Xbox Project Scarlett

[MrMat]

Kinda related so probably worth mentioning. I registered my interest in XCloud yesterday:

 

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-game-streaming/project-xcloud

 

Got accepted today! So if you're interested in it, now seems to be a good time to sign up.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

i work that out as 16x16x34cm so assuming its laid down its about 4cm longer than an x not quite as deep an 9cm taller

 

obviously rough numbers based on measuring a std xbox controller and using copy and paste on the image to check its about the same width and just short of 3x the height of a controller

 

Nice work, though I should mention that the new controller is supposed to be slightly smaller than the current xbox one X version.

[mavhc]

Playstation 1,2,3,4,5

 

Xbox null, 360, 1, -i, π, S, X, ξ,

[CHiLL]

i work that out as 16x16x34cm so assuming its laid down its about 4cm longer than an x not quite as deep an 9cm taller

 

obviously rough numbers based on measuring a std xbox controller and using copy and paste on the image to check its about the same width and just short of 3x the height of a controller

Cheers. I'll have to measure my TV unit shelf, though I don't think it'll fit.

[flyinghaggis]

Somebody needs to have word with the marketing department.

 

Current console - Xbox one X

 

Next generation console - Xbox series X

 

It's as bad a decision as Nintendo made with the Wii U.

Edited December 13, 2019 by flyinghaggis

[Arthur]

Somebody needs to have word with the marketing department.

 

Current console - Xbox one X

 

Next generation console - Xbox series X

At least Microsoft's marketing department is consistent.

 

You also have...

 

Surface Pro X

Surface Hub 2X

Windows 10X

[mavhc]

Does Windows 10X run on Surface Pro X? Don't be daft

[flyinghaggis]

Xbox Series X won’t have next-gen exclusives for a while

 

"All early Series X releases will also be playable on previous Xbox One models."

 

[3s-gtech]

I have a feeling that with both XBox and PS that the generational change will mean that backwards compatibility, and perhaps forwards, is just dependent on system requirements and the developers. Will this be a first for the consoles (save for the Mega Drive and it’s add-ons)?

[DrBeaker]

I have a feeling that with both XBox and PS that the generational change will mean that backwards compatibility, and perhaps forwards, is just dependent on system requirements and the developers. Will this be a first for the consoles (save for the Mega Drive and it’s add-ons)?

Sounds daft but 1) there's a few 360 games that didn't get put into backwards compatibility with the Xbox One that I play quite often. 2) nothing major from my 2 cents in new games that has prompted me to splash out the cash on a new console 3) same games as 1) are on Steam, but I don't want to play them on PC. So what's the excuse of Microsoft to not put them on the backwards compatibility list? No technical reasons with emulations etc we can't play the old games on a modern console.

[flyinghaggis]

I get that Microsoft have a huge install base on Xbox One and are pushing gamepass subscriptions along with the concept of game streaming. So I can see from a business point of view that it makes sense to insist on backwards compatability and platform parity in the first few years of the system's life. However, at the same time it makes me wonder exactly why anyone would spend ~£500 to upgrade to the latest/greatest console if all you're going to get is the same games/experiences that you already have ?

 

Developers are going to be stting there thinking. "I have this cutting edge CPU and 16Gb+ RAM but I can't use it to create larger game worlds or more advanced AI because whatever I create has to fit into the 8GB a base Xbox1 has and run on the potato CPU in it. Also, I have a superfast SSD with storage that can stream levels in on the fly to eliminate loading times but I have to code the game so it can also load from a 5400rpm spinning rust drive". Plus presumably the game controller and feature set of the console will be exactly the same as the Xbox One to ensure partity so nothing exciting there either to begin with. Granted you can always use the extra power run the same games at a higher resolution/framerate but to me that alone won't sell a new system.

 

It'll be interesting to see whether Sony opt for the same strategy

Edited January 12, 2020 by flyinghaggis

[DrBeaker]

One of the biggest things which put me off the Xbox One is the lack of removable hard drive AGAIN! PS3/PS4 allow you to change it so no technical reason why not. Buying the top of the line unit only gets you 1TB storage that is non-upgradeble. I guess being in IT this was more profound for me.

[sted]

I get that Microsoft have a huge install base on Xbox One and are pushing gamepass subscriptions along with the concept of game streaming. So I can see from a business point of view that it makes sense to insist on backwards compatability and platform parity in the first few years of the system's life. However, at the same time it makes me wonder exactly why anyone would spend ~£500 to upgrade to the latest/greatest console if all you're going to get is the same games/experiences that you already have ?

Developers are going to be stting there thinking. "I have this cutting edge CPU and 16Gb+ RAM but I can't use it to create larger game worlds or more advanced AI because whatever I create has to fit into the 8GB a base Xbox1 has and run on the potato CPU in it. Also, I have a superfast SSD with storage that can stream levels in on the fly to eliminate loading times but I have to code the game so it can also load from a 5400rpm spinning rust drive". Plus presumably the game controller and feature set of the console will be exactly the same as the Xbox One to ensure partity so nothing exciting there either to begin with. Granted you can always use the extra power run the same games at a higher resolution/framerate but to me that alone won't sell a new system.

It'll be interesting to see whether Sony opt for the same strategy

as i understand it its only microsoft who are saying their 1st party games will be cross gen if ubisoft say want to make assassins creed next xbox series x only they can. To me microosft are basically saying with this and gamepass we want you to play our stuff but we really dont care if you play it on an old console a new console or a phone

Sounds daft but 1) there's a few 360 games that didn't get put into backwards compatibility with the Xbox One that I play quite often. 2) nothing major from my 2 cents in new games that has prompted me to splash out the cash on a new console 3) same games as 1) are on Steam, but I don't want to play them on PC. So what's the excuse of Microsoft to not put them on the backwards compatibility list? No technical reasons with emulations etc we can't play the old games on a modern console.

From what ive heard the biggest reason 360 games never made it to the back compat list was licensing microsoft cant just "alter" a game without the right holders permission

[flyinghaggis]

as i understand it its only microsoft who are saying their 1st party games will be cross gen if ubisoft say want to make assassins creed next xbox series x only they can.

 

That's a good point regarding the wording. They may just be referring to their own games for the near future rather than actually forcing developers to make all Xbox games compatible with the original Xbox One.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

At this point, since the architecture is similar across the two generations, won't it be very easy to make them cross gen?

 

Sort of how Games for the One X are much faster and prettier than games for the One S?

 

Since it's basically PC architecture, it's surely a case of making a game that runs on previous generation at the minimum requirements whilst running full res and features on the Series X?

[sted]

At this point, since the architecture is similar across the two generations, won't it be very easy to make them cross gen?

Sort of how Games for the One X are much faster and prettier than games for the One S?

Since it's basically PC architecture, it's surely a case of making a game that runs on previous generation at the minimum requirements whilst running full res and features on the Series X?

in theory yes but apparently some games do funny things when you run them on faster devices (so often the physics is tied to framerate and weird things happen if the framerate goes up too much) so its going to need some sort of slow down mode for some older games. But basically id guess its like developing for pc but instead of having a shed load of video options users can pick they will just make a profile for each console so an s gets basic graphics, an x gets advanced and a series x gets ultra for example

[Arthur]

What You Can Expect From the Next Generation of Gaming

[Dos_Box]

A great overview here with specs and other juicy bits:

 

[Dos_Box]

Seems an embargo must have been lifted. Here is another one just released:

 

[paulkerton]

From what ive heard the biggest reason 360 games never made it to the back compat list was licensing microsoft cant just "alter" a game without the right holders permission

 

I know this comment is a couple of months old, but I've gotta pick up on it. Microsoft at no point alter a game, or it's code. Microsoft literally emulate a 360 on the Xbox One. What you download to play an Xbox 360 and original Xbox is essentially a custom built emulator that is designed to function for that specific game, and basically the ISO for the original game disc bundled together. I will criticise Microsoft heavily in areas, but the fact that they've managed to emulate a PowerPC chip from 2005 on x64 processor originally released 8 years after, so well, is remarkable.

[paulkerton]

in theory yes but apparently some games do funny things when you run them on faster devices (so often the physics is tied to framerate and weird things happen if the framerate goes up too much) so its going to need some sort of slow down mode for some older games. But basically id guess its like developing for pc but instead of having a shed load of video options users can pick they will just make a profile for each console so an s gets basic graphics, an x gets advanced and a series x gets ultra for example

Relatively, that is one of the absolute simplest things they could be asked to do. They already do this for Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X. Adding one or two new features to scale for more advanced hardware is not going to be an issue in the slightest.

[JJonas]

https://www.windowscentral.com/can-you-run-xbox-series-x-enhanced-games-standard-usb-storage-heres-explainer

 

So it looks like Series X games will need to be on the NVMe to run but previous the generations games can run from a USB HDD.

[flyinghaggis]

Whilst the design looks smart and I can appreciate the effort they went to in order to cool the thing I'm not sure it's very practical as I suspect it won't fit in many people's TV/Hi-Fi stands. I'm also kind of disappointed that even though it's a new console the controller looks identical to the previous model and we don't have more new features generally.

 

It sounds good in terms of raw power and specs though. I'm glad they've finally fitted a 1Tb SSD and went all flash without any kind of hybrid drive rubbish. Loading times were getting ridiculous on the current generation relying on spinning rust so solid state will be a big improvement. I really like the concept of having removable SSD expansion so this can be easily increased in future.

 

However it feels to me a lot more like evolution rather than revolution overall

 

Specs of the PS5 are apparently being unveiled tomorrow so it'll be interesting to see how they compare

 

https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/the-ps5-is-getting-developers-excited-and-were-about-to-find-out-why

Edited March 17, 2020 by flyinghaggis

[3s-gtech]

It’s very much evolution now they’re using PC hardware - there are some pretty decent jumps in spec even still (not as much from XBox One X or the PS4 Pro of course). The controllers have only ever evolved since those companies’ first consoles - they’re both pretty good so no need to reinvent the wheel.

 

Only thing is - game installs already routinely top 100GB. Even the PS3 could come with 500GB, so storage capacity looks like it could be a real irritant now.

[mavhc]

You can put it on its side.