430°

Microsoft: “Xbox Live Compute Is More Of A Preview At This Point”

iGR: "Many gamers have been skeptical of Xbox One‘s fabled “Power of the cloud” that Microsoft has been talking about since the console’s announcement. Respawn Entertainment was one of the first studios to harness the cloud to offload CPU computations.

During GDC, Microsoft’s Frank Savage addressed the current state of XBLC"

Read Full Story >>
igameresponsibly.com
dedicatedtogamers4106d ago

Great. So, "power of the cloud" is real, but not real right now. Lemme guess, it'll show up with the DX12 update, right?

Convas4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

How "feature in infancy" went to "not real right now" in your mind, when TitanFall is using it to its benefit at this very moment, is beyond me.

dedicatedtogamers4106d ago

Titanfall's use of Azure is laughable. The bot AI is quite bad and during times of latency it actually causes the AI to halt and stand around doing nothing.

Mind you, "power of the cloud" was something that Microsoft has been preaching since May of last year when the X1 was revealed. They claimed the cloud would make Forza 5 better (it didn't; the retail release was a huge downgrade). They claimed the cloud would make Ryse run smoother (it didn't; framerate dipped into the high 10s quite frequently).

4106d ago
DragonKnight4106d ago

@Convas: You're really talking about dedicated servers here, because that's the biggest aspect of this "cloud power" that Microsoft has right now. Dedicated servers has been around forever, so there's nothing to brag about in it and saying that any game using dedicated servers is using the benefits of the cloud because they really aren't. At least not how Microsoft has been selling it for almost a year.

Irishguy954106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

@dedicatedtogamers.

The Titan AI is very good. The Bot Ai is supposed to be ****. I mean...Respawn made it clear as to the Ai's purpose.

Edit -

Quote DragonKnight

"You just justified a robot being a better combatant than a human. What would be the point of having Titan pilots if the Titan itself is better at war than the humans? "

Seriously DragonKnight? You're going to argue Titanfall now sucks because it's not realistic? Your bias is showing. You originally tried to diss 'teh cloud' by saying the Ai sucks. Now that you have no argument against that, you're attacking how realistic Titanfall is because you can no longer say the Ai sucks. But hey, realism is very important in gaming.

u got owned4106d ago

MS let it go... You too dedicatedtogamers

christocolus4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

@convas

I think the drivatar system in forza 5 is pretty cool and Respawn wouldnt brag about it if it didnt exist..its always been said that these games were a test ground for it so this article is right.

Kinect sports will also be using it in April in some way but i think it will be more obvious in games coming down the line i.e Halo 5, Gears ,crackdown and with upcoming ips developed around it.i think MS will also show us a demo at E3.

DragonKnight4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

@irishguy: You just justified a robot being a better combatant than a human. What would be the point of having Titan pilots if the Titan itself is better at war than the humans?

Stop accepting mediocrity.

NeoTribe4106d ago

There is not one special thing about titan falls online capability compared to any online game, so how exactly do you justify the garbage your spewing?

DragonKnight4106d ago

@irishguy: "You're going to argue Titanfall now sucks because it's not realistic?"

Titanfall sucks because it sucks, for more reasons than just that. But even in a video game, you can't honestly expect anyone to believe that humans are capable of building Titans, programming Titan AI, piloting Titans, and be WORSE than Titans in combat. And I'm not talking about pure physical potential, I'm talking skill, tactics, all the non-tangible aspects of war. There is no legitimate excuse for crappy A.I. human "bots" at all. This isn't about realism, it's about basic sense.

"You originally tried to diss 'teh cloud' by saying the Ai sucks."

Actually I'm not the one that said that. I said that Titanfall is using the cloud for dedicated servers, several others correctly "dissed the cloud" by referencing Titanfall's garbage A.I.

"Now that you have no argument against that..."

I didn't even make that argument in the first place, but if I wanted to I still could. Unless you have some kind of magical evidence to support your idea that the human bots in the game have awesome A.I. and aren't there to be cannon fodder?

PoSTedUP4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

"the titan AI is very good" baahahaha. yeah, they sure do fall out of that sky perfectly, all right... nah seriously, i heard they just follow you around and take orders etc. doesnt look like they do anything special.

good AI would be what is seen in F.E.A.R franchise. i wish more devs would focus on AI like that. and that was early Last gen...

Evilsnuggle4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

Convas
Sorry to break this to you . But if the game that is the example of the power of "THE CLOUD". Is 792p, bad frame-rates, dumb as dirt A.I, last gen graphics running on the 10 year old Source engine. Then you need a better example of The power of " THE CLOUD ".
Sony has out done xbone again the PS4 has 400 % more ACEs compute units the xbone PS4 8 ACEs vs x1 2 ACEs . The PS4 doesn't need it in cloud computing but Shuhei Yoshida of the same cloud computing.

By the way sony also has access to dedicated servers . Sony has signed a contract with rackspace one of the largest cloud computing networks that provides cloud computing service for NASA and many multi billion dollar companies.

http://n4g.com/news/1329883...

High-Performance Dedicated Hosting by Rackspace

http://www.rackspace.com/ma...

elninels4106d ago

Cloud gaming is the future of video games. Two of the three major console makers acknowledge that. However just like VR it will take time to come to fruition. I imagine a day where a controller and a headset(maybe still the camera) with built in wifi will be all we need. That is if this net neutrality ruling combined with poor internet speeds cause the death or I flared cost of streaming services.

MasterCornholio4106d ago

Titanfalls AI is extremely impressive.

-sarcasm-

H0RSE4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

oh my god, can we get off the AI in Titanfall? It has been addressed adnauseam, by the community, gaming sites, and even the devs themselves, that the AI was never intended to act as worthy opponents. Their purpose is comparable to creeps in MOBA's, thus the "bad ai" is working as intended. They aren't supposed to function as bots, which is why they never fill up team slots.

Bringing up the ai does absolutely nothing in terms of showing how "laughable" Titanfall or Azure is. All it does it show how uniformed or deliberately ignorant the people are who constantly brings it up.

GTgamer4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

@Irishguy
"The Bot Ai is supposed to be ***"

Yeah and the game is supposed to not be 1080p supposed to perform below 30fps at times , isn't it funny that the game on Xone that was hyped the most makes the Xbox one look weak (•ิ_•ิ) especially after they used the cloud the SDK the extra MS power cranked out before this gen began now Tell me how would TF run on the Xone without those tweaks :/.

SniperControl4106d ago

I have no doubt cloud (computing) will have a massive role to play in gaming, but just not right now. I am a network engineer by trade and have been working in this industry along time, I will tell you now, the world's web infrastructure is not ready to handle the kind of information exchange MS and certain fanboys on here state.

DJStotty4106d ago

@evilsnuggle

Wait!! Sony has invested in cloud computing that doesnt exist??? Why would they do that? From what ive heard from Sony supporters the cloud is a myth but hang on now that sony has invested in the same tech, "its real". Fanboys amaze me they really do

hkgamer4106d ago

@grimlash

I think you have misunderstood cloud. Cloud is more broad then you think, you are thinking of cloud storage. Steam uses cloud storage to store save game data so that they can load the file from anywhere.

Microsoft Azure is Cloud computing which is basically offloading computing processes offsite therefore not needing the local machine to be as powerful as it should be.

Sony's Cloud is offloading the whole computing process offsite and then streaming an image/video to the local device. similar to how remote play works.

Theres more cloud concepts around

Why o why4106d ago

From where im standing this whole power of cloud concept has changed its goalposts a few too many times. No tangible proof of anything different to whats been available. It was initially touted as a leveler in terms of power..........what happened there then. 1 nil to the 'haters and trolls'...... then we have ai....pending.

I've seen many question the cell processor last gen and despite the fact it proved itself to be very capable, it was trickier to get the best out of it.

Maybe the cloud will do something not possible on the playstation eventually but as of now, smoke up ass springs to mind.

mrmarx4106d ago

6 on 6 tons of bots 792p sloppy frame rates. come on are people really this gullible.

Volkama4106d ago

I think the AI in Titanfall is pretty decent all round.

Not just the Titans. The turrets, the weird flying creatures, the drop ships, the grunts, the spectres, the marvins, they all serve their purpose with aplomb. No AI blocking doorways or glitching out here.

The grunts very rarely shoot players because it'd be massively frustrating to get killed by a bot in a PvP game. But they aren't idle, if you actually observe them they're perfectly respectable in their level of functionality. Holding hardpoints, fighting other AI, scouting, commenting, never getting in the way.

It'd take Respawn 5 minutes to up the LoS perception, target acquisition and accuracy of the grunts. They would be a lot tougher, but they wouldn't be smarter.

And no, I'm not saying that makes them super-cloud powered. For Titanfall the "cloud" amounts to dedicated servers with great performance and availability. Not mind-blowing, but not too shabby either.

Saigon4105d ago (Edited 4105d ago )

@grimlash

Its because many application developers use the Azure technology similar to how MS would like to implement games and such. See the thing is, what MS is trying to do is very possible but its just not as simple or feasible to simply apply. Games require too many calculation vs a simple program with minimal calculations. It sounds to me that MS is starting to realize this and maybe that is why they are slowly back tracking until they can get it working to near perfection. My simple thought, is that it won't be ready until the next generation of consoles. And people that compare what MS is trying to do vs PSNow, need to realize they are 2 separate applications working completely differently. PSNow is complete streaming of a game off of a server, nothing is applied directly to the console (other than use of some RAM and HDD). What MS is trying to do is mix physics externally from the server and through the physical console at once.

+ Show (20) more repliesLast reply 4105d ago
EBTpickle4106d ago

It's completely real, they said it was a preview right now, and that it's not exactly easy for indies to use it atm. They will get more devs to use it, and make it easier to implement down the line.

DragonKnight4106d ago

No they won't. Bandwidth and latency issues aren't so easily overcome, and no one should be impressed by dedicated servers.

ramiuk14106d ago

MS sure can sell anything unfinished in beta stage.
kinect last gen was a beta
kinect this gen beta 2
cloud in beta stage

they really need to take some truth serum and be honest and win backtrust,forget whats crap or good.
Its trust thats needed.

redwin4106d ago

Ok, more cloud talk. That will get all the xbone haters out, but if Sony comes out and say that they are also planning to " hardness the power of the cloud" they will jump and sing in jubilation. And by the way, the cloud is working great with the bots in TitanFall. They are not freezing like some people claim. I know, I play the game every day. Also, second son is o.k. It's not all that. I like assassin's creed more but it's a start.

Gozer4106d ago

@Dragonknight
You are knocking dedicated servers because the lack of them on the ps4. You can try to downplay dedicated servers all you want. It just shows how ignorant and biased you are. Dedicated servers offer the best online gaming environment available for an online game. Fact.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4106d ago
B-radical4106d ago

E3 running real code would of been cool :(

AngelicIceDiamond4106d ago

The X1 is still an infant we're yet to see its full potential.

Despite MS notorious talk of cloud I can see it happening, it already is. MS just jumped the gun and stated hyping something that's not 100% ready yet is what the problem is

When MS was showcasing the X1 last year cloud talk is something that's part of the console. Its there and real but we want MS to supposedly power graphics through it. That's the monumental showcase of cloud.

TF uses cloud and Sunset Overdrive is the next cloud reliant game. I'm definitely looking forward to that.

hkgamer4106d ago

If Xbone needed to have a constant internet connection than more developers would probably use the cloud to compute some data but since Xbone changed its policy and doesnt require users to be online not many devs are going to bother unless its an online only game.

Anyone know if MS cahrges devs to use this? would it be similar to renting server space?

Blaze9294106d ago

@hkgamer "Anyone know if MS cahrges devs to use this? would it be similar to renting server space?"

It's free for all developers:

http://kotaku.com/xbox-ones...

MorePowerOfGreen4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

I'm not sure why you're trolling over this. All MSFT said is that what we seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't think folks listen to PS4 fanboy armchair developers anymore after you guys just claimed Directx 12 was not possible on XB1 due to needing new hardware etc. etc. just about a week ago.

God only knows how this website has spun the context of what was "supposedly" said.

MightyNoX4106d ago

Just like how the Halo 5 trailer and BlackTusks secret project were concepts at E3 2013. MS likes to sell hot air to the naive and easily fooled. Why the surprise?

Mithan4106d ago

Don't be a glib dumbass. The Tech is still in its infancy, for MS and every other company that uses it.

I guess Sony has to start doing it so that more people on this site will then buy into it. I mean, Sony cant do any wrong right now.

kayoss4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

the differences between Sony and MS
Sony: they show and talk about things that can be applicable as of right now. Streaming (remember streaming and computing are two different things)games from the cloud. They show it to be working. They have invested in a cloud company, but they have not touted about it be the future of gaming and never claimed that the cloud will make thier PS4 turn into a damn super saiyin.

Microsoft: Claim the cloud will turn your x1 into a super saiyin 4 (even skip Super saiyin 1-3). but so far we have not seen anything yet. The things they claim are either un-realistic in real world scenario (we all know internet infrastructure is not up to par for what they want to do) or does not make sense.

RebelWAC4106d ago

@grimlash

You pretty much took the words out of everyones mouth and wrote what everyone is thinking and no, I am not referring to any fanboy/fanboyism of any kind, shape or form. I´m talking about everyone who actually contributes to the gaming community without any brand loyalty.

Still, Titanfall is pure mindless fun though.

Blaze9294106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

@dedicatedtogamers

"They claimed the cloud would make Ryse run smoother (it didn't; framerate dipped into the high 10s quite frequently)."

see, this is why no one listens to you people. Anyone who has actually played Rise will tell you they have no idea what you are talking about with that 10 frames per second bs. 10!? TEN bro!? Smh keep making up stuff becuase you hate Xbox One for soooome reason. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

What I find funny is even though both Xbox One and PS4 launched incomplete with many lacking and missing software that we are still waiting on, why no one can seem to wait for the cloud technology that MS intends to use on Xbox One.

What did you all think it would be there from day 1? It's only been 4 months since launch.

Might as well take everything Sony said when they announced the PS3 and call them liars too...

nypifisel4105d ago

Power of the cloud is the dumbest and most disingenuous marketing I've seen. Server sided computations won't ever work this generation; It demands stable internet, bandwidth and that distance to a server is low. MS can't use it seeing how it would alienate so many customers. That's completely ignoring the fact that even in the best of situations off loading calculations to a server to display in real time graphics in conjunction with local hardware haven't been done (problems stated above being the reason why).

kopicha4105d ago

yet they kept advertising something that cannot be done "yet" at the beginning and using it "feature" to brush their competitor. in fact at the beginning most people who understand the tech already knew that it is a possible tech but yet not feasible. But MS keep trying to damage control it. Up till now with this new statement. Good job that MS to keep misleading people and making the fanboys go rampage over the "power of cloud"

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4105d ago
karamsoul4106d ago

It better come soon. No more games, MS.

yewles14106d ago

Technically, you'd WANT more games. Otherwise, why would you own the console?

True_Samurai4106d ago

Plus it's the only console showing "likeable" exclusives

URNightmare4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

So we have to wait again until who knows when to then get another comment like that and wait yet again for another date and keep our hopes up.

I'm getting tired of the talking with no substance already.

sinjonezp4106d ago

So true. My issue is, you tout the cloud power at the reveal as the "thing". Next thing we see it is a preview. Everything with Xbox story has changed. Everything. Now they say directx12 will make graphics much better. At this point, who really believes what Microsoft is selling? I admit, they have good games and truly try to show innovative properties but as of now, I'm looking at ms with the yea right face.

beerzombie4106d ago

Well Sony's touting VR that's never taken off the same with 3dTV so on and so fourth. It's a good thing that these companies are trying because they really in the end do not know what will or will not be successful.

beerzombie4106d ago

They have been using cloud from the beginning. It will improve as time moves on.

Bonkerz4106d ago

Pretty sure the big announcement coming at E3, well atleast the "biggest announcement" that they have mentioned before is about the network. Not sure what it will relate to but im pretty sure its gonna be something pretty big.

Hicken4106d ago

You mean the big announcement after their little clarifications required after their last big announcement?

Why don't they just say, "We overpromised" and get this over and done with? Are they just gonna keep kicking the can along, until they've finally got it ready and it's actually feasible, and then say "See? We told you it was real?" How many years will people be waiting for these announcements to materialize into something more than words?

stuna14106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

Microsoft have got to be the greatest tap dancers in history! Because they keep tap dancing around all their promises!

The Xbox1 compute will once again be limited! Because this is also one area where the competition has 100% more compute units.

As far as Respawn implementation of Xbox Live Compute, lesser ping time and matchingmaking are a far cry from what Microsoft's boast entail. To clear up any misconceptions, computing in the cloud just wouldn't be as reliable and quick as doing it on the consoles.

H0RSE4106d ago (Edited 4106d ago )

The problem with people like you (which are many in these comments) is that you assume that because MS or a dev studio doesn't utilize the cloud 100%, and showcase everything MS ever stated it could do, that it must be pipedreams, lies and PR spin... Games on X1 have been using Azure, whether it be DR3, Forza 5, Titanfall, or Ryse, but apparently because those games aren't using the cloud enough or in specific ways, then the the entire concept it BS and MS are liars...

MS is proposing some pretty ambitious ideas with their Azure software, so excuse me (and others) if we don't immediately grab our pitchforks and start pointing fingers because the application of their cloud infrastructure, hasn't gone from 0 to 100% overnight...

The consoles have been out like 4 months, and what MS is talking about with Azure, is a radical concept in console gaming, yet many treat it like the consoles are years into their lifecycle, and implementing the ideas MS proposed with their software, are as easy as riding a bike...

nypifisel4105d ago

It's because it is a pipe dream and PR spin. Anyone with some kind of education or understanding in how networks function knows this.

Case and point being how MS sticks the buzzword cloud to all the things you've just counted up. Do you realize how nothing of what you said have anything to do with real time server aided computations? It's been around for at least 20 years in games alone, they just wasn't called a cloud. Storing information on servers or hosting online games on servers has nothing to do with online computations set to synch with onboard hardware.

Stuna is completely right. I just finished my studies to become a system and network engineer. Who are you to talk?

stuna14106d ago

People like me!? Nice generalization there buddy. I'll give you a nice example of what I'm talking about! Kinects! They over promised on a lot of it's abilities, even when certain individuals voiced their opinions on it not working, "BUT" what does Microsoft do!? They bundled it with the Xbox1 and made the consumer eat the cost. Yet they still haven't proved it's initial claims.

They've over promised on a lot of things. Every game on the system has been downgraded in some type of manner! Be it Exclusive/Multiplatform, the power of their machine even has been over promised! It's only logical to feel to some degree that this is also being over promised going by Microsoft's track record alone.

Show all comments (92)
250°

AMD CEO Shares Vision Behind Xbox Partnership and Next-Gen Chip Roadmap

AMD CEO Lisa Su talks about the Xbox AMD partnership, next-gen Ryzen + Radeon chips, and AI rendering tech coming to all Xbox devices.

Read Full Story >>
clouddosage.com
Obscure_Observer21h ago

AMD is really building hype around their unique partnership with Microsoft to help and build an advanced and seamless Xbox ecosystem across all Xbox consoles and devices.

I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimized chips" though? Seems ambitious.

Next year´s Xbox Showcase already looks promising and exciting. Here´s hoping they deliver.

InUrFoxHole15h ago

They had best show 3yrs in a row. Heading for another

VenomUK8h ago

Obscure_Observer said “I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimised chips" though? Seems ambitious.” To me, I interpret this to mean rather than having a couple of X/S products for launch and a handheld there is a longer term plan to release new products with higher specs at timed intervals. I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec.

KwietStorm_BLM3h ago

It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever.

Ganif1h ago

Correct.

"Sony's PlayStation 6 reportedly will feature an AMD semi-custom APU with a Zen 5 CPU and UDNA GPU, capable of 4K 120FPS and 8K 60FPS gaming. The console will include X3D cache and advanced AI upscaling technology."

https://www.tweaktown.com/n...

Fishy Fingers20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

Some odd, deliberate wording, no branding, not 'Xbox consoles, Xbox handhelds' specifically, feels and sounds like they're building towards hardware that anyone can be used or licensed to/by themselves and other manufacturers.

Multiplatform software and hardware 'Xbox/AMD APU'.

Obscure_Observer20h ago

I guess you missed Sarah Bond´s next generation Xbox announcement this week, were she clearly states:

"I´m thrilled to share that we´ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including, *our* next generation *Xbox consoles*."

But hey, I don´t think you´re entirely wrong, maybe MS will build their own Xbox consoles while licencing other manufactures to build and sell their own Xbox branded consoles. Who knows

BeHunted15h ago(Edited 15h ago)

I think you watched the wrong video. It's below the description, or you can watch it directly on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/kprpRvsOua...

HyperMoused20h ago

Shares vision....we provide chips for money, this deal will sell many chips, we will make lots of money...good vision

Christopher19h ago

The marketing behind this is so heavy that I worry about the actual outcome. Why are they just not showing us the product, why all this talking in market speak?

Lightning7715h ago

Probably because the next xbox isn't ready to release yet?

The marketing and rumors seem to be heavy out of no where. The rumor was a 27 release but it maybe it could be 26 new console launch instead.

Who knows.

Eonjay3h ago

There PR is alrways super heavy handed. No one is acutally buying an Xbox as is.
Also it is very early to be talking so much about a next gen console.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3h ago
Show all comments (29)
210°

Activision Forces Adverts into Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Loadouts

With the launch of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision quietly put adverts inside loadouts for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, sparking a backlash in the process.

19d ago
19d ago
lukasmain19d ago

Putting Ads in a pay-to-play Premium title? Well done Microsoft. Well done /s This is really scummy.

jjb198119d ago

This game will never change because these sweatlords love buying up all the skins and bundles that become obsolete the following year. They're the ones perpetuating Activision's greed.

VenomUK18d ago

If Microsoft introduces adverts into its other games I hope it can do them without disrupting the immersion of the game world. So for example in the new Fable game it would look out of place if there was a billboard advertising Cadillacs.

A far better way to do it would be to have a wizard conjure a 'dream cloud' in front of your character and then in the cloud you can see the Cadillac car and see the text with price and availability and hear a booming sales voice promoting the car. That would work so well as it wouldn't be a billboard and completely, 100%, fit in with your character's adventuring in Albion. Doesn't that sound so much better?!

crazyCoconuts18d ago

@venom, or how about our of 100 farts in Albion, 1 of them has a Cadillac pop out

VenomUK18d ago

@crazyCoconuts That’s undeniably off-beat - but it could really work!

19d ago
Show all comments (19)
410°

Xbox's first-party handheld has been sidelined

Xbox's handheld ambitions continue unabated, but the focus is shifting towards improving Windows 11 for third-party handhelds — for now. The Xbox Series X 'Melrose' successor is safe, with development continuing at full pace.

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
21d ago
21d ago
21d ago
shadowT21d ago

Is there really a market for handhelds next to mobile?

Vits21d ago

If they run the same games as the main home console, then yeah, sure.
But if they need specially tailored games just for them? Probably not, unless there isn't a home console for comparison (see Switch).

RaidenBlack20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I am kinda low-key happy this happened.
Dont want another Series S situation (games to be designed from 4 to 12TF scale and not 10 to 12TF).
Hope PS follows suit as well. Tablet SKU sharing with console for 10th gen, will just continue the cross gen -esque development/design phase/nature.
Want a proper 20+ only TF rasterized next-gen plz (+ frame-gen and the lot).
If anybody wants to continue the cross-gen, the Series S|X, PS5 will remain for that. And Switch 2, if you gotta go even lower in the TF range.

ABizzel121d ago

Yes and No. All of the PC handhelds combined have struggled to sell 7 million units, which would be a flop for any “console”. So the market is extremely niche because of price and target market (the informed hardcore gamer / casuals aren’t picking these up).

These handheld PCs are $500 or more, and offer at best Xbox Series S performance levels, so it’s best for MS specifically to just partner with ASUS, instead of investing millions if not billions.

Sony can make their own with custom AMD hardware due to their partnership, and stronger global brand for hardware. But even then it brings the question, of being a lower resolution PS5, and what does that mean for PS6 cross-gen (likely another generation where the first 3 - 4 years are just upgraded last-gen games).

Kosic20d ago

Imagine a Wii U style console, where the tablet doesn't rely on the console it's self, you download the game on the console under the TV and play in 4k glory, then you can remote play, get some unique game features if using both console and handheld in tandem. Then you can download the games in 720-1080p to play on the go, continue your progress, and continue on the TV when you get back.

Sony could get away with this due to exclusives, and that would be a reason for sales. Look at the portal.

I can picture seeing new hardware having some sort of GPU dock, where the handheld runs 1080p, and the dock has additional hardware to bring in 4k/60 specs.

I do think handheld gaming is going to be a strong future, imagine Nintendo release a new upgraded GPU dock for the Switch 3, every 2 years. More frames, sharper graphics on the same game for an extra £150 for a dock with a built in GPU chip. Console cycles doesn't have to be renewed, just the hardware can be improved by them reselling docks to us again and again with small/yearly upgrades like mobile phones.

GamerRN20d ago

Did you just imply that Sony can make a better stronger handheld than Microsoft? You do realize we are talking about Microsoft, the tech giant, right? If Microsoft can't make one that's cost effective, Sony definitely can't...

Brand and market share means nothing when you are a trillion dollar company

ABizzel119d ago

@GamerRN

It has nothing to do with what company can do it, or what company can spend.

For anyone taking a basic business class there is a term called ROI, and Xbox home consoles are selling at an all time low, meaning their ROI on a handheld is a risk that doesn’t make sense, even if they can afford it. Businesses are there to make money and it doesn’t make sene for MS to invest in a handheld that’s a companion device when their current home consoles they’ve spent 20 years working on are at an all time-low, when they can invest with little risk with what ASUS already has to offer.

This is why Sony can build a better device, because they have less risk involved, meaning they can invest more in their own product, and they already have an exclusive partnership with AMD on creating features and hardware. So in this specific case, YES Sony can built a better handheld, due to custom hardware, customer tools, low level APIs, compared to an off the shelf product running Windows or a Window Xbox kernel =.

TheEroica20d ago

I play steam deck primarily... Don't play consoles or mobile. The deck covers it all.

badz14920d ago

@shadowT

The Switch is a handheld, so will the Switch 2. what are you on about?

Cacabunga20d ago

To run native games offline? Anytime

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 19d ago
CrashMania21d ago

Funny to see the alt already damage controlling and having a meltdown with multiple accounts in the comments already.

Sad for MS if true, a dedicated handheld would go down a lot better than a rog ally 2 with an Xbox sticker on it I think.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

It couldn't have succeeded for a number of reasons. Now they've retreated to the Windows front and trying to keep that relevant for gaming. How long before Windows Central realizes there won't be a real console successor to Series X either?

Lightning7721d ago

Except there is. That project is reportedly full speed ahead.

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago

@Lighting77

So was the handheld until today...

Lightning7720d ago

@outside obviously not since they sidelined it and they wanna see how the Asus does. Are you saying they're gonna cancel the next console?

crazyCoconuts20d ago

@lightning - I'm admittedly trying to box you in here - Do you think the next Xbox console will have Steam on it?

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

@Lightning

Here we go with having to spell everything out.

If I told you yesterday that Xbox was going to sideline the handheld console what would your response have been? Probably something along the lines of "I doubt that since Phil has been talking about it for some time now"

My point is just because they are "full speed" ahead now does not mean that will not change in future. As we have seen with the handheld. Do you understand what I'm trying to say now?

Lightning7720d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Box me in? No you said the same thing you've always been saying for years now. Those are the rumors to have Steam integration.

What about it

If you told me they were gonna cancel it tomorrow it would nothing more than fanboy talking points. I only wait for credible sources not what someone else says.

Also this is the handheld not a full blown new console. The Asus is yet to release and they're waiting to see how that thing does. Critical thinking is my strong suit you should try it some time if you can. But Ok cool well you hang your hat on that I guess. Main New console is gonna get cancelled even though the handheld is a different marketing device than the main the console itself.

__y2jb20d ago

I think there is a 75% chance there will not be another Xbox. There is zero reason to buy one now. No way it can possibly sell more than 10m units after Xbox went third party.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
BLow21d ago

That's what they do. Goalposts shift like the wind.

I'm really confused on why they are making a "first party" device and also have a Rog Ally with their sticker on it. Make this make sense. How is their own device going to be any different?

Your console doesn't sell and they expect a handheld to?

RaidenBlack20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

The Rog Ally one is gen agnostic ... as you deciphered, it was to be the updated Rog Ally but just with Xbox branding. PC handheld with some Xbox features.
The handheld Xbox is/was supposed to be sharing the same gen/ecosystem with the next-gen (10th gen) Xbox. Think Series S but handheld ... it'll run the Xbox OS or whatever the next Xbox will run.
...
As for anybody wondering/confused why MS is doing another Xbox console ... coz mainly its the 10th gen of home consoles next, which started wayy back in 1972 for the 1st gen. And MS wanna be part in it, in the 10th anniversary gen of consoles. If they gotta bow out, they can't do that at 9th i.e just before 10th. They wanna stick around till the 10th or the X-th gen and check what the fuss happens.

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago

Curious as to what excuses the spam was saying. Because prior to this news, the Xbox handheld was used as proof that Xbox is still committed to the hardware space. This handheld being scraped is not a good sign...

20d ago
Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

@Spam
You can replace scrapped with pushed back if you like. It's not a good sign either way.

20d ago
1Victor20d ago

asq3= obscured: “ What’s your source on the handheld being scrapped? “
Read the article from Microsoft own website and one of your favorite quotations site when it’s something bad about Sony.
Oh BTW good luck with your next SPAM account.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
Show all comments (77)