Interesting
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Faster GPU
Microsoft Confirms Xbox One GPU Boost
Clock speed increased from 800 MHz to 853.
AUGUST 2, 2013
Following recent rumors about changes to Xbox One hardware, Microsoft confirmed today that the clock speed of Xbox One has been increased. Speaking on Major Nelson’s podcast, Xbox One chief product officer Marc Whitten explained that as the system approaches launch, Microsoft has made a few changes to finalize internal specs.
“This is the time when we’ve gone from the theory of how the hardware works - what we think the yield is going to look like, what is the thermal envelope, how do things come together - to actually having it in our hands,” Whitten explained. “That’s the time when you really start tweaking the knobs. Either your theory was dead on or you were too conservative or you were a little too aggressive. And an example of that is we’ve tweaked up the clock speed on our GPU, from 800 MHz to 853 MHz. Just an example of how you really start landing the program as you get closer to launch.”
Whitten also confirmed that Xbox One’s graphics driver has been changed, explaining, “This is the time where developers have the final dev kits in their hands and are really working closely with us on how things have come together. Since E3, an example is we’ve dropped in what we internally call our ‘mono driver.’ It’s our graphics driver that really is 100% optimized for the Xbox One hardware.”
“It’s a super exciting time,” Whitten said. “This is the time when you’ve gone from all of these specs and all of these arguments over the last several years to having the product, and really starting to try it internally. We’re running our internal beta and using it at home and starting to see the product really come together.”
Whitten also discussed Microsoft’s recent changes to indie publishing, reiterating that more details will be coming at Gamescom in Germany (likely during Microsoft’s Xbox One showcase on August 20th).
“The team is working really hard,” Whitten concluded. “The team is so passionate about shipping a great product so that people have a great experience come this fall. We’re just very, very focused on continuing to use the beta, take feedback, really refine the experience, work with our content partners. Every day it’s about ‘how do we make Xbox One better today?’”
Xbox One is currently scheduled to launch in November for $499 / £429 / €499 / AU$599. The console is still available for pre-order, though Day One editions are currently sold out at most retailers.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Xbox One Used Game Policy Reversal
In the days leading up to E3, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) revealed its new policies regarding used game sales and a required internet connection for its upcoming next-generation video game console, the Xbox One.
The handicapping of used game sales and the requirement to log in to the internet every 24 hours struck many as unfriendly to consumers, and especially lower-income consumers who might have poor internet connections.
Xbox One owners would be able to sell used games at the discretion of game publishers, and would have new lending restrictions on games—though these new restrictions came with the new ability to lend digital games, something currently not available on most platforms.
The new restrictions were grim news for game retailer GameStop GME +0.82% (NASDAQ:GME) casting a shadow over the company’s big used-game business.
Then at E3, Sony SNE -1.55% announced that it would make no similar policy changes. Used games would be handled the same as ever, and no internet connection would be required to play offline games, though a subscription to PlayStation Plus would be required for online gaming.
The crowd, quite literally, went wild:
Notably, Sony’s positive reception was for making no changes at all. Had Microsoft not already set the stage with new used game policies, there would have been no thunder for Sony to steal in the first place.
Still, Microsoft paid close attention to the fan and critical response, and one thing was undeniably clear: in this lap of the console wars, Sony was giving the Xbox One a run for its money.
Days later, Microsoft announced that it was reversing its policies entirely, stripping away the 24-hour online log in requirement, and reverting the used game and game-lending policy back to the status quo.
“I think consumers didn’t like their approach, so the fact they went back and listened to the consumers and gave them something different is a good move to ensure the new consoles [achieve] their potential,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told GamesIndustry International.
GameStop agreed, and saw an immediate boost following Microsoft’s capitulation on used games.
“GameStop welcomes today’s announcement from Microsoft about changes in functionality for its next-generation console, the Xbox One,” the company said in a statement.
“This is great news for gamers and we applaud Microsoft for understanding consumers and the importance of the preowned market.”
For many consumers, this reversal may be too little, too late, however. For one thing, the Xbox One still clocks in at $499—$100 more than the PS4.
For many consumers, this reversal may be too little, too late, however. For one thing, the Xbox One still clocks in at $499—$100 more than the PS4.
“If you do a focus group of a gazillion people and you show them two prices for two competitive products, 100 percent always prefer the lower price,” Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg told GamesIndustry International, going on to note that “Microsoft is going to have to win the hearts and minds and convince people that the higher price point is worth it, and that it provides really meaningful capabilities that will be meaningful to consumers.”
Part of that is convincing consumers that the required Kinect 2.0 is worth the extra cash. Sony opted to not include its own Move MOVE +2.16% motion sensor with the PS4 bundle, even though the new DualShock 4 controllers have built in Move capabilities, selling it as a $59.99 peripheral instead.
IGN’s Scott Lowe argues that sacrificing the PS4′s camera to beat Microsoft’s price will create “a climate of codependency wherein PlayStation 4 camera adoption will hinge upon compelling software, but compelling software will only arrive after PlayStation 4 camera adoption.”
The Kinect, meanwhile, will see greater developer support from the get-go thanks to its mandatory inclusion.
Sony is banking on the old-fashioned notion that demand will drive adoption of a quality product, not the other way around.
That other notion—that “100 percent always prefer the lower price” as Activision’s Hirshberg put it—has continued to keep the PlayStation 4 out in front of its primary rival.
The question now is whether Microsoft will find a way to bring a lower-cost console to market in time for the holidays, or whether the big gamble on the Kinect 2.0 will pay off.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/06/29/xbox-one-used-game-policy-reversal-a-good-move-but-microsoft-still-needs-to-justify-the-price/
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