Some news over the last few days on the new Xbox

 

Xbox 720 'to be released early November, launch with two price models'

 

Microsoft will launch the system in early November with two pricing models.

 

One will be a standalone version for $499 (£323), while the other is a $299 (£193) version that requires the consumer to sign up to a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription.

 

The system will be based on the "core" version of Windows 8, allowing similar apps that run on the PC operating system to appear on the console.

 

Thurrott also confirmed previous reports that the new Xbox would support Blu-ray, and that while it must be online to use, it "isn't as Draconian as many seem to believe"

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Windows 8 is rubbish and it must be online to use, no thanks Micro$oft.

I've never owned an X-Box and I doubt I'm going to start now.

I've gotta laugh at the amount of fanboy bullshit with this stuff. Its like people cannot possibly like XBox if they like Playstation and vice versa, even though the reality is, neither is really any better than the other. I've had PS3 and 360, both systems share almost the same identical catalogue of games barring a handful of exclusives both ways, both have near identical graphics and performance. Both have online stores etc.

 

There is no rule that says you HAVE to hate one if you like the other.

 

I'm looking forward to both the XBox One and PS4, crazy, I know. :roll :doh32:

 

I used to prefer the 360 due to XBL but the PSN improved and evened that out. I dont have a preference over the controllers for one or the other anymore. One time I preferred the sturdy XBox pad but the light PS3 pad is excellent aswell. When it comes to exclusives, I love them all. Uncharted and God of War are wicked, Gears of War and Fable are too.

 

I wont buy either on launch, but eventually I'll own them both and like the PS3 and 360, I doubt there will be any noticeable difference between them. Both are great.

Edited May 27, 201311 yr by The Beltster

I don't hate the X-box, I've just never owned one and don't see X-Box One changing that.

I much prefer playing sports/racing games on Xbox and action/adventure games on PS3

I don't hate the X-box, I've just never owned one and don't see X-Box One changing that.

I'm not specifically talking about you, I'm talking about the general online discussion on IGN and places like that.

 

If you like one you have to automatically hate the other. For all intents and purposes, they are exactly the same thing, just like 360 and PS3.

Ah the halcyon days of when folk were either Sega or Nintendo.

I was both back then.

I'm with Belty on the fan-boy thing, despite the fact I'm a PS guy, which is largely down to owning a PS1 first and the systems being backwards compatible, meaning I have a fairly big catalog of older games I still play. Not an issue on PS4 or XBox One though, since neither will be. There is the real issue in this generation of consoles, right there.

 

I can actually kinda see Microsoft's point regarding used games because, ultimately, 5 or 6 or more people can all play the same game, and everyone involved in creating the game gets their percentage once and only once. Second hand games are good for gamers, but not necessarily good for gaming as a whole. Personally, I wouldn't mind each game coming with an activation code or something which can be used once, then when you sell the game, the next person has to buy an activation code for say £5. I've got no problem with devs getting the money they deserve (I work for a software house after all), but screwing the customer isn't good.

 

The other actual issues (ok, the name is dumb, but not an issue as such) I have with the new version over the old was with the online thing (again, I can see the logic, but forcing it is insane....and may be exactly the same on the PS4) and Kinect being mandatory and always on. Big Brother has eyes everywhere. Solved easily enough by some tape over the lens and "disconnecting" the mic wires with a pair of side cutters.

I'm undecided which one I'll go for. I'm not a "fanboy" of either, I've currently got a 360 but before that I had a PS2. Either way I'll be waiting a while before I get one, give them chance to drop the price a bit & to iron out any teething problems

So Microsoft seem to have realised just how badly they had messed up in the wake of the announcement press conference and E3 with how bad the negative reaction has been and now they are backpeddling on the required internet connection and the attempt to kill second hand games.

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

It's a smart move, but how many people are likely to trust them not to implement them in the future... not me, that's for sure.

Taking all those restrictions off and making all games region free is smart, but they need to price match PS4 now or it wont make much difference.

Back peddling to try to counteract their own silly restrictions and compete with PS4. They've already lost, they look silly now for not sticking to their guns. It was always gonna be PS4 for me and still will be.

Saying they've already lost is stupid. Obviously they havent. Neither machine has been released so acting like its already done and dusted is ignorant. Proper fanboy comment.

 

Are you saying that they should have been completely stubborn and stuck with their guns on all of their ridiculous restrictions just for the sake of being stubborn?! :lol Christ!

 

It would have been over already if they had stuck with those stupid ideas.

Edited June 20, 201311 yr by The Beltster

Taking all those restrictions off and making all games region free is smart, but they need to price match PS4 now or it wont make much difference.

 

I've been thinking the same thing. And they're gonna need to up the number and quality of the free games they give away to gold subscribers

Does make me laugh that they get absolutely slaughtered for the 24 hour log in and used games stuff, and they are still being absolutely slaughtered for changing it :lol I think it was blatantly obvious that they would change it at some point because of the absolute uproar. Personally I was going to be buying one on launch day anyway.

The best part of the Microsoft press release was the line "We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds." It's like they have no idea how to speak to their consumers, why would you put in a comment that was nothing more than a thinly-veiled shot at people complaining about the initial restrictions?

 

Fair play to them for changing it, I just think the damage done may still give Sony the edge in this generation.

The only regret I have is that there were rumblings that if Microsoft had forced through their DRM restrictions, it may have bought the price of Xbox One games down as they wouldn't have the old piracy excuse to fall back on.

 

Looks like we'll never know.

Microsoft lowering the price of games would have happened when hell froze over, DRM or no DRM. The reason the lack of DRM is called an excuse is because it's not actually a factor in price, at all, it's just a convenient bullshit line they can trot out when convenient.

But that's what I mean, I'm interested to see what the next bullsh*t line would have been for not lowering game prices.