New Improved XboxOne Console in 2017

[scotland]

Matching the news of an improved PS4 console, both Kotaku and Polygon are reporting news of an improved XboxOne console, with an improved GPU, coming in 2017. This is in addition to a smaller cheaper bigger harddrive version of the existing XboxOne earlier still.

What I found most interesting is that Microsoft wants to move toward an Apple-like practice of annual hardware revisions. Making consoles like mobile phones, capable of playing many older games and newer games for the next few years, but with decreasing performance as they age. Its much more like PC gaming, where the ability to get the most out of the newest AAA game depends on how up to date your hardware is.

Console video gaming evolving right before our eyes.

[Shapur]

Interesting.

I'm not sure how an annual change is really going to work for them. How far back are they going to maintain compatibility? Apple only cares about the last 2 or 3 generations usually. A 3 year old phone being obsolete is pretty normal(especially with the two year cycle the US has been on with most carriers) but consoles are expected to last at least 5-7 years.

Are the consoles going to be upgradeable? Hard to see why it wouldn't be better just to get a PC if they go down this route.

[Hardcore Sadism]

...This is, also, another example of why people moved onto PC gaming.

Oh well. Should I expect my Xbox One to be useful for any future game 2017 and beyond? What if I end up buying the regular PS4 instead of the Neo when its price gets slashed... Will Sony make it any harder for me to enjoy the original hardware?

God so many questions.

[Shapur]

http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/26/micros ... -consoles/

Seems the new Xbox could be a 6TFLOP machine, while the NEO is rumored to be about 4. Looks like MS might be getting the performance crown back.

An Xbox One slim is rumored for this year, but some are floating around the idea of a disc driveless download only machine. I'm not surprised they'd go that route but it definitely kills any interest I had in it. It would have to be really cheap to justify buying it anyway, with a fully compatible superior model just 1 year away.

[Sut]

This is going to get terribly muddy for the average consumer. I hate the idea of mid gen upgrades, I'm a traditionalist and like the 5 - 7 year cycle.
I know things move on but I moved away from PC gaming because of the constant upgrading and if consoles go the same way then PS4 could be my last new console.

[scotland]

I hate the idea of mid gen upgrades, I'm a traditionalist and like the 5 - 7 year cycle..

Well, the Sega CD was a kinda a mid gen tech bump, since it adds a CPU. The Super FX chip was kinda a mid gen tech bump, game by game. The N64 had a RAM expansion pack. Of course, many older systems may have had upgrades to add new features, like adding in a new media format, or a new controller like Kinect, which was too large aninvestment to just call a new controller.

The idea of upgrading a console, or 8 bit computer, is pretty traditional. However, I am not sure how well any of those were receieved because the expectation is that your console is supposed to last 5 years or so. Lots of consoles and systems only lasted two years or so, but they were not the successful ones. Now Sony and Microsoft are playing on older gamers drewling for the best experience, which requires a constant tech war, and reinvestment. At best, some gamers will keep ugrading for the latest and greatest, while other gamers choose to buy the preowned consoles to play the same games, and everyone buys new games and the system works like it does for Nintendos portables. At worst, console manufacturers have to price consoles higher to make money, but the large number of fully compatible used machines undercuts the business model.

Whats home streaming like now? If it gets good enough to smoothly stream a home office PC game on your living room television, whats left for consoles? Their big draw is the living room television.

[Atarifever]

I absolutely hate this. I am finally not the person consoles are being sold to I guess. This does nothing but make me decide I don't want either system, and ensures I won't early adopt EVER, as early adopters are basically being told they are morons. If you early adopted one of these consoles, congratulations, you have inferior performance at a higher cost. For that higher cost, lower performance machine, you got the joys of dealing with early problems and headaches while the systems found their feet and bug fixed, all while having a meager title selection! See you again next gen I'm sure.

With the PS4 currently selling better than the PS2 did at this point in its life, I wonder specifically where Sony's head is at (likely up their nether regions). Wow, consumers really, really, really like this, and gamers are back on board with us! Let's see how we can shoot our own selves in the foot!

They are on track to outsell the PS2. The PS2! And they're doing a mid generation upgrade? To what end? To cut into their profits on the hardware side? Why!? And how do you sell that? Hey PS4 fans, look how great this game looks! Now look at the version on the new system! Man, that first one looks terrible, doesn't it? But you guys with the terrible version should still totally buy it!

To be clear, I'm not saying the original PS4 version will look bad. Sony is. If not, how will they sell the Neo? Shell out more money for the same performance? Nope. Thus, they have to insult their own version, or at the very least totally ignore it.

Do not want.

[VideoGameCritic]

I can't imagine any of this coming to fruition. Looks to me more like posturing by two companies fighting for the title of most powerful console.

Looking at history, it would be a disaster. People have mentioned the Sega CD/32X, but there was also some upgrade for the 3DO that made big news (the M2?) and never amounted to anything.

I can see including more memory or hard disk space, but upgrading the CPU? Doesn't make sense.

[velcrozombie]

...This is, also, another example of why people moved onto PC gaming.

Oh well. Should I expect my Xbox One to be useful for any future game 2017 and beyond? What if I end up buying the regular PS4 instead of the Neo when its price gets slashed... Will Sony make it any harder for me to enjoy the original hardware?

God so many questions.

I was going to make the same comment - my PC is looking better all the time. I haven't purchased either a PS4 or XBox One yet, and now I have to take a wait-and-see attitude. Remember when one of the strengths of having a console was being guaranteed that, for the life of the console, anything you put in it would run? You had things like the N64 RAM upgrade, but that was optional for all but a couple of games. Now I don't know what will and won't play in what system.

I hope this falls on it's face.

[matmico399]

Just building a massive 360 collection very cheaply and loving it. Although I am aching to play Battlefied 1 when it comes out so I'll see what my options for upgrading are come late October.