Console Wars Archives - Page 2 of 15

Xbox One Press Conference Summary and Analysis

Sony fired first with its PlayStation 4 salvo and today Microsoft fired back with an Xbox One counterattack. Due to professional conflicts, I am not permitted to write about the performance of executives at the press conference. I’ll leave that to you. Thankfully, I am allowed to respond to any judgements you make about how Microsoft’s executive team did at the Xbox One reveal. For now, let’s do that thing where I make a bullet point and follow it up with rambling thoughts.

Xbox One Will Have an Eight-Core AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) Clocked at 1.6GHz
The CPU and GPU are on the same die, while the system architecture is 64-bit x86. It’s nice to see Microsoft and Sony using x86 architecture. That should make things easier for developers. While there will obviously be differences creating games for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, it should be much easier than previous generations that featured drastically different consoles. One potential issue with x86 architecture is…

Xbox One Isn’t Backwards Compatible With Xbox 360
This counts for Xbox 360 disc games, as well as Xbox Live Arcade games for Xbox 360. I haven’t checked any forums or blogs yet, but I imagine that some gamers will rage about this “issue.” Microsoft could have added an additional chipset for backwards compatibility, but that would have made the console larger and more expensive.

Xbox One Looks Like an Old VCR
I’m digging the looks of the Xbox One. I like the sharp angles and dramatic vent cutouts. If Darth Vader had a bad-ass VCR, it would look like the Xbox One. The lines make it look like a modern version of the original Xbox. I’m guessing that I’m going to be in the minority on this one and that many fans will bag on the console’s looks because it doesn’t have the smooth aesthetics of Apple products. *shrug*

Cloud Computing Continues
Like the PlayStation 4, Xbox One will have several cloud-based features. You’ll be able to access your console’s gaming content, save files, videos, and more from “anywhere.” You’ll also be able to record gameplay clips, upload them to the cloud, and share them with your friends.

Kinect and Xbox One Control Your TV
The next-gen Kinect is a huge part of the new console, with deep integration than ever. One futuristic and potentially cool feature is how Kinect and Xbox One integrate with your television service. The console will feature a UI that beats the crap out of the one most cable boxes use. Kinect’s voice recognition allows you to control the TV. Saying, “Watch ESPN!” to watch ESPN is very Star Trek.

Xbox One Will Have a “Pre-Owned” Fee
RPadholic Smartguy posted a link in the RPad.TV Google Hangout that confirmed that the Xbox One will have built-in measures to combat the used-games market. Xbox One games will have an installation process that’s tied to individual Xbox Live accounts. An undisclosed fee will have to be paid if another Xbox Live user wants to install the game. Personally, I have no problems with this system, but understand that some people do…and am looking forward to the nerd rage over this “issue.”

[Update: The Xbox Support Twitter says that the report on pre-owned fees is incorrect. It’s a little confusing considering that Microsoft VP Phil Harrison was the first executive to mention the fee.]

Xbox One Has Blu-ray, USB 3.0, and WiFi Direct
The first two features are necessary in 2013. I haven’t used WiFi Direct for anything, but imagine it’s useful for quickly connecting peripherals.

The Xbox One Controller is…
The pictures make the controller look cheaper than the Xbox 360 controller, but that doesn’t mean much. I’m guessing it looks better in person. A few of my journalist friends said that they weren’t allowed to touch the controller. Feel is obviously the most important thing. The new controller allegedly features more than 40 improvements over its predecessor. Many gamers believe that the Xbox 360 controller is close to perfect, so I’m curious to see what the reaction will be to the new gamepad.

Halo…the Live-Action TV Show
Steven Spielberg will be the executive produce of Halo: The Television Series, a live-action program that will debut on Xbox Live. The kids will go nuts for this.

Microsoft and NFL Sitting in a Tree
In a move that will be huge in America and nowhere else in the world, Microsoft has the exclusive rights to create interactive experiences that complement NFL programming. Kinect and SmartGlass will be used to enhance the (American) football experience. I’m sure that many of you will love this.

Price, Release Date, SKUs
Those should be announced at E3 2013. You have to save something for later, right?

Your Take
Now it’s your turn! What are your initial thoughts on Xbox One? How do you feel about the deeper Kinect integration? Are you digging the television features? Any opinions on backwards compatibility and the pre-owned games fee? Share your thoughts like a Care Bear in the comments section (please)!

Coffee Talk #584: Xbox Infinity, Good Name or Bad?

Sorry for the late start today, guys and gals. On top of my busted heel, I’ve caught a cold. I’m going to blame it on the weather shifting from 70F to 90F in a week. Anyway, one of the latest rumors on Microsoft’s next console is that it will be called Xbox Infinity. A few of my sources said that the name is legit, while a few have said that it’s not. Let’s forget about that for now and judge the name Xbox Infinity. Do you love it or hate it?…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the joys of siphon-brewed coffee, the fascinating Silicon Knights shell game, or E3 2013 judges week, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

On one hand, it’s a dynamic name that should make for some cool branding. There’s also that built-in Buzz Lightyear marketing. On the other hand, some tech pundits believe that Xbox Infinity is too close to Comcast’s Xfinity brand. Additionally, the name kind of boxes Microsoft in, no? Where does the company take it from here? Xbox Infinity + 1? Xbox Infinity and Beyond?

As a fan of the Scott Pilgrim books and movie, I immediately thought of the scene pictured above when I heard the name Xbox Infinity. It’s not that I think the name is bad (it does nothing for me either way), but rather I’m going enjoy reading about Sony fanboys going off on the name (should it pan out).

What do you think? Xbox Infinity — yay or nay?

Next Xbox Always-On Internet Rumor Debunked?

One of the most controversial rumors on Microsoft’s Xbox was that it would require a persistant Internet connection to function. Many pundits and gamers thought this was outrageous. Some believed that no console company in their right mind would do this, while others felt that it was crazy enough to happen. Ars-Technica claims to have a Microsoft internal email that debunks the always-on Internet rumor. Here’s a quote from said email:

Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet. 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.

Naturally, the email has led to even more speculation (always one of the most entertaining nerd pastimes prior to a console announcement). Some writers have noticed that installing games could possibly require an Internet connection for authentication. Others feel that the fact that Microsoft sent out an email to refute the always-on Internet rumors means that such functionality was once considered. I don’t know about any of that, but I’d love to hear your take on the matter.

What do you think of Microsoft’s internal Xbox 720 rumor? Do you think it was a last-minute policy change? Do you think the machine will require an Internet connection for installing games? Or is that too inconvenient for gamers? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

Source

No Nintendo Press Conference at E3 2013

As Polygon reported yesterday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company will not have a traditional press conference at the E3 2013 trade show. Instead, the company will focus on smaller events. Whether this is a sound strategy or not remains to be seen. What’s certain is that is creates a perception problem for Nintendo. Its major competitors, Microsoft and Sony, are going large with events to promote upcoming console hardware. By not having a competing presser, many pundits believe that the company looks weak, whether that’s a fair judgement or not.

For my part, I couldn’t help but think of the last major console company not to have an E3 presser: Sega. Before it was Microsoft vs. Nintendo vs. Sony, it was Nintendo vs. Sega vs. Sony. I distinctly remember videogame journalists predicting the demise of Sega when the company announced that it wasn’t having an E3 press conference. Many of them had the knee-jerk reaction that it was a sign of the company’s impending doom as a console-hardware manufacturer. And that knee-jerk reaction was right.

Nintendo’s supporters are defending the move by saying that E3 doesn’t matter anymore, the trade show isn’t for the enthusiast press (and by extension, readers of enthusiast outlets) anymore, and that Nintendo plays a different game than the other console companies. I’m not going to argue any of those points because that’s not a debate that can be won. What’s undeniable is that by not having an E3 2013 press conference, Nintendo has created a perception problem that the company’s marketing and PR teams will have to fight.

Of course I want to hear your take on the issue too, because you guys and dolls are smart and awesome. RPadholic smartguy and I touched on it briefly in the RPad.TV live chat, but lets keep the conversation going. What do you think of Nintendo not having an E3 2013 presser?

Source

Microsoft Xbox “Reveal” Event on May 21, 2013

Microsoft has sent out invites for a press event on May 21, 2013 and is flooding social media with the tag #XboxReveal. The event is months after Sony’s PlayStation 4 reveal and weeks before the E3 2013 trade show.

Since all of you know what’s coming, let’s have some goofy fun with this one. I will playfully ask, “What do you think Microsoft will reveal at the #XboxReveal event?” You will kindly provide facetious answers. For example, “Obviously Microsoft is putting out a new toaster that requires an always-on Internet connection.” Let’s do this!

Coffee Talk #573: Do Videogame Console Mascots Matter?

Today’s column has been swimming in my head for a few weeks, but really came together after having coffee with my friend Joey this morning. For decades, mascots were a huge part of marketing videogame consoles. Nintendo has Mario. Sega, when it still made hardware, had Sonic. There have been so many changes to the nature of consoles and the nature of marketing, that many people believe that mascots are irrelevant…or at least not as important as they used to be. Let’s examine the issue together in today’s Coffee Talk (which was literally inspired by a talk I had over coffee)…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, getting a wisdom tooth removed without the benefits of laughing gas, getting a wisdom tooth removed without the benefits of vicodin, or the hazards of being a pedestrian in the Philippines, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

When consoles were simply about games and boxes, iconic characters were hugely important in establishing a machine’s identity. With online gameplay, the emphasis on non-gaming services, and the rise of first-person perspective games, mascots aren’t as powerful as they used to be. Microsoft has Master Chief from Halo, who isn’t in the same league as Mario. Many people feel that Sony has been successful despite not having a mascot. It used to be that you played a game as a character, imagining that you were adventuring as him or her. There are many games where you are the character or you control the adventure in a way that’s far more personal than in older games.

Marketing and branding has also changed so that everything is about you. Social media — a huge part of…well, everything these days — has raised the bar of the brand of you. Some of the most wonderful changes to consoles in the last decade are related to personalization, both with the hardware and the games they run. It can be argued that videogame characters and sharing adventures with videogame characters have become less important than videogame experiences catered to you.

(On a side note, the whole “Brand Called You” thing had me thinking about this Fast Company article my Ziff-Davis friends and I were over the moon about back in 1997.)

So do you videogame console mascots still matter? I would understand arguments that they don’t mean much these days. I would even understand arguments that they don’t matter at all in 2013. Naturally, I want to hear your position on the topic. Fire away in the comments section (please!).

Xi3 Piston Console Steam Box Arriving Holiday 2013

Xi3 Corporation has announced that its Piston Console will start at $999.99 and arrive during the Holiday 2013 season. According to Kotaku, this “unofficial” Steam Box is being partially financed by Valve. Curiously, the “Valve” and “Steam” brands aren’t mentioned in the Piston Console’s press release. The system is available for pre-order with a $100 discount that’s good until March 17, 2013 at 11:59PM CST.

The pre-order page shows that the Piston Console packs an AMD R464 quad-core processor listed at 3.2GHz, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. A 256GB SSD can be added for an additional $340 while a 512GB SSD can be added for an additional $750. According to CPU World, the AMD R464 has a standard frequency of 2.3GHz and a “Turbo” frequency of 3.2GHz.

I know that RPadholic smartguy is anxious for a Steam Box. Are any of you interested in Xi3’s Piston Console? Will you take advantage of the pre-order savings? Or are you going to wait for more choices? What do you think of the Piston Console’s looks and price?

Source via Kotaku

PlayStation 4 to Cost $400?

Remember when the PlayStation 3 launched for $499 (20GB) and $599 (60GB)? Most pundits agree that those prices won’t fly in 2013. The Asahi Shimbun Digital reports that the PlayStation 4 (or whatever it’ll be called) will debut at 40,000 Yen, which converts to just under 428 USD. With that conversion in mind, it’s conceivable that Sony’s next console will launch in America for $399.

Charging big money for new consoles is old hat, but the consumer electronics market is going through some fascinating changes that could put a ceiling on launch prices. Hardware manufacturers are staying away from bleeding-edge silicon and emphasizing services. Smartphones, tablets, and streaming videogame systems (Ouya for $99!) have made $600 gaming systems an iffy proposition for many consumers.

With Nintendo leading this console generation with $299 and $349 systems, I expect Microsoft and Sony to sell for a little bit higher, but certainly not double. Of course the Wii U uses relatively old chips that are more inline with current consoles than the rumored silicon inside its competitors’ upcoming machines. Still, I would be surprised if a $600 console debuted this year. If it happens, it better wash and fold my laundry after I’m done playing games.

What do you think of the $400 PlayStation 4 rumor? Do you think that’s the right price for a new console in 2013? Or do you think we’ll see another $600 machine? How much would you be willing to pay for a new PlayStation or Xbox system?

Source via The Verge

Next Xbox Won’t Play Used Games?

Edge has a bunch of rumors on the next Microsoft Xbox. The juiciest of which is that it won’t play used games. Console manufacturers and videogame publishers have been happily working towards this, while retailers and consumers have been fearing and loathing these developments. Here’s a quote from the article:

Microsoft’s next console will require an Internet connection in order to function, ruling out a second-hand game market for the platform.

The article also covers the rumored innards of the next Xbox, which include, “an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM.” To me, the blocking of used games is much more fascinating than the hardware specs, since it will have massive repercussions and result in record-breaking gamer rage. While I personally don’t care about the used-game issue, I’m totally ready to sit back, munch on some popcorn, and watch the mother of all flame wars ensue (should this come to pass).

How do you feel about the rumor of the next Xbox not playing used games? Do you think it’s bunk? Is it too soon for such a drastic measure? Or is this simple where the gaming business is going? Does a required Internet connection limit the console’s appeal? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

Source

Coffee Talk #564: What Will Win the Next Console War?

The next generation of console wars is nearly here! Nintendo’s Wii U is already available. Sony is expected to announce the next PlayStation later this month. And Microsoft is expected to announce the next Xbox by E3 2013. In the past, hardware and exclusive games shaped the outcome of console wars. More recently, online serves like PlayStation Network and Xbox Live helped determined the outcome. With many people believing that the upcoming batch of hardware will be the end of traditional consoles as we know them, what do you think will…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, last night’s return of Linsanity, PETA going after Beyonce for her Super Bowl outfit, or missing Las Vegas during DICE time, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The next generation of console wars is nearly here! Nintendo’s Wii U is already available. Sony is expected to announce the next PlayStation later this month. And Microsoft is expected to announce the next Xbox by E3 2013. In the past, hardware and exclusive games shaped the outcome of console wars. More recently, online services like PlayStation Network and Xbox Live helped determined the outcome. With many people believing that the upcoming batch of hardware will be the end of traditional consoles as we know them, what do you think will determine the next skirmish. More importantly, what features are most important to you?

Some people believe that games will be an afterthought, or at least exclusive games. They believe that all three platforms will have great games, so it’ll be a wash. I somewhat disagree with this stance. While exclusives aren’t as powerful as they used to be, I believe they still shape a console’s identity.

Most pundits agree that pure horsepower isn’t as relevant as it used to be. This is a trend that extends beyond consoles. Generally speaking, consumer electronics have become more about software and services than powerful hardware. One of the reasons that Xbox 360 was more successful than PlayStation 3 was that Xbox Live was much better than PlayStation Network for years. While Sony’s service has improved greatly, some feel that the improvements didn’t come fast enough.

Continuing on the services tip, the social, non-gaming, and premium features of consoles have become hugely important. Many gamers prefer Xbox 360 because that’s the system most of their friends use online. Playing games with friends is almost always more fun than playing with strangers. Some people spend more time using the non-gaming features of consoles more than playing games. Features like streaming video services and video chat are quite popular. Then there are the premium services. Some people feel that PlayStation Plus trounces Xbox Live Gold.

Some journalists are shouting about developer ease-of-use being paramount. That’s certainly an important issue, but some of the writers that are taking this stance have little idea what goes into making a game. Honestly, I’m not sure where this is coming from. It’s one thing for developers to say or write things like this, but journalists that don’t understand game production? Then again, there are a lot of journalists that write long diatribes about what Company X needs to do to turn things around while having no clue about running a business. Personally, I’m going to leave this issue on the table and let smarter people discuss it. Besides, I’m not sure that most gamers care.

So games, hardware power, and online services…. What else is there? What concerns you the most? What features and factors do you think will be most important in the next generation of console wars? Please shout it out in the comments section!