Console Discussion/E3/Tokyo Game Show Thread

[MizzouRah]

Maybe this will extend to the xb1?

Microsoft removes developer charges for 360 patching | GamesIndustry International

[Logan]

This thread title sucks. It prevented me from realizing it was the future console war thread. I randomly ended up here and then went back and re-read all 8+ pages.

Get your game up FOFC.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Maybe this will extend to the xb1?

Microsoft removes developer charges for 360 patching | GamesIndustry International

I'd expect that it would and that along with the rumor allowing self publishing should help them with indie devs and win back some who have been upset with Microsoft.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Logan

This thread title sucks. It prevented me from realizing it was the future console war thread. I randomly ended up here and then went back and re-read all 8+ pages.

Get your game up FOFC.

Blame me. It's a good rule of thumb on this forum.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Blame me. It's a good rule of thumb on this forum.

+1

[cartman]

If the shoe fits......................................................................

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I'd expect that it would and that along with the rumor allowing self publishing should help them with indie devs and win back some who have been upset with Microsoft.

Though unsurprisingly Phil Fish is still angry Phil Fish.

Fez Creator Phil Fish Shakes His Angry Fist at Microsoft’s and Xbox One’s Indie Policies Again | DualShockers

[MizzouRah]

Well I have $225 saved towards one of the consoles.. sold my ipad mini, we just don't use it that much.

[MizzouRah]

Some kinect 2 info:

[mckerney]

A change at the top for the XBox division at Microsoft.

Microsoft's Entertainment Head Don Mattrick Leaving for Top Zynga Job - Kara Swisher - Commerce - AllThingsD

[SirFozzie]

Just when you think you're as low as you can go.. there's someplace lower :P

[MizzouRah]

Xb1 to include headset now...

Microsoft will now include a headset with Xbox One - report • News • Xbox One • Eurogamer.net

[SackAttack]

Honestly, I can see both sides of that one. The Kinect would have been usable for chat, so I can understand not feeling the need to pack in a headset.

OTOH, with my hearing impairment, I can't hear chat coming out of the TV speakers easily. I need the headset for it to be clear. I don't know if that's true for "normies" at all. :-p

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Honestly, I can see both sides of that one. The Kinect would have been usable for chat, so I can understand not feeling the need to pack in a headset.

OTOH, with my hearing impairment, I can't hear chat coming out of the TV speakers easily. I need the headset for it to be clear. I don't know if that's true for "normies" at all. :-p

Someone had mentioned yelling "xbox off" through the kinect speakers and turning everyone's xb1 off during a MP game. This takes care of that..

[SackAttack]

Yeah, but what stops the three year old from toddling in and yelling "xbox off" while dad's playing a game?

Honestly, the way you handle that if Kinect is going to be an integral part of the platform is voice recognition - if you have a profile on the console, Kinect will recognize and respond to your voice. If Kinect doesn't recognize your voice, ain't fuck all you can do.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Xb1 to include headset now...

Microsoft will now include a headset with Xbox One - report • News • Xbox One • Eurogamer.net

Or maybe not.

The story has been updated to say that the distributor screwed up the product listing.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Or maybe not.

UPDATED: Xbox One headset rumours dismissed | Games industry news | MCV

I don't think the distributor knows what the hell it is doing.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Yeah, but what stops the three year old from toddling in and yelling "xbox off" while dad's playing a game?

Honestly, the way you handle that if Kinect is going to be an integral part of the platform is voice recognition - if you have a profile on the console, Kinect will recognize and respond to your voice. If Kinect doesn't recognize your voice, ain't fuck all you can do.

Yeah, I'm sure it wouldn't be that easy to turn it off.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

UPDATED: Xbox One headset rumours dismissed | Games industry news | MCV

I don't think the distributor knows what the hell it is doing.

Haha.. sounds like it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Amazing how quickly fortunes can change in the console industry....

Ubisoft CEO Wii U says company is done with Wii U exclusive games | BGR

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Gamestop puts hold on any further PS4 pre-orders.

GameStop halts PS4 pre-orders | Game Informer

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Couple interesting articles....

Xbox One Sells Out At Best Buy - Forbes

China Moves To Lift 13 Year Ban On Video Game Consoles - Forbes

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Couple interesting articles....

Xbox One Sells Out At Best Buy - Forbes

China Moves To Lift 13 Year Ban On Video Game Consoles - Forbes

I almost pulled the trigger.. but I'm sticking to my guns and waiting to see how the ps4/xb1 release goes and feedback from those who are getting them day 1.

With NCAA 14, NHL 14, GTA V and many Steam games on my pc, waiting isn't going to be a problem.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Anonymous MS employee states that Kinect costs more than the Xbox One console. That explains a lot why they can't come down on price at all.

Kinect costs almost as much as the Xbox One to build - Yahoo! News

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Not a good sign here if you're an indie developer. CEO of World of Tanks development company complaining about 'unacceptable' certification processes on Xbox One.

World of Tanks developer working with Microsoft to streamline 'unacceptable' certification process | Joystiq

Indie developer complaining that MS making indie developers feels as if they don't matter.

Oddworld's Lanning on Xbox One indies: 'It's as if we don't matter' | Joystiq

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Not a good sign here if you're an indie developer. CEO of World of Tanks development company complaining about 'unacceptable' certification processes on Xbox One.

Actually the article is about the 360. And if you think it's any different for any other console maker, you are mistaken. And that's my MBBF correction / political rant post for the year.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Actually the article is about the 360. And if you think it's any different for any other console maker, you are mistaken. And that's my MBBF correction / political rant post for the year.

The PS4 has received very good early feedback from the indie community as far as how it handles patches/certification. Now granted, the system isn't released yet, but the system that will be used is already lined up.

The PS3 for that matter has had much better feedback from indie developers than the 360. This isn't any secret.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The PS4 has received very good early feedback from the indie community as far as how it handles patches/certification. Now granted, the system isn't released yet, but the system that will be used is already lined up.

The PS3 for that matter has had much better feedback from indie developers than the 360. This isn't any secret.

The World of Tanks bit was about free-to-play and patch frequency, not indie. I did not argue with that point of your post.

[MizzouRah]

Wouldn't you just purchase an OUYA if you into big screen TV "indie" games?

What indie games are big hits on a console? I know there a many via Steam, but I'm not sure what's out for the consoles that make them a better choice than playing them on OUYA or Steam?

[Scoobz0202]

I haven't owned an Xbox in years, but isn't the Arcade pretty successful for indie developers?

[mckerney]

[quote=MizzouRah;2843122]Wouldn't you just purchase an OUYA if you into big screen TV "indie" games?[quote]

Because there are far better options on consoles and the Ouya doesn't have the hardware to run some indie games not had it really shown it has the user base for a lot of developers.

What indie games are big hits on a console? I know there a many via Steam, but I'm not sure what's out for the consoles that make them a better choice than playing them on OUYA or Steam?

Castle Crashers is the biggest one to come to mind of the top of my head. I'd personally prefer to have games in PC, but there's definitely a market of people who want them on console.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I haven't owned an Xbox in years, but isn't the Arcade pretty successful for indie developers?

It has, but there's been an increasing number of indie developers speaking out about being upset with Microsoft's policies on XBox Live.

[MizzouRah]

[quote=mckerney;2843128][quote=MizzouRah;2843122]Wouldn't you just purchase an OUYA if you into big screen TV "indie" games?

Because there are far better options on consoles and the Ouya doesn't have the hardware to run some indie games not had it really shown it has the user base for a lot of developers.



Castle Crashers is the biggest one to come to mind of the top of my head. I'd personally prefer to have games in PC, but there's definitely a market of people who want them on console.

I googled Castle Crashers.. not something I would play unless it was on Steam maybe. Definitely not on a console.. but I do see your point.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Microsoft makes another change on their console. Not much left to take back at this point.

As Xbox One Looks More Like PS4, Sony Still Has One Key Advantage - Forbes

[JonInMiddleGA]

Y'know, backwards compatibility with 360 games might actually be enough to save their asses on this deal.

Naturally there's no chance that bit of wisdom would ever pass through the gates, but it'd likely swing my household back to them (having currently lost us with a $100 price difference that brings absolutely nothing of any value here)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'd love to see the raw numbers in this survey. It shows a clearly higher interest in the PS4 (which likely surprises no one), but there's roughly 4K respondents from Europe vs. 2K from the U.S. Would be much more telling to see what the breakdown was by region.

Sony's PS4 Has Fifty Percent Lead Over Microsoft's Xbox One, Says Strategy Analytics... -- BOSTON, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

[spleen1015]

MBBF, just an honest question for you. Why is it so important to you that Sony win the console wars? You're a intelligent guy. You run a successful winery/haunted house. The way you are with this whole thing doesn't really 'fit'.

I get the tinted glasses when it comes to Mizzou, but not with Sony.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

MBBF, just an honest question for you. Why is it so important to you that Sony win the console wars? You're a intelligent guy. You run a successful winery/haunted house. The way you are with this whole thing doesn't really 'fit'.

I get the tinted glasses when it comes to Mizzou, but not with Sony.

I find the business intriguing. I'm in it for the discussion more than whether Sony wins or not. Everybody likes to predict which team will win in sports. When you're a person with a heavy business background, this kind of stuff is great to talk about. You can learn a lot from other people's moves/mistakes no matter what business you're looking at.

I think Sony has had the better product over the last three generations. The only difference between the first two and the third was the bungling of the PR and customer service aspects at every turn. It's an EXCELLENT reminder (or wake-up call depending on where you are) if you run a business that customers come first. It appears they have done better on this generation thus far, but we'll just have to see.

I find the last article to be a bit misleading given that we weren't shown the raw data (unless you pay $500). That 50% margin amongst respondants could easily be mostly amongst Euro respondants (who are likely to lean towards the PS4 anyway) with the U.S. being a very close 50/50 race.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Little surprised to see the responses from indie developers to MS's announcement. Looks like a lot of them are still concerned that MS will get them with publishing costs or percentage of sales costs.

Indie developers cautiously optimistic about self-publishing on Xbox One

Sony plans to hold quarterly events for indie publishers.

Sony Europe plans quarterly events for self-publishing developers

MS delays a launch title.

Kinect Sports Rivals delayed past launch on Xbox One

Nintendo removes story mode from Super Smash Bros. because reward videos were leaked online. Seems like a really stupid reason to not release.

Wii U's 'Super Smash Bros' Won't Have Story Mode For The Worst Reason Ever

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I find the business intriguing. I'm in it for the discussion more than whether Sony wins or not.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Some good details in this video on the PS4 help with the comparisons. PS4 allows 2000 friends (1000 on X1), though I don't know many that could even fill 1000 spots. Dualshock 3 can't be used with PS4. Best news is that the PS4 hard drive will work the same way as the PS3 (i.e. can use any standard hard drive to replace the 500 GB drive that it comes with on purchase).

[SackAttack]

Not surprising that the DualShock 3 isn't supported, since it doesn't have the tactile whozawhatsit.

Surprising and a little disappointing that the DualShock 3 is still as expensive as it is. The PS2 controllers had dropped in price well before this point in the system's lifespan; from what I'm hearing, controller prices for both new consoles are going to be $60. That's insane.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Not surprising that the DualShock 3 isn't supported, since it doesn't have the tactile whozawhatsit.

Surprising and a little disappointing that the DualShock 3 is still as expensive as it is. The PS2 controllers had dropped in price well before this point in the system's lifespan; from what I'm hearing, controller prices for both new consoles are going to be $60. That's insane.

Wasn't thrilled to see that as the price of the XBox One controller without the charging kit. Haven't seen prices for wireless receivers yet as it wouldn't be surprising if they're not compatible with the ones for the 360 controller (though it looks like will work as a wired controller with the charging kit). Will probably be a while before I make an upgrade there.

[SackAttack]

The 360 uses a proprietary wireless format. If Xbox One moves to straight Bluetooth, I'm not sure what that means for 360 pad forward-compatibility.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

The 360 uses a proprietary wireless format. If Xbox One moves to straight Bluetooth, I'm not sure what that means for 360 pad forward-compatibility.

After looking it up the XBox One controller uses WiFi Direct so 360 controllers won't work on XBox one but there shouldn't be a need for a proprietary wireless dongle on PC.

[MizzouRah]

Xbox One will ship with bundled chat headset, 4K HDMI cable

Microsoft will include an Xbox One chat headset and a 4K-rated HDMI cable in the box when the system ships this November, the company confirmed today in an unboxing video of a "Day One" edition of its next-generation console. Previously, Microsoft indicated it would not pack in a headset with Xbox One, suggesting that Kinect's microphone array would serve as an alternative for in-game chat and Skype calls.

The included HDMI cable is of the Category 2 variety, said Microsoft's Albert Penello, director of product planning for Xbox One. The cable is rated for 1080p, 3D and 4K output, according to the HDMI 1.4 spec.

Penello shared a few more details about Xbox One, explaining that the console's built-in wireless radio supports A/B/G/N protocol and dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Plugging a micro-USB cable into the Xbox One controller for wired gameplay also deactivates the gamepad's internal radio, transmitting data through the wire. "You can even use the controller without batteries in this mode," Penello explains.

The contents of the Xbox One Day One limited edition package include the console itself, the Kinect sensor, a branded Day One controller, a chat headset, HDMI cable, power supply and a redeemable code for a Day One-exclusive achievement.

The Xbox One chat headset weighs 44 grams, according to Microsoft, and features a bendable, rotating mic boom. The headset's speaker and microphone have been upgraded to take advantage of Xbox One's improved audio quality, the company says, which boasts three times the sampling rate of Xbox 360 voice chat.

In today's hardware detail update, Microsoft reiterated some of the previously known Xbox One specs, which include a 500 GB hard drive, slot load Blu-ray optical drive, IR blaster port, HDMI input/output connectors, a S/PDIF interface, new Kinect sensor port, three USB 3.0 ports, wired and wireless network support and a Kensington security slot.

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/8/4600508 ... hdmi-cable

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Xbox One will ship with bundled chat headset, 4K HDMI cable

Microsoft will include an Xbox One chat headset and a 4K-rated HDMI cable in the box when the system ships this November, the company confirmed today in an unboxing video of a "Day One" edition of its next-generation console. Previously, Microsoft indicated it would not pack in a headset with Xbox One, suggesting that Kinect's microphone array would serve as an alternative for in-game chat and Skype calls.

The included HDMI cable is of the Category 2 variety, said Microsoft's Albert Penello, director of product planning for Xbox One. The cable is rated for 1080p, 3D and 4K output, according to the HDMI 1.4 spec.

Penello shared a few more details about Xbox One, explaining that the console's built-in wireless radio supports A/B/G/N protocol and dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Plugging a micro-USB cable into the Xbox One controller for wired gameplay also deactivates the gamepad's internal radio, transmitting data through the wire. "You can even use the controller without batteries in this mode," Penello explains.

The contents of the Xbox One Day One limited edition package include the console itself, the Kinect sensor, a branded Day One controller, a chat headset, HDMI cable, power supply and a redeemable code for a Day One-exclusive achievement.

The Xbox One chat headset weighs 44 grams, according to Microsoft, and features a bendable, rotating mic boom. The headset's speaker and microphone have been upgraded to take advantage of Xbox One's improved audio quality, the company says, which boasts three times the sampling rate of Xbox 360 voice chat.

In today's hardware detail update, Microsoft reiterated some of the previously known Xbox One specs, which include a 500 GB hard drive, slot load Blu-ray optical drive, IR blaster port, HDMI input/output connectors, a S/PDIF interface, new Kinect sensor port, three USB 3.0 ports, wired and wireless network support and a Kensington security slot.

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/8/4600508 ... hdmi-cable

Not sure how many more u-turns they're going to make. It's pretty obvious at this point what they're doing. They're adding extras in the hope of justifying the price difference. They're probably giving away $1.50-2.00 a unit for the headset and $0.50-1.00 or so for the HDMI cable, so it's only taking away a couple of bucks a unit to do this. It can't hurt at all, that's for sure.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Another feature battle. MS says you have to be Gold to use the Game DVR functions.

Xbox One Game DVR, Skype, Smart Match are for Gold subscribers | Joystiq

Sony replies that it's included outside of Plus features

PS Plus not required to record & stream PS4 games, says Yoshida | Joystiq

PS4 launch sales no longer guaranteed at major retailers in Europe.

Amazon, ShopTo PS4 pre-orders no longer guaranteed for UK launch | Joystiq

1. Will be interesting to see how many units actually go out in Europe and America on these consoles. Sellouts aren't any good if you don't have that many units to begin with.

2. Crucial for Sony to nail down Europe in short order. They HAVE to win that region by a large margin for the PS4 to be a success.

[Neon_Chaos]

My Ps3 Pulse gaminh headset will still work with the ps4. Booyah.

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

dola
Crucial for Sony to nail down Europe in short order. They HAVE to win that region by a large margin for the PS4 to be a success.

Sales abroad look like they're going to be even more critical given how dependent on the yen Sony has rested their PS4 hopes. It looks like they're going to struggle mightily early to in regards to potential losses per unit. I'll be curious to see how the financial side of things plays out.

Sony PS4 and the Yen from Bloomberg