Microsoft Hints At Future Xbox Hardware Upgrades

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If these hints dropped by Xbox chief Phil Spencer are being interpreted correctly, we could be seeing upgraded / upgradeable Xbox hardware in the near future.

"When you look at the console space, I believe we will see more hardware innovation in the console space than we've ever seen," said Spencer. "You'll actually see us come out with new hardware capability during a generation allowing the same games to run backward and forward compatible because we have a Universal Windows Application running on top of the Universal Windows Platform that allows us to focus more and more on hardware innovation without invalidating the games that run on that platform."
 
I wouldn't be surprised if a Win10/DX12 PC equates to a Xbox in the future and both will play the same software.
 
As long as this means I can play Xbox games on my PC I'm happy.


Because then I don't need to buy a console every 7 years anymore.
 
see, they are trying to clean up their acts and stop being dirty consoles peasants.

pcmaster race>dirty consoles peasants
 
Sooo.. They are saying the PC Master Race has finally won!

bloodhawk ninja posted me.
 
I don't know if you know about this but there's already something like that called a pc. (yes i know the article mentions them) While I'm all for compatability, I think they should try harder to make older games run better on pc. For example, Need for Speed Most Wanted 2005, has countless articles and requests for MS to get it working since windows 7, even though a few people DO manage to somehow get it working. (I fell in the catagory of it not working) but for some reason I was able to put in my old NFS HIgh Stakes cd rom and install and play the game with the only issue being that my hardware was beyond the games' known capabilities so it wouldn't play with max graphics settings. Fascinatingly the other day, I was thinking of the idea the article is talking about but it was geared towards pc.
 
"With the new upgradeable XBox concept, the experience will evolve and get even better over time. We'll deliver new features when they're ready, not waiting for the next major release. We think of XBox as a Service - in fact, one could reasonably think of XBox in the next couple of years as one of the largest console services on the planet." - no, no, Microsoft didn't say that, I'm messing with you. I just edited their Windows As A Service announcement to suit.
 
Been saying this is a decent idea for awhile now. Console hardware doesn't necessarily net MS a ton of money by itself, it's the accessories, games, and subscriptions. Plus, you don't have ever changing media formats or really unique console architecture (like the 360/ps3). It wouldn't be hard to introduce an upgradable but still standard console format. You have the GFX module linked by a bus that can be swapped out. Games would simply do a check and pick the developer configured settings for the installed modules - so the developers would just introduce config files for each module.

It has benefits. You can sell the GFX modules at an OK mark-up, since they're likely to be purchased separately. You can future proof for other resolutions (4k, VR, 1080p), and you can sell to a wider market to get better market penetration (base model, HD model, UHD model) which drives your subscriber base, accessory sales, and game price cut. It also has the benefit of giving developers a much larger install base at launch, so if their title works for both Xbox One and Xbox Two (w/modules) at launch, their potential customer base isn't just the current console market, it's both combined.

Modern business is all about taking a hit on the low-margin items if it gives you a larger customer base for your high-margin items.
 
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I want to know if they will be making an external 4K bluray player...
 
Adopting a strategy that considers continued game compatibility (fixing the 'backward compatibility' issue with each new console) is a positive. However, I wonder about their customer base. Is the typical XBox owner accepting of the idea of spending a few hundred dollars a year to stay on current hardware? I think the typical console owner is quite different from the PC gaming enthusiast in that regard.

Common hardware was a plus for the current console business model. That was shown repeatedly with failed/unpopular accessories (N64 memory expansion, 32X, Super Scope, etc..). Everyone has the base system so developers target that - the largest audience. That's what made the Wii so brilliant is that Nintendo made the high tech controller standard equipment. Microsoft's plan will need to be thought out to avoid fragmentation if it's going to be frequent, rolling hardware. You'll end up with most developers targeting the lowest common denominator, and only 1st party titles pulling the new higher performance hardware modules. I imagine you'll only be buying games online so that the system can do a minimum requirements evaluation at checkout time.
 
Frobozz said:
Adopting a strategy that considers continued game compatibility (fixing the 'backward compatibility' issue with each new console) is a positive. However, I wonder about their customer base. Is the typical XBox owner accepting of the idea of spending a few hundred dollars a year to stay on current hardware? I think the typical console owner is quite different from the PC gaming enthusiast in that regard.

Common hardware was a plus for the current console business model. That was shown repeatedly with failed/unpopular accessories (N64 memory expansion, 32X, Super Scope, etc..). Everyone has the base system so developers target that - the largest audience. That's what made the Wii so brilliant is that Nintendo made the high tech controller standard equipment. Microsoft's plan will need to be thought out to avoid fragmentation if it's going to be frequent, rolling hardware. You'll end up with most developers targeting the lowest common denominator, and only 1st party titles pulling the new higher performance hardware modules. I imagine you'll only be buying games online so that the system can do a minimum requirements evaluation at checkout time.
Click to expand...
The way I see it is they going to offer upgrades from outside the base line and give options that allow better resolution, HDD space, networking speeds and the like. Base line stuff like CPU, wired lan connection and memory will probably stay the same to keep the base standards.
 
Current Xbox Ones don't look too upgrade friendly, this would be next Gen. Three years in November. I guess 2 more after that would be a 5 year life cycle which is sort of fair. I would be really leery to put down for an xb1 if I didn't know I had about 2.5 years at least out of it.
 
They should just port Xbox franchise over to Windows 10
 
IF they do this it will probably just be a incremental upgrade to bust Sony's balls. So they can say they are "more powerful"
Of course this would alienate their consumer base and make them look like DBs. But this is M$ we are talking about.
 
My brother in-law used to work for MS, he said "they lose so much money on the xbox hardware, but make it up on software and x-live subs"
They always wanted xlive to be the product and get out of the hardware race. With DX12/win10 on multiple systems all using xlive/win-store they will achieve this. Sony will be stuck in a 7-10 year cycle, and it looks like MS will just have an ecosystem that evolves with the tech.

Plus this...
"We're allowing ourselves to decouple our software platform from the hardware platform on which it runs," Spencer said."
The future of Xbox looks a lot like PC gaming
 
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Let's face it the x86 systems aren't "like" pc gaming they ARE PC gaming. This is evolution of the industry we are seeing. The old days of custom hardware like Cell etc are done.
It sounds chaotic.
Imagine you have a XB-5 running the latest hardware spec. Say equivalent to a GTX970 you are all stoked and the new games come out and you loving it. Then new game X comes out and XB-6.5 comes out with GTX 980Ti level GPU, now things aren't so sweet. Unless M$ supports a console parity of their own where it doesn't matter that you have older XB hardware the game runs nearly the same. At what point does the consumer realize that being locked into a platform is not worth it.

I would love for Nvidia to come out with a tegra based killer GPU games system and screw all these guys over. We need some diversity in the industry. Not just different AMD based shitboxes sitting on my shelf running their exclusives. Seriously why would I want three AMD 8 core consoles sitting on my shelf doing basically the same damn thing, and OH yeah, I have to get XB Live, PS Plus and Nintendo Plus now? STEAM IS FREE and GREAT.

Here is my little wet dream. SEGA and Nvidia partner up to produce DC2 with Titan X power. All the other systems bow to the power and make offerings. The DC2 joins forces with PC master race and rules the world forever.
 
I expecy W10 users will soon have to pay for multiplayer. Isn't that part of the whole point? Pay for what is free. It's the ultimate freedom
 
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