XB1 Slim 2016-More Powerful XB1 Scorpio/VR 2017-iterative boxes from now on

[Parallax Scroll]

Linkage:

http://kotaku.com/sources-smaller-xbox-one-coming-this-year-more-powerf-1778634446

http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/25/11774294/xbox-one-slim-one-two-scorpio

http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/report-microsoft-to-release-more-powerful-xbox-one/1100-5453/

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/25/report-new-xbox-4x-as-powerful-as-current-model

http://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/25/smaller-xbox-one-arriving-in-2016-ign-daily-fix

http://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/25/are-the-xbox-slim-and-xbox-15-real

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/25/smaller-xbox-reportedly-coming-in-2016-more-powerful-scorpio-in-2017

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-new-xbox-one-consoles-in-development-one-set-f/1100-6440163/

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-boss-responds-to-new-console-reports/1100-6440170/

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-05-25-more-powerful-xbox-one-planned-for-2017-report

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/05/reports-microsoft-preparing-multiple-xbox-upgrades-over-next-two-years/

NeoGAF discussions:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1223679

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1223857

[MotoRacer]

Back in 1998 my dad told me, while we played N64, "One day these consoles will be a thing of the past. You'll just have PCs and mobile devices like Palm pilots that can play games and make calls".

I called him crazy.

 

He was right. That's where we're headed now. The only benefit of the console... to be able to provide set hardware for devs and customers alike for at least 5 years straight... is now gone. If replacing you consoles every two years is a thing, for the money you waste, you can build a far more capable computer that doesn't need to be updated as long.

 

Couple in the fact you have more updates and patches on consoles these days than even PCs, there really is little advantage outside exclusives, which frankly, isn't even a thing these days. Sony hardly has any exclusives these days, and everything on Xbox One is on PC.

At this point, Nintendo might end up being the last console maker in a couple generations. Well, that is if the NX doesn't belly flop.

[Austin]

He was right. That's where we're headed now.

You are about a decade behind on this thought.

 

The only benefit of the console... to be able to provide set hardware for devs and customers alike for at least 5 years straight... is now gone. If replacing you consoles every two years is a thing, for the money you waste, you can build a far more capable computer that doesn't need to be updated as long.

The consoles are fine. I think the issue is VR coming into play and everyone is jumping on that bandwagon. If VR wasn't such a hot topic right now, I highly doubt these manufacturers would be coming out with upgraded models. Not even to take advantage of 4K. Just my two-cents.

[godslabrat]

I really don't see VR being a system seller. I think it's going to follow the pattern of 3dtv... The hardware manufacturers and a tiny sliver of enthusiasts will have a circle-jerk Over it for three years, the average person won't care, and it'll be gone by 2020.

[Shawn]

A smaller console design would at least be more cosmetically pleasing with the XB1. Why they thought it was a good idea to try and make it as big as a 5200 with an external PS is just mind boggling.

[MotoRacer]

 

You are about a decade behind on this thought.

 

 

The consoles are fine. I think the issue is VR coming into play and everyone is jumping on that bandwagon. If VR wasn't such a hot topic right now, I highly doubt these manufacturers would be coming out with upgraded models. Not even to take advantage of 4K. Just my two-cents.

 

Those two statements contradict themselves....

 

You basically just said that consoles have been irrelevant for 10 years but they're still relevant. What?

[Austin]

Those two statements contradict themselves....

 

You basically just said that consoles have been irrelevant for 10 years but they're still relevant. What?

My statement was more in response to your line about smartphone gaming.. something that's been around for quite some time now.

 

I don't feel consoles are irrelevant and won't be any time soon. I think the 80+ million units sold between the PS4, XBOX ONE and Wii U back that up pretty well.

 

I do feel that if it wasn't for VR and the need for more power there, we might not be seeing talks about upgraded hardware in the works. A need for an upgrade doesn't make existing hardware irrelevant as much as it shows a lack of foresight in the industry. Three years ago when these modern consoles launched, VR was still out of most peoples' minds. Fast forward a few years later, and people are prepping for it like it's going to be the next big thing.

 

In regards to another statement a few posts back, I don't think VR is going to be a fad. This is a genuine experience (and in some cases, a tool) that has far more potential beyond gaming and a few things popping out of the screen at your face like you get with 3D TV and movies.

[Mord]

I really don't see VR being a system seller. I think it's going to follow the pattern of 3dtv... The hardware manufacturers and a tiny sliver of enthusiasts will have a circle-jerk Over it for three years, the average person won't care, and it'll be gone by 2020.

 

I don't know if VR will be a system seller for consoles, but VR itself will probably do better than 3dtv. I suspect if VR fails, it'll be because the companies that are making it force it to fail (demanding major price tags for the hardware, trying to include closed-garden DRM on open platforms like the rift just attempted despite a promise not to do so back when it was starting out) and the like. There's actually a lot of potential in VR I find, and it wouldn't have gotten tow here it is now if it didn't have a lot of support, but the way it's being handled is making me personally pass on it.

[Atariboy]

The upgrade turned me off, but if we're going to get a significantly cheaper 2TB version of the existing hardware this year, I'll be very tempted since there's plenty of existing games that I want to play that won't ever be taking advantage of the enhanced capabilities of whatever releases next year.

 

By the time I ever caught up and wanted to play Xbox 1.2 games in their full glory, the successor likely will have a successor of its own at this rate or Xbox 4 will be preparing to launch.

 

It will have to keep the disc drive though for me to bite.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Atariboy

[Parallax Scroll]

 

https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/735509199044501506

 

 

[deckardbr]

They are still undoing the damage that began with Kinect and their tv minded xbox one launch. The Xbox One was always underpowered because it was mostly going to be a TV DVR device with game capability. This new update is part of reversing that. Now if they have exclusive games that will be Scorpio only that will be a real interesting development. Or if the Scorpio will outperform the PS Neo which is what I think they want.

[Mord]

They are still undoing the damage that began with Kinect and their tv minded xbox one launch. The Xbox One was always underpowered because it was mostly going to be a TV DVR device with game capability. This new update is part of reversing that. Now if they have exclusive games that will be Scorpio only that will be a real interesting development. Or if the Scorpio will outperform the PS Neo which is what I think they want.

 

Since the upgraded hardware is intended (or so they say) for VR, they had better hope that any exclusives to the Scorpio will be VR titles. If not, then they'll have effectively divided their gamer base and likely angered all the early adopters. So they really need to be careful with how they handle doing hardware upgrades. (This goes for both Microsoft and Sony.)

[cybercylon]

 

Since the upgraded hardware is intended (or so they say) for VR, they had better hope that any exclusives to the Scorpio will be VR titles. If not, then they'll have effectively divided their gamer base and likely angered all the early adopters. So they really need to be careful with how they handle doing hardware upgrades. (This goes for both Microsoft and Sony.)

 

VR games aside, I believe Sony has stated that any PS4 games made must work on both systems. In the short term, it will probably be that way.

 

I don't remember MS giving a similar statement, but I may have missed it. If there is truth to speculation, it sounds like the PS4 upgrade will be more incremental for 4K and VR, but the new Xbox upgrade will be more than that.

 

Who knows... I guess we shall find out soon enough if there is an E3 reveal or both companies hold their own events later in the summer or this fall.

[leods]

There is no reason to make exclusive games.

 

I find it funny people actually thing you need power to make most games work. Yeah you need power to make them work with all those shiny effects and a certain resolution and framerate. But if developers actually wanted I am sure at least 90% of the next gen titles could be released for last gen. Of course, running at lower resolution deactivating effects, lower AA etc.. But it's rare that a game can't be done because of hardware constraints. It's mostly eyecandy.

 

So with a new xbox one, even if it's 10x more powerful than the current one, they can still develop games for both. You just adjust the performance.

 

People seem to forget right now you can get two GTX 1080 graphics cards, that will have minblowing fast performance, you can play the same games as everyone else, you'll just run them on 4k and decent framerates (possibly around 100fps for the most demanding titles.) We're talking about 1200 dollars worth of GPU alone.

 

And in the end, you're still playing the same damned games. I am a strong defender that the current hardware is just fine. Why pay more for eyecandy? We have more than enough eyecandy. We need more quality of gameplay. There's nothing holding that back. These companies love the whole fanboy wars, and the PC gamers bragging about their e-penis. Now they have an excuse to sell more hardware.

 

I don't even have a PS4 or xbox one. I see no point in upgrading over my xbox 360 or my entry level gaming PC. But as long as people find it advantageous to spend more money to have more frames, more pixels and more shinny effects, companies will deliver that. Even at the cost of games being increasingly buggy, unfinished, short, always online etc..

[CPUWIZ]

http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-slim-leaks-will-be-40-smaller-than-xbox-one-1781845089

[MotoRacer]

http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-slim-leaks-will-be-40-smaller-than-xbox-one-1781845089

 

So the banner image is on the site but not posted, which means theyre waiting on Sony to debut their new console just in case the new ps4 is more powerful than they thought.

 

Combine that with Sony and Nintendo waiting because they don't want to be first to show off anything either, and it just feels like a bunch of children going "You first" " No, YOU first".

 

At the end of the day, outside of Nintendo, they'll just be third party boxes with the same games, so who cares anyway. Just show it already and let people decide if rebuying a console for a minor boost in power is worth another 300 bucks.

[MrMaddog]

I dunno, I figure I'd just get a Xbox One later this year and if Scorpio is going to be worth getting next year I can always trade in the old system to put towards it (no different from last gen -> next-gen)

 

Question now is will the X1 S is worth getting w/o a game but more cool features or get a standard X1 bundle which will be marked down to make room for the newer version...

 

At least you don't have to open it up to replace the video card! ;D

Edited June 15, 2016 by MrMaddog

[HammR25]

I just wonder what Microsoft is going to do about 3rd party controllers on the Scorpio. Are they going to attempt to extort more money out of hardware companies that made Xbone controllers or will their Xbone controllers just automatically work?

[leods]

I just wonder what Microsoft is going to do about 3rd party controllers on the Scorpio. Are they going to attempt to extort more money out of hardware companies that made Xbone controllers or will their Xbone controllers just automatically work?

the xboner controller will just work. They are still complete dickheads for not letting 360 controllers work. Maybe now that it's all the same platform they might, but somehow I doubt. Good to hear they are fixing the thumbsticks. The xbox one has thumbsticks that aren't as precise as the ones on the 360.

[Austin]

the xboner controller will just work. They are still complete dickheads for not letting 360 controllers work.

 

As much as I've enjoyed my XBOX ONE, this is still my biggest complaint with it. There's not a single good reason why a 360 controller shouldn't work on it, especially wired USB ones.