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Red Warrior posted:There have been rumors of an in-HDMI port on the Xbox as well which some have taken as evidence of a possible DVR functionality, but my tip is MS are doing something more like Google TV, you plug your DVR/cable box into the Xbox, then that into the TV, and then they can overlay channel guides along with all their supplemental Xbox Live based programming etc right on the TV all the time, which you know they want to do - the problem stopping further uptake of using the Xbox services for entertainment is you have to go to that whole step of turning it on and switching over to it, if it is controlling and passing through your DVR/cable box then it's all there already, it's just like changing channels to watch something on Live. Only thing about that is that I'm not sure I want my Xbox to be an always-on kind of thing as I imagine it would consume a lot more power than my Google TV box. As far as TV watching goes I'd be happy if they took their current Media Center extension one step further and let it access my TV tuners directly. Supercar Gautier posted:A development tool for the next XBox AND the Windows 8 store! From what I've seen of the Windows 8 store, it's basically the Windows Phone store with apps scaled up for a monitor, so they're kinda already there. Who knows why MS does what it does sometimes. raditts fucked around with this message at Feb 5, 2013 around 13:36 |
| # ? Feb 5, 2013 13:31 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 14:31 |
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JediTalentAgent posted:I have a question on the uDraw 360 tablet if anyone knows the answer: Outside of the two uDraw 360 titles that were made for it, can anything about the tablet be unofficially used in any other games or for Xbox functionality at all? The Tablet was for THQ's kiddie titles. THQ is dead now, so it's a useless piece of crap.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 15:26 |
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Are there any estimates on how long the next generation will last? Another 8 year lifecycle puts the XBox 4 in the 2020s, and I have trouble believing consoles will still be a thing by then.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 15:31 |
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coffeetable posted:Are there any estimates on how long the next generation will last? Another 8 year lifecycle puts the XBox 4 in the 2020s, and I have trouble believing consoles will still be a thing by then. What kind of a question is this? Obviously MS and Sony and Nintendo want the life span as long as possible for maximum revenue generation. Will it last that long? Who knows! Lets predict the lottery next. Sounds like you have an opinion already, great, that's all anyone could possibly have at this point.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 15:34 |
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ZeeBoi posted:The Tablet was for THQ's kiddie titles. THQ is dead now, so it's a useless piece of crap. There's custom drivers you can use to use it as a cheap drawing tablet for a PC though, as long as you have the Microsoft wireless receiver thing.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 16:21 |
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raditts posted:Only thing about that is that I'm not sure I want my Xbox to be an always-on kind of thing as I imagine it would consume a lot more power than my Google TV box. As far as TV watching goes I'd be happy if they took their current Media Center extension one step further and let it access my TV tuners directly. The problem is always going to be the content providers being on board with this stuff. Look at TiVo: they've just now got an HD box that will work with Dish/DirecTV. It wouldn't surprise me if MS has been working with people on this stuff, but it would very much surprise me if the new console has all those agreements in place on release.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 16:24 |
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raditts posted:Only thing about that is that I'm not sure I want my Xbox to be an always-on kind of thing as I imagine it would consume a lot more power than my Google TV box. coffeetable posted:Are there any estimates on how long the next generation will last? Another 8 year lifecycle puts the XBox 4 in the 2020s, and I have trouble believing consoles will still be a thing by then.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 20:56 |
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JawnV6 posted:There's nothing magic about a set-top box. A hypothetical future xbox could be designed for that usage from the get go and slip under the same power envelope when in that mode. Yeah, even the 360 can turn off 2 cores and the GPU in that background download mode. The new one could power-gate like a motherfucker and then you push the guide button and BLAM you're in Halo 5.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 21:05 |
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Consoles, as they exist now, may not ne a thing by 2020, but there will always be a market for people that want to sit on their couch and play a video game rather than having to connect their PC to a big screen, or playing at their desk. They'll probably be merged into TV set top boxes in some way, but until there's a clear standard to allow third party devices to decrypt pay TV then there's no chance that the set top box as it exists today is going away any time soon.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 21:26 |
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Martytoof posted:Consoles, as they exist now, may not ne a thing by 2020, but there will always be a market for people that want to sit on their couch and play a video game rather than having to connect their PC to a big screen, or playing at their desk. Personally I was hoping we'd get "a la carte" cable via game consoles in the next generation, where you pay for the channels you want, but unfortunately consumer rights in the US are going in the other direction and the cable companies have a tight stranglehold on the market, as well as bullheaded determination to push against things that make sense. e: I'm not even sure how feasible that sort of thing would be, but I'd love to just pay for AMC and HBO directly and not have to subscribe to an overpriced service where I get hundreds of lovely other channels in addition to the two things I actually want. vCablecard? I don't even know what this is. At this point I'm just happy that I can purchase DrNutt fucked around with this message at Feb 5, 2013 around 21:38 |
| # ? Feb 5, 2013 21:32 |
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Yeah. I mean you guys have cablecard at least (or so I understand). The thought of using PayTV on a box not bought or rented from a provider here in Canada is quite literally laughable.
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| # ? Feb 5, 2013 21:33 |
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DrNutt posted:vCablecard? I don't even know what this is. At this point I'm just happy that I can purchase Wish I could stream Game of Thrones Season 2 by now, though.  Edit: also Amazon video has voice controls, unlike the DVD player. coyo7e fucked around with this message at Feb 5, 2013 around 21:47 |
| # ? Feb 5, 2013 21:44 |
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Martytoof posted:They'll probably be merged into TV set top boxes in some way, but until there's a clear standard to allow third party devices to decrypt pay TV then there's no chance that the set top box as it exists today is going away any time soon. Are CableCards not a clear standard? They've been around forever.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:09 |
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raditts posted:Are CableCards not a clear standard? They've been around forever. Maybe, but Canada doesn't use them. And I mean I hear people say "well that's Canada's problem" all the time, but realistically it's Microsoft's problem at this point too because they'd probably love to sell a TV-enabled device that a whole country (and others as well) just won't be able to use. Microsoft or someone will have to push back on big carriers here for anything to change. But Canada is basically a third world country when it comes to technology adoption so I'm not holding my breath. Martytoof fucked around with this message at Feb 6, 2013 around 00:13 |
| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:11 |
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Martytoof posted:Maybe, but Canada doesn't use them. And I mean I hear people say "well that's Canada's problem" all the time, but realistically it's Microsoft's problem at this point too because they'd probably love to sell a TV-enabled device that a whole country (and others as well) just won't be able to use. Oh, Canada. Down here in the Land of the Free you can just get a card from the cable company that plugs into whatever compatible device you have. Depending on the company you may or may not be able to get the card for free, but if you plug it into something like this it's like 3 set top boxes for the price of one. If you set up Windows Media Center on your PC and network it to the tuner box, you can then extend Media Center on your Xbox and basically use it as a set top box / DVR. It works a lot better than the piece of poo poo my cable company offers. Knowing how Microsoft treats non-US countries currently, it wouldn't surprise me if they get what they can for the US and say "tough poo poo, we'll get around to you maybe" to the rest of the world.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:16 |
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DrNutt posted:Personally I was hoping we'd get "a la carte" cable via game consoles in the next generation, where you pay for the channels you want, but unfortunately consumer rights in the US are going in the other direction and the cable companies have a tight stranglehold on the market, as well as bullheaded determination to push against things that make sense. If rumors are correct, Microsoft was going to do this with the 360, looked at the price tag and said "WELP, WRAP IT UP PEOPLE" There are standards for cable tv over IP via home gateways and such that are getting firmed up now so you don't need to deal with cablecards, etc, we'll see what happens with those. Maneki Neko fucked around with this message at Feb 6, 2013 around 00:33 |
| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:23 |
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Maneki Neko posted:If rumors are correct, Microsoft was going to do this with the 360, looked at the price tag and said "WELP, WRAP IT UP PEOPLE"  That was Microsoft's reaction. Jesus. When will the cable companies realize that they can't just continue to surf along by treating their customers like poo poo and locking down content? It can't work forever, right guys?
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:38 |
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DrNutt posted:
It can't work forever but I don't expect it to change any time soon.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:42 |
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DrNutt posted:
As long as they can pay lobbyists to enact or defeat legislation to allow them to operate as monopolies, it can go on for as long as they like. I mean a goddamn cable company just bought one of the biggest content providers. How that's not the clearest of conflict of interests I'll never know. The cable company's motto should be "Why let a 3rd party do it when you can do it yourself 10 years down the road, for twice the cost, 1/10th the functionality, and obsolete from the get go!" They absolutely ruin any loving innovation for content delivery in this country.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:43 |
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See also: US texting plan rates.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:45 |
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BonoMan posted:As long as they can pay lobbyists to enact or defeat legislation to allow them to operate as monopolies, it can go on for as long as they like. I'm just glad I live in a city where there's a local alternative to Comcast. All my friends who live outside the city limits are basically forced to go with Comcast or deal with lovely satellite or DSL Internet.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:49 |
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Luckily I live in Kansas City metro area so I can get google fiber. someday
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 00:56 |
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DrNutt posted:
Here's the article I was thinking of, it was only a year ago: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012...E80A1KL20120111
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 01:20 |
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JawnV6 posted:What makes you so certain consoles won't be "a thing"? You can argue til you're blue in the face that PC hardware will scale to ridiculous levels in that time frame and eclipse console hardware, but I don't exactly see another avenue for the triple A publishers to continue their model. The entire console game market is just going to evaporate? It's not the PC eclipsing consoles that I expect, it's mobile devices eclipsing consoles.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 01:28 |
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coffeetable posted:It's not the PC eclipsing consoles that I expect, it's mobile devices eclipsing consoles. Mobile gaming and console gaming don't offer the same experiences, and it's not possible for mobiles to take over both roles.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 02:34 |
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Martytoof posted:Consoles, as they exist now, may not ne a thing by 2020, but there will always be a market for people that want to sit on their couch and play a video game rather than having to connect their PC to a big screen, or playing at their desk. The days of consoles, in the sense of cheap specialized hardware, are already at and end. We are at the point where the current consoles are just PPC based computers, and if the rumors are true the coming replacements are just going to be AMD based PCs running some locked-down OS. I'm really curious to see what Valve has planned for the Steam box as it's basically an attempt to bring the PC gaming space to people who just want something with push button->play game functionality in the living room. If they handle it well, it could really stir up the marketplace, especially considering the incredible sales that occur on Steam. Personally, with most non-exclusive titles getting day-one PC versions with decent controller support and Steam adding big picture mode, I'm not in a hurry to run out and buy another couple of $300-$400 locked-down boxes with nearly identical libraries and hardware unless there is a healthy library of interesting exclusives.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 02:52 |
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coffeetable posted:It's not the PC eclipsing consoles that I expect, it's mobile devices eclipsing consoles. Which leaves... Microsoft. And I don't lend much credence to the notion that they'll kill off the Xbox and pin their hopes to WinPho. I still see a niche for consoles, but I suppose it wouldn't be a total surprise if it closed up as we move to the post-PC era.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 02:56 |
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I think we really will move towards cloud based computing. It seems like the next logical step.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 02:57 |
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Looks like xbox live is down. e: Or not? I was trying to play some Halo and got disconnected. Couldn't reconnect and the XBL status page is down. As soon as I dashboarded, I reconnected. Anyone else experiencing issues? Funkmaster General fucked around with this message at Feb 6, 2013 around 07:16 |
| # ? Feb 6, 2013 07:12 |
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I'm not on now, but those circumstances have happened to me a few times. Sometimes it refuses to reconnect while in game, but does immediately when you back out.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 07:27 |
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raditts posted:Only thing about that is that I'm not sure I want my Xbox to be an always-on kind of thing as I imagine it would consume a lot more power than my Google TV box. As far as TV watching goes I'd be happy if they took their current Media Center extension one step further and let it access my TV tuners directly. All this stuff would probably be running on a lower power ARM chip, the power hungry cores only in use when actually playing a game. This makes sense of the early rumors that there would actually be a cheap simple box that just interfaced with the various Xbox Live services. Also with the XNA program ending it's easy to think maybe this is the power level that simpler XBLIG-type games would be targeted at with a new API, possibly using the WinRT framework for closer compatibility with Windows 8 etc apps. And all the talk about working with cable providers etc is exactly why it makes sense to just become a pass through box. Being a cable box is loving hard, MS have already tried it, got on a grand total of one cable system I think, and I doubt they are interested in doing it again. In WTF news apparently they ARE looking at ending second hand games by requiring always on and codes to activate new games: http://www.edge-online.com/news/the...and-new-kinect/ That's just horrible and hopefully once they see the massive backlash they'll think twice.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:10 |
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Martytoof posted:Maybe, but Canada doesn't use them. And I mean I hear people say "well that's Canada's problem" all the time, but realistically it's Microsoft's problem at this point too because they'd probably love to sell a TV-enabled device that a whole country (and others as well) just won't be able to use. Majority of Europe wouldn't be able to use it either. In fact most of the extra stuff for the current Xbox is unavailable in Europe right now.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:19 |
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Isn't there an enormous amount of 360's out there that have never been connected to the internet? Seems like a large market to lose, especially given consoles appeal to the casual who probably wouldn't even think about that sort of thing before buying one.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:24 |
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Nibbles141 posted:Isn't there an enormous amount of 360's out there that have never been connected to the internet. Seems like a large market to lose, especially given consoles appeal to the casual who probably wouldn't even think about that sort of thing before buying one. There were rumors of Sony doing similar things, it may be a case of waiting and seeing if they are jumping, and if so having their own solution ready. I certainly hope so. One time use codes? I can't take a game to a friend's house? Ridiculous. It's worth noting these rumors are quite old and have come up before, but Edge generally have very reliable sources, not the types to report some random email they get.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:26 |
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These always online and no used games rumors being leaked by both Sony and Microsoft make me think they're playing chicken with one another. "Come on Sony, we're totally doing it. That means you can too!" Then Sony releases Orbis with it and Durango doesn't have it and Orbis proceeds to go down in a fiery wreck. If they both do it, that's some serious collusion and both companies should be sued by every federal government where the consoles are sold.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:34 |
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Hahaha collusion. Like that's a thing anyone in power cares about.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 15:54 |
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FishBulb posted:Hahaha collusion. Like that's a thing anyone in power cares about. Consumer rights? What are those? This is 2013 ladies and gentleman, corporations are people and they are more important than you.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 16:22 |
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Red Warrior posted:In WTF news apparently they ARE looking at ending second hand games by requiring always on and codes to activate new games: Yeah, that's some brazen poo poo right there. If they try anything that stupid I'll be either jumping back to the Playstation or back to PC.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 16:37 |
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Wouldn't requiring an internet connection lose them a big part of the market? I seem to remember Microsoft saying a large portion of 360s sold are never connected to the internet.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 16:40 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 14:31 |
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The PS3 launch taught us all that there are limits to what you can leverage with brand loyalty in this industry. It would be amazingly hubristic for Microsoft to go forward with this.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2013 16:46 |
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