1050°

Xbox 720 Specs: Eight-core CPU, 8 GB RAM, Windows 8 Kernel?

Microsoft Xbox 720 could have an Eight-core CPU, according to new leaks.

This latest rumour is via BD, who posts regularly on TGFC, which is a Chinese forum. What’s special about him? Well, he is an ex-Ubisoft employee, and claims to know all information about the Xbox 720, including the RAM, OS, and plenty of other stuff.

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hennessey864139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

According to him, the Xbox 720 will have an Eight-core CPU, and a HD 8800 series GPU. This also fits in with our previous report where we mentioned that the Xbox 720 could be running on a AMD HD 8000M graphics card.

It is also said that Microsoft will be using Windows 8 kernel for the system, which is pretty straightforward, as they have been pushing it a lot. He said it will have 8 GB memory and a 640GB hard drive.

If theses are accurate it should be a beast, but I still think these will be toned down. I can't see 8 GB of ram, maybe 4 and a 640 GB hard drive seems like a random number picked out of the sky

iamnsuperman4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

640 GB puts into question the validity of this. I have one 640 GB hard drive) in my PS3 but that thing was hard enough to find (really obscure size). The general consensus is to make 250 or 500 GB then up to 1TB. 640 is a bit random.

DiRtY4139d ago

The number is probably used because the current Xbox 360 SKU offers a 320GB HDD. So they doubled it. And is 320GB a more common figure for HDD space?!

Anyway, if this is true, I think we will see some really impressive games for it. Can't wait to see what 343 industry will do with this. Halo 4 already looked awesome for a game that runs on a 7 years old system.

kneon4139d ago

I suspect the specs are a little old. the 640gb drives weren't around long because the 750gb drives came out soon after at about the same price.

But remember that they will be placing orders for millions of drives, they could order any wacky size they wanted to.

HammockGames4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

Agreed, 640 GB for a hard drive size is relatively uncommon. Not unheard of, but not as main stream as 500, 750, or into TB territory.

Generally speaking, hard drive prices tend to be lower for more common makes/sizes - cheaper to pick from the lot of what's already made en masse rather than requesting special orders.

And we know console makers will be looking to control mfg. costs.

Ezz20134139d ago

if thos spec are true
what do you think the console will cost ??!!

ABizzel14139d ago

@Ezz

We can't really say. None of those spec are off the shelf or detailed enough to give a specific price.

However, performance wise it should be on par with most mid-high to high end gaming laptops which are on par with mid to mid-high PCs.

So it's a jump, but not the leap from sd to hd. Most improvements will come from ai, effects, lighting, hd textures, scale, environment, improved resolution and fps, and scope. Not game changing graphics, but all things that will make games significantly more enjoyable.

Watch Dogs, Star Wars 1313, and all the games you've seen running beautifully on PC will now be on consoles, still not as beautiful, but incredibly difficult to see the difference with the naked eye.

hesido4139d ago

I agree 640GB is an odd size and standard size HD's cost less to end-users, however, I know a couple of hard-disk manufacturers who can get you great deals when you order several million hard-disks :) So I don't think the number does bad to the validity, although we can't validate it.

jmac534139d ago

You have to remember this will be a proprietary hard drive from Microsoft and not a company like Seagate. Unfortunately this probably means we won't be able to use off the shelf hard drives like the PS3 and will end up paying $159 for a 1TB official Microsoft hard drive.

sikbeta4139d ago

Like those rumors from months ago:

XBOX infinity = XBOX 8

Sounds Beastly powerful, can't believe people were talking about incremental upgrades, this thing (IF true) is a big leap compared to X360, can't wait!

AAACE54139d ago

I really hate when people judge consoles like computers. They always want more ram like it is a deciding factor. Pc's need lots of ram because they always have other stuff running in the background. Consoles generally don't have all that much going on in the background.

Not to mention the huge amount of heat 8gb of ram will create.

I know consoles are getting closer to being computers but the fact is they still aren't! They are currently media hubs.

MikeMyers4139d ago

8gb sounds good but I will believe it when I see it.

M_Prime4139d ago

am i the only one that is curious what it will use for games? will we go blueray? will we stay with DVD? I know with increased drive space buying games via the xbox will be easy but as it stands now you can't really get new releases YET. I would really love if then did something like a SD card. I mean blueray holds 25gb per layer. a 32gb sd card is pretty cheap.

i mean according to
http://www.emedialive.com/A...

a blueray disk is about $3 for 1 but of course larger quantities are cheaper

according to a random google search
http://www.dhgate.com/micro...
a sd card is about $5 for 32gb. Now again larger quantities would mean better prices and even Nintendo uses them for the DS. I know it feels like a step back to cartridge but transfer speeds would be awesome and no more scratches (dvds scratch, bluerays are much better i know) and i doubt MS will pay for blueray

ElectricKaibutsu4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

@M_Prime
I'm betting blu-ray. No way would they stick to DVDs! Maybe they'll go with a proprietary blu-ray based drive like Wii U but I'm betting they'll just use a standard one to be able to play blu-ray movies, like the PS3. Though, that means Sony will be getting a couple cents per Xbox since they co-own the blu-ray patent.

Edit: I don't know why consoles don't go with cartridges anymore, even though SD card sizes have caught up. I think when you buy discs in bulk it's still a heckuva lot cheaper than cards. The DS still uses cards because they use a lot less power and there's very short loading times.

ABizzel14139d ago

LOL at all my disagrees.

Check the specs, the only thing that's remotely advance would be the CPU, but it could easily be an 8 core FX processor (solid CPU's, but very common), and used in most AMD based gaming PC's.

The 8GB of RAM will likely be 2GB GPU, and 6GB system RAM, but even if it is 8GB system/multipurpose RAM that's generally the bare minimal gaming PC's have today (16GB being the standard).

The 8800M series GPU's are nothing, but a republishing of the 7800M series, that consumes less power, but has boost clock which lets the GUP reach higher clock speeds, as long as it's within heat parameters.

All this is great, but it's not running games at 1080p @ 60fps. THe benefit it has is being in a console and being tweaked to specifically playing games, which could help it outperform your a duplicate Laptop / PC, but not blow it out the water.

DeadlyFire4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

640 GB is not to uncommon for a laptop hard drive. They are easy to find.

As far as the CPU goes I am leaning towards Power7+ CPU for Xbox 3.

Well here is how I see Xbox 3/PS4 hardware so far.

8 core Power7+ with 32 threads
AMD 8870M(992 Gigaflops) + Another GPU. I am thinking AMD 8850 (2990 Gigaflops)

Roughly equal to about 3982 Gigaflops

PS4
AMD Kaveri x2(920 Gigaflopsx2 = 1840 Gigaflops) with 8 cores roughly 16 threads
AMD 7970M or other unknown GPU

Roughly equal to about 3940 Gigaflops

I know if you watch rumors like I do. That 1840 number should catch your eye for PS4 spec.

x86 vs. RISC at its best. Honestly if what I have listed is coming it certainly explains why there was an article claiming Xbox 3 would be twice as powerful. Wrongful claim if indeed true specs.

4138d ago
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shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

Windows 8 kernel would make xbox to pc and pc to xbox port easy for devs to port games.

They have xbox live on windows 8 anyway.

But I have no problem moving to linux. PC gamers are not adopting win8 fast. Actually noone is since it's selling slower than vista. And vista sucks.

Seems Blizzard is porting to linux also..

One thing is for sure xbox 720 UI will be tiled based and will be advertised to be used with kinect.

That just sounds like a MS thing to do.

sourav934139d ago

"Actually noone is since it's selling slower than vista. And vista sucks."

Slower than Vista? Erm, I don't think so. I do agree that PC gamers aren't adopting 8, but to claim that it's slower than windows Vista, is ridiculous.

rainslacker4139d ago

They wouldn't be using a full version of Win8 for the Xbox anyways. It'd use the kernel, but the rest of the OS would be modified to suit the closed architecture of the system, as well as be tailored for the hardware. The kernel could even be modified to be more efficient.

Comparing a console OS to a PC OS doesn't really translate well when it comes to performance. At most you can look at Win8 and see what they might go for with design and usability.

For MS it makes sense to do this, as it is a way for them to push Windows 8 onto the consumer. It people see benefit in PC/Xbox cross-compatibility, they are more likely to pick up Windows 8. On the other hand, they'll be moving on to Windows 9 a year or two after the Xbox is released, and depending on what kind of wacky scheme they come up with to make it "better" than the last, it may render Win8 irrelevant.

I personally can see some benefit to Win8 in the system when it comes to integration with smart-glass, and would make the UI pretty usable and easy to navigate.

sourav934139d ago

Sorry sorry, my bad. I guess my eyes aren't what they used to be. I thought you meant the OS being slower.

mcstorm4138d ago

Windows 8 will be fine. What people are not looking at is the bigger picture. Windows 8 has only just come out and a lot of laptops/desktops that are out there for sale with windows 8 on where made for windows 7. Look at CES and you will see that there are some very good looking and well prices Windows 8 machines on the way.

Just because something is not selling well off the mark dose not mean it is a flop. (Look at the PS3 sales for example).

As for the Next xbox these specs seem impressive but I really don't expect them to be as high as they are. I see 2GB of ram not 8.

I do see the next xbox having more ties in with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 though as this will complete the MS eco system to take on Apple and Google.

Look forward to seeing what MS and Sony give us at E3. I think Next gen is going to be even bigger for the games industry as Sony Ninteno and Microsoft will all be gong for the same markets.

steve30x4138d ago

He said its selling slower than Vista. He didnt say Windows 8 was slower than Vista.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4138d ago
kayoss4139d ago

The bigger question is assuming that all these specs are true. How much would the console cost to the consumers. I know Microsoft will take a lost for every console sold but how much of a lost would Microsoft willing to take? If all these specs were in the final product, I dont see how Microsoft can sell this console under $450.

green4139d ago

I think Microsoft can make a loss with some and a profit with others if they offer to the consumer different purchasing methods like what they are now offering with the 360 in NA.

Buying it outright for $500 will result in a slight loss but paying $150 and a monthly repayment of $20 over a 2 year period will result in a profit for Microsoft in the long run because the consumer ends up paying $630.

LocutusEstBorg4139d ago

8800 is bullshit. The consoles are already being manufactured.

MRHARDON4139d ago

The 8800 has in development at least from December 22, 2011.

So AMD probably can provide Microsoft with a well developed architecture of the 8800 to use in the Xbox 720 if they really needed it.

DeadlyFire4139d ago

True, but they could have taken a die from a prototype planned design and sculpted it for the Xbox 3 in 2012 before 8800 started production. The 8000 line is the refresh line so most parts from it are just enhanced versions of 7800 series.

nirwanda4138d ago

The 360 had a protype gpu in it with unified pipelines before those gpus were could be bought on a pc, i expect the new xbox to have some future dx functions to trail in the new xbox

nukeitall4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

8GB would be the bomb, and RAM is cheap now, very cheap.

For fast switching between tasks (or background tasks) such as fast switching to a browser, chatting with your friends on skype, picture in picture and so on you need gobbles of RAM so this could be true.

For reference, Wii U has 2GB which half is for the OS alone.

GameSpawn4139d ago

RAM is getting cheap, but consoles and video cards do not use the RAM that is getting cheap.

DDR3 RAM is general use and as such is manufactured to be cheap and get cheaper until the next iteration replaces it (DDR4).

Video cards, gaming consoles, and servers use RAM that is more tailored to their tasks (GDDR4,5,6, XDR and DDR3 with ECC -- respectively) that also has VERY low latencies and errors and VERY high speeds. These things mean that this type of RAM isn't going to be cheap as it is MUCH more expensive to manufacture.

To put this in perspective 8GB of DDR3 is worth about the same (money-wise) as 2GB of GDDR5. If RAM was as cheap as you think, we'd have video cards with 16GB of RAM for graphics, but this just isn't the case.

nukeitall4139d ago

"Video cards, gaming consoles, and servers use RAM that is more tailored to their tasks (GDDR4,5,6, XDR and DDR3 with ECC -- respectively) that also has VERY low latencies and errors and VERY high speeds"

DDR3 with ECC is actually slower RAM than the regular counterpart due to the error correction it has to do.

A PC uses two types of memory, system and video. No reason why you can't have a similar system with a cache in between.

GameSpawn4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

"DDR3 with ECC is actually slower RAM than the regular counterpart due to the error correction it has to do."

You didn't read carefully did you. I mentioned ECC RAM in the case of Servers. Servers need the error correction. Also you do not have a complete grasp on computer architecture to understand that DDR3 with ECC can actually outperform Non-ECC when total performance is taken into account. Servers are working with much larger datasets than the average computer and if the processor is constantly having to re-poll data from memory because of errors and then subsequently the RAM would have to re-poll from either the hard drive cache or processor cache for corrections, you can see how things build up. With ECC RAM you are heading off the bottleneck, but this is only the case in systems where large amounts of time-sensitive datasets are being moved through the system, aka servers.

"A PC uses two types of memory, system and video. No reason why you can't have a similar system with a cache in between."

All caches exist to reduce bottlenecks (at least in the eyes of the user). The downside is depending on how big or small the cache is you can actually create a worse bottleneck. Also caches are VERY expensive to manufacture; this is the primary reason for the large price difference between processors with say 2MB of cache vs 6MB of cache.

Also RAM doesn't have a cache. The processor's cache (graphics or central) serves as the padding between the processor and the memory. RAM has traditionally, believe it or not, been the cache for the hard drive. However, there still was latency issues between RAM and hard drive so hard drives now have built in caches to help reduce latencies between HDD and RAM (and subsequently the processor) further.

It is hard to draw it out for you but any computer system follows this:
CPU <-> CPU Cache <-> Memory <-> HDD Cache <-> HDD
Graphics Cards are the same, just without the HDD:
GPU <-> GPU Cache <-> Graphics Memory (Depending on the system the GPU or Graphics memory will have a connection to the system bus, usually through the system's north bridge, to move data in and out of system RAM)
In most PCs' case everything fans off the northbridge, which is connected to the CPU and acts as a traffic cop directing data between the CPU, GPU, RAM, and out onto the system bus or to the Southbridge toward the HDD. Gaming consoles such as the PS3 and XBOX 360 do not have northbridges and southbridges per se as tasks that these two chips would have done are absorbed into the custom made CPUs and chipsets that these gaming consoles use -- the basic concept is the same though controllers are in different locations than normally with PCs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

GameSpawn4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

(stupid 4000 character limit)

The only thing you need to keep in mind and the picture I always try to paint for people is that personal computers are general use machines that need their hardware to be flexible -- flexible meaning more mass produced cheaper, less efficient components. Gaming consoles are high speed streaming systems that are highly focused on primarily one thing -- games; so their architectures are designed to suit the data they process. In effect with this in mind, PCs are HORRIBLY inefficient systems while gaming consoles are far more efficient systems as less resources are going to waste every processor cycle in a gaming console vs a PC.

Also gaming consoles utilize faster more efficient components such as XDR RAM and GDDR5 and 6 graphics memory to aid in this efficiency over general computers. The downside being that to have the faster more efficient RAM you must sacrifice capacity to maintain the same price being spent on the component. Also if the data is being streamed through the system than 16GB is pointless if at any given time only 2GB is really ever needed. Find me a 16GB graphics card under $500 and well talk about the possibility of consoles having more than 8GB of memory in the near future.

nirwanda4138d ago

@gamespawn your right i think they will use faster ram, the cpu and gpu will probably be on the same die with the clock speed lowered slightly to help with the heat and mass production.this will help with bottlenecks between cpu and gpu and make it easy to share fast memory.

nukeitall4138d ago

@GameSpawn:

First of all, I appreciate that when you believe somebody doesn't understand things well you try to help out instead of bashing them. In my case, I'm a programmer and a trained computer engineer with a degree so I know this very well.

"Also you do not have a complete grasp on computer architecture to understand that DDR3 with ECC can actually outperform Non-ECC when total performance is taken into account."

"Servers are working with much larger datasets than the average computer and if the processor is constantly having to re-poll data from memory because of errors and then subsequently the RAM would have to re-poll from either the hard drive cache or processor cache for corrections, you can see how things build up."

The processor almost always has to fetch data from memory (RAM) because it's internal memory is very very very small. General RAM do not know if it has an error so it doesn't poll from hard drive again.

That is why it is called ECC aka error correcting code. It is an algorithm that is run to ensure correctness to a certain degree.

"All caches exist to reduce bottlenecks (at least in the eyes of the user). The downside is depending on how big or small the cache is you can actually create a worse bottleneck."

You can negatively affect performance with cache if you have constantly have cache misses. That is however up to the programmer to ensure the low amount of cache miss and is relatively independent of the hardware.

In almost all cases do cache improve performance.

"Also caches are VERY expensive to manufacture; this is the primary reason for the large price difference between processors with say 2MB of cache vs 6MB of cache."

It is not the *only* reason, among them yield/die size and mark up.

"Also RAM doesn't have a cache."

A cache is anywhere you put a faster copy of something in front of a storage. CPU registry has (L1-Lx i.e CPU) cache that is again a cache for RAM that is again a cache for hard drive and so on. You can always insert another link.

Keep in mind that consoles are often times a highly specialized design that doesn't always follow PC architecture. A good example of this is the PS3, it has most of the same components, but how to use them is vastly different.

"flexible meaning more mass produced cheaper, less efficient components. Gaming consoles are high speed streaming systems that are highly focused on primarily one thing -- games; so their architectures are designed to suit the data they process."

Yup, although consoles are now evolving to the point of being more generalized and sort of replacing PCs.

"Find me a 16GB graphics card under $500 and well talk about the possibility of consoles having more than 8GB of memory in the near future."

If you look at the PS3, it uses 256 MB general purpose RAM i.e. system RAM, while the GPU has it's own 256 MB dedicated high bandwidth low latency RAM. No reason why next generation console can't have 8GB of general system memory with a connected bus to graphics memory. Still far faster than fetching the data from hard drive or optical disc.

You might not get 4GBs of graphics RAM, but the delay is now a factor of 100-1000 times less due to this caching.

I'm not a hardware engineer, but schemes like that aren't exactly unknown....

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4138d ago
user39158004139d ago

HD size are not hard to do and 640 its reasonable, but the cost of that beast will be like a normal notebook with an I7 ore lol... The price will be around 599 and up, they will loose money for sure, an 8 core cpu ugh... expensive adding an updated hd 8800 gpu? Forget it, will be lucky to pay 599 with MS taking the lost of manufacturing, advertising, and delivery to market... If it was those spec a 800 to 1000 is the fair price for that machine, well its not new that MS take risk, they did the same with xbox 1.

nirwanda4138d ago

Ms will pay for the designs of the chips from AMD and set up there own manufacturing plant to produce the components to cut out any 3rd party costs, and you can save loads of money in the future, alot of amd/intel chip cost go into R+D and ms wont be updating anything except cost cutting once the final specs are finalized.

chukamachine4139d ago

xbox machines have always been just a pc.

Nothing has changed.

Your going to be playing HALO,FORZA,FABLE,GEARS all over again with the 720p.

But this time in superhd.

InMyOpinion4139d ago

A PC fully dedicated to running games. No different from the Xbox 360 and many other consoles.

Gamer19824139d ago

W8 would cripple the new xbox.. It uses 2gb alone and the reason consoles last so long is lack of a foundation OS like windows. Look at phones and tablets OS take most of resources. They dont work on consoles.

ElectricKaibutsu4139d ago

All computers have operating systems, including consoles. As Rainslacker stated above, they would probably just use a modified kernel tailored for the Xbox, not run the whole Windows 8 operating system.

bobshi4139d ago

@Ezz2013 the target cost is $299 for the cheapest SKU.

KwietStorm_BLM4139d ago

If its another proprietary Microsoft drive, they'll make it any size they want.

Cueil4139d ago

they'd be paying per plate no?

fatstarr4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

but how much is price?

699 us dollars?

specs are unrealistic... Microsoft wouldn't release an 8 core when they can get passed with a 4 core cpu. GPU wise I can see that happening. ram wise its plausible.

SilentNegotiator4139d ago

Shhhhh! Don't ruin their dreams! People eat unrealistic specs up on this site.

nirwanda4138d ago

The 360 had a triple core cpu while pc's had only duel core processors, and the gpu was an experiment for unified shared tech before it was available on the pc, if you look at it from AMDs point of view MS are paying for chip design of a new dx chip for free (R+D is alot of the cost) and ms gets to make a slightly scared back version of new tech early

Nafon4139d ago

8gb of ram would only be useful if this actually ran windows 8 lol

clrlite4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

yeah Nafon, unless it features some absurdly high tech GPU (and fast ram) that will actually help utilize the RAM properly. Also, if it runs windows 8 it will probably be a modified version of the OS imo.

Lior4139d ago

Hahaha those specs are a joke the gpu is already outdated and I do believe even the ps3 has an 8 core CPU

4139d ago
tee_bag2424139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

Lior..Immature much?

legend9114139d ago

It will be AMD, most likely. Just not so much RAM or space. That sounds like someone who is uneducated on consoles threw together an article and called it a rumor.

UnholyLight4139d ago

Not sure why all the dislikes. 640GB sounds about right but you are correct kind of a weird number.

talisker4139d ago

Those are probably the devbox specs. I heard something similar firsthand from a friend working in gamedev. He also said one core will be used exclusively for the system.

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4139d ago Replies(1)
YoungPlex4139d ago

If this is the case, 720 will be a beast!

Munky4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

I was thinking the same thing, that mock up is pretty sexy looking. The actual console, not the cheesy "infinity" logo.

YoungPlex4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

I know right! I honestly think that MS has the advantage of selling at a loss. They might not be the best selling in every department but they do have the most headroom to be flexible a bit. I see PS4 being somewhere in the middle realistically, in terms of power of course. However, power is NOT everything, but it will be nice to have a true nextgen system...

UnholyLight4139d ago

Actually that infinity logo is kinda cool. Works well

ElectricKaibutsu4139d ago

@YoungPlex
I agree. If the PS4 is a bit less powerful than the next Xbox, I can't see how that would hurt Sony in any way. It saves Sony money, it saves us consumers money, and they'll still get all the multiplats. Just like the 360 this generation, it was weaker than the PS3 but that didn't actually matter for anything other than fanboy bragging rights.

greenpowerz4139d ago (Edited 4139d ago )

it kind of has to be a beast. running Next gen motion and being an own the living room Multi media hub for all MSFT's products. IF MSFT is serious the 720 would have to be some soft of Home theater PC hybrid.

@YoungPlex. MSFT dropped the price of the 360 as conservitive as possible and basically milked the price, just for that very reason. I've been saying this for months.

MSFT tested the waters with their subsidized payment plan. I have a feeling they don't like the cost of new generations too often and are trying to future proof as much as possible. The leaked docs claim more of a PC-ish direction with Hardware/upgrading/multi sku

Wouldn't be surprised if this thing scales in the same ballpark as OPPO blu-ray players.

DivineAssault 4139d ago

pipe dreams are always fun.. Jus wait til E3 rolls around before u start claiming its validity..

zebrahim4139d ago

A mobile GpU? Mmm...can someone explain this to me? Is the next xbox competing with the ipad? Lol

Pandamobile4139d ago

It's not surprising that consoles use a mobile version of a GPU. If they used the desktop version, the TDP would likely be too high for a little box like a console.

OpenGL4139d ago

That's not what they mean by mobile GPU, they're specifically referring to laptop-class GPUs, some of which are extremely powerful and capable of playing any game out. The Geforce GTX 680MX is a mobile GPU that is almost as fast as a desktop Geforce GTX 670 and has the same shader/rop/tmu count of the GTX 680.

FlyingFoxy4139d ago

I have a 5870M in my laptop, and there hasn't been a revolution in GPU's for years. I mean if you look at performance per card each year it's been about a 10-15% performance increase. it's like the Desktop 5870 which i also have, the 6870 released a year later was actually 10% or so slower than the 5870. So card numbers don't always tell the true story.

However, my laptop plays some games like L4D2 @ 1080P full details and rarely drops below 60FPS. On my desktop i don't think it ever does with the same desktop card. So while it's obvious the desktop equivalent card is better than the mobile card, mobile card's are still decent.

I think they should add an SSD to the consoles though even if it's only 64GB as it would make a large difference to load times in games, it does for sure on PC.

tee_bag2424139d ago

680MX is a beast! I got the 7970M which is pretty beasty too

Show all comments (157)
180°

Xbox, do you even have a plan anymore?

TSA asks what is the future for Xbox.

Read Full Story >>
thesixthaxis.com
Chocoburger7h ago

They clearly never did, hence why they spent so many BILLIONS on other publishers as a last resort.

anast6h ago

They have a plan. It's to move everything toward streaming and mobile. This is just the next step.

Cacabunga5h ago(Edited 5h ago)

With half of the money they spent, they could have been on the very top and the gaming industry would be way bigger than it is.. encourage developers, indies, make them grow trust them and they will deliver.

Tody_za5h ago(Edited 5h ago)

What are you talking about Cacabunga? The Xbox faithful insisted that Microsoft has infinite money, and after Activision they should buy Square Enix and Capcom before Sony does. There was no chance ever that Microsoft would do this. They would use their infinite millions and Bitcoins to invest in 50 new IP and beat everyone.

Tody_za2h ago

Did I really need to add a /s to my comment...

SonyStyled1h ago

The Parent company of Xbox spent billions on publishers, not Xbox

andy856h ago

To ruin great studios it's looking like

Skuletor6h ago

Sure, a plan to be a more hated game company than EA. Ubisoft were recently giving them a run for their money but I think Xbox have really knocked it out the park with their latest stunt.

neutralgamer19926h ago

Absolutely not, their whole plan is at odd with what MS wants

Phil wants GP to become big
MS wants to sell games and make billions

GP can’t be sustained with AAA games which take 3-5 years and 7 figure budgets. Only go put those games on GP day one. Why do you think games are coming out on other platforms?

People want a change and want Phil gone without realizing if someone new comes along they may want to change everything again so we just keep going in circles. Phil has to realize that and give clear message on the direction of Xbox

Show all comments (24)
360°

Brad Hilderbrand explains the reason behind the recent Xbox studio closures

There are two reasons why all those Bethesda studios closed, and neither of them have anything to do with Bethesda (directly)...

Game Pass and Activision.

Read Full Story >>
linkedin.com
Christopher10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

The guy confirming what we've all (well, most of us) been saying since the latest purchase.

crazyCoconuts8h ago

Remember the relatively common counter that went something like "I'm sure you arm-chair CEOs know better how to run a company than the biggest company in the world"?

I mean - there's a lot to running a company for sure, but on this topic it's hard to understand how Phil and team didn't see this coming.

Tody_za7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Phil and team knew it was coming and planned for it. It's not even a conspiracy, it's simply the business of cutting costs and superfluous studios after a major acquisition. They don't give a damn about Tango Gameworks or other small creative studios that won't recoup their losses. They don't care about investing in this industry. They have no interest in risky and expensive new IP. They are only interested in profiting off ownership of Bethesda IP, Call of Duty and Candy Crush.

I guarantee you that not one single game under their banner will improve or become bigger and better.

Welcome to the Xbox family, what a pathetic joke.

Anyone who continues to support this, enjoy your future, because this is it. Ninja Theory is next, and Perfect Dark after that.

Christopher6h ago

Especially not with the evidence of tons of existing movie streaming subs out there and how they fail to make a profit with over 100m users each quarter.

Lightning775h ago

Apparently they're debating if they wanna put the new Cod on Gamepass or not.

Either grow GP with Cod or don't put it on GP and grow the revenue the traditional way while GP will suffer.

The mess that MS puts themselves in.

XiNatsuDragnel10h ago

I'm not surprised Microsoft guys are crock nuff said

isarai10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Honestly i think Bethesda needs to buy themselves out of zenimax/MSs hands and do their own thing, i honestly think that would fix a lot of issues and save them from a potential closure.

Zeref10h ago

There's a reason they sold in the first place. And Bethesda is not closing anytime soon lol. As much as I hate the studio closures. They were all small studios 2 of them were mobile studios.

I think these are growing pains and Xbox will get back on track. But they're not getting any more passes.

jwillj2k48h ago(Edited 8h ago)

I’d like to see your reaction to being growing pained out of your job after the launch of a successful product.

Mr_cheese6h ago

Excuses, Excuses, excuses.

If growing pains have been happening for the best part of a decade, they're not growth.

XiNatsuDragnel6h ago

Zeref nii San
I'm sorry but xbox has been rightfully bashed due to constant incompetence

romulus236h ago

Yet you literally just gave them a pass, being "small studios" or "mobile studios" is irrelevant. There's no excsue for closing Tango, none. They praise the game, they PR talk about it's the kind of game the company needs and yet they shutter the developer, that's foul on every level.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6h ago
Tacoboto6h ago

Bethesda greenlit Redfall, launched Fallout 76 in the condition it was in (and the fiasco with the bonus bag), and spent all that time on Starfield finishing it as it was with that same engine. Wolfenstein Youngblood exists because of them too, not Microsoft.

Are you *sure* leaving them alone would actually result in a better outcome, not just a different one?

isarai5h ago(Edited 5h ago)

A lot of this excessive monetization, and GAAS crap started when Zenimax decided to start looking for a buyer. Not a coincidence that there was a sudden shift in prioritizing profits above quality or even coherence at the same time. They wanted big numbers to attract buyers, now that they've been bought, MS wants exactly what they were baited with.

However even under Zenimax they made enough to self publish sometimes, so i would imagine it's not too far fetched that they could pay their way into independence if they REALLY wanted to.

Also even people at Bethesda and Arkane were hoping MS would cancel the game as again, they were forced to make something they didn't want to make.

Einhander197210h ago

Ah, we can see how the Microsoft media machine works.

Every article I read now is some kind of attempt to shift the blame off Microsoft and paint them as the victims or convince people that Microsoft mistakes were just some kind unforeseeable unfortunate twist of fate.

The shills are out in full force today.

Christopher9h ago

This is not at all what this article is saying. It's saying that honest and useful studios are getting closed because of big money deals elsewhere and the faults with game pass as a model.

Einhander19729h ago

I understand what the article is about.

It's a deflection, it's a putting the cart before the horse article.

Let me tell you how this problem wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Microsoft not creating a service funded by subsidization and having the foresight to see that it would disrupt consumer spending habit to begin with. Then not buying Bethesda and undertaking costs for a service that was already failing to pay for itself because their own expectations of Game Pass having "billions" of subscribers was unobtainable from the very start.

And if you don't think that was the case go back to the article on the day Game Pass launched and read the comments from people from day one who foresaw that this would be an unsustainable model and would cause people to stop spending in the same way.

Christopher9h ago

***Microsoft not creating a service funded by subsidization and having the foresight to see that it would disrupt consumer spending habit to begin with.***

This article literally supports this opinion. He's not praising Game Pass or the ABK purchase.

Einhander19729h ago(Edited 9h ago)

This is an explanation of why it failed, there is zero blame put onto Microsoft itself.

Yes, it talks about what went wrong, but it doesn't say Microsoft shouldn't have done it. It doesn't say Phil should have foreseen this outcome and stopped before it got to this point.

"convince people that Microsoft mistakes were just some kind unforeseeable unfortunate twist of fate"

Christopher9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

***but you're seeing the impact; all those smaller studios making really interesting games are going to fall away, simply because as good as games like Hi-Fi Rush are, they're never going to make enough money to make up that $70B hole that Xbox now has to dig itself out of.***

If you see that as support or you explicitly just want people to end their argument with "and, in conclusion, Microsoft bad" then that's on you. This article does not support Microsoft's choices and highlights the faults. Nothing it says is good about these choices, even saying that putting CoD on Game Pass would be money losing for them because they've set themselves up for failure (and not putting it on there will drop subscriber numbers like crazy, meaning their Game Pass plans were shit to begin with).

No matter how you look at it, they're saying Microsoft made decisions that hurt the bottom line, force closures, and leave Game Pass in a situation where they lose no matter what they do. It's all negative.

Einhander19728h ago

Christopher, if Microsoft hadn't made Game Pass and bought a bunch of publishers would this article even need to exist?

Christopher8h ago

***Christopher, if Microsoft hadn't made Game Pass and bought a bunch of publishers would this article even need to exist? ***

How is this an argument to anything being discussed? This is just as valuable of an argument as "if fish had stayed in deeper waters, they wouldn't have evolved to tetrapods, adapted to shallow water and then to land, and we wouldn't even exist and have to worry about game pass at all."

You're bringing nothing to this argument and then complaining that other people are highlighting the issues with Game Pass and spending tens of billions on studios because what we should be discussing is what it would be like if Microsoft hadn't done any of that.

Well, they did do it. Now pull up your big boy pants and join in on the discussion of what that has meant for the industry since then and, especially right now, how that is affecting the industry and game studios under Microsoft. None of us are able to go back in time and change what was done.

Einhander19727h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Christopher, this isn't me not understanding what the article is about, it's you not understanding what I am saying.

If you want me to make excuses for Microsoft's bad decisions you're not going to get that or just agree with people who are doing that, it's not going to happen, nor are you going to convert me into thinking xbox "needs to exist".

Ya know what, maybe "Microsoft bad".... maybe their decisions ARE having a negative effect on the industry, and instead of deflecting from their actual actions and making excuses for them we stand up and say "no" "Microsoft is hurting the industry"

And maybe, just maybe, it was so obvious that this was going to be the outcome that even nobodies in comment sections on websites were able to easily predict this outcome, yet Microsoft did it anyway then kept doing and even when it became undeniable that it was having a negative impact on their business and and the industry itself, then they knowingly made even bigger purchases and caused more problems.

And the one thing you're right about is that I can't go back in time, but I CAN speak up and try to keep it from happening again...

Maybe if the people who were speaking up 7 years ago were listened too we wouldn't be having this discussion and Tango and Arkane would still be in business along with all the other people who have lost their jobs due to Microsoft's actions.

Do you like analogies?

What you're saying is like an alcoholic crashing their car then trying to explain it by saying it was caused by everything except the fact that they were dunk because they are an alcoholic and don't want to stop drinking.

TiredGamer7h ago

The article is essentially focusing the blame on MS. GamePass was a hail mary play to change the gaming paradigm and carve out a special niche for themselves, emulating the Netflix model, that might have led to MS becoming the leader in the long-term. Unfortunately, the subscriber growth isn't really there, and the model isn't really built to weather that lack of revenue. MS is now in a restructure mindset to figure out how they balance out their model in a way that can still make them money.

've always believed that GamePass was a high risk shot that had a very low chance of long-term success. But the problem with it, whether it succeeded or not, is that it accelerated the proverbial "race to zero" consumer expectation that ran its course in the mobile gaming industry in the late 2000s. When consumers start thinking that games should be "cheap" (as in through a $10/month all-you-can-eat subscription model), it turns the narrative against games being priced at realistic levels. So with the GamePass failure, they've not only sabotaged their market share, but they've impacted the entire industry and devalued the cost of game development to the average consumer. So now it's harder to develop mega-big budget games and to earn the revenue needed to pay for them.

XiNatsuDragnel6h ago

Again terrible excuses in the 1st place

Christopher6h ago

***If you want me to make excuses for Microsoft's bad decisions you're not going to get that or just agree with people who are doing that, it's not going to happen, nor are you going to convert me into thinking xbox "needs to exist". ***

No one is asking you to make excuses for Microsoft's bad decisions nor is anyone asking you to convert to anything.

***Ya know what, maybe "Microsoft bad".... maybe their decisions ARE having a negative effect on the industry, and instead of deflecting from their actual actions and making excuses for them we stand up and say "no" "Microsoft is hurting the industry" ***

Literally no one here is doing this. They're literally discussing how Microsoft's decisions have hurt the industry. Except you. You're rambling about why people aren't complaining about Microsoft when people are in fact complaining about Microsoft.

*** And the one thing you're right about is that I can't go back in time, but I CAN speak up and try to keep it from happening again... ***

Then perhaps actually add something to the conversation other than calling people shills when people are complaining about the decisions and repercussions of Microsoft's actions.

Tacoboto6h ago

Christopher, you're fighting a block wall here - Ein will continue twisting and contorting any remark to fit his self-created narrative.

Einhander19726h ago(Edited 6h ago)

"Then perhaps actually add something to the conversation other than calling people shills when people are complaining about the decisions and repercussions of Microsoft's actions."

Cristopher, in no way is the author of this article complaining, they are explaining what happened it's literally the title. They never once say that Microsoft shouldn't have bought Zenimax or Activision or that Game Pass was a bad idea to begin with. They think the problem with Game Pass is that it didn't grow fast enough, not that it was a bad idea from the get go.

BTW this is his job title.

"Public Relations and Communications Leader"

What do you think a Public Relations and Communications Leader does to make money?

Edit: I have read a dozen of these articles that just started coming out in the last 24 hours that are trying to shift the conversation away from blaming Microsoft, the shift here and in several other articles is trying to say it just didn't gain subscribers fast enough, not that it was a bad idea to begin with that was doomed to fail or placing the blame on anyone.

It was all just an unforeseeable outcome, no one should be held responsible it was just a billion dollar oopsie that's costing thousands of people their jobs and has caused a downturn in the entire industries sustainability.

Oopsie!

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 6h ago
MrDead8h ago

It's greed. MS has the IP's it wants now it's dumping the studios that it's raided, MS will still make money from Tango's games unlike the people that made them. If anyone follows MS outside of gaming you'll see this is what they do, buy companies take what they want consolidate some of the workforce and shut them down. I don't know why people are acting so surprised when this is Microsoft being Microsoft.

MS is a three trillion dollar company, if it enters a market it has no need to compete, they take what they want and with the financial influence it can bypass laws that are meant to protect the consumer and the workforce. Just look at how they are cornering the AI market right now with buyups and investments.

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340°

Microsoft Is Finally Ending Its Focus On Big Budget Gaming Nonsense

Back when the Xbox 360 launched, Microsoft pushed the big budget game as a differentiator. Following all the recent layoffs, it’s clear this strategy has run its course.

Einhander197211h ago(Edited 11h ago)

The Microsoft shill take on the Microsoft causing the death of big budget gaming...

The whole driving force for growth in gaming both technologically, creatively and financially was all nonsense, and it was definitely not because Microsoft ran the industry into the ground with obviously bad decisions and creating an unprofitable business model that massively disrupted consumer spending habits. /s

RpgSama10h ago

First, F**** Forbes and their shill take, I hope the money cleared by now.

Second, Which big budget games I might ask? Microsoft has been in a rut for like a decade now, with no big publisher and developers puechases they would have not released anything in the last 5 years but the new Halo and Forza.

Eonjay7h ago

Fortunately for us, since we know this message is basically coming from Microsoft, we can read into their motives. Why are they trying to turn people against big budget games and who would it help.... hmmm.

neutralgamer19926h ago

GP is like any content service it needs new content. AAA games take 100 plus million (low end estimates since most AAA games take double that) and it 4-5 years to develop. That’s why there were 2 god of war games instead of 3 because Cory felt like it would take too long

I am not defending MS. That’s just the reality when you put all your eggs in one basket (gamepass) and now they need content. Sadly that’s what we all said would happen and is happening. GP will be a service for AA games with 1-2 AAA games on yearly basis. And I am all for AA games because to me that’s where developers can take chances on smaller budgets but MS has mismanaged this whole situation from the beginning. Their messaging needs to be clear and it’s not

They own so many studios and IP’s they just need to get everyone on schedule so that there are games releasing every few months on GP. But I don’t even think Phil knows what he wants. It seems his goals change constantly

Game pass is not a sustainable and take two ceo was right when he said that it doesn’t make any business sense to release huge AAA games day one on GP. Just like call of duty shouldn’t be on GP because why give up on 15-20 million sales

Einhander19724h ago

"And I am all for AA games because to me that’s where developers can take chances on smaller budgets"

How'd that work out for Tango?

Do you think less AAA games will increase game pass revenue or decrease it when it has less value? What if they also have to increase the costs?

S2Killinit6h ago(Edited 6h ago)

Right on.

Hahaha MS has ended “focus” on games? Lol when? 3 generations ago maybe?

notachance26m ago

Man I don’t know what the writer is smoking, anyone with a braincell can see what will happen is the exact opposite, they’re gonna double down on big name IPs and turn them into GaaS and milk them to the extreme with multiple studios focusing on specific IPs instead of creating their own games.

It was so clear with the way they keep 343 despite multiple failures and shutting down Tango even after winning awards, MS is a service provider and not a product creator, they will buy the product from others and turn it into a service.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 26m ago
Hofstaderman11h ago

Ah Forbes. One of the prominent MS mouthpieces....

Luc2010h ago

Microsoft is finally... ahhh I've never heard this one before!

Petebloodyonion10h ago

LOL, this article is a big pile of dog crap...
Spencer has been constantly telling ppl that NO they would not go the route of having games like TLOU, Uncharted, etc because Playstation exists and prefers to focus on a diverse portfolio.

How many years have we seen Xbox as no game and we don't want small games like ORI, Pentiment, Grounded, etc.?

That's the real tragedy and why lots of gamers are mad at MS right now
because they have been championing smaller titles and yet fired the ppl delivering exactly what they were proning about.

So no the only nonsense is that MS seems now to be going BACK to AAA popular titles..sorry, I meant refocusing effort on core established IP where broken GAAS might be rewarded versus praised and rewarded work.

Einhander197210h ago(Edited 10h ago)

https://media1.tenor.com/m/...

You read an article cheerleading the end of big budget games and all the other articles about problems and this is what you have to say? That's what you think "the real tragedy" is?

I thought that xbox fans might finally "get it", but no, it seems they don't even understand what is happening and what is at stake.

Petebloodyonion7h ago

Please tell me what's happening and what is at stake

Since it's not big companies closing small studios, killing innovation while refocusing assets on big ongoing projects and core IP?

Let's See MS Close Tango Studio mentions that they are too thin on key project
Sony Close London Studio and make massive cuts in Firespite will reallocate resources to core project
EA will focus on Core project
Square will focus on big established IP
.....
.....

crazyCoconuts10h ago

Hurray! No more big gam.... wait... what??

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