Engadget: Xbox Is Poised To Dominate The Next Console Generation

[correojon]

MS still has a lot of work if they want to become #1. For starters, outside of US the brand is very weak when compared to Nintendo and Sony. Let´s not forget how MS divided countries into tiers with the launch of the X1 and focused on TVTVTV, NFL and services that weren´t available or just made no sense outside of the US. Doing the same as Nintendo or Sony won´t make them catch up as they´re really behind, they need to do something "extra".
Regarding games, PS3 ended last gen in a very powerful position with stuff like TLoU and has reinforced that with Uncharted 4, GoW, Bloodborne, Spider-man...Nintendo has BotW, Oddyssey, Mario Kart, Splatoon 2...And what does MS have to compete with that? Ori 2, Crackdown 3 (we´ll see) and some recently purchased studios. Those are steps in the right direction, but in no way put them in a situation to dominate against stuff like TLoU2, Pokémon or even Metroid Prime 4.
I think XBox only has a chance of "winning" in the US, but it´ll only happen if Sony screws up majorly and even then it won´t make a dent in the rest of the world.

 

[Premium]

And building a moderately better console for $100 more (the Xbonx) isn't impressive, either. I don't see where Microsoft has "proven itself to be more competent".

Click to shrink...

I can't believe you even bothered typing out that paragraph and didn't stop to delete before posting.

In what world is the One X not impressive?

It's been universally lauded by professional hardware reviews and gamers alike. Not only the strongest console delivering true 4K gaming, but runs near silent under load.

Not to mention it's compact size with onboard power supply. It's a testament to how far MS has come with their dedicated hardware.

 

[blacklotus]

I don't think so. I think they will put a tougher fight because they have been doing the right things lately, but they still need games.

Next gen will start with backwards compatibility and this will ensure an impressive start catalogue for the PS5 for everything they have put out this Gen.

In the end games will be the deciding factor (if there aren't really big differences in hardware pricing - like forcing you to buy a 150€ camera) and so far that's the only doubt i have with Xbox, since they did "nothing" to improve their line up for the duration of this gen. The buying of new studios (and the closure of others) will only really mean something when they put out.

So no. I don't think so. It will be different because i don't think they will shoot themselfes in the face again, but neither will Sony or Nintendo. It will be a close race if they put out good original games and good quality sequels to their existing Ip's. But they need to to do that. They didn't do this this gen and Sony did. So, right now, i have to assume Sony will keep doing this and i can be sceptical about Xbox.

Let's sure hope so. Everybody wins.

 

[severianb]

The original Xbox One wasn't technically impressive by any measure, where are you getting this from. The GPU alone is only about 2/3 of PS4. And that's not even getting into the RAM situation and how terrible the interface was. It was highly disappointing, and obviously so. Kinect 2.0 was just as unfit for purpose as the Kinect 1, which is why it failed to catch on at all.

And building a moderately better console for $100 more (the Xbonx) isn't impressive, either. I don't see where Microsoft has "proven itself to be more competent".

Click to shrink...

You didn't even slightly comprehend what I said. Wow.

I specifically said "technically impressive" The ESRAM + DDR3 solution is FAR more complicated to get working than the GDDR RAM solutions of the other consoles. It was simply a poor bet because GDDR RAM became low cost and Sony's simpler (therefore less technically impressive) 4GB GDDR design was able to easily be upgraded to 8GB. If GDDR RAM prices would have stayed high, the PS4 would have had 4GB, the Xbox One would have had 8GB and Xbox would have absolutely slayed Playstation. Sony got lucky.

Sony also got lucky that Don Mattrick and Microsoft got cocky and decided they would try to take over the living room with a cable box that had a camera that could tell advertisers exactly who was watching in real time. Hence the need for always connected Kinect and Internet. Of course, EVERYTHING went wrong with that insanely overreaching plan.

But none of that has JACK SHIT to do with the fact the Kinect 2.0 was insanely impressive technology for the price. Technology (sensors measuring the speed of photons, 1080P camera, IR night vision, multiple microphones) that would have cost thousands in a package like that previously. It was stupid and fiscally impossible to provide to gamers who were totally over the motion control craze at that point, but technology-wise, it was amazing.

Try to learn reading comprehension next time.

 

[Putty]

You didn't even slightly comprehend what I said. Wow.

I specifically said "technically impressive" The ESRAM + DDR3 solution is FAR more complicated to get working than the GDDR RAM solutions of the other consoles. It was simply a poor bet because GDDR RAM became low cost and Sony's simpler (therefore less technically impressive) 4GB GDDR design was able to easily be upgraded to 8GB. If GDDR RAM prices would have stayed high, the PS4 would have had 4GB, the Xbox One would have had 8GB and Xbox would have absolutely slayed Playstation. Sony got lucky.

Sony also got lucky that Don Mattrick and Microsoft got cocky and decided they would try to take over the living room with a cable box that had a camera that could tell advertisers exactly who was watching in real time. Hence the need for always connected Kinect and Internet. Of course, EVERYTHING went wrong with that insanely overreaching plan.

But none of that has JACK SHIT to do with the fact the Kinect 2.0 was insanely impressive technology for the price. Technology (sensors measuring the speed of photons, 1080P camera, IR night vision, multiple microphones) that would have cost thousands in a package like that previously. It was stupid and fiscally impossible to provide to gamers who were totally over the motion control craze at that point, but technology-wise, it was amazing.

Try to learn reading comprehension next time.

Click to shrink...

Good lord...

 

[Bunkles]

 

[Thatguy]

No need to count your eggs before they hatch, show me the receipts games before we talk about domination.

Click to shrink...

This is why the article is click bait. People buy a console for it's games, and Sony has more high end studios than any of the big 3. A streaming $99 box isn't going to turn the tables. Microsoft has had a 1st party studio problem since the beginning and it's gotten worse now that Fable is done and Bungie left. Sure Minecraft won't be on PS5 but there are tons of builder wanderlust games out there now.

 

[Popetita]

Games remain to be seen because of the recent acquisitions but MS has the opportunity to have the best value proposition of any console out there next gen. Gamepass and Backwards Compatibility in their current state deliver that.

I don't think it will translate into them dominating but maybe it will get them more attention.

 

[Cthulhu_Steev]

sensors measuring the speed of photons

Click to shrink...

lol, you know this doesn't change, right?

 

[BradGrenz]

I specifically said "technically impressive" The ESRAM + DDR3 solution is FAR more complicated to get working than the GDDR RAM solutions of the other consoles. It was simply a poor bet because GDDR RAM became low cost and Sony's simpler (therefore less technically impressive) 4GB GDDR design was able to easily be upgraded to 8GB. If GDDR RAM prices would have stayed high, the PS4 would have had 4GB, the Xbox One would have had 8GB and Xbox would have absolutely slayed Playstation. Sony got lucky.

Click to shrink...

It's not impressive. It's a bad solution to a self-inflicted problem. Sony didn't get lucky; they built a machine to be good at games. MS built a machine where TVTVTV was the priority and it led to poor choices and ugly kludges. A 4GB PS4 still would have been better than the Xbox One that released.

 

[Dragoon]

This is why the article is click bait. People buy a console for it's games, and Sony has more high end studios than any of the big 3. A streaming $99 box isn't going to turn the tables. Microsoft has had a 1st party studio problem since the beginning and it's gotten worse now that Fable is done and Bungie left. Sure Minecraft won't be on PS5 but there are tons of builder wanderlust games out there now.

Click to shrink...

While I agree, this gen is propbably the shittiest 1st output ever made by a console manufacturer, there's no way they will be anywhere as bad next generation. They're locking up a ton of studios and giving Bungie more than 2 years to make games now, so I'm expecting a lot more out of them. I don't know if this means they can get on the level of Nintendo or Sony, but they will definitely be trending upwards by some margin compared to this gen and what we expect next gen.

 

[Bradbatross]

This is why the article is click bait. People buy a console for it's games, and Sony has more high end studios than any of the big 3. A streaming $99 box isn't going to turn the tables. Microsoft has had a 1st party studio problem since the beginning and it's gotten worse now that Fable is done and Bungie left. Sure Minecraft won't be on PS5 but there are tons of builder wanderlust games out there now.

Click to shrink...

Fable is done? Minecraft won't be on PS5?

 

[Respawn]

I agree.

*Edit to elaborate more


Xbox brand killed itself at the start of the gen. Sony capitalized it by using that failure to their gain. Hell even their slogan "for the players'' is a tongue in cheek play on words against the anti consumer DRM microsoft plans.

IMO sony got very very lucky. Dont get me wrong they have quality games and PSVR. It's my main console.

But tides will change with quality hardware. Gamepass and improved exclusives which I'm sure will blow us away when revealed.

Click to shrink...

They got lucky? You mean by giving consumers what they want and didnt try to screw them over. I can only imagine where they would be if they weren't lucky.

 

[Deleted member 5764]

They got lucky? You mean by giving consumers what they want and didnt try to screw them over. I can only imagine where they would be if they weren't lucky.

Click to shrink...

I think the post you replied to could have worded things better, but I tend to agree with them. Sony made all the right moves at the start of this gen, but they "got lucky" in that Microsoft handed them a PR win on day 0.

I'm not of the mind that Microsoft is going to trounce Sony next gen, but I do believe we'll see a much tighter race when Microsoft doesn't fall flat on their face before things even start.

 

[Thatguy]

While I agree, this gen is propbably the shittiest 1st output ever made by a console manufacturer, there's no way they will be anywhere as bad next generation. They're locking up a ton of studios and giving Bungie more than 2 years to make games now, so I'm expecting a lot more out of them. I don't know if this means they can get on the level of Nintendo or Sony, but they will definitely be trending upwards by some margin compared to this gen and what we expect next gen.

Click to shrink...

It's a tough uphill battle. You buy a studio, and all the talent walks out. Sony and Nintendo have top shelf established studios that have been around for decades. Will Xbox really get enough exclusives that are high enough in quality to get people to buy an Xbox 5* instead of or in addition to Sony or Nintendo consoles? I strongly doubt it.

*They're going to call Xbox One X the Xbox 4 I'm guessing.

 

[Thatguy]

Fable is done? Minecraft won't be on PS5?

Click to shrink...

Lionhead closed in 2016. Microsoft account is required for all versions of Minecraft going forward, which Sony has historically not allowed.

 

[Bradbatross]

Lionhead closed in 2016. Microsoft account is required for all versions of Minecraft going forward, which Sony has historically not allowed.

Click to shrink...

It's pretty common knowledge that Playground is working on Fable. And I'd be very surprised if Minecraft isn't on PS5. It's way too big for Sony to miss out on.

 

[Respawn]

I think the post you replied to could have worded things better, but I tend to agree with them. Sony made all the right moves at the start of this gen, but they "got lucky" in that Microsoft handed them a PR win on day 0.

I'm not of the mind that Microsoft is going to trounce Sony next gen, but I do believe we'll see a much tighter race when Microsoft doesn't fall flat on their face before things even start.

Click to shrink...

Agreed

 

[Kumomeme]

they probably could give good fight..but beat sony is not easy...especially sony first party foundation and install base is build quite strong for this past 3 generations