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[RoadHazard]

The point of buying a console is that you get a predictable experience with zero configuration, and games will run the same as on all other units. If a game is optimized to run at 60 on that console it will run at 60 on your particular console. This seems like it would probably remove that advantage.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

It will be a shame because the engineering team that put together the series x and s did an outstanding job on the design and the build quality is top tier for that price point.. I very much doubt an OEM can do better

They got fucked by Xbox doing the already hard task of making a console with even harder demands just because the management at Xbox don't know a thing about tech. But I think that most will do something else for Microsoft. As for the oem rumor, I will see it a little like the Series S/X expansion cards. Microsoft will mandate minimum and recomended specs, and the OEM will go and add whatever they want on top of that. You want a really cheap console? Be ready for a noisy one. You want one with all the USB ports? Go that way. This would mean that Xbox will not push for something as drastic as Directstorage this time.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

3DO all over again.

Nah more Jaguar.

 

[Chukhopops]

As if Flight Sim will be a succes on Playstation.
The Playstation installbase will largely ignore it.

Yeah that’s my point. The whole thing was barely believable before but the Flight Sim part is beyond any logic.

It's true

Feel free to not believe it though, that's the smart thing to do. but the next 2-24 months, you will see this for yourself.

Lmao, playing it safe I guess?

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Fear is in the air and I love it

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

I don't buy this at all.

Noone buys MS products. That's the whole damn problem!

 

[Ozriel]

I laugh every time I see people saying Flight Sim will be multiplat.

Do you honestly think MS will sell a lot of full price MSFS games to PS5 players? Do you think it makes sense financially with the loss of a 40-year old MS license and property? Do you?

Seems like a copy paste of the same insider bullshit we had on GAF.

Yeah, if you were going to choose a console game to make multiplatform to drive sales, Flight Sim would not be that title. Most of the playerbase is on PC.

Again, it’s easy to con gullible people when you tell them exactly what they want to hear.

 

[OverHeat]

Stream line OS for gaming on the way??? Hope so

 

[Topher]

Noone buys MS products. That's the whole damn problem!

 

[Heisenberg007]

FIrst post on the image, everything was said on January 15

Oh, just saw the date after you pointed out. Thank you.

 

[twilo99]

That won't be the point. The point will be profit. They will likely have tiers of $500 or $1000.

Yes, I do agree. The Xbox Series X really is a remarkable piece of machinery.

The only real major knock...and it's a big one....is the lack of expandable M.2 storage.

Right, having tiers is great, I’ve always thought that would be the way, but I was expecting them to design and produce the hardware and eat some of the cost so we can get better performance / price ratio like we do now with the x and s…

The OEM route is not good for us consumers overall..

This scenario would allow Sony to bump up prices as well since there will be no one else subsidizing hardware out there.

 

[cyberheater]

one step closer to putting Xbox OS on your own hand built PC.

 

[Three]

Why don't they just become a proper 3rd party publisher and sell controllers on the side, then?

If this source and rumour is true then they pretty much have but they don't want to lose the 30% cut and their content store so they're still fighting on that front.

 

[Heisenberg007]

I don't think Microsoft needs to make it complicated. No first- or third-party consoles as consoles are loss-leading products anyway.

Just go third-party and do what EA has been doing. They sell games everywhere and have a subscription. Just follow that model.

They made the same mistake before - made things needlessly complicated - when they just had to keep it simple and follow the model Nintendo and PlayStation have been following successfully.

 

[Bry0]

The cross over between a pre built windows machine and a 3rd party “Xbox” is going to be so little that it doesn’t really make sense to me at all. There would need to be a fixed spec but then the question is how much meat will be left in the bone for the manufacturer?

If there is no fixed spec then it’s literally just a pc and will require the same type of abstraction used for of ports, so the benefits of a console are basically going out the window.

Makes no sense. Don’t see it being very compelling to consumers.

 

[icerock]

icerock - I had already predicted that there won't be another traditional Xbox console and that X|S are the last ones. There's also plenty of evidence about them going multiplatform, so not surprising. But the supposed timing of the announcement certainly is interesting.

I have two questions for you if you can kindly answer them:

1. Which Discord server is this? You can DM me if you prefer to (or just ignore this question altogether)
2. How was this poster correct about Indy and other stuff? Did they share this info before reveal? It says "today" in the time stamps.

I cannot reveal which Discord server this is from. There's a lot of stuff which is shared on here, I don't want to blow my cover and lose access. Just to assure you, things in this pic (software part) were corroborated by another well known insider from the industry.

The poster was correct because this leak pre-dates the yesterdays' showcase by few days. It was on January 15th.

So will this "third party hardware" need to be certified and branded by Xbox? Or will it just be a free for all like it is in the PC space?

No going to lie though, an Xbox branded handheld that plays all Xbox games (and gamepass) would actually have the potential to sell well.

But the issue with this is where does the hardware go next? Who decides if and when the Series S stops being the target spec for their games? Or do they just take the PC approach?

Looks like it, like how they do with official 3rd party controllers. The difference will be, MS sum contribution will be limited to providing the software (both OS/Games). Hardware aspect will be left to the manufacturer. It is basically a PC but with their OS baked in, 3rd party manufacturers are free to juice the specs to their liking/target audience.

As far as their own hardware goes, the leak suggests they'll fully embrace multi-plat next-gen. So, they are abandoning the "traditional" hardware so to speak. Next-gen Xbox will lean very heavily into cloud hybrid if I were to guess, and Microsoft will be the only ones manufacturing it.

 

[twilo99]

They got fucked by Xbox doing the already hard task of making a console with even harder demands just because the management at Xbox don't know a thing about tech. But I think that most will do something else for Microsoft. As for the oem rumor, I will see it a little like the Series S/X expansion cards. Microsoft will mandate minimum and recomended specs, and the OEM will go and add whatever they want on top of that. You want a really cheap console? Be ready for a noisy one. You want one with all the USB ports? Go that way. This would mean that Xbox will not push for something as drastic as Directstorage this time.

Right, the low end would suffer the most in this case .. you will never get something like the xss for under $200-250, not a chance.

The high end won’t be an issue, but still, cost per frame will go up dramatically.

 

[Clear]

Its actually logical and stands a decent chance of success as they have the software part of the equation covered.

As I've noted in the past, supporting GamePass and XCloud does not require physical hardware at retail, it simply requires a firmly regulated system spec for production target and compatibility purposes.

Opening the hardware production pathway to third-parties is not a problem provided the locking is done via a software/firmware layer; Essentially it requires the inclusion of a secure boot and bios system that can be used to glue everything together - a far more cost effective thing than mass producing entire systems.

 

[demigod]

Ticking time bomb for twitter warriors and youtube shills. Embrace for impact fellas!

 

[ahtlas7]

Similar to graphics cards? Would there be a Founders edition?

 

[twilo99]

I don't buy this at all.

Why? It makes a lot of sense if they want to be hands off.. it’s not like they don’t have history with dealing with OEMs

 

[SmokedMeat]

Nah more Jaguar.

No.

 

[Mobilemofo]

3DO all over again.

Yeah, minus trip Hawkins and all the bollocks that came with him. Even back then, before that fuckin thing launched, we knew it wouldn't sell...same with the Panasonic version.

 

[dem]

If this happens...

I'm a Pony now!

 

[twilo99]

It is basically a PC that will run the Xbox OS instead of windows or steam os, and games will be target profiles similar to the steam deck. All you will need to do is get yourself Xbox OS certified like how the current Steamdeck process works.


Date in Jan 15th.

Should be dual boot machines where you can load up windows if you needed it, but if you want the “Xbox experience” you can load up the Xbox UI

 

[//DEVIL//]

So.. they want to go the Nvidia GPU route ?

They release their own hardware, but they also give the license other third party to release their own version of the xbox but... probably with a little OC or different cooling design...

interesting idea if that is where they are heading.

Everyone is talking out of his ass these days anyway with Xbox, from going third party to this which is more hardware domination ( complete opposite of going 3rd party ) lol.

MS should start addressing these rumours.

 

[twilo99]

one step closer to putting Xbox OS on your own hand built PC.

Ah, very intriguing..

Probably won’t happen, at least not officially.

 

[Topher]

Why? It makes a lot of sense if they want to be hands off.. it’s not like they don’t have history with dealing with OEMs

It makes a lot of sense if Microsoft wants to exit the console business entirely. If Xbox OEM consoles are sold by third parties then the markup would be huge and the entire point of the console is gone.

So no.....I don't buy any of this.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

We'll see if this rumour is true.

10 years ago when Xbox One was new people were already rumour mongering it would be the last console and quit gaming. Since then, there's been One X, S/X and Bethesda and Activision. EA has also been rumoured to be bought out twice that I know of. And both times it never happened. And nobody rumoured Bethesda or Activision would be bought out and they were. So it goes to show how unreliable or no show rumours can be.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Alex from Digital Foundry buys the Asus Rog Xbox at $1,499 and puts it against the $499 PS6 on every comparison...Sounds like the MS / DF way, right guys?

 

[jroc74]

So, the only difference vs what happened in the smartphone market if this is true is for home consoles MS started out making the hardware and then later offloads that to OEMs.

In the smartphone market it was the reverse, when they eventually bought Nokia. An at the time earth shattering acquisition......that only lasted a few years before they called it quits on hardware.

Eerily similar...

 

[lughnasadh123]

Not sure many people would be thrilled paying a third party for an even more expensive console vs just getting a better PC for the price.

 

[demigod]

So.. they want to go the Nvidia GPU route ?

They release their own hardware, but they also give the license other third party to release their own version of the xbox but... probably with a little OC or different cooling design...

interesting idea if that is where they are heading.

Everyone is talking out of his ass these days anyway with Xbox, from going third party to this which is more hardware domination ( complete opposite of going 3rd party ) lol.

MS should start addressing these rumours.

No, there won’t be a beefy xbox hw if this rumor is true. It’s a cloud hybrid hw only by xbox that they won’t be losing money on.

 

[twilo99]

It makes a lot of sense if Microsoft wants to exit the console business entirely. If Xbox OEM consoles are sold by third parties then the markup would be huge and the entire point of the console is gone.

So no.....I don't buy any of this.

They could do both but I’m not sure OEMs would be happy about competing against them..

It works with their surface PCs where they compete against their own OEMs, but not sure if this would work with gaming machines, especially if MS continues to subsidize heavily.

You are right, the traditional subsidized “console” would no longer exist in this scenario.

 

[Godot25]

source: trust me bro

 

[twilo99]

No, there won’t be a beefy xbox hw if this rumor is true. It’s a cloud hybrid hw only by xbox that they won’t be losing money on.

There might actually be beefier Xbox hardware, it just won’t be subsidized by Microsoft, and the cost per frame will go through the roof.

 

[//DEVIL//]

No, there won’t be a beefy xbox hw if this rumor is true. It’s a cloud hybrid hw only by xbox that they won’t be losing money on.

well fk that if thats the case. I was hoping MS would go Nvidia way and just flood the market with all kind of xbox

 

[twilo99]

Imagine Razer doing a high end Xbox, it will be over $2000 lol

 

[Bry0]

hey wait a minute.

Yall have seen that Xbox documentary MS put out right?

Wasn’t one of the original Xbox pitches to do exactly this? Have pc manufacturers make the box?

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

source: trust me bro

 

[twilo99]

hey wait a minute.

Yall have seen that Xbox documentary MS put out right?

Wasn’t one of the original Xbox pitches to do exactly this? Have pc manufacturers make the box?

I haven’t seen that but from their perspective it makes perfect sense since they’ve been relying on OEMs to sell their software for decades…

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Right, the low end would suffer the most in this case .. you will never get something like the xss for under $200-250, not a chance.

The high end won’t be an issue, but still, cost per frame will go up dramatically.

It depends on what you would call low end. If I was Microsoft I would consider the Series X the low end and sell it at cost for a few years after the next gen begins. Or a redesigned lower node Series X with more RAM and upclocked to be 13 or 14 TF if possible. If we think far enough maybe the phones will be the low end devices that we cast to our TVs and they are getting pretty powerful already.
Streaming from the Cloud, phones, cheap older gen console repurposed as a low cost entry, recommended console specs that cost 1000$+, crazy machine for the enthusiasts at 2000$+. The question is will the games follow? And will the UI be consistent across all configs? While giving the users that have the most money clear indications of why putting more money is rewarded? Maybe one day Digital Foundry will found themselves concurrenced by Xbox who will need to explain what more RAM or a better CPU can allow their games to do. If you want 64 people in a match, you need at least this specs. Devs are lazy will become even more of a thing if they can just ask to use better specs. I fear that more than the lack of a cheap console option.

 

[BlackTron]

Not sure many people would be thrilled paying a third party for an even more expensive console vs just getting a better PC for the price.

I can see it as a pre built PC that happens to have Xbox OS software on it rather than Windows. With a few proprietary tweaks here or there. This could coexist with cloud. The better your hardware, the less you rely on it. The better hardware would get niche, but like PCs, it doesn't really matter. Just an option, not a mass produced console sitting on shelves.

 

[Topher]

They could do both but I’m not sure OEMs would be happy about competing against them..

It works with their surface PCs where they compete against their own OEMs, but not sure if this would work with gaming machines, especially if MS continues to subsidize heavily.

You are right, the traditional subsidized “console” would no longer exist in this scenario.

Yeah, Surface PCs are sold for profit and so they are competitive with third party Windows laptops. I can't see OEMs wanting to compete with a subsidized Microsoft Xbox while they have to markup their hardware to make money. All I see out of this scenario are a bunch of higher priced Xbox consoles. As it is, Xbox can't compete with PS5 so I just don't see how this would do anything but kill Xbox.

 

[Bry0]

I haven’t seen that but from their perspective it makes perfect sense since they’ve been relying on OEMs to sell their software for decades…

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...oral-history-of-an-american-video-game-empire

Exactly, and they did consider it but shot it down. To be fair the economics have changed a bit in the last 20 years, especially with the proliferation of multi plat cross play and better development tools (and online drm for anti-piracy).

 

[poppabk]

Yeah that’s my point. The whole thing was barely believable before but the Flight Sim part is beyond any logic.

Yeah that is way out there. But with 2024 likely coming out in, well, 2024 it should be quickly answered. Flight Sim does sit in its own weird niche for MS - it has robust VR support for example.

 

[Snake29]

Steam machine all over again. If they can't sell their own console. Why would people buy this? They won't be cheap or anything haha.

 

[Darsxx82]

I can't stop freaking out about people's imagination... And my head explodes when I see people here accepting and embracing meaningless theories and speculations from a random Twitter user like these are accomplished facts.

Please, MS has an entire XBOX hardware division working (in fact they can't stop congratulating themselves and being proud of the work they are doing behind the scenes on Twitter).

They very recently placed Jason Ronald (the Beard) as head of hardware and have named Sarah Bond presidenta of XBOX hardware. And P. Spencer a few weeks ago confirmed the development and roadmap of new Xbox console hardware.....

Can anyone in their right mind think that all of this is a smokescreen and that now they have paralyzed everything and left the creation of hardware to third parties?
Do you know the amount of requirements, investment, logistics and capacity necessary to be able to meet millions of requests for a product?

What hardware company is going to see business in something like this when the PC simply exists?

Do you think MS would agree to be responsible for third-party hardware and the difficulties of maintaining the security of those devices? I am clear that the desire of some to see Xbox disappear clouds their vision and they stop reasoning. Or they simply have no interest in reasoning.

Its what came out in the FTC case MS saying something in reply to the dual sku approach that they wanted to be even more flexible moving forward

But something that has been repeated

It was not specifically that. And of course in that meeting described in the FTC docs it was not the "flexibility" what the OP is implying....

-In that meeting, P. Spencer was asked about his plans for the next generation of console hardware. Someone suggests that getting closer to the PC/Apple model by launching continuous hardware updates without limiting yourself to "generations" might be a good opportunity.

-Then P. Spencer answers that it is not that easy. Firstly because the developers and Studios prefer not to have to deal with many versions and optimizing would be a problem.
That with XSS and XSX they have already opted for a more flexible model and that that would be their line also for the next Xbox console, although perhaps they could expand that flexibility...

There is nothing there comparable to leaving what is being suggested in this thread.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

Source; Discord.

Stopped reading there.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

If this source and rumour is true then they pretty much have but they don't want to lose the 30% cut and their content store so they're still fighting on that front.

must be the bolded then, because otherwise it wouldn't make any sense, because you would still have the same problem, except that they'd be outsourcing the hardware.