gelfen
Joined: Nov 22, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
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when i saw this post by OzBox140302 on AusXbox Forums i took it with a grain of salt...
The latest news from Microsoft's R&D suggests that the company may be considering an XBox-PC hybrid as its next-next generation console. Codenamed XBox Next PC, the device would include a hard drive and a built-in fully functional PC and would be able to play PC and XBox games while being compatible with the XBox Live service.
Plans are currently in the consumer feedback phase and market research companies are describing the device and observing consumer reaction to specifications and price points. The focus groups are asked about a device, described as requiring a PC monitor or HDTV and as being backward compatible with current and next-generation Xbox titles. It would also play PC games and include a fully functional version of Windows, CD burner, DVD player (with remote control), built-in access to Xbox Live and a hard drive. That particular version of XBox Next PC would feature both a keyboard and mouse and a standard Xbox controller and would retail at USD 599.
It is clear from the nature of the research that Microsoft may be sniffing around for the best possible combination of hardware and software in order to achieve an optimal (profitable) price. It is no secret that pricing has, so far, been the weak point of the company's current console, with losses increasing as competition has driven the price lower and lower. The results obtained from such market research may not be used for the development of the XBox Next PC itself but may help finalize plans on the development of XBox 2, which is bound to precede any such hybrid effort.
The existence of the XBox Next PC in any physical form is extremely doubtful and for the time being at least, it remains a description on some market research company's projector but Microsoft has made its console PC cross-over intentions clear with the recent announcement of the XNA platform at GDC. XNA will allow developers to create worlds which will include both PC and XBox gamers although the gaming experience will differ for each.
Although the hybrid plan seems a natural progression for a company with Microsoft's expertise, it could create a problem for gamers since they would really have to stretch their imaginations to figure out why they should buy the XBox Next PC and not just a normal, easily upgradeable PC. As things stand now, XBox is often accused of being a low end PC, so Microsoft would have to find some nifty extra features in order to make a console/PC hybrid an attractive option.
....but it was given a bit of credence by this story i saw at Gamespot.com.au (originally from Gamespot.com).
Xbox Next to be part PC?
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
CNN/Money reports that Microsoft is focus-testing a US$599 hybrid game console and home computer.
In his latest scoop, CNN/Money game-industry columnist Chris Morris claims to have uncovered Microsoft's covert Xbox Next market-research campaign. While the fact Microsoft is undertaking such a study is not surprising -- because major corporations don't choose their facilities' toilet paper without a vigorous round of focus-testing --the item it was researching was.
According to information obtained by Morris, Microsoft hired the California-based B/R/S Group to conduct a study on how consumers would receive a device called the "Xbox Next PC." Described as "a video game console system with a hard drive and a built-in, fully functional PC," the item was one of several concepts presented in a slide show to several focus groups.
Though Microsoft and the B/R/S Group declined to talk with Morris, he did acquire a good amount of information on the Xbox Next PC. Although it would require a computer monitor or high-definition television, the still-theoretical PC/console hybrid would be backward-compatible with current and next-gen Xbox titles. As its name entails, the machine would also have a "fully functional version of Windows" and be able to play PC games.
The Xbox Next PC would also come with range of home-computer accoutrements, including a hard drive, CD burner, and remote-controlled DVD player. It would also come with Xbox Live already installed. Though a device with the Xbox Next PC's functionality would likely sell itself, Microsoft also tested it at the reasonable price point of just US$599 (~AU$863).
If the Xbox Next PC sounds like a fantasy, that's because that's all it is -- for now. "It's important to note that any product looked at in these sorts of studies is conceptual and may undergo dramatic feature changes before hitting the market," said Morris, adding, "if, in fact, it manages to emerge from the doors of the R&D labs."
Still, the Xbox Next PC isn't as far-fetched as one might think. For one, under its bullet-resistant black exterior, the Xbox is essentially already a stripped-down PC. Microsoft has also announced plans to merge PC and Xbox game development into a single platform, called XNA.
However, so far, the mantra from Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect J Allard has been "software, software, software" -- as evidenced by his E3 presentation -- with no mention of the Xbox Next hardware in any way, shape, or form.
the original CNN/Money article can be read here.
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Posted: 2004-06-04 09:29
