Xbox 720 / NeXtBox / Durango / Infinity

[SuperLink]

I did too. Microsoft may shoot themselves in the foot sometimes, but surely given their worldwide success they must have the marketing skills to realise that always-online isn't feasable for most of the world yet.

 

I think it probably has been a miscommunication all along, the "always-online" aspect in the rumours probably means that your 360 will always be connected to the internet if you so choose, similarly to the WiiU.

 

That is of course, unless this Microsoft employee email is little more than another "rumour" itself.

[Candescence]

That is of course, unless this Microsoft employee email is little more than another "rumour" itself.

It honestly seems like it. I'm awfully skeptical about the validity of the email itself, considering it contradicts what literally everyone and their dog has been indicating about MS' next console.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Shirou Emiya

[SuperLink]

I'm a little sceptical myself, but mostly because the way it's worded isn't very "official" sounding.

 

"There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."

I dunno, the "and yes playing a single player game" just sounds too condescending to be official.

 

But heck, I could be wrong, I hope I'm wrong, this is probably the best evidence we have so far that suggests it's bs.

And I've been thinking it's bs for a while simply because even though we sometimes all love to think Microsoft is "that stupid", they aren't.

[Tornado]

Well, they aren't usually.

 

 

 

See: Zune, Vista, probably 8.

[MamboCat]

Maybe the name for the new Xbox is Always and someone miscommunicated "XBox Always is online"... :B

 

Meh. This is still a rumour, though isn't it? No-one knows what the on/offline status will be, right? So we're still in the same situation we've always been in - we don't know shit!

Edited May 6, 2013 by MamboCat

[Tornado]

Nope, not really. And rumors that disprove other rumors don't really mean anything more than the original rumors to begin with.

[Candescence]

Well, they aren't usually.

 

 

 

See: Zune, Vista, probably 8.

Add the absolute trainwreck that is Games for Windows LIVE to the list as well.

[Chaos Warp]

It just seems like we won't truly know until May 21st when Microsoft either makes everyone breath a sigh of relief or fails terribly in front of their audience. 

Edited May 6, 2013 by Generations (Chaos Warp)

[Sami]

I wasn't necessarily arguing that case in proportion to the PS3, which to be fair was developed at a time when Sony had a lot more of a war chest to play liberties with. Considering how badly the PS3 set them back though, the PS4 strikes me as an investment too risky and viewed through a one-way looking glass. It's entirely designed on one presumption, which is that focus on the hardcore audience can sustain the model. While I don't necessarily believe that it'll do as bad as the PS3 did in terms of numbers (it really won't be able to survive if it did that badly again), the fragmented base begs the question how much appeal a console like that will hold up. The wholesale rests on roughly $400, so it's most likely going to be a tad above that to minimize the losses as much as possible. I'm just concerned how long the thing needs to survive with good sales before those exotic components get shot down in prices enough to justify the manufacturing costs.

 

It seems to me they're really banking on getting the full support of as many core/hardcore gamers as possible. It's definitely a risk, but I think aiming their sights on the most reliable, loyal audience by far could pay off. Especially since selling at a loss forces them to depend on game sales, in which case getting the support of the audience that buys a lot of games seems just fine to me.

[Conando]

If they just rely on the "core", one things for sure. We won't be seeing numbers close to 100 million like we did last time. I find even 60 million a stretch.

[SuperLink]

It'll be poetically humorous if that does end up happening. There will have been embarrassing examples of all major parties riding on their own success and falling flat and learning from scratch in the last half a decade. It happened to Sony, it's happening to Nintendo right now, and maybe it'll happen to MS too.

 

I dream of a console industry where developers won't rest on their laurels and assume brand power is enough to carry an entire consumer-driven business. :')

[Sami]

If they just rely on the "core", one things for sure. We won't be seeing numbers close to 100 million like we did last time. I find even 60 million a stretch.

 

Who says the audience won't branch out with time? Core gamers are always going to be the early adopters.

 

Get the system on its feet, get a good consumer base, and then branch out to other markets. Just look at the Move and Kinect; by the time they came out, their respective consoles had already gained much popularity and dropped in price considerably. 

 

I'm only playing Devil's Advocate here, since I obviously don't know whether or not this is what Sony's plan actually is, but from what we've seen so far that seems logical to me. 

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

And why is that article suddenly the best article to believe in out of the rest?

 

This article completely throws what Paul said earlier. So Paul (a trusted MS insider) or Peter Bright (a person who writes articles about MS for ars)? Hmmm.

 

 

 

"Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet.

 

 

 

....without an Internet connection...

 

A capital "I" in the middle of a sentence was used when posting that e-mail? Shouldn't it be professionally written?

 

And what other people mentioned, the "yes, playing a single player game" isn't what you write to the Xbox staff professionally either.

 

Which brings me to my next question. Why did this e-mail only got sent to the employees who work on the new Xbox? Surely they know all about this stuff already, since they have been working on it for the past several years.

 

Why can't Peter screenshot the e-mail too? No harm in doing so right?

 

This article is as real as me writing an article saying Microsoft will include Windows 8 for free with the new Xbox.

 

Still, a rumor is a rumor.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Ming Ming Suzy

[Conando]

Who says the audience won't branch out with time? Core gamers are always going to be the early adopters.

 

Get the system on its feet, get a good consumer base, and then branch out to other markets. Just look at the Move and Kinect; by the time they came out, their respective consoles had already gained much popularity and dropped in price considerably. 

 

I'm only playing Devil's Advocate here, since I obviously don't know whether or not this is what Sony's plan actually is, but from what we've seen so far that seems logical to me. 

 

The same could be said for Wii U, if you're going to make that argument. Though I'm sure that was the intent considering. I really do have a feeling no one will do exceedingly well this time, though. It's kind of a shock that all 3 actually made 100 million or close to in the previous generation. I'm going to guess, like people continue to argue against Wii U, the large number that was pulled in has moved on.

[Tornado]

This article completely throws what Paul said earlier. So Paul (a trusted MS insider) or Peter Bright (a person who writes articles about MS for ars)? Hmmm.

What difference does it make who wrote the article that is reporting the rumor make? Not to mention that the previous articles talking about this are going on information that is several weeks old at this point.

 

A capital "I" in the middle of a sentence was used when posting that e-mail? Shouldn't it be professionally written?

 

Except "Internet" is a proper noun, so...

 

Which brings me to my next question. Why did this e-mail only got sent to the employees who work on the new Xbox? Surely they know all about this stuff already, since they have been working on it for the past several years.

All it would take (and, indeed, what is probably the most frequent use of mass emails in a typical corporate hierarchy) to require mass memos to be sent out to all of those employees working on the NextBox would be an edict from up high stating a change in policy; which the engineers working on the system aren't in charge of in the first place.

 

 

 

Not only would they not automatically know about all changes to the system they are designing before they were asked to make them, but the engineers were probably even the last people to be told about it.

 

This article is as real as me writing an article saying Microsoft will include Windows 8 for free with the new Xbox.

No, because that would be you making something up completely; whereas the ars article (at least presumably, since ars is a huge news depository) has a source for it. Unless you are making the implication that Peter Bright did make it up entirely.

Of course, "Rumors contradicting rumors" is still in effect so the news isn't anymore a definitive truth than the original rumors were; but if you're going to automatically dismiss them at least come up with reasoning for doing so with more substance than "if the memo was real they wouldn't have capitalized the word Internet."

[Detective Shadzter]

Microsoft to show 'next chapter of Xbox' at Gamescom
Platform holder joining Nintendo and others at August's Cologne event
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/404752/microsoft-to-show-next-chapter-of-xbox-at-gamescom/

[Detective Shadzter]

Next Xbox to be called Xbox Infinity - report
Microsoft is "uncertain" about its Xbox TV.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-10-next-xbox-to-be-called-xbox-infinity-report

[Cortez]

Infinitely connected to the Internet.

...That was terrible, I feel bad.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Ya, so I know its not considered as big a possibility right now, but if you want to see why always online is a very very bad idea, look up the tiger NetJet. Case and point

[Patticus]

That infinity symbol looks like a pair of testes.

 

Xbollox.

 

 

What do they call the console that comes after the Infinity? Xbox Lightyear? Xbox Parsec? They're setting themselves up for a fall, TBH.

 

Oh, and will they be partnering up with BT Infinity in the UK? They could do some sweet discount XBL deals for BT customers using Infinity.

[SweeCrue]

XBox Super Peel Out, huh?

[Emmett L. Brown]

When Nintendo's console that sounds like a childish word for penis gets by, then picking at Infinity is stretching it a bit.

[SuperLink]

Hot damn, guys there were many previous rumours that calls the system "Xbox Infinity", those rumours are practically a lot more legitimate now that the name is official.

 

Anyone fancy digging them up? The rumours that mention the "Infinity" name might be very illuminating.

That asides, it's a very cool name imo, far better than any of the fan names its had, and the ugly as hell "Durango" codename.

[KrazyBean]

Next Xbox to be called Xbox Infinity - report

Microsoft is "uncertain" about its Xbox TV.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-10-next-xbox-to-be-called-xbox-infinity-report

 

It's gonna use Windows 8...flip the 8 to 90 degrees, and you have the infinity symbol! Smart.

[Barry the Nomad]

XBox Super Peel Out, huh?