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Microsoft Announces Xbox One S, Project Scorpio Gaming Consoles (engadget.com)
Details of Microsoft's rumored new console have dropped ahead of the company's conference at E3 tradeshow Monday. It appears the long-anticipated smaller and more powerful variant of company's current console is real. According to a leaked press render, Microsoft will be announcing the Xbox One S (where S stands for Slim) at the gaming event. The Xbox One S will be 40 percent smaller than the Xbox One, and pack in more powerful processing and graphics muscle. According to the render, the Xbox One S will come with a 2TB hard drive, and feature support for 4K video playback and High Dynamic Range. According to separate reports, the Xbox One S is likely to be priced at $399 for the 2TB variant. Update: 06/13 16:58 GMT by M : Microsoft has officially taken the wraps off the product. It will be available for purchase starting August. AnandTech has more details.Also at its event, Microsoft announced Xbox Play Anywhere. The Verge reports: It lets you buy participating cross-platform games once, and own them on both platforms. If you buy a game on Xbox One it will simply appear in your Windows 10 library, and vice versa, and your saved games, achievements, and other information will carry over between the two versions.Microsoft also unveiled "Project Scorpio", a high-powered Xbox One launching next year that is capable of supporting 4K content as well as virtual reality headsets. "We are creating more choice in your gaming experience than ever before," said Xbox chief Phil Spencer to open Microsoft's E3 conference. No word on its pricing yet.
they should make it 100% smaller and stop polluting slashdot
Doesnt the red title mean it was recently greenlit?
When you cant win, ad hominem.
People do still buy BluRay discs, you know. Not everybody has drunk the streaming Kool-Aid. Some people still like to own a physical copy of media they buy.
So Sony announced a 4K PS4 and Surprise! There's now going to be a 4K Xbox one. Well who didn't see that coming. Of course now they effectively both destroyed the console lifecycle I expect we'll soon see the law of diminishing returns kick in as people stop buying consoles because they're worried they might out of date in a few years rather than the usual 5 or more.
If credible reports are to be believed, the XB1-S is the first of two successors to the current XB1. There is a second machine, rumoured to have significantly upgraded internals, which is apparently due next year, to compete with the PS4 Neo. This might, of course, all be proven wrong within the next few hours following MS's E3 presentation.
But if the reports are correct, then things start to look very odd. The XB1-S described in TFA looks like a pretty normal mid-generation hardware refresh, similar to the 360-S or the PS3-slim from the last generation. It reduces the form-factor and apparently adds support for 4k Blu-Rays (the current XB1 can do 4k video output, but there is currently pretty much nothing that makes use of it), but doesn't do much else. So far, so sane. But then this is apparently only going to be given a few months on the market before a significantly more powerful "XB1.5" is released, which will offer a significantly bigger step up.
There's something not quite right with this current console generation. It's hard to put a finger on precisely what - the sales numbers (even for the XB1) are pretty great compared to the last generation - but there is definitely something that isn't quite gelling. Despite being over two and a half years old, the software libraries for the PS4 and XB1 remain fairly thin, being light on the major exclusives that have powered previous generations and heavy on "HD remasters" of old games. If, like me, you prefer to game on a PC, the reasons to own the new consoles look pretty thin (and I sort-of regret my own purchases).
I don't know whether there is something sinister emerging in the financials which the public can't see, but both Sony and MS seem to be spooked in a way that the numbers don't quite support (MS's position isn't what they wanted, but is also by no means bad). I still can't work out why, at a point in the cycle when they should be enjoying the huge third-party licensing fees that should be rolling in thanks to their large installed base, Sony are taking a massive gamble and splitting their user-base with the PS4 Neo. Slightly more understandable is why MS would feel the need to follow suit, but even that doesn't quite feel right. All the omens for Nintendo's NX look pretty dire, so I doubt it's that which has Sony or MS spooked.
As I say, hard to put my finger on it, but there is definitely something odd going on.
Smaller XBox:
* cheaper to manufacture (less materials);
* cheaper to ship.
* less heat generated.
* cheaper to manufacture - silicon die shrinks.
--> More processing units (CPUs|GPUs) from the same silcon wafer.
What's not to understand?
Microsoft originally intended to embed a unique serial # into each disc so that it became bound to the first account that played the game. A bit like a product code. Turns out people really hated that idea. It was partly this and the Kinect debacle that gave the PS4 an early lead.
Like you had an xbone, now you had to buy a second one, so you have two xbones.
Are they hoping for an old school "play dem xbones"? reference?
Knowing what group of terrorists one is referring to is important. Were they Eco terrorists, anti-gov terrorists, radical Islamic terrorists, radical Christian terrorists or what?
Yes, if a Christian claims his faith made him do i'd call them radical Christian terrorists.
The games are all 50-60GB and very very few people have enough internet to handle that very well. Plus, physical media is great DRM.
If your machine lacks an optical drive, and the best home Internet connection in your area is satellite or cellular with a cap on the order of 5 to 15 GB/mo, good luck carrying your console and a monitor into town every time you want to install a game, even if you aren't using online multiplayer. Many rural users are in this situation due to the DSL distance limit. And in Seattle, Washington, the Director's Rule requires a supermajority of nearby landowners to approve any construction, where failure to respond counts as a no vote, and vacant properties also count as a no vote.
The problem with trying to stuff augmented reality and VR down our throats this early is that the screen door effect is still very prominent. The only way to get rid of the screen door effect is to provide a 5K resolution display per eye. AR and VR will fail because they tried to bring it out too early.
No mention if MS is going to release the hardware-refresh as a kinetic-only bundle. The original Xbox One suffered from the higher price-point but also due to the %10 of resources which were reserved for the kinetic which meant that titles on the Xbox often ran at lower resolutions and worst frame rates then on the PS4. Eventually MS unlocked those %10 resources but with this hardware refresh they could be added on top and allow for the kinetic to run without limiting performance. A bundle is likely to be the case since unlike previous generation refresh this one seems to be positioned as a high end 4K release rather then simply a smaller cheaper console
I have drunk the streaming Kool-Aid as has the rest of my family. Actually handling physical discs is rubbish, especially with young children.
However it's our "own" streaming Kool-Aid and as such we need physical CD's, DVD's and BluRay's to rip from. A good VDSL2 internet connection with lots of upload means we all share the same server despite being located all over the UK.
Because you really want both.
You want a smaller phone to carry around easier, but you want a bigger screen to see and interact with.
What people want is like the Tony Stark Cell phone with a 3D projected display. However to make it truly useful and not just impressive for hollywood it will need to project back so it can block out what is behind it and only have it display for the people who wants to see it.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
The intentional exclusion of features from these devices to drive their own services means I won't be using a console for the foreseeable future. I use my PS3 almost exclusively as a streaming player now. Sony removed features from the PS4 that made the PS3 a useful device once games run dry. I can buy a NUC device and get much better ROI.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
My current setup is a 1080p projector at about 87", and I'd be pretty hard-pressed to see a difference between 1080P and 4K even at that size.
other technical requirements which Microsoft might not feel so inclined to do when the main beneficiary is Sony.
And Disney, Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner. Universal is a big one for the following reason:
It seems more likely that they'll toss in 4K support for streaming services and leave it at that.
Any streaming service operated by Microsoft in the United States has to overcome peering policies of an ISP owned by Universal's parent company.
Yes, and the XBONE does that. At least, I assume so since I can start playing a game when it is only partially downloaded.
40% smaller in volume translates to 16% smaller in each dimension. Whoo hoo!! that's so exciting.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Even the old XB360 had various generations though. The early ones had component video out,while later generations added HDMI (and supposedly more reliable motherboards)
Why does anything need an optical drive in 2016?
There are no bandwidth caps on delivery through Amazon Prime. 4K Blu-ray quality HDR video with theatrical sound? Not a problem. Exclusive streaming-media deals? Not a problem if you pre-order the disk.
Xbox One S = Xbox Ones = Xbox Two, at least, right guys?
"Microsoft Announces the Xbox Two, Its Smallest Xbox Yet"
FTFY
Presumably the One S will have better specs than the One; $300 for that sounds like they're selling it at a loss. What would be the prospects of buying it and not buying any games to harm Microsoft and have a decent Linux machine?
Exactly, and sell 2x the $pyware. Twice.
Then either your projector is terrible or you need glasses. Likely both.
You want a bigger pocket. Duh.
Carpenters/painter pants have a great cell phone pocket.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Seriously? I mean, I realize Apple doesn't own a copyright on the letter "S", but Microsoft couldn't think up a better moniker for a sub-release of a device?
then either your eyes don't work or you've never actually seen a large 4K display before
Remember kids: What's right isn't as important as what's profitable.
If gay people in a Christian society had to tolerate being asked "1. I don't like what you're doing so I'm going to try to "fix" you." a few times a year then I think they'd be pissed, but over all no more put-out than being asked for change by the train station.
Do not under-sell the discrimination that the Christian church has extended towards gay people. Discrimination that affects you daily, limits your freedom, impairs you financially, and alters your self esteem.
There is nothing redeeming about the Church's policy against gay people.
So yes, perhaps it isn't as bad as "hang, behead, stone, or kill you in some other gruesome way" but it's still inexcusable.
Sorry, we're well off topic. Small X-Box. Hmmm, didn't Sony do this with the Playstation?
There's only one way to read this: OMG next quarter's loss will make the last one look like a profit, we need a distraction fast.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
I can see pixels, but only if I really strain to. I admit I'm far more sensitive to audio than video.
The xbox one *does* do that, but I have never seen a game that wasn't horribly unplayable until it was fully installed. And most games have a huge (mandatory) day-1 update, so owning the physical copy doesn't help much either.
Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
Why does anything need an optical drive in 2016?
There are no bandwidth caps on delivery through Amazon Prime. 4K Blu-ray quality HDR video with theatrical sound? Not a problem. Exclusive streaming-media deals? Not a problem if you pre-order the disk.
I have Comcast Internet. If Comcast puts a cap out then it doesn't matter what Amazon does.
My launch XBO has not had any issues so far and I use it quite a bit. I have about 15 friends with them and only one has had an issue thus far, his was DOA when he bought it.
Starting with with the 360 Slim they started using big heat sinks and fans venting the hot air via slits directly above the CPU/GPU, so heat dissipation hasn't been an issue for quite some time now. I picked up a Slim shortly after they launched and its been fine so far too, the quality jump between it and the original 360 was pretty big, IMO.
Golden Goose, meet clever.
...with encrypted flash to run xbox games on your pc, for like 50 Bucks, would be great.
and I'd be pretty hard-pressed to see a difference between 1080P and 4K even at that size
How far from your "TV" are you sitting? 20 feet?
Actually handling physical discs is rubbish
Only if you don't care about image quality, and if you don't care about image qualit, wtf do you worry about 4K or even HD for? Streaming HD quality is marginally better than SD. If you have a 40-45* TV and sit ten feet away, you can not really see the difference between streaming HD and SD. Streaming 4K content today is of lower at times significantly so, quality than 1080p. Watching 4K content on Neflix is terrible. The footage is sharpened to the unwatchable. But hey, if you don't care about image quality, that's OK. Just get the biggest, cheapest TV you can get. Don't ever get a 4K TV.
No more than 8 or 10 feet I'd say.
Why does anything need an optical drive in 2016?
There are no bandwidth caps on delivery through Amazon Prime. 4K Blu-ray quality HDR video with theatrical sound? Not a problem. Exclusive streaming-media deals? Not a problem if you pre-order the disk.
I have Comcast Internet. If Comcast puts a cap out then it doesn't matter what Amazon does.
I think what they are alluding to is Amazon Prime shipping a physical disk for an optical drive. Do not underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of hard drives speeding down the highway, nor a delivery truck bringing blue-ray disks.
You need to go see an optometrist or an eye doctor, you are going blind.