ( RAM can be upgraded but 2Gig min is needed) same idea as N64 expansion pack
- Video card RAM 2Gigs DDR5
- CPU clocking at max but liquid cooling???
- Live 3.0 ( free multiplayer) & Premium model
- SSD in all ( 40Gig min)
- new USB 3.0
- Games are on a hybrid HD-DVD type (for piracy issue only) can play BU-R.
- Must have a benchmark and tested of 40 000 hours game play. 24H x 30Days x 12Months x 5Years, which would mean your system could last 10+ years if you played it at a reasonable hourly rate.( this is wishful thinking)
- Backward compatible
- uses Skype like voice quality chat , actually include skype as the voice chat & video chat
- priced at 499.99$

that's my wish list~

Wouldn't that be a pimped system or what ( I know that's our PC in disguise lol)

[theonlylolking]

I want a new one out next year so we can see more PS3 games looking like killzone 3.

[dragonelite]

You gotta be kiding.
You do know that processing power get double per 18 month.
So this gen is already almost 4 times as weak as pc hardware.

I want next gen to start in 2 years before my mind fucks with me and i buy a gaming pc.