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Home News New Report Suggests Two (Very Different) Next-Gen Xbox SKUs Planned

GAMING NEWS

New Report Suggests Two (Very Different) Next-Gen Xbox SKUs Planned

Posted on Friday, November 23 @ 17:51:52 Eastern by Alex_Osborn
 
With just a month left of 2012, we're on the eve of a whole new year that's sure to be packed with all sorts of gaming goodness. As the industry eagerly awaits hardware announcements by both Sony and Microsoft, rumors continue to circulate throughout the web quite regularly, and The Verge has a bit of fuel to add to the fire.

According to the outlet, "multiple sources familiar with Redmond's plans" have revealed that in addition to the high-powered dedicated gaming machine that we're all expecting from Microsoft, the company is prepping a more streamlined version that is geared toward a casual audience.

This second option won't be able to play the big budget releases, but will instead support smaller downloadable titles available on Xbox Live. It is also said to run on Windows 8 and function like Apple TV, providing users with access to a suite of apps—which I'm guessing includes Netflix, Hulu and HBO GO.

Apparently, this is all part of Microsoft's effort to expand its gaming service beyond the conventional box, as scalability of the Xbox software across a wide array of platforms (including smartphones) is on their to do list. Oh yeah, and this is all supposed to happen by the end of next year.

Assuming that this truly is Microsoft's plan, do you think this new approach is a wise move? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via]
Tags:   Microsoft, Xbox One, next-gen


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Comments
  • wildmario
    wildmario
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 6:08 pm
    It won't work. Consumers get confused easily and the radically different SKUs is going to make things more complicated.
    1 4
  • reiandcoke
    reiandcoke
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 6:11 pm
    Agreed. Gamers, such as you or I, easily know the difference.... Mom's buying for their kids do not. The idea of a crappier version for cheap that only plays xbla and media isn't a bad idea though, provided it is dirt cheap and functions well and plays any media file i throw at it (mkv files anyone?!).
    1 2
  • Klandathu
    Klandathu
    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 11:07 am
    Does anyone else recall the first few years of the 360's life? The 'Core' system? That one was a debacle of biblical proportions. And the 'Arcade Edition' was almost similarly laughable.
    0 0
  • TheJx4
    TheJx4
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
    For $100-$200, I would buy a console that only plays digital titles, and streams media. That's not a bad idea. Since most streaming devices are around $100. The storage would be the selling point in that situation.
    0 0
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 7:29 pm
    Absolutely correct. It can work, but the launch execution and marketing plan need to be flawless to pull this off. I don't think the scaled down version is actually marketed for gaming however, but geared towards the XBOX tv and social media crowd. Your average consumer with disposable income will be able to differentiate the two, but not the older buyers, most moms included.
    0 3
  • elmoreoocyte
    elmoreoocyte
    Joined: Apr 2012
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 6:40 pm
    This is going to be buckshot to the face of MS if it's true. Such a truly terrible idea. Not saying the 720 won't do alright, but this branded knockoff sh!t is doomed, imo.
    1 2
  • napsterxxl
    napsterxxl
    Joined: Mar 2006
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 6:52 pm
    instead of putting it up as an xbox they should market is as a dedicated media center...
    0 3
  • sandineyes
    sandineyes
    Joined: May 2008
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 8:00 pm
    Who knows if they will call it an Xbox, if it exists. I think the verge also once ran a story about how Microsoft was making a gaming tablet called the "xbox surface", and clearly the Surface didn't end up marketed as a gaming device.

    I think this is just a case of looking at every thing Microsoft does through gamer-colored lenses.
    0 1
  • wildmario
    wildmario
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 5:53 am
    They may as well call it a watered down PC
    1 3
  • TheJx4
    TheJx4
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Nov 23rd, 2012 at 8:01 pm
    It's gonna confuse people, but I can't see this is a completely bad idea. "Smaller" XBLA titles will probably be the equivalent to some current-gen games.
    0 1
  • maca2kx
    maca2kx
    Joined: Jul 2002
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 5:09 am
    The major problem, as others have mentioned, is differentiating between the two. I know from experience that it's not just explaining the difference between the 20, 60, 120 gig phats, and the 4, 250, 320 gig slims, it's also explaining which would be most suitable for the person in mind. A lot of gifters won't know what the recipient will end up doing with their machine and given that new generations of consoles are now designed to last 5+ years then uses can change. If the lite console is bought can it be upgraded in the future or will it be a new purchase because of architecture differences? If it's modular like 360 hard drives they could get away with it, otherwise their marketing has to be perfect to avoid confusion and people trying to save pennies without understanding what impact it could have in the future.
    0 2
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 10:10 am
    Gen Xer's are in their 30's. After another generation pretty much every consumer will have a fairly high level of technical literacy. If MS gets the jump on scalable consoles, which it looks like they are, the market advantages will be huge.
    0 2
  • maca2kx
    maca2kx
    Joined: Jul 2002
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 11:17 am
    You're grossly underestimating the casual market and the amount of kids who game. I know that the average age of a gamer is said to be around 30 but that doesn't meant there aren't a buttload of kids whose parents are doing the buying and casual gamers who only get consoles for Fifa, Call of Duty, and maybe GTA who don't concern themselves with details. I work in game retail and I deal with this lack of knowledge on a daily basis. Many customers are looking for ways to save on costs and if the information isn't communicated clearly enough they could end up with the lite machine when they need the higher tier one. I'm even seeing it now with the Wii U where people aren't sure if 8GB will be enough or if they should splash out on the 32GB model. A lot of info should be communicated including exactly what can and can't be played, memory constraints and so on so people aren't caught out. Nowhere did I say this shouldn't happen, only that clarity is key.
    0 1
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 11:31 am
    Agreed. Read my post above regarding launch and marketing. What I am saying here is the baby boomers represent the last generation not raised with electronic media, such as it were. The next generation of parents, who buy consoles for buttloads of casual gamer kids, will be in the know. They understand performance options and have the understanding to make an unformed choice. Will kids know which SKU will meets their needs? Remains to be seen.
    0 2
  • maca2kx
    maca2kx
    Joined: Jul 2002
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
    I think we're saying the same thing but I have less confidence that the future older generation will have kept up with the tech scene. Every generation sees parents getting somewhat left behind as far as whatever their kids are into. It's a part of psychology that we become set in our ways. There are always exceptions and I think gaming seems to stick with people more than most other things but in 20 years I don't know whether parents will be appreciably more clued up than today's parents. But we're not talking about 20 years time, we're dealing with the next half decade. I'm just thinking of the amount of times I have to explain to someone that buying a PC last month doesn't necessarily mean it can run Hitman Absolution; it's understandable that they're not experts but it shows the lack of knowledge some gamers have.
    0 0
  • UpAndAtThem
    UpAndAtThem
    Joined: Mar 2009
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 11:45 am
    As everyone is saying, it will cause confusion and anger. It will get worse as each line gets new versions. Will games have labels like "for X-box720a, 720c, and 720.2 slim, but NOT 720b or 720 lite unless you have the 720 lite-extreme RAM upgrade version 1.5 or higher"?

    Maybe give the casual one a different name altogether. How about y-box? The beefier games would be "For x-box720 only", and the casual ones would be "for y-box and x-box720".
    0 2
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
    I think people have an image of this static technology gap where older adults are uneducated compared to those who are younger. And that was true until recently. Now, you need to understand technology, its terms and how it works, to make informed purchases on everything, TV's, cell phones, PC's, you name it. And the older crowd are now the ones who pioneered and were part of the digital revolution. MS is looking at future demographics with this paradigm in mind, if this rumor is in fact true I should add. I do like idea of modular design though, and I think its mandatory here. If you outgrow the little console you should be able to kick it up to the full featured model with upgrades. I know, that model didnt work well in the past, but tech companies die fast when they look back to go forward.
    0 1
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
    I think people have an image of this static technology gap where older adults are uneducated compared to those who are younger. And that was true until recently. Now, you need to understand technology, its terms and how it works, to make informed purchases on everything, TV's, cell phones, PC's, you name it. And the older crowd are now the ones who pioneered and were part of the digital revolution. MS is looking at future demographics with this paradigm in mind, if this rumor is in fact true I should add. I do like idea of modular design though, and I think its mandatory here. If you outgrow the little console you should be able to kick it up to the full featured model with upgrades. I know, that model didnt work well in the past, but tech companies die fast when they look back to go forward.
    1 0
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
    Damn haptic interfaces.......
    0 0
  • SolidSevchinko78
    SolidSevchinko78
    Joined: Jun 2012
    Posted: Nov 24th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
    This has got to be the dumbest idea Microsoft has ever come up since The Zune. It won't work, all its gonna do is confuse people who aren't versed very well in video games. Of this is what I have to expect of MS lately. It seems that they just keep shooting themselves in the foot more and more as the current begins to come to a close. Now they are getting a head start for the next gen as well....
    1 0
  • Jobin_Wendy
    Jobin_Wendy
    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
    I love my Zune.
    0 0
  • BigTruckSeries
    BigTruckSeries
    Joined: May 2006
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 8:52 am
    Let's take a look at what Microsoft did with the XBOX 360 in comparison to the original XBOX:

    simply put, the Xbox was a LOSS LEADER because it included things the Playstation 2 didn't in order to compete - namely: a hard drive built in and integrated ethernet/ online access. this made it an expensive console and Microsoft took a loss on every single one sold. The Xbox wasn't profitable until Halo 2 was released.

    Xbox 360 was designed in a way where you had to spend every single dime of your money on add ons. Hard Drive had to be added on - and there were different hard drives offered at high cost so Microsoft could profit off each one sold. The wireless controllers were extra, the hadset was overpriced, etc.

    It's obvious they are gonna do the same thing with Xbox720.

    I don't care though - I'd rather drop my money on a new XBOX than a new Playstation. Sony has completely let me down with their products.
    0 0
  • KaiserKold
    KaiserKold
    Joined: Apr 2007
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 10:47 am
    They just need to have simple but very different names for the two systems.
    0 0
  • TheJx4
    TheJx4
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Nov 25th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
    X-720 Lite and X-720 Pro. Which works fine until you have multiple models for each system.
    0 0

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