I think when it comes to the new consoles they'll offer both a subscription and outright purchase just like phones, but they'll leave the outright price so that it's more expensive than the plan, using discounted XBL in the plan to offset. Then, like phones, you'll have a few plan combos of upfront, monthly fee and contract duration.

I suppose it should attract earlier adoption of the new consoles when the hardware launch prices (up around $800) are usually prohibitive for a lot of the market.

Getting good traction at the launch of the next console gen is going to be pretty critical. Sony dropped the ball last time by putting too much expensive and custom tech in the PS3, thus making it a prick of a thing to code for. Despite the PS3's superior power, the 360 set to benchmark, and outside of a couple of first-party titles, the PS3's extra power was nullified. Sony won't make the same mistake again. They'll launch at the same time, and the PS4's spec will be much closer to the NextBox's and the coding environment will be native.

So much of the early playing field for next gen won't be determined by price and tech like it was last time (such as the BluRay/no BluRay decision), but rather by three things: first-party titles, third-party exclusives, and who gets the most early adopters. So the subscription model seems to have a lot to do with the third point.

However, there is one big wildcard on the point of tech: Kinect 2.0. I'm crystal balling that the NextBox is going to sport integrated Kinect that:

• has a meatier cable connection with the main unit to reduce response times.
• has a dedicated onboard processor in the main unit that doesn't compromise game processing (and further reduces response times). This might even have something to do with the "two PCs taped together" comments.
• has much higher resolution camera.
• can recognise fingers and hand orientation.

If this theory turns out to be correct, it's going to add a serious wad of cost to the hardware production that would inflate the launch cost way over what we've seen before. So again, the sub model comes into play. It'll be interesting to see what Sony will come up with in the motion control space too.

#randomthoughts

Nice write-up. Agree.

Kinect 2.0 with finger recognition would be amazeballs.

Spirit fingers to supermaxicombo in street fighter?

Kinect has a pretty low frame rate. That's probably why its not that responsive.

Yeah, the sensor captures at 30fps. Then there's so much processing going on behind for each frame, to package and send back to the console. That's why the current Kinect has the lag I think. For real time processing, I suspect both the console and the sensor unit need to be built from the ground up around the motion control pipeline and backed up by components with more grunt.

apparently M$ have been struggling to get skype (which they purchase a while ago) to run well on the xbox 360 so theyve started looking at integrating it deeply into 720.

not just normal skype calls etc, but in game features too with suggestions of sending video footage from your screen to other viewers etc.

they hope this will pave way to a new form of tournament view in games like fifa (and anything else really imo).

i imagine itll be integrated as standard along with kinect.

could be really cool. totally "sci fi" telling your tv to call someone and them popping up on your screen.

Sounds legit jrod, just like your other predictions in this thread

what the hell jrod, you are slipping fool..............where's the links?

http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/busines...529-1zh3t.html

dnw

After reading that article it says they are integrating it into the 360.

Quote:

Another priority is making Skype video conferencing work on Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles, although that integration is not likely to be released this year.

that article is old. im talking about todays news

Article Publish date is May 30, 2012 - 12:01AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarrardscott

that article is old. im talking about todays news

It's literally from todays paper you jack ass.

Media Player

The Roots - Pass The Popcorn Video Remix - YouTube

I predict the downfall of Xbox Live network when we all get annoyed by constantly seeing the smug, grotty, pimply teens we frag against.

i said "in game integration" ffs

http://smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/F4H4R4P6

JRod, standby for a 720 announce at E3.

i figured theyd anounce just not "release" or truly show it off to anyone.

I've heard it will be out before next Christmas.
No word on the PS4 though.

Have you seen this?
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-games-report/

If true, amazeballs.

Well, a week to go before we find out: genuine amazeballs (next-gen announcement) or noballs (anything but).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitey1981

I've heard it will be out before next Christmas.
No word on the PS4 though.

Have you seen this?
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-games-report/

If true, amazeballs.

Why? Most of the best Xbox games are available on PC already.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitey1981

I've heard it will be out before next Christmas.
No word on the PS4 though.

Have you seen this?
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-games-report/

If true, amazeballs.

Inb4 SUPERIOR INPUT hurr

Kinect is going nuts they will ride the wave for another year.

all rumours so far are saying nov 2013 release for the 720
i'd be surprised if this year cause i agree with chippie, they'll ride kinect for a while.

i hope youre right though whitey. best thing about a new console is the massive slew of awesome games that come out with it.

Oh look at that, a Christmas 2013 release for the Xbox. Well shock horror, none of us saw that one coming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarrardscott

all rumours so far are saying nov 2013 release for the 720
i'd be surprised if this year cause i agree with chippie, they'll ride kinect for a while.

i hope youre right though whitey. best thing about a new console is the massive slew of awesome games that come out with it.

They're not releasing this year.
The WiiU will have this Christmas to itself and then M$ will be out next Christmas (possibly with Sony).
The good games though tend to appear sometime after launch.
I remember getting the 360 @ launch and the games were unremarkable, maybe that's with hindsight though.

Amped 3
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
GUN
Kameo: Elements of Power
Madden NFL 06
NBA 2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL 2K6
Perfect Dark Zero
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

I think from memory I got Call of Duty 2, Madden NFL 06 and NBA Live 06.
But looking back, I thought those titles were pretty epic!

yeah true, and alot of release titles were on the original console too werent they?

sif amped 3 wasnt good.

Don't know, never played it.

I played the Amped 3 demo for the first time a few months back. It was so horrible.

lol a few months back. of course.

at the time of release though it was freaking awesome.

Curiously enough, Unreal Engine 4 will be revealed at GDC in August, which is in the window for an Epic title on next-gen Xbox within about 6 months of a Christmas 2013 console launch.

But then again, Epic have also announced Gears 4 for the 360, so I dunno.

Don't feed the jord fire Charger

Epic just confirmed that People Can Fly, who made the mediocre Bulletstorm, are developing Gears 4.

Next-gen Xbox for Christmas next year is a go.

*throws on kindling*

I liked Bulletstorm The story and voice acting was terrible but the environment and gameplay are great.

Yeah, I read it was mediocre, but I only played the demo. (Which I thought was actually pretty fun.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarrardscott

lol a few months back. of course.

at the time of release though it was freaking awesome.

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Amped 3 Rap Cutscene - YouTube

Gangsta.

Yayuuuh

I'm going to get whatever the next Playstation is, just to troll myself again.

Yeah the cutscenes were fucking terrible i'll admit that. gameplay was awesome though

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charger

Curiously enough, Unreal Engine 4 will be revealed at GDC in August, which is in the window for an Epic title on next-gen Xbox within about 6 months of a Christmas 2013 console launch.

But then again, Epic have also announced Gears 4 for the 360, so I dunno.

nah looks like a prequel. not gears 4.
unless theyve anounced?

Yes, you're correct, it's a prequel. I was just saying 4 out of laziness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IGN

The next generation of consoles starts in 2013, if all goes according to developers’ plans. In an anonymous questionnaire, multiple industry professionals told IGN that they plan to release games for the next Microsoft and Sony consoles before January 1, 2014.

Multiple developers also intend to launch software for an unannounced platform next year.

The end is nigh.

Full article.

inching closer and closer.

so did sony turn a profit on ps3?

Yes, but it didn't go into profit until 2010.

new wii u hardcore controller



basically copied it as precisely as they could without hitting the patents hahahaha



speaking of patents, tried to look it up and came across this old article.

http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/...-of-your-hands

from mar 2011 but could we see this on the next xbox? interesting

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/06/mic...ve-companions/

another kotaku stream

basically, this sounds like it could link up to the rumours of Windows 8 being a multiplatform OS which would allow phones/pcs/tablets and xbox to communicate with one another.

sounds like MS's way of combatting the Wii U Gamepad controller. which by the way is sounding more and more like its not the MAIN controller for Wii U but just an option for developers and gamers.