Rumor: Next Xbox Will Have ARM CPU, Windows 9 Core
The next Xbox may use an ARM SoC, allowing it to be smaller and cheaper than the current Xbox 360.
Whether it will be called Xbox Next, Xbox 720 or Xbox Loop, the next-generation Microsoft gaming console slated to make an appearance in 2013 will reportedly feature a "Zune HD-like" hardware platform: an ARM-based heterogeneous system-on-chip (SoC) with multiple dedicated assistive cores for graphics, AI, physics, sound, networking, encryption and sensors. The SoC will even be custom designed by Microsoft along with two unannounced partners.
In addition to the ARM-based SoC, rumors suggest that the console's operating system will be built around a Windows 9 core. Yet a recent leaked roadmap suggests that Windows 9 won't even go into Developer Preview mode until the BUILD conference in 2013, the same timeframe when Xbox "Loop" is slated to arrive in stores. For that matter, Windows 9 isn't scheduled to enter beta until CES 2014 if Microsoft stays on track. Using a Windows 8 core sounds more likely for the unannounced console to better connect it with Windows Phone 8 devices and Windows 8 PCs.
According to rumors, the next Xbox will rely on the ARM-based architecture in order to make it smaller and cheaper than the current Xbox 360 system, further enabling Kinect adoption. Microsoft may be looking to make it more portable despite previous conceptual designs of the future console, but don't expect the company to remove the optical drive just yet -- physical media is still the preferred method of content delivery.
For years Microsoft has stated that the Xbox 360 console will have a lifespan of up to around 2015, but that never meant the company would hold off on releasing a new console until then. Yet with mobile technology progressing at an accelerated rate and the uncertainty of the gaming industry's immediate future, it's understandable that Nintendo and Microsoft are scrambling to push the console sector into another generation. The Wii U looks to take on a tablet approach while current rumors suggest Microsoft wants something a bit more portable... possibly with 3G connectivity?
As always, take all of this with a grain of salt: nothing is official or set in stone.
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Hurry up and bring some up-to-date consoles out. Tired of these sh*t ports.
YES! I love when this stuff enters the rumor mill!
A next generation Xbox would indeed be nice.
Having several separate cores for AI, physics, etc. only makes development and porting between platforms more difficult.
Keep it simple!
I want to see dual APU, 2tb hardrive, bluray, and new revamped gampad
Look, its not the gameplay that counts...its the photo-realism that keeps us coming back /sarcasm
YESSS I WANT AVATAR GRAFIX !!!
/sarcasm
As long as it doesn't hold back PC games, i'm happy.
easier way to console port game, so more money in the pocket for them
I want to see dual APU, 2tb hardrive, bluray, and new revamped gampad
i want them to drop a hdd altogether, have 4gb internal for the core system, and allow us to buy what ever hdd we want, and put it in, i dont want to be paying 2 grand for a 1 tb harddrive.
3G is nice feature to add, but what's the ping on 3G network in states?
and the consoles hold back the pc once again
big surprise there...
I, too, am interested in how on earth they're going to make an ARM product that goes faster than a 3.2GHz triple-core (six thread) CPU.
i want them to drop a hdd altogether, have 4gb internal for the core system, and allow us to buy what ever hdd we want, and put it in, i dont want to be paying 2 grand for a 1 tb harddrive.
I want them to disappear altogether. That simple.
to be honest, consoles should be coming to an end, their blending into a pc.
Really, all you need is a branded box which is essentially a pc, with a custom ui/peripherals
Port issues solved, and games would be made to run at that standard.
Maybe custom mobo etc to solve space/power issues
I want blueray to die. So I don't want a console with a blue ray player. Lets face it the future is not in spinning disks but rather downloads, steaming media, and if you need a physical copy of something, then memory cards.
Wish they would hurry the hell up and release these next gen consoles so we stop getting really shitty ports on the PC.
Like ARM will any better than a Fully fledge 2500K. I bet my 2500K + GTX570 will still hold the raw speed over next gen console. Seems they arent ready to sell expensive console that they gonna lose $100 every console they sell. They going nintendo way.
Well, they have several things to consider, amongst a multitude of ohers:
How much hardware are the masses willing to pay for in a console?
Does the market show that more power in a console is desired at the expense of lower costs?
What is the impact of the proposed hardware on developers?
What is the competition doing?
I want blueray to die. So I don't want a console with a blue ray player. Lets face it the future is not in spinning disks but rather downloads, steaming media, and if you need a physical copy of something, then memory cards.
The hell with that. I sure don't want my entertainment to be dependent upon someone else's servers that I have no control over. If everything is downloaded (or worse, streamed), then there will probably be some sort of online verification process. We already have some server problems with online gaming for pc's. Making console gaming like that will make things even worse.
W
The hell with that. I sure don't want my entertainment to be dependent upon someone else's servers that I have no control over. If everything is downloaded (or worse, streamed), then there will probably be some sort of online verification process. We already have some server problems with online gaming for pc's. Making console gaming like that will make things even worse.
Well most of us know what an SD memory card is.... hopefully new consoles will have SD slots (they should). You can use those to store things on. They are tougher than a spinning disk and easier to store. I personally don't understand why blueray was ever even introduced. SD cards hold more memory.... the use of a spinning disk is moronic at best.
SD cards (for equivalent space for a Bluray disc) cost WAY more than a single disc and SD cards have a very low bandwith. :\
Hurry up and bring some up-to-date consoles out. Tired of these sh*t ports.
I am tired of shit ports , but not tired of the fact that my 3 year old computer can still rock every game that hits shelves right now. i really don't look forward to a new console , because the year one releases is the year that i'll ahve to put pc gmaing on hold till i can afford a new computer (which only god knows when that will be).
A next generation Xbox would indeed be nice.
yes it would be , but only for the rich. hell the 360 came out in 2005 and i didnt even get one till 2009 . very likely i wont be able to afford a new xbox when one comes out.
Having several separate cores for AI, physics, etc. only makes development and porting between platforms more difficult.Keep it simple!
I agree the people that gave you thumbs down obviously arnt thinking things through. from botha development point and a consummer point , complex console ahrdware is a bitch on teh idustry . for devs it' emans longer production times , times taht a publisher might not want to afford this means the PC get's less focus and less ports as publishers will want thier game on the new console , and wil not want to pay the expense of doing ports , or multiplatform releases.
I want them to disappear altogether. That simple.
this is the biggest jack ass thing i ever heard on toms. get real , you think only the rich should be able to play games ?? is that it? let me guess next you'll say you want poor people to disappear right ? orTV's ? I'mre ally so sick of seeing post like this. consoles offer a lwoer cost more portable device than a computer , sure you can build a Lan box , but most lan boxes rather self built or store bought cost a good deal more than a standard PC. same with lap tops as well. face the facts consoles wont disappear any time soon because thier is stil a market demand for them. they will die gaming dies a mainstream form of media , which isn't likely to happen.
now don't get me wrong in all these replies , i don't hate PC infact i do more on my computer game wise than i ever will do witha console. i'm in school for game art design , and 60% of the games i own and play are on PC (thats a lot of games considering i own over 600 games from past consoles to PC games). I consider myself a PC gamer , that also hapens to play consoel games as well. the reason you ask ? simple there are just some games that are impossible to pull off comfortably with a mouse and keyboard, just like some gneres are better suited to PC period.
1 Xbox 360 is more than enough DLC crammed, ad-infested, bloatware for me.
Don't get me wrong, I love playing Halo, Gears of War, Forza 4 etc, but i'll be damned if they don't nickle and dime you for just about every feature usable.
Guess my point is, you wont find me buying a new Xbox in 2013 with a fresh installment of Modern Warfare 4 or some such thing. Maybe more like MW5 at the rate they're going.
Like halcyon said above me, not sure how much value they can bring to consoles in the future. Not going to spend 300 bucks + DLC out the ass every time they come out with a new model.
Think i'll stick with computer gaming.
New Xbox, still slower than a GTX 8800 from 4 years ago...
I'm trying to wonder how stupid this guy felt when he was typing this. The part cost alone MIGHT be cheaper but everyone knows (in the real world) that a "new" product will not be cheaper than its counterpart. God this dude is an idiot.
cool...jailbreaking it will be a breeze then.
Is ARM really that much more efficient than x86? or is MS going to experiment with a new architecture? I understand that it doesn't perform as well as x86, but enough small things can make a big thing, though it'd be crazy if it was able to use many parts to achieve greater speed and still use less power than, say, an intel cpu capable of doing the same thing by itself (mostly). What do you guys think?
to be honest, consoles should be coming to an end, their blending into a pc.Really, all you need is a branded box which is essentially a pc, with a custom ui/peripheralsPort issues solved, and games would be made to run at that standard.Maybe custom mobo etc to solve space/power issues
So to phase out consoles, your solution is to replace them with a "branded box that is essentially a PC, only customized and standardized for games"...
...so how is that ANY different from a console?
Already have a 360, and it's only a year old. I have no reason to buy a new one anytime soon. Especially when PCs are readily available while easier (AND CHEAPER) to upgrade.
I've been saying for a couple years now that ARM with SoC is the future for PCs. Makes perfect sense to me that MS will try it out on an Xbox first. Integrate RAM, BIOS, and GPU onto the chip and you got a very tidy, efficient package.