Microsoft Xbox Series X | S OT - Power Your Dreams, update: FTC case unredacted documents leaked, including XSX mid-generation refresh, new gyro/haptic-enabled controller, and next-generation plans for 2028

[Spork3245]

57 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I remember reading that the X27, which is HDR1000, was getting the updated module that supports VRR over HDMI. 
https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/blog/acer-predator-x27-p-with-minor-updates-now-supporting-vrr-over-hdmi/

Wow, I’m surprised they put out a new revision of the same monitor!

[Brian]

More proof of Lockhart, this time from the XDK/GDK release notes for June 2020. pic.twitter.com/hulDoC9owv

— TitleOS (@XB1_HexDecimal) June 24, 2020

[JPDunks4]

https://twinfinite.net/2020/06/phil-spencer-xbox-series-x-ps5/

 

Phil Spencer had an interview or Keynote...

Comments on 1st Party - 

Quote

 

“We know it’s important. We know that it’s something that our fans want, but I will also say we’re going to create our first-party around the things that we feel we need to do in order to stand-up for Xbox.

 

Some times we get suggestions “where is your X game or where is your Y game” and people look at the other hardware platforms. I don’t think our goal is to replicate what other people have done. It doesn’t help the industry to have people that are doing exactly the same thing with their platforms, services, or content.

 

I’m really proud of the diversity of content that our Xbox Game Studios are creating, genres, and art styles, and platforms, and gameplay, single-player, multiplayer, cooperative work is coming along.

 

I’m just really proud of the diversity that I’m seeing from the Xbox Game Studios organization and I think that’s going to continue and it’s going to be a mainstay for us, that it’s not going to be a certain kind of genre or a certain kind of story, that the teams are really led by their own vision of what they want to build.”

 

 

Comments on Sony's show - 

Quote

 

“I watched the show. I thought they did a good job. I sent Jim [Ryan] a note afterward and congratulated him. […]

 

As a competitor it’s great to have them out there now so that we kinda know what the program is. We’ve seen the device, we’ve seen the gamme.

 

Just being honest, I felt good after seeing their show. I think the hardware advantages that we’ve built are going to show up as we’re talking more about our games, framerates, and other things.

 

I thought the games lineup that we’re going to have at launch I felt really good about. We got more clarity on what they’re doing obviously at their show, which helps us focusing more on what we have, and I think that’ll be a strength for us at launch.

 

So, I thought they did a good job. I thought they do what they do very well, and they did that, but when I think the position that we’re in with the games that we’re going to be able to show and how they’re going to show up, and the haedware advantage that we have, I think we’re in a very good position.

 

So I feel good about July, the gameplay that we’re going to be showing there, and the hardware capability. But I will say it’s also nice as a gamer to see both of us out there and competing. The competition leads to better outcomes for both companies and I applaud that.

 

 

[crispy4000]

Yeah, I can respect that.  Especially with the likes of Ninja Theory and Double Fine on board.  Let them do all the crazy shit they want.

 

It's still been a pretty long time since the console manufacturers felt pressure to produce blatant copycat games.  That's not how the console game space works anymore; that logic pretty much died with the mascot platformer.

[crispy4000]

Quote

The leaked document also mentions a Lockhart profiling mode. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s Xbox plans tell The Verge that this special Lockhart mode is part of the Xbox Series X developer kit. The devkit, codenamed Dante, allows game developers to enable a special Lockhart mode that has a profile of the performance that Microsoft wants to hit with this second console. We understand that includes 7.5GB of usable RAM, a slightly underclocked CPU speed, and around 4 teraflops of GPU performance. The Xbox Series X includes 13.5GB of usable RAM, and targets 12 teraflops of GPU performance.

Developers will be able to use this Lockhart mode to test their games against this performance profile and do validation checks. Microsoft is expected to position its Lockhart console for 1080p or 1440p gaming, two of the most popular resolutions used by PC gaming monitors currently.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/26/21304112/microsoft-xbox-series-x-lockhart-leaked-document-specs-rumors

 

From the editor:

 

On a related note, is this thread still riding on that $200 rumor?  Seems far more likely to me that they’ll try something aggressive installment plan based, as the article suggests.

Microsoft’s been big on financing in the past, and Phil doubled down on that recently:

 

Quote

Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall generation.

 

[XxEvil AshxX]

Yeah when Phil said that, my brain automatically jumped to a $600 XSX.

[BloodyHell]

I just cant see the reason to own one if everything is gonna be on PC, other than cost if you don’t have a PC. 
 

on the other side, I know I want a PS5 because I know I love their first party games. Spider-Man alone justifies it for me.

[Greatoneshere]

On 6/26/2020 at 9:44 AM, BloodyHell said:

I just cant see the reason to own one if everything is gonna be on PC, other than cost if you don’t have a PC. 
 

on the other side, I know I want a PS5 because I know I love their first party games. Spider-Man alone justifies it for me.

 

And if you are a serious gamer of any kind, if you're gonna spend $500-600 on an XSX, may as well save and go all in for a powerhouse PC as a onetime purchase and just use that instead. 

[SimpleG]

5 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

And if you are a serious gamer of any kind, if you're gonna spend $500-600 on an XSX, may as well save and go all in for a powerhouse PC as a onetime purchase and just use that instead. 

[Greatoneshere]

8 minutes ago, SimpleG said:

 

I only mean that in that the most games are available on PC. Which is true. If I'm a gamer I'd want the system with by far the most games available to select from, logically speaking. And if everything on one thing is on PC but everything on PC isn't on the other thing why would I get the other thing over PC?  

[crispy4000]

22 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

I only mean that in that the most games are available on PC. Which is true. If I'm a gamer I'd want the system with by far the most games available to select from, logically speaking. And if everything on one thing is on PC but everything on PC isn't on the other thing why would I get the other thing over PC?  

Because it’s a greater upfront cost for a PC, compared to an equivalent console with an installment plan a multiplayer subscription.

[Greatoneshere]

10 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Because it’s a greater upfront cost for a PC, compared to an equivalent console with an installment plan a multiplayer subscription.

 

Right, I'm saying, long-term, if you're a gamer anyway, you are presumably "all in" and will game for years to come, so a high upfront initial cost is worth it over the alternative of worse gaming with less of a selection of games during all those same years cause you went cheaper in the moment in terms of hardware, long-terrm. And with cross-play becoming more and more of a thing, what your friends are playing on becomes less of a worry. I went PC just a few years ago and not only has my gaming increased but I couldn't imagine going back.

[SimpleG]

22 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Because it’s a greater upfront cost for a PC, compared to an equivalent console with an installment plan a multiplayer subscription.

 

14 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

 

Right, I'm saying, long-term, if you're a gamer anyway, you are presumably "all in" and will game for years to come, so a high upfront initial cost is worth it over the alternative of worse gaming with less of a selection of games during all those same years cause you went cheaper in the moment in terms of hardware, long-terrm. And with cross-play becoming more and more of a thing, what your friends are playing on becomes less of a worry. I went PC just a few years ago and not only has my gaming increased but I couldn't imagine going back.

 

[crispy4000]

6 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

Right, I'm saying, long-term, if you're a gamer anyway, you are presumably "all in" and will game for years to come, so a high upfront initial cost is worth it over the alternative of worse gaming with less of a selection of games during all those same years cause you went cheaper in the moment in terms of hardware, long-terrm. And with cross-play becoming more and more of a thing, what your friends are playing on becomes less of a worry. I went PC just a few years ago and not only has my gaming increased but I couldn't imagine going back.

I think you’re underestimating the value people put on sticker prices.  Even enthusiasts.  We don’t talk nearly enough about the price of online subscriptions, the price of 1st party controllers, the price of storage, etc.

 

PC inherently comes with the sticker shock consoles try to avoid.

[Greatoneshere]

3 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

I think you’re underestimating the value people put on sticker prices.  Even enthusiasts.  We don’t talk nearly enough about the price of online subscriptions, the price of 1st party controllers, the price of storage, etc.

 

PC inherently comes with the sticker shock consoles try to avoid.

 

Yeah, so you're saying people are short-sighted. I agree with you and all your reasoning.  

[Rodimus]

Wait so the stats we have the the Xbox Series X is the high end? Then there is a lower end model that is the Xbox Series S?

 

People are thinking that they will be $400 and $200?

 

well that is totally confusing. does the S stand for shittier version? $200 are they just repackaging the One X?

 

Is there an even higher end model than the Series X?

 

I think it is a bad idea to realease a next gen console that is greatly underpowered alongside a more powerful xbox. Developers will target the low-end and scale up.

[skillzdadirecta]

18 minutes ago, Rodimus said:

Wait so the stats we have the the Xbox Series X is the high end? Then there is a lower end model that is the Xbox Series S?

 

People are thinking that they will be $400 and $200?

 

well that is totally confusing. does the S stand for shittier version? $200 are they just repackaging the One X?

 

Is there an even higher end model than the Series X?

 

I think it is a bad idea to realease a next gen console that is greatly underpowered alongside a more powerful xbox. Developers will target the low-end and scale up.

Is that how it works for PC's? All PC's aren't created equal right? 

[Xbob42]

Frankly I think we all need to invest in the Ouya so we get an Ouya 2.

[skillzdadirecta]

Damn, I just discovered in this topic that I am not a "serious gamer"  What the hell have I been doing all of these years 

[Xbob42]

6 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Is that how it works for PC's? All PC's aren't created equal right? 

Yes, except they don't target the absolute lowest power PCs, they choose a broader lower-end range that can still reasonably run the game they're making. So the bottom is constantly moving up.

 

(Not a perfect example since Mordor was cross-gen, but a similar level of performance requirement increase can be seen across much of the generation.)

 

You can always keep raising the minimum specs on PC, but that won't be an option for a lower-end console, so they should be very careful with what and how they lower the specs.

[skillzdadirecta]

20 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

Yes, except they don't target the absolute lowest power PCs, they choose a broader lower-end range that can still reasonably run the game they're making. So the bottom is constantly moving up.

 

my point is that building scalable games is not something new for developers and with the next gen X boxes, they'll only have to deal with two different platforms as opposed to the countless PC configurations they have to account for. I don't see it being too hard but wtf do I know? I'm not a serious gamer.

[Xbob42]

1 minute ago, skillzdadirecta said:

my point is that building scalable games is not something new for developers and with the next gen X boxes, they'll only have to deal with two different platforms as opposed to the countless PV configurations they have to account for. I don't see it being too hard but wtf do I know? I'm not a serious gamer.

Well if you were a serious gamer you'd already have your PC built. Duh! I'm already in line for the RTX 3090. Posting this from a Best Buy parking lot.

[skillzdadirecta]

11 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

Well if you were a serious gamer you'd already have your PC built. Duh! I'm already in line for the RTX 3090. Posting this from a Best Buy parking lot.

I'm waiting until the next riot so I can go loot my local Best Buy for all of the parts I need to build my top-of-the-line world beating gaming PC/Bat Cave style crime computer. Maybe then I can achieve the mythical status of "Serious Gamer"

 

[crispy4000]

16 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

my point is that building scalable games is not something new for developers and with the next gen X boxes, they'll only have to deal with two different platforms as opposed to the countless PV configurations they have to account for.

 

"Dealing with" super weak computers and laptops is a bit different than supporting low end consoles.  There's a quality standard that's expected to be hit with a console's port: to not look and play so much worse than everything else on that spec system.

 

It's why the 360 port of Witcher 2 got plenty of work done to it as opposed to its lower PC settings.

[Xbob42]

Actually these days most games on the absolute lowest settings on PC (sans hilariously low resolutions) look pretty damned good. For at least the vast majority of titles it seems we've largely moved away from "lowest settings = N64 game." So even there, there's a basic quality bar that's expected to be met. Which I think is part of the reason minimum specs have been slowly rising.

[SaysWho?]

I remember when these companies used to trash each other. Now they'll do events together, you'll see them catching up at trade shows.

 

I feel like there are more gamers who actually are in charge in these places now.

 

Also, my brother for the first time ever it's going to get a PlayStation Next Generation because Microsoft Studios aren't making anything he wants. At the same time I think Phil's strategy makes sense. Sony didn't create their first party Studio by trying to be Nintendo. They're doing their own thing, Nintendo is doing theirs, and Microsoft has to find their identity.

[ARZ]

Isn't Microsofts show in July? I'm looking forward to seeing what MS Studios are going to show.

[Mercury33]

4 minutes ago, ARZ said:

Isn't Microsofts show in July? I'm looking forward to seeing what MS Studios are going to show.

An empty box filled with false promises and some tech they’ll abandon after a single generation in order to chase something else one of their competitors is already doing. 

[ARZ]

Just now, Mercury33 said:

An empty box filled with false promises and some tech they’ll abandon after a single generation in order to chase something else one of their competitors is already doing. 

 

No, I said the Microsoft show. The Sony show already came and went....I know, it was THAT disappointing you already forgot

[skillzdadirecta]

30 minutes ago, Mercury33 said:

An empty box filled with false promises and some tech they’ll abandon after a single generation in order to chase something else one of their competitors is already doing. 

 

29 minutes ago, ARZ said:

 

No, I said the Microsoft show. The Sony show already came and went....I know, it was THAT disappointing you already forgot

Get a room you two!

[Xbob42]

1 hour ago, SaysWho? said:

I remember when these companies used to trash each other. Now they'll do events together, you'll see them catching up at trade shows.

 

I feel like there are more gamers who actually are in charge in these places now.

 

Also, my brother for the first time ever it's going to get a PlayStation Next Generation because Microsoft Studios aren't making anything he wants. At the same time I think Phil's strategy makes sense. Sony didn't create their first party Studio by trying to be Nintendo. They're doing their own thing, Nintendo is doing theirs, and Microsoft has to find their identity.

Seems a little weird to assume MS Studios isn't making anything he wants before the event showing off what they've all been working on.

[SaysWho?]

25 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

Seems a little weird to assume MS Studios isn't making anything he wants before the event showing off what they've all been working on.

 

The only thing they made was Halo and he couldn't even finish it. On the other hand, there was a Sony game he wanted that released each year. Seems like a pretty decent assumption he's making considering they've made literally nothing he wanted to play, but I'm sure you have a decent relationship with him and know his psyche.

[Xbob42]

Just now, SaysWho? said:

 

The only thing they made was Halo and he couldn't even finish it. On the other hand, there was a Sony game he wanted that released each year. Seems like a pretty decent assumption he's making considering they've made literally nothing he wanted to play, but I'm sure you have a decent relationship with him and know his psyche.

Yeah it's not like MS just bought up a bunch of studios and will have a much different first-party lineup this time around. But I'm sure you come from the future where the Xbox will only have Halo despite having several new studios.

[SaysWho?]

3 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

Yeah it's not like MS just bought up a bunch of studios and will have a much different first-party lineup this time around. But I'm sure you come from the future where the Xbox will only have Halo despite having several new studios.

 

It's almost like he's not interested in the studios but has already been interested in Sony's output.

[Xbob42]

1 minute ago, SaysWho? said:

 

It's almost like he's not interested in the studios but has already been interested in Sony's output.

Damn, he's got to have one hell of a psyche to be this sure of his opinions before we've literally seen anything. Sounds like a smart guy!