A recent patent filing suggests that Microsoft's next console is based on the idea that it can be scaled up - or down - over time, leading to speculation that the current notion of a console lifecycle could be replaced with rolling hardware upgrades.
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What I got from the article is multiple CPU and GPU that each will be used for certain purposes of the system. They are giving themselves options.
I really think cloud gaming is the answer - although not for some time. Game consoles will become like your cable box breaking the cycle of long, expensive hardware development and risk associated with it. Instead the companies can upgrade through their own servers and systems as technology advances, and simply charge a subscription fee to access their particular network. Then we'll see competition through various network offerings/games available. We're already seeing Microsoft move towards subscription based services, and Sony's experiment with premium content via PSN+ seems to be going well.
Think about it. Piracy, gone. Distribution, not an issue. Packaging, not an issue. Steady revenue streams through predictable subscriptions. Costly hardware cycles, gone. And gamers can switch games like they switch channels, offering more variety than ever before. I know some argue "But I need a physical copy," yet the same thing is never said about watching TV shows, or renting movies, or of music downloads, or digital movie rentals. I'm sure they will still offer physical downloads because there's a market for it, but I don't think that'll stop this evolution.
This isn't going to happen this gen or next, but after that I think all bets are off and I'm looking forward to it.
spec wise its gonna be intersting it liss 4gb and a crapton of arm cores
oh and kinect 2 is going to be majorly involved in it :(
I wouldn't be surprised if we see upgraded hardware every couple of years. Not massive overhauls, but bigger HDDs, faster processors, more memory etc. All games will be compatible with all hardware to begin with, but eventually we will see different display settings, as seen in Pcs, to suit whatever hardware you have.
Sounds very much like a PC to me, personally.
Microsoft can sell their XBox branded, living room friendly version or you can run the games on any windows 8 PC.
As for viruses that is also easy to resolve, the OS would be locked down and not allow installation of software that isn't authorized by the console vendor.
A console isn't defined by the kind of hardware that goes inside.
I think people that dont pay attention to these types of things will be pissed too. Imagine buying a game that you really want only to find out you need an expensive upgrade to play it. That, coupled with the expense of xbl is too much for me...
Almost zero support for the PC ever since the X Box went online. Tearing apart some of PC gaming's major studios. The empty promises in every E3 to support the PC but were never fulfilled-except for 2012's E3 where MS doesn't say anything about the PC, now we know why. The integration of GFWL and X Box LIVE into the Windows 8 platform. Releasing Kinect with pretty good voice chat and then buying Skype. The emphasis of mobile and touch capabilities/compatibilities in Windows 8 (Starting with the Start button)...then, Smart glass followed by Surface, which I assume to replace the keyboard capabilities that Kinect couldn't handle, i.e. typing stuff while Kinect's gesture tracking replaces the mouse - just perfect for using Internet Explorer on the HDTV running from the X Box!
And the final piece of the puzzle : scalable console. Just don't call it a PC (Apple products are not called PCs and look how successful they are).
Feels like watching a Bond movie where the villain's plans are coming into place-that take a decade to finish.
A very interesting concept if true, it would also add some validity to the recent nextbox latest rumored specs.
So in all cases and purposes it would do away with the need to purchase new hardware after the start of next gen, because the software side of thing would be up-gradable on Microsoft front.
It also sheds a little light on what Hip Hop Gamer was touching on his video post a couple of days ago.
He said that Sony has plans to go a similar route next generation. I think this coming console generation is going to be a lot different than many of us envisioned it to be! And could possibly be the last one as far as how we have come to define as being a "Console"!....
If MS introduces the modular concept it will be employed to sell more hardware. Gears 29 optimized and developed for 4 tandem consoles (it will run on 1, but not very well).
This is the same as PC gaming. PC gaming experiences are vastly different based upon the multitude of possible hardware configurations. For those with the $$ and the latest and greatest it is pure Nirvana. For those without the games are playable but not optimum.
I would also think this would make development more difficult.
Id rather have more frequent console releases (New gen of consoles) than uppgradable console myself.
Uppgradable console would probably make lot of confusion, clutter, a divided fanbase and other things.
So I wouldnt be much tempted by such a system.
Surely they can make add-ons, but performance uppgrades doesnt seem like a good idea to me.