Microsoft seeking staff for next-gen Xbox

By Richard Leadbetter Published 7 March, 2011

First official confirmation of a new console?

Microsoft is ramping up development of its next generation Xbox console according to job positions being advertised on business networking site LinkedIn, brought to light on the Beyond 3D Forum.

The first position advertised is for a Graphics Hardware Architect, working with the team that is "responsible for defining and delivering next-generation console architectures from conception through implementation".

"The responsibilities include architecture analysis, key technology selection, architecture specification, communication and collaboration with extended Microsoft teams and partner companies," according to the advert.

Microsoft's preferred person for the position has been involved in the creation of graphics hardware and is familiar with the concepts of design, production yields and cost analysis, and at the same time is aware of how the hardware interfaces with PC and console operating systems.

"The ideal candidate will have been the lead architect and/or implementation lead of a 3D graphics core. The candidate must have taken designs from investigation to end-customer shipment during their career."

The second position has Microsoft hunting for a new Senior Architect and Performance Engineer for the Xbox Console Architecture Group.

"Our group is involved in product definition from early evaluation all the way through high volume manufacturing," the LinkedIn ad read.

"The main focus of this position is on performance evaluation and modelling. However, involvement in all aspects of product development regularly occurs. We are looking for someone who is flexible, and wants to be involved with various stages of the product life cycle. During different stages of the product life cycle responsibilities will vary."

The final position sees Microsoft seeking a Senior Hardware Design Verification Engineer, responsible for elements of development in both Xbox 360 and its next-gen successor.

"You will be responsible for the design verification and qualification of the Xbox console at the component, motherboard, and system levels," according to the platform holder.

"You will lead test strategy discussions, develop test methodologies and plans and project-manage qualification cycles."

So, what does this recruitment drive actually tell us? Are there any clues as to the make-up of the next console? Right now, not much, but it does appear to be the first official confirmation that development of the new machine is underway.

However, the most intriguing element of the story is just how early on in production we appear to be - far earlier than many had suspected. Unless Microsoft is actually planning pre-production of the next next-gen console, the evidence seems to suggest that the system is so early in development that the graphics hardware at the very least hasn't been locked down.

Picture of Richard.

About Richard Leadbetter

Rich has been a games journalist since the days of 16-bit and specialises in technical analysis. Commonly known around Eurogamer as the Blacksmith of the Future.

Read more articles from Richard by visiting the Richard Leadbetter archive page.

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Comments (81) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • Kassim #1 1 year ago

    Interesting.
    Didn't expect to be hearing anything like this so soon, especially with Microsoft taking about Kinect extending the 360's life.

    I still think that Nintendo will unveil their next gen console first. :)

  • Crea #2 1 year ago

    The lead time on these things is huge, we still won't see it for many years.

  • Gastrian #3 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 13:33:59 08-05-2012

  • Lee_Morris #4 1 year ago

    Christmas 2013 at the earliest I'd say.
    Edited by Lee_Morris at 07/03/11 @ 22:48

  • orangpelupa #5 1 year ago

    @tachikoma

    actually its maybe less prone to RRoD if the CPU is the one under DVD Drive. Currently its the GPU that under dvd drive. But since xbox S version it seems MS already fix this using combined XCGPU with directly got fresh air.

    but yeah i get your point....

  • BlinkeredAxis #6 1 year ago

    You can't wait forever. PC games are starting to look visually better than console games again.

    Still, 24+ months I reckon.

  • Oskool #7 1 year ago

    Interesting. Thanks for the update! Hopefully next-gen will have directX11 and at least 4 gigs of RAM. Maybe an octa-core processor. :)

  • Ryze #8 1 year ago

    Microsoft have been WAY too quiet this year, Xbox-wise. It's obvious they're beavering away at something.

    I expect some decent Xbox / Kinect announcements at E3, and this new console in 1-3 years, depending on what the competition are up to.

  • DozyKipper #9 1 year ago

    4GB of RAM? That would be nice but I think 2GB will be tops. Wasn't it Dude Huge who convinced MS to go with 512MB rather than 256MB in the Xbox 360. They said it would cost too much to have 512MB.

  • Cowbomb #10 1 year ago

    Damn, this has got to be preliminary stuff for the Next-Next Xbox, surely? I know the next gen isn't expected for a while, but they've surely got to be a bit further into development than this? The Xbox 3 is years away otherwise.

  • GamesConnoisseur #11 1 year ago

    Those things still mean likely next Xbox to be sometimes after 2012, as these new guys or lasses not gonna finish their work in the mere months before 2012 starts?!

    Announcements in early 2012 then games previews at E3 2012 for launch end of year or following spring?

    Who knows

  • Phishfood #12 1 year ago

    Hasn't it already been stated the industry isn't ready for greater hardware.

  • Iain815 #13 1 year ago

    "Hasn't it already been stated the industry isn't ready for greater hardware."

    Yeah, but by the time research and early development has been done it will be. PC visuals are already starting to show the age of current gen consoles.

    Can hardly expect any announcements on new hardware for at least 18 months.

  • Gastrian #14 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • sfp_noodle #15 1 year ago

    All this confirms is what many knew all along - New consoles are being actively researched. It doesn't matter how far away they are. Sony began work on the PS2 in 1997 of course but it didn't appear until late 2000 in Japan. That was over 3 years worth of work. I'd suspect the next gen is 2-3 years away from now. There's still big games being developed and announced. I initially expected E3 2011 to bring new console anouncements but with the new handhelds being announced, the only new console that has a possibility of being announced is probably a true PS3 slim. (The current PS3 has never been referred to as a slim be either Sony or any of the advertising people.)

    So now I expect new consoles to be announced at E3 2012 with a view to them launching sometime in 2013. As some have mentioned, Nintendo will probably be the first to announce something, but Sony and MS will most likely reveal at the same time. No way will Sony let MS gain such a huge advantage this time. They've been trying to make it up for nearly 5 years now, they won't want to go down that path again. Although I really hope they actually change the pad this time. It's classic sure, but it's also ancient. The triggers are useless and the sticks need to be re-engineered. They also need to make PSN a centralized network, not just a feature of the console.

    For the NextBox, they need to focus on making the hardware reliable from day one. Losing $1 billion to repairs won't have made them happy, so lessons learnt hopefully. Also, they need to ditch they're over priced accessories and battery packs. Stuff like easilly upgradeable hard drives, built in batteries and wireless network adaptors should come as standard, not expensive after thoughts. This probably goes without saying, but they have to use Blu-Ray. They'd be shooting themselves in the foot if they opted against it. Not just for games, but it's the hi-def format of choice. Streaming hi-def content just isn't possible with current internet speeds. It would also make cross platform development a lot easier with devs not having to worry about compromising features of one console over another. There'd be much fewer limitations that's for sure.

    Anyway that's just my 50p. We don't need new consoles yet, not until all current gen consoles are down to £100 each at least. Because that's the price current gen consoles tend to be when new ones are launched judging by history.

  • anamenos #16 1 year ago

    Thats some great news because i was afraid that Microsoft may leave the gaming business. The luck of exclusive games in the current year make me think this.

  • mingster #17 1 year ago

    Hurry up with new consoles the ones we have at the moment are rubbish.

  • inutaihanyou #18 1 year ago

    Remember guys, Xbox 360 development was started in early 2003, and it was released in 2005, i think that we can assume 2013 as a baseline.

  • MattEdWithCheese #19 1 year ago

    lol BD? why not HVD?

  • Gastrian #20 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • GreatBlackthorn #21 1 year ago

    Before you make a console, you've gotta make sure one of your team is level 5 in every job.

  • Negotiator #22 1 year ago

    This is the reason that I said in a earlier thread, that Epic showing what it thinks the next gen of consoles graphics will look like at GDC this year was a mistake. These consoles are a few years off yet and there is no way the graphics that Epic showed will even come close to the power of these future consoles. Was thinking that maybe these new consoles would be out next year for christmas, looks like that ain't gonna happen.

  • FortysixterUK #23 1 year ago

    no no no...dont want another console...never release anything else, learn to program for what there is now.....look at how good the games got on ps2 after 5 years....frankly, we should have never moved on...no more consoles you fuxors.

  • mingster #24 1 year ago

    I want new consoles every 3 years. 5 Years too long to wait. 2 years is a bit quick. 3 is good.

  • coolbritannia #25 1 year ago

    GreatBlackThorn wins.

  • FuzzyDuck #26 1 year ago

    @inutaihanyou

    Good point, but let's not forgot the design flaws of the original 360 SKUs.

    Hopefully they'll have learnt their lesson in that regard and it'll be gamers that benefit in the long run.

  • womble #27 1 year ago

    @sfp_noodle

    "Also, they need to ditch they're over priced accessories and battery packs. Stuff like easilly upgradeable hard drives, built in batteries and wireless network adaptors should come as standard, not expensive after thoughts."

    I can't see this happening. Rather the opposite, in fact.

    MS's peripherals strategy has been a financial success for them. They sell millions of over-priced cables, battery packs, headphone replacements, pads, and so on, every year. And next time they'll probably be selling 3D glasses, avatar-related materials, and more.



    "This probably goes without saying, but they have to use Blu-Ray. They'd be shooting themselves in the foot if they opted against it. Not just for games, but it's the hi-def format of choice."

    And yet, Microsoft have continued to increase 360 sales and profitability without BD. Whereas Sony have been having a miserable time of it, fiscally.

    Apple have become a media juggernaut, serving god-knows-how-much video around the planet, every second of the day, all the while sneering at Blu-Ray. Their computers are selling in all-time high volumes, they're more profitable than any other manufacturer, and yet the system doesn't even give a second look to Blu-Ray.

    And Nintendo managed to sell a trillion Wiis, all without HD graphics, let alone BD.

    I don't think it's a given at all that MS will include BD. In fact, I think it's very unlikely.

    As for the media, MS could go with a custom disc format. It's certainly highly attractive from a piracy POV.

    OR... they could go for an all-digital, all-download future. As Steam has shown, this option is far from impossible. (Just look at how many people purchased and downloaded 12GB of Mass Effect 2 for the PS3...) In 2 or three years time, it's even more likely.

    Or take your (MS-branded) memory stick or drive to your local K-Mart or kiosk, buy and transfer a (licensed) copy of the game to your device.

    Few middle men, no second-hand resales, more direct profit, less piracy.

    (Not saying I necessarily want these things, just that Microsoft always goes where the money is, and where the market control is. And the money is not with a BD-centric system at this point. And they certainly don't have control with BD.)







  • claudiofm #28 1 year ago

    @FuzzyDuck


    that lesson?

    of ... although to sell factories broken x360 .. yes or yes

    people keep buying ..


    a failure rate of 70 out of 100 consoles, any product with that index, had been recalled, and users have complained and the public had not bought any more

    That would happen with any other product

    ps3 with the yellow lights, but never surpassed ps3 16% failure rate, now standing at 8% and 24% x360 YET!

    what is learned Micrososft is ... that while selling shit, fanboys are going to buy xbox, it sucks or not, broken or not

    is irrelevant ..

    this is what I learned microsoft!

    think that they will not get another broken product? naive;)
    Edited by claudiofm at 08/03/11 @ 02:08

  • womble #29 1 year ago

    @claudiofm

    "what is learned Micrososft is ... that while selling shit, fanboys are going to buy xbox, it sucks or not, broken or not "

    Some food for thought:

    You call it "shit" but millions of people (are they ALL fanboys, really?) continue to buy xbox systems, peripherals and games.

    These people aren't stupid: they've chosen to buy 360 products for solid reasons that are important to THEM.

    It's easy to dismiss these consumers, but the figures simply don't lie: even in SPITE of the 360's problems, people have continued to buy them. i.e. the system has delivered enough to the consumer to warrant the investment, sometimes several times over. Not only that, but people are buying in greater numbers.

    Some perspective: 360 RROD issues cost a billion dollars to fix, but they were fixed, and YEARS ago. Console reliability since then has soared. It's simply not a marketplace issue anymore. (The only people who go on about it are console warriors online.)

    And to put the RROD cost in to some perspective: MS spent at least half a BILLION on Kinect advertising alone. (They sold over 8 million units shortly after launch. God-knows-how-many-by-now.) The company as a whole sucks in $20 BILLION a QUARTER. And XBL's revenues alone are over a billion.

    Combine those figures with a reduced production cost, and the RROD's fiscal impact isn't that impressive any more.

    I don't particularly like MS -- and I don't use their OS or gadgets (mostly because I am a man of style and taste ;) -- but I think the next Xbox will be just a big an advance as the one from xbox to 360.

    Having said that, I think Nintendo now have a massive opportunity. A HD-capable Wii, released to the middle or end of next year. Would jump the gun on MS by at least a year, and several years for Sony. Let's hope Nintendo have learned some lessons out of their amazing success...


    Edited by womble at 08/03/11 @ 02:30

  • Collymilad #30 1 year ago

    Maybe they are going to drop the price of the 360 drastically, then use Kinect to sell shovelware to 40 year old women like the Wii - and release a new console for people who want to play proper games.

  • rykars #31 1 year ago

    I don't care what it has in it nothing is going to stop it from having overhyped launch games. We are in the period where the best games are coming out for current consoles and I don't want to see Microsoft kill it like they did the Xbox 1.

  • MDL199 #32 1 year ago

    @Womble

    I really don't think a hd version of the Wii would be a big seller at all. A lot of people I know who have the current Wii are not traditional gamers and just like simplistic games so hd means bugger all to them. I actually think Nintendo could struggle with their next console because the whole waggle controls thing has lost it's novelty so they'll need a whole new gimmick.

    I also think if MS go with a physical disc format it's simply gonna have to be blu-ray. And I bloody well hope both Sony and MS make sure their consoles are a 100% backwards compatible as I don't wanna throw away my old games and i've 4 consoles in my living room already.

  • WizenWolfBain #33 1 year ago

    I'm so glad. Xbox is starting to show it's age, and inflexibility. I know the games look great, don't get me wrong. But just look at things like Halo.... Halo runs at some obscure resolution, that is upscaled to 720p. Most games run at 30fps - and stutter in large combat/explosion scenes. And dual layer DVD's are pretty much full to the brim these days. Is that seriously "next gen"?

    I'd happily wait another 3 years so that Microsoft can get things right. I would love a completely reliable console. It would also be cool if they abandoned the space wasting DVD drive and went with digital downloads/cartridges and SSD's for game installation or caching.

  • Caimbeul #34 1 year ago

    Exciting but Bugger me, if they are only recruiting now it will be AGES until we get it...

    /sulks

  • jag10 #35 1 year ago

    new £500 xbox outsells £99 PS3.

  • memeroot #36 1 year ago

    about time 2

  • davisorle #37 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 15:13:14 09-05-2012

  • Dizzy #38 1 year ago

    "Here's a tip, for free: do not place the CPUs directly under the optical drive"

    What optical drive? Ditch it. I want a solid state console next gen.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #39 1 year ago

    Wasn't it Dude Huge who convinced MS to go with 512MB rather than 256MB in the Xbox 360.

    It was just about every developer. I was working on a different firstparty Xbox 360 game at the time, and we were certainly pleading with MS to make the dev kit's 512MB the standard amount. Certainly there was a lot of feedback to that extent at the early Xenon dev conferences.

  • Caimbeul #40 1 year ago

    "You can't wait forever. PC games are starting to look visually better than console games again.

    Still, 24+ months I reckon."

    True but i would say PC games have been looking better for a couple of years now and MUCH better of Late.

  • MonkeyMagik #41 1 year ago

    bring it on MS, I'm not getting any younger and 7 years between each new console is too long in my book, but I am a bit of a gadget freak though. Just love new tech

  • Toothball #42 1 year ago

    You can tell my week has been going well, as my first thought from the headline was excitement over the prospect of new jobs rather than a new Xbox. Not that I'm in a position to do any of the jobs listed, but it was a nice thought while it lasted.

  • des #43 1 year ago

    so 3 years minimum?meh

    This motion control garbage is to blame,damn Nintendo and their gimmicks.

  • Bagpuss #44 1 year ago

    Hmmm.good news and bad news i guess

    Obviously they are working on it,which is good, but sadly were probably at least 2yrs away from launch.

  • RodHull #45 1 year ago

    This news pleases me. I'm enjoying this gen far too much to have it wrenched away like it was when the 360 replaced the original Xbox.

  • oreillymj #46 1 year ago

    And jobs for a engineer with a solid background in cooling design. And possibly a bit more testing?

  • mcmothercruncher #47 1 year ago

    Hope they get some decent engineers this time who know how to, you know, build things that don't break!

  • mossychops001 #48 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 11:49:27 04-05-2012

  • lp24h #49 1 year ago

    i think we are at least 2 years away from even being shown anything on new consoles let alone them launching. The article talks about MS looking for people to fill job positions. finding suitable candidates for these positions isnt quick plus these people then have to start with all other types of work like prototyping a new console (theoretical), seeing if its possible to make, then all the other stuff like actually building the thing and testing etc. once its in a near state of being finished will we find out proper details on it. these things take time and arent done quickly. plus both MS and sony have both stated that the current consoles will have another 5 yrs life span. so prob 3-4 years before we see new consoles from them. Nintendo need a new console quick time however they arent gonna do that in the near future as one of their biggest games is due to release within the next fiscal year, zelda. They have made comments about being happy they can create this zelda game for the current console and were not happy they had to port the last one from gamecube to wii. so can you see them launching this game and then screwing over sales by releasing a new console. they also want to hit a certain sales figure of the wii in the US before a new console is released. plus tbh do any of you actually want a HD wii and not a completely diff console? i would rather a new console.with a DVD player and HD graphics and for them to actually drop the motion controller as standard for a proper controller. i didnt like the wii much. good novelty but nothing else. no longevity. another point, if MS and sony had released the kinect/move when they came out do you think the wii would have sold as much as it did. it was the only family orientated gaming device around. im not too fussed about a new console at the mo from MS/sony. both are doing well. better games coming out plus the developers are getting close to hitting the peak of the consoles graphical capabilities. it doesnt make sense to change when the tech out there isnt alot better.

  • dllord #50 1 year ago

    It'll be about 2 or 3 years before we get to see the new xbox, then 12 months on top of that before it gets released. IMHO

  • arcam #51 1 year ago

    'Holiday' 2012. That's what I've said since the beginning and I'm sticking with it ;)

  • vizzini #52 1 year ago

    This could all be just be misdirection, so that if/when Microsoft do decided to announce a new console at an E3, it has a bigger bang if everyone's money is guessing E3 2013.

    Personally I'm not sure it matters what hardware they choose at the moment. If they don't acquire a publisher (like Sega) with more IP, then I think their position as a platform is quite unbalanced in comparison to their rivals.

    Nintendo/Sony can rely on excellent open standards and open source development software to cover the areas that used to differentiate Microsoft and give them an advantage to go with their wealth.

    Content is still king at the end of the day, and the less you have, the more thinly spread the stuff you do have gets used, and timed exclusion is just throwing money down the toilet from a platform holder perspective.

    From xbox/360 only Halo & Gears IP are in the league of “character” franchises resonating from Nintendo and Sony.

    A console really needs a great fresh gimmick like the Wii did, or lots of quality first party IP to exploit to be successful in all territories of the world with a 10 year cycle.

    Given how barren Microsoft's exclusive first party line up is looking this year, I'll be quite shocked if they don't announce a publisher acquisition and a new console showcase at E3 this year. Otherwise, where is the first party software line up for this year?

  • des #53 1 year ago

    ^^
    Kinect titles,xbla titles...plenty of exclusives there,but...

    360 is selling better than both,even without "exclusives"...what does that tell you?

    Sales numbers show that nobody cares about exclusives,in fact third party games were the sole reason for PS2 success.That doesn't mean that exclusive games are bad,but multiplatform stuff is the king...always was


  • BonzoBanana #54 1 year ago

    I think theres a real possibility that the next xbox won't have an optical drive but a large hdd and some pre-installed software, maybe you can buy the software you want pre-installed at the shop before purchase. I think they will reign in the technology thanks to nintendo repeatedly doing well with less than stellar hardware. So the next xbox will probably be a very reasonable price but you are locked in to paying a premium for content. Maybe a usb blu-ray drive will be an option but not compulsory to enjoy the console for games.

  • Byblos1 #55 1 year ago

    BlinkeredAxis

    'You can't wait forever. PC games are starting to look visually better than console games again.'

    PC games have looked better than console games since the consoles launched. The reason there haven't been a lot of stunning PC games is because of lead development on consoles, and the big PC developers (Blizzard, Valve) always focus on scaleability rather than stunning visuals, though there are some exceptions (Crysis 1).

  • Iain815 #56 1 year ago

    If Microsoft don't use BluRay I will personally give the people who fill these positions a running kick to the balls.

  • bluetoothion #57 1 year ago

    I think the time for new consoles ins't quite here but i think that all machines have some sort of direction as to where to go....they only need to upgrade hardware wise to have true n solid 1080p 60FPS and dedicated parts of CPU/GPU solution for AI and A-A techniques so developers don't need to waste resourses, next generation should be purely on art direction and gameplay innovation rather than tweaking to squeeze ounces of gpu for image quality.

  • des #58 1 year ago

    You will never see somebody mandating native res or framerate,that would be stupid...expect to see sub-hd to full hd native resolutions,nobody except pixel counters will care

  • Quixz #59 1 year ago

    I'm ready for a new machine and 2013 sounds about right. Bring it on!

  • TitusCrow #60 1 year ago

    If this is the start of Microsoft's ramp up to pre- production for the next gen console only now, they are in trouble! I'm not sure how then can sustain the 3-4 years it will take to get from here, to release ( and if this is the real start of Research and development maybe the 5 years is a real time frame, that being the case they are in big trouble.
    I think things like the BF3 trailer being released have prompted this. Going on the thinnest anecdotal evidence, I have for the 1st time in a very long time, read single platform gamers who maybe once were PC gamers, beginning, to state that with no new hardware on the horizon, it might be time to go back and upgrade their PC's.
    This from a mostly contented bunch, who realise and have accepted the trade off, that the upside of console games is the money / upgrade cycle and the fact stuff just runs, but the technology divide is becoming so large ( even with PC's being hamstrung by having to be backwardly compatible ) that they want to play THAT! Version of said game. Not the cut down version they will get. (I do not say this to start a console V's PC flame war, (I have ps3& 360 myself as well as a gaming PC)
    The maths do not lie though, as clever as programmers become within a hardware cycle, at tapping the resources of a fixed console and dragging out of it at the end of the cycle, stuff not though possible at the beginning; you still cannot overcome the basic limitations that no component can be upgraded to take in the advantage in the last five years tech advances. Things like Crysis2 and other games now coming to the consoles are remarkable achievements. These are games that would have been thought to be from another generation three years ago.

    But we are at the tipping point where with a bit of knowhow, you can make a gaming PC at a reasonable price, it is upgradable and will provide you with mostly a better experience than the current gen consoles. I believe due to the fruition if several IP’s in gestation for a number of years, as well as things like Dark souls etc – as well as the console being as a very good blue ray player, that Sony have a bit more time left in this generation.
    This will erode much of the “out the door” gains that the 360 made on the PS3 as it stole a march on it by quick release. A release made at cost to both company and consumer though I might add, as the RROD was due to inadequate testing& poor / rushed design. If the money Microsoft had to pay out was less than the money they made and the hit they took to their reputation for faulty components was acceptable to them they may view this internally as a victory, but if it is a victory it is defiantly of the pyrrhic sort; Ken Kutaragi was lambasted at the time for packing the Ps3 with “future proof” features. Things that meant that Sony had to take a hit on console manufacture. However with the length of the cycles who is now to say that his vision is wrong. Indeed, some of the features seen as ridiculous at the time are now seen as essential in any current generation gadget.

    I say again Microsoft have to be further along that they are and more than likely so do Sony in the R&D of the new consoles. Maybe they thought the motion sensors would expand the life, maybe they thought they could take some of Nintendo’s market share, maybe they thought the non core market would be enough. I do not think it is, I think that the non core would prefer an I pad2 and the core are starting to look at the old PC and watching videos of stuff they know in their hearts that their console just cannot do. They are starting to check PC sites for upgrades and seeing the prices are rather surprising – in a good way.

    The clock is ticking; Sony and Microsoft cannot over rule Moore’s law by clever spin and marketing; at least not forever and not by changing the furniture on the Titanic. They have done well to fool most of the people most of the time, I applaud you! But when you see the future and the future is now, and then someone tells you it’s not going to happen for 3-4-5years. They might just find that their vision is not the one that the masses will flock to any more.
    The variables are huge, do both companies wish to wait this long to bypass physical media altogether and hope the infrastructure has caught up on release... Or do they think the recession will give them some time as consumers become more conscious. All three companies realize now that the PC ( mostly through DL shops ) is doing rather better than they though. The rumours of its demise were greatly exaggerated it would seem. The new I pad2 is apparently vastly more powerful graphically and might now be counted a competitor for some parts of the market? It’s a jungle out there at the moment and people are again making up the rules as they go along.

    Once thing is for sure whatever happens Both MS and Sony better start talking and giving people saving for the next gen a reason to keep saving and not just buy a gaming PC. A new generation is a headache and expensive but the time to strike is vital and maybe it is best to pick it rather than having your hand forced by progress, when you are due to your myopic business strategy you were not ready for the change a fool could see coming.

  • riseer #61 1 year ago

    Well i think microsoft will go with ati still.It worked out well for em this gen so i think next gen they will stay with ati.Sony should just go with Nvidia, alot has changed since the RSX gpu.

  • Penguinzoot #62 1 year ago

    If Microsoft don't use BluRay I will personally give the people who fill these positions a running kick to the balls.

    I cannot think of any reason why MS would not use BluRay, if they still wanted to use physical media that is. Although they might be quite keen to go direct download-only, I think the realities of the market would persuade them that physical media will probably still be required for the next generation.

    Unless of course MS are looking at their next-gen to deliver something different from the conventional console model. Perhaps something like OnLive, with maybe subscription based game streaming of some sort, all delivered by the Xbox Live Cloud of course ;). Would be a bit risky though .... :)

    At the moment (although I may change my mind at any time), my own bet is on a new Xbox still using physical media (BluRay), but with a much, much more expanded Xbox Live Cloud.
    Edited by Penguinzoot at 08/03/11 @ 16:25

  • arcam #63 1 year ago

    At the moment (although I may change my mind at any time), my own bet is on a new Xbox still using physical media (BluRay), but with a much, much more expanded Xbox Live Cloud.

    Pretty spot on I reckon.

    Only reason I can think they might not use Blu-ray is that burners and blank discs are so widely available, and it is a possible avenue for piracy. But I expect MS' desire to keep hardware costs low will override that worry.

  • SUNDANSS #64 1 year ago

    2014
    If they are only just starting it will take them 36 months to iron out all of the problems if they are looking to design custom chips.
    To get to market earlier they will have to partner with the likes of AMD and buy in to their research.
    Maybe they will do both and wait to see who shows their hand first.
    Anyway, there are still loads of good 360 games I have not had time to play yet.

  • arcam #65 1 year ago

    They're not only just starting.

    Does anyone really believe the world's biggest company haven't been researching their next move in the multi-billion dollar gaming industry before now?

  • darkphoenix #66 1 year ago

    At long last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Will it be out on time for ESV:Skyrim, so console players don't get rapped by the - inevitable - superior PC version?

  • BlinkeredAxis #67 1 year ago

    @Byblos 1

    I know, but at the beginning of a console lifecyle, the graphics are usually pretty close between PC and console (not you, mr Wii - go to the back of the class). My point is that you can't wait forever to renew a console cycle without letting the PC game market grow, and erode your market share. Steam is doing better and better after all...

  • Lucodeath #68 1 year ago

    Removable gpu so a couple of years later bang in a better one from MS. Expandable memory slots aswell like the n64. They would make loads of money off the upgrade sales based on their current pricing plan.
    (A one make mini pc almost)
    Edited by Lucodeath at 08/03/11 @ 19:38

  • L0cky #69 1 year ago

    I don't think this news tells us anything about where they are in the R&D cycle (other than they're not retiring from the market).

    It's just as possible that they're more than halfway through their R&D cycle already. When you hire someone at that level you'll be looking for a keeper; someone who will also be working on the next-next gen down the line. You'll also be hiring someone that can come in and understand where you're currently at.

  • utterdrivel #70 1 year ago

    Proper backwards-compatibility, or I'm cracking skulls.

    Well, I'm not, but I'll probably moan a bit.

  • riseer #71 1 year ago

    womble,i disagree with you if Microsoft was smart they would include a BD in their next console.It's cheap to make now and even the BD speed is much faster.I don't want a memory card to store my games on,that to me is stupid and if gaming comes to that i will find another hobby.I like to have a collection of games i can look at and know it's their.

  • orangpelupa #72 1 year ago

    make current xbox 360 forward compatible with NextBox999.... and nextbox999 backward compatible with x360 :D

    maybe by using the same architecture but in nextbox faster, bigger?

    so game developer basically can code the same thing for both console but have TWO graphic option.
    Devs have no problem using these scalability in PC, so in console xbox360 and nextbox should be only TWO target for scalability..

  • Penguinzoot #73 1 year ago

    Proper backwards-compatibility, or I'm cracking skulls.

    There's a much better chance of full backwards compatibility next time around. With the original Xbox, Intel owned the CPU, nVidia owned the GPU, and neither were prepared to play ball with MS when MS were looking to either reduce the retail price of the system, or shrink the chips.

    To make themsleves much more a master of their own fates, when they were planning the 360 MS decided at the outset they wanted to own the technology. The CPU was developed in partnership with IBM, and the GPU was developed in partnership with ATI (as several have noted). MS own both technologies. As far as Xbox BC on the new 360 hardware was concerned, the downside to this approach was essentially twofold:

    1. Original Xbox games were no longer native on the new 360 hardware.
    2. If I remember correctly, using an x86 emulator to allow original Xbox games to run on the 360 could either have incurred Intels wrath and a potentially costly lawsuit, or perhaps forced a licensing arrangement with Intel, which may have proved costly and inflexible - which is precisely what MS sought to avoid.

    In the end, MS chose to use shims to allow original Xbox games to run on 360 hardware. While this skirted around the whole Intel problem, the downside was each shim had to be coded for each game separately - which is why Xbox->360 BC was a laboriously slow process.

    Anyway, next time around things should be much simpler. Add more cores to the CPU, upgrade (or redesign) the GPU, tweak the OS, enhance Live, and the jobs done! Simple! To provide BC and run 360 games on the new hardware, you would then just need to present an environment which just "looks" like a 360 to each game. Much easier and much better - in fact, no reason not to do it :).

    Disclaimer: I realise it's a lot more complex than I just described :p
    Edited by Penguinzoot at 09/03/11 @ 00:35

  • womble #74 1 year ago

    @MDL199

    "And I bloody well hope both Sony and MS make sure their consoles are a 100% backwards compatible as I don't wanna throw away my old games and i've 4 consoles in my living room already."

    I hope so too. But that's from a consumer's perspective, not the viewpoint of a voracious multinational corporation. :)

    After all, MS makes little money from us playing our old games on their new console. They want to sell us the games AGAIN.

    IMO, the odds of ::built-in:: backward compatibility are iffy.

    They may try a version of the last "compatibility" exercise: downloading per-title emulators/environments/whatever, with < 100% compatibility.

    Or, more likely IMO, MS will instead opt for remakes, available as downloads or kiosk transfers or even memory sticks .

    See: Sony and its lineup of "HD Remakes". Or the (supposed) Halo CE Remake. Or Beyond Good and Evil HD. etc.

    These are high profit items, unlike being able to play the back catalogue.

    And, though I would like backward compatibility, it would be amiss to ignore some of the real benefits that remakes offer over compatibility. i.e. improved visuals, controls, compatibility with whatever changes they make to XBL, compatibility with new systems like Cheevos Mk II, Kinect, 3D, etc.

    @ riseer

    "womble,i disagree with you if Microsoft was smart they would include a BD in their next console.It's cheap to make now and even the BD speed is much faster.I don't want a memory card to store my games on,that to me is stupid and if gaming comes to that i will find another hobby.I like to have a collection of games i can look at and know it's their."

    Me too. But I'm looking at it from the POV of Microsoft's past business practices. Our wants don't necessarily coincide with Microsoft's wants.

    There are political, technical, monetary (licensing, disc production royalties) and yes, face-saving reasons why MS may choose to avoid BD altogether. Just as Apple and other companies have skipped Blu-ray (despite being a member of the Blu-ray Consortium) for various monetary and political reasons.

    They probably see BD as a direct COMPETITOR to their own digital offerings, just as Apple does. After all, when you buy a movie on Blu-ray, MS gets precisely ZERO cents. (But remember that Sony does pick up some change.) But when you buy or rent a movie from XBL2, Microsoft earns dollars.

    Over the years, XBL has been transformed from a game-network-meeting-point-cum-chat-room to a full blown media distribution service. Complete with ads, despite that fact we have to pay to use the service. I think this trend will only continue, and there's little room for Blu-ray in this particular business model.












    Edited by womble at 09/03/11 @ 00:40

  • womble #75 1 year ago

    @Penguinzoot

    "Much easier and much better - in fact, no reason not to do it :).

    I agree, somewhat, when it comes to the technical side of things.

    But then there could be per-title incompatibilities with (possible) NextBox services. e.g. networking, the cheevo system, Kinect II, 3D, etc.


    More importantly (for MS) though, is that there are a lot of business reasons against built-in backward compatibility. And, when it comes to MS, business and dollars comes first.

  • Penguinzoot #76 1 year ago

    @womble

    They probably see BD as a direct COMPETITOR to their own digital offerings, just as Apple does. After all, when you buy a movie on Blu-ray, MS gets precisely ZERO cents. (But Sony does.) But when you buy or rent a movie from XBL2, Microsoft earns dollars

    I think it's true that MS would like to move to DD-only Marketplace exclusively, I don't think there's much doubt about that. I'm sure what they are after in the long term is a Marketplace to rival Steam and iTunes, and probably go even further. You are right in that there are many advantages to going DD-only for a platform holder. But whether the console ecosystem would support DD-only in time for the next generation of consoles is open to question in my view.

    Also, the whole "MS avoiding BluRay to save face" thing strikes me as a bit odd. Large companies do business with each other every day of the week. I think it was Peter Moore, when he was at MS said that Microsoft were pretty agnostic about the whole BluRay/HDDVD thing - although they did market their own HDDVD drive for a while. This face-saving thing probably has more to do with internet console fanboys than relations between one mega corp and another.

    Another small point, but I don't think it's true to say MS get nothing from BluRay movie sales. IIRC MS have a hand in the codec used on BD, just as they did with HDDVD, but I might be wrong there.

  • womble #77 1 year ago

    @Penguinzoot

    I think there are very real face-saving policies/philosophies/practices in some of these large corporations. (Nintendo, Apple, MS, Sony... they all have their corporate pride. See the sometimes byzantine spin on NPD numbers...)

    Regarding royalties, the MPEG LA administered patent royalties pool for VC1 is shared by quite a number of owners, with MS just being one of them. They apply to VC1 titles as well as the (required) implementation of VC1 on Blu-ray players.

    But from what I've gathered over the years, the various (and varying) royalties accruing to the founding and owning members of the BDA are rather more significant, and expansive. They include per-title royalties, reproduction royalties, hardware, etc.



    BTW, for those people wanting a NextBox soon, here's a (gloomy) potted history of the last effort:

    - Feb 2003 - MS started official work on design of the 360, brought hundreds of developers in to the process

    [over two years later]

    - May 2005 - The 360 is officially announced

    - Nov 2005 - 360 finally launched in the US

    - Mar 2006 - 360 launched here in Australia. Yes, over three years after starting design. Ouch. Worse, it cost a whopping A$650.


    So if history is any indication, we're a loooooong way from being able to actually PLAY a NextBox. 2.5 years wouldn't be overly conservative.

    And what did we have to play, as launch titles? The likes of Gun, Amped 3, Project Gotham 3 and GRAW. (We've come a long, long way baby...)

    Edited by womble at 09/03/11 @ 01:43

  • canIdoyabombsforya #78 1 year ago

    I'm concerned that that someone has to interview and possibly make the wrong choice in someone for such a crucial role. Surely they should be head hunting the best guy on the planet?
    Who is the Jay Miner of this gen? I hope there is not too much focus on his cost cutting abilities, not at a time when Apple get intel i3 laptops flying out the door for over a grand.

    An interesting read

    http://www.jonnydigital.com/jayminerinte...

  • canIdoyabombsforya #79 1 year ago

    @redbarony

    "Starting to? PC games have ALWAYS looked better than console games. "

    depends what you mean by looked better. Oh, you mean higher resolution.

    The Console's/home computer's *custom* graphics chips used to piss all over mildly affordable PCs. How far do you want to go back? PC's with green screens Versus the Amiga? SNES versus PCs with 8 colours? How well did platformers and fighting games look on the PC in the SNES era? How good were those Kart games?
    How did 3D arcade racers and 3D fighting games look on the PC in the PS1 era? Which PC game stole Mario 64s thunder graphically? or Soul Caliber and Shenmue on the Dreamcast?

    The answer is, most of the comparable PC games when those consoles were released were shit. But you had crisp looking flight sims hey!

    Resolution wasn't everything.

  • bluetoothion #80 1 year ago

    well to be perfectly honest while i m a Console type myself PC gaming was for a long time stuck due to developer choice and marketing orientation to strategy,simulation and FPS.
    consoles never quite mastered their PC rivals in all these genres ...did they? so i guess if those games were your cup of tea consoles wouldn't easily cover your needs.

  • des #81 1 year ago

    "Here's a tip, for free: do not place the CPUs directly under the optical drive. Signed, everyone affected by the red ring of death."

    +100 for this nonsense,EG comment section is really riddled with chicken IQ people.
    GPU is under the drive and well within temperature limits of modern GPUs.Blame shoddy materials and lead free solders.