When Microsoft announced the Xbox One X last year at E3, many began wondering aloud if this would be the last console we would see from Microsoft. Considering that console cycles span upwards of seven years, the idea that cloud-streaming gaming would become a reality before the next refresh cycle seemed like a viable plausibility.
But it does not look like that will be the case here, or if the company does move towards streaming games, there will still be a dedicated hardware component for the Xbox platform. Following my podcast last week, I have heard from three different sources stating that Microsoft is pushing forward with new hardware but that the release timeline is still several years away.
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The company is looking to hire a specialist with GDDR6 expertise and they are also exploring how to deeply integrate game streaming into their next console.
While we might think of game streaming as meaning that the entire game is streamed in real-time from a cloud server, there are more realistic possibilities in the near-term while the latency challenge is overcome. For example, imagine a game where the environment is dynamically updated from the cloud as you explore the map so that it becomes never-ending or have a city that is updated dynamically with local weather and traffic so that you can experience traffic jams in the virtual world as they occur in real life…exciting.
But, these are the scenarios that are being explored as it will be unlikely that a switch is flipped to a fully-streaming service as there are still too many variables still in place and the ability for local gaming still needs to be a viable option for the long-term.
As for the timeline for the next console release, I’ve heard that within three years is a realistic possibility; the company is not currently in a rush to replace the Xbox One X as it has a significant horsepower advantage when compared to the current offering from Sony. And as you would expect, the console will be backward and forwards compatible, much like the Xbox One X; Paul is also hearing that Microsoft is building another iteration of the Xbox as well.
Even though Microsoft is pushing more towards the enterprise with its Windows and Office services, Xbox is one of the few brands inside of Microsoft that has managed to create a huge consumer-following and has a large upside ahead of it as gaming, and eSports, continue to grow. The company has also recently announced that it is expanding its E3 presence that further shows that Microsoft is not shying away from gaming.
While Nintendo has carved out a sizeable chunk of the casual gaming market with its Switch, the Xbox only has one primary competitor; Sony. Even though the PlayStation has the lead for this generation, Microsoft is making significant investments in hardware/content to close the gap with Sony and has the financial backing to go all-in on gaming to win the next generation.
My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><a href="#265220"><em>In reply to brad-sams:</em></a></blockquote><p>Thanks for educating me deep about the time periods of creating masterpieces like God of War, Brad. Thank you! Thank you a lot!</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#265213"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p>The first party/exclusive game argument is so old and outdated. People mostly pick the console their friends are on.</p><p><br></p><p>98% of console games are Multi-Platform. I bet 99% of console gaming time, on both the PS4 and Xbox combined is on Multi-Platform games.</p><p><br></p><p>Yes God of War is amazing, I have both a PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. That said it has been how long since that last God of War….2010 for version 3 and then that weird version in 2013. So that is not exactly fast.</p><p><br></p><p>I use my PS4 Pro for exclusives, hint it hardly ever gets turned on. The X is for everything else.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#265258"><em>In reply to ghostrider:</em></a></blockquote><p>Sony has done well this generation. No doubt because of the many mistakes Microsoft made at the launch of the Xbox One.</p><p><br></p><p>That said Sony is but one Shart away from going under as a company. There is serious talk Netflix is going to buy their movie business.</p>
Stooks
<p>Some thoughts…..</p><p><br></p><p>* No streaming game solution so far has really been a hit. I think we are ways off from a great streaming solution (lag/bandwidth) I think the next generation will be all about 100% digital delivery no more discs.</p><p><br></p><p>* People that play console games on the PS4/Xbox are not the same that play games on the Switch (for the most part). Just look at the multi-platorm titles that have and have not made it too the Switch.</p><p><br></p><p>* I think Microsoft should sell the Xbox division and let someone else take it over. Not sure who that would be but at this point is really kind of odd that Microsoft has this division still. It simply does not fit into their portfolio in 2018 and I bet Nadella hates it.</p><p><br></p><p>* I think the next generation of console hardware will impact PC gaming. The games I play on the X look and feel 98% there in terms of graphics and such. You need freeze frame comparisons in some games like Ghost Recon Wild-lands/AC Orgins, FarCry 5 etc. PC gaming will never die but it is a lot of cost/upkeep for less and less advantage, some will give it up with the next gen of console hardware.</p>
My Hell baby speaking
<blockquote><a href="#265372"><em>In reply to Stooks:</em></a></blockquote><p>In agree with the first and third point you make. Even with 100Mbit cable in a W. European urban area we have patchy bandwith and lag, sometimes noticable even when streaming video. Predicting the speed our network infrastructure was upgraded over the recent (tens of) years we may be ready for cloud gaming fifteen to twenty years from now. Of course, until then there would be hybrid solutions, but without cloud gaming being fully at service regular local gaming would not go away.</p><p><br></p><p>Concerning Xbox: Microsoft commenced its perishing when they took away console exclusivity IMO. What is running on XBox today: a tiny piece of the PC catalogue. Case closed. Until Microsoft attempts to monetize aforementioned cloud gaming sometime in the far future, the brand name Xbox is unneeded.</p>