Nah, there's plenty of optimisations and improvement to come on PS4 (and XB1).
Just look at the amount of RAM that could be freed up with OS optimisations on PS4, that's only one example.
Yeah, exactly.
Every gen we've seen games get better and better for every console. Tools / SDK's get better. Resources get optimised. Developers become more familiar and experienced.
Why we need all this 'secret sauce' talk for XB1 (and now PS4) is just pointless.
The main problem was that Sony forced MS' hand.
MS thought they had another year before the next-gen started. In that time they could have developed the media functionality (especially for markets outside the US). They could have actually shown some games and titles to prove to us that the 'always online' strategy was viable and the future.
Maybe it would still have failed, but MS was caught with its pants down and have been scrambling ever sinc...
You make a valid point Shinrock
Whilst I don't own an XB1, I do plan on getting one at some point in the future.
But the removal of Kinect does raise a few questions (although I'll still get the Kinect bundle, so more curiosity for me, not a concern)
Does any XB1 owner know how recording clips will work without Kinect? I assume it could be mapped to a button on the controller - but are there any cases where existing games use all th...
From the Metro article on this:
"...from 343 Industries general manager Bonnie Ross, who describes the game as a ‘massive and exciting project’. That emphasis on massive is her’s and we wonder whether that might not be intended as a clue that the game will have elements of massively multiplayer games such as PlanetSide."
[Note, in the original written quote the word massive was in italics - but N4G doesn't do styles]
Could be Ha...
Not upset, but I am disappointed for three reasons.
Even if devs failed to create a killer Kinect app, it was still sensible to bundle it in every box - as devs, at least, had incentive to use it. Now there's no incentive at all. We are unlikely to see any innovative use of Kinect in any hardcore games now.
The value for the Kinect-less bundle is very poor compared to the Kinect Standard bundle. It's only marginally cheaper in the UK - not even by ...
I'm hoping Knack gets released as a PS+ free title.
In general it wasn't the masses who were saying that wanted a Kinect-less XB1 (expect the tinfoil hat wearing minority concerned about spying!)
What people wanted was an XB1 that didn't cost $499. The message was 'I'll buy it if it's cheaper, and if that means ditching Kinect, I'm cool with that'.
If MS had the spine and the balls they would have kept Kinect in the bundle but taken a hit and dropped the price to compete with the P...
I love it when Xbox fans play the 'oppressed gamer minority' card. You're sooo victimised!
Unbundling Kinect has nothing to do with customer demands, and everything to do with catching Sony.
In the UK the price difference between a Standard XB1 and a Kinect-free XB1 is £29. So if MS are saying Kinect is only worth £29 - then I wonder what the RRP will be when they start selling it separately - my bet is around the £99 mark.
I also highlighted Sony / Nintendo as being profit / marketshare focused - but it's the way the strategy is executed that is important to me, as a consumer.
As this is a topic about MS I don't want to make this about Sony but I don't agree with some of your points against them. There's no indication that R&D is being held back - the PS4, Morpheus, their new cameras and smartphones are all indicators that R&D is happening. They are in a terrible finan...
MS have no strategy beyond profit and market share, that's the biggest problem for me. I have no idea if they will support their consoles beyond 4 years, and produce the games I really want to play over the entire life cycle.
Sure, Sony and Nintendo have the same ultimate goals - but at least they pick a strategy for the life of their products and stick to it fairly closely, and give the illusion of some customer focus.
MS on the other hand...
<...
I'm not going to defend the new style Battle Mode as it does seem ridiculous. But the overall tone of the article was so whiny I have no sympathy with the guy and this is not the quality I expect from Wired..
I've read enough reviews to see that the problem of Blue Shells seems diminished, and overall the game is better balanced.
They could shut down Kinect... But it'd just annoy those people who actually use Kinect features a lot. So it is highly unlikely to happen.
Imagine you've got used to shouting 'Xbox Record' while playing to save a clip. If certain games removed that it's be very frustrating.
Mario Kart is one of those games that covers every type of gamer - from kids to hardcore.
Seriously, if you can get past the graphics it's a ruthless racing game!
I've had some of the most fun-rage-inducing-last-corner- wins/loses/battles with friends while playing Mario Kart over the years - right back to the SNES version.
It's just too awesome.
The WiiU is starting to hit critical mass for me. If Nintendo can release just a couple more AAA games that appeal to me I'll buy one!
This is kinda splitting hairs but... I think what RiPPn is getting at is that MS have not dropped the price of the original SKU - they've introduced a whole new SKU at a lower price with less features.
So it isn't a price drop from that perspective.
An analogy would be...
If you bought a new car model with air-conditioning you'd pay more than the same base model without that feature. The price hasn't been dropped, it's jus...
The new price model may be significant in the US, but in the UK the difference is negligible.
I said this in another post...
XB1 without Kinect £349.99 (no games)
XB1 with Kinect £379.00 (no games)
XB1 Titanfall bundle £389.99
Only £29 difference between the vanilla bundles. Not even one AAA game! Not worth it - I'd rather pay the extra and have Kinect in case it becomes useful (for example with a VR ...
Having done some research it means nothing to me...
I was looking on Amazon and a few other sites to get an idea of whether the Kinect-less XB1 is actually good value in the UK... And from what I can see, it's not at all.
XB1, no Kinect = £349.99 (no games)
XB1 + Kinect = £379.00 (no games)
XB1 + Kinect + Titanfall = £389.86 (TitanFall bundle)
TitanFall on it's own = £39.95
So, buyi...
I was going to write a big 'ol post about why this is a stupid idea... but it was just easier to agree with you. :)
The only way they could do this is if MS issued an API that allowed devs to turn off Kinect completely - but that won't happen as it'd frustrate people who actually do use Kinect.
Considering what devs did with the meagre amount of RAM on PS3 / XBox360, I think 8GB will be OK!