Next XBOX to be released next year -- may not contain disk drive

[fish7718]

MCV has learnt that Microsoft has been telling partners that the Next Xbox will NOT include a disc drive.

 

The briefings have been issued under what MCV’s source describes as “the strictest NDA” they have ever encountered.

 

Although the console will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD.

 

Furthermore, a 2013 launch date for the hardware has been confirmed. What is less clear, however, is the intended timing of Microsoft’s announcement.

 

As revealed by MCV earlier this year, an E3 2012 reveal could still very much be on the cards.

 

The omission of a disc drive signifies the beginning of a new era for games consoles and represents a potentially savage blow to the already beleaguered video games retail sector.

 

Of course, retailers will tell you that they are already involved in the digital market. Indeed, GAME is enjoying growing revenue from the sale of digital download cards for digital-only titles and DLC.

 

Nonetheless, the abolition of physical games is bad news for retail however it is spun. With the Next Xbox positioned as a digital centric platform, the relevance of retail will once once again eroded.

 

When contacted by MCV Microsoft said that it does not comment on rumour and speculation.

 

UPDATE: Microsoft has issued a fuller statement to MCV.

 

“Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”

 

Source

 

Interesting...

[Check my Stats]

I think this is a stupid move. One of the nice things that i think a lot of people enjoy about xbox is that it is also a DVD player. Take that out, and it becomes strictly a gaming console.. dumb and unnecessary IMO.

[DunkinDerozan]

I think they should put the games on USB's or something. Just an idea, but I personally don't like downloading games on the xbox because I kind of like having a physical case or something. Then once I get bored of the game, I can still sell it used to gamestop or whatever, Plus you can still lend the game out to your friends and stuff.

[Lkr]

you forgot the rumor in your title. i doubt this happens since bandwidth caps are widespread in europe, canada, asia, and are beginning to catch on in the US

[Universe]

I think they should put the games on USB's or something. Just an idea, but I personally don't like downloading games on the xbox because I kind of like having a physical case or something. Then once I get bored of the game, I can still sell it used to gamestop or whatever, Plus you can still lend the game out to your friends and stuff.

Exactly what they are trying to cut out just like how EA only allows for one online gamertag per game so you can't sell it.

 

I wonder what companies like EB Games are thinking when they hear this? I'd hope the games would be a little cheaper than too.

[fish7718]

I think they should put the games on USB's or something. Just an idea, but I personally don't like downloading games on the xbox because I kind of like having a physical case or something. Then once I get bored of the game, I can still sell it used to gamestop or whatever, Plus you can still lend the game out to your friends and stuff.

 

 

you forgot the rumor in your title. i doubt this happens since bandwidth caps are widespread in europe, canada, asia, and are beginning to catch on in the US

Well just because it doesn't take disks doesn't mean it will be completely digital, they are talking about doing some like DDD said in the post quoted above, I forgot what the technology is called, supposed to be expensive though.

[DunkinDerozan]

Exactly what they are trying to cut out just like how EA only allows for one online gamertag per game so you can't sell it.

 

I wonder what companies like EB Games are thinking when they hear this? I'd hope the games would be a little cheaper than too.

 

Yeah thats true. Other companies are going to start to catch on too to what EA has done. It adds a lot of money into the pockets of the company if even when someone buys their game used, they still have to pay the $10 to EA to be able to play it online.

[Lkr]

Well just because it doesn't take disks doesn't mean it will be completely digital, they are talking about doing some like DDD said in the post quoted above, I forgot what the technology is called, supposed to be expensive though.

That would be a [expletive]ing stupid idea. Blu Ray discs are a shit ton cheaper to produce than flash media at the same size. Unless you see $100+ games in our future, this would be retarded to consider

Edited March 11, 2012 by Lkr

[SRV]

Thank god my obsession with video games is dwindling, if not I would start saving my money lol

[fish7718]

That would be a [expletive]ing stupid idea. Blu Ray discs are a shit ton cheaper to produce than flash media at the same size. Unless you see $100+ games in our future, this would be retarded to consider

Yeah like N64 back in the day

[DunkinDerozan]

That would be a [expletive]ing stupid idea. Blu Ray discs are a shit ton cheaper to produce than flash media at the same size. Unless you see $100+ games in our future, this would be retarded to consider

 

I don't know a lot about tech stuff, but are you telling me that putting games on something like this:

 

http://usbt.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/mystica_usb_flash_drive-300x300.png

 

Would cost way more then putting it on a Blu Ray Disc? Disc's are going to fade away fairly soon imo. They are way to fragile and scratch way too easily. If the new Xbox uses Blu Ray or any other kind of disc's, I won't be happy.

 

(I'm not sure that you would even be able to put a full Xbox game onto a USB, but I do know they have a lot more memory then a regular disc that an Xbox uses)

[Draztik]

I'd prefer flash memory as well. The prices of flash goes down almost daily and the games won't be limited by disc space.

 

Microsoft knows dual layer DVD is not enough space anymore. Yet they refuse to go bluray since their competitor Sony uses that.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Draztik

[Lkr]

I'd prefer flash memory as well. The prices of flash goes down almost daily and the games won't be limited by disc space.

 

Microsoft knows dual layer DVD is not enough space anymore. Yet they refuse to go bluray since their competitor Sony uses that.

it doesn't matter now that blu ray is mainstream. it didn't stop Microsoft from DVD format on the original xbox.

 

if a game takes up 50GB of space, which is feasible, you're paying about $100 just for the storage medium itself. then tack on the amount of money they want to charge for the game. this will probably be for a one time use, where you install it to your hard drive(usb read speeds would probably be too slow to run a game well)

[Lkr]

i'm a dumbass, if you're copying the file to the hard drive, they will obviously compress it on the usb drive so 64gb won't be needed

[Draztik]

Thats the thing they keep refusing to go Blu ray even though it's mainstream just cuz Sony ushered it in.

 

Their last excuse was everything is going digital download anyways including HD video so no need.

[Lkr]

Thats the thing they keep refusing to go Blu ray even though it's mainstream just cuz Sony ushered it in.

 

Their last excuse was everything is going digital download anyways including HD video so no need.

They can't adopt blu ray as a medium half way through a lifecycle. it would have just been an add on like the HD-DVD drive. The only reason they didn't adopt either as the primary disc drive when the 360 was being created was because of cost and neither medium was a proven format

[Draztik]

They can't adopt blu ray as a medium half way through a lifecycle. it would have just been an add on like the HD-DVD drive. The only reason they didn't adopt either as the primary disc drive when the 360 was being created was because of cost and neither medium was a proven format

 

 

Lol I've ready plenty of interviews from people at Microsoft saying no because it was Sony.

 

Of course it wouldn't just be thrown in mid cycle like they did with HDMI on the 360.

[fish7718]

Lol I've ready plenty of interviews from people at Microsoft saying no because it was Sony.

 

Of course it wouldn't just be thrown in mid cycle like they did with HDMI on the 360.

Bill Gates on "anti-consumer" Blu-ray, and the "last physical format"

By Ken Fisher | Published 6 years ago

 

Bill Gates sat down for an interview with the Daily Princetonian and shared his views on a number of things, including the next-gen optical format battle. The interview covers a number of topics, including the coolness of Microsoft and Apple, but what caught my eye were Gates' comments on Blu-ray versus HD DVD. As you know, Microsoft has backed HD DVD, citing among other things HD DVD's requirement of mandatory managed copy support. I covered those claims and more at length.

 

Gates' comments follow that of his company: without managed copy, consumers aren't getting a fair shake.

 

Gates: Well, the key issue here is that the protection scheme under Blu-ray is very anti-consumer and there's not much visibility of that. The inconvenience is that the studios got too much protection at the expense consumers [sic] and it won't work well on PCs. You won't be able to play movies and do software in a flexible way.

 

It's not the physical format that we have the issue with, it's that the protection scheme on Blu is very anti-consumer. If [the Blu-ray group] would fix that one thing, you know, that'd be fine.

 

The interviewer doesn't follow up on this answer, but if I could I'd ask Gates if he means to suggest that mandatory managed copy is really the only issue keeping Microsoft from backing Blu-ray. Previously Microsoft also indicated that manufacturing lead times were too long for Blu-ray, and that capacity is more of a problem for Blu-ray than we're led to believe. Since those claims were made, Blu-ray backers have been very vocal about their plans for launching hardware soon, with Dell getting ready for a spring launch, and AOpen claiming to be ready to ship drives next month, although the exact feature set remains to be seen.

 

Gates made an additional comment that I think is worth noting:

 

For us it's not the physical format. Understand that this is the last physical format there will ever be. Everything's going to be streamed directly or on a hard disk. So, in this way, it's even unclear how much this one counts.

 

Will HD DVD or Blu-ray be the last physical format? You could certainly make a strong case for that.

 

Of course, until AACS 1.0 is published, we won't know what Blu-ray's managed copy support will look like, but I definitely applaud Mr. Gates for being aggressive and pushing for managed copy. Last format or not, centralized storage systems and streaming media is the future, and managed copy is a (legal) step in that direction.

[Lkr]

I don't see any Sony mention in there