Next-Gen Xbox Guide

In August 2011 with Xbox’s European head Chris Lewis told that the new console could overlap with the current Xbox’s lifespan, this is obvious, not a chance they would throw away a massive installed user base, imagine if PS2 was scrapped at the PS3 launch, or if DVD’s stopped being pressed when Blu-Ray was launched!

According to reports in late October 2011, the next generation Xbox console will launch at E3 in 2013.  Although further reports in November 2011 said that the console could be shown off at CES 2012, but it didn’t.  Although E3 does sound like a prime time to show something, even if it is just a nod that they are doing something with perhaps a little pre-rendered footage, it’s not beyond Microsoft to chuck a spanner in the works for Nintendo’s pending Wii-U launch window, not to mention get the jump on Sony.

Going on the current speculation we can asses that the new hardware would give around 6x the power of the current 360, it would make sense that they would play for a shorter life span with the next gen, to keep costs down for the time being, when both consumers and companies are low on cash and to give them more flexibility in the future for their hardware beyond the next gen.  Could we see Xbox 2 new Xbox’s in the next ten years?

According to a “high-ranking source at Crytek”. They said that TimeSplitters 4 is being developed for the next-generation console, using Microsoft’s updated DX11 development tool.  I’m not so sure about that, but with news from Mark Rein at Epic Games confirming that the new Unreal 4 engine is up and running on at least some of the next generation systems.  Rein confirmed during the DICE summit that it was up on next-gen systems, but he can’t confirm which systems those next-gen systems might be.

The ‘bigger, better, more’ ethic is what makes the games industry tick. Eat Sleep Play founder David Jaffe suggests we desperately need a new generation of high-end consoles to keep producing ‘blockbuster’ games like Battlefield 3, Crysis 2 and LA Noire. “Gameplay travels very easily,” Jaffe told IGN. “The spectacle doesn’t.”

EA’s Frank Gibeau disagrees. “Obviously, more computing horsepower is nice, but to be honest, the Xbox 360 and PS3 still have a lot of horsepower that hasn’t been tapped.”  I personally don’t think they do, sub 720p resolutions, screen tearing and framerate problems in many modern releases stand as my proof.

Cevat Yerli, the boss at Crytek, believes that the PC is effectively a generation ahead of the Xbox 360 and PS3. “As long as the current console generation exists and as long as we keep pushing the PC as well, the more difficult it will be to really get the benefit of both,” Yerli spilled to Edge.

Expect updates as and when they happen, will update this post as required, but what are your thoughts on the new console, leave your comments below.