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Brad Sams: Microsoft Shifts Xbox Focus to One Next-Gen Console

Savinowned

Savinowned

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,261
Nashville, TN
I like this, but all their forward compatibility talk with the Xbox One & Xbox One X a few years ago still makes me nervous. Will Halo Infinite run on an OG Xbox One? If so, that would be a massive gap in hardware capability between it and the fully powered Scarlett.
 
scitek

scitek

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,077
Yeah right. I highly doubt MS is making another console after how this generation turned out.
 
Falcon511

Falcon511

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,156
Its for the best if Developers arent happy. Need to listen to them first. I can see Lockheart coming back in the form of a streaming box. That costs like $100 and maybe has some processing power in it.
 
DMVfan123

DMVfan123

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
7,361
Virginia
Great decision by MS, especially if what Brad was saying about devs developing for Lockhart and upscaling to Anaconda was true, because that sounded like complete basura
 
asd202

asd202

Enlightened
Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,559
above average said:
Your total guess is not what actual developers who have worked with the early builds are saying, let's see, which outcome should I believe is more likely.

Did you also guess last gen that XB1 was going to be significantly less powerful for more money or was the idea you pulled from your butt that they would be about the same?
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Early builds are early builds we are 18 months away from release. I feel like things will change several times.

About this gen I honestly don't remember I did not actually care about that part back then until after both reveled the official specs. MS had a different vision from Sony in terms of what a console should be. Now they have simillar approach and I think both will land close in the final products.

Also why so hostile?
 
I KILL PXLS

I KILL PXLS

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,544
Makes sense. I assumed their solution to low latency streaming was to have the hardware do some of the processing locally and that Lockhart would have been the barebones version of that machine. That would make it relatively cheap (even compared to the S) since that's all it would do (and otherwise not run games natively). When they started talking about xCloud working on phones and stuff and nothing about local processing, I started wondering what the point of Lockhart was in that case.

Interesting that their strategy was to actually run games natively on it. Did they plan on it being significantly more powerful than the X? If not, what was the point when you also have the X and the S as lower end Xboxes? Either way, I can see why it would be scrapped.
 
nib95

nib95

Contains No Misinformation on Philly Cheesesteaks
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
18,498
Re-post: That's fantastic news. I was always against the idea of having two systems, one much weaker, due to the lowest common denominator being that much lower for the entirety of the gen. Here's hoping they both just launch one system and that the overall ceiling is therefore higher. At the end of the day, Sony and Microsoft can always appeal to the demographics that are worried about initial lump sum investment either through lower-tier streaming options, or long term monthly contract like packages for the console itself.
 

Garjon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,000
I always thought this. Felt that 2 consoles would dilute their power vs price messaging. The lukewarm reaction to the All Digital XB1 couldn't have helped either (if the weaker console was set to have no disc drive). It would also have potentially compromised the version for the stronger console.
 
ZhugeEX

ZhugeEX

Senior Analyst at Niko Partners
Verified
Oct 24, 2017
3,099
KennyX said:
You just locked another earlier topic about this rumor and now say you knew yourself this was the case for a while now?
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Because that thread was not from a reliable source.

The Business Insider interview was two days ago too. That was the original source.
 
retrosega

retrosega

Member
Jun 14, 2019
1,283
Best to give the market a proper next gen machine and focus on that.
Early adopters need to be confident that next gen games are going to be a true leap in tech and have the potential to keep getting better throughout the gen.

I think this is the correct decision by MS, as like everyone is saying, Lockhart is probably too low a benchmark to kick off with.
 
Andromeda

Andromeda

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,846
MS tested the waters with their usual controlled leaks. Most people and particularly devs didn't like the idea at all. Microsoft hear them and kill Lockhart using false reasons.

Simple. They'll probably try again next time though.

EDIT: the idea of a premium PS5 might have contributed to the decision.
 
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dotyoureyes

dotyoureyes

Alt Account
Member
Jun 11, 2019
488
Brad said this:

"First, developers were having a harder than expected time creating next-generation games that spanned across two systems with various specs. As you might expect, developers were putting a focus on making games that would run well on the lower-end device first and then scaling them up to the higher-speced, Anaconda.

Keep in mind, it's easier to scale up than it is to scale down. Because of this, next-gen Xbox games would be at performance and visual disadvantage which is not what Microsoft would like to see as it starts to go head-to-head with the next generation PlayStation".

Such a bad idea, no wonder they canned it.
 
Nightengale

Nightengale

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,708
Malaysia
Deception said:
Even so, the Pro wasn't a substantial leap above the base PS4 and would have benefited if it released a year later like the X.
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I personally don't subscribe to the need for a mid-gen console to be substantially more powerful than the baseline. What a mid-gen console needs to do is meet the upgrade requirement to complement the baseline console, since a mid-gen console will always be tethered to only having "better versions of what the baseline console can run"

In the case of last gen, Year 4 was the better choice because 4TF was not sufficient to meet the 4k potential, and Pro ended up being more of a 1440p console instead. Who knows when the right timing for next-gen is in regards to mid-gen potential.
 
Crayon

Crayon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,580
They have some leverage back in the 360 era where they managed to handicap all games to the size of a DVD, but they never had enough sway to do something like this.
 
dotyoureyes

dotyoureyes

Alt Account
Member
Jun 11, 2019
488
We may not get a mid-gen refresh next gen...wasn't the pro and X more so because of the emergence of 4k?
 
GameSeeker

GameSeeker

Member
Oct 27, 2017
164
If this rumor is true, that's a good move by Microsoft. It was never clear what a lower spec SKU (Lockhart) would deliver that Xbox One S and Xbox One X don't already do, given that Microsoft is pushing cross-generational games.

Sony will launch PS5 and keep the PS4 as it's lower priced SKU. Microsoft can follow a similar strategy.
 
cakely

cakely

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,149
Chicago
Makes perfect sense.

Splitting your userbase at the launch of a new generation just seems like a bad idea.
 
Barneystuta

Barneystuta

Member
Nov 4, 2017
1,637
It would be strange to have two different consoles at launch. The hardcore, those who buy day 1, will likely buy the higher end console.

Those that are more casual would be less likely to upgrade.

I like the idea of a mid gen refresh, like the One X and the PS4 Pro.
 

above average

Banned
Apr 4, 2018
359
User Banned (1 day): Hostility
asd202 said:
Early builds are early builds we are 18 months away from release. I feel like things will change several times.

About this gen I honestly don't remember I did not actually care about that part back then until after both reveled the official specs. MS had a different vision from Sony in terms of what a console should be. Now they have simillar approach and I think both will land close in the final products.

Also why so hostile?
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Sorry you feel challenging your vapid ideas is automatically hostile. I don't post when I have nothing to write but mindless drivel that I'm not prepared to back up, guess that's just me.

Also Spencer literally just said that they don't even view Sony as their competition so "Now they have simillar approach and I think both will land close in the final products." is not based on anything put out there and you are again just posting what you want as if it's a logical conclusion when it's not.
 
PeskyToaster

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,314
Wait so what was project scarlett vs. anaconda vs. lockhart? Are project scarlett and anaconda the same device now or was that always the casE?
 
Inglorious Man

Inglorious Man

Member
Oct 26, 2017
805
Virginia, US
I think it was a good decision on Microsoft to scrap the Lockhart in favor of just having the Scarlett at launch. It is still too early to tell which system will be more powerful between PS5 or Scarlett. Things can change between now to next year. I want to see concrete specs for each system before I make purchasing decision.
 
MaulerX

MaulerX

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,693
Hmmm... He talked about devs complaining about having to scale up from the weaker hardware. Wonder if that's where the PS5>Scarlett rumor came from?

Makes sense for MS to cancel it then. Make Scarlett the best it can be and let the XCloud and Gamepass for PC/current consoles be the entry point.
 
dotyoureyes

dotyoureyes

Alt Account
Member
Jun 11, 2019
488
above average said:
Sorry you feel challenging your vapid ideas is automatically hostile. I don't post when I have nothing to write but mindless drivel that I'm not prepared to back up, guess that's just me.

Also Spencer literally just said that they don't even view Sony as their competition so "Now they have simillar approach and I think both will land close in the final products." is not based on anything put out there and you are again just posting what you want as if it's a logical conclusion when it's not.
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LOL Phil says a lot of things, he also said the X and Pro are different and doing CBR differently and not competing against each other (That was BS) Sony is clearly a direct competitor they fight for the same dollars and users... Easy to say that when you get outsold over 2:1.
 
funky

funky

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,527
I wonder if the scale back Anaconda specs

I saw the duel console approach as a away for them to go extra premium with the higher end sku while offering a lower end one for everyone else.

One console that fits all will naturally have to be more price conscious
 
Philippo

Philippo

Developer
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
7,919
Interesting.

I wonder if Sony could pull a magic trick and launch PS5 with a lower price than Anaconda now that MS has cut out the "affordable" console.
 
Alandring

Alandring

Banned
Feb 2, 2018
1,841
Switzerland
I really hope it isn't true. If it is, it's a bad decision for Microsoft, for consumers and for the industry.

A cheap next-gen console would have helped the adoption of next-gen by consumers. And everyone would have had the choice between a cheap, 1080p console (Xbox S), a nice point between price and performance (PlayStation 5) and a beast, sold at a premium price (Xbox X).

It's a bad day for the video game industry.
 
Loxley

Loxley

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,619
Good plan. As others have said, there was always the concern that Lockhart would hold back Scarlett.
 
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