Xbox-next Smaller In Size No Ps3 Until 2006?

M.H.A.Q.S.

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Microsoft Japan hints at new console's size and launch date.

TOKYO--Microsoft Japan's new Xbox division chief Yoshihiro Maruyama says that his company's next generation machine, casually referred to by media outlets as the Xbox Next, will not see its shadow until 2006. Maruyama's comments support statements made by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last year, when he told the Nikkei Journal that the console will be released no sooner than 2006 in Japan. But whether the Xbox Next will be out before or after Sony's next generation machine is not decided, according to an interview with Maruyama contained in the current issue of Famitsu.

"I hope that we can release the machine in the near future, but it won't be next year," commented Maruyama, who joined Microsoft last September after being hired away from Square Enix. "Considering that the PlayStation 2 is entering its fifth year and that its game lineup is in its prime, we're estimating that the successor to that console will be released after 2006. Whether we'll release the successor of the Xbox before the PS2's needs to be decided carefully. It has strong pros and cons."

One of the issues surrounding the original Xbox was the fact it was was considerably larger than other game consoles in the market. Rumors have been floating the Xbox Next will be considerably smaller and possibly uses notebook PC components.

While Maruyama did not comment on specifics, he confirmed that the Xbox Next will indeed be smaller than the current Xbox. "In terms of hardware, we get a lot of requests asking us to reduce the console's size. Actually, I was thinking so myself before coming to Microsoft. We promise that we'll make the new console smaller," Maruyama said.

As for the Xbox's disappointing sales in Japan, Maruyama commented that one of the reasons is there is no RPG--the most popular genre in Japan--for the console that suits Japanese tastes. Admitting that it can?t get a major third-party publisher to develop an RPG due to Xbox's comparitively paltry installed base, Maruyama is hoping that Microsoft's own entry into the genre, the MMORPG True Fantasy Live Online, will provide a spike in sales.

Maruyama also addressed overall differences between the Japanese and the U.S. markets. He commented on how game sales in the U.S. are more stable, particularly in the sports genre. ?In the case of America, they have sport games as the base of their retail offfering. Sports games sell steadily through out the year, with each sport having its peak sales period. Their business is about incremental sales of other genres on top of that. But Japan doesn?t have that base, so if one title gets delayed, that year?s sales can be quite severely affected,? Maruyama said. ?In a sense, the market in Japan is unique, and the users tend to drift towards games that are new or stimulating. It?s a serious issue for developers: how to come up with the next new thing, since the peak sales period for any one title is short.?

This sounds...I don't know what it sounds like?
 

TGS

New member
"Considering that the PlayStation 2 is entering its fifth year and that its game lineup is in its prime, we're estimating that the successor to that console will be released after 2006. Whether we'll release the successor of the Xbox before the PS2's needs to be decided carefully. It has strong pros and cons."

This quote just about sums it up, not everyone has been a PS2 owner for five years and it would be a waste to introduce a new console while the game lineup is in its prime. But that's me talking in 2004, maybe 2006 would be a good time, who knows? On another note, I believe it finally got through the Microsoft people's heads that they need to keep up with the Japanese market, bringing in some new RPG titles sounds like a good idea.


BTW, you might want to mention the source of the article.
 

donkeyknob

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and take out all of them ? in the last paragraphs. i think x-box next sales would do well about now if it had backwards compatability. why? i cant be arsed to type. but im right
 

suckthismeat

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you know, it sounds to me like they are merely trying to sqeeze everything they can out of the ps/2 before releasing the next console.... most of the money is made off games right? Well then why not release the next one this year? If they did like before and made it backwards compatable (with PS2/PS1) then none of the sales should be hurt at all. And it would give them the advantage of having it out first.... allowing enough time for people to buy it, and say to hell with the others when they finnaly decide to realease.

Although that does tend to sound a lot like what Sega did with DC, as long as the hardware/performance/Games are there, then they would have great sales.....

just my two cents
 

TGS

New member
I think suckthismeat has a point.
 
Originally posted by suckthismeat@Jan 17 2004, 09:03 AM
you know, it sounds to me like they are merely trying to sqeeze everything they can out of the ps/2 before releasing the next console.... most of the money is made off games right? Well then why not release the next one this year? If they did like before and made it backwards compatable (with PS2/PS1) then none of the sales should be hurt at all. And it would give them the advantage of having it out first.... allowing enough time for people to buy it, and say to hell with the others when they finnaly decide to realease.

Although that does tend to sound a lot like what Sega did with DC, as long as the hardware/performance/Games are there, then they would have great sales.....

just my two cents
Well the thing is that probably very little game developers have even started planning out games for next gen consolses, so unless you want to buy a PS3 this year then have to wait like another year before any games come out it would be useless. It's also fact that the PS2 is at its peak, units are selling so I dont see why Sony would even think of taking a big risk like this as it would probably make a lot of fans angry (I dont think many people that bought there PS2 this year or last year would be happy knowing that a new Sony console is about to come out). Also, how good do you think that the hardware would be on it? If they took their time and waited like another 2 years, they could make a much stronger console.
 

El Fugitivo

New member
Suckthismeat does have a point, but 4th Disciple is right, too.

If they came out with a new console now, then yes, they'd be ahead of the pack, but they'd have the same problems they're running into now with the PS2, which is that it's simply not as powerful or pretty looking as the GameCube or XBox. While to me this isn't as much of a factor as the quality and quantity of games available, it is much more important than anything else for millions of customers. Also, PS3 game development would certainly cost more than PS2 game development. As long as they have a sizeable enough demand for PS2 titles, they're not going to switch over to a new console and lose all those potential game sales.
 

TGS

New member
Exactly.
 

suckthismeat

New member
But what I am suggesting wouldn't hurt current sales. As long as the PS/3 remains backwards compatable with PS/2 It shouldn't hurt a thing. --edit-- except new ps2 sales (which the supposedly loose money on anways) why not have a new console, with a much higher price tag? --end eidt--
Also
Well the thing is that probably very little game developers have even started planning out games for next gen consolses, so unless you want to buy a PS3 this year then have to wait like another year before any games come out it would be useless

If they had been thinking about it in terms of getting that "head start" on other platforms, then the games would be available. All this was is merely a thought. As to the PS/3 possibly not having enough power.... assuming it came out late this year (which I KNOW it is not), then they could easily use the power of a GeForce FX 5900 series controller (or the ATI equivelent if you like), and that should easily power the next few years games.

However, the PS/2 is getting old (Sorry folks, but tech. wise it is) and its having trouble keeping up with the Xbox, GC, or computers. Would you rather play a hot new game on PC where you can see every drop of blood, and every little refined texture - pixel shaded, or the soon to be antiquated graphics the PS/2 employs?
Each and every one of you would call a 450Mhz computer slow.... don't bother lying, yet that is about the same speed and power harnessed by PS/2.

It think Its time to step up to the next gaming platform.

For all those that just bought a ps2, shit, people out there still buy PS1's. Deal with it....your games will still be produced, Sony invested too much to just stop. The Ps1 might actually be phased out entirely.... but who cares? PS1 hasn't seen any good new games in a while... at least none that would compare to the PS2 counterpart.


Again, Just MHO
 

El Fugitivo

New member
If the PS3 came out this year, the sales for PS2 games would drop. More importantly, the profits from sales of PS2 games would drop. No one would pay $50 for a last-generation game, and so PS2 titles would be running at probably about $20, not to mention the fact that they'd be slower sellers despite the backwards compatibility feature of a new console. Of all my friends who own PS2s now or owned them when they first came out, not one purchased a PS1 title to specifically play on the PS2 console. Backwards compatibility isn't featured in the PS2 so that people can buy less-powerful games for cheap, it's there so that they can use the games they already own. It's there so that the people who bought a company's last console will have more of an incentive to choose that same company's next offering instead of that of a rival company. It's a bonus that is offered to those who show brand loyalty. It's not going to attract new customers.
 
Also, why would someone want to spend like $300+ on a PS3 which would only be able to play PS2/PS1 games when they already have a PS2. Nobody would buy a PS3 unless there were PS3 games out for it, if the PS3 came out this year there would be no games for it for probably a year or so meaning that nobody would want to buy a PS3 to play PS2 games.

About the hardware, if it came out this year it would have the best technology available now, but in about 2 years there will be much better technology available. Theres already been rumours that Microsoft is teaming up with IBM to make a 4-5GHz processor for the upcomming Xbox and you very well know that Microsoft will utilize the best technology available.
 
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