Stripped-down Xbox due in late 2013 - Report

Noted Microsoft blogger says new ARM-powered console will ship late next year and focus on "Arcade-style games" and Kinect applications; "true successor" coming sometime after.

[Ashunderfire86]

I am glad this console generation is much longer. I know I am going to get disagrees for this, but know this, the next Xbox will be on bar with PC for probably until a year. Then PC will eventually beat Next Xbox and PS4. If the next generation systems choose have the ability to upgrade graphics and etc like the PC than that would be great.

[Ashunderfire86]

Disagrees to something that might happen lol!!! this is 2014 or 2015 we are talking about!!! Alot of things could happen by then. For the 17 disagrees you all could eat your own words.Cause all those rumors about 360 stopping used games, being 6 times as powerful, and etc will be thrown out the window when Microsoft spill the beans on what their next Xbox will be capable of. Think about it!!! 360 and PS3 are getting way too similiar to PC in terms of internet browsers and multimedia stuff. It is possible for them to have the ability to upgrade graphics and other specs. Remember this is 2014 and 2015 we are talking about.

[Chaostar]

This just adds weight to the fear that Microsoft will 'opt out' of the console arms race next gen just like Nintendo did this one.

OR, more optimistically, this will signify a split of the brand, in which Kinect and the casual focus will continue on this "arcade-style" console/tv box and the 'core' satisfied with a new "true successor". Although this may be spreading themselves thin and diluting the xbox name.

[Anon1974]

Microsoft has never been shy about opting out of a hardware race, especially having Nintendo eat everyone's lunch. Way back when Shane Kim was still in charge of the 360, he commented that we probably wouldn't recognize the next console that they worked on, that it would most likely be a more inexpensive, digital distribution hub.

Certainly there can't be a lot of corporate appetite in the current economic climate for another multi-billion dollar development cycle of some latest, greatest hardware console in the wake of the success of the Wii. Who knows if Microsoft has even made a dime yet on the 360 - they never break down the earnings to reveal just what the 360 cost compared to what it brought in. We know the entire division was able to finally post gains after something like 10 years of losses, but that's the entire division. It'd be interesting to see a breakdown of how it all shook out with all the hardware problems, cost of production, selling at a loss, the ongoing warranty costs compared to what's being made now with software, xbl, etc...

But I doubt we'll ever see that. Nintendo is much more transparent because games are pretty much all they do, but Sony and Microsoft are never going to break down what's going on inside their individual divisions to reveal how much their consoles made or lost.

[gamingdroid]

... or it is just a strategy to get the Xbox Live into more homes of people that don't want to pay $200-300 for gaming features they aren't likely to use, but instead enjoy the media hub.

I think this is an excellent strategy, and what I thought MS would have done much sooner. When it get's cheap enough, you might just see it migrate into the TV itself.

The genius of this is that the platform has a dedicated user base, and it is just expanding it. This of course is good for MS as they continue to profit of their investment and re-invest it into future products.

Of course this re-investment benefits us gamers, as we have already seen major investment into both the Xbox 360 Dashboard, but also Xbox Live.

[Chaostar]

Ah, gaming droid, I always know what you're going to say before I read it. MS could drive their car through your living room wall, set fire to your cat and pee on your rug and you would call it an "excellent strategy".

OK, I'll play along one more time.

"...excellent strategy...thought MS would have done much sooner"

Maybe the bigwigs at MS have their eye more on Apple's cash now than Sony's. It makes sense from a strictly business standpoint to capture the smartphone/casual market rather than the relative niche of core gamers but in what way is that "excellent" for us?

Consolidation is the key to future success and app stores are increasingly the focus point of consumer attention. This is why Google recently joined many of it's services together under the Google Play banner and also Sony under the SEN banner.

One of the key components of getting customers to your app store is getting your devices in their hands and at the minute no matter how much MS push people continue to pick up iPhones and Android devices over WP7.

While this doesn't have much to do with gaming, it does prove that Microsoft have some VERY stiff competition from Apple and Google for the 'home hub' crown and once again they're late to the party.

"...might just see it migrate into the TV itself"

Yeah probably, since that's been happening for the last few years now. My TV already does apps and media streaming etc, why would I need a MS box or MS branded TV? More to the point, why would I pay for these services with a Live subscription when most, if not all, the competition offers it for free?

As for investment into XBL, there's sure to be more investment following success, that's the same with any platform, but with such a wide and 'expanded' user base how do you know MS will invest back into the gamers?

My most important point to take away would be that this is a gaming site and we are gamers, business success means nothing to us if we don't see a return to focus on the 'faithful' core niche.

[gamingdroid]

@Chaostar

***Ah, gaming droid, I always know what you're going to say before I read it. MS could drive their car through your living room wall, set fire to your cat and pee on your rug and you would call it an "excellent strategy".***

Ha! You are like the biggest Sony fanboy calling me out? Good one!

***Maybe the bigwigs at MS have their eye more on Apple's cash now than Sony's.***

Doesn't make it bad strategy? so what is your point?

***...but in what way is that "excellent" for us?***

Broader adoption of a product means more investment. Have you seen the latest Xbox 360 dashboard? The best dashboard I used of any console. New features on Xbox Live, that nobody has yet to match on consoles.

This transformation of my Xbox 360 would not have happened without a profitable business and consumer acceptance. More of this is obviously good, isn't it obvious? ... or would you like your console to be that archaic gaming only device?

***Consolidation is the key to future success...***

Not necessarily. It can actually work against you as well, as it dilutes and confuses your offering.

***One of the key components of getting customers to your app store is getting your devices in their hands and at the minute no matter how much MS push people continue to pick up iPhones and Android devices over WP7.***

What does WP7 have to do with this? "But to play along" WP7, Xbox 360 and Windows 8 seems to be consolidating. WP7 likely won't take over iPhone as Apple is a leader (despite me not liking them), but Android is a POS despite the broader market acceptance, because there was nothing else at the time. Will WP7 take over? It depends on the success of Windows 8 and their tablet strategy. This is a case where consolidation might matter.

***My TV already does apps and media streaming etc, why would I need a MS box or MS branded TV? More to the point, why would I pay for these services***

That is like speaking to the deaf. Of course you wouldn't pay for it as you been screaming at the top of your lungs how Xbox Live sucks and how everything MS makes is an abomination on this earth. Despite that, there are millions that deem Xbox Live valuable and willingly pay to participate.

***...but with such a wide and 'expanded' user base how do you know MS will invest back into the gamers?***

There is never a guarantee with ANY company. They will profess whatever makes them money, but that is far better than death.

***My most important point to take away would be that this is a gaming site and we are gamers, business success means nothing to us if we don't see a return to focus on the 'faithful' core niche.***

Actually you should care, otherwise you are proposing consumer ignorance that allows these companies to step all over us.

That said, core gaming is harldy a niche... it is just a select few that likes to separate themselvs from the core, because the "core" is the new casual!

My point, I don't subscribe to the gaming only mantra. I do a lot of other things for entertainment beyond gaming, have no issues with people liking things I don't and don't mind trying new things with an open mind.

[Chaostar]

Wow, I got you to regress to a 12 year old mentality :D oh that is sweet!

"I'm not teh fanboiz u is da fanboi! waa!"

At least you managed to keep it together enough to do your usual wriggling around the facts and pushed your agenda quite well. However you had to have another childish dig at me personally, saying that I have been bashing XBL, which is simply untrue.

Nice try though ;)

[gamingdroid]

I see, when you got no good argument. Best bet is to attempt to insult others, takes the focus away from your flawed argument.

Nice try, twice! I won't take your bait again.

That said, your comment history is there for everyone to peruse. I will let others be the judge....

[Hicken]

You are so very good at ignoring whatever you can't actually respond to, gamingdroid.

Chaostar is right: while it IS important that be companies do well, our PRIMARY concern as gamers is that they continue to deliver on that front. I find it interesting that you seem to treat gamers as somehow different from consumers; yet this article and the debate it has spawned here is all predicated on the two being synonymous, for all intents and purposes.

A dashboard update is wonderful... but where are the games?

Netflix and all these other entertainment apps are great... but where are the games?

The 360, PS3, and Wii are all gaming consoles, but it seems that only the 360 has shifted that from a primary function to a secondary one. And yes, there is that old fallback that exclusives don't matter as much as multiplats because none of them sell as well. But those multiplats don't distinguish one console from another: removing the games found on multiple systems reveals an incentive to pick one system instead of the others.

Consider this: sans games, would you pay for XboxLive in order to get through your 360 what you get for free through your TV and PC? Would dashboard updates, 3-4 core games a year, and those apps be worth buying a system?

I'm not saying the 360 is a bad system, but VERY few of Microsoft's practices are good for anyone but themselves; their current actions certainly do nothing for core gamers. If anything, the many years of millions of people paying for XBLG should have resulted in the service becoming cheaper, especially as more and more people acquired the system. Instead, the price has gone up, while the cost to Microsoft has gone down in all likelihood.

Is that good for gamers? I can't see how it is.

[gamingdroid]

***You are so very good at ignoring whatever you can't actually respond to, gamingdroid.***

Such as?

Empty sentences doesn't say much.

***A dashboard update is wonderful... but where are the games?***

So you can't see any games? That's rather ignorant, when there is a huge back catalog and a large number of new releases every month, both on disc format and Xbox Live.

***The 360, PS3, and Wii are all gaming consoles, but it seems that only the 360 has shifted that from a primary function to a secondary one***

If you actually look at the number of exclusive games, you will find that there are more games released on Xbox 360 than ever. It's just that most people don't consider Kinect games as games, because somehow it is beneath them.

Even more ironic is that MS just reported, people now use their Xbox more across the board, both for gaming as well as a media center.

***Consider this: sans games, would you pay for XboxLive in order to get through your 360 what you get for free through your TV and PC?***

I'm not sure, but then again I wasn't sure I was willing to pay for Xbox Live initially either. However, seeing the benefits of the cost now and looking back I would! So it remains to be seen what else MS delivers, but so far so good. The overall experience is far better than what my PC delivers right now.

***Would dashboard updates, 3-4 core games a year, and those apps be worth buying a system?***

If there are games that I want to play not available elsewhere, absolutely. Aside from the fact that there are far more than 3-4 games.

... but here is the thing, do you ONLY play games? You don't watch movies or listen to music? I find that aside from my gaming session, I tune into Netflix, ESPN (college football!), last.fm and a host of other apps. Many I haven't even had time to try out. The beacons, has made it easier to locate people that want to play games I like from the 80 or so friends. In fact, I play multiplayer more than ever.

***I'm not saying the 360 is a bad system, but VERY few of Microsoft's practices are good for anyone but themselves;***

That is a natural occurence of capitalism. Companies look out for themselves, consumer for themselves and in theory there should be a balance. I don't really see any of the two other console manufacturers in any different light.

***Their current actions certainly do nothing for core gamers.***

That's like saying, Nintendo does nothing for core gamers, and Sony does nothing for the casual crowd. Neither is True!

[gamingdroid]

***If anything, the many years of millions of people paying for XBLG should have resulted in the service becoming cheaper, especially as more and more people acquired the system. Instead, the price has gone up, while the cost to Microsoft has gone down in all likelihood.***

It's not charity... Companies and consumers are out to maximize their benefits. Pricing is controlled by demand, not cost of manufacturing. Otherwise, water, coach handbags, nike shoes, and just about anything you own should be significantly cheaper.

What I do know, is I have reaped far more use out of my Xbox 360 than I did 2-years ago when the fee cost about the same.

In fact, if you base it on buying power, $50 in 2002 is actually worth $63.27 in 2012. So you are getting more for less!

***Is that good for gamers? I can't see how it is.***

MS, Sony (to some degree) and Nintendo have all opened up the market further than ever. This has resulted in more investment into bigger budget games than ever. With the recent push for casual gamers, some of those will turn into core gamers. How is that not good for the industry?

If the console industry boxed itself into the nice core gamers market, I believe the market would shrink dramatically. Far fewer investments would be made, and we all would be playing indie games while still be considered outcasts of society.

I think it is rather ignorant to believe that broadening the market is some way bad. The more the merrier, and if there is a market worthy, developers will explore it.

That said, you are pretty good at ignoring things you seemingly don't like.... Give credit where credit is due!

[GillHarrison]

A hyper small Xbox 360 would be awesome.

[madjedi]

Hot electronics, lack of air flow not awesome, but a melted piece of plastic and metal.

[Tommy334]

without the RROD and all these differnt models the 360 has really only sold about 47million WW. because the comsole really only sells in america. Next gen they better have a plan because sony will be on their A game and their wont be any Red Rings.

[DiRtY]

Do you really believe this nonsense?! Kinect sold more than 18 million end of 2011, it is probably on its way to 20 million by now. So almost half of the Xbox 360 users bought Kinect already?

Or Halo 3 and CoD MW2, WAW, Black Ops, MW3 were purchased by almost 1/3 of the entire userbase? REALLY?

Or 40 million XBL users. There are only 5 million consoles that are not hooked up to the internet? REALLY?!

Fanboy nonsense at its best.

[bahabeast]

even though i can actually see microsoft releasing a xbox 360 with no cd drive and a 80gig hdd with wifi and a controller and sell it for $100, im sure they wnt release anymore 360 models onli price cuts from now on.