Uh-Oh!! Is Microsoft setting up to answer Sony?

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by AlphaMan, Feb 22, 2013.

  1. FPAlpha

    FPAlpha Vice Admiral Premium Member

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    I guess Sony also learned a lesson with the PS3 launch and won't offer it for double the price as the 360. However once could argue that the inclusion of the BR drive (at the time not the only HD medium) has let the price skyrocket.

    Now all technologies are more or less readily available.. no risky experiments so i guess the price for both consoles will be around the same.

    This summer and fall is going to be very interesting when real informations gets released.
     
  2. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The tech is readily available, but the new Xbox is almost certainly going to include the new Kinect. Is Sony's new version of the Eye that they've been showing off going to be a pack-in too? If not, that'll probably let them undercut Microsoft.

    Also, Microsoft, if you're listening: let us bring our own hard drive this time.
     
  3. Haggis and tatties

    Haggis and tatties Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^^Very good point on the third party HDD, one of the best features on the PS3 in my view, i have a 320gig HDD in both my PS3's and its been a god send, and they only cost me £49 each a few years ago, talk about bang for your buck. :)
     
  4. Kelthaz

    Kelthaz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Here's some more evidence suggesting that Durango will require an online connection. I have no idea who this guy is, but Neogaf seems to consider him extremely reliable.

    http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=536091
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2013
  5. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    From a parody Twitter account...

    :guffaw::guffaw:
     
  6. PsychoPere

    PsychoPere Vice Admiral Premium Member

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  7. Kelthaz

    Kelthaz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Okay, then I'm taking his second claim a bit more seriously now.

    The new Xbox will cost about 500$ for a normal unit, or 300$ for a subscription model (no details on this) when launched in November. Also, a $99 Xbox 360 codenamed "Stingray" will also be released in November because the Durango will not be backwards compatible with 360 games.

    http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=536163
     
  8. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Now we're being told that the Nextbox reveal has been pushed back to May 21st. This is the second time they've pushed back the reveal a month, giving the PS4 three months in the limelight. It kinda gives the impression that MS are struggling to come up with something to compete with what the PS4 is offering, and that lends some credence to the suggestions that the always online rumours are being leaked to lower expectations. At least, I hope that's the case.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2013
  9. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    Just when I thought I couldn't lose any more anticipation for the next XBox, WTF is going on at Microsoft :brickwall:
     
  10. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    The problem with the idea for an always on-line console, is that you immediatly exclude a number of potential custimers. i.e those that don't have an internet connection.
     
  11. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    And what if our internet is fine but XBL goes down at least when PSN was hacked the other year I still could play offline on the PS3.
     
  12. FPAlpha

    FPAlpha Vice Admiral Premium Member

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    Maybe, just maybe, MS is really worried about the always on feature.. it wouldn't be a big deal at all if Sony had it to but now, especially with the recent PR debacle, it's something that has very negative undertones in the gaming community and maybe MS needs more time to decide if they want to go through with it or do a very last minute redesign.

    Wouldn't count on it.. the new XBox will sell very well, that's a given and MS might just think "To hell with this loud minority".. who knows.
     
  13. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I don't know that it necessarily will sell well. Sony dominated the previous two generations, now they're fighting with MS over second place worldwide, and are a distant third place in the US. That's partly because of the Wii phenomenon, partly because Sony acted arrogantly and released an expensive console that pushed their hardware agenda, namely the cell processor and blu-ray. If these rumours are true then MS appears to be making the same mistake next gen, they're releasing an expensive console that pushes an always online connection and Kinect. They'll probably do well enough, but they're risking the gains they made with the 360. Meanwhile, Sony appears to have learned from the mistakes of the PS3 and it seems like they're making a console that caters to everyone's wishes. If this all comes to pass, there's every chance that the PS4 will dominate its generation the way the PS1 and PS2 did.
     
  14. FPAlpha

    FPAlpha Vice Admiral Premium Member

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    Doing well enough is exactly that.. it will sell well enough to stay in the market successfully. One thing that idiot was right with was that permanent internet connections have become the standard and it won't matter much technically for the core customer. However it is still bad press and they didn't get the chance to break the news on their terms. I'm really looking forward to see how MS tries to spin this.
     
  15. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    Read some a interesting article on GameSpot UK about always online XBox...

    Article

     
  16. Haggis and tatties

    Haggis and tatties Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Microsoft exec quits are enraging the interweb.


    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/11/twitter_orth_adam/


    Was he pushed or did he jump, and did the bad PR it gained on the whole issue of always on DRM, make MS worried about releasing details on their next xbox.


    Intresting indeed.
     
  17. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    Probably a combination of releasing such information in an uncontrolled manner and causing them bad PR in the process. It's not uncommon for someone to be forced to resign, either. It looks better than being fired for cause.
     
  18. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    I've had broadband for nearly a decade now but there is no way I want an always connected console. I bought the Xbox 360 first last gen followed by the PS3, this time around it may only be a PS4.
     
  19. Rincewiend

    Rincewiend Admiral Admiral

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    So the always online and installing games on the hard-drive to play the games things are anti-piracy and used game sales measures...
    If they get a BD-drive in the new system, why not use that as a anti-piracy measure?!?
    It pretty much worked for Sony and the PS3...
    BD-R's and the drives are still very expensive...
    Heck, one of the main reasons the XBox360 sold so well was because it could be modded to play pirated games...
     
  20. Haggis and tatties

    Haggis and tatties Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^^Yeah i dont think anybody really believes that always on line is there to stop piracy anymore, it's there to control the softwear you buy and what you do with it, it has no real advantage to the consumer other than possibly a few seconds quicker loading times from a HDD rather than optical media, but in one fell swoop it kills the second hand games market stone dead, and you are basically paying full retail price to rent your games until they decided to turn off the servers.

    I gave simcity a go and although the game itself is ok and no doubt with patches will be a good game, the issues i have had of late with losing connection both on their and my end, and my saves game not being avalible, not syncing or having to be rolled back due to connection issues, has made it simply frustrating and i have given up on it.

    I dont know if the new xbox will indeed come with a always on line, but i for one will be steering clear in future of anything requiring this kind of drm, i cant be bothered with the hassle of it, and thses days i dont play much online, give me a good single player story anyday, that new tomb raider game there was awesome, and i did not fire up the mutiplayer once and had no desire to do so. :)