Xbox One Designed To Run Continuously For A Decade

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According to anonymous sources that might be familiar with the inner workings of Microsoft, the Xbox One was designed with a ten year, always-on lifecycle in mind.

Our information suggests the Xbox One design is based on an ambitious brief, essentially impossible to test in anything resembling real-life conditions, and so the company played it safe, putting unit reliability first. A highly placed source says that the console has been designed with a ten-year lifecycle in mind and that it is designed to be switched on for that entire period.
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TBH, hardware like this should always be designed to last a decade. Heck, they still had Apple IIe's running in my high school when Pentium 3 was all the rage.
 
A decade's not that long, I still have a working PS1 that the kids occasionally use.
 
Suddenly sales figures for Xbox consoles will be more realistic. I imagine a good portion of sales of 360 consoles come from people buying new units to replace failed units.
 
I have seen novel servers with uptime greater than that.

12.3 years then the admins decided to reboot it for the hell of it, it never came back up lol
 
Hmmm,
That is a 87360 hour MTBF.
Ok, are they backing that up with a 10 year warranty? No? Then it is meaningless.
 
Personally I would expect a device to last at LEAST as long as it takes for them to release a a new generation.

They failed with the 360 (for the most part, so did Sony)...
 
Does this mean the power switch is super sucky and will die after only a few actuations?

If it only lasts 10 years, then it is still a sucky lifetime compared to systems of yor. NES, SNES, TG-16, etc.
 
as opposed to the 360 which could not run an hour a week for a year without dying.
 
This generation of console is to run for more hours per day than previous generations. My guess is the previous console also was designed for 10 years..but only maybe 4-6 hours per day. Thus, increasing reliability by a factor of 4-6 is pretty good.
 
cyclone3d said:
Does this mean the power switch is super sucky and will die after only a few actuations?

If it only lasts 10 years, then it is still a sucky lifetime compared to systems of yor. NES, SNES, TG-16, etc.
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What are you smoking? Those NES' were notorious for having trouble reading cartridges after several months of heavy use. The X360's were very reliable starting with the 2nd generation and the current 3rd gen slims are as well so far.

Everytime an Xbox article is posted, I don't understand what the hate is from you people. I actually believe them on this one considering that the X360 used arguably top end components while the next gen will be mostly using parts bin type stuff that was customized for specialized console applications.
 
cyclone3d said:
Does this mean the power switch is super sucky and will die after only a few actuations?

If it only lasts 10 years, then it is still a sucky lifetime compared to systems of yor. NES, SNES, TG-16, etc.
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Your confirmation bias is forgetting all of the old consoles that died right away... all of the weak ones were weeded out, and now you only remember the best!
 
much less custom and more off the shelf, I still damn well want them to stop using those crap wires for cooling fans so can change it out if it goes bad without sending it back to them and maybe even some extra venting so if a user wants to add external air they can without killing it.

360/ps3 are near pure custom, where XB1/PS4 are near off the shelf components, PS4 being more off the shelf except in the memory use, and XB1 being crafty in the memory design, either way if they are thee way they look(big blocky bastards :p) then I am quite sure cooling will not be an issue this gen at all.

NES were very bad for being crud for reading carts as they could build static, goldfingers get dirty etc, however, the machines themselves also lasted forever, I still have 2 of them in boxes that work just fine, the 1 never had issues with reading carts heavy use 4+ years, but this was very abnormal of course, think thing is the wattage/heat, NES/SNES etc did not push anywhere near the heat or operate at near the frequency that modern ones do, so yeh they should operate for a long ass service life, the newest ones being they tend to cramp a lot more power/heat hungry in a space that is barely any larger(in say usable litres of volume) no wonder they don't last long.
 
HardUp4HardWare said:
as opposed to the 360 which could not run an hour a week for a year without dying.
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That was because of improper thermal design. If one was to mod his original console and give it the proper cooling that it needed, it ran just fine. My original release (Version 1) Xbox is still alive and well today.

I'm hoping they learned from their mistakes. It's better to have a slightly bigger box and much better cooler.

Now, it worries me that they think this console will be competitive 10 years from now. My hope is that because both these systems are X86 based, that developers will develop for the PC (the ease) first, then port to the individual consoles (since porting to the X1 might be extremely easy, PS4 is Linux based, so they may need to change some things). This will allow them to "downgrade" graphics to fit the consoles.
 
-Edit, would have done this with other one but it wouldn`t let me :(

much less custom and more off the shelf, I still damn well want them to stop using those crap wires for cooling fans so can change it out if it goes bad without sending it back to them and maybe even some extra venting so if a user wants to add external air they can without killing it.

360/ps3 are near pure custom, where XB1/PS4 are near off the shelf components, PS4 being more off the shelf except in the memory use, and XB1 being crafty in the memory design,(both technically using an APU that is not even released yet, when it is, then it might be considered off the shelf HOWEVER the way they tuned this apu it will still be custom to Sony and MSFT usage i.e unable to get them for PC as a whole, their cousins sure, them no.) either way if they are the way they look(big blocky bastards :p) then I am quite sure cooling will not be an issue this gen at all.

NES were very bad for being crud for reading carts as they could build static, goldfingers get dirty etc, however, the machines themselves also lasted forever, I still have 2 of them in boxes that work just fine, the 1never had issues with reading carts heavy use 4+ years, but this was very abnormal of course, think thing is the wattage/heat, NES/SNES etc did not push anywhere near the heat or operate at near the frequency that modern ones do, so yeh they should operate for a long ass service life, the newest ones being they tend to cramp a lot more power/heat hungry in a space that is barely any larger(in say usable litres of volume) no wonder they don't last long.
 
Spidey329 said:
That was because of improper thermal design. If one was to mod his original console and give it the proper cooling that it needed, it ran just fine. My original release (Version 1) Xbox is still alive and well today.

I'm hoping they learned from their mistakes. It's better to have a slightly bigger box and much better cooler.

Now, it worries me that they think this console will be competitive 10 years from now. My hope is that because both these systems are X86 based, that developers will develop for the PC (the ease) first, then port to the individual consoles (since porting to the X1 might be extremely easy, PS4 is Linux based, so they may need to change some things). This will allow them to "downgrade" graphics to fit the consoles.
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These new consoles are probably one of the best things to ever happen to the world of PC gaming. While there is porting that needs to be done to account for the different OS environments, they are essentially running similar hardware architecture. It basically took away any last reason for console games not being released on PC's. Of course I don't have a gaming PC anymore so i'll take my X360 and XB1.
 
Yeah right, kids are still having nighmares about red rings.

They sure don't make em like they used to, my NES and all its peripherals are still working like a champ, and have survived five moves that weren't well packed at all.
 
10 years constantly on though? My NES and Sega Genesis still work fine but I doubt they would've had they been on 24/7 for that long...
 
and yet the ps2 slim I bought a few years back and rarely use has all sorts of problems... I have to turn it upside down and do a chant for it to read discs... original ps1 still works great though.
 
amdgamer said:
These new consoles are probably one of the best things to ever happen to the world of PC gaming. While there is porting that needs to be done to account for the different OS environments, they are essentially running similar hardware architecture. It basically took away any last reason for console games not being released on PC's. Of course I don't have a gaming PC anymore so i'll take my X360 and XB1.
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That they are, being AMD based, EA/DICE as one dev already stated their game engine is going to be geared towards AMD for the foreseeable future, so then it is already panning out, means more console/PC ports, also means a hell of a lot more optimization all which will definitely benefit us all, well except maybe Intel and Nvidia users, but that's ok they have had many thousands of cookies given to them over the years, time AMD gets theirs :D
 
Super-D said:
Agreed. If they say it's going to last 10 years, they should put their money where their mouth is.
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That would be a terrible business choice. Any extra customers this might bring would be immediately outweighed just by the cost of processing claims, let alone doing actual returns or repairs.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Hmmm,
That is a 87360 hour MTBF.
Ok, are they backing that up with a 10 year warranty? No? Then it is meaningless.
Click to expand...

Are there not 365 days in your years? To say nothing of leap years that have an extra day (should be what, 2 in that time period?).

MTBF doesn't necessarily line up with operational lifetime - it's a mean, a mathematical construct, afterall. The weapon system I work on has a 300 hour operational lifetime but its MTBOMF (that's Mean Time Between Operational Mission Failure) isn't 300 hours.
 
We'll be playing games on Google Glass in 5 years so who gives a crap! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
LeninGHOLA said:
That would be a terrible business choice. Any extra customers this might bring would be immediately outweighed just by the cost of processing claims, let alone doing actual returns or repairs.
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^ They are talking the talk but not walking the walk ^ Of course Microsoft is going to do anything they can for maximum possible profit it's what they do.
 
"Always on" will always last longer than devices that are constantly switched on/off anyways.

The thermal expansion and contraction of components as they get hot and cool down again and again is what kills most electronics...

That's one benefit on modern devices that are designed to run in low power standby mode instead of being switched off entirely... there's always a bit of juice flowing through them to keep the circuits warm...

Of course I can't tell my crazy relatives this and they insist on flipping the switch on the power strip to instantly shut off their computer, monitor, router, and modem every time they get done "surfing the net" so they can "save power..."

Of course then they want to call me and ask why their router isn't working right when it's been off for over a week and wondering why their shit keeps dying on them so damn quick...
 
ZodaEX said:
^ They are talking the talk but not walking the walk ^ Of course Microsoft is going to do anything they can for maximum possible profit it's what they do.
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All they really need to say is, "We designed this console better than our last two".
 
Having 4 dreamcasts that are still all currently working I think reliability should always be number one in any electronics device, unlike my first PS1/PS3/Xbox360/Xbox all died and were not repairable. Hell even the PS3 was a laser issue that I sent to Sony to fix came back to me 1 yr later died again after very mild gaming and movie watching.... My original NES/SNES/Genesis/Sega CD/Turbo 16 never had any issues playing games.
 
phobos512 said:
Are there not 365 days in your years? To say nothing of leap years that have an extra day (should be what, 2 in that time period?).

MTBF doesn't necessarily line up with operational lifetime - it's a mean, a mathematical construct, afterall. The weapon system I work on has a 300 hour operational lifetime but its MTBOMF (that's Mean Time Between Operational Mission Failure) isn't 300 hours.
Click to expand...

Lookit dude;

Most computer components are rated have a rating from the manufacturer of Mean (average) Time Before Failure. That IS the average amount of time this product can continuously operate. That goes for hard drives and SMD capacitors, etc. This is an industry standard.
What the difference is if you operate it 5 minutes a day or leave in on 24/7.

What usually kills electronic devices is a line surge or absolute FILTH that clogs the cooling devices and causes the thing to overheat and die.

Refer to the "Clean you F%^@$ing PC" thread.
 
amdgamer said:
Everytime an Xbox article is posted, I don't understand what the hate is from you people. I actually believe them on this one considering that the X360 used arguably top end components while the next gen will be mostly using parts bin type stuff that was customized for specialized console applications.
Click to expand...
Once a meme is established, it pops up everywhere. Microsoft's bone-headed PR moves and pure bad luck (reveal of always-on Kinect coinciding with the NSA scandal) created a perfect storm of gamer hatred that has yet to subside. When the consoles actually come out, their features and drawbacks cease to be hypothetical, and jack-booted government thugs don't kick down the door of every Xbone owner, the spittle-flecked rage will subside and gamers will find something else to obsess over.
 
Consoles were/are built to a price. Life expectancy is parts and use time dependent.
Old consoles (I suppose) were expected to "lose interest of players" before parts crapped out.
Engineering, testing, or the parts budget got it wrong.

This time I expect "short life" could result in legal issues. It is considered mature tech. We will see.
 
I don't think the average hard drive lasts 10 years. Maybe they just mean the spy camera?
 
They should take design advise from Nintendo. Their consoles will just run forever.
 
amdgamer said:
What are you smoking? Those NES' were notorious for having trouble reading cartridges after several months of heavy use.
Click to expand...

Yeah well we don't use mediums that incur physical abuse anymore, either. Physical rubbing of metal on metal is going to wear it down. That's not device hardware failure. That's just wear and tear. You don't say that your car has "died" when your tires wear out, do you?
 
I've still got a 90's era IBM MPro which runs like a top. Dual Pentium and 512 Mb of RAM. When all of the units were being slated for the scrap heap no one could find this one. Apparently it had been sheetrocked in a wall during a renovation 6 years earlier and had been running like a top the entire time. No one knew how long it had actually been up and running. They cut into he wall to get it out and now I'm the happy owner for 8 years. It runs XP just fine and is good for my kids to abuse. The drives (which still work fine) and noisy as sin though. Damn lawn mower in there. 10 years uptime is bullshit. Is there a 10 year warranty? Thought not. F this thing and the always on surveillance camera it rode in on.
 
Now I'm scared, if it can easily last 10 years, does that mean PC gamers are going to have to put up with cross platform games on console technology 10 years old to? Just saying...
 
k1pp3r said:
I have seen novel servers with uptime greater than that.

12.3 years then the admins decided to reboot it for the hell of it, it never came back up lol
Click to expand...

I've seen similar at work. Hundreds of LCD monitors (this was the CFL type) running 24/7 all year. And every Christmas, we would idle the machines for 2 days so people could take off. Well sure as shit every year, about 3 or 4 monitors wouldn't turn back even though they had been running no problem for a year.
 
If you ask the PS4 folks, they'll say they're designed for 10 years continuous life too.

This is something that sounds great, but nobody can prove until we're so far down the road, nobody remembers the claim was made.

I get the sense, this with past announcements, is the new PR machine releasing 'tidbits' to try to slowly restart interest in the xb1.
 
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