Xbox Two - No discs, No 4K - release date and possible specs

"Xbox head honcho was recently quoted that Microsoft would be releasing another console at some point in the future - an Xbox Two so to speak - "I fully expect that you'll see another console from us," Phil Spencer said. Well that’s hardly news you might think, company that makes games consoles says it will release another games console at some point in the future. However, the gaming market has changed so radically over the last couple of generations that planning for future hardware is an indicator of Microsoft’s mindset going forward."By Seth Barton

[-Foxtrot]

If it did have no discs...then I'm out. Same goes for the PS5

[BitbyDeath]

It won't happen, Digital games only make up between 10-20% of game sales so if they want to lose 80-90% of their market then they are already dead.

[Godmars290]

Thing is, with always online subtly becoming a thing - having been a thing since the PS3/360 - most if not all major disc games require patching. Become coasters when the console that has those patches die and the servers go down.

[Phunkydiabetic1]

@Godmars290

Have you ever played a console game before? They dont become coasters when the "patches die"(what the hell does that even mean?). If there is no way to get the patch it just means you are playing a game that doesnt ha e any patches....

[babadivad]

80 - 90% of my games are digital so far. I hate dragging disc around. It's also kinda irritating that the game installs and plays off the HDD [taking up all my space* anyway with the disc being used for authentication. Only time I buy physical is when there's some kind of deal going on. That's just me though.

[STICKzophrenic]

@Phunkydiabetic1 - He's saying when the console dies that has the patches. If your console dies, and the servers that offer those patches are no longer supported, then you're screwed.

[Phunkydiabetic1]

@STICKzophrenic

And that is why I asked if he has ever played a console game before. If the console dies and you cant get the patches anymore the game doesnt suddenly turn into a "coaster". That is fuckin ridiculous. It will be as if the game was bought on day one, you know, before the patches became available?

[Godmars290]

@Phunkydiabetic1:
They don't become coasters, but between online components and ever more multiplayer features, the degree early day-one builds are unbalanced if not broken, they may as well be. Especially if a game's been played only after its been patched.

[rainslacker]

I agree, and I doubt in 4 years it's going to jump substantially unless they actually do something like make the games cheaper to piss off retail. Even then, it'd have to move well about 50% to make up for the losses in the retail market. Even at 50% you'd still see physical, because you just don't want to give up that market. Even music is still released on CD, and digital downloads just passed 50% about 2 years ago. PC gaming market is sort of an anomoly in the overall digital distribution, and I actually have no idea how it actually managed to become the way it did. Kind of happened when I wasn't paying attention, but even then, you can still purchase at retail...although now they have that crappy thing where you still have to download it, so what's the point?

I wouldn't be surprised at a discless option for the digital players out there though. Seems they could make the console cheaper, and maybe push more console sales to people who want a cheaper console off the bat, and then make it back on the overpriced software they'll sell to them for the duration of it's lifetime.

[nitus10]

@Godmars290

Not that many console games actually require patching and even if the game has patches the game is normally playable without them.

From personal experience (mainly PS3) I have found the few games I actually patched had better stability and even some extra features although it was still optional to actually add the patch.

[maniacmayhem]

A lot of people said the same about paying to play online.

[magiciandude]

Exactly maniac. More and more people are going the digital route this generation as higher end internet connections become more available. I have been buying more games digital myself, especially during sales. Eventually, gamers will accept that physical media's on its way out whether they like it or not. Just like how free PSN having gone the way of the dodo bird this gen.

[nitus10]

In some respect you (well someone is) are actually paying for your internet connection so you are still paying for on-line games even if there is no charge for playing that game on the servers.

If you look at the PS4 (the PS3 is still free for most games) you have to pay to play on-line games however there is no charge for access to the store or to download patches.

[ngaydazng7]

exactly if MS did this it would be a bigger failure than the xbone launch and we all know how that went. MS is still trying to make up for that 2 years on and going.

[HalfFireWater]

And yet steam sells millions with no disks. And do you realize with the xbox home console option you get effectively two copies of the game. Let's do the math. You by a game at gamestop (@ $60.00) and it ok, when you are done, at most you will get back is $30 and no more game. Or you can pay the $60 bucks for online and have two copies. If you wanted two copies from gamestop you are paying $120.00 bucks and when you are done you will get back $60.00 and have no games for later. I love this new digital age, especially for multiplayer games since no matter the medium, console co-op and single console multiplayer seems to only be for the arcade games. Games like SW Battlefront and COD-Halo-and whatever other shooter they make, all requires two consoles to play with two people. The game makers are moving away from couch co-op and making more like the PC where every player needs a system, a screen, and a copy of the game. Wake up to the present Rip Van Winkle or keep holding on to your disk based games.

[Perjoss]

Its a win-win situation for me. If they release with discs then I carry on having fun with gaming, if they dont then I lose my fav hobby for a while but this also means I'll be doing a lot more of the matress mambo.

[kupomogli]

I already collect for past gen consoles, but If no discs, that'll be my main focus. I might eventually buy the consoles, but it'll be around when the gen ends and I'll pick up exclusives I'm interested in for $10 or less at most. My PC right now is more powerful than the PS4, but I prefer to own my games, so I don't play on it as often. PC will be my multiconsole machine if everything goes digital only.

I already ignore purchase of games that are digital only until they're dirt cheap. I'm a Yakuza fan, platinumed 3 and 4, but Sony f'ed up not releasing Yakuza 5 at retail. Great that you actually got it localized and brought it to the west, but no sale with it being digital only.

[franwex]

Sega was in charge of Yakuza 5 not Sony.

[rainslacker]

Same here. Definately not a day one buy for me. When a 2-3 years goes by, and I can purchase lots of games through sales for $10-15 then I'll consider it. There would have to be a damn good incentive going in for me to give up a new gen like that, but like you, I collect my games. Even if in 5 years or so I decide to move on and not collect anymore, there's no way I'm spending $60+ for a game which has no value except for my time playing it. I'm pretty free with my money and buy lots of games now, but that doesn't mean I just throw money away for nothing. I don't even go to the theater except on $5 nights...or special date nights which gets me more than the movie.

I like owning my stuff, and the biggest reason I'm not more into PC gaming is because new releases are expensive, and I own nothing but a license to download the game. Not my idea of value.

[kupomogli]

@franwex

Sega developed and owns Yakuza 5, but it's Sony that's localizing it because it was the top requested game. That's the reason it's getting published here in the west. Sega wasn't even going to support it.

Google the information. Here's Sega's PR. "Today is a very special and exciting day for all of us at SEGA. Partnering with our friends at Sony Computer Entertainment America, we just revealed our plan to bring Yakuza 5 to the U.S. and Europe at PlayStation Experience in Las Vegas."

"We’ve received so many requests from our fans to bring Yakuza 5 to the U.S. and Europe. Yakuza 5 also made the top of the list of Sony’s #BuidingTheList campaign led by Gio Corsi at Sony Computer Entertainment and we were moved by all the support given to Yakuza 5 by the PlayStation community."

Translation. "Without Sony's money and Sony putting forth the effort to get the game in the west, we never would have bothered."

[franwex]

What if they used other media instead of a disc...say a flash card or something?

[OpenGL]

Flash memory is much more expensive per GB than optical media like Blu-ray. The next Xbox or Playstation could easily support Blu-ray XL which currently supports 100GB per disc. A 100GB Blu-ray disc only costs a few cents per unit, while 64GB of flash memory probably costs at least a few dollars.

[Tech5]

Optical Discs are technically from the 80s and are limited to physical size. Support for physical distribution of games i do agree though.

[ColonelHugh]

I don't see discs going anywhere based on limited storage. We're nowhere near the limits of blu-ray this gen, and Sony and Panasonic are working on the Archival Disc, with exponentially greater storage (in it's industrial size at least) than our current server farms hold. A single commercial sized disc will hold more than a Terabyte.

If anything, we should worry about Hard Drive types and prices, as we'll need some big ones in a gen or two.

[Crazywhitie]

Next-gen “Archival Disc” will squeeze 1TB of data onto optical discs.....

[jb227]

I'm with you...although it probably wouldn't be solely down to the lack of physical media...the trends of this gen to favor open world rpg's & online only games has me thinking that the longer that stuff proliferates, the fewer games I'd actually care about. Sad that this is looking like my last gen. Might just get a decent enough PC to run some of the better indies next gen & forego consoles altogether because I'm starting to lose the plot in terms of what publishers & devs seem to be focusing on. Heard that one of my most anticipated games, the SW Amy Hennig game will likely be an open world rpg the other day and that kinda news seals the deal for me. Why anyone would waste such a great storyteller & amazing dev on something that is outside of both of their wheelhouse solely to fit into current trends is beyond me. Pretty certain if that game goes that route that it won't have nearly the potential it could have otherwise.

[sammarshall102]

Same for me. If Microsoft goes digital - only next gen then I'm getting a PS5, if both consoles have it then I might be done with this hobby

[rainslacker]

I'll just become mainly a retro gamer. Will give me time to finally catch up on my immense backlog, and as a bonus, I"ll have a few hundred dollars each month I won't be spending, so maybe I can do something productive like getting back into woodworking again with some nice tools.;)

[RiseofScorpio]

Yeah ok I bet you promised to do the same for pay to play online.

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

I wish they would announce the next console will have a physical poker chip like device that you'd buy, that thing would go into a slot in the console and once it's in you'd be able to play an installed game. You could then lend/trade/sell that chip once you're done with the game.

Digital chip (unlock) would still be available for one console.

No discs, but nothing really changes.

[annoyedgamer]

No disk = no sale

[madjedi]

I wouldn't have a problem if they throw the disc drives out, it is a old technology that is more hassle than its worth.(heat/failure prone)

But they still need a medium for the people that want a physical product, I hope they shift to a flash memory based cartridge.

However by then it may have ssd's as default so the disc read speed may not be an issue.(This is at least 3-4 yrs from now)

Eventually consoles will have to get rid of the slower components, that hold the rest of the system back.

[BG11579]

MS really loves to follow that saying, if a first you don't succeed...
And people thought this mess was Mattrick's fault. Did he come back?

[Gatsu]

Disc is a must, not everything need to be digital.

[bellome]

Deal with it... ;)

[kotaku77]

Take me to Disc City with you!

[2pacalypsenow]

It can "Do' 1440p but would look bad 1080p would look better, when I tried it on my x930 1440 looks blurry compared to 1080p or 4k, also it would cause confusion for people since there's no 1440p Tv and tv's suck at displaying custom resolutions.

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

I've found that Nvidia control panel can fix it (I run two 44 TVs with a sideways 32 between them). Basically able to set any resolution, so change it to what you need.

[TripleCs]

I'm not going to be part of an all digital future where publishers have total control of the content that I buy without me having the option to choose whether I want to buy my games psychically or digitally. No disc = no buy. That goes for any console, including the PlayStation 5.

[Brettman2008]

I would much prefer digital downloads to game streaming. A game streaming future would be horrible.

[Rayven]

Not sure why you would reply with that, he didn't say anything about streaming. The article did.

If console manufacturers insist on trying to make game streaming mainstream, they're pretty much going to have to upgrade the internet service of atleast half the world. Not to mention the latency or ping that game streaming creates. And isn't streaming more costly for manufacturers anyway? Especially if you decide to combat high ping by building servers in each continents. I'm not Pachter (thank god) but I really can't see game streaming as a viable strategy even after this console cycle.

[rainslacker]

Assuming people were on board for a streaming future, the internet would simply crash for a lot of people due to the high demand that would be placed on it. The current internet isn't keeping up with current expansion, and the huge uptake in current streaming services(movies and the like) has caused the available bandwidth to simply dry up, and then when the government released more of that bandwidth to ISP's, that dried up to. ISP's themselves are getting faster, but that doesn't mean the entire internet is. It grows progressively, but slowly, but there is a physical limit which keeps being hit, and it takes time to simply install new lines...not to mention a huge amount of money and time, which people are getting annoyed having to pay more for in the way of rising internet bills.

It's just the way it is, and it's not going to suddenly be better in 5 years. Maybe in 20 it can keep up, but by then, content will likely require even more space to be streamed due to higher resolutions, and compression can only do so much. So in 20 years, we'll be right back where we started barring some new thing which manages to make our current methods of transfer obsolete, but even then, it still has to be implemented.

[BG11579]

Digital and streaming, are both bad. Streaming is the worse of the two.

[SteamPowered]

PC community gets a very large portion of their games digitally and if anything it's a boon. Sites like GOG and CDKeys can help leverage the prices of new games. Digital gaming isn't all doom and gloom. I haven't used a disc in 5 years.

[Phunkydiabetic1]

The moment consoles start pricing their digital games like Steam is the moment Im down. I can get the game brand new physically at the same price as online and trade it in and roll that dough towards a new game when Im done.

[kenwonobi]

Me too. I'll give up gaming. I'll buy the console that's all discs. Including if it's only NX. Then that's the only console I'll by next generation of its only NX disc based.

[Herbalistic]

I doubt MS would be stupid enough to go disc free after the huge drm backlash from the Xbox One

[Eliseo676]

And even more recently, the Halo 5 editions that came without disc.

I fully expect Microsoft to come with some sort of "plus side" to going disc free, but I don't expect the removal of this feature any time soon.

[rainslacker]

I recall saying MS wouldn't be stupid enough to restrict used game sales and require a connection for their console before they annouced the X1. I defended them pretty heavily on it because a lot of people were hating pretty hard due to Adam Orths implication, which didn't actually mean they were going to do it.

I was actually, for the first time in a long time, actually just incredulous and left speechless for a while when they actually confirmed it. I honestly thought that would be the end of them because I didn't think they'd change it. Luckily for them they did, but they have some good data now on how it will affect their sales...so maybe they'll wait for someone else to do it instead, or god forbid, the console makers will have some back room meetings to all agree to go ahead with it to force the market change.

@Eliseo

I couldn't believe MS would actually release a collector's edition without an actual game inside. I actually wondered if MS knew what people collect when they buy CE of games. Being able to trade in the code for a retail version was a nice gesture, but it means opening up a pretty expensive collector's editions, and that doesn't happen as one might think.

[BG11579]

Yeah right, it's even like, don't they learn?
And this time, it won't be Mattrick's fault.

[Vahlok]

One thing im sure for next Xbox.. Its not gonna named Xbox Two :)

[SpeedDemon]

I wouldn't think so either, but then again I said something similar about the Xbox One's name.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

I have to say it!!!
Xbox720 is fitting though :P

[Rayven]

I don't know, xbot sounds like a good nickname. Maybe it'll be xbox zero, with a nickname like xboz or xbro. Anyone else want to give suggestions?

[ColonelHugh]

NeXbox or go home.

Maybe Xbox Five. Cause... Cause... they skipped Windows 9...? I dunno. They'll pick the best name out of their hat.

[Father__Merrin]

"while PC gamers are already enjoying gaming at 4K"

according to n4g pc gamers use 4k as standard with gtx 980 in sli across 3 23" monitors

they have terrorised their brains to actually make themselves believe that if you decide to game on pc, your set up as if by magic fits high end parts for free. you just think of a high end gpu and it appears in your pc casing.

i call this magic mushroom gaming tbh. in the real world the overwhelming majority of pc gaming is done on modest set ups

[Satyre28]

It is inevitable the next generation of consoles will be all digital. I just hope that they figure out some kind of system for it to make it a bit more consumer friendly, especially with digital prices.

[Herbalistic]

That wouldn't work out being as many countries have terrible speeds along with some areas in the states.I doubt Sony/MS/Nintendo are willing to gamble with all digital and miss out on a ton of customers.

[sammarshall102]

The way Internet is today with people doing DDOS I hope the all digital future never comes or at least 20+ years from now

[kenwonobi]

You Microsoft zombies who buy anything Microsoft does can keep saying this but not happening right away. If Sony offers a disc based console they are trouncing Microsoft again.

[nitus10]

Basically making the next generation all digital is like telling gamers who don't have an internet connection to get lost since we don't really want your money.

That is a very courageous decision since over half the population of this planet don't have internet access. Many of those that do have Internet access have caps and/or slower speeds.

[Brettman2008]

Good article. I would prefer the next Xbox and Playstation release late 2020 so the consoles have more power for 4K gaming, even if only at 30 fps. In particular, I think that Sony may release about this time as they have so much momentum and will want to maximise PS4 revenues.

Aside from 4K, it would be a relief for all games to have a minimum of 1080P at 60fps with full graphical effects.

[Kavorklestein]

This is actually a HORRIBLE article.
First off, it's only an Opinion piece, full of assumptions, and no proof of anything in this article whatsoever.

I can't believe there's this many people talking about some IDEA some guy had about things that are completely unknown.

This article is like a bad Prediction by Michael Pachter, let's just wait and see what happens before chit-chatting about the future like a bunch of crystal ball scrying fucktards.

Nobody knows a damn thing about anything, and there's a literal crap ton of wasted time, energy and comments being made thus far.

I can see why people are against an all digital future, but nowhere has there ever been mention that this is happening anytime soon, much less what the actual details and facts are regarding the future.

What a stupid way to spend christmas eve this is.

I got on here to see if there was any GAMING NEWS...
Not read a conspiracy theory based on a quote that mentions that there will be a new xbox in the future.

Like duh.... of course there will be, much like there is a new Nintendo console coming and likely a new Playstation coming as well.

Is this really top article material?
Hell no.

Now if people are here to talk about what they HOPE the next console will or wont have, then submit this stuff in a blog or something.

This crap is whacked out bullshit.

[nitus10]

You do know that 8K is actually due out in 2016 so 4K will most likely be obsoleted.

[akurtz]

😒

[BluFish]

Doubtful. If most people don't even have machines capable of 4k, what makes you think they can do 8k?

[sk8ofmnd]

Its dedefinately too early to be having this discussion when the console just had its 2nd bday and hasnt even begun hitting its stride. 2016 is M.S. year to shine.

1. M.S. wont enter gen 9 first, the nx will.

2. Im predicting it now, the nx will launch late 2016 and "xb2" will launch as early as fall 2018 giving the xb1 approx 5 years on market.

[Brettman2008]

Five years for Xbox One is too short a life span even with it's only average sales. It costs a lot of money to design and launch a new console and Microsoft will want to recoup their Xbox One investment. Sony and Microsoft should now be making money on their consoles and they will both want to leverage this for the next four years or so.

[sk8ofmnd]

I agree its too early but im saying fall 2018 by the earliest. Whatever happens ms will shoot 2nd ahead of "ps5". It very well could be winter 2019 at earliest but i wouldnt be the least bit suprised if it wasnt earlier. This gen didnt see the returns in graphics like gen 7. This gen will most likely go back to the norm of a 5-6 year console cycle. Which im hoping it does.

I would be perfectly fine with 1080p, 60fps, no load screens, faster dev time, more particles and wow factor on screen, deeper gameplay, bigger worlds, smarter a.i. This can all be accomplished and more with a fall 2018 launch of gen 9.

This all comming from someone that just bought a 55 inch samsung suhd 4k tv 8500 series.

[mocaak]

Xbox One sales are not average, it's just that PS4 is doing super well.

[_LarZen_]

How the next consoles will be depends allot on how virtual reality will be in the coming years I belive.

If VR becomes a success then we will get consoles that probably will handle games a few bars higher then what today's games look like but in 60 fps and in 1080p.

And with reprojection technic to upscale games for VR in 90/120 fps.

I doubt 4K is going to take off, if at all when it comes to becoming a consumer product TV that "everyone own". The focus will most likely be high dynamic range (HDR) and high frame rate (HFR). Combined with better panels and maybe a shift to OLED.

[Brettman2008]

But 4K is becoming the default resolution for big TV's. So replacement TV's will be 4K anyway.

[Mithan]

Whatever they do, they need to use the same OS and just upgrade it, allowing all the old games to run fine.

They should unify their hardware and move to a regular update schedule of every 2-3 years, similar to iPad, phones, etc.

Would I purchase a new console every 2 years? I don't know, but I would like the option to do so, to have the latest and best graphics settings available. Older consoles could run the same games, at lower resolutions.

People say "it cant be done", but it can be done, and would benefit them enormously to do so. The other platforms show exactly why it can be done, and will be done in the future, especially as Tablets and other devices begin to get closer and closer to consoles.

I expect Sony and Microsoft are looking at this option, and will probably follow through on it in the future, they just need to get past their "old way" of thinking, but Cost cutting and such will take over and they will be forced into it, or fail.

[Brettman2008]

It can't and won't be done as Sony and Microsoft will not want to spend the sums required in frequent upgrades. It would also confuse consumers. Consoles will never be like PC's or smart phones.

[Mithan]

Not all, you have old thinking. It will change when you see what they do in the next generation. Then you will remember this post.

[Pillsbury1]

Consoles are not cell phones. Cell phones allow you to subsidize the cost and consoles do not. Would your really pay 400$ every 2 years for a slightly upgraded machine? I would not. Pc's can have parts upgraded not the whole system. I would rather have a console that has a long life cycle and gives developers enough time to use all of its strengths.

[jay2]

i also want to keep my discs thanks.give clowd 10 yrs. I'd leave gaming if this was the case on all 3 (sony, ms, nintendow

[Fist4achin]

If there were no discs, then why not just by a badass pc. That seems to be the better route if going all digital. I prefer to have my games on disc because I can swap with friends, sell them, take them when I travel without having to worry about an Internet connection.

[Lennoxb63]

Only time you have to worry about an internet connection is for multiplayer portions of games.

[BluFish]

There are single-player games that require an internet connection.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I have gone 100% digital on PC and this gen have shifted to 100% digital on cosole... I have no problem with a diskless console just give me BC out of the box for all my digital purchases this gen.

[windblowsagain]

Games only look blurry on a tv that is not native to the resolution your using on it.

plasma doesn't have this problem, but my led monitor does.

[Marugo]

Yep i hope microsoft goes all digital, no one goes to the store these days just to buy disc games, dvd movie, or bluray watevs (lol waste of space and makes your room messy), everyone downloads their stuff now! These might even close the gap of sales, also nintendo is coming up with discless console and sony should follow up if they want the competition up

[rainslacker]

Funny...GameStop was packed today when I stopped by there. Spent 20 minutes in line, and the line was moving pretty fast....except for that one a**hole who was just in front of me.:(

When I was in Best Buy last week, there were lots of people in the gaming section, and most of them had 1-2 games in their hands, and I saw quite a few work their way up to the registers. Funny if no one is buying these discs, why is 1/4 of Best Buy's floor space made up of sections for games, music, and movies...which are all discs? Seems like a waste of valuable real estate.

Amazon sells a crap ton of disc based games...but I suppose you don't actually have to go to the store to buy them.

[DashArrivals]

I believe it is a mistake to go with 'no discs'

They'll need that as an option as always, but discs are needed in my opinion. They should use 4k blu-rays in future consoles. I hope they do anyway. A gaming console that can also play and stream 4k movies would be great.

[kenwonobi]

They can do whatever they want. I'm not promoting a discless console and more control. More money grabbing by Microsoft. I was briefly excited till I read this. Still trying to shaft the gamers. Smh.

[Lennoxb63]

You do realize that this is an opinion right? So don't try to condemn MS for something they didn't do.

[dip01]

I hope both consoles release around 2018 , this gen is truly disappointing to me. I could care less about 4k , I already have it on my pc but if they make me play the exclusive games on 30 fps or lower again , I am out .

[Azzanation]

Anyone expecting next gen consoles to run 4k gaming clearly have no idea how far ahead 4k compared to current gen.

For those who don't understand. It requires 2 super computer GPU cards to run 4k @60 with everything on. And I am not talking about last gen ports or remasters. I am talking about new games built on the latest engines. DX12 will help a little.

If you want 4k visuals next gen then expect your next console to cost over $900+. I don't want another PS3 price tag.

Buy a PC.

[FN4GM]

And the PC would cost just as much if not more.

[BluFish]

And then you'd make up the difference by paying significantly less for your games. I don't even want to think about how much my Steam library would have cost if I bought all of the games on console, if I could even find them (old classics, for example). I almost never pay full price.

Playing on a PC is also objectively better than a console. It can do anything a console can do at a higher FPS and resolution and with more graphical effects. If you don't have the extra cash to buy one, I understand, but the average PC destroys consoles in regard to raw power and functionality.

Seriously. Everyone is QQing about backwards compatibility, yet on PC we've been able to play basically any game ever released via emulation for years.

TLDR: PCs are well worth the higher cost of entry if you can afford it.

[letsgopal]

Great clickbait article full of assumptions

[KilKarazy]

I'd so much rather have 1080 60fps with realistic looking textures like the rocks/snow in battlefront. Dedicate resources towards higher res assets like textures or more realistic animations in sports games etc.

[FN4GM]

There wont be another xbox any time soon, it will use discs, it wont have 4k, and it will have another Halo, Gears, and Forza.

[Ruggadagod]

R.I.P. Xbox brand if this happens. PS5 monopoly incoming.

[annoyedgamer]

Sony will follow suit, they wanted to do DRM with PS4 but held off when they saw the flack MS got. If MS goes Diskless, PS5 will too.

Either way I will be quitting gaming.

[akurtz]

you still believe that nonsense? SONY TOO.

[ZombieStalker]

No disc, epic failure! Too many people have crappy Internet and downloading 40, 50, 60G+ isn't an option. Not to mention the storage requirements that would be needed for a no disc system. Won't happen!!

Between now and when the next generation Xbox comes, a lot can change within the consumer market and technology.

Articles like this are all speculation and are click bait articles.

[Kavorklestein]

Thank you! Someone else at least sees this article for the worthless crap it is.

This crap should have never been approved much less have this many people talking about the NON FACTS mentioned within it.

[dcbronco]

I believe the next machines will have 4k. I'm betting Microsoft will go with dual GPUs. One embedded within an APU and one discrete. The one on the APU will be geared towards physics and pushing the two OSes. Yes, they will stick with the three OS system with one being a hypervisor. It makes for a truly flexible system.

With the discreet card focused on graphics and the other performing compute the main card(discreet) will be the most powerful and with a decreased workload will push 4k. Gameplay should be the focus of the next generation and that demands compute from the cloud and the gpu. Plus they bought Havok for a reason. I bet there were some nice hardware patents they can build on.

[ScaReCrow90]

I hate how people are so pretentious about digital vs retail.

All technology heads toward smaller and more convenient. Digital and cloud based is more convenient so that's where it will head.

[DigitalRaptor]

Digital purchasing devalues your right of ownership. I'm not against options, and convenience is one thing, but that only takes you so far. I will argue that people were FAR more pretentious when trying to argue why the Xbox One's original vision was amazing and misunderstood, when in fact it was just an anti-consumer beast that was thankfully taken down before it had chance to eat our industry alive.

All other industries still offer physical versions. CDs, Blu-ray discs, books. Heck... vinyl and DVDs are still being produced and sold and they will for many years to come, because people like packaged goods, as this festive time of year constantly proves. It's only certain companies in the gaming industry that thinks it can strong-arm consumers into a digital-only future.

[Ruggadagod]

A digital only future gives these companies 100% control. They want to kill used games.

[jhpadilla]

Article is misleading (the shock right? /s)
It's just their theory about what Microsoft MIGHT bring on 2019.

But man, these guys (the one's of the article) are STILL insisting on having No-Disc policy.... Broadband is not THAT broad nor cheap. And with more resolution, the games will become BIGGER not smaller.

I have a 200 Mbps connection but does not mean I enjoy downloading anything. Not even the updates!

[tee_bag242]

Games don't be come bigger in size just because of resolution. lol.

Texture size yes, but not resolution.

[jhpadilla]

Exactly, not JUST because resolution.

My point is games continue to increase in size

[tee_bag242]

So they'll finally deliver what should have already this gen. Nice and late to the 1080p 60fps party.

[ShadowKnight]

I know right smh lol

[jznrpg]

I have 1G fiber and I don't want all digital . Most people around the world won't want digit only since their Internet speed and data caps won't allow then to use it without issues. Also many people love physical to collect. Xbox would alienate many people if they go that route and I don't believe they can afford to do that again.

[Unlimax]

What in my conclusion is very different from what others think , i think what actually will happen isn't related to this story , there's something really mysterious between Microsoft and Nintendo recently , i don't know but there might be a partnership between the both on the upcoming system the NX!

NX = Nintendo Xbox !?

does that mean that the next system will be an official start of a partnership ?

let's wait and see ..

[Jag-T1000]

Without disk and always online is what? A PC thats what!

[DivineAssault]

If they go with their entended vision with the DRM, always online, etc, its possible.. Game discs fully install anyway so its a possibility.. No discs would cut down on costs & their next console should be able to hit 4K resolution.. Most of this applies to PS5 but they might keep discs because of their partial ownership of blu ray..

[SynestheticRoar]

No disc then all three Microsoft, Nintedo, and Sony can go to F-ing hell. It will be the end of gaming for me.

[s45gr32]

Ha Ha Ha what a clickbait article, the consoles are done. VR and 4K is only capable on PC

[mark_parch]

n4g never fails to put a smile on my face. somebody asks phil if there will be another console,phil says probably
headline
xbox 2 no disc no 4k realease date
hilarious
ultra click bait
and i fell for it again
lol

[clouds5]

I really don't need 4k. 1080p with some good anti aliasing offers perfect visuals for me. It's just that the display manufacturers need to sell something new because the 1080p display market is saturated.
The world is not ready for 4k. Most Internet connections can't stream 4k content(too slow), most hardware configurations can't render games at 4k/60fps and there is no movie content in 4k.

In gaming the target needs to be 1080p/60fps. You can do much more if you use the hardware power for better models/textures/effects instead of wasting it on 4k resolution.

[Dyldog69]

I'm cool with 1080 at 60. Too bad consoles have come up short.

[Tobsesan]

I dont think it is possible to bring out a machine in 5 years that can put out 4k/60fps for under 500$. Im totally fine if they can make EVERY game 1080p/60fps with better graphics. The most people dont own a 4k TV anyway.

[feraldrgn]

If you remove the disk drive, then you can expect the Xbox One launch mess all over again.

[Artemidorus]

The next Xbox console I will hold back from buying.

They provided a camera that is almost useless, provided an updated controller that is much better than the original, a 500gb that is now on the small side.

[Maxor]

4K gaming simply isn't ready but 2K is definately happening now. For consoles it's best just to focus on 1080p 60 FPS.

[Revvin]

They may go digital for games but the systems will still almost certainly have Blu-Ray disc players in them to maintain their multimedia capabilities, while a lot of gamers are starting to move to a digital future a lot of film buffs still keep their DVD and Blu-Ray collections. I'm not sure about 4K, it depends on how widely 4K tv's are adopted, right now I'd like one but don't feel the need for one. The major satellite TV companies like SKY and Virginmedia in the UK are only just ready to started rolling out their 4K receiving solutions next year so it will take a while for 4K to gain traction and give people a reason to buy into 4K. I think 1080p @ at least 60 FPS will be the goal next gen.

As far as a digital future goes I'm already in. I've been using Steam since it launched and Origin and Uplay and this generation I upgraded the storage on my XBOX One and PS4 and went totally digital and love the convenience of not swapping discs. I don't trade in so don't feel the need to buy disc based games, it seems rather old fashioned to me now. I know not everyone has fast enough broadband to make it convenient but by the time the new systems arrive broadband speeds will be much better and it will be much more widespread.

[chikane]

Not to sound to bitchy.. but why is a xbox story in the ps4 section??? just wondering .... is there no rules on posting topic story in the right section?

or did i get the section wrong let me check.... no it says ps4 on top??

[Kyizen]

So many people saying 4k is cheap just 300 for a monitor and 300 for a videocard, um thats twice the price of a console now. Plus you make a 4k console how many people have a 4k tv. We arent therebyrt focus, I was just playing Witcher 3 on PS4 and it was Sunset and it looked amazing to me. I can wait a few years for a new console.

[MasterD919]

Why the hell are we even talking about new consoles?

[Tankbusta40]

If Microsoft tries to remove physical media again their next Xbox will fail so badly... So sick of companies trying to set trends and not listen to the people who make them money... Digital is all well and dandy but people love to have things in their hand that they own and can sell or do whatever they want with.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

No disc no sale. I'm a collector as are many others.

[Dyldog69]

Reaching. Another piss poor or decision by microphlacid

[joeorc]

The media has been saying this for such a long time, that its like they see it as a manifest destiny it will happen soon. But what many fail to take into account a disc less software market will only work if..that is a very Big "if" the market will embrace such a change to its market.

Example:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/...

Its not just about if there is strong enough & reliably stable internet infrastructure.. But also is the consumer itself willing to support such a move.

At this point & in the recent debate Microsoft's very on CEO of xbox Phil Spencer, talked about the debate they had about optical disc drive removal from the Xbox platform the Answer of course was no!

Even the next system its very doubtful if again they will pull the optical drive since Microsoft invested into backwards compatibility.

Though selling an Xbox with an external optical drive could very well be in the cards on how Microsoft's outlook could be for their all digital system for gaming in the future.

Sell all software on a digital store front App store ask for their Xbox platform of the future.

But offer external optical drive for legacy system Xbox software.

[GMW]

4K gaming can only truly become viable when we all have high speed unlimited broadband internet, otherwise how are we going to download the games. I am currently appreciating the benefit of being able to download all my games to my 2TB drive and choosing whatever I want to playboy the fly without having to keep changing discs. However, 4K would have much larger game sizes which means longer download times and requirements for a larger Harddrive and unlimited internet bandwidth. Otherwise I see one game being around 150GB in 4K .

[skratchy]

Lol. Let's be honest, games won't really LOOK better until consoles are running games at 4K too. Nobody said develops AAA games strictly for PC. It's just upscaled.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It will be more powerful than PS5 I know that.

[yomfweeee]

I like how the title is written as if this is fact.

[dinosaurcrossbow]

It's too early to hear news about the next xbox. Hopefully they don't rush out the console like Xbox 360 but then again thats the only way xbox will ever have a lead over playstation by rushing out another console.

[Tzuno]

Many have hinted a 2018 E3 announcement of new consoles because of Nintendo new NX console, concurrence has to put something on the table not to be left behind and gamers still skeptical and who needs s 4 k gaming from a console 2k meaning 1440p is more than enough proven that they can achieve that but prepare to spend 600-800 on a console.

[quenomamen]

If your console is no disc you are now limiting yourself to who can buy it. The majority of not just the U.S and the world in general still does not have access to tge type of high speed internet that is required for 20, 40, 60 gig game downloads. Not to mention that when its all digital you never really own those games, you are just renting them. If the X2 goes no disc the PS5 will again dominate.

[crazymike_22]

You can't believe that 5 years from now that Xbox and even PlayStation will still use discs, we are right in the transition from disc to digital, look at movies for example movies come out 2 or 3 weeks on digital before disc, they are slowly trying fade it away,just like before when they would say buy it now on vhs and dvd,samething is happening now,many products are also ditching disc drive look at apple, and by buying digital the companies just get more profit so its in there favor. And internet companies will just adapt to this and get better in places that arent

[Voids]

I'd rather have 1080p at 100fps steady on new beefy hardware than 4K at 30-60 FPS because I'm one of those humans who have yet to purchase a slightly overpriced 4K tv or display to "game" on and I still feel that 1080p with really good graphic engines still look impressive.

Now if you're complaining about seeing pixels with the whole 1080p vs 4K scenario, then I dunno what to tell you other than there's more things that are important in life than shoving your face into your spit-ridden monitor or tv you haven't cleaned in 2 years just to notice a few pixels.

[thricetold]

Some of you folks are down right unbelievable in what grabs your attention. The article had one small paragraph about 4k and the comment section is filled with 4k theories? Most of the games now AREN'T even 1080p and 60fps and you all are debating whether or not 4k is going to be some sort of standard for consoles nextgen?

Wow. These folks are why we get pretty games with awesome pixels but have mediocre gameplay. Over and over and over.

Always online or no disks is more likely and also a much bigger deal as it will affect EVERYONE, not a select few who need to see every damn grass pixel available. Blows my mind how many miss the bigger picture because they are overly concerned with having more damn pixels.

[corroios]

If the machine is coming out at 2019 it will be able to run at 4k.

The launch should be in late 2019. So we are talking about spec at 2018.

It will be much easier to reach that kind of performance and microsoft have the money to built it.

[Tumaras]

4k today is at the far end of the spectrum, but it would be hard not to imagine 4k in the next consoles. 4k is the next major jump from today's tech, along with VR. Kind of the next round as blu-ray was to dvd.

Right now, a 980ti for example can only barely do 4k (really need to sli). So we're probably a year or maybe 2 yet away from the confluence of both 4k monitors and 4k-capable (60 fps) video cards that are in mainstream budgets. The magic spot is a 60fps 4k video card in the $300 range, along with 4k monitors similar to prices now for similar sized non-4k monitors. Granted pc and console gaming is apples and oranges to some degree, but they are in competition. So I can't imagine a new console in 2019 not being 4k-capable, when mainstream gaming pcs (not just expensive super-rigs which are already around) will have been doing it at that point for a couple of years. Plus, I would bet the farm the next PS will be 4k.

VR and disc-less (cloud - which will make resale shops like Gamestop or renters like Gamefly/Redbox unhappy) are pretty certain though. People have been downloading new full 40-50GB games for quite a while now, and it's safe to assume players have Internet and broadband.

[jonivtec]

I might give a shot on next console if they are not underpowered like the current gen.I decide to stick on my pc for this gen.1080p/60 should have be the norm on the get go and i still dont understand why it is not.At least we have the chance to play great games because no matther wich platform we play on there's a good community of game devloppers that support it!

[Enigma_2099]

Well, that's one way to ensure I never buy your console. No physical media? No thanks.