Total Xbox: "Xbox's Director of Development talks screen resolution, dropping always-online, and courting indie developers"
A few days ago, one small tweet had a huge effect on gaming, even though many won't realise it.
That Tweet was from a gifted programmer by the name of Boyd Multerer, and it quietly announced his departure from Xbox. In many ways it's a little sad that, even among Xbox gamers, that name will go unrecognised. Multerer has made HUGE contributions to Xbox over the last 17 years, and is responsible for some of the most important aspects and features that we all know and love.
Multerer started with Microsoft in 1997 and quickly became a key player in the development of the Xbox. In 2000, he put a team together to begin work on what was then called 'Xbox Online' and he led development of the online component of the original Xbox. Multerer was responsible for picking the development team and led both the programming and the design of Microsoft's online gaming service.
xbox "was" great he tweeted.
So this guy created blades? They need to bring that back. It was a much better OS.
As wel as"the UI evolution from the initial menu system through the ‘blades’ and on to the metro system" and also the core architecture.
He was also planning on leaving to work on some personal projects. But it also seems to be that he was working on a 'top' secret project at microsoft, wonder if this means the project is in the final phases/finished or in worst case cancelled.
"Was" meaning he no longer works for them.
Not whatever fanboy context your mind comes up with.
the blade system became old very quick and iy would not have worked with the group chat etc..
The UIs that have followed have been pretty good tbh, and Ms are still making changes based on feedback.
The blades were good,
The biggest difference I saw following the blades, was the speed at which I could do everything in game..
The blade system was really slow, I admire MS for thinking of that.
In comparison look at the PS3 - it never changed.
(No complaints about it) but its took a simple and efficient Japanese approach of being functional and there is nothing wrong with that..
However it is nice to see improvements and evolution of such things..
(Im sure Sony will have that in place, if enough ppl ask for it - on PS4).
If you click the link for the interview with him, when he answers questions you can see his job satisfaction was great.
For someone who had been at the helm of a product(s), for so long it is probably time for a change, but his ideas and methodologies will continue since he designed and implemented the core architecture.
He will have earned a crap load of money, so he can spend time at home with the fam or whatever he wants to do now.
I know every PSfan will hate on me, but the Xbox UIs have been good, and I reckon he worked on the Windows 10 style UI!
blades is still my fav OS on consoles and there is no reason why it wouldnt still work.
has he announced his new job role yet?
expect him at sony if he hasnt haha
I agree blades were better and it didn't require a internet connection to see the cover art of your downloaded games!
Man those blades...*sniff*, one of the easiest and most efficient UI's ever.
The Xbox One UI...I still have trouble navigating and going where I need to be.
The blades was good but just like the click wheel that was awesome on the iPod, it eventually got replaced with a better and more next gen look to the UI.
The blade was awesome though.
Boydie you will be missed and are liked.
May the business venture you and Wife are set to begin be very successful. We will u love as long that you never work for any other online services. Lol
It has been a rough few days for Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live. After being knocked offline by a DDOS attack, a founder of the service has announced that he is leaving the company after working there for more than 18 years.
Thank u for the cool concept and many great memories. Best of luck , enjoy retirement.
The fathers of XBox were four engineers from the DirectX team -- Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase and Otto Berkes. Not James "J" Allard.
Sheesh. Do business chumps have to take the credit for everything an engineer dreams up? Those guys made makeshift XBox PCs to present to their boss, Ed Fries, before anyone else even heard of the idea. Allard was more a father of Zune than of XBox.
thank you for great community and great network
Wish you the best of luck
@slate
PC gaming was rather dominant through the 80's and 90's. Nintendo is the only reason console gaming survived into the 90's really.
That gives console and PC dominance rather equal footing time-wise.
Don't pretend like everything doesn't feed into each other.
PC (and this is simply speaking of recent) birthed and popularized the MMO and MOBA - a driving force today - which is the reason why, factually, PC gaming brings in more revenue per year than does the console market.
"That gives console and PC dominance rather equal footing time-wise.
Don't pretend like everything doesn't feed into each other."
No it doesn't. Gaming became far more dominant on console after the 90s and continues to this day. Nintendo started a still continuing trend of consoles being the place where gaming is most popular and makes the most money.
"PC (and this is simply speaking of recent) birthed and popularized the MMO and MOBA - a driving force today - which is the reason why, factually, PC gaming brings in more revenue per year than does the console market."
You mean the limitless clones of WoW, many of which are Freemium games that people play for a month and then give up on, and the 3 MOBA games anyone cares about? If PC factually made more money for the gaming industry than consoles, guess where the majority of the AAA publishing would end up? Factually the PC DOESN'T make more money than consoles. Factually the PC has a higher rate of piracy than consoles. Factually the PC audience acts FAR more entitled and hostile over even the smallest issues.
PC gaming only holds the technological advantage over consoles, and that's all it will ever hold until PC gamer elitism dies.
@DragonKnight
"No it doesn't. Gaming became far more dominant on console after the 90s and continues to this day"
The result of an ever-growing industry, that only really kept going because of arcades and the PC market - that was my point. Feel free to attribute gaming's popularity to only the part of the industry that almost died only a decade or so in.
Me - "PC (and this is simply speaking of recent) birthed and popularized the MMO and MOBA - a driving force today - which is the reason why, factually, PC gaming brings in more revenue per year than does the console market."
You - "You mean the limitless clones of WoW, many of which are Freemium games that people play for a month and then give up on, and the 3 MOBA games anyone cares about? If PC factually made more money for the gaming industry than consoles, guess where the majority of the AAA publishing would end up?"
Not only is your argument obviously biased, it's also misinformed. You also managed to miss the point altogether. Impressive, really.
MOBA and MMO, due to the PC as a platform, does bring in more money total than that brought in from the console market as a whole. There's statistics of the last few years that proves as such. Google is your friend, DragonKnight. Embrace that fact. This was my direct point made towards slate, stating, essentially, that the PC market was almost non-existent, where in actually it, indeed, is the biggest market at the moment. Not subject to change any time soon.
That has nothing to do with overall sales of any specific title, which of course will have the bigger audience. The cheaper alternative (at least up front) will always be tempting to the average consumer. However, we're seeing more and more support for PC as a platform, with more and more releases, new and old, finding their way to the platform, more dedicated ports than ever and even more and more support from the eastern market. Does that mean PC may be, yet again, growing as a platform (oh snap!)
"PC gaming only holds the technological advantage over consoles, and that's all it will ever hold until PC gamer elitism dies."
Coming from you, after all of that . . . and you're going to talk of Elitism.
Heh. Have fun with that.
"PC gaming only holds the technological advantage over consoles, and that's all it will ever hold until PC gamer elitism dies."
that and since it's an open platform you get more options including,
- digital stores to buy games such as amazon, gog, steam, origin and so on
- free online multiplayer
- flexibility of controller and keyboard mouse options
- cheaper software
- true media centre that will play music and videos in various codecs
- backwards compatibility
- largest library of software
that's just a few of the many advantages pc gaming has over console gaming. oh and let's not kid ourselves about this elitism attitude, we see it every day from console gamers. in fact they make up the most of the ignorance that goes on within the forums.
Maybe PC but not Dreamcast. Besides some great parties with Quake Arena. The online really never took off. Online console gaming took off when Xbox Live came around. There is no denying it. From the get go it was awesome. That one thing MS can hold claim to. That from the beginning their service has been on point.
Is this the guy responsible for the network Microsoft made for the Dreamcast or the restructuring of it for Xbox? Or both?
Thanks! And I didn't mean it in a negative way. It sucks that they pulled out five years into a ten year agreement, but it was all perfectly legal.
Either way, this guy did a wonder job.
They are different networks altogether. I know because I had design docs for Xbox live and wrote an article on its protocols and security for a couple websites and 3 days later i was contacted by Microsoft lawyers demanding I take it down and destroy any internal documents I had...which there were many.
The Dreamcast network was based on webtv to some extent. The Xbox live network was a total redesign built for high bandwidth low latency with incredibly complex security. Its one of the most secure public facing networks ever built and its only weakness was call center reps being tricked by social engineers with that whole FIFA thing. Pretty awesome stuff I wish i could share but it did get me a free trip to e3 2000 where I met some great people
Boyd Multerer, the "creator" of Xbox One, said that games are being ported from Windows 8 (DirectX) to Xbox One in just a day or two.
It is interesting indeed, could open up amazing possibilities. It would also help devs save a lot of time and resources
I agree. DX12 as a unified API and Windows 8 as a unified OS for Devs could mean a lot. Cant wait to see the results.
That is incredibly impressive port time. It's like releasing on two platforms for the price of one.
This doesn't mean anything. They are porting over optimized PC specs for Console specs. If you compare the specs directly the console is even more inferior. They need to be ported and then optimized on the consoles.
@HaydenJameSmith
Basically he is not talking about DX12 but talking about games which are being written for windows 8.
This actually means literally nothing. Just because a game is made for Windows 8 doesn't mean that porting it to the Xbox One is going to mean anything significant. All it means is the OS' are compatible and OS specific problems are eliminated because of that.
Won't mean that the quality between versions will be the same, won't necessarily mean you'll be getting PC games on the Xbox One, won't mean a performance benefit of any kind, all it literally means is that they don't have to go through the hoops of porting from a different OS to another. At the very most all you can expect is the slight efficiency boost that comes with compatibility.
@DragonNight and Mikeslemonade
Why are you all trying to create an argument?...or feel the need to knock the news? Nobody in this particular string even suggested that it meant those things... And should you have read the article, you would have seen that.
@Sitdown: Who's trying to make an argument? I simply stated a fact. Are you going to provide evidence that porting from the same OS to the same OS is going to mean the XB1 will have PC performance levels or pretty much any benefit other than a modest efficiency boost?
The only people who would start an argument about this are certain individuals who don't live in reality and see everything Xbox related through rose colored glasses.
@dragonknight and mikesl
You guys are funny, always quick to downplay anything xbox. How can this not be a good thing?if sony announced the same thing, you wouldnt be downplaying it now would you? If this is true it would be really impressive..for both indie and aa pc ports..it would help devs save resources and gamers will enjoy the benefits so i really dont know how you guys can still try to put this down. If you dont like it then move on instead of saying crap like this
"This actually means literally nothing. Just because a game is made for Windows 8 doesn't mean that porting it to the Xbox One is going to mean anything significant."
you havent used it either? You cant just jump in here calling it nothing.i doubt you were ever interested in the xbox in the first place.so your comments aint surprising.
Yeah I'd like to get my hands on the upcoming Unreal Tournament that's releasing on PC only. That would be real nice on the X1.
Windows 8 Sucks, I just had to throw that out there.
Once again we have Microsoft hyping up some feature of the XBOXone but how does this benefit actual XB1 owners is beyond me.
Port from PC to XB1 in 48 hours is SO SWEET! Too bad most PC Game devs do NOT want to fool with the XB1 because of MS policies.
Nice feature but it isn't gonna translate into a ton of PC Exclusives hitting the XB1.
SO basically you can program a game on a PC using DX12 and port it to the XB1 in two days AND then optimize it to run at 720p 30 fps because of the XB1 WEAK gpu.
Save yourself a lot of dev time versus the xb360. Hopefully this is better served the OTHER WAY AROUND.
Port XB1 games to the PC in less than 48hrs is where the REAL MONEY IS AT.
Alan Wake 2 PC will outsell XB1 version GUARANTEED!
What policies?
Unless you are part of id@xbox, I'm not aware of anything devs would be wary of.. Even then, now you can release your Xbox port along side your PC version for next to nothing.. Pretty huge upside there
And windows 8 is better then windows 7.. People just hate the ui but performance wise I find it much faster and insanely stable.. But I ha e to admit that ui is a bit hard to swallow lol
So what I take from your rant is this: I am asceered that this might mean more PC/XB1 exclusives.
Don't know about the performance of Windows 8 but the UI is ugly as hell , it's annoying. Really not kool. I had some problems running old games but otherwise i heard all the new games work on it.
However , this awesome news if developers do develop on windows 8.
My eyes! They burn! Too much nonesense and fanboyism in one post for them to handle
@ Belasco
True more XB1/PC Exclusives. Best way for MS to make money and keep things away from PS4.
So many disagrees at the truth.
1. Win8 sucks = TRUTH
2. XB1 features that have yet to produce anything meaningful = TRUTH
3. Alan Wake PC outsold Alan Wake X360 "Remedy says Alan Wake has crossed 2 million sales on PC" = TRUTH
4. Most PC Devs hate MS XB1 policies = TRUTH
5. Got disagrees for telling the TRUTH = TRUTH
@Ati elite
All those things you said and listed above are only truths to you and you alone.. What's gone into you?
-Alan wake pc sold higher than xbox 360 version (wth)
-Windows 8 sucks (your opinion)
-Most devs hate windows 8(may be in your little world)
-Xbx features that have yet to produce anything( really)hating on something as cool as this too?
-Disagree cos I'm right (lmao... yeah right) people disagree with you cos your spilling out nonsense and ranting like a fanboy.
Win 8 ui sucks for sure, the backend is pretty state of the art though. I'm gonna wait for win 9 though which will hopefully have the best of both worlds.
alan wakePC over two million units sold
alan wake x360 1.6m
GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT
Windows 8 has features that can lock it down like an Apple computer thus forcing Indie devs to pay MORE for access not to mention MS charges Devs/pubs for updates and server acces and Gabe Newell even addressed these issue.
GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT
Azure, TEH clouds, DX12, what other XB1 feature has been touted but has YET to be implemented into a game?
GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT
Playstation 4 has already implemented several key features into it's games meanwhile all MS has done is TALK about them.
GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT GOOGLE IT
It's not about being a fanboy, it's about LESS talk and more hard evidence.
People shelled out $500 for what? TALK or Actual Games?
How long have WE all been laughing at "TEH CLOUDZ"? Still no real implementation, only MINOR use in Titanfall, so minor that most Indie PC MMO games already do these things.
You can Google whatever you want. If you choose to only click on n4g links then that's your fault Lol.. Or maybe the idiot blogs that had a headline that suits your argument
Most of the crap you wrote is flat out wrong... And for someone that wants less talk.. Why'd you make all these rants yet not include any actual reasoning for your opinions? (which you claim are facts)
You have absolutely no clue regarding game development. You always want to "port down" because it's easy to lower the quality of textures for consoles by running them through a simple filter.
How do you propose you "port up" from Xbone to PC? It's kinda tough to increase the quality of already inferior texture files without having to completely re-make all the textures.
The last 8 years PC owners had to endure lazy developers porting many games up to PC and it really sucked.
I admit I'd really like to see Sunset Overdrive on PC, that may save me 500 blings!
To all that disagree above... Windows 8 is the worst OS that I have ever touched. Aside from UI issues, there are an EXTENSIVE amount if driver issues and bugs that MS -- as usual -- are ignoring. I dumped Windows back whenvista was released and moved on to greener pastures (Linux) and when Windows 8 was released I decided to see how Windows 7 had fared since my departure from MS's famous OS. To my surprise, I was very impressed. The OS ran smoothly and had very little to no driver issues. Windows 8 -- on the other hand was absolutely HORRID -- as if the UI hadn't done enough damage, the thing that Windows users always boasted about (gaming) had been severely affected by the OS. Video card drivers were shot, and the "App Store" was (and still is) EMPTY. Just had to put that out there... Windows 8 = THAT BAD.
I'm with ATI on this one. Windows 8 is rubbish. Trying to lock people out from hardware they own.
Geez... so many of you argue with him and have no clue what you're saying. It's very sad considering how it drastically affects the future of PC's.
Yes trying Googling.. then actually reading
@christocolus
I'm a pc gamer and everything ATI-Elite said was true and you're just a butt hurt Sony fanboy downplaying any news that comes out for xbox. You calling him a fanboy is a total joke. This is all around good news for guys on pc that may want to port over to xbox. Also Alan wake did sell way more on pc its on sale on steam all the time for like 10 dollars so it's had huge exposure on pc far more than it got on xbox. Saying pc guys dont want to go to xbox is stupid look how many copies of Minecraft sold on xbox the market is there for Indy developers.
It would have greater impact if they say "ports from Windows 7" and not "ports from Windows 8" though.. that version isn't good for gaming..
You have no idea what you are talking about. Windows 8 is great for gaming. Updating from Windows 7 to Windows 8 is a pretty significant increase in performance for gaming.
Just because you hate Microsoft doesn't mean you need to spread fud...
The only thing that sucks about Windows 8 is the metro UI.
Completely agree @FragM
The fps bump from windows 7 to windows 8 is def noticeable. People like to hate on windows 8 but I think (especially after the 8.1 update) they made a great OS (of course beside the metro UI, but you don't have to use it ...).
I use the UI on my tablet and boot to desktop on my Desktop & laptop. Nice having the choice
Actually Windows 8.1 contains several CPU optimizations. It's definitely better than 7 now.
Eerm wrong, windows 8 although sporting an ugly ui is damn stable and great for games. Now we can tell your just Bum talking dude. - bub for trolling styferion
Indeed. I've noticed a couple of indie games that are going to be PC/Xbox One only, whereas most indie games were PC/PS4 until now.
Maybe this will become a trend.
I think it's a pretty amazing turnover time. Just trying to figure out what's the catch?
Is that with or without optimizing for the esram? For some reason, I don't believe him..
Without of course, but it allows for time resources for optimization
Esram is being used for the GPU, only, its an entirely new way of doing things. The system is not like the 360, that's untrue. It will take some time for devs to get used to it. I'm telling you in about a year or two the resolution debate will be no more.
The X1 will always have the weaker hardware and Sony will also improve their OS, tools and API and devs will get more used to the console. In 1-2 years devs will have two options, make games run the same on both onsoles or release the PS4 version running and playing better compared to the X1 version.
If the PS4 keeps outselling the X1 at the current rate many devs will not go for the parity. The 360 was ahead of the PS3 for a long time so they had leverage to force parity on devs, but as the the PS4 builds up the lead and multiplatform games sell better on the PS4 they loose that leverage.
As for the ESRAM, it can used for any data. The thing is with it being only that small you can't throw big chuncks in there so you wouldn't use it in most cases for data that is processed by the CPU.
Well perhaps, but even so that doesn't mean X1 will reach the same performance of PS4 which is impossible. There's only so much that optimizations can do
@Alexious
No i bet esram will help i bet developers are just being lazy like last gen. They are finding ways not to use the esram like they did with 360. They dont want anything to do with it so they just program around it because their games would still work even though they didn't try to take advantage of it.
It's said in the article, obviously tweaking is not considered in this. It probably means just that the code can work.
Optimizing takes more of course, but it's still impressive.
Wow, that's actually really cool. Hopefully they start utilizing that ability. There are a lot of games I'd love to see from PC to X1
Interesting article, thanks. Definitely seems like the isolation of the OS's and Apps has really made updates more streamlined. Pretty awesome that they are able to deliver fresh ideas and fixes into the system on a monthly basis.
Big fan of the multitasking features as well, especially now that they fixed the volume issue. Been casually watching the NFL draft in the side window while playing games this week and it is great. Pretty cool to see that Nutjitsu game even works to play as snapped. Hope we get more casual games like that where we can play them snapped during long load times and multiplayer lobbies.
@ dazz, great pic, have you played it? I haven't experienced difficulties yet, that's not to say that there isn't . You have to admit, that pic was taken during an online game and there is a lot going on in that screen. But it is true, the game is not as smooth as butter.