The Big Bad Console Thread - Sway your Station with an Xboner !

Nintendo as a company has been around for like 100 years. They aren't disappearing anytime soon. However, I could easily see them pulling a partial Sega and going software development only for consoles, with the only hardware they produce being handhelds. Honestly, their history comes from handheld/portable gaming with cards and then the little game&watch handhelds long before the NES existed, I think that is the market with which they are most comfortable, and best at.

They would make a metric asston of money the first time a Zelda or Mario game shows up on a Playstation or Xbox system. How awesome would Mario Kart or Smash Brothers be on Xbox Live?

Puzzles and Dragons is one of the few mobile games that is free AND you can play and have fun without having to drop a dime into it. That should give it a bit of longevity. It's also not obnoxious about spamming you with ads.

They would make a metric asston of money the first time a Zelda or Mario game shows up on a Playstation or Xbox system. How awesome would Mario Kart or Smash Brothers be on Xbox Live?

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Wii U has it's own online system now, if I can't internet matchmake with Mario Kart U and Smash Bros U I will be severely pissed.

Monster Hunter's online is pretty great and it's just a port of an ad-hoc system, it could be much better if fully integrated with Wii U's online system.

Note putting this in quotes since it makes it look like ass to read.

http://windowsitpro.com/paul-thurrot...omes-next-xbox

Microsoft on Wednesday confirmed that the next Xbox video game console, code-named Durango, will be revealed to the public during a special event at its Redmond campus on May 21. That event will kick off a multi-event unveiling that will continue through June and culminate with the release of the device, which is expected in early November.

On March 28, I exclusively revealed via Twitter that Microsoft had changed the original reveal date for the next Xbox from April 24 to May 21. So yesterday's confirmation is interesting for two reasons, the least obvious of which is that the news came on April 24-the original date that the firm intended to reveal the next Xbox.

Related:"Microsoft Touts Xbox Momentum and Future"

Here's what I know about the next Xbox (along with some clearly identified conjecture).

Early announce.The initial reveal date was pushed back from April 24 to May 21 so that Microsoft could better position the device against the PlayStation 4, which Sony announced in late February.

Full (end user) announce.Microsoft will fully reveal details about the next Xbox, including the launch lineup of games, on the eve of the E3 tradeshow in early June 2013.

Developer announce?It appears that Microsoft will discuss the next Xbox developer platform at the Build conference in San Francisco in late June, based on clues on the Build website.

Launch.The next Xbox will launch in early November 2013.

Windows 8 Core.The next Xbox is based on the "Core" (base) version of Windows 8. This suggests a common apps platform or at least one that is similar to that used by Windows 8. It also suggests that Microsoft could open up this platform to enthusiast developers. (That last bit is supposition on my part.)

Price.Microsoft will initially offer two pricing models for the console: a standalone version for $499 and a $299 version that requires a two-year Xbox LIVE Gold commitment at an expected price of $10 per month.

No entertainment box.Microsoft originally planned to offer both a "full" version of the next Xbox (with video game playing capabilities) and a lower-end entertainment-oriented version, code-named "Yuma," that didn't provide gaming capabilities. But plans for Yuma are on hold, and no pure entertainment version of the next Xbox will appear in 2013 (or possibly ever).

Blu-ray.The next Xbox will include a Blu-ray optical drive.

Internet-connected.The next Xbox must be Internet-connected to use. This is the source of the "always on"/"always online" rumors and isn't as Draconian as many seem to believe.

Another Xbox 360.Microsoft will also deliver a third-generation Xbox 360 console this year that will be significantly less expensive than the current models. The new Xbox 360 is code-named "Stingray," but it's not clear whether this device is required because the next Xbox isn't backward-compatible or because Microsoft simply wants a low-cost entertainment box alternative. (A third possibility-and to be clear, these possible reasons are all speculative-is that the Xbox 360 simply has life left in it and with dwindling component prices in the 8 years since the original launch, the firm can still make money selling such a device.)

There's a lot I don't know, of course. The name is a big area of speculation, and while I've heard nothing official, I'd be surprised if Microsoft didn't just called it Xbox. I've never seen the console, nor have any idea what it might look like. And in addition to the aforementioned confusion over backward compatibility and the apps platform, there are questions surrounding Kinect (which I understand is integrated and non-optional) and of course the fabled (and possibly imaginary) Xbox Surface tablet. We'll have to wait and see what Microsoft announces-or what it leaks-to find out more.

On that note, Microsoft's May event will be broadcast live via Xbox.com, over Xbox LIVE, and on Spike TV if you're in the United States or Canada.

Imo $500 is too much if Sony launches at $400. I won't be picking one up at launch at that price unless Microsoft pulls out some amazing games or somehow their performance is significantly better. Hell, I won't be picking one up at all unless either of those are true.

Another note: I really fucking hope that either Microsoft or Sony court Mistwalker and they don't make a RPG on another Nintendo platform again. The Last Story was utter garbage compared to Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon, which were easily two of the best X360 RPGs of this generation. They're what brought me to the X360 in the first place and were the reason I bought one to begin with.

Everything there looks plausible. Thurrot is usually accurate with his rumours, too.

The $500 price tag won't matter if the rumoured $299 subsidised Xbox is real. Microsoft could market the next Xbox as "starting at $299" and it'd make a $400 PS4 look overpriced in comparison.

In regards to 'always online', I bet the subsidised Xbox will need to be online to play games while the full priced one won't. Microsoft will need to check the accounts linked to subsidised Xboxes to see whether the owners are paying their live fees. The only way they can do this is with 'always online'. The full priced Xbox, in comparison, wouldn't need these checks. Hopefully Microsoft won't force 'always online' onto these Xboxes.

Cor_sl said:

Everything there looks plausible. Thurrot is usually accurate with his rumours, too.

The $500 price tag won't matter if the rumoured $299 subsidised Xbox is real. Microsoft could market the next Xbox as "starting at $299" and it'd make a $400 PS4 look overpriced in comparison.

In regards to 'always online', I bet the subsidised Xbox will need to be online to play games while the full priced one won't. Microsoft will need to check the accounts linked to subsidised Xboxes to see whether the owners are paying their live fees. The only way they can do this is with 'always online'. The full priced Xbox, in comparison, wouldn't need these checks. Hopefully Microsoft won't force 'always online' onto these Xboxes.

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I would hope that people would realize that $299 + a 2 year contract still puts the console at $500 or more. I'd also expect the monthly to be closer to 15 than 10. That's what marketing bullshit is for though I guess. I don't think that would be a huge knock out of the park for them if it requires an always online connection with the subsidy either.

I'm disappointed that they're not going for a $99 + contract X720, now that would be a home run.

Sean_sl said:

I would hope that people would realize that $299 + a 2 year contract still puts the console at $500 or more. I'd also expect the monthly to be closer to 15 than 10. That's what marketing bullshit is for though I guess. I don't think that would be a huge knock out of the park for them if it requires an always online connection with the subsidy either.

I'm disappointed that they're not going for a $99 + contract X720, now that would be a home run.

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People don't realize that. It's the reason why places like Aaron's and Rent-A-Center are in business.

Sean_sl said:

I would hope that people would realize that $299 + a 2 year contract still puts the console at $500 or more. I'd also expect the monthly to be closer to 15 than 10. That's what marketing bullshit is for though I guess. I don't think that would be a huge knock out of the park for them if it requires an always online connection with the subsidy either.

I'm disappointed that they're not going for a $99 + contract X720, now that would be a home run.

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Honestly, people are retarded when it comes to monthly pricing plans.

I'm marketing an online product at the moment that has three payment options: $127 up front, 3 monthly payments of $47 (edit - turns out it's $57), 12 monthly payments of $17. 72% of buyers end up choosing the $17 a month option.

The general buying public is full of morons that are incredibly irresponsible with their money.

Edit - I wonder which other countries Microsoft will be able to introduce a subsidised Xbox in. I can see them launching one in the UK, but that's about it. If that's the case, they'll probably be conceding Europe to Sony for another generation, which would be disastrous.

Burnesto_sl said:

People don't realize that. It's the reason why places like Aaron's and Rent-A-Center are in business.

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Yeah, I know that all too well unfortunately. My dad buys tons of shit from Aaron's and I'm like: Dad, NO. Dad, I am disappoint.

I refuse to buy anything that I do not have the money for up front. I will save up for a year for something if I have to.

Good ol' America. All about immediate rewards rather than long-term repurcussion in everything we do, from the top levels of goverment and corporations down to Joe Blow on the street.

Cor_sl said:

I wonder which other countries Microsoft will be able to introduce a subsidised Xbox in. I can see them launching one in the UK, but that's about it. If that's the case, they'll probably be conceding Europe to Sony for another generation, which would be disastrous.

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I think they'll be conceding Europe to Sony regardless of what they do, especially with Sony going into this solidly and without any major snafus like last time. Sony took Europedespitethe PS3 being a year later, over priced, poor online structure, and no headset; that's pretty crazy and shows how strong the brand is over there. Microsoft is probably going to have a much harder time in Europe this time around.

And then there's Japan. Serious question: Will they even launch a system there? The X360 might as well not exist in Japan as it is.

Sean_sl said:

I think they'll be conceding Europe to Sony regardless of what they do, especially with Sony going into this solidly and without any major snafus like last time. Sony took Europedespitethe PS3 being a year later, over priced, poor online structure, and no headset; that's pretty crazy and shows how strong the brand is over there. Microsoft is probably going to have a much harder time in Europe this time around.

And then there's Japan. Serious question: Will they even launch a system there? The X360 might as well not exist in Japan as it is.

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Yeah, agreed. I don't see Microsoft overturning Sony in Europe at all. Europeans, outside of the UK anyway, are generally more savvy with their money, too, so I can't see a subsidised Xbox taking off in Europe either.

I think Microsoft has to launch the next Xbox in Japan, not to get sales or marketshare, but to win favour with Japanese developers. I doubt many Japanese developers will want to develop games for a system that isn't available in their home country.

http://kotaku.com/game-developers-hy...ium=Socialflow

PS4 controller stuff.

Cor_sl said:

Yeah, agreed. I don't see Microsoft overturning Sony in Europe at all. Europeans, outside of the UK anyway, are generally more savvy with their money, too, so I can't see a subsidised Xbox taking off in Europe either.

I think Microsoft has to launch the next Xbox in Japan, not to get sales or marketshare, but to win favour with Japanese developers. I doubt many Japanese developers will want to develop games for a system that isn't available in their home country.

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Many of the smaller ones don't develop for the X360 at all and never have. Games don't really sell any copies on the X360 over there at all and the only reason they exist is because they need to make a X360 version to sell to the Western markets. Microsoftreallyfucked up by ignoring Japan, imo. They basically gave up on an entire region with a fairly substantial potential customer base.

I'm really curious in seeing how they're going to try to sell the X720 over there or if they'll just do some token release so it "exists" there. I think it's silly that they just gave up and ignored that market before, but it wouldn't surprise me if they do it again.