Next - Gen MS ( Xbox ) expectations

pswii60 · Nov 13, 2018

disaster said:
Nope. That games' 99% is on the PC, and I don't care about the rest. They must return to the damn Xbox 360 era. Only then I get Xbox.

Yeah they're not going to stop releasing their games on W10 store. But that's the point, they're not interested in selling you a console - because you'll still have to buy from their eco-system regardless. Obviously they wouldn't release their games on W10 if they cared simply about selling the plastic boxes.

DrDeckard · Nov 13, 2018

Reckheim said:
how you figure?

I think they'll have the better ecosystem because they are setting up for it now. More backwards compatible games. And stronger hardware.

Prine · Nov 13, 2018

no1 said:
They'll have the better ecosystem and better product I'm sure of it

Yeah, totally agree with this. For one, they have a clear and supported vision for gaming with Gamepass, BC & powerful hardware, they won't have to recover from the collosal mistakes made at the beginning of the gen and they're investing in platform exclusive games right now in preparation, its literally everything gamers thought they needed to do.

disaster said:
Nope. That games' 99% is on the PC, and I don't care about the rest. They must return to the damn Xbox 360 era. Only then I get Xbox.

They get you as soon as you buy thier game

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

disaster said:
Nope. That games' 99% is on the PC, and I don't care about the rest. They must return to the damn Xbox 360 era. Only then I get Xbox.

They want Xbox on phones and tablets so that's a big no I guess.

Kleegamefan · Nov 13, 2018

DutchGamerDad1985 said:
If the console releases with these specs in let's say H2 2020, would that be a budget/mid/high end pc?

I mean apart from the FPS differences the differences looks the be getting really small.

As always, console spec dictates baseline for all the major game developers and publishers.

Raising that spec for consoles next generation raises the tech for all games industry wide, PC and console.

emir · Nov 13, 2018

JDSpades said:
So then you own a pc powerful enough to play all of the games they've released on pc well?

My main platforms for eight years are PC and PlayStation 4. The old generation was PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But this time... I plan to stay only one platform for next generation.

Fingers crossed...

no1 · Nov 13, 2018

Prine said:
Yeah, totally agree with this. For one, they have a clear and supported vision for gaming with Gamepass, BC & powerful hardware, they won't have to recover from the collosal mistakes made at the beginning of the gen and they're investing in platform exclusive games right now in preparation, its literally everything gamers thought they needed to do.

Tbh they just needed to get ready and into position, and they are and you can see how quickly they are buying, and setting stuff up. Their announcements are sorta nonstop compared to sony.

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

Kleegamefan said:
I expect two versions of Xbox next generation. Xbox Scarlett and Xbox Scarlett cloud.

Xbox Scarlett will occupy the high end at $500 and Xbox Scarlett cloud will occupy the low end at $150 or less.

This pricing elasticity will be an overall win for Microsoft allowing them cast a much wider net in terms of customer demographics.

Next-gen, Xbox could both mean high end graphics rivaling dedicated PC gaming rigs, and an affordable gaming platform cheaper than the cheapest Nintendo Switch. With everything playing the same games with extensive backwards compatibility and full Xbox ecosystem interoperability.

Doing this introduces a compelling overall package none of Microsoft's competition offers. This strategy is as close as Microsoft can get to delivering a true differentiator and if it catches on it could be disruptive in the market.

Microsoft knows all too well you can't really easily emulate Sony and Nintendo games (and all the fan following that goes with that)
because it took decades of experience to acquire the expertise they now enjoy. All the money in the world can't fast track that.

In terms of hardware, Xbox Scarlett will be overall very similar to PlayStation 5 :

7nm chip let hardware design
Ryzen2 CPU 8 core/16 thread @~3Ghz
72cu Navi-based GPU @ 1GHz or more
64GB NAND minimum
minimum 16GB GDDR6 @500GB/sec or more
Full HDMI 2.1 compliance
UHD BDXL ROM drive
Full suite of the latest Dolby codecs (True HD,Headphone, Atmos,Dolby Vision)

The Xbox Scarlett cloud will have proprietary bespoke Microsoft streaming hardware so it's impossible to guess what will be in the box.

This is all IMO

Very good post. Although I think in the 360 era they released a lot of good games without the expertise you say they seem to be missing. I agree that they did not reach the same quality this gen. At least not enough.

ThereAreFourNaan · Nov 13, 2018

I think they will be after price parity and "equal or better" performance as their top hardware priorities. They suffered the one-two punch of weaker and more expensive hardware in 2013 and do not want a repeat. I expect a pretty great looking box as with their recent hardware design efforts. Streaming box may come out before the next gen machine even hits.

Software wise I expect them to launch with maybe one heavy hitter like cross gen Halo Infinite. It may or may lot be ready but if I was a gambling man I'd say 2.4 years after the E3 reveal would be enough time to ship it. It's already been 3 years since Halo 5. 2020 is when their new studios will start bearing fruit from projects in dev prior to their acquisitions, and 2021-2022 is when the biggest wave of games will hit.

Deleted member 224 · Nov 13, 2018

disaster said:
My main platforms for eight years are PC and PlayStation 4. The last generation was PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But this time... I plan to stay only one platform for next generation.

Fingers crossed...

If you aren't planning on upgrading your PC for next gen titles, then why are you acting like Microsoft published titles being released on PC is keeping you from buying an Xbox?

Kleegamefan · Nov 13, 2018

Prine said:
Yeah, totally agree with this. For one, they have a clear and supported vision for gaming with Gamepass, BC & powerful hardware, they won't have to recover from the collosal mistakes made at the beginning of the gen and they're investing in platform exclusive games right now in preparation, its literally everything gamers thought they needed to do.

Except they don't make Nintendo nor Sony games and so to the followers/fans of these games, none of that matters no matter how compelling those bullet points looks like on a PowerPoint presentation.

The uphill battle for Microsoft is there are literally millions of these fans evangelizing their respective platforms to anyone who will listen so they must do something completely disruptive to "win the console war" next generation, if that is their goal.

Xbox Scarlett cloud is their best chance at this, IMO.

Deleted member 10629 · Nov 13, 2018

Backwards compatibility
Equivalents of Ryzen 2600 + GTX 1080
4K Bluray drive
Strong gamepass push/support.
I hope the controller remains unchanged.

bsigg · Nov 13, 2018

Kleegamefan said:
Xbox Scarlett cloud is their best chance at this, IMO.

Fyi:

Xbox Scarlett is the next gen console

Project xCloud is the streaming service (as announced it's using Xbox One hardware). This is going to be available on everything Microsoft can get it on, as evidenced by Microsoft talking about it at the Samsung dev conference last week.

Aokiji · Nov 13, 2018

AegonSnake said:
MS cannot afford to be bested by Sony two gens in a row so they will wait for Sony to reveal the specs and then reveal a more powerful console.

They havent shied away from releasing a $500 console so i expect them to go nuts with $500 and release a really powerful console while Sony will likely release another $399 or $449 console with realistic specs.

Sony will likely beat MS to the punch with either a 2019 release or a spring 2020 release like the Switch. MS wont be ready until Holiday 2020 but will have a spec advantage for the rest of the gen.

so in your scenario theyre gonna wait for the PS5 to be announced and then let it be on the market for a year+ so that they can in turn release something more powerful than it?

Anthony Hopkins · Nov 13, 2018

I hope we see some game pass plus program where you get an nextbox for like £200 and you tied to gampass + gold for like £20 a month for 24month.

Detective · Nov 13, 2018

I believe they will go the extra mile. Like they always have done. Except for this gen right with Xbox one.

They've always put the best hardware.

I expect them to embrace lots of PC only features too.
Like with 144Hz, VRR, ultra wise support, Freesync( which they already have ) etc.

I simply can't wait for the next Xbox.

Pryme · Nov 13, 2018

NarohDethan said:
Backwards compatibility

Equivalents of Ryzen 2600 + GTX 1080

4K Bluray drive

Strong gamepass push/support.

I hope the controller remains unchanged.

I'd hope for something more powerful than a 1080 for something releasing in Q4 2020.

ResilientBanana · Nov 13, 2018

I have a PC for a lot of my gaming needs and a Playstation for other needs. If Microsoft can simply improve their Store and expand GamePass with more PC games, I wont need to buy an Xbox, but I'll still be a part of their ecosystem. Playing Sea of Thieves on GamePasss with Xbox friends was a bit of a magical experience for me. Having the ability to speak to them and manage the party over the Xbox App was a fantastic touch as well. I want more of that.

Kleegamefan · Nov 13, 2018

bsigg said:
Fyi:

Xbox Scarlett is the next gen console

Project xCloud is the streaming service (as announced it's using Xbox One hardware). This is going to be available on everything Microsoft can get it on, as evidenced by Microsoft talking about it at the Samsung dev conference last week.

There is also widely presumed to be a low-cost streaming only next Gen Xbox hardware which has been dubbed the Xbox Scarlett Cloud.

I am familiar with the high end Xbox Scarlett and the Project xCloud service.

From Thurrott.com:

https://www.thurrott.com/xbox/163896/details-microsofts-xbox-scarlett-game-streaming-service

The second 'console' that the company is working on is a lower-powered device that is currently planned to ship with the next generation device that is designed for game-streaming. But the catch here is that Microsoft thinks it has figured out how to handle the latency sensitive aspects of gaming.

The cloud console will have a limited amount of compute locally for specific tasks like controller input, image processing, and importantly, collision detection. The downside of this is that it since more hardware is needed locally, it will raise the price of the streaming box but it will still cost significantly less than what we are accustomed to paying for a new-generation console which should help expand the platform's reach.

Flagship · Nov 13, 2018

The thing I cared about the most was the backward compatibility aspect, thankfully they seemed to have confirmed that much already., I can never let go of my past favourites :).

bsigg · Nov 13, 2018

Kleegamefan said:
There is also widely presumed to be a low-cost streaming only next Gen Xbox hardware which has been dubbed the Xbox Scarlett Cloud.

I am familiar with the high end Xbox Scarlett and the Project xCloud service.

From Thurrott.com:

https://www.thurrott.com/xbox/163896/details-microsofts-xbox-scarlett-game-streaming-service

Yea, currently there is the rumored lower price of entry for the Scarlett generation with the streaming box/stick. I'm actually curious what shape that device will actually take, is it just a Roku/Chromecast or is it more of a Nvidia Shield TV?

Also, I think they launch the streaming device next year alongside price drops for the S and X (both of which will be able to stream as well) and allow for all Gamepass titles to be streamed as well as any titles you purchase.

BladeRunner2099 · Nov 13, 2018

I would like to see Halo and Gears finally pulling their weight and delivering World Class Games!

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

BladeRunner2099 said:
I would like to see Halo and Gears finally pulling their weight and delivering World Class Games!

I thought gears 4 was pretty good but nothing ground breaking indeed. The trailers of gears 5 and halo infinite looked really good. This e3 i hope we see more. But with the new engine and extra dev time I'm more confident halo wil deliver.

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

Flagship said:
The thing I cared about the most was the backward compatibility aspect, thankfully they seemed to have confirmed that much already., I can never let go of my past favourites :).

I think BC is 100% in, and maybe even on your phone for that matter ;)

Aokiji · Nov 13, 2018

Anthony Hopkins said:
I hope we see some game pass plus program where you get an nextbox for like £200 and you tied to gampass + gold for like £20 a month for 24month.

how would this work without assigning an early termination fee? and if that's included, you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc? not to mention the total cost of that would be almost 700 pounds sterling

0ptimusPayne · Nov 13, 2018

I hope they really consider having the XBOne bluetooth controller BC as well for Scarlet. Obviously they should make some subtle changes to the current controller for next-gen, but allow us to use both types of controllers going forward.

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

Aokiji said:
how would this work without assigning an early termination fee? and if that's included, you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc? not to mention the total cost of that would be almost 700 pounds sterling

It would work like a phone contract. You can't cancel if you change your mind. You pay a fine or loose the phone.

Anthony Hopkins · Nov 13, 2018

Aokiji said:
how would this work without assigning an early termination fee? and if that's included, you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc? not to mention the total cost of that would be almost 700 pounds sterling

They have already done it with the 1X in the U.S, look into that if your interested im how it will be done.

Aokiji · Nov 13, 2018

DutchGamerDad1985 said:
It would work like a phone contract. You can't cancel if you change your mind. You pay a fine or loose the phone.

that's what an early termination fee is. hence why i stated "you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc?"

Anthony Hopkins · Nov 13, 2018

Aokiji said:
that's what an early termination fee is. hence why i stated "you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc?"

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/xboxallaccess

Aokiji · Nov 13, 2018

Anthony Hopkins said:
They have already done it with the 1X in the U.S, look into that if your interested im how it will be done.

so like the all access pass but with an upfront cost

Anthony Hopkins · Nov 13, 2018

Aokiji said:
so like the all access pass but with an upfront cost

Either one would be good for me.
Upfront cost would make monthly installments smaller so that would be better for me.

Dantero · Nov 13, 2018

Aokiji said:
that's what an early termination fee is. hence why i stated "you think people are gonna wanna sign up for something they can't cancel if they possibly change their mind or need to budget etc?"

Yes I did not disagree. I just meant it would not be really difficult to make it work.

Deleted member 39374 · Nov 13, 2018

I see the streaming box taking the place of the One S at $199, be pretty solidly built, quiet, no optical drive, and come with a 3 month trial of both Live and Game Pass to get you hooked into the ecosystem. Also might have 10Gbe ethernet.

Internal drive should be upgradeable too like the way Sony does it. Or they can offer all flash/SSD models- 128GB, 256, etc with no removable storage option

Kleegamefan · Nov 13, 2018

bsigg said:
Yea, currently there is the rumored lower price of entry for the Scarlett generation with the streaming box/stick. I'm actually curious what shape that device will actually take, is it just a Roku/Chromecast or is it more of a Nvidia Shield TV?

Also, I think they launch the streaming device next year alongside price drops for the S and X (both of which will be able to stream as well) and allow for all Gamepass titles to be streamed as well as any titles you purchase.

It is specifically said to be part of the next generation Xbox "family" so unless Microsoft launches the high end Xbox next year, I don't expect to see the Xbox Scarlett Cloud in 2019 since my linked thurrott article mentioned both Scarlett boxes will launch together.

I do agree with you that all Xbox One devices should be able to stream next generation Scarlett games via the Project xCloud service. It's a pretty brilliant and compelling strategy, IMO.

XBOX
NINTENDO
PLAYSTATION

Next-gen you will have 3 different products with 3 different philosophical strategies

BladeRunner2099 · Nov 13, 2018

DutchGamerDad1985 said:
I thought gears 4 was pretty good but nothing ground breaking indeed. The trailers of gears 5 and halo infinite looked really good. This e3 i hope we see more. But with the new engine and extra dev time I'm more confident halo wil deliver.

I know metacritic is not everything but Halo 5 & Gears 4 were 84. 343 and Halo 5 again got something wrong with the SP just like with MCC and Halo 4's MP. Coalition played it too safe too understandably so.

Gears 5 does look promising but I really want to see Coalition knock it out of the park. Halo Infinite needs to sell Scarletts, thats a lot of pressure on 343. Lets see but I am not happy with what 343 & Coalition have done so far.

Iwao · Nov 13, 2018

Kleegamefan said:
I expect two versions of Xbox next generation. Xbox Scarlett and Xbox Scarlett cloud.

Xbox Scarlett will occupy the high end at $500 and Xbox Scarlett cloud will occupy the low end at $150 or less.

This pricing elasticity will be an overall win for Microsoft allowing them cast a much wider net in terms of customer demographics.

Next-gen, Xbox could both mean high end graphics rivaling dedicated PC gaming rigs, and an affordable gaming platform cheaper than the cheapest Nintendo Switch. With everything playing the same games with extensive backwards compatibility and full Xbox ecosystem interoperability.

Doing this introduces a compelling overall package none of Microsoft's competition offers. This strategy is as close as Microsoft can get to delivering a true differentiator and if it catches on it could be disruptive in the market.

Microsoft knows all too well you can't really easily emulate Sony and Nintendo games (and all the fan following that goes with that)
because it took decades of experience to acquire the expertise they now enjoy. All the money in the world can't fast track that.

In terms of hardware, Xbox Scarlett will be overall very similar to PlayStation 5 :

7nm chip let hardware design
Ryzen2 CPU 8 core/16 thread @~3Ghz
72cu Navi-based GPU @ 1GHz or more
64GB NAND minimum
minimum 16GB GDDR6 @500GB/sec or more
Full HDMI 2.1 compliance
UHD BDXL ROM drive
Full suite of the latest Dolby codecs (True HD,Headphone, Atmos,Dolby Vision)

The Xbox Scarlett cloud will have proprietary bespoke Microsoft streaming hardware so it's impossible to guess what will be in the box.

This is all IMO

Only a $150 and $499 option sounds like a disaster way to start a generation, with no middle ground for people not comfortable with only the possibility of streaming their games, not even downloading them(?) and especially with the distinct likelihood that PS5 will NOT be $499. Depending on when both consoles launch, and given that Sony is also very likely to have their own enhanced streaming solution for PS5, that's one way to make sure the mass market favours PlayStation again and would mean they'd garner better third-party support by having the bigger audience (unless MS has some crazy tricks up their sleeves).

What about the other devices that xCloud will be available to? What is the enticement for someone to pick up a $150 box that only streams games when they already have that device (or many more) on their person?

Bear and bird · Nov 13, 2018

In the end, all will be acquired.

...

Heh. I'm expecting great things from MS next-gen. The pieces are starting to fall into place, and I think the next machine will essentially be continuation of the work the Xbox division has done since 2015.

*Consumer friendly (while not perfect, they're certainly come a long way)
*Services and features like Game Pass and Backwards compatibility
*Great hardware
*Robust first party organization

As long as they stay the course their next console is going to be really good.

Rizific · Nov 13, 2018

Really could not care less hardware-wise so long as they keep play anywhere around. I know that my pc will be able to provide an experience that can't be matched by any Xbox. Looking forward to what all those newly acquired studios will be putting out though.

HStallion · Nov 13, 2018

I would expect they continue down the path they've been going for the last few years. From a hardware perspective I actually think their next Xbox will be pretty traditional aside from a marked power increase. I don't think they're going to go all in on any specific type of gimmick ala the Kinect. I think they've learned not to put their eggs all in one basket especially if its specific hardware. Software and such I expect they continue to push and expand GamePass and we'll see what comes to pass from their Windows Gaming stuff.

Deleted member 4761 · Nov 13, 2018

- CPU Zen 2 @ 3.2GHZ / 8 Core @ 16 Threads
- GPU Next Gen AMD @ 1.2+GHz 16TeraFlops
- 32GB GDDR6 / 8GB OS - 24GB Game
- HDMI 2.1, USB C, USB 3.1, Bluray
- 2TB HDD 7200RPM + 64GB NVRAM + M.2 Slot
- 8K, 4K, 1440p @ 60-240hz
- 4K Dashboard
- GamePass+, Live+, Xcloud, BC with all Xbox
- Better First Party, more exclusives, more games, more services

2020 :)

asd202 · Nov 13, 2018

bsigg said:
If Microsoft has the subs and can cut a big enough check, sure.

No if gamepass is succesful 3rd parties will do their own version of gamepass like service to get 100% of sales. Don't think anything like that will happen next gen.

SneakersSO · Nov 13, 2018

Lets see. For my personal gaming future, I really have zero interest in what MS is cooking up for next-gen in terms of hardware. Now, that isn't to say i'm not interested in MGS' output; I very much am looking forward to what some of their newly acquired teams will have to offer in the next 5 years. I'm even interested in some of the games they are gonna have out next year, as Gears 5 looks like it'll be a return to form for the franchise. But nothing MS is doing going forward necessitates their console for me as I am more than willing to play on PC, and am both saving money because I won't need to subscribe to XBL for it, and I can just hop on Game Pass for minor stints whenever I want to play their offerings on PC.

To me, I observe MS/MGS as a 3rd party PC publisher with their own store front. They've made the hardware purchasing decision for me painfully easy, and i'm very thankful to Phil & Co. for that. The good news is, for once, I really don't feel i'll be missing out on *anything* just purchasing a PS5 & whatever current Nintendo hardware there is. I don't need to subscribe to multiple online services for MP access. And I don't need to keep multiple boxes plugged in under my living room TV.

Bede-x · Nov 13, 2018

They're gonna come out swinging, doing their best to erase the mistakes of this generation. Hardware that's comparable in price and power to Sony's, streaming to draw in people that otherwise wouldn't be in the ecosystem and a much improved Windows Store experience (possibly with a controller supported optional big picture mode of their own). Game Pass will allow people to get up and running with a large library from day one, bolstered by full XO backwards compatibility including the 360 and original Xbox games.

They'll be the best first party for co-op games, racing and western RPGs.

EvilChameleon · Nov 13, 2018

I think the most important thing will be the price point. I don't seem them selling this at anything more than $350.

tusharngf · Nov 13, 2018

My expectations..
399$ console
2021 launch window
2 exclusive launch titles
15tf power
Ssd hdd
Full backward compatibility
4k 60fps should be the target here

Super Barrier · Nov 13, 2018

Gimme that early 360 Gen feel and I'll be all in. If they mess up I won't have tolerance this time.

PenultimateFantasy · Nov 13, 2018

Ms learned too lessons last time
Fincus on games.
Don't cost more

It'll be same price as PS5 likely 399

Great launch line up I would imagine

jelly · Nov 13, 2018

Better be all matte black like the X and quiet too. I expect more variety in games and heavy hitters which will be great and that controller, can't go wrong there. Good times ahead.

Paxton25 · Nov 13, 2018

asd202 said:
No if gamepass is succesful 3rd parties will do their own version of gamepass like service to get 100% of sales. Don't think anything like that will happen next gen.

What you forget is MS and Sony can reject apps like this on their platform. So I wouldn't say it's a certainty. Plus who wants to have 10 different subs...

Next - Gen MS ( Xbox ) expectations

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