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Microsoft to officially unveil Xbox next, aka Durango May 21 (1 Viewer)

Carlo_M

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Very excited to see the next-gen systems. More CPU/GPU horsepower and RAM is always nice but I hope they work on improving the overall experience - reducing load times for games, better network lag compensation, etc.

It will be interesting to see the reactions of the masses if indeed Durango is Online Required. Personally I have no problem with it as I'm always online (though I would hope wi-fi is standard and at least 802.11n if not 802.11ac). But I know a significant chunk of America still doesn't have broadband, and an even larger chunk where "broadband" is just a bit faster than DSL but nowhere near what some of us in major metropolitan areas are getting.

I know social media integration is supposed to be part and parcel with next-gen systems, as well as the ability to take over your living room's multitude of devices. I can take or leave that. But I do hope they don't just focus on those aspects at the expense of the gaming part.
 

Ruly2

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I CANT WAIT TO SEE THAT THIS XBOX IS!!! :D

BTW this was in my emails. I think that this is possibly the name and the logo for the new system:
xbox_720.jpg
 

mattCR

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Yep, I'm there. XBOX720 and PS4 will probably be both in my livingroom come Christmas. But I'm really looking for where MS goes with XBOX720.
 

Citizen87645

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I guess I waited long enough I can actually skip over the 360 entirely.

Original XBox owner.

:D
 

DaveF

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I was GameCube instead of Xbox. But the wii didn't excite me as much as the 360. I doubt I'll get te 720 ( is that really the name?) this year, but I'll wait for price and feature before ruling it out. I've swung back into gaming, having gotten some RSI issues under control, settled into te new house and I find I'm in an extended console use period. I should be swinging back to PC gaming now, but consoles are easier, more comfortable and cheaper for me. So maybe I can upgrade this ear?
 

Carlo_M

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It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft decided to stick with XBox as the name (rather than 720 or Durango or whatever), in the way that Apple has now called the iPad just iPad, and stopped affixing numbers after it.

A potential problem could be backwards compatibility confusion (meaning that Apple can call it an iPad because as of now all iPad versions can run all apps). But I suppose no one right now is buying the original XBox console anymore, so they could choose to brand it as XBox, and all 360 games could be repackaged to say "plays only on the 360".

It definitely seems like console turnover rates are slowing, it used to be every 4-5 years, now this one was like 8 years between consoles, so choosing just XBox would seem to be a safe thing to do with regards to branding for the next decade.
 

Ruz-El

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Cameron Yee said:
I guess I waited long enough I can actually skip over the 360 entirely.

Original XBox owner.

:D
I'm in the same boat, I skipped the 360 for a PS3.

Curious to see how this compares to the PS4. nothing about the PS4 announcement got me excited to adopt early.
 

Carlo_M

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I'm kind of with Russell on this one. Both my PS3 and 360 still are great for gaming (actually the 360 is, I use the PS3 rarely now). Their shortcomings aren't necessarily related to their ability to push pixels. As I said, more horsepower and memory are always welcome, but MS and Sony really need to make a compelling upgrade case with these new machines, otherwise I'll be one of those sitting on the fence until either a killer app (or likely several killer apps) emerge, or wait for the first price drop. I guess as I near the dreaded four-oh, I'm at a much different place than I was when I bought previous game systems.
 

Bryan^H

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Carlo Medina said:
A potential problem could be backwards compatibility confusion (meaning that Apple can call it an iPad because as of now all iPad versions can run all apps). But I suppose no one right now is buying the original XBox console anymore, so they could choose to brand it as XBox, and all 360 games could be repackaged to say "plays only on the 360".
I have heard rumors that Microsoft will continue to support the 360 for a long while after the new system is released. That being said, as an original X-Box owner, I thought it was pretty crummy what they did with original Xbox after the release of the 360. Soon after the 360's release(a month or so) all original Xbox systems were off shelves. Just when I needed to buy a new one (my Xbox unit died). I was stuck with a bunch of Xbox games, and nothing to play them on. The partial backward compatability of the 360 was of no use to me as it was very buggy and didn't play my games correctly.
 

DaveF

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Carlo Medina said:
I'm kind of with Russell on this one. Both my PS3 and 360 still are great for gaming (actually the 360 is, I use the PS3 rarely now). Their shortcomings aren't necessarily related to their ability to push pixels. As I said, more horsepower and memory are always welcome, but MS and Sony really need to make a compelling upgrade case with these new machines, otherwise I'll be one of those sitting on the fence until either a killer app (or likely several killer apps) emerge, or wait for the first price drop. I guess as I near the dreaded four-oh, I'm at a much different place than I was when I bought previous game systems.
I now expect a lazier startup experience after having the iPhone and iPad. I hope for a massive hard drive, to install and launch games from. I also hope for super fast startup speed. Now, turning on the Xbox....wait....open up entertainment cabinet, press eject button, juggle discs and cases and swap games, then press load....wait...play. I want to select the game from my couch and load it. I also get confused when I go online to buy a game like Bioshock Inf or Civ Rev, and can't. I want the 720 to have a "Shut Up and Take My Money!" Feature.
 

Carlo_M

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Wouldn't SSD be nice? I don't think there's any way they do it, but sure would be cool. Or at least the opportunity to add one and realize benefits by doing so.
 

DaveF

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A FusionDrive solution with a small SSD drive for the boot OS could be cost effective. Another solution would be to have a low-power sleep mode so it's always on, so "turning on" are fast.
 

Morgan Jolley

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I think MS is going to veer too far towards non-gaming functionality, much as they have with their E3 pressers for the last few years. Honestly, the power and success of the 360 lies squarely on timed-exclusive Call of Duty maps, Halo, and Gears of War. Otherwise, almost everything of value for the 360 was also on the PS3. Their business is doing well overall but it's not quite the powerhouse it was in 2008/9/10.

From what I've read, there are specific functions that will require you to always be online. There's an HDMI passthrough option where you can basically use your Kinect 2.0 to control your cable box and the console will overlay Xbox functions on the video. This sounds really neat, but it requires you to always be online for TV programming information. That said, it's not a gaming function and I'm not sure people have been clamoring for this.

Most of the innovations of this generation will be the same on both the PS3 and 360. (And, arguably, some of the great new ideas are already implemented in the Wii U; second screen play, off-screen play, and MiiVerse are already being copied by Sony.)

I honestly think MS will have a very nice looking console/controller with a good name attached (regular old "Xbox" sounds good to me) but I think their over-emphasis on non-gaming stuff will kill them in the gaming press. I don't see them launching with anything significant enough to beat Sony, except probably a Halo game.
 

Jeff Cooper

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So far, I'm not really interested in upgrading to the next generation consoles. The only thing I want out of my consoles is gaming functionality, and the current generation delivers that in spades. I have enough backlog currently to last at least a year, if games suddenly stopped being released.

Online connectivity, social media integration, web browsing, controlling every device in my household, streaming content -- all I couldn't care less about, and will not be paying extra for.
 

DaveF

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I would love for Xbox Gold to be free. That would change my gaming, since I haven't been able to bring myself to pay for online.
 

Carlo_M

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Now all they need are force-feedback body suits so that when you are playing Halo in your Illumiroom, when you're shot, you *feel* it!
 

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