510°

Xbox 720 News: Xbox Tablet And Smartphone Could Create A Microsoft Gaming Ecosystem

Microsoft is widely expected to release the next generation Xbox console by the end of 2013, but reports are indicating that won't be the only gaming device the Windows maker could be launching next year. From the looks of it, Microsoft is looking to create its own self-contained gaming ecosystem, complete with a tablet and a phone that would coexist with the Xbox 720.

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Gr814159d ago

If the next box will be what fans expect. From the many rumors one thing remains consistent, and that is that M$ wants the Xbox brand to branch out of 'gaming only' and make it more broad in its appeal.

Wouldn't be surprised if Sony did the same tbh.

tdogchristy904159d ago

Well to be honest with both companies these machines are currently and will be even more than just a "games only" machine. They are and should be multimedia devices with movies, enternet, and music. It's just the world we live in. And I enjoy that, what I have a issue with are the gimmicks. The tablets, motion controls ect. Give my standard control and I'll be fine.

Gr814159d ago

Move, Kinect and Smart Glass are all quite lame.

Rush4159d ago

Move and Kinect I couldn't care less about, but why is Smart Glass lame it's just an easy way of controlling some Microsoft apps with a touch screen if you so wish.

It's entirely optional and far better then using the controller at least when using the Xbox browser.

BattleAxe4159d ago

"Xbox Tablet And Smartphone Could Create A Microsoft Gaming Ecosystem"

You mean just like Sony?

ALLWRONG4159d ago

You can use tablets and smartphones with the PS3? Wow! here I was thinking you could only use controllers, Move, Wonderbook, and Eye.

rainslacker4159d ago

@BattleAxe

This article is about MS. I'm a Sony fan, but it isn't necessary to compare everything in the gaming world against another competitor.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4159d ago
DeadlyFire4159d ago

Gaming portable/Tablet + Smartphone. Sounds more than reasonable to branch into those environments.

Considering the hold Microsoft has on NVIDIA since they announced ARM CPU development I expect NVIDIA to be providing the CPUs for Microsoft's Portable/Tablet and maybe Smartphones. :P

Graphics might not be transferable to them so to speak, but if you consider Agawi. They could technically play with the same graphics using Cloud technology.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4159d ago (Edited 4159d ago )

They also want tablet menus on everything. And windows 8 is selling worse than the horrible windows vista.

http://www.tweaktown.com/ne...

Gabe Newell: 'Trying to copy Apple will accelerate Microsoft's decline'.

seems he was right!

Bigpappy4159d ago

The reasons Win8 is not selling as fast, is because Win7 was just released, and is the windows people are familiar with. The reason why many people don't use Ipad as a laptop, is because the interface is not suited for serious work.

Windows 8 can work like win7. The big difference is that the start button has been replaced with a start screen, and that start screen was designed to work with touch screen. When the PC manufactures have more affordable hybrid options, Win 8 will become more attractive to prospective buyers. Once they get the hang of using apps, they will understand the need for Win 8.

ThanatosDMC4159d ago

^Nope, the reason Win8 is not selling is because it's not as stable as the current Win7. Not to mention those damn black screens you get after playing a game. It's just black and the only way to get out is to hard restart your computer. Hopefully, they patch it out on an update but right now, some games from Steam do not close properly unless you have it on Windowed mode.

Sp1d3ynut4159d ago

"Nope, the reason Win8 is not selling is because it's not as stable as the current Win7"

Wow, really? OS software that was just released 2 months ago, isn't as stable as the previous version released over 3 years ago? Shocking....

ALLWRONG4159d ago

"Wow, really? OS software that was just released 2 months ago, isn't as stable as the previous version released over 3 years ago?"

You sir! have a bubble.

princejb1344159d ago

idk the reason i haven't updated to windows 8 is cause i hate the tiles
they look so boring
maybe it's a faster OS but it is still unattractive to look at

rainslacker4159d ago

My only complaint about Win 8 is the start screen, and no option for a start menu that worked like the old one. I find the start screen extremely annoying to keep organized, and instead of having all my apps in one convenient folder organized place (start menu), I have to go where all my plentiful icons (Visual Studio installed close to 50 icons on the start screen alone) and search for them, or spend more time than I'd like organizing them. More often than not it's just faster to open explorer and find the folder it's in on the disc, and I'm finding I have a lot more icons on the desktop than I'd like, as I hate clutter.

I have found Windows 8, just using the consumer preview build to be pretty stable for me. Never once had it crash, and I can keep it running for weeks at a time. It also goes into power save mode and wakes up pretty quick, and works very well on my 6 year old laptop which came with Vista. It also boots faster, and it appears that application switching is faster, along with a lower memory usage.

Right now the only thing keeping me from buying a full version is the lack of a start menu. Eventually I'll get back around to reinstalling Windows 7.

nukeitall4158d ago

@shutUpAndTakeMyMoney:

"They also want tablet menus on everything. And windows 8 is selling worse than the horrible windows vista."

Yet, the horrible Windows Vista turned out to be a success and the follow up, Windows 7 turned out to be even a bigger success.

That said, the OS is pretty much matured at this point meaning most people aren't as interested in upgrading as even Windows XP is more than sufficient for the vast majority of people. That is why, even hardware makers are struggling and had declining sales yoy too.

Bottom line, major growth is in the smart phone/tablet category and MS made the right move.

Let's have this discussion 1-2 years from now when we get a more complete picture.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4158d ago
Blackdeath_6634159d ago (Edited 4159d ago )

well if both companies branch out then they will have to compete with each other constantly however if one branches out while the other focuses on core gaming and gamers then it can potentially dominate that field and push the other out but who will make the first move and what way? not as straight forward as you'd like to think see. personally i am not faithful to neither ms or sony which ever one provides a better content/experience for me is the one i will follow. with the introduction of steambox things can get pretty congested for consoles and content might not be as strong so it is likely that i will opt for pc gaming next gen

Godz Kastro4159d ago

Why do you want someone pushed out? Can these companies co exist and offer different views of the same industry... Sheesh, pushed out! As if there were not families and real people behind these companies with careers and lively hoods at stake...

Don't you know competition is what drives these companies to innovate and compete?

doogiebear4159d ago (Edited 4159d ago )

With the current people heading Sony, they will ALWAYS stay mindful of the hardcore. Even if they integrate social/media/apps stuff, they will stay hardcore because it's a much desired niche that isn't being fulfilled with MS or Nintendo.

So Sony knows that by being the main source for hardcore AND independent gaming support (on consoles), they will never have to worry about alienating their current fan base.

Remember, SONY and MS are almost tied at about 70 Million consoles sold EACH worldwide. But MS has transformed (casual focused) so much in the last 3 years that many of it's early customers might just leave and go to Sony next gen. However, Sony stands in a position to keep all of their 70 million customers because they've never wavered at providing the niche that ps gamers want--which is a hardcore gaming focused console (with apps still being present, but at a secondary level).

In the end, MS has no more apps/media functions than Sony does. Plus Sony doesn't charge you an online fee just to use those apps. Finally, Sony is in a position to have STRONGER 1st party apps that support them financially (crackle, music unlimited, Sony movies studios). While MS only has 3rd party apps (which ps3/4 has or will have too) that wont make a dime for MS directly.

This is only the first time Sony wasn't on top in a generation. Yet they caught up in sales in only 3 years. At that rate, I think it's safe to say that Sony is coming for the top spot again. And integration of every Sony subsidiary into the PS brand is what will make it the ultimate media device BY DEFAULT. Without the PS division itself needing to focus on apps. The rest of Sony already has those covered. PS division is free to focus on hardcore gaming experiences.

DonnieDarko4159d ago (Edited 4159d ago )

If Xbox gamers are just casual gamers playing kinectimals how come pretty much all multiplat games sell better on 360? Kind of confirms ms has more or at least the same amount of core gamers. Also confirms that there are more 360's active than Sony fanboys will have you believe - As they always suggest half of ms sales are replacement units.

When the wii u bombs it will make sony and ms realise
Never to bite the hand that feeds them - never neglect your bread and butter day one buyers of all things gaming - your hardcore gamers.

RuleofOne343 4158d ago (Edited 4158d ago )

Been with Xblive since year 5 thru crash ,hacks ,breach's, limited IPS, outages ,price increase.
Don't see my self going anywhere even if they fall.

CaptainN4158d ago

Move, Wonderbook and Vita crossplay all say your wrong !

Swiftcricket4159d ago

Actually Sony has already been working on doing something similar to this. They talked a lot about allowing their TVs, tablets, phones, Vita and PS3 to work together at CES this past January. I'm not personally a big fan of the whole tablet and motion control craze but whatever works for them I guess. Need them both here for competition so I wish them both well.

morkendo234159d ago

"MICROSOFT is looking to create its own self-contained gaming ecosystem,complete with TABLET"

and they said we WONT!! copy NINTENDO.

not surprised.........ok sony your up to bat next.

showtimefolks4159d ago

Arius Dion

sony tried with move and it sold well enought but i think they understand their bread and butter is core gaming market.

MS i believe is in a rude awakening when they release the next xbox, after 2010 they totally abandoned us for kinect/casual market and since they haven't shown a lot geared towards core gamer.

ms is too interested in the whole xbox is the middle of your living room device that can do it all but they are forgetting one major thing before and after everything else xbox is a gaming system.

also before the WII where was this casual market? and what is the guarantee that with next xbox the same crowd will looking for kinect2? in gaming business you should always target your core base more than anything else, and MS did that till 2010. Watch their E3 before 2010 and they always spoke about being there for core gamers to all of the sudden dance central on E3 stage??

the only system i am interested in is ps4, with family,work,kids i barely have time for games anymore. So MS is loosing one day one consumer. even ps4 may not be day one for me unless there is Uncharted 4,Killzone4 and GT6. I will settle for 2 out of those 3 at launch

with all these so called rumored articles/leaks can't wait to actually find out the specs along with launch lineups for ps4/xbox720

time will tell who is going after core base and who cares about being less of a gaming console and more of a media box

Raoh4158d ago

"From the many rumors one thing remains consistent, and that is that M$ wants the Xbox brand to branch out of 'gaming only' and make it more broad in its appeal.

Wouldn't be surprised if Sony did the same tbh."

LOL, Sony has been in the living room for years. From speakers to receivers to television, radio, playstation, playstation 2 that helped pushed cheap dvd players in to homes, ps3's that pushed blu ray into homes, had people not screwed with security, a low level pc running linux could have been more of a standard on gaming consoles, accessing the web and online content from your gaming console in your living room, online blu ray media, ability to copy your photos and movies to a gaming console in the living room to use as a way to share your media on a bigger screen and online, video recording software that you can use from your couch.

The first ps3 was slammed for being too much like an all in one living room device and not gaming enough.

But now MS is creating this NEW idea to move into the living room space and sony is probably going to copy microsoft?

LMFAO

Crazy Town Banana Pants.

Dms20124158d ago

Pretty much how phones branched out from "phone calls only", makes sense. I can scarcely imagine a cell phone with only a few features nowadays.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4158d ago
badkolo4159d ago

smart glass is a free app, so why complain how uselfull or not it is, its not bad for what it is and its free, move and kinect cost money and were pushed as the next big thing, so that is understandable to have a little hate towrds them

EddieNX 4159d ago

I just don't Like Microsoft lol.

This fight is between Sony and Nintendo.......

Daoshai4159d ago

Grow up please. I hope fanboys are gone next gen, but that's probably a pipe dream.

EddieNX 4159d ago

As long as Nintendo and Sony are still here. So are the fans.

ThanatosDMC4159d ago

Well, next gen Valve might also be in the fight. I'm looking for what specs the Steam box will have... but if it's weaker than my gaming laptop then that's just sad.

sandman2244159d ago

The smart glass and mobile connectivity are a nice add on, but what I truly want is a game that will awe me. Like when I first played gears of war. Then I realized that the console was a powerhouse. I wonder if the next Xbox has a game that will impress everyone like gears of war did?

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430°

PS6 Graphics – Can it Approach Photorealism?

If the PS5 Pro leaks are accurate, the eventual PS6 is slated to be one powerful console. But if modern GPUs still lag behind true photorealism, can the PS6 get there?

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Hugodastrevas1d 15h ago

I hate to be "that guy", but we have go ask ourselves do the industry need photorealistic graphics at this point or actually good games, good content, less anti-consumer practices?
This graphical obsession has brought nothing but years upon years of waiting for a game to launch with huge detailed empty worlds, bad stories and predictable gameplay and (micro)transactions everywhere. Sorry for the rant.

MrGameAndWatch1d 14h ago

Same. I really don't want to be in an interactive film and, to me photorealism is not needed for immersion.

RaidenBlack1d 8h ago

Why always target photorealism?
Why not use the extra horsepower for better, complex & diverse AI?
Why not target more interactable world? Why not use the new performance headroom for more physics effects?
Player choices that drastically affect and changes the game world?

Cacabunga1d 6h ago (Edited 1d 6h ago )

Let’s first see what PS5 graphics look like.. we’ve seen nothing yet

RaidenBlack1d 2h ago

@Cacabunga
For that, first Naughty Dog's PS5 single-player exclusive, then Guerilla's PS5 single-player exclusive

OtterX1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

If anything, the massive layoffs in the industry right now are showing that investors are pulling out and not wanting to invest as much as they are right now into AAAs. Much less push for even higher detail, unless many parts of it are automated by AI for a cheaper price. Not saying I support people's jobs being replaced by AI, just stating a reality of what the money people want.

DarXyde1d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

Photorealism should be reserved for games like Gran Turismo. It costs far too much to incorporate that level of detail.

Even then, if it comes at the cost of physics calculations or frame rate given the shared resources of consoles, I'd scale it back in favor of a smoother experience.

Nintendo was quite smart to never pigeonhole themselves into that. Great foresight on their part, I'd say.

8bitAssassin1d 11h ago

But they've gotten very lazy on their games. I still like their approach don't just make game play your biggest innovation.

DarXyde1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

8bitAssassin,

I assume you're talking about Nintendo.

I think it works for them. I'm honestly glad that it's nothing like PlayStation or Xbox. It's a great reason to own one.

8bitAssassin14h ago

Yup!! I am. Yes it works for them and I love it. I want them to have better than average old tech so the scope of some of their games can drop jaws. I'm not talking about counting pixels either.

anast1d 11h ago

I think we need both. Why lower the standard? A photorealistic Bloodborne or Elden Ring game would be insane.

isarai1d 9h ago

Nah im with you on that, like visually games look fine, maybe up the resolution on average but i would much rather resources be spent on things that actually make the game FEEL good to play at this point.

shinoff21831d 8h ago

Don't forget about the budgets.

ROCKY281d 8h ago

agreed - stop with the expensive photo realism and just create amazing games that are less expensive that are not a risk to create an original game within 2-3 years and not 7 years of development - like the OG PS2/Xbox era !

WolfSeed1d 8h ago

There are individual goals for individual parameters. Graphics, gameplay, scale, geometry, AI Sophistication, etc.

This article touches one of them. No need to cancel the conversation because you care more about other things.

Amplitude1d 6h ago (Edited 1d 6h ago )

Some photorealism is much cheaper to produce than what devs are currently forced to do.
If all games could have path tracing, there would be no need for developers to manually map ambient occlusion, shadowmaps, reflection probes, etc. It's a huge undertaking that's making games cost way more to produce on account of the rather pathetic-for-2024 RT and general performance of the current gen consoles.

As much as i hate to say it, we need new consoles as soon as feasibly possible. These consoles launched at the absolute worst possible time, right before RT/DLSS2.0/3.0 were able to quickly skyrocket games in quality on the PC side of things, leaving a ridiculously large gap between PC and console almost immediately after launch and preventing things like CyberPunk Pathtracing Mode in other games. They're holding everything back and making games take longer to produce.

I think Microsoft may be smart if they end up adopting a model where multiple companies (including NVidia) can release multiple spec variant "PC" boxes with the XBox OS. One console every decade doesn't cut it with how quick technology moves in this new era we're in.

smolinsk1d 5h ago

I would love the Next step in graphic to be massive but it always turns out that it takes a long time so the ps6 graphics are gonna be like the best we have now Just with 60fps in every game. World love to se the big ass large worlds with fantastic graphics and depth. Gta 6 are gonna bring that for sure.

just_looken22h ago

@hugo

100% agree but it also made the use of upscale tech the norm which made games worse and the fact console now are just tablets we need a console with a real gpu real cpu real ram setup.

It would be so amazing to see a game like you said made like the ps2/ps3 era using today's pc parts pushing the hardware.

There are titles out there that make my pc run like its still on the desktop

Barlos16h ago

Agreed. For me at least, games are escapism. I don't want them mimicking real life. Graphics don't have to be photorealistic to be impressive. As with you, I'm more about the story, and I would prefer innovation in other ways. The PS5 did it with the DualSense. This it more important to me than just shinier graphics.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 14h ago
Zenzuu1d 14h ago

Personally for me, graphics have already gotten to the point where I don't really feel the need to see having it to make anymore realistic or better.

At this point, I rather game developers focus on quality/engaging stories, gameplay, & contents. Also not every every single game needs to opened world just for the sake of it.

anast1d 11h ago

I'd rather they focus on both. It's a trillion dollar industry. They should be able to do both.

neutralgamer19921d 11h ago

Zenzuu

Believe it or not when it comes to consoles and games graphics are still the biggest factor. Why do you think we still see CHI trailers or in engine footage. The first impression is very important. Not for us core gamers but for millions of casuals who are quite easily impressed with wow factor graphics

TiredGamer1d 8h ago

"More, more, more!!! I don't care what it takes - I deserve more! And I won't PAY a dollar more!"

That's the mindset of some people out there.

JEECE1d 1h ago

I mean, can we still say that's the case even when casuals flock to mediocre looking battle royales? PUBG became huge among casuals, and it looks like a PS3 era shooter with textures that didn't load properly. And casuals have embraced the cartoon aesthetic (Fortnite is the easy example here, but there are others). What is the recent graphics focused game casuals have flocked to? Are you counting COD for that?

anast19h ago

@1992 Candy Crush and Monopoly Go

@Tired Like I said. It's a trillion dollar industry. They could definitely do more. Customers are paying a ton of money.

WolfSeed1d 8h ago

There are individual goals for individual parameters. Graphics, gameplay, scale, geometry, AI Sophistication, etc. No need to cancel the conversation because you care more about other things.

smolinsk1d 3h ago

Graphics are the biggest selling point and will always be.

neutralgamer19921d 2h ago

Agreed especially for those who aren’t hardcore gamers. We core gamers look at everything through core gamers POV. But there is a much bigger casual market who likes looking at pretty things

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 19h ago
andy851d 14h ago

Honestly with UC4 I thought we were close but things don't really seem to have improved much in 8 years. Hellblade 2 seems to have raised the bar a bit though

MrBaskerville1d 13h ago

I don't think publishers have the money to make that happen. They can barely sustain the current level of fidelity.

Sciurus_vulgaris1d 6h ago

The goal post for what photorealistic graphics are has always been moving. I remember some 360/PS3 sports games being called photorealistic way back in the mid 2000s.

bRuud831d 13h ago

Simply, no! Graphics wise there is barely any difference between the PS4 and PS5 just a little more particle effects and very minimal use of ray tracing. I expect even less diffence between PS5 and PS6. Just better implementation of Ray Tracing.

purple1011d 9h ago

you are correct, but there ram has doubled, and now we have ssd not a spinning disk drive, I think we have not yet scratched the surface of next gen personally,

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170°

New and improved ASUS ROG Ally X battery life is just what it needs to compete with the Steam Deck

Yet another leak for the ASUS ROG Ally X points towards as much as 8 hours of battery, but how does that compare to the competition?

Vits4d ago

Honestly, I really like this updated version. But it doesn't solve the biggest flaw that the original had for me: the Z1 Extreme APU. Yes, it's an extremely powerful part, but it is not part of AMD's Adrenalin driver update program, so it's dependent on Asus for driver updates. And unfortunately, Asus doesn't have a stellar record of support for their devices.

Goodguy014d ago

Up to 8 hours basically just means the least demanding games. AAA gaming at highest wattage would probably be about 2-3 hours which is good compared to just about 1 hour with the current ally. The OLED Deck can do about 2-3hrs.

mrcatastropheAF1d 10h ago

With much less performance so that makes sense.

The Steamdeck shines at the lower TDP end but gets absolutely mopped at the high end.

Similar longevity with much better performance is a big win for the Ally X

Killa782d ago

Too bad Asus are all awful company.

PRIMORDUS2d ago

They used to be the best when it comes to motherboards, now I will never buy anything from them again.

Firebird3602d ago

8 hrs yea right. Running tetris?

Skuletor2d ago

Only after setting the screen brightness to the lowest level, of course.

Notellin1d 12h ago

They tested the battery life watching a game of Tetris in 360p. Running Tetris natively brought the number down slightly to 1 hour and 38 minutes. 😂

Asuka2d ago

Nope. The only improvements I want to hear is better customer support. Otherwise, I can't be bothered.

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