Topic: Xbox Conference Scheduled for May 21

[SupTool]

where it looks like the new Xbox will be announced on that date, and more games will be revealed at E3.  Kotaku has a pretty good article listing what could and could not be with the new Xbox

What We Almost Certainly Know About The Next Xbox

• You will be using Kinect, whether you want to or not. The second (and vastly improved) iteration of Microsoft's Kinect camera won't just be shipping with every console, it'll need to be plugged in and calibrated for the machine to even run, suggesting a deep level of integration with the next Xbox's user interface.
• If the controller ain't broke, don't fix it. Microsoft's control pad for the next Xbox is described as a "natural evolution" of the current controller. Expect slight revisions, not major changes. Also, your 360 controllers won't work on the new console. Sorry.
• Specs. Specs. Specs. The next Xbox will run on custom hardware that includes an 8-core, 64-bit CPU running at 1.6ghz, an 800mhz DirectX 11.x graphics processor and, alongside them, various "custom hardware blocks" that are able to handle certain individual tasks, taking the strain off the main CPU. There's also 8GB of DDR3 memory (at least in dev kits), a 500GB hard drive and built-in wi-fi. Oh, and it'll also use Blu-Ray discs.
• Your friend in green. The Xbox Companion App, already available for the current generation, is being overhauled and improved, and will give your tablet or phone many of the same capabilities Nintendo uses for its Wii U control pad screen.
• It can juggle your games. Just like the PS4, the next Xbox will be able to "hot swap" between programs, and will also be able to pause your game like a phone does - freezing the exact moment you close it down - instead of the more traditional save-game system.
• Install on the go. You won't need to install games for the next Xbox. The system will do that for you while you play.
• Taking over your TV. The next Xbox has a HDMI in port, which it seems will be used to turn your console into a fully-functioning TV box.
• Goodbye, Durango. For years now, the console's working title/codename internally with Microsoft and developers has been "Durango". Hope you haven't gotten too attached to it, though, because come May 21, it'll surely be gone, replaced by the machine's actual name.
• It'll probably be out in 2013. Kotaku, and several other outlets, have all been told the machine will be out in time for the 2013 holiday season. At least in the US.

What We're Not Sure About The Next Xbox

• That it requires an "always-online" internet connection. This one's strange. We've heard from some sources that the console will definitely need to be online to start playing games. Others have said this isn't the case. Some are even suggesting that it's the console's entertainment and TV capabilities that will need this, not your games. Because of this confusion, it goes in the maybe pile.
• It might block you playing used games. It might not. While both Kotaku and Edge have heard from sources that the console could somehow block consumers from playing used games - presumably until they purchase some kind of "online pass" - we've yet to hear decisively on the matter. There's also the chance, like the "always-online" feature above, that Microsoft has tweaked - or even removed - the feature following negative feedback from customers.
• Xbox chat is gone. One interesting report from CVG said that the console's chat services would all be brought under the Skype brand umbrella. What's especially neat is that this raises the possibility of "asynchronous voice and video messages in next-gen Xbox Live".
• Games! Because the console is yet to be officially announced, no games have been officially announced. Several have danced around this, though, saying they're either coming for "next generation" consoles (without specifying) or that in addition to systems like the 360 and PS3, further platforms will be announced in the near future. Some of these games include the likes of Assassin's Creed IV, The Witcher 3, Watch Dogs and FIFA 14.

What We Have No Clue About

• What it looks like. To dissuade leaks, and to help track them down if stuff does spill out, Microsoft has covered its development consoles (and controllers) in what's essentially dazzle camouflage, which doesn't just help disguise the lines of the devices, but also identifies who owns each one.
• Xbox Live 2.0? Achievements? Dashboard? Most of what we know so far about the console has to do with its hardware and specifications. When it comes to things like Xbox Live, achievements and the next console's user interface, we're mostly in the dark.[/l][/l]

[/list]

[Prime]

http://windowsitpro.com/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/here-comes-next-xbox

Here Comes the Next Xbox

Microsoft's next Xbox will be revealed in a series of events in the first half of 2013

Microsoft on Wednesday confirmed that the next Xbox video game console, code-named Durango, will be revealed to the public during a special event at its Redmond campus on May 21. That event will kick off a multi-event unveiling that will continue through June and culminate with the release of the device, which is expected in early November.

On March 28, I exclusively revealed via Twitter that Microsoft had changed the original reveal date for the next Xbox from April 24 to May 21. So yesterday’s confirmation is interesting for two reasons, the least obvious of which is that the news came on April 24—the original date that the firm intended to reveal the next Xbox.

Related: "Microsoft Touts Xbox Momentum and Future"

Here’s what I know about the next Xbox (along with some clearly identified conjecture).

Early announce. The initial reveal date was pushed back from April 24 to May 21 so that Microsoft could better position the device against the PlayStation 4, which Sony announced in late February.

Full (end user) announce. Microsoft will fully reveal details about the next Xbox, including the launch lineup of games, on the eve of the E3 tradeshow in early June 2013.

Developer announce? It appears that Microsoft will discuss the next Xbox developer platform at the Build conference in San Francisco in late June, based on clues on the Build website.

Launch. The next Xbox will launch in early November 2013.

Windows 8 Core. The next Xbox is based on the "Core" (base) version of Windows 8. This suggests a common apps platform or at least one that is similar to that used by Windows 8. It also suggests that Microsoft could open up this platform to enthusiast developers. (That last bit is supposition on my part.)

Price. Microsoft will initially offer two pricing models for the console: a standalone version for $499 and a $299 version that requires a two-year Xbox LIVE Gold commitment at an expected price of $10 per month.

No entertainment box. Microsoft originally planned to offer both a “full” version of the next Xbox (with video game playing capabilities) and a lower-end entertainment-oriented version, code-named “Yuma,” that didn't provide gaming capabilities. But plans for Yuma are on hold, and no pure entertainment version of the next Xbox will appear in 2013 (or possibly ever).

Blu-ray. The next Xbox will include a Blu-ray optical drive.

Internet-connected. The next Xbox must be Internet-connected to use. This is the source of the “always on”/“always online” rumors and isn’t as Draconian as many seem to believe.

Another Xbox 360. Microsoft will also deliver a third-generation Xbox 360 console this year that will be significantly less expensive than the current models. The new Xbox 360 is code-named “Stingray,” but it’s not clear whether this device is required because the next Xbox isn’t backward-compatible or because Microsoft simply wants a low-cost entertainment box alternative. (A third possibility—and to be clear, these possible reasons are all speculative—is that the Xbox 360 simply has life left in it and with dwindling component prices in the 8 years since the original launch, the firm can still make money selling such a device.)

There’s a lot I don’t know, of course. The name is a big area of speculation, and while I’ve heard nothing official, I’d be surprised if Microsoft didn’t just called it Xbox. I’ve never seen the console, nor have any idea what it might look like. And in addition to the aforementioned confusion over backward compatibility and the apps platform, there are questions surrounding Kinect (which I understand is integrated and non-optional) and of course the fabled (and possibly imaginary) Xbox Surface tablet. We’ll have to wait and see what Microsoft announces—or what it leaks—to find out more.

On that note, Microsoft’s May event will be broadcast live via Xbox.com, over Xbox LIVE, and on Spike TV if you're in the United States or Canada.

[Beer_Baron]

You will be using Kinect, whether you want to or not. The second (and vastly improved) iteration of Microsoft's Kinect camera won't just be shipping with every console, it'll need to be plugged in and calibrated for the machine to even run, suggesting a deep level of integration with the next Xbox's user interface.

Hello, Big Brother.

I loved the original XBox but i really don't want a mandatory internet-connected device with integrated cameras watching my every movement.  Plus, I'm getting too old for video games anyways. 

[Prime]

That'll never happen. If you think Microsoft is doing anything with the Kinect data and providing that to anyone that's the mother of all privacy breaches and they'll be sued out of business faster than you can say "uh oh".

Plus, someone will have it hacked and reverse-engineered the day it comes out and will find out exactly if that is happening or not. No way MS can risk that.

I know those devices don't have cameras, but the always-on connection bitching is surprising. Anyone that's used a Roku or like device has to have them online all the time anyway - and those devices are usually networked with access to data.

[POE-Bot Activated!]

The problem with always-on internet connection being a requirement is that some/most ISP's are hesistant about providing a strong network for their users.

There are still areas of the country that aren't setup for a broadband internet connection....if the rumors are true, Microsoft are going after major metropolitan cities and areas with decent internet connection. People living in extremely rural areas won't get a chance to play. 

[Prime]

While I don't personally have a problem with always on, or in this case "internet-connected", I doubt there will be a local game limitation. Just doesn't make sense.

[Zandrax]

I figured the Internet connection requirement would be to help against piracy. Plus given gamerscores and XBox Live being a big deal, I don't think this will change much.

[Prime]

Yeah there might be a quick phone home to verify the software is legit but I highly doubt a constant connection is a requirement.

Plus, the major reason why I doubt even that is broadband is not available everywhere, so does that mean those without high speed internet can't buy an XBox? I don't know why a significant chunk of their consumer base would be excluded like that.

[Freakshow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhvrOkaDxAY

Meh, I'm holding-out for Illumi Womb.

[DocSavage]

I know those devices don't have cameras, but the always-on connection bitching is surprising. Anyone that's used a Roku or like device has to have them online all the time anyway - and those devices are usually networked with access to data.

There are people out there without internet.

But more commonly, there are simply people that don't have enough open ports for their Xbox, or don't want to go through the hassle of setting it up, and just want to game.  I know a few guys that never connected their 360 to Live, and never intend to, despite my offer to set them up, and warnings that they're missing out on patches that might end up in a game breaking glitch or two...

[Freakshow]

technically, the 360 is "always on" already.

i think you should stop jumping...to conclusions.

Get it?

[Prime]

While I don't personally have a problem with always on, or in this case "internet-connected", I doubt there will be a local game limitation. Just doesn't make sense.

Confirmed. Local play will be network independent.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/05/microsoft-next-xbox-will-work-even-when-your-internet-doesnt/

Should single-player games, Blu-ray playback, and live TV viewing be possible on a gaming console with no Internet connection? Most gamers would say "yes," but they have been worried that Microsoft feels differently; the next generation Xbox has been consistently rumored to require a permanent network connection.

It won't.

According to an internal Microsoft e-mail sent to all full-time employees working on the next Xbox, "Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet." It continues, "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."

How far this offline support will extend still isn't clear. It could take the form of a fully offline mode akin to that on the Xbox 360 (insert optical disc, install game, play, all without an Internet connection) or it could be more like Steam (install and activate online but enable subsequent offline play once this has been done).

While one could argue that "installing a game" is one of the "scenarios" that gamers "expect to work" when offline, a more Steam-like approach would be consistent with rumors that the next Xbox will use its Internet connection to block installation of secondhand games.

Still, though the next Xbox won't make everybody happy, it looks like fears that the console will be useless when your broadband goes down have been overblown.

[SupTool]

So it looks like its fully embracing the Blu-Ray discs and its large capacity

[Chus-Kay]

sweet.

will xbox live still cost money?  or have they figured out how to do  the free network like ps3?

[Prime]

XBL will still require a paid subscription. I suspect though that access to third party services like Netflix will not require a Gold subscription any longer, but I haven't seen that confirmed anywhere.

I remember hearing just a week or two ago that the XBL Family Pack that used to cost $99 will now cost the same as a regular subscription.

[Chus-Kay]

XBL will still require a paid subscription. I suspect though that access to third party services like Netflix will not require a Gold subscription any longer, but I haven't seen that confirmed anywhere.

that would be nice.

[Prime]

Reminder, the announcement/event is scheduled today at noon Central. You can watch on Xbox.com.

[Prime]

Short review: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

[SupTool]

From Wired
 

What follows naturally from this is that each disc would have to be tied to a unique Xbox Live account, else you could take a single disc and pass it between everyone you know and copy the game over and over. Since this is clearly not going to happen, each disc must then only install for a single owner.
Microsoft did say that if a disc was used with a second account, that owner would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc, which would then mean that the new account would also own the game and could play it without the disc.
 
But what if a second person simply wanted to put the disc in and play the game without installing – and without paying extra? In other words, what happens to our traditional concept of a “used game”? This is a question for which Microsoft did not yet have an answer, and is surely something that game buyers (as well as renters and lenders) will want to know.

 

[SupTool]

Short review: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

Even though its not backwards compatible?

[Prime]

No one has said that yet.

[SupTool]

No one has said that yet.

via Kotaku
 

The Verge reports that Xbox One will not be backward compatible with Xbox 360 titles. That is according to Mark Whitten, Microsoft's vice president for Xbox Live.
When asked if Xbox One will be able to play 360 titles over Xbox Live, or by downloading them, or by some means other than a disc, Whitten said the company had no plans for such a service at this time.
"The system is based on a different core architecture, so back-compat doesn't really work from that perspective," Whitten told The Verge.
Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games [The Verge]

[Prime]

If this is true, this is the same thing as Windows Phone 7.5 users getting shafted with the Windows Phone 8 upgrade.

It sucks ass, but a necessary evil when the architecture changes.

Not sure how I feel about that. Like I said on the podcast last night, I have a ton of games I need to finish first. After seeing the reveal today - AND IF live TV is available in Canada, then I will likely get one and keep both around.

[SupTool]

The one thing I'm very curious about now is cost.  They haven't announced that yet, and that is going to be big.

[Prime]

If I were to guess, and this is TOTAL speculation, I would put the cost somewhere around $200 console + $100 Bluray + $100 Kinect - whatever hit they want to take cost-wise to get it into market. I'll say $399.