I know its been mentioned before but ....

[soera]

http://www.shopto.net/news/41860/Rumour-Next-Xbox-is-online-only-no-preowned-game-support

[scott]

If its true. Then they've lost my business and its one step closer to Scotty changing focus to all retro all the time.

[insektmute]

My suspicion (or prediction, I guess) is that Microsoft will base their new console around the unified entertainment ecosystem they've been pushing for with stuff like Windows 8, which will mean Blu-ray support, and continue to push for integration with technology like Kinekt and SmartGlass. They won't necessarily abandon media support, but I think we'll see a huge focus put on digital applications like you'll find on iOS and Android, and it'll all be wrapped up with Xbox Live as a for-profit subscription service.

Marketing goons, analysts, and executives will consider this the correct strategy, largely because the media keeps telling them that smartphones and tablets are going to kill the console industry if they don't adapt. The problem is that the market for cheap, disposable smartphone games is almost entirely separate from the market of hardcore gamers that buy dozens of games each year for $20-60 a pop.

[turf]

I think they will do what Nintendo is doing right now.  Every new release will be offered right there in your living room for download and in a physical form at the store.  Nintendo has this going on in their eShop right now.  Look for more of it in the future. 

As far as my dreaming for the next gen Xbox, I want them to put in a DVD Changer.  I want the physical media, but I love the convience of changing games without getting off my ass.

[soera]

As far as my dreaming for the next gen Xbox, I want them to put in a DVD Changer.  I want the physical media, but I love the convience of changing games without getting off my ass.

You know ... I find this to be a fantastic idea. I cant believe it hasnt been considered (if it has, where the fuck is it?) before. I would seriously like to be able to put like 10 disks in my system and just be able to switch without taking one out. I had a CD changer in my car back in 96. That was almost 20 years ago and its still not possible for game systems? C`mon console designers, get busy!

[insektmute]

I think they will do what Nintendo is doing right now.  Every new release will be offered right there in your living room for download and in a physical form at the store.  Nintendo has this going on in their eShop right now.  Look for more of it in the future.

Microsoft and Sony were doing this long before Nintendo did.

[turf]

They do it on release day?  Shows how much attention I pay to downloadable stuff.

Back to the disc changer. If they would just let me rip the game to my system and still have the physical media, I would be happy.

[soera]

I do know that Ni no Kuni was available on release day as download for $5 cheaper than a store bought copy.

[insektmute]

They do it on release day?  Shows how much attention I pay to downloadable stuff.

As far as I know, that's typically been the case, especially over the past couple of years. In some instances, I think I've also heard of the digital release coming out a couple days earlier than the physical, though I can't be sure on that. I'm not a big fan of digital distribution, so I don't generally pay much attention to that side of things.

[disgaeniac]

I know that many people seem to believe that those of us (myself, definitely included here) who say "If the next gen of consoles does/doesn't do ___ - then I'm not buying it" will end up, eventually, 'caving' and buying one anyways, sometime down the road because there will be games that we will want to play so badly - we will eventually overlook/forgive (whatever the problem and/or complaint was)...

...I'm here to (*Vehemently*) say that -

I'm *NOT* one of them!

"one of them" = someone who will buy it later, in spite of ___.

I'll even go a bit further...and state w/o any hesitation, that I will *NEVER* buy/support ANY console that does away with (or even...is angling towards/phasing-out) the *choice* of buying, selling, collecting, loaning, re-selling, etc of physical media!

I know some welcome & look forward to an all Digital future -and- I certainly wouldn't judge/begrudge any/everyone who prefers digital options, as a matter of fact...they're more than welcome to them -but- take away *MY* choice (even if at a higher price point) for physical media and (admittedly, only a drop in the bucket to the big companies)...I figure that I probably spend in the ballpark of ~$10,000/yearly (more if I'm an early adopter of a costly new console) on 'video-gaming-related' expenditures.

My hope is, that if there's enough of these "drops" that...once the bucket is 1/4 to 1/2 way full...someone will take notice 

/Rant/Diatribe/Blog 

[insektmute]

I'll even go a bit further...and state w/o any hesitation, that I will *NEVER* buy/support ANY console that does away with (or even...is angling towards/phasing-out) the *choice* of buying, selling, collecting, loaning, re-selling, etc of physical media!

Yep, you and me both. The question is, are Microsoft and/or Sony going to try and force us to prove it?

I'm getting really anxious for the rumors to stop and to find out for certain what they're both planning next-gen, because right now, I'm not feeling particularly optimistic.

[disgaeniac]

I'll even go a bit further...and state w/o any hesitation, that I will *NEVER* buy/support ANY console that does away with (or even...is angling towards/phasing-out) the *choice* of buying, selling, collecting, loaning, re-selling, etc of physical media!

Yep, you and me both. The question is, are Microsoft and/or Sony going to try and force us to prove it?

I'm getting really anxious for the rumors to stop and to find out for certain what they're both planning next-gen, because right now, I'm not feeling particularly optimistic.

Yeah...as of now (*especially* after seeing how far off some of the rumors leading up to the release of the previous gen of home consoles was) - I have *ABSOLUTELY* Z.E.R.O. faith in the accuracy/veracity of any & all rumors leading up to this next gen 

I'm not feeling very optimistic here, either 

*BUT* (and this is a *HUGE* but:) -

*Personally*, sitting on a backlog of (*Literally*) hundreds of games spread across the systems, consoles, and hand-helds that I already own (Including:  (2) PS3's (One B/C w/ PS1 & PS2 games & the other only B/C w/ PS1 games), a PS2 (also B/C w/ PS1 games), a Game-Cube, a Game-Boy Color (B/C w/ regular, Game-Boy games), a PSP (3000), ac DSi-XL, and a 3DS-XL + the fact that almost the entirety of this backlog is made up of Loooonnng-Ass RPG's & SRPG's...

...my feelings will be hurt *MUCH* less than they would have been at the start of any other/previous generation of gaming; since I (*Literally*) more than likely have enough games to play to last the rest of my life...W/O even having to re-play any of 'em

TL;DR

If they (any of the companies) fuck up...Fuck 'Em - I *really* don't 'need' them anymore 

[foxhack]

My suspicion (or prediction, I guess) is that Microsoft will base their new console around the unified entertainment ecosystem they've been pushing for with stuff like Windows 8, which will mean Blu-ray support, and continue to push for integration with technology like Kinekt and SmartGlass.

You mean the stuff that will undoubtedly get ABANDONED in a couple of years? Like Games for Windows Live already is? Like XNA just was?

Fuck Microsoft. I have NO INTEREST in a console like this. I'm going PC all the way now.

[insektmute]

You mean the stuff that will undoubtedly get ABANDONED in a couple of years? Like Games for Windows Live already is? Like XNA just was?

Fuck Microsoft. I have NO INTEREST in a console like this. I'm going PC all the way now.

100% exactly. I'd love to be wrong, but I really don't get the impression they're pushing in any direction but the one I laid out, and they've consistently fucked up every single service they've ever launched. Ugh, just the mention of GFWL makes me livid.

Edit: To be fair, Sony's been extremely tight-lipped about their plans, and they've already managed to sell the PlayStation as a media hub without gimping it as a game system, so maybe there's still hope. I just hope they can resist the urge to have their executives speak in public, and let the hardware do the talking instead.

[jcalder8]

In all honestly I'm going to just wait until the actual announcement to get upset. There are always tons of rumors flying around before new consoles are announced and it's just not worth getting worked up about.