The next Xbox…where, when and what will it be?
The fifth anniversary of the Xbox 360 is speeding our way this year and with the pending release of Project Natal (and several new Xbox 360 bundles), one has to wonder if the console is just hitting its stride. Having already outpaced its predeccesor, the Xbox 360 is showing no signs of a slowdown. Can Microsoft really stretch this puppy to ten years?
If you recall, the original Xbox was soon an afterthought nearly 4 years into its life. Some would argue that Microsoft pulled the plug much sooner than that but as it stands, it only lasted 4 years. It debuted in November 2001 and in November 2005, the Xbox 360 took over. Microsoft has stated that the Xbox 360 won’t suffer the same fate as the original Xbox and it will last much longer than most anticipate. All signs point towards that being true if even for only the one additional year it has already lasted.
It’s probably inevitable that at some point a new Xbox will emerge from the shadows. But when…where…and what will it be? What do you want it to be? What do you want it to be called? My personal opinion is that we won’t here anything about another Xbox until the end of next year and possibly into 2012. I don’t think it will be dubbed the Xbox 720 either. Could the name of the next Xbox be right in front of our eyes? Xbox Natal anyone? Will Microsoft risk quality again to get a head start over the competition?
It’s fun to speculate on these things and bring out all of the conspiracies. We’ve already heard about a possible Xbox 360 Slim in production. I just don’t know how much more these console makers can do to impress us. Hell, I’m already impressed enough.
If you were in charge at Microsoft, what would you put inside the next Xbox to make it the most attractive console to purchase? How much would you price it at? What would you name it? What exactly do you want to see in the next Xbox that would get you to stay with the Xbox family?
Building your perfect successor to the Xbox 360 starts now…begin!
March 17th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I think the key will have to be hardware reliability. I am very loyal to XBOX; I bought both the original and the 360 on their respective launch days. I don’t even want to think about how much money I have spent on games and accessories (and replacement consoles) over the years. However, after having to replace my 360 4-5 times due to unreliable hardware, I am really starting to wonder if my loyalty is justified…
As for system improvements, I am not much of a visionary, so I would be happy if the current trend of bigger and better games keeps up into the next generation. I am always amazed at how developers continue to innovate, even when I think I have seen it all!
March 17th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Ah an excellent post! Deac truly listens to U360′s members.
5 years already! The first question that should be asked is, how far Micro$oft will pan out this generation. Lots of people and online forums have stated Sony/Microsoft were planning to stretch this generation for 10 years. The economy being as it is, this could be true. Sony definitely took the long term approach with BR. Microsoft should use their lead over Sony to pull ahead even more.
I don’t believe motion technology is there yet to completely takeover. If you look at all the games coming for Natal and Move they are as Mike put it WiiGames in HD, and I agree. So I will not be getting Natal, even if it’s very inexpensive. There are many games I still have to play on the PS3 and 360 than to worry about the motion control games.
Here’s what I want in the next Xbox. I’ll talk about hardware first then software.
1. Wireless. It’s pretty obvious they missed this last time. It needs wireless networking capability.
2. Bluetooth. I don’t even care if the controllers are BT or IR, but the ability to use a BT headset is great.
3. Have the controllers be rechargeable.
4. I think the physical size is OK, more smoother looking would be nice, but really, make it less noisy!
5. Swappable hard drives. Let me be able to upgrade the harddrive like the PS3 allows you.
6. Retain the USB slots, maybe add 1 more in the back so 4 total.
7. Better backup capabilities. I should be able to backup my DLC to an external source, either USB drive or external HDD.
8. Up the audio to 7.1, TrueHD, etc.
Software
1. The games must start at 720p/1080i and run either that or 1080p. No more less than 720p BS.
2. Allow my friends to see me play live. In a party, I am playing, my friend in the party and see me playing live on his TV or something like that. Video chatting in a way
3. Motion control the dashboard. This is a no brainer
4. Allow me to move my Gamer Profile over the network, ie 2 Xboxes in my house. I want to play on 1 that doesn’t have my tag. Turn them both on, move the profile to the other through the network.
5. If a game causes a glitch or freezes, implement a system where you can immediately send a msg to Microsoft of the game developer, which included info how it occurred. Many software today does this, a crash happens, it automatically registers what was going on before it allows you to send details to Microsoft, Apple, etc. Allow the user to opt out of this for privacy issues.
6. No one wants to download a 10gig game. Making games 720p/1080p will surely make them bigger files too. Keep the physical media. People like feeling the things they own. Keep Digital to XBL arcade and DLC. Not sure if this would mean moving to a blu ray drive.
7. Remove the 100 person friend limit. Make it 200-250. People are narcistic in nature, they want to know they have lots of friends LOL
March 17th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Yes, as DouggyD stated, I think reliability should be #1 priority
March 17th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Oh and as for bundles and prices, people hate all different versions. Keep it simple stupid! I would have max 2 bundles. Keep the price 299 or less. 299 seems to be a magic number, as when the pS3 dropped to that price is began to move a lot of units. Granted that may be tough to do.
March 17th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Where to start… I guess I could always look up old threads of mine on this subject, but I remember what needs to be done.
Top Ten In this order of importance…
#1. Quality – System/Games/Controller
#2. B/C to every Damn 360 game
#3. No more Proprietary Hard Drives
#4. Allows 360 controllers to work
#5. Only 2 SKUs that Have Hard Drives
#6. One SKU with a BLU-RAY Drive
#7. Most expensive SKU no more than $299.99
#8. System is capable of running 60fps at 1080P in every game
#9. Wireless Adapter
#10. Wireless Headset
Now how soon will it come… Well that depends on the success of Natal, & 360 system sales that come after. If it becomes a phenomenon, Microsoft will delay the next Xbox until the year 2015. However, if Natal flops, & 360 sales (At $149.99) start to decline by end of 2011, then I expect a new Xbox system by the end of 2012. – I expect Natal & 360 to sell well enough to last until the year 2015. Yeah I know it sucks!
What I fear Microsoft will also do… Repackage/revamp old 360 Tech (Easy B/C that way = Hello Wii) & sell it for a premium. They will probably add more RAM, & put in a better CPU/GU, but nothing advanced that it would cost them to lose money on initial system sales from the get go like past consoles have done. (Thanks again Nintendo = We will get less tech for more $$$)
My Nightmare is actually something I cooked up (No, I never seen/heard anyone come up with this idea) – That Microsoft will bring out 2 SKUs, one with a Disc Drive, & one without to push their games by way of Digital Distribution. There are pro’s & con’s to a Drive-less console, but I feel the con’s far outweigh the pro’s. Less moving parts are always a good thing, but not actually owning a physical copy of something you paid money for is just… well, it’s stupid!. The big advantage to that Drive-Less SKU for Microsoft & cheap gamers who want it would be it’s price ($100 Less) at $199.99 during launch. The Drive-Less SKU would also come with a far larger Hard Drive than the Disc Drive version.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Didn’t they say like 2011 at the earliest? Or something.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Boston, a couple of your points are already possible on the 360 lol. for one, all 360 games are already at least 720p. secondly, you can easily transfer your profile between consoles already (without a profile signed on, guide button>recover gamertag, and you just enter your info and *pop* there it is on the other console lol. also a lot better than moving it with a memory card cause it can corrupt). and also, technically you already are putting your DLC on an “external HDD” lol
.. its just an overpriced MS one.. =/
Mike, i don’t think MS would go for the DD only system esp. with the recent FAIL with the retarded PSP Go.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
[...] The next Xbox…where, when and what will it be? [Unscripted 360] [...]
March 18th, 2010 at 6:13 am
352, NOT all games are 720p
April 6th, 2010 at 3:04 am
1. Reliability – I am tired of the RRoD
2. Internal Wi-Fi – Why did I buy a PS3 free internet and no $100 for a wireless adapter
3. Rechargeable Controllers – Just a good thing
4. Bluetooth Compatibility – just less wires
5. I like the Streaming for friends idea from Boston
IMO some of these things could be added to the existing 360
April 16th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Didn’t I call this one correctly way back in the day?
Of course I did.
Look how long it took 360 to surpass the sales figures of the original Xbox. And even that is fair to note that a huge number of the sale figures are bought as replacements for an offensively high defect rate. I would love to see somebody show me a actual figure of the current 360 userbase (unit sales minus those bought as replacements).
MS is determined to milk 360 as long as possible. Imagine using a gaming computer for 5 years. It would never happen yet here we are about to go into a 6th and 7th year with the same hardware.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I’ve been thinking…
All consoles are sold at a loss for a fair while after release. This was certainly true of the Xbox 360 and PS3, and is the reason why releasing a console is so risky for video game companies.
Console manufacturers make their money from licensing, so their interest is in optimum sales of software and peripheries etc, made possible by as many people buying their console as possible. Obviously, this will only happen if the console is priced competitively.
Bearing all of this in mind, surely the best thing to do would be for consoles to be sold like contract mobile phones – the hardware is free (or hugely discounted), and the difference is made up with a monthly fee.
Millions of users are happy to pay for access to xbox live gold, and there are many other perks that could be bundled with the console to make people feel like they are getting value for money. For example, where mobile users get a certain number of minutes every month, customers could get xbox points, allowing for consistent consumption of DLC and a smoother flow of products to customers.
Think about it! Imagine if the next xbox was $100 with a $25 monthly subscription, or free with a $30 monthly subscription.
Consumers get what they want for less, or spread out over a more manageable timeline, console makers get loyalty from customers (obviously there would be a minimum term contract involved).
Well, it’s an idea!
September 10th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Mouse and Keyboard support
Backwards Compatability with all Xbox 360 games
Have some form of an Operating System on it with web browsing
Refresh rate setting
September 16th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Alex….. That is the worst idea i have heard by far. $30 a month for a year is over $300 alone. Now draw that out for the 5 years this Xbox has ran; that’s $1800 on the console. Monthly fees suucckk any ways.
1- reliability 2- everything wireless 3- upgrade to 1080p on everything. 4- update the CPU 5- blu ray player (if that’s even the thing at the time 2015)
November 10th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Monthly fee? that’s retarded think about what you would pay over 5 years for that? Kiss your mom and dads ass a little harder or get a job loser.
November 19th, 2010 at 7:24 am
Alex: if the monthly fee included all games for the platform it would be a very interesting proposition. It would have to be about $15/month instead of $30 though.
I would be happy with a simple update called the Xbox Quiet Edition — able to play games and cutscenes without sounding like a leaf blower.
November 26th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
I like Alex’s idea. Except Microsoft should do something like the iphone
And the ipod touch and have it to where you could either buy a console that would be like $250 and then pay for gold like seven bucks a month. Or you could buy the system for $50 and then have a two year contract with A wireless carrier for 3G and 200 MP a month with web access for $15 bucks a month.
December 24th, 2010 at 1:54 am
monthly fee for use is just nuts. i already pay 100 a year for family membership. if that route ever happens (unless maybe a rediculously low price) i will not ever buy. blue ray or current popular disc technology is a no brainer. they will be impossibly stupid not to do so. quieter is a necessity. the 360 is really loud. stereo set at 6 when running from hdd and set at 15 (out of 50) when playing from disc. reliability definately. my last rrod happened while it was off. (seriously, that was so frustrating when i turned it on a week later it was broke. i have never had something do that.) wireless is a must. how can you say cutting edge technology when you use archaic wires. the smallest hdd should be 250GB. also, i am sick of buying two games to play on both my consoles that microsoft knows are mine(by registration) played in the same house (known by ip address). if i want to play one game on 4 consoles in my own home i should only need one friggin disc. built in wireless is a must.
December 31st, 2010 at 9:17 pm
How about adopting the technology of cable comapnies with DVR in multiple rooms in your home.. ie. One console, playable on any room in your home. I’d pay more for this feature, as opposed to having to pick which room will be my “man cave”.
January 24th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
It seems a little odd that the XBOX 360 has gone as long as it has. A new console every 4 or so years seemed quite usual to me. Mmm and hopefully it won’t be the XBOX 720 either. I don’t want to see it take a Sony trend and just start re-numbering each console. A new name seems like a good idea to something fresh.
As far as things I’d like to see it do — well I guess you’d expect much better graphics. Hopefully better control pads and a simpler, less cluttered dashboard too.