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In recent weeks, the Internet's exploded with rumors of a successor to the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, we've got some bad news for the armchair analysts in the audience. Microsoft, you see, has taken to digging through the charred post-explosion Internet wreckage, and it hasn't uncovered a single scrap of truth.
“We’re in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories,” Microsoft France director Cedrick Delmas told Lepoint.Fr (as translated by VG247). “I am not convinced things will happen this year. Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don’t see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What’s certain is that there’ll be nothing new in 2012.”
“We’re not here to counter Nintendo and they’re not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, they’re advancing at their own pace.”
So then, that Blu-ray drive everyone's been so adamantly sacrificing Sony Aibos in exchange for? Probably not a thing. And an E3 announcement? Almost certainly out of the question. As for the other rumors, well, they sound vaguely plausible, but this industry doesn't exactly have the best history with vague plausibility. For example, the sentence: “Why yes, a product called 'the Xbox' is certain to achieve massive success.” Spoken by a Microsoft marketer, confirmed by reality. Expect the unexpected. Especially when it strikes you as really, really dumb.
Comments are closed on this article
sundropdrinker3
January 31, 2012 at 9:01pm
All of you are complete morons. You say we waste money on a console($400 for XBox, not $700, that's Sony) and then get several generations behind. The only way you get ahead with a computer is to update it, which costs a hell of a lot more than $400-$700. You're talking thousands.
Consoles have also driven game innovation more than computers lately. Sad to say, but true. It's sad to say. I love computer games, and I love console games.
All you computer only people need to get off your high horses.
vrmlbasic
January 31, 2012 at 11:49pm
Where's the innovation brought to computing by console development? The developers aren't pushing the envelope, finding new ways to eke out superior performance from 7+ year old antiquated hardware. For the most part they're just using their modified version of the Unreal engine. It sometimes feels that every game on 360 uses the Unreal engine :(
Last fall I built a computer which utterly owns the xbox 360. It cost me 800 bucks. Quad core, 16 gigs of ram, Radeon 6850, 120 gig SATA 3 SSD, blu-ray burner. Upgrading won't cost the thousands of which you speak, and the great thing about the PC is that an older PC can still play new games, but the Xbox 360 won't play Xbox 720 games, which forces an upgrade.
I have a 360, and I just used it to play some Soul Calibur today. The load times and horrible graphics are so hard to use after glorious PC gaming.
yammerpickle2
January 31, 2012 at 4:35pm
The sad truth is that unless console game sales begin to dramatically fall games will still be developed for consoles and ported to the vastly more powerful PC. It doesn’t matter that the consoles specs are relics of the past. That being said I hope the threat of the Wii U or whatever they end up calling it forces the hand of Sony and MS. I’d like them to move to Dx11 as soon as possible. That way the next generation of console ports will be able to take advantage of my current vid cards capability.
Biceps
January 31, 2012 at 10:51am
So in other words, my PC that is like 5 generations ahead of current consoles will be 7 generations ahead by the time a new XBox comes out costing $699, and two weeks after that, my PC will be a generation ahead again.
I can't believe people waste money on consoles.
Modroneman
January 31, 2012 at 9:01am
Not a new Xbox, but there will definitely be an announcement of some kind at E3. The rumors are coming too fast and too often. Have to give the developers time to get games ready for its release. I'd say, Holiday 2013 we have a new Xbox. Just my thoughts.
Peanut Fox
January 31, 2012 at 1:10pm
I still think that may be too early, but entirely possible. I'll place my bets for Spring of 2014.
Release date aside I wish PC gamers cared more than just about graphics. I'm fine with how games look today if I could have some interesting A.I. to interact with.
nlriehl87
January 31, 2012 at 8:24am
This industry has been holding back on games and innovation because of how long lived this generation of consoles has been. My 4890 can still perform with the best of them out there because of it. I have no reason to upgrade my aging graphics card because game makers are not willing to push the envelope simply because consoles are "good enough".
The better solution would be to have publishers embrace PC games and port them to consoles as EA seems to have done with Battlefield 3 but many publishers (Ubisoft I am looking at you) would rather work on the console platform and give us crappy ports with graphics from 2 years ago. So i ask why do you say good because what is good about a stagnant industry?
Andacious
January 31, 2012 at 9:36am
I say "good" because consoles just need to die, or become less prevalent. I believe that consoles are the reason for a stagnant industry. They stay around too long with old hardware and hold back publishers from creating next gen games. When you make an awesome PC game and have to scale it back and cut performance just to get it to work on the console, there's a bigger issue at hand. A new console isn't the solution, its simply creating a bigger problem. Sure, the "every game will play on here" is a nice thing, especially for less technical people. However, it's not an excuse anymore when you can build/buy a decent gaming computer for the same price.
Call me narrow-minded and opinionated, but consoles are starting to slow innovation.
silverblack
January 31, 2012 at 10:29am
I don't disagree with you that consoles how back PC game development. Devlopers program for the lowest common denominator. But you are gravely mistaken if you think a lack of a new console will cause a die off. If anything, it will prolong our suffering since consoles aren't going anywhere. It's a bandaid to the problem, but I think the sooner the next gen gets here, the better for PC gaming.
bling581
January 31, 2012 at 10:44am
"It's a bandaid to the problem, but I think the sooner the next gen gets here, the better for PC gaming."
As far as graphics are concerned. If that's a big part of gaming for an individual then it would be a plus, but for others a console port would still be a bad thing. Console ports often have very simple UI's and navigation and lack customization, including the graphics department. Sometimes even the game itself can have simplified controls when it's a port and that usually lowers the quality of game play. I don't want a game designed for a controller, I want something designed for the keyboard and mouse.
silverblack
January 31, 2012 at 1:28pm
Not just graphics, but overall power. Remember how before the patch Skyrim would randomly crash because it would hit a 2gb limit? Even on a 64-bit system with 4 or more gigs of ram. And yeah the UI can be infuriating. I guess I'm hoping that if the bar is raised, maybe a few more developers would design PC-side first.
bling581
February 01, 2012 at 11:15am
"Remember how before the patch Skyrim would randomly crash because it would hit a 2gb limit?"
Yeah, very lol. I put in 180 hours of playtime according to Steam before the issue was patched so I remember the frustration very well. I haven't touched in weeks but finally picked it up and played it all last weekend without a single crash, well except for when I was alt+tabbing. They still haven't fixed that bug.
Biceps
January 31, 2012 at 10:57am
Yeah, I play a lot of RTS and turn-based strategy, so the retarded (as in slowed, not as in mentally handicapped, before some pc nutbag freaks out on me) console cycle doesn't really affect my gaming - with the exception of the odd blockbuster here and there like Skyrim, which just gives me a chance to wow my friends with 3D 1080p graphics compared to their 240x320 or whatever sad resolution consoles are running these days.
The only console worth buying, in my opinion, is a Wii - because Mario is awesome.
