Official Xbox One Thread

[Houston]

Wait so the "always connected to the internet" thing is still on?

[SethMode]

Wait so the "always connected to the internet" thing is still on?

Not that this is even worth talking about until the 21st, but the latest rumors are that it will have a system similar to PS4, where the publisher gets to make the call on that.

Still, like JMS said, this is so beyond pointless talking about at this point because the rumor mill has flown completely off the rails.

[Primetime]

What's the problem here? Thosethings are awesome! Are you trying to tell me you don't love breaking out a calculator very time there's a sale on Xbox Live. 480 points for I Am Alive? That will leave me with 320 points? What can I buy with that? Nothing you say? Well, I'll just buy more points then! Yes!

This is business strategy 101 and a very good strategy in that. By taking away a dollar amount frame of mind and replacing it with a non-monetary representation, percentages of sales go up drastically.

[jms493]

This is business strategy 101 and a very good strategy in that. By taking away a dollar amount frame of mind and replacing it with a non-monetary representation, percentages of sales go up drastically.

similar to what casinos do...your playing with Chips instead of real money (although nowadays it is more for security reasons I am sure)....and it is a maze and there are no clocks and there are no windows...ect, ect.

[Swarley]

Xbox 720 has DVR-like video capture?

Microsoft's next Xbox will feature DVR-like video capture capabilities, according to sources speaking with Polygon. In a similar way to the PlayStation 4, the confirmed-but-unannounced next-generation Xbox will reportedly allow players to capture and share video highlights of gameplay. These video clips can then reportedly be sent to friends through social networks like Ustream, YouTube, and Facebook.

According to Polygon's sources, the next Xbox will capture and record gameplay in the same way that a DVR would, allowing users to go back and pick out desirable pieces of footage. This function can reportedly be turned on or off and can even be set to automatically record when specific in-game events take place, like headshots.

The PS4 asset sharing features are made possible through the DualShock 4's "Share" button, though Polygon's sources had no indication of how such an offering might work on the next Xbox. Details are still being considered and finalized, they said.

The site's sources have also indicated that Microsoft will retool the Achievement system for the next Xbox, allowing developers to add more achievements to a game after launch without the need for downloadable content.

"This is designed specifically to allow developers to tweak player behavior, perhaps urging players to check out specific areas of a game or get past a difficult spot," the site reports. "Next-gen achievements can also be tied to broader events, like a weekend challenge or a communal goal, like contributing a set number of kills to the bigger goal of 10,000 kills over one weekend."

Lastly, Polygon's sources added to others in saying that the next Xbox will feature some sort of an always-online requirement. This feature is aimed at supporting the "suite of non-gaming entertainment" applications that will reportedly launch with the console and also as an anti-piracy measure. Ultimately, however, the decision to require an Internet connection will be left up to individual publishers, the sources said.

Microsoft announced this week that it will hold a press event on May 21 at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington to "give you a real taste of the future."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/xbox-720-has-dvr-like-video-capture-6407602

[JimLeavy59]

Looks like Sony and M$ are trying to cut out the 3rd party market for capture cards.

[Swarley]

The next Xbox rethinks DRM, Achievements and Xbox Live friends, our sources say

The next Xbox, set to be unveiled during a May 21 event on Microsoft's Redmond-based Xbox campus, will bring with it not just new hardware, but a slew of tweaks to the social aspects of Microsoft's console.

Sources tell Polygon that the current version of the next-gen console includes a next-gen approach to video sharing, anti-piracy protection, social networking and a massive expansion of the Xbox 360's popular achievement system.

Like the recently announced PlayStation 4, the still-unnamed next Xbox will include the ability to capture video highlights of gameplay and then share them through networks like Facebook and Ustream.

In February, during the official PlayStation 4 unveiling, Sony officials detailed the heightened importance of sharing game experiences. The ability to share a snapshot from a game or show off a gameplay video is so important that a "share" button is incorporated into that upcoming console's new controller.

Pressing the PS4's share button allows players to begin capturing their own gameplay in real time and then broadcast it to their friends using social networks.

Microsoft is also trying to come up with a system for video sharing though all of the details are still being locked down. According to our sources, currently the next Xbox will capture your gameplay as if it were a DVR, allowing you to go back and select highlights. That function can be turned on or off, or a player can set up the console to automatically capture a recording when certain in-game events occur, like a headshot or collecting a specific achievement. Auto capturing those "magic moments" will be a feature only available on next-gen games.

Those videos can then be uploaded directly from the console to social sites, like YouTube, for sharing.

Sources tell Polygon that the next Xbox will indeed have some form of an always-on requirement. That will be both to support the suite of non-gaming entertainment applications that will be launched alongside the console, like streaming video services, but also as a possible anti-piracy tool. Currently, the console will support digital rights management and anti-piracy checks using an internet connection. Under Microsoft's current guidelines, which may still be changed, the decision of whether a game will require an internet connection to work and if that is a one-time authentication or a constant connection, will be left up to individual publishers.

THE NEXT XBOX WILL ALLOW PUBLISHERS TO DECIDE IF THEIR GAMES SHOULD REQUIRE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO BE PLAYED.

The fact that offline gameplay, always online and one-time checks are supported, means that in the future, publishers will have much greater control over copyright protection for their games.

Another thing developers and publishers will have more control over with next-gen Xbox games is the way achievements are used and updated.

With the next Xbox, developers and publishers will be able to add more achievements to a game after launch, without the need to add DLC. This is designed specifically to allow developers to tweak player behavior, perhaps urging players to check out specific areas of a game or get past a difficult spot. Next-gen achievements can also be tied to broader events, like a weekend challenge or a communal goal, like contributing a set number of kills to the bigger goal of 10,000 kills over one weekend. Companies can also create cross-title achievements, like awarding points for finishing the first chapter in two different and unrelated games published by the same company. Some of these bigger, cross-title, communal achievements will be a requirement for all titles.

Microsoft is playing around with cross-platform achievements as well. Ideally, these achievements could be earned by playing a game on the next-gen system and then using a companion app, a website or maybe even by playing a specific game, like a prequel to a next-gen title, on the Xbox 360.

Microsoft is also looking to adjust the way Xbox Live functions to more closely align it with the way other social networks, like Twitter or Facebook, work. The next-generation Live won't have a cap on the number of friends a person can have. The way players add friends will also change. Now instead of it being a two-way friendship only, people can choose to follow one another, sort of like Twitter.

We've reached out to Microsoft for comment on their support of always-online DRM, changes to Live and achievements and addition of video capture to the still-unannounced console and will update this story if and when they respond.

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson had this to say in response to our questions and the article: "We're excited to share more about the new generation of games, TV and entertainment on May 21, but have nothing further to share at this time."

http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/26/4268782/next-xbox-drm-achievements-live

[Buzzman]

Idk if I like the achievement edit. Would hate to 100% it and then they release an achievement that says I have to play the game online for 4 hours.

[SethMode]

Idk if I like the achievement edit. Would hate to 100% it and then they release an achievement that says I have to play the game online for 4 hours.

I'm the opposite. I think this is an excellent reason to go back to old games. My love of achievements has waned some, but it is more fun to get them than not get them (for example, I get nothing playing Dragon Age and Batman AA because I've 100% them -- I will still play them, but it would be fun to have random new achievements added for a reason to go back and try new things). 100% is overrated, especially on 360 because points are just a number and completely arbitrary (not that trophies are any less arbitrary, but with them at least there is a pinnacle -- platinum -- that you can get and they can't take away from you. With 360 it's just an extra little part of your stats that say "completed").

The silliest aspect of the achievement rumor is that you could see achievements popping up like "Beat all three Square released games in 2014, get 50 points!" or, even worse "Order 15 pizzas from Pizza Hut: 20 points!"

[Twigg4075]

This is business strategy 101 and a very good strategy in that. By taking away a dollar amount frame of mind and replacing it with a non-monetary representation, percentages of sales go up drastically.

Oh, I'm well aware that it's great for them but it's terrible for consumers. There needs to be a happy medium where you aren't just trying to fool your customers.

[dave]

I'm a lemming, I'm buying both consoles, I know this way ahead of the fact ... but I love the instant on thing. The idea of just turning on your console and playing right away is great.
Microsoft dropping the Points system, brilliant. Just tell me what to pay.

[Swarley]

Rumors floating around today that Respawn's game could be a Nextbox exclusive.

[JimLeavy59]

LOL Its a mech shooter.

[Handleit_44]

https://twitter.com/thurrott/status/330328052053733376

By the way, I did screw up one thing: The $299 version of Xbox v.Next will come with a $15/mo XBLG subscription, not $10. Sorry about that.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553396

[Twigg4075]

https://twitter.com/thurrott/status/330328052053733376



http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553396

$180/year for Live. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.