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    Peach (Level 3) parallaxscroll's Avatar
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    Default Rumor: Xbox Natal is Actually Microsoft's Next Console

    Rumor: Xbox Natal is Actually Microsoft's Next Console

    So you know how Microsoft is saying Natal will be as big as console launch? Well...yeah.
    By Sam Kennedy, 06/12/2009

    Earlier this week gaming blog Kotaku quoted Microsoft's Shane Kim as saying that the launch of Natal, Microsoft's new controller-free motion control technology, would be as big as the launch of a console. Not surprising. That's because Natal is going to be a new console.

    On this week's Listen Up podcast we discussed Natal, and David Ellis and I talked about what we've been hearing regarding the new technology -- and how it's actually the cornerstone of Microsoft's next evolution of the Xbox. Microsoft will not only release Natal as an add-on for the Xbox 360, it will come standard with the next Xbox console.

    Yes, there will be a new Xbox console next fall.

    However, the new console won't just be an Xbox 360 with a camera, though -- we've heard it will be considered a new platform and carry a new name (Xbox Natal?). It's not clear what sort of upgrades we might see, but some have suggested it will be an slight upgrade of the current Xbox 360 technology. Current Xbox 360 games would be playable on it, but future games would be able to take advantage of the added muscle. Similar to what we see in the PC space, games played on the more advanced Xbox would look or perform better, but publishers will still be able to support owners of both systems. Some developers have complained that they've already maxed out the Xbox 360; perhaps this will give them room to expand.

    Make no mistake, we wouldn't be talking about the sort of hardware leap we've seen with Xbox (or most other) platforms in the past, and we're not talking about Microsoft ending one console cycle and starting another. We're talking about an evolution of the Xbox 360; similar hardware but upgraded, repackaged, and rebranded. It's actually not that unlike what Nintendo did with the Wii, where it essentially took the GameCube hardware, stuck in motion controls, and successfully relaunched it. The new Xbox console is said to be aimed directly at a mainstream audience -- and will launch before Nintendo is able to release its Wii HD.

    What's interesting is that Nintendo and Microsoft are on a course to deliver very similar products yet are coming at them from opposite directions. Microsoft currently has the HD hardware and will in the future introduce motion controls, while Nintendo has motion controls and will in the future introduce HD hardware. Sony's PS3 will also be providing motion controls next year, though as a peripheral for its EyeToy camera.
    As John Davison pointed out on the podcast, the Wii was the first console to do this, but it's likely that all future hardware will be more iterative than substantive. The distinction between new consoles will become far less marked -- similar to what we've seen in the handheld space, such as with the transitions from the Game Boy to the Game Boy Advance, the DS to the DSi, or the PSP to the PSP Go.

    So when would we first hear about this new Xbox console? Our sources point to next year's Game Developer's Conference as the target for its unveiling and Fall 2010 as the target for release.
    http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174762


    So, a slightly upgraded Xbox 360 combined with Natal
    (ala GameCube --> Wii) is Microsoft's next console?

    Thoughts?

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    Goodbye in-depth video games, hello quick money grubbing ala shovelware motion sensing horsecrap.
    DERP

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    I have my doubts this is true...but if it is..well, Microsoft will have lost my business. Assuming they don't include standard controlling along with the motion sensing.

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    Microsoft needed to re-engineer the Xbox 360 a few years back, just to make it stop overheating. A new 360 with slightly more powerful hardware? Sounds like a machine that will red ring even faster. If they'd stop being so cheap and just upgrade the cooling system on the 360, I'd be happy. And so would millions of others who have had multiple Xbox 360s die from overheating.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    Microsoft needed to re-engineer the Xbox 360 a few years back, just to make it stop overheating. A new 360 with slightly more powerful hardware? Sounds like a machine that will red ring even faster. If they'd stop being so cheap and just upgrade the cooling system on the 360, I'd be happy. And so would millions of others who have had multiple Xbox 360s die from overheating.
    Microsoft should just do what Sony does to every console. A budget redesign which improves on the faults of the predecessor... A 360Slim with these added motion sensing capabilities would sure sell. They really need to nip this heating problem in the bud.
    DERP

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    I don't think any company, be it Nintendo, Sony, or MS is ballsy enough to launch any console without a traditional interface. It's like voice recognition. Sure, it's neat, but would you want to replace a mouse/keyboard with "Computer, open My Documents, please."

    In the end, I don't see this changing much. A new console or a peripheral, it'll have it's uses but I highly doubt we'll end up becoming the old generation saying things like, "These whippersnappers today don't even know what it's like to hold a controller!"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    If they'd stop being so cheap and just upgrade the cooling system on the 360, I'd be happy. And so would millions of others who have had multiple Xbox 360s die from overheating.
    It's not just the cooling. it's also the cheap solder on the board.

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    If MS does release a successor next year, it damn well better be backwards compatible with both hardware and software.

    It's already an established fact that the main problem with the 360 is that the x-clamp used to attach the cooling system expands too much, causing the board to warp and pop the BGA connections on the GPU. The newer chips don't heat up as much so it is less of a problem with new consoles, but it still happens.

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    With excruciatingly few exceptions, the Wii library has proven motion controls in video games to be little more than shallow, gimmicky shit so far. I haven't looked into or gotten excited about Natal thus far, but I still can't imagine getting hyped about motion controls.

    If Natal is Microsoft's next stab at a console, I'll pass.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sonicwolf View Post
    Goodbye in-depth video games, hello quick money grubbing ala shovelware motion sensing horsecrap.
    Most in depth games waved bye bye a long time ago.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sonicwolf View Post
    Goodbye in-depth video games, hello quick money grubbing ala shovelware motion sensing horsecrap.
    I blame Wii
    League of Legends referral link:
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    The rumor is over. No new console next year, just the release of the Natal/360 bundle.
    Last edited by The 1 2 P; 06-20-2009 at 04:18 AM.
    ALL HAIL THE 1 2 P
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    Why? Once you've seen one partially-exposed butthole you've seen them all.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Microsoft
    We're Barely Halfway Through this Generation
    ...so they're pulling an XP. Leave your product in the market so long that nobody wants to upgrade, because they're so familiar with what they have. Five-year dev cycles for consoles is a good thing, given the speed that computer hardware is evolving. If we don't get a new Microsoft console until 2013, then I don't think it's going to be a very fruitful four years ahead for Redmond.

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    Quote Originally Posted by NayusDante View Post
    ...so they're pulling an XP. Leave your product in the market so long that nobody wants to upgrade, because they're so familiar with what they have. Five-year dev cycles for consoles is a good thing, given the speed that computer hardware is evolving. If we don't get a new Microsoft console until 2013, then I don't think it's going to be a very fruitful four years ahead for Redmond.
    Barely half way my butt. The XBOX 360 is pushing 4 years old already and the original XBOX was superceded at 4 years. The gamecube lasted 5 and the Wii is turning 3. The PS2... Isnt dead yet. etc etc.

    This Generation is probably going to sunset around 2011.
    DERP

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    Peach (Level 3) parallaxscroll's Avatar
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    WORLD EXCLUSIVE FIRST DETAILS ON MICROSOFT'S NEXT XBOX

    06/13/09 1UP recently posted a new article revealing details on Microsoft's plans for their next XBox, we can officially confirm the information found in that particular report was indeed correct. However today FGNOnline would like to reveal Microsoft's planned specifications of their new unit.

    As mentioned in the 1UP piece the system shall indeed integrate the motion sensing technology Natal into the actual device, however our separate sources can now reveal the modest upgrade made to the actual architecture of the new system.

    GPU

    Whereas the original XBox 360 used a Shader Model 3 GPU with on-board 10MB eDRAM for 720p acceleration, the new XBox has a Shader Model 5 capable GPU with 32MB of eDRAM for 1080p output. The GPU again is designed by AMD and runs at a clock rate of 600MHz.

    CPU

    The IBM developed CPU shall have 6 cores instead of the 3 found in the original model.
    Each single core shall have the same processing throughput as each single core from the XCPU. Meaning the chip is literally 200% as strong and shall now be on equal footing with the PS3 CELL CPU in GFLOPS performance.

    MEMORY

    The main system RAM has been upgraded from 512MB to 1024MB, and from GDDR3 to GDDR5.
    The system retains a Unified Memory Architecture.

    OTHER

    The platform integrates a 2.5" 32GB SSD (Solid State Drive) instead of a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) as found in the original models. The system also uses a standard DVD drive foregoing Blu-ray thus ensuring backwards and forwards compatibility whilst simultaneously keeping the bill of materials low. Internet connectivity is provided via WiFi.

    RELEASE & PRICING

    Microsoft plans on a Q4 2010 simultaneous worldwide release. The company is targeting a sub $300 price point.

    http://fgnonline.webs.com/

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    I have a hard time believing this report, and if it's totally false, MS better crush the rumors soon.
    I don't want you to hate me, I want you to want to hate me - GamersUniteMagazine.com

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    This just in: There will be NO *upgraded* Xbox coming in 2010.

    This does not rule out a new Xbox SKU with Natal packed in standard.

    Teamxbox claims to have the first details on the true NEXT generation Xbox, which they will be posting in the coming weeks. The next-gen Xbox will not launch until a certain type of televison becomes more widespread.

    http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/19960/...You-the-Truth/

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    I don't buy that for a second. That technology is way off from wide adoption, if it even catches on at all.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheShawn
    Please highlight what a douche I am.

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