Xbox 720 is another iPhone 4S!!

[RatRace123]

Maybe it's just because I'm a stupid console peasant, but having a system that's six times more powerful than the current one sounds kinda good.

I mean, I'm not expecting a console to be as powerful as a PC, and if the tech specs are better than they are now, I can't ask for much more.

 

[ph0b0s123]

That's good, it means PC gamers won't have to do too much upgrading for multiplatform releases.

Wrong. For the first time in a long time PC and console GPU's will have a common hardware feature set. We will be on the same version of DirectX. the problem before was that consoles were on DX 9 and so PC ports would only use DX 9 features, which even mid range PC's can do quite easily.

Now games will be programmed to support DX11 features right off the bat and when ported to the PC those features, like tessellation will just be turned up, as resolutions is now vs console versions. So ports to PC's will actually push PC's quite well until DirectX 12 arrives.

This is purely on the graphics side. We still have to see if the CPU is going to be any good as it's not all about the graphics. A good CPU will allow consoles to have more innovative game play mechanics, involving advanced AI, etc

 

[ph0b0s123]

You know, over the years I have slowly been switching to the Sony side, but I was still excited with the possibility of a new Xbox, but now I guess I'll just fully embrace Sony as my go to console makers

Sony will also be having to pick a similar spec PC GPU. The only advantage they might have is if they release later so they can pick a later PC GPU to put in.

 

[XMark]

Maybe it's just because I'm a stupid console peasant, but having a system that's six times more powerful than the current one sounds kinda good.

I mean, I'm not expecting a console to be as powerful as a PC, and if the tech specs are better than they are now, I can't ask for much more.

Well, six times does at first seem like a lot, but technology in general improves along the lines predicted by Moore's Law, doubling every 2 years. Considering that by the end of 2013 it will have been eight years since the launch of the 360, a new XBox really should be at LEAST 16 times the power of the 360 just to keep up.

 

[Cronq]

Kotaku is now reporting the new xbox will include something that will remove the ability to play used games.

 

[Rasmus Emilsson]

Tell me, what games play 1080p? some may have been upscaled to 1080p, but none play at 1080p native which is a MAJOR difference.

Well...

Spoiler: The following PS3 games are native 1080p:

Fifa Street 3
Full Auto 2 (demo)
God of War: Origins Collection
God of War Collection Volume II
Ico
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
MLB09: The Show
NBA07 (demo)
NBA08 (demo)
Ridge Racer 7 (demo)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
Virtua Tennis 3
World Series Of Poker 2008

Spoiler: The following PSN games are native 1080p:

1942: Joint Strike
Blast Factor
Commando 3
Echochrome
Elefunk
Fat Princess
Go Puzzle
High Velocity Bowling
Locoroco Cocoreccho
Pixel Junk Monsters/Racers/Eden
Rocketmen
Stardust HD
Sudoku
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Spoiler: The following Xbox 360 games are native 1080p:

Fifa Street 3
NBA Street Home court (demo)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
Virtua Tennis 3

Not to mention all the games that are native 720p. And with this new hardware being 6x more powerful, that's looking great for consoles and this '1080p' thing that everyone finds so important. I personally think my current 360 games look and run awesome on my HDTV, so 6x more powerful is pretty awesome. Given the age of the current console tech, I think the devs have been doing flat-out amazing things. Watching what could be done with the 360 and PS3 from launch until now has been very fascinating to behold. So I can't wait for the next generation!

Yeah, i'm with you, SOME games do 1080p, but it's not friggin acceptable that SOME games can do 1080p in 2012! and hell, the games you picked were mostly old games or games that isn't on the very top shelf of graphics.

 

[Micalas]

I can't afford a decent PC rig so to get something with these specs for the price of a slim is fine by me.

I could build you a decent one for the price of a release day PS3.

 

[Wolfram23]

Well, on one hand, it's a nice upgrade for consoles. And it will be cool if it helps bridge the gap between consoles and PC, making ports that much better.

On the other hand, I was expecting at least a 6770, which would put it at only about 1/4 the power of my PC.

But, whatever. I'm not really interested in the new console gen besides how it will affect my platform, and this can only be a good thing all around.

Unless Microsoft pulls a quick one and doesn't even both using DirectX. Man, if this pushes them to optimize DX and give lower level tweaking to devs... that would be so awesome. I mean it wouldn't support every GPU hardware out there, but they generally share enough features between architectures that it would help in most cases.

 

[boag]

Ah... a 6670. Good to see them stepping up to the plate...

That means my CF 5850s will only be about 6x more powerful.

Also, as for "better hardware will drive up production costs" I actually think that's totally wrong. Studios have to spend a LOT of time and resources on optimizing for a console. Yes, they can squeeze a lot of performance out of it because they have low level access, but all that tweaking takes time. Lots and lots of time. Higher end hardware = less tweaking needed to get the same experience, and any time available for tweaking is just gravy sauce.

The thing is, that the Price of the console becomes Higher, you are also forgetting that since the GPU is older, most developers already have experience working with them, and may have already developed ways to circumvent the limitations.

 

[Hazy992]

I can't afford a decent PC rig so to get something with these specs for the price of a slim is fine by me.

I could build you a decent one for the price of a release day PS3.

Better than this?

 

[boag]

An Interesting little rumor just popped up on Kotaku.

http://kotaku.com/5879202/

Apparently BD will be implemented, which everyone already expected.

but the big issue seems to be, the new Xbox will have some sort of countermeasure against used games.

Please take this with an enormous grain of salt, before you take out the pitchforks and torches.


oh yeah, theres also a new kinect, but no one gives a fuck about that.

 

[Joshimodo]

Um, midrange tech from several months ago can still do anti-aliased 1080p. What's the problem here?

Not universally. Most recent mid-high end titles (BF3, Skyrim etc.) won't even hit 40+FPS on that when on high settings.

My 5870 is significantly better, and that's getting on in hardware age. They would be better off using either a better 6-series or 5-series.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

I won't believe it until it's confirmed, I just bought a new Xbox 360 Slim, if this thing comes out I'll be pissed.

 

[Jadak]

Umm... Good?

I'm apparently in the minority on this, but I don't want any generation of consoles to be "cutting edge" technically. A few points causing me to feel this way:

1) I'm perfectly fine with the graphical standards of current gen games, which makes any improvement more than adequate for me. And even though the tech won't be top end, it's still a significant improvement over what we have now, and with what we have now being fine, so is that.

2) Cost. This is pretty self explanatory really. Cheaper parts means better profit margins, and profit keeps people happy. Also, higher profit margins leaves more room for potential price cuts, spreading the benefit to the consumer. And it applies to the developers as well, keeping the bar low gives the non "super studios" a chance to stay in the race. The higher the tech, the bigger the budget needed to stay competitive.

3) Game Quality. This can be a bit hit and miss depending on all kinds of factors, but generally speaking my impression of the first year or two of the current gens life cycle was developers constantly expending god knows how many resources purely on trying to one up eachother on technical accomplishments. Making things prettier and generally just trying to "catch up" with the power of the system at their disposal.

When you're using older tech, that situation doesn't exist. Rather than trying to constantly upgrade your development process, you can focus on making the game you wanted to make. Optimizing engines that have already peaked, working with resources that people have been working with as is for years. In other words, less time developing the means to develop, and more time actually developing.

 

[omega 616]

I am no tech expert, I am one level above a 100 year old woman to be honest.

It just sounds a little weird, they are giving a console that wont be out till next year something that is already quite old?

Wouldn't it be ok to put the best that is currently out there now in it, so that when it does get released it will have dropped significantly in price but still be awesome and able to do the crazy shit?

It would also mean a longer wait till PC people get all up in arms about the consoles holding them back ... again.

 

[Micalas]

I can't afford a decent PC rig so to get something with these specs for the price of a slim is fine by me.

I could build you a decent one for the price of a release day PS3.

Better than this?

Possibly. I haven't looked at computer part prices in a while. Back in June I built a rig that will be playing games on ultra-high for the next 5+ years for $1000. It could probably last longer but I'm a bit of a tech junkie and will likely replace parts as time goes by just because...

 

[Wolfram23]

Interesting take on this rumor from a PC tech site:

Either we're looking at an inaccurate rumor here, or the next-generation Xbox won't be the graphics powerhouse some of us expected. The folks at IGN claim to have gotten details about the "Xbox 720," and they say the upcoming console will feature a GPU equivalent to today's Radeon HD 6670.

Just to put things in perspective, the 6670 costs $69.99 at Newegg. It has 480 shader ALUs, a 128-bit memory interface, and the ability to process 8 pixels and 24 texels per clock cycle. IGN claims this GPU will endow the Xbox 720 with six times more graphics horsepower than the Xbox 360, which might well be the case... but the Xbox 360's GPU is the equivalent of an archaeological relic these days.

A better comparison would be with AMD's new Radeon HD 7970, which has 2048 shader ALUs, a 384-bit memory interface, and the capacity to process 32 pixels and 128 texels per clock. To make matters worse, IGN says the Xbox 720's graphics chip will enter production "by the end of 2012," and that the console itself won't be out until the fall of 2013, almost two years from now. At that point, even the 7970 will be looking long in the tooth.

I suppose a 6670-class GPU might make sense if Microsoft intends the Xbox 720 to be an uber-cheap device meant to double as a Joe Everyman's media hub (and do a little gaming on the side). Still, if there's any truth to this rumor, games might not make a truly substantial leap in visual fidelity for a long, long while.

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22366

I don't think it's entirely fair to compare a $550 GPU to a $70 GPU that will be in a $300 system, but... yeah. The closing remarks are interesting.

 

[Hazy992]

I can't afford a decent PC rig so to get something with these specs for the price of a slim is fine by me.

I could build you a decent one for the price of a release day PS3.

Better than this?

Possibly. I haven't looked at computer part prices in a while. Back in June I built a rig that will be playing games on ultra-high for the next 5+ years for $1000. It could probably last longer but I'm a bit of a tech junkie and will likely replace parts as time goes by just because...

Would that include the monitor, speakers etc?

 

[Baby Tea]

Yeah, i'm with you, SOME games do 1080p, but it's not friggin acceptable that SOME games can do 1080p in 2012! and hell, the games you picked were mostly old games or games that isn't on the very top shelf of graphics.

But remember, this is made with tech from before 2005. That's actually pretty darned impressive. A computer can be upgraded to have newer games run at better frame-rates and higher resolutions, but this tech is over 6 years old, and it still runs most things at native 720, and a few at 1080p, when 1080p wasn't even the standard for HD content at the time of manufacture!

Now the 360 and PS3 are both showing their age, which is why a new console generation would be great! 6 to 8 times more powerful (That last number from a Kotaku article I just read)? That'll be right up my alley! And more than capable of performing at 1080p! So Woohoo! Higher resolutions to take advantage of my 40" HDTV! Can't wait!