News on next Xbox console and why next gen will be steam box vs PS4

Radiation

Radiation

Golden Boot Winner
6 February 2006
Widnes
Newcastle United
Didn't want to post this in one of the other threads as it sort of covers multiple points and could be a good discussion for everyone.



Watching the*PlayStation 4 reveal*I was surprised, despite trying not to be, at the specs for Sony's next console. The eight-core AMD CPU was anticipated, but opting for 8GB of GDDR5 and a GPU comparable to the GeForce 660/660ti is something the PC gamer inside of me couldn't help but be excited about. My astonishment soon turned into curiosity once I thought about how Microsoft's Durango (code name for next-gen Xbox) is clearly not aiming for the same demographic.

First and foremost, the PlayStation 4's specs triumph*the Durango's*in every way possible. Based on the rumors—which appear to be spot-on—Microsoft has opted for DDR3 memory as opposed to the PlayStation 4's unified GDDR5 memory. For game developers this is a huge difference that will have visual consequences, and will necessarily dampen the quality of multiplatform titles on Microsoft’s next system. Similarly, the Durango's GPU is a huge jump from last generation but is expected to produce roughly 15 – 30% fewer teraflops than what the PlayStation 4's solution. In the current climate where consumers are expecting a huge leap in graphics, every horsepower counts.

Most importantly, the Durango is presumed to have an even more advanced version of Kinect built-in. Such a move indicates that Microsoft wants to make its motion and voice command capabilities a major feature of the next console. We’ve already seen integration with its core titles such as*Forza Motorsport*and*Mass Effect, and it doesn’t appear to be ending there. The company has shown an affection for such technologies with its PC division, and that has flooded over to the console arena as well.

Microsoft appears to be going a completely different route than last generation with multi-tasking, motion controls, and applications being the staple features of its upcoming hardware. It is also likely to be sold at a reasonable price point that could be anywhere from $99 - $199 less than the PlayStation 4. The mixture of its moderate specs, thorough integration of Kinect technology, and affordable price point make it more of a competitor for Nintendo than Sony.

Which leads me to my main point: Microsoft and Sony are not going head-to-head next-generation. Sony has made it abundantly clear that it's interested in games, games, and… uh… games—and heck, throw developers in there, too. Its powerful, PC gamer-approved specs and standard design make it an enticing purchase for gamers and techies alike. Meanwhile, Microsoft is trying to make a multimedia device that fits into the living room of American families. That's not to say that it won't be good at playing*Call of Duty*and other titles, but we’ve seen what happens when one system has even a minor advantage in multiplatform titles and graphics.

After this realization you'd think that Sony has a free-ride next-generation, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Valve is getting ready to debut its*Steam Boxthis year and it’s going to have potent PC specs as well. It’s directed at the same customers that Sony is after, the people who stay up all Saturday night trying to clear the next dungeon of*Dark Souls, and have had discussions with their friends about who G-Man (Half-Life) really is. It’s a direct competitor to Sony, and one that shouldn’t be underestimated.

After such a rollercoaster ride this generation it’ll be nice to see something new, and you can bet that the next few years will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Nintendo is struggling to give the Wii U legs going into the future but has tons of exclusives to debut at E3, while Microsoft has a console ready to announce that wants to kick Nintendo out of the living room. In stark contrast, Sony has what appears to be the perfect gaming machine set to debut later this year, but fan-favorite Valve wants a piece of the same pie. Who will be victorious? It’s impossible to tell at this point. The best you can do is sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
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http://www.gamerevolution.com/manifesto/sony-will-compete-with-valve-not-microsoft-next-generation-17733
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Meh, I don't buy into that.

I think the 720 and PS4 will essentially be geared towards the same poeple and I don't think the PS4 spec is all that amazing in all honesty. Yeah its good but nothing groundbreaking going on

If anything its less progress from the PS2 to the PS3 IMO.
 
I think the PS4 launch news has confirmed that 99% of all these pre-launch rumours are bullshit, PS4 was supposed to be 100% online connectivity and 2nd hand game blocking, many sites regurgitated that crap as gospel.
 
Placebo said:
I think the PS4 launch news has confirmed that 99% of all these pre-launch rumours are bullshit, PS4 was supposed to be 100% online connectivity and 2nd hand game blocking, many sites regurgitated that crap as gospel.
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I wouldn't say 99%. Many of these rumors were true. The gaikai streaming BC games, the controller, the gddr5 ram (although it was 4gb first), etc.
 
I never saw anything about ps4 blocking used games or always needing online. I only saw that referenced to the 360 and then random people would comment and say "yeah it's the on ps4 too"
 
Radiation said:
I never saw anything about ps4 blocking used games or always needing online. I only saw that referenced to the 360 and then random people would comment and say "yeah it's the on ps4 too"
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I saw it a couple of times. Maybe you need to clean your Sony tinted specs?
 
YoungGun_UK said:
Meh, I don't buy into that.

I think the 720 and PS4 will essentially be geared towards the same poeple and I don't think the PS4 spec is all that amazing in all honesty. Yeah its good but nothing groundbreaking going on

If anything its less progress from the PS2 to the PS3 IMO.
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Agree with all of this.

The link is suggesting that the 'Durango' will be an under-powered, casual-focused console. I don't buy that. The one thing the Nintendo Wii has demonstrated is you can shift a lot of hardware to casual gamers but it's the core gamers that buy games in big numbers and support a console through its lifespan. Microsoft won't make that mistake by handing Sony a big technical advantage and losing the core gamer.

Secondly, we've heard this before in the run-up to the PS3 vs Xbox 360 launches. The PS3 was supposedly the more powerful console but in reality most multi-format games looked and ran slightly better on the 360. As long as most games are multi-format then they will always be developed for the lowest common denominator i.e. the least powerful console, so if the PS4 does have a technical advantage it may go unnoticed in most titles. Welcome to the world of the PC gamer. :rolleyes:

In the end it's the games that make a console. Technical specs aren't everything otherwise you'd all play on PC.

Speaking of that, the Steam Box will be very interesting. Building a competent small form factor PC to a console price point will be a huge challenge, even with economy of scale taken into account.
 
Placebo: It's a question of which rumours you believe. Rumours based on leaked schematics, verified by various sources, a couple of months before a reveal? Yeah, I'd assume they were based on fact. A company spends a fuckton of money buying up another company, one that offers a particular online service such as streaming, and then rumours suggest the buyer will use that infrastructure for their next console? Pretty likely - it's a pretty good guess even if it isn't based on insider info.

But nonsense like this 'always-online', or 'digital-only', or '1st hand games only', is all clearly a load of rubbish designed to troll people for hits. A patent means nothing in isolation. In fact Sony had a similar patent knocking around before the PS3 came out, and there were much the same rumours as a result.

As far as MS's new console goes, I believe the spec far more than I do any plans re: demographic, or 2nd-hand sales. The original piece here may well be right that the next Xbox will be less powerful than the PS4, or that the demographic they're aiming at will differ; but he exaggerates for effect. That said...

Jamez - I don't think the performance of multi-format games this gen can be applied to the next gen; the PS4 is purpose-built to be easy to develop for, whereas the PS3 most certainly wasn't. Any advantages it may have over the next Xbox are far more likely to be leveraged from the off, by multi-platform studios rather than just 1st party devs.

I think PCs are in a much stronger position than they were at 360/PS3 launch, when the games seemed to dry up or become shoddy console ports. I still don't see Windows 8 or Steam as giving PCs a strong enough identity as alternatives to consoles though. They'll remain relatively niche as far as the living room is concerned until that identity emerges and asserts itself (ignoring laptops for casual games of course). By then, surely streaming will have taken over anyway.
 
jaygrim said:
I saw it a couple of times. Maybe you need to clean your Sony tinted specs?
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I don't wear glasses. I just never saw anything other than obvious troll bait to get hits. Maybe it's the sites I look at? I check ign, eurpgamer (figital foundry) and maybe a few others places during the run up.

The Sony patent for blocking used games never mentioned ps4 (orbis) and the exact same thing popped up before ps3. The main rumours I kept seeing for ps4 was to do with specs, the new controller dropping rumble and gaining 'move tech', gaikai, profiles beings updated to Facebook style social pages.

I saw the rumour of used games being heavily linked to Xbox over and over but I still expect it to be untrue. Half of me thinks its scare tactics made up by gamers to illicit a negative response that Sony/Xbox will see and if there was any truth behind it they'd reconsider. OR it's a rumour spread out by the industry to see if they could get away with it.
 
I think at the moment it's still too much rumors and speculations.
Sony revealed some specs but not everything in detail.
Microsofts presentation of new xbox will be in a few months.
my prediction is that new xbox and ps4 will be nearly on same level.

but the specs are not that important. xbox360 and ps3 showed still good graphics and quite a lot of good games, though the PC was superior both of them. in the end the software is the main key.

when it comes to steam box - i am not quite sure if this will be a great success. with next gen of xbox and ps the difference between pc and console will be smaller than ever, due to the fact, that now the major consoles are both based on x86 pc structure. steam box now is going in the middle between consoles and pc.

i don't like the idea that you can by this box in several different hardware configurations - if this is the right way, i don't know?!?!
i prefer a console like xbox or ps - there you have a closed system which works...
 
Jamezinho said:
Secondly, we've heard this before in the run-up to the PS3 vs Xbox 360 launches. The PS3 was supposedly the more powerful console but in reality most multi-format games looked and ran slightly better on the 360. As long as most games are multi-format then they will always be developed for the lowest common denominator i.e. the least powerful console, so if the PS4 does have a technical advantage it may go unnoticed in most titles. Welcome to the world of the PC gamer. :rolleyes:
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That was a different case though. The devs went for 360 not because it was less powerful, but it was easier to develop for; familiar. They were having a bit of a hard time developing for the Cell. This time around as we know Sony has dropped the Cell and opted for easier to develop for tools. If you followed the reveal on the 20th, you'd noticed it was mainly focused on devs rather than the gamers. They've mentioned numerous times it's a machine the devs want; made by the devs for the devs.

Therefore, I do not think that lowest common denominator applies this time around.
 
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romagnoli said:
Placebo: It's a question of which rumours you believe. Rumours based on leaked schematics, verified by various sources, a couple of months before a reveal? Yeah, I'd assume they were based on fact. A company spends a fuckton of money buying up another company, one that offers a particular online service such as streaming, and then rumours suggest the buyer will use that infrastructure for their next console? Pretty likely - it's a pretty good guess even if it isn't based on insider info.
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Well it's more that I can't be arsed to waste time wading through rumours and speculation to figure out what might or might not be real, we'll find out soon enough and spending time speculating won't change the eventual facts :)
 
Placebo said:
LOL you silly :) Sadly I can't have done a very good job as the zoo (Coff's Harbour Zoo) shut down not long after we were there :(
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Maybe Sony/Microsoft sued them because the Kangaroos were leaking all of the secret information? Coff's harbour Zoo had to close down, because they couldn't afford to fight them?
 
I thought you worked in some capacity for Bohemia Interactive. And assumed they'd know the ins and outs of the new consoles, especially as their names on the PS4 developer list image.
 
Lami said:
That was a different case though. The devs went for 360 not because it was less powerful, but it was easier to develop for; familiar. They were having a bit of a hard time developing for the Cell. This time around as we know Sony has dropped the Cell and opted for easier to develop for tools. If you followed the reveal on the 20th, you'd noticed it was mainly focused on devs rather than the gamers. They've mentioned numerous times it's a machine the devs want; made by the devs for the devs.

Therefore, I do not think that lowest common denominator applies this time around.
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True, but devs still need to invest time and money into optimising a game for each system. If there is a discernible difference between the PS4 and 720 that could still have a knock on effect on multi-platform games.
 
Radiation said:
I thought you worked in some capacity for Bohemia Interactive. And assumed they'd know the ins and outs of the new consoles, especially as their names on the PS4 developer list image.
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Yeah but it's preliminary, I don't know what games we'll be developing for PS4, hopefully DayZ at least ;)
 
Placebo said:
LOL you silly :) Sadly I can't have done a very good job as the zoo (Coff's Harbour Zoo) shut down not long after we were there :(
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BobbyBox said:
Maybe Sony/Microsoft sued them because the Kangaroos were leaking all of the secret information? Coff's harbour Zoo had to close down, because they couldn't afford to fight them?
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It turned out they were in fact horses and they closed the place down.
 
jaygrim said:
It turned out they were in fact horses and they closed the place down.
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Maybe they were kangaroos, disguised as horses disguised as Kangaroos? and everybody is actually eating kangaroo instead of horse? Xbox (I added the last bit to stay on topic)
 
i hear valve gave up steam box and will launch valve box.
can anyone confirm that please? durangoroo? kangaroo? whoever? please:CRY:
 
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