Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft to Release Three Versions of Xbox 2
BlueMoon writes "TheInquirer is reporting that Microsoft plans to release 3 version of the next generation Xbox console: one of which appears to be a fully functioning PC device, the other 2 are closer to a home console - one with a HDD, the other without.
Xbox Next and Xbox Next HD are planned for autumn 2005, the Xbox Next PC is not excepted to show up before autumn 2006."
Well, keep in mind this is from ONE SLIDE that THE ENQUIRER found.
I wouldn't exactly report this as news, it didn't come out of the mouth of God or anything.
The reason I have a PS2 rather than a PC for gaming is that when I buy a game I don't want to worry about whether my PC, graphics card, version of DirectX, drivers, etc. will run the game. I don't want to upgrade every six months and spend more time tweaking than playing. I just want to play the damn thing.
Any PS2 game I buy will work on my PS2. Simple as that.
As soon as there's a game that requires a certain specification of PS3 or XBox Next or whatever, it gets messy again. This is a slippery slope.
I get enough stress dealing with compatibilities between L2TP -v- OpenBSD and PDFLib -v- PHP during my day job. I don't want to IT troubleshoot when I get home too.
All you need is Microsoft to refuse to license any games that don't support all of the variants and you don't have that problem.
Everything old is new again!
You could've hired me.
"Any PS2 game I buy will work on my PS2. Simple as that."
Yeah, but not if you get a PStwo. No hard drive, no FFXI. Sony is on that slippery slope as well.
Consoles are getting complicated. The Nintendo DS is virtually a PDA...
...on the entire article. Will play PC games? What the hell for? Why would you go through all the coding and compatibility concerns for a market segment that would make you zero dollars? Money is makd off licensing and selling software, and allowing PC games to be played eliminate those dollars.
An HD and Non-HD version? Yeah right. Let's segment the console market, that's always a good idea. (See Sega CD, 32X, the PS2 HD, etc.) Developers wouldn't bother writing things to use the HD if they knew everyone didn't have one, or that it's just a small part of the market.
Xbox Live has content download as one of its main features, and this requires local storage. Releasing a stripped down version of Xbox 2 would eliminate that feature for most people, and we all know Xbox Live's features will carry over to the next Xbox, so I'd count that whole two-version deal out as well.
Overall, I find the article to be a bunch of crap, which makes sense considering the name of the site.
You keep using that word, but I don't think it means what you think it means.
Forcing somebody to buy ANY XBox2 would involve something along the lines of putting a gun to their head and saying "Buy it or die".
Offering different versions forces nothing. The consumer is free to buy or not buy any one iteration.
You remind me of the whiners who always complain about the different editions of DVDs. First they come out with the standard, then the extended, then the Director's, FORCING you to buy it three times.
Bullshit.
Nobody is forced to buy anything. Don't want it? Don't buy it. Want it? Buy it.
It's very simple.
Interesting move. I hadn't seen it coming, but I guess it makes a certain degree of sense. If I were to offer some predictions (or rather, guesses), they'd be:
After the initial silly-prices of the first month or two after release have passed, the HDD-less X-Box 2 will be pretty cheap, maybe around the $100 mark. This will be intended as a direct competitor to whatever console Nintendo puts out next. The HDD version will probably follow a price curve similar to the original X-Box's and will be the main competitor to the PS3. The "PC" version will be a good bit more expensive, maybe around $400-500.
All three will be able to play the same games. You won't need a specific version to play a particular game. However, certain features will only be available on the higher level versions. You'll need the HDD-version to use X-Box Live (or maybe just downloadable content) and you'll probably need it for DVD playback (no technical reason for this, but it just sounds plausible). Obviously, the HDD-version will be needed for custom soundtracks and the like.
MS will put out some memory cards. These will be primarily be for use on the no-HDD version, where they'll be necessary for saves, but they'll also be usable in the other versions, for moving saves etc between consoles. MS would be mad to miss out on the profit opportunities from memory cards again.
As for sales, the cheaper non-HDD version will probably make the fastest start. Consoles, at least here in the UK, tend to have ridiculous prices for the first few months, so many early-adopters, especially parents buying for kids, will go for the cheapest version. Nintendo will probably see a further erosion of their market share; not a catastrophe, but probably enough to make them consider refocussing all of their energy on the handheld market. Over time, the "mid range" HDD-version will become the dominant version. In terms of sales, it won't rival the PS3, but it will be a credible 2nd place. I don't really see the X-Box PC having more than novely value, although I'm sure it'll get a good bit of interest from home-brewers etc.
Of course, this is just idle speculation. I'm assuming both that this story is true and that MS don't make any cock-ups like having a dire range of launch titles. Be interesting to see how it pans out.