Xbox boss Phil Spencer hints that Microsoft may be adopting an upgradable console paradigm in the future. Does this mark the first steps towards a type of gaming singularity of some kind?
It's more like - the age of Microsoft's traditional console cycles is soon to be over. Sony and Nintendo still got BIG plans for their 'traditional' consoles. It's only Microsoft that are getting cold feet, Sony on the other hand are loving it right now!
Yea if Microsoft goes through with this upgradable hardware plan then there would be no need to come out with another Xbox console since you can just upgrade the Xbox you have. Upgradable hardware would essentially kill the traditional 5 - 7 year console lifecycle and if this happens then I won't even look at the Xbox or the brand as a console anymore. Xbox will just be a mini PC to me.
Heres what I think Microsoft is trying to do; Microsoft has a monopoly in the PC market but they obviously don't have a monopoly in the console market so Microsoft is trying to turn consoles into PC's so they can take the monopoly that they have in the PC space and bring it over to the console space. Microsoft can't win in the console space so they instead plan bring the PC space over to the console space and destroy the console space by turning consoles into PC's. Just my opinion..
That would be disastrous for MS , gamers want consoles not wanna-bee pc/consoles, MS would financial hurt themselves in the long run. some ideals should stay on the drawing board.
Well we don't really know what plans Nintendo has yet. It's safe to assume that Sony will continue to do what they do right now as they are very successful with it. I wonder if Microsoft's shift of focus will make space for a new competitor. It's been almost 15 years with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft in the competition.
I think that with Microsoft leaving the console market with their xbox PC, is a great opportunity for another player to enter the console market. It could be Google, Amazon or even Apple.
That has always been my combo, so I'm fine with that.
Hopefully they don't go with this upgrade BS thing. Gimme a powerful future proof console day 1 capable of delivering technical marvels like TLOU, Uncharted 3, Beyond Two souls, and GoW Ascencion 6-8 years after release.
Again with generalizing MS plan as it's the whole CONSOLE thing. It's NOT, get over it!
MS has never been the market leader in this industry to allow them to dictate what is going to happen to it! They can do what they want with their brand but saying consoles are over because of it is just wrong on so many levels!
There's no indication Sony is going full streaming. PS now will always be a streaming service. Unless streaming becomes a new optional format for games, they won't go full streaming. That'd be horrible
PS Now is badass. I used it for the first time last week to play Capcom Classics. It worked perfectly fine with no lag that I noticed. Just like I was playing off a disc.
Nothing wrong with the rental option on PS Now. It's an option though.
The way I see it, PSNow is Sony's ticket to diversifying and expanding their brand (much like MS and their expansion of Windows 10). Eventually, Sony wants to have PSNow available for tablets, set top boxes, and smart tv's. I don't think that necessarily points toward an all streaming future and, if so, it won't be until internet infrastructure catches up.
Look, things are changing. But, that doesn't mean the console generation is over. There is a ton of stuff we all want answered, but let's not cite the generation as being over before we hear more details.
Are you seriously preaching prudence in forming an opinion?
Hyperbole is a way of life around here...despite the fact I think half the people don't even know what the word means.:)
I think things are changing, but there are still things that have to remain the same. Console market is popular, and the reasons for that popularity can't go away, otherwise it changes too much, and likely will alienate everyone.
With that being said, I can agree 100% that people should probably wait for details before casting the "DOOM" rhetoric. At best right now, it's just something worth discussing on the hypothetical.
I'm so tired of hearing about this. If that's what MS want to do, let them do what they want, but please stop with the end of consoles talk. MS doesn't have the pull like that.
Well, its a scary thought because the market doesn't always dictate what direction something goes. Sometimes choices or features are removed when they're popular for whatever reason. (profit margins)
Most gamers love consoles, so whatever they decide is fine for their business model, but the industry as a whole going this route would suck. It's just something to keep an eye on.
Why wouldn't we discuss this, btw? This is a gaming news hub where we discuss games and news. This article encompasses both.
I don't wanna to sound troll or whatver, but I don't care if Xbox is leaving the market, I would like to see Sega getting back with a (traditional) console.
IMO it would be cool to have in my room A Sony, a Nintendo and a Sega videogame.
I've never had that scenario either. Just Ninty and PS. I've never owned a Sega machine, but I loved playing Genesis with my friends. Sega did make great hardware.
I like it, pay a monthly contract like you do with you phone, you get Xbox live included and after 2 years you own it and upgrade to something better. Imagine in 4 years time we could have jumped 2 generations and playing 4K 60 frame games, keeping up with PC quality.
Could work, we do it with our phones, why not consoles.
Because it becomes a pointless endeavor. Why would you want to spend exorbitant amounts on console gaming when you can just build a rig?
Part of console appeal is the fixed price for gaming. That price will purchase 6 yrs worth of gaming. I play consoles so that I don't have to upgrade until a new machine comes out.
don't get me wrong, I am a complete console gamer, I'm not into PCs gaming set up at all.
I just like the different approach, we've had the same cycle for so many years, maybe it's time for something new.
I think the other problem this gen is the consoles have become more like PC's and their graphics level has already been achieved long ago. At least with the PS3 you never knew what level could be reached in 2-3 years time of release, it was exciting, so this gens tech is boring by comparison to be honest.
I don't get all of the bitching and moaning to be honest. Whenever there is a slim version of the Xbox or Playstation made, they go out and buy it, and the hardware involved isn't even upgraded on those things. So what is so bad about this idea ? this time we could actually get the consoles updated instead of just buying consoles with a different look and slightly bigger HDD.
The Xbox 360 had loads of different models, a lot of gamer's went out and updated their consoles as soon as the new model was released. These people are bloody hypocrites for moaning about this possible idea.
If new games will work on the older version models of this new console, i really see no reason why this possible idea could be a bad thing. It will be up to the gamer when they choose to upgrade to a new version of the console.
I see too many people hoping Microsoft exits, it's crazy. They have brought a lot of innovations to the console market. You all know what they are so I am not going to list them.
Rather than trying to make an upgradable console, I think they should instead plan on switching over to a new, more efficient and cost-effective console design that uses mobile based internals as opposed to current console's desktop PC internals. Mobile chips are quickly catching up to the power of desktop chips. Just concentrate on making a simple, efficient, inexpensive console w/o a disk drive that's truly worthy of the 21st century.
this will backfire I hate the idea of xbox platform becoming upgradeable it was fine the way it was, why srew it up and try to mimmick pcs and smartphones,consoles having fixed set hardware is a huge advantage unlike other devices like pcs which have multiple different configuartions, consoles dont and devs can push the limits of this fixed hardware unlike pcs which hardware is all over the place and has to make games that work on a multitude of different pc rigs with different gpu cpu setups, thankfully sony and nintendo wont do this and know that consoles fixed hardware is what makes them so sucessful
It would be more accurate to say: the age of the console generation is coming to an end for MS. The moment MS make the xbox an upgradeable PC as they are planning to, that takes out the xbox from the console market and leaves Nintendo and Sony as the only console makers. MS would have to battle on the PC market and convince PC gamers on why they would rather buy an xbox computer when their PC can already do that purpose.
It's more like - the age of Microsoft's traditional console cycles is soon to be over. Sony and Nintendo still got BIG plans for their 'traditional' consoles. It's only Microsoft that are getting cold feet, Sony on the other hand are loving it right now!
Ms going with the phone/tablet model, Sony going with ps now streaming, so yeah
Okay, the hyperbole is hitting maximum.
Look, things are changing. But, that doesn't mean the console generation is over. There is a ton of stuff we all want answered, but let's not cite the generation as being over before we hear more details.
I'm so tired of hearing about this. If that's what MS want to do, let them do what they want, but please stop with the end of consoles talk. MS doesn't have the pull like that.