Microsoft's Cloud-Only Xbox Still In Development, Report Says (vg247.com) 36
According to Thurrott's Brad Sams, Microsoft is still developing a low-cost, cloud-based Xbox console. "Sams suggests the low-power box will be just capable enough to allow a player to 'move around in a virtual environment,' but crucially, game elements like NPCs, interactables, text and even graphics won't be there," reports VG247. From the report: This is obviously not playable, but the idea is that having movement calculations run locally reduces input lag compared to a 100% streamed game. Though this might make technical sense, it's hard to imagine the company pushing this hard unless the difference is really perceptible. Of course, there's a lot we still don't know about the streaming market, and some segment of that audience may opt to pay $80 or so to get an experience better than running the game through a web browser.
So... (Score:4, Insightful)
So it's a thin client?
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, but it will suck for games. Just look at the new Mario Maker 2 multiplayer, it's laggy as hell most of the time.
There is no fix for lag. Games just try to mask it. The latest Street Fighter has 133ms of lag built in, even when playing locally. If you press a button it takes 133ms to react, always. So any network lag is hidden as long as it's less than 133ms.
This is tolerable on FPS type games, annoying in racing games and unplayable for action/retro style games.
None. None more black. (Score:2)
Either the new Xbox offers the same experience whether turned on or off, or the reporter is unqualified to use a keyboard.
Re: (Score:2)
Either the new Xbox offers the same experience whether turned on or off, or the reporter is unqualified to use a keyboard.
I suggest that both are true.
Where's the Market? (Score:2)
Is there a single, actual gamer who asked for this?
Meanwhile my complete lack of interest (Score:2)
I wonder (Score:2)
I wonder how they plan on compensating those who buy into this lunacy when their cloud goes down. :P )
( hahahahaha yeah I know, wishful thinking
Not released = still in development (Score:2)
Um...yeah: if it hasn't been released, it's still in development. Thanks for the, er, report.
Could be abandonned (Score:2)
If it hasn't been released, it could also have been cancelled or put "indefinitely on hold".
Or it could be just vapourware, with the company *pretending* it's still in development, while actually doing nothing (but then they'll still be saying "it's in development" anyway).
Sadly, it's not the case, the boxes *are* going to appear, and they'll manage to do to video games what itunes/spotify/deezer/Etc. did to music, and the younger generation of gamers are *actually going to praise it* to the same level as t
who is right (Score:2)
you have pure gamestreaming services, like from google, everything is running on their server farm, you only need a streaming device and a controller or a phone/tablet (which is streaming device+controller in one). they all say latency is no problem.
then you have MS who is developing a system for game streaming, but certain parts of the game must run on a dedicated device to overcome latency issues.
either MS is solving a problem that is not there, or those other companies are selling lies.
how much data does
Works until it doesn't (Score:2)
So, what happens when M$ decides to shut down the servers? If this is really just a thin client, do you even own your games, or do you get a stupid voucher for a future product? M$ just threw in the towel on ebooks this week, and they can do it again on games. Personally, I still get annoyed that they cancelled Xbox Live access to the original Xbox even though there was a large, paying subscriber base. Hopefully, no one will buy this, can the whole software as a service model will go away. Oh, wait. I was b
Are they doing collision? (Score:2)
Are they doing collision locally too? If not then I'm not sure how much this would improve things. It would only reduce the appearance of lag and not do anything gameplay wise.
If they are doing collision locally on the other hand, things will get much more complex especially where physics are involved. If games can't go beyond the scope of the power of this box then even games on the more powerful system may have to be designed with the limitations here in mind.