New Xbox 360 console next autumn?

By Robert Purchese Published 15 June, 2009

More powerful and has Natal, claim sources.

Microsoft may be planning to launch a new Xbox console next autumn that bundles Project Natal as standard and features minor technological improvements.

The console will be considered a new platform and so be given a new name, according to 1UP's report. It's not clear what technological upgrades there will be, but future games can apparently take advantage of them.

All existing 360 games will be playable on the new machine.

Microsoft's Shane Kim last week likened the arrival of Project Natal to the launch of Xbox 360 itself, harping on about a solid "launch line-up" of games.

The Xbox 360 will be five years old next autumn, when the alleged Natal-based console will launch.

Head over to our Project Natal gamepage for all we know so far.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (108) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Milk #1 3 years ago

    Suddenly all of the "it's reached it's full potential" comments make sense . . .

    But will it have teh blue ray?

  • Triggerhappytel #2 3 years ago

    This sounds featsible but I hope it's not true. I don't want a 'new' generation for a few years yet, and a new 360 - even if it's not really 'new' - will mean Sony will also have to act (unless PS3 Slim would do the trick). I suppose Wii HD might well be available by then, too.

  • vpin #3 3 years ago

    Bad move if you ask me. 360 still has a few years left in it I reckon. Natal did not impress me but what do I know, it could turn out to be awesome for all I know.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #4 3 years ago

    Hasn't this been discussed in the forums on the Internet all weekend?
    I thought the conclusion was that the new console rumour is BS.

  • Wastelander #5 3 years ago

    Yep, it's just a new form factor 360 with the Natal pack-in. Not a new console according to those in the know...

  • Darren #6 3 years ago

    If there is a new Xbox due next year then I'd hope that Microsoft have learnt their lesson with the Xbox 360 and make the new machine more reliable, i.e. they actually test it *thoroughly*!!! ;)

    Personally I'd love it to be true because I feel the Xbox 360 is looking a little dated technically these days; it clearly never was that "720p + 2X AA minimum for all games" platform that Microsoft promised back at E3 2005. A revamped console with a more powerful graphics card (capable of at least 720p + 4X AA for *ALL* games as standard), quad-core CPU, 4 GB of unified RAM, a 500 GB HDD and a Blu-ray drive would a nice upgrade IMO. All for £299.

    Hope it's true.

  • Dizzy #7 3 years ago

    It will be the 360Slim with Natal included and some small modifications.

    BTW they will never put in a Bluray drive. Optical media for consoles will probably be gone by next gen.

    But I will add that this rumor is probably 99.9% fake. The specs are the giveaway.
    Edited by 2 at 15/06/09 @ 09:40

  • Triggerhappytel #8 3 years ago

    Darren, you are such a graphics whore! ;)

  • Venkman90 #9 3 years ago

    Wastelander is right, the in depth article I read was that they wanted to follow Nintendo's lead with the Wii, which is arguably a re-packaged Gamecube with a new controller, or the DSI, or the PSP GO for a Sony example.

    In other words rather than have 1 big console launch every 6 years with all the others scrambling to get one out as well, just incrimentally update the hardware every few years and re-brand it, so it becomes like PC gaming rather than huge leaps in power.

    IF its true (and by next autum they mean 2010?) I would hope for a much better form factor, the 360 is like having a gaming PC it's so big and loud, the Wii / Gamecube is about how big a console should be.

  • Artemis_Matsas #10 3 years ago

    I really hope that this is not true. I bought my 360 a year ago and i would hate seeing it going obsolete so soon!

    Off topic: Yesterday i finished Gears 2 ! i know that this might not interest you guys, but my friends are mostly PS3 only users so i have to share my excitement with you!

  • Eraysor #11 3 years ago

    I'll cry if they start making games exclusively for it.

  • Wastelander #12 3 years ago

    I think we'll see Sony doing the same with a PS3 Slim/motion control pack-in 'relaunch'

  • Triggerhappytel #13 3 years ago

    Eraysor - "I'll cry if they start making games exclusively for it."

    They will do, for Natal. But don't worry, because they'll be shit anyway. ;)

    Also, if this does turn out to be true then it's no surprise that Bungie are getting Halo: Reach knocked up so quickly - would probably be a launch title.

  • Eighthours #14 3 years ago

    Not true.

    However, I'm wondering whether the grunt inside Natal itself will be able to be utilised alongside the 360's own power for non-camera games, maybe giving a "higher settings" option akin to PC games for new releases...

  • Wastelander #15 3 years ago

    I doubt it, not over USB 2.0 anyway.

  • muscleblade #16 3 years ago

    "Darren, you are such a graphics whore! ;) "

    +1

    Its ridiculous imo. Graphics isnt even close to being the most important factor in games.
    I enjoy good looking games. But i personally love the graphics and scale in Halo 3. On the other hand the supposedly fantastic looking KZ2 didnt do it for me even though i could see it was technically impressive.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 09:49

  • Bealsy #17 3 years ago

    Well as long as it doesnt blow up like my Elite just has then I don't mind. However, it gave me chance to play on my PS3! Then after an hour, I saw sense and went and bought an arcade and shoved my 120gb HDD on it. Job done.

  • sanctusmortis #18 3 years ago

    1UP rumour being reported on as fact lol.

    I just await the MS "no, that's not happening, don't be silly" reply to all this.

  • muscleblade #19 3 years ago

    If true - im buying one on release day. ;-). I doubt it will be an all new platform though. A little early for that isnt it?

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #20 3 years ago

    The Natal announcement specifically said that it world work with all existing Xbox 360 consoles.

    If there is to be a new, natal-specific console with more processing power, then perhaps Natal for the original model will require an external processing box or something.

    I don't think Microsoft are about to split their audience in a Megadrive 32x sort of way, they're not that stupid.

  • IronCladChicken #21 3 years ago

    Lol@sanctusmortis
    I'd read this as a rumor a couple of days ago -I wondered how it had become fact :)

  • photoboy #22 3 years ago

    There were rumours a year back that MS were briefing developers on putting code into their games to enable a higher fidelity graphics mode that would activate when the code detected it was running on next Xbox hardware. This was ostensibly so that the next Xbox would have full backwards compatibility and could render the games with better graphics out of the box with no need for emulation.

    Of course in order for this to work the new Xbox would have to natively support Xbox 360 binaries, and that would infer that the next system would be like the GameCube => Wii with the new system having chips that were a superset of the originals.

    So if MS were to release an overclocked 360 it wouldn't surprise me, we're already seeing this happen with the iPhone 3G S and the DSi... I think the only vital factor is that MS be absolutely dogged in ensuring developers do not start releasing games that run poorly on old 360s. That said, the Xenon is already clocked at 3.2GHz and all the chip manufacturers have been struggling with voltage and heat at any speeds over 4GHz so it's hard to see IBM being able to squeeze out a CPU much faster than the original for MS.

  • S.J.Rogers #23 3 years ago

    @ Bealsy...

    Good Man..!

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #24 3 years ago

    Nah, don't think this is true; a 360 Natal bundle is a cert, and I can feasibly see a 360 slim design, but a console with better specs? Meaning they'll be making games exclusively for it? Nope. In fact, at E3 MS said straight up that Natal would be a 360 add-on rather than a new console. Can't see them trying to segment the market.

    I imagine they'll sell Natal at a big loss to try to get the "casuals" to hop onboard.

  • lambtron #25 3 years ago

    There was a story like this last E3 and that turned out to be NXE.

    This simply isn't true - MS only need to look at Sega's history to see this would be a suicidal move. In any case it's not needed given the 360 has more than held it's own against the PS3.

  • Darren #26 3 years ago

    @Dizzy - I think you're a bit off with your prediction that optical media will be done by the next generation. Maybe the generation after the next one... at a push... but certainly not the upcoming one.

    There's absolutely no way that this country (UK) will be download only within the next five years, which is the period over which I predict the next-gen platforms will arrive. Both Microsoft and Sony are keen to sell their machines as home entertainment hubs which means that an optical drive is a must for at least the next two generations IMO unless they really think no-one will want to play their collection of DVD and higher quality BD movies on them. A lot of people use their consoles in preference to standalone players.

    Anyway, Sony will continue to support Blu-ray (BD) because figures show that while DVD sales are dropping, BD sales are on the increase so there is clearly a market for them. BD players and discs are dropping in price all the time thus becoming increasingly appealing to the growing number of people with HDTVs.

    As the consoles get more powerful so too do the sizes of the games. Several PS3 games are over 20 GB in size already, personally I wouldn't like to have to download them even on a 24 Mbps connection, especially as a lot of UK homes have usage limits in place. And then what about storage space? What happens if your HDD fails, do you really want to have to redownload everything? Me? No, thanks. A disc is convenient plus it has resale value and there's no need to backup if you look after them either.

    I'm pretty sure the disc is here to stay myself, at least for the next 10 to 15 years, and I'd be very surprised if Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo don't include an optical drive in their next machines. DVD won't be sufficient so it would make sense for them all to move to BD for storage.

  • Dizzy #27 3 years ago

    "There's absolutely no way that this country (UK) will be download only within the next five years"

    It will be a combination of downloads and solid state media. Seriously.. optical media is really holding back next consoles both in noise, size and speed.

  • davisorle #28 3 years ago

    You gotta stop eating everything they feed you ppl.. Specially roumors lol. Its been officially stated ONLY as a peripheral so dont worry about it for now. Wii HD is also roumors so you need to relax a bit more on this one as well. Easily manipulated lil fuckers :)
    XD

  • Negotiator #29 3 years ago

    It does make me laugh when people say the 360 is looking dated, when it produces as good and most of the time better graphics than the PS3. The simple fact is the two consoles are almost the same in terms of tech and I own both consoles, so no fanboy here.

  • lambtron #30 3 years ago

    To be honest Darren almost all your arguments disappear IF you don't live in the UK. Where I live we have fast connections and NO limits (nationwide across all ISPs). :)

  • Dafridge #31 3 years ago

    but but but...
    Dam my launch machine just stopped reading discs so I decided it is the perfect time to upgrade to an elite...should I have just fixed my drive and waited?

  • Penguinzoot #32 3 years ago

    @photoboy

    I think the new Xbox will more likely featire more cores rather than increased clock speeds for the CPU.

  • Triggerhappytel #33 3 years ago

    Negotiator - "It does make me laugh when people say the 360 is looking dated, when it produces as good and most of the time better graphics than the PS3. The simple fact is the two consoles are almost the same in terms of tech and I own both consoles, so no fanboy here."

    It's irrelevant which console we're referring to; both are still able to impress visually, but like you say, graphics aren't the most important thing anyway.

    If Crytek can really get CryEngine 3 running on the PS360 as shown in the opening video, then it's clear the consoles have a fair bit of grunt left in them yet. Look at Uncharted 2, Forza 3 or Killzone 2 and tell me they're not incredible visuals.

  • miiiguel #34 3 years ago

    The "new xbox" system spawns every now and then, lol. Put "new xbox" on google, you have all sorts of crazy versions. We were supposed to have one with hd-dvd; one with blu-ray; there was even a very strange one that was supposed to be made by other manufacters rather than MS.

  • ParanoidZombie #35 3 years ago

    Darren wrote: "Several PS3 games are over 20 GB in size already."

    Funny, because I installed a couple games on my x360's hard drive and did you know that far cry 2 weighs only 4.7GB, while Xbox Original Psychonauts is 5.3GB?

  • StooMonster #36 3 years ago

    My vote is new form factor plus Natal bundled.

    It's the only plan that makes business sense, why make another console with unprofitable hardware that would split the market when you can have a console with profitable hardware and sell Natal to existing customers too?

  • Darren #37 3 years ago

    @lambtron - The UK is still a big market for Microsoft though so they cannot ignore the broadband issues here. Even the Marketplace on my 360 is a right royal pain to navigate since NXE, taking typically a minute before I can even click anything to download! I know other people have the same problems too. I'm currently on a 8 Mbps connection that works perfectly with my PC, PS3 and Wii by the way and am moving up to a 24 Mbps from Wednesday but I suspect I'll still have the same issues with the 360.

    But even with a stable, fast internet connection you still have the issue of download sizes and storage space to contend with, something you don't really have to worry about if you play from discs (well, OK, 60 GB HDD PS3 owners might!!!)? Do people really want to download 20 - 50 GB games for inflated prices which have absolutely no resale value? You only have to look at Steam to see how things could go if they're download only.

    If it comes to it, I'd rather have a choice between a disc or download not be forced onto download only.

  • miiiguel #38 3 years ago

    @ Darren: why 360 is looking, to you, dated and PS3 isn't ? (unbiasly)

  • Widge #39 3 years ago

    I have no issue with download only BUT it would mean that if I was going to buy a new machine, I'd want it to have bluray in it otherwise I'd have to buy a bluray player to go with the machine.

    I don't think there will be a new uprated Xbox, but I hope the next iteration does offer BR.

  • Darren #40 3 years ago

    @ParanoidZombie - That's because the PS3 has an install limit of 5 GB (for obvious reasons) which means developers cache often read data to the HDD for speed of access but still leave less essential data such as videos and audio on the disc itself. Metal Gear Solid 4 is 33 GB in size for example yet installs its data as smaller chapters. Even so there's still data being read from the disc too.

    The additional space on the Blu-ray disc means that many PS3 games have better quality audio than 360 games too, usually DTS or even uncompressed audio, which sounds absolutely meaty and awesome on my surround sound system. Download only means everything will suffer in quality IMO because it'll be heavily compressed to reduce file sizes.

    *EDIT - Incorrectly referenced StooMonster in error. Oops!
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 13:26

  • dr_faulk #41 3 years ago

    Is this the future? Incremental upgrades to consoles that can be bought seperately?

    Next they'll be attaching new motherboards...

  • miiiguel #42 3 years ago

    @ Dareen: "many PS3 games have better quality audio than 360 games", like? Can you give one or two examples ?

  • Darren #43 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - This is an article about the Xbox 360's successor and as far as I can see I haven't said anything about the PS3 not being dated. :?

    But since you're asking, the PS3 is also dated. It has future-proof BD for games, true, and a powerful Cell CPU (reputedly) but it's graphics chip is old and underpowered, and it has very poor anti-aliasing capabilities IMO. It also suffers from a lack of memory. It's hardly cutting edge compared with the ever evolving PC and its that platform which dates the consoles.

  • skillian #44 3 years ago

    To be honest Darren almost all your arguments disappear IF you don't live in the UK.

    Broadband infrastructure is even worse in the US than the UK, so you'd have to ignore that market too. Which doesn't seem like a smart idea for MS ;)

    If there was a new console next year, it would be madness to make it download only unless you only want to sell to the Far East and Scandinavia.

  • miiiguel #45 3 years ago

    @ Darren: that's an oldfashioned concept (to me) of the industry. Here I am thinking that what we cared most was the games and the experieces they give us, by, you know..., actually playing them, but no the old idea that the hw is what matters still exists.

  • VandelayIndustries #46 3 years ago

    "many PS3 games have better quality audio than 360 games", like? Can you give one or two examples ?

    Mirrors Edge has a DTS track and Motor Storm: PR sounds absolutely bone crushingly immense with the LPCM channel.

  • miiiguel #47 3 years ago

    "Mirrors Edge has a DTS track"
    Can I say "lol" ?

  • Darren #48 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - What is this... 20 questions?

    There are a lot of PS3 games that use DTS audio such as inFamous, Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sometimes they offer a number of formats to choose between in the in-game options, including DD 5.1 too, such as Uncharted for example. The Xbox 360 has no support for DTS in games for some reason, possibly because it uses more disc space, something that isn't exactly abundant on the DVD format.

    DTS audio sounds louder and clearer than DD5.1 on my surround sound system. Dead Space for example has DTS audio and it's better and more immersive than the 360's DD5.1 mix. At the end of the day it's purely subjective but like my DVDs and BDs, I find DTS audio richer and more enjoyable than DD5.1.

  • XdarXideX #49 3 years ago

    This doesn't sound likely to me... the Xbox360 is still going very strong so there is no reason for them to prepare a new console just yet. They've not even launched Project Natal and the Games downloading service. I think I'll believe this one when I see it. New bundle perhaps, but no ta new console.

  • Miths #50 3 years ago

    "... Seriously.. optical media is really holding back next consoles both in noise, size and speed."

    Noise is only an issue with (game) DVDs because of the insane speeds they are spinning at these days - the only times I've actually heard the Blu-ray drive in my PS3 (aside from the disc loading/ejecting sounds of course) are when there's a DVD in the drive, which causes a very faint whirring sound that's absent with Blu-ray discs.

    As for speed you certainly have a point, but with regards to size I'm actually among those who still very much enjoy having a large physical game and movie collection sitting on the shelf. Although in practical terms I'll certainly admit that I could do without the disc juggling on days where I feel like playing several games and/or watch several movies - not that I'm aware that getting out of the chair for a few seconds can be hazardous to my health :).

  • miiiguel #51 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - What is this... 20 questions?

    ahah, no, it just that "many games" is just a figure of speech, right. Mirror's Edge has *a* DTS track. As an example of technical supermacy is funny, I have to give you that.

  • Darren #52 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - "@ Darren: that's an oldfashioned concept (to me) of the industry. Here I am thinking that what we cared most was the games and the experieces they give us, by, you know..., actually playing them, but no the old idea that the hw is what matters still exists."

    Yeah, right, that's why you only own a Wii this generation and still play games regularly on your PS2 and Xbox, right? ;)

    Of course hardware matters, it's what allows us to experience bigger and better games with more advanced A.I. and physics, it's not just for prettier visuals you know, although they tend to come hand in hand with new systems as standard. Better graphics are the least you'd expect from new console hardware but ultimately it's about playing better, more immersive games. Well it is for me.

  • miiiguel #53 3 years ago

    Yeah, right, that's why you only own a Wii this generation and still play games regularly on your PS2 and Xbox, right? ;)
    Do you know which game I spent all my week end playing? Phantasy Star 2. That sentence doesn't suit me, believe me.

    And Comix Zone, too, but that was for a (awesome) short while as the game's very, very short.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 10:57

  • des #54 3 years ago

    Yeah,pigs can fly too...

  • BadBoyBonner #55 3 years ago

    lambtron

    "This simply isn't true - MS only need to look at Sega's history to see this would be a suicidal move."

    Or

    They could look at what Apple & Nintendo are up to (arguably 2 of the most profitable electronic businesses at present) and that's exactly what they do (update models for new sales) and make loads of money in the process.

    The PS3 being so much more expensive than the 360 obviously leaves room for manoeuvre, more so when Wii is still so expensive - at what price would/will Nintendo launch the WiiHD?

    And semi-conductor fabrication has moved on so much since 2005 it must be hard to resist piling on the Mhz/cores.streams etc.

    Most engines these days are coded to take advantage of anything that's available to them i.e. Unreal/Cry etc. So ensuring a game runs on the system isn't going to be a huge step.

    The on-line nature of the 360 lends itself to auto patching compatibility into old games and new ones carrying the code. The fact that MS licensed ATi to design them a chip (rather than buy one from the designer i.e. Xbox1) indicates this being probable rather than possible. Some of the the team that worked on the 360's Xbox1 emulator could no doubt help get this up to speed very quickly.

    Heck Apple seem like they are about to go much further with the latest update to the iPhone (and touch I'd guess) with some stating that it will be nearly a generational leap but in exactly the same form factor.

    DS is on it's third update, Gamecube/Wii is on it's second and iPhone/Touch is about to be on it's 5th I think - IMO I would hardly class those as a suicidal move.

  • Darren #56 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - 'Many' as in more than the 360 since it doesn't support DTS in-game at all to my knowledge. It may do for DVD movies but I don't watch them on my 360 so I don't know. The original Xbox certainly supported DTS for movies though.

    There an increasing number of PS3 games with higher quality DTS audio, including multiformat titles such as Mirror's Edge and Dead Space among others. It's not really surprising though because the Blu-ray disc has a lot more available space than a DVD.

  • curtlikesmeat #57 3 years ago

    As Darren said - I don't know if it's the same in the rest of Europe but the UK is nowhere near ready to go full digital download on all games. Our internet connections are still shocking in a lot of areas, not to mentioned we're mostly charged per GB these days. There aren't as many unlimited bandwidtch companies about as there used to be.

  • paulf #58 3 years ago

    will it be quiet?

  • Dizzy #59 3 years ago

    "Noise is only an issue with (game) DVDs because of the insane speeds they are spinning at these days - the only times I've actually heard the Blu-ray drive in my PS3 "

    Do you think next gen consoles are going to use the same slow ass Bluray drive as the PS3? They will need a much faster drive.. hence resulting in noise.

  • Darren #60 3 years ago

    @miiigue - "Do you know which game I spent all my week end playing? Phantasy Star 2. That sentence doesn't suit me, believe me.

    And Comix Zone, too, but that was for a (awesome) short while as the game's very, very short."

    Well I play retro games too, so do many, many others I'd wager, but, let's be honest here, they're a pleasant addition/diversion from the many current generation games we enjoy not a substitute for them. They're also suitably priced too to make them an attractive buy. However, I did not buy my Xbox 360 to play them but that's not to say I don't enjoy them. They're a reminder of the "good old days" although I find all too often that, sadly, many haven't aged very well and don't play as well as I remembered. That's to be expected though since gaming has come a long way in the 30 years I've been playing them. I wouldn't like them to stop evolving personally, that's why I'm always excited about new hardware. It creates more possibilities.

  • miiiguel #61 3 years ago

    360 dated but the very similar and often slightly behind ps3 isn't?
    You must have missed the reason: Mirror's Edge has *a* DTS track.

    @ Daren, yes, but what I meant is, unfortunatly, it still happens today in games like, for instance Mass Effect, you complain about the "oooh the rearing"; "the lifts" and whatnot, and probably forget to... actualy play the damn game and try to feel it for what it is. I think the movie industry had the same dilema a couple of decades ago, then we moved on and we don't really pay atention to other stuff rather than the movies themselfs.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 11:12

  • Darren #62 3 years ago

    @trebell - "360 dated but the very similar and often slightly behind ps3 isn't?"

    What are you talking about? Where did I say that the PS3 wasn't? :?

    I've already said that the 360 and PS3 are both dated hardware wise compared with a high-end PC. It's common knowledge that the PC with its ever evolving hardware is the reason why we see new consoles every five to six years.

  • Miths #63 3 years ago

    "Do you think next gen consoles are going to use the same slow ass Bluray drive as the PS3? They will need a much faster drive.. hence resulting in noise."

    DVD drives are spinning at around 52x these days, aren't they? And I'm assuming that goes for the one in the 360 as well? (actually I just found a speed comparison that said the DVD drive in the 360 is only spinning at 12x. If that's really the case why they hell is it noisier than the drive in my PC running at full speed?)
    The BD drive in the PS3 is running at 2x for games I believe (reaching read speeds almost as fast as a DVD drive spinning many times faster), so even if they double or triple that in the next generation I imagine it should still be possible to keep noise to a minimum with proper engineering.

  • Dizzy #64 3 years ago

    "DVD drives are spinning at around 52x these days, aren't they? And I'm assuming that goes for the one in the 360 as well?"

    Errr.. 360 DVD is 12 speed.

    Next gen Bluray drives will probably be at least 4 speed to keep up with the extra bandwidth needed. Solid state will make a lot more sense... not only is the size (and price) custom but they are much smaller and faster.

  • Darren #65 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - "Oooooh the rearing"... what's the hell is that? :?

    Re: Mass Effect... it was awesome on the Xbox 360 with a terrific storyline and great gameplay, I've never claimed otherwise. I completed it on that format too and loved every second of it. I'm currently playing through it again on my PC because that's the platform I'll be buying the sequel for. It still has numerous issues but they don't prevent it from being a great game. I'm beginning to think you get confused if I criticise a game because you think that it automatically means I don't like it.

  • miiiguel #66 3 years ago

    @ Dizzy: Not in price, solid state is still quite expensive, but no doubt it's the next step. Einstein said so, many years ago.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 11:22

  • KayJay #67 3 years ago

    @ Darren - Killzone 2 has 7.1 channels... And that's of the radar...

    Id like to see them try and whizz that down my poxy 10meg Virgin Media line.

    In your hands Media for me. You can keep your slow downloads.

  • AphoticCosmos #68 3 years ago

    Sigh

    *saves money*

  • miiiguel #69 3 years ago

    ^ Guess you won't be getting PSP Go then. Resistance is futile.

    /remembers when said that would always buy vinil records...

  • Ryze #70 3 years ago

    It'd be nice if it just ran existing 360 games, but without any tearing or framerate drops, with AA on every title, Blu-Ray drive (not happening, methinks), new design, more reliable, lower power consumption, etc... a alightly higher spec to run everything more smoothly, with bundled Natal and anything else I'll think of in 5 mins time.

    Like the DSi /iPhone 3Gs where new functionality can be taken advantage of in specific titles if need be, but anyone with the new system immediatlely benefits from the extra oomph and new features.

    Decent marketing, and an excellen 'Wii Sports' killer app / shocase for the new system, and they're onto a winner...

  • 3william56 #71 3 years ago

    /watches the rush of 360s to Ebay.

    Come on Miiguel - you don't want to be left with all those 360s you have when MS release the new one next year, and just like the Xbox 1 (remember that, anyone?) drop the 360 like a sloppy turd surprise. Better flog them now whilst they're still worth something. :p

  • Dizzy #72 3 years ago

    "@ Dizzy: Not in price, solid state is still quite expensive, but no doubt it's the next step. Einstein said so, many years ago. "

    And going down in price all the time. SS will always be more expensive than optical but if offers a lot more advantages for publishers and it is license free (unlike some other formats). You could even have a "download-to-my-SD-card" machine in the shop instead of downloading via your internet connection.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 12:21

  • miiiguel #73 3 years ago

    lol @ william, no buddy, I proudly even own PSones (yes more than 1!). Fortunatly money was never a problem, and (/knocks on wood) never will.
    Ahah, That really made me laugh! Me, selling something? Fuck sake I'm no salesman.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 12:22

  • El-Dev #74 3 years ago

    "Ahah, That really made me laugh! Me, selling something? Fuck sake I'm no salesman."

    Evidently clear given that you are posting on a gaming website in the middle of the working day.

    I'd be seriously pissed if MS did this considerin I just bought a 360 less than 2 weeks ago.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 12:36

  • Darren #75 3 years ago

    I think Project Natal would be best left for the new Xbox myself because it obviously requires an add-on to be purchased which means that the market for the games is limited. Not every developer would support it and not everyone would buy the add-on.

    If Project Natal launched with the new machine as standard then it would be a much more attractive proposition and give Microsoft a marketing angle that doesn't rely on Xbox Bloody LIVE (something that surely puts off casual gamers?) and High Definition Gaming (ditto). It could feasibly become the next generation's Wii if Microsoft market it as a fun, sociable console (don't laugh... no-one could have predicted it would have worked for Nintendo just three years ago). It'll still sell shit in Japan though, I think Microsoft will have to live with that.

  • miiiguel #76 3 years ago

    @ el-dev: sorry didn't mean to bash your job (then again, "you're posting on a gameing site in the midle of a working day... confused. Then again, you can be on holidays, maybe where you live it's a beautifull sunny day, like here in Lisbon, and you're, like me, having a coke in your flats balcony staring at the street and posting), just wanted to say I don't sell my stuff, not games not sytems. And as a matter of fact I'll probably be 1st in line when the next system comes. I just don't have a PS3 (yet) because its crowd is mean to me. Also didn't want to judge people who need to sell stuff, shit is what it is, it's called capitalism.
    I have (almost) all the sytems since 48k.
    Edited by 2 at 15/06/09 @ 12:42

  • El-Dev #77 3 years ago

    @miguel, we get it that you're old and play video games. Are you Portuguese? I don't like Coke and it was sunny in Belfast this morning but it's quite overcast now. But maybe you're not like me, eating a sandwhich and looking at a car park. Don't worry, you wouldn't be able to bash my job, it's a gift.


    If Natal is estimated to be around £100-£150 and the 360 was slightly upgraded that would put the price of it around £300 I assume, so my point is would many people see the value in it? But then again if the upgraded 360 did come out next year that could be seen as a clear signal that there won't be a new xbox(720) for quite a while to come.

  • Spong #78 3 years ago

    Despite the fact I've just spunked £225 on an Elite, I couldn't give a flying cack about the possibility of a new 360 with in-built Natal. Natal is shit, the Wiimote & nunchuks are shit, those stupid lollipop things on the PS3 are shit. I'm sick to death of gaming suddenly trying to pass itself off as some kind of healthy way to pass time. Just gimme a pad and let me sack out on my bed as I play, that's what videogames are about. If I want to get up and be active, I'll go outside and do it. Bollocks to all this faux fitness crap.

  • miiiguel #79 3 years ago

    @ el-dev: meh..., maybe it's me, but you sound a bit hostile, don't really know why. You're the one who started "getting personal", not to be rude but I don't really want to know what's your job or what william sells to get his kicks. Then again, I'm outta here. Peace, I'm going for a walk.

    edit: and for the record, I'm not old ;)

  • SEVQA #80 3 years ago

    Maybe this new 360 sku might actually have the power unit inside the console! Or am I just hopping for too much here?

  • IneptPercy #81 3 years ago

    This sounds very much liek they are going after the Wii...

    I can see exactly how this could be a Gamecube -> Wii, literally make the specs a bit better and add Natal as the standard control method.

    But Why?

    Looking at my other half as the average Wii console owner, she never considered the 360/PS3 but bought a Wii.

    Now if I told her she can buy an addon for the 360 (Natal) she probably still wouldn't consider it.

    But if it was a new console with a 'better' control system than the Wii... She might just buy it.

    Basically if this is the case then it is a very sad day for gaming, the day when one of the big players stops pushing forward and takes a side step due to being able to get more money from old hardware than pushing for more power.

  • StooMonster #82 3 years ago

    @Darren: WTF? You addressed an answer to a question I didn't ask!

  • muscleblade #83 3 years ago

    Darren has become a real PC fanboy.
    PCs is for work, internet, facebook and WOW ( not for me though). I would never play games like Gears 2 and Halo 3 on a PC.
    I like xbox live and all that comes with it - playing with my friends and increasing my gamerscore an so on. To me thats more important than having the best specs.

  • Darren #84 3 years ago

    Sorry StooMonster, it should have been ParanoidZombie that my post was directed at, which was the post above yours. My apologies.

  • StooMonster #85 3 years ago

    @muscleblade: I play most of my games on PC. Often much better graphics with real HD resolutions, well 2560x1600 pixels with tonnes of effects and AA, faster load times, often best versions of games (not always though), quite frequently free DLC, HD audio, and support for 360 control pads if you really want to use them but keyboard and mouse support (the only real way to play FPS) et cetera. Games are cheap as chips compared to console versions too, although the hardware can make up for this cost saving. ;)

  • b4real653 #86 3 years ago

    Ce qui faudrait surtout à une nouvelle console c'est une nouvelle ouce graphique. Je suis certain qu'aujourd'hui ils peuvent en mettre une moins chère à produire et beaucoup plus performante
    Sinon pour le reste de la console (apart pour la mémoire vive) c'est déjà largement suffisant

  • Xerx3s #87 3 years ago

    "Its ridiculous imo. Graphics isnt even close to being the most important factor in games. "

    Oh for fuck sake, how long will people carry on using that same old argument that graphics are less important. It's such a load of horse shite. Graphical breakthroughs have made 99.99% of all gameplay innovations since the dawn of gaming possible. Good luck coming up with something like SotC or Okami when you are still in the Zork age.
    Visuals and audio communicate gameplay concepts to the user, ergo they are equally if not more important as without them, the rest wouldn't even be possible.

  • muscleblade #88 3 years ago

    @Miiguel
    "Do you know which game I spent all my week end playing? Phantasy Star 2. That sentence doesn't suit me, believe me.
    And Comix Zone, too, but that was for a (awesome) short while as the game's very, very short. "

    Strange thing really since you have them both on the Megadrive collection that you choose to buy the identical Xbla versions aswell. Enlighten me please. Ooops look like i accidently downloaded the fulll version of Altered Beast. God help me.


  • Miths #89 3 years ago

    @StooMonster

    I actually bought a proper gaming PC (Intel quad core, Geforce GTX 260, 8 GB RAM) again a couple of months ago, after having almost exclusively played console games for the last 20 months (first a 360 then a few months later I bought a PS3, and the latter is pretty much the only one I've been using the last 13-14 months).
    While it was first and foremost because I expected to start playing a few MMOs again (and then they went ahead and delayed Jumpgate and Champions Online the bastards :)) I was sort of expecting that I might start buying the PC version of some multi-platform games. And while the user created mods of Fallout 3 and the vastly superior PC graphics of GTA4 (I had previously played both games on the PS3) certainly did theirs to improve the experience, I've quickly found myself going back to mainly buying PS3 games again (including passing on the no doubt graphically superior PC versions of Prototype - assume that game looks pretty on any platform - and Red Faction).

    For me two reasons beat out the technical superiotity of my PC - a 40" screen (vs. my 22" PC monitor) and a very comfortable chair in front of that screen. Additionally I'm actually partial to a controller over mouse and keyboard in most games (and I'm perfectly comfortable playing first person shooters with a controller, although that's probably because it was a game genre I hadn't really played much before I switched to console gaming, as I'm having problems with motion sickness on small screens), as there are already too many days where I'm putting too much strain on my wrists and fingers through regular PC use for work and web surfing.
    Now obviously there's nothing stopping anyone from hooking a modern PC up to that same 40" HDTV and use eg. a 360 controller for many PC games, but my living room is... well, a living room :), and the furniture not really geared at all for a setup like that.

  • Darren #90 3 years ago

    @Miths - I have my PC on a desk next to my bed so it's very easy for me to turn the 22" monitor slightly and play games with the wireless Xbox 360 controller while lying on said bed with a massive cushion that I have. Now that's what I call comfort gaming! :)

    There's actually very few PC games that I actually play with the mouse. Even Crysis works perfectly with the Xbox 360 controller out of the box since it's one of the many Games for Windows titles, which usually (but not always!) means Xbox 360 controller support. After years of tediously messing around configuring third-party controllers it's refreshing to be able to just turn on the controller for a new game and just play it straight off. Prototype for example detects the Xbox 360 controller upon loading and automatically uses it complete with all the on-screen button mappings. An absolute joy IMO.

  • muscleblade #91 3 years ago

    @farticusmaximus

    True.

  • TheNinkyNonk #92 3 years ago

    Presumably, with this shipping with Natal, initial hardware batches will suffer from the Red Eye of Death?

  • hiruu #93 3 years ago

    I sure hope so! I was going to get a new elite, but this looks like a perfect tiem for me to get a new 360 console, and trade-in my old one. No brd needed, or wanted, thank you, since I don't want to pay for something I don't want or need. M$ can look to put a bigger HDD or SSD inb the console, and also SD card slots for easier transport of data. Continue to use the DVD median to ensure full B/C and I can fully live with multiple DVDs for huge games...but it's usually the JRPGs, which I don't like anyway. Next Fall, in time for the holiday season would be absolutely perfect for a launch...5 years laters...SWEET!

  • Calgon #94 3 years ago

    Miths well you have to admit noise, speed and reliability(from DVD to blu-ray... can anyone honestly say they are totally confident that whatever device said optical media device is a part of will last as long as you want it to... there is always a chance that it could start failing for lots of different reasons that we've come to accept) are some of the things that could be improved by eliminating optical media.

    Just a couple of quick ideas that would probably need refining:

    For digital distribution how about they roll out a high speed LAN accross the stores with large local storage servers, lower the prices on hard drives keep the bright idea from MS(and it was a good idea IMO) of having them detachable and portable and gamers just take their HDD's to the counter, choose their game and the wait a for their game to be uploaded along with their transaction number(which would be used again by the customer if the data is lost or corrupted).

    Solid state such as flash memory or perhaps something fresh based on the same technology made for gaming. This would be ideal if it was workable(most importantly you'd have no moving parts... one less thing to fail, quieter, less heat ect. and you'd appease the ownerships rights to the "I need to have something physical to show for my hard earn cash too when I buy a game" people.) but perhaps the cost per GB for optical media is impossible to match with todays technology.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 15:30

  • gabsta69 #95 3 years ago

    this wont be a new console - just a slim version - this will be a push to adopt the potential customers who are sitting on the fence. Does anyone know how many PS2 slims were sold in the first year? I think MS will want to mirror this effect

  • Calgon #96 3 years ago

    Yeah I think EG should have atleast tried to get clarification from MS like they usually do, doesnt look like they did this time, perhaps they decided it would be better to run with it while they can and get two articles out of it.

    I do hope while its good that MS look to be on the right track to tempting the casual/new audience to their platform with Natal, that they realise it seems to their hardcore base that they have laid off the gas a little for them this year(there's still enough for this year but comparing it to last year and the year before that it seems to be the case), it could be that they chose to hold a few announcements back(because they wanted Natal to get the attention this time around) because from what I remember Shane Kim saying it sounded like they should have some first party stuff to announce soon. After letting Bungie go(even though Im not the biggest halo/bungie fan), no attempts to keep Bizarre and Bioware for Xbox(ie offer to match or beat the other bids) it seems time for MS to start adding to their first party stable again, they are in a position now to just create their own dev houses within MGS and recruit the people rather than expensive buyouts... since that sort of thing can go un noticed maybe thats what they are doing. If not then they really need do that before worrying about capturing new audiences, keep your core audience happy and the rest will be easier.
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 15:47

  • VandelayIndustries #97 3 years ago

    miiiguel "ahah, no, it just that "many games" is just a figure of speech, right. Mirror's Edge has *a* DTS track. As an example of technical supermacy is funny, I have to give you that."

    I think the point is most PS3 games have more than one English track (Uncharted has six), usually DD 5.1, sometimes a DTS one and more often than not a LPCM uncompressed track (5.1 & 7.1) If you have the kit that can deal with LPCM then DD 5.1 is a step backwards.

    I'm not entirely sure how much disk space these extra tracks take up since both Wipeout HD & Warhawk have LPCM 7.1 soundtracks and neither were massive downloads.

  • Miths #98 3 years ago

    @Calgon
    "Miths well you have to admit noise, speed and reliability(from DVD to blu-ray... can anyone honestly say they are totally confident that whatever device said optical media device is a part of will last as long as you want it to... there is always a chance that it could start failing for lots of different reasons that we've come to accept) are some of the things that could be improved by eliminating optical media..."

    Are you talking about reliability of the discs or the drives? If it's the former, barring complete mistreatment of the discs they should last for years, or decades. I certainly have vastly more faith in my data being safe on an optical disc than on a hard disk (which is why I've got several Terabytes worth of external hard disk space, more than half is for backup :)).

    If it's the DVD or BD drives dying prematurely, well, I've got very little faith in electronics lifespan in general. Since the early 90s I can't recall owning a PC that didn't have at least one vital part fail within 18 months - and that has been without pushing things with overclocking and usually using quality components.
    I've also had amplifiers, expensive loud speakers, CD players, hell, a couple of months ago even a one year old fairly expensive desk lamp die on me prematurely - so I'm very much a pessimist in that regard. My PS3 is actually coming up on 18 months right now so I'm sort of expecting it to go up in flames any day now :p - or at the very least die with a sharp sound and nice crispy smell like the Asus mainboard in my last desktop PC (ironically exactly a year after I bought it and on the very day the system warranty ran out).

  • Calgon #99 3 years ago

    Ah I was on about the drives yes, I thought I was clear about that, the lasers fail, mechanisms go caput, low tollerence to dust ect... they just arent that reliable. Theres better alternatives for reliability, noise, heat and speed(not really looked into this but even if it was just a little faster along with the other improvements its win-win)... the advantage optical has is simple = cost per GB, untill they can match that or approach it they(platform holders and publishers alike) wont bother, I say the sooner we move from optical the better.

    As for the disks, well they do degrade over time but so does everything else, I have had more disks either get scratched or develop cracks more often than problems with other storage mediums but scratches can be avoided(but in all fairness you dont have to be as anal with the altenatives about taking care of them.. just dont drop them or throw them around... scratches can come out of nowhere sometimes for using the wrong cloth or your jumper to dust them off ect) and cracks are down to poor manufacturing that should be rare.

  • Calgon #100 3 years ago

    Still they can develop cracks unless they are made of a different material... I am aware of the protective layer Blu-ray has but most of my quarrels are with the technology itself as I stated(on the drive side).

  • GamesConnoisseur #101 3 years ago

    X360: lite yes

    X720: nope!

    Simply MS would have given something out by now IF not proper announcement and to leave it till next E3 WILL give them an unprepared market which hasnt been hyped up and what games to look forward to?

    Nope.. I second that a new generation of console is a good thing but ONLY when we have virtually exhausted current gen, and recession had world looking towards their savings more prudently.

    X360 still have a good 2 years at least of games but after that I would be worried if MS hasnt got something else by then... PS3 Sony had said many times that PS3 is here to stay for 10 years. PS3 do dates as bad as X360 as both are actually very comparable no matter how people want them to be.

  • penhalion #102 3 years ago

    @Beasley

    I just had to do that this weekend. My pro died...well the video died and it's out of warranty, so I just went and got an arcade. I was originally miffed until I reasoned that an arcade cost less than a bloomin DSi. That kind of put things into perspective for me.

    As for this new console. It's not actually a new console. Natal is geared to work with all exisiting 360s and the so called new console is simply supposed to be a redesign (along the lines of the PS2 slim). I think the press are simply bored and want to come up with crazy speculation in the hopes that it forces Microsoft's hand and they have to spill the beans to avoid some PR nightmare and lost sales.

  • dllord #103 3 years ago

    Bring it on i say, i love new gadgets!

  • SniperZoz #104 3 years ago

    Not Gonna Happen!

    Makes no sense and MS clearly said (in E3) that x360 has still life in it .... natal is an addon - no need for a new console.

    Why release a "new" console with "minor" improvements + natal? That's like releasing a new console cos' of a new guitar hero game ... makes no sense.

    If you're gonna bother release a new console then just go overboard with more cpu cores, a better gpu, more ram, internal(ish) hd, and no (yes NO) optical drive!

    Don't believe this ppl!

  • Bulbatron #105 3 years ago

    Mega CD
    32X.

    Just saying.

  • smelly #106 3 years ago

    Wouldnt surprise me.. unless natal is bundled with hardware, it'll be doomed to "eye toy" levels of games/public pick up.

    You think the wii has a lot of mini game crap?

  • Alkeno #107 3 years ago

    The Xbox 360 has little appeal to the casual market (most probably don't even know about it, and those who do probably believe it is a "hardcore shooter bore";) so it makes sense to redesign the machine (smaller, quieter, nicer), put Natal as standard and give it a new name. Then it's just a matter of spending huge amounts of publicity (wii-killer! hd waggle!) and games made for Natal. But it will still be a Xbox 360 in disguise, no new tech.

    If it happens to be like this many will upgrade (including me). I love my 360 but it is bulky, noisy and prone to RRoD...

  • pureartist #108 3 years ago

    @ photoboy

    What the F**** are you talking about,

    That said, the Xenon is already clocked at 3.2GHz and all the chip manufacturers have been struggling with voltage and heat at any speeds over 4GHz so it's hard to see IBM being able to squeeze out a CPU much faster than the original for MS "photoboy". LOL

    Are you triyng to compare IBM to INTEL? lol lol,

    POWER 6 and POWER 7 means anything to you?
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/09 @ 23:36