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Next Console Generation Defined By Software, Not Hardware

Posted by Soulskill on from the console-two-point-oh dept.

Fast Company recent spoke with Microsoft exec Shane Kim about Natal and the future of the Xbox 360. Kim said they're very interested in continuing to build out support for social networking and digital distribution, and he also made some interesting remarks about their long term plans. Quoting: "It really has much more to do with ... the innovation and longevity that will be created when Project Natal is added to that mix and the value and the entertainment options that we continue to expand on Xbox Live. The 'next generation' will be defined by software and services, not hardware. In the past we would always get this question: 'Hey, there's a new console launch every five years and you're coming up on that time for Xbox, right?' That's the old treadmill way of thinking. Before you had things that were very obvious, from a hardware standpoint — pushing more pixels, the move from 2-D to 3-D, 3-D to HD, etc. We got a very powerful piece of hardware in Xbox 360. I am confident that we have more headroom available, in terms of developers and creators figuring out how to get more out of the system. So I worry less about new hardware having to enable us to move to a different level of graphics. It's much more about the experiences that you are going to deliver."

8 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. As opposed to the current generation.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Where the console with the best hardware (PS3) is winning, and the under-specced Wii is in a distant third place.

    Oh, wait.

    1. Re:As opposed to the current generation.. by BikeHelmet · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You know, the perfect example of this is the Gamecube and Wii.

      The Wii is basically an overclocked gamecube with some new input devices. (oversimplification, but you get the idea)

      Compare 2001 Gamecube games to 2008/2009 Wii games, and look at the difference in graphics quality. Twilight Princess is available on gamecube, and it puts earlier titles to shame.

      So yes, I agree - software already defines the console.

    2. Re:As opposed to the current generation.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      People who are more attractive than you?

    3. Re:As opposed to the current generation.. by Bakkster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's the PS3 exclusives, where the developers really dove into the system, where the PS3 excells. On cross-platform games the developer usually ports their code for the 360 over to the PS3, and it never gets that same level of polish.

      The PS3 has more potential, but they ask a lot of their developers to utilize it, due to the Cell processor requiring different techniques to get the speed. More powerful, but at the cost of unfamiliarity.

      So 'best' depends on the viewpoint. Sony has the most powerful hardware, but also the most difficult to develop for. Because of this, 'best' will always be a debate between the fans.

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  2. It's a PC. by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sounds like they're trying to turn the console into a locked-down PC.

  3. powerful piece of hardware? by crazybit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    maybe it was "powerful" in 2005 when it was unveiled. But for today's standards, a Xenos graphics chip is a joke. Xenos GPU was the precursor of the Radeon R600 processor, which was used up to Radeon HD 3400. You can get a Radeon HD 4650 for under 50 bucks, and will totally obliterate Xbox's graphics capabilities.

    Problem is gaming companies are making many titles "console only", or their PC ports are crappy emulation (like GTA4) - that leaves gamers with no choice but buying/using a console with outdated hardware.

    --
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    1. Re:powerful piece of hardware? by BenevolentP · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I switched from exclusively PC gaming to exclusively console gaming about 5 years ago and never looked back. I could probably buy a house if i had saved the money i wasted in a hardware pissing contest i had with my friends ("doom looks so much smoother with my dx4/100. Oh, are these real instruments in the background? Have to buy a 200 Euro wavebank soundcard.") when i was younger.
      Though i know high end PC hardware is cheaper now, i still enjoy not worrying if a game will work, if i really get the best/intended experience with my rig or if i rather should have waited a month to buy gfx card xy instead of xy+.
      I have the same PC since about 5 years now, and will probably buy a new one when they become so small that you could accidentally inhale them.

  4. Hardware by Toonol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Fast hardware lost this gen to the slowest (Wii). It lost last gen to the slowest (PS2). You can argue that two gens ago, the PS1 was slower than the N64, although that's less certain. Raw speed is most certainly not the most important component of success for a console.

    I wouldn't say hardware was unimportant, though. The Wii won because of its hardware, clearly. But it needs to be looked at in terms of what the hardware actually brings to the buyer. Higher res? Who cares? Faster refresh? Doesn't matter. Better AI and gameplay? Well, that might help, but it's pretty clear that the 360's and PS3's improved processors aren't being used for that.

    New methods of control, new interfaces, whole new styles of gameplay? Microphones, vibrations, sensors, speakers, and so forth... now, that will catch a customer's eye. That makes playing a game something new, instead of a slightly glossier but nearly indistinguishable version of an older game. New hardware is important, but the growth needs to branch out in new directions, instead of being this one-dimensional 'better graphics' mantra that the consoles have been pushing. Improvements in graphics are mattering less and less.