Gaming Xbox 720 Discussion

[mazdak26]

There have been a ton of rumors floating around about the Xbox 720 and I was wondering what you guys think about them.

CONFIRMED THINGS:

-8 GB of RAM

-Intel CPU

-Nvida Graphics Card

-64-bit Operating System

-Oban Processor

-[Xbox 720 is] slated to be the most powerful out of all the next-gen consoles. [It will be] about 4 to 6 times more powerful than Wii U and 2 to 3 times more powerful than Playstation Omni. The project has gone through many name iterations and will not be decided on until shortly before it’s E3 unveiling.

-a new feature surfaced discussing how Microsoft will try and implement some form of what the Wii U has with its GamePad.

"One very interesting detail revealed in the CVG report is that the new Xbox will feature an 'innovative' controller. While this could simply refer to new motion controls being included in with the classic Xbox controller design, it’s safe to say that gamers could be worried that Microsoft will try to re-invent the current, perfectly good, controller design.

"The Wii U GamePad may be an innovative controller, but it’s unlikely that Xbox gamers will want to use something that heavy for the type of multiplayer gaming the Xbox is famous for," the report stated.

-"LiveWall" to be released in 2014 that will projects game environments 360 degrees around the player. Using Kinect 2, they have two demos of one that is a battlefield RTS and one that is a kung-fu game with guys attacking all around. The LiveWall can also project different images on the wall, so people can play different games on different walls.

-The final goal with the tech is to shrink the system on a chip down enough so it can be put into tablets, PCs and Smart TVs so that all devices are Xbox ready

Not confirmed, but possible:

-Microsoft released research on a wearable wrist controller that could be used for tablets and PCs. Possibly an alternative controlling method?

-A report stated "the price [that has been] mentioned [is] around 400 to 500 Euros or your region’s equivalent."

In case you were wondering what the dollar conversion above would be, In Entertainment is suggesting the Xbox 720 would cost somewhere in the $510 and $638 range, a big expense for gamers.

So, What do you think so far? The thing I'm most excited about is the venture to make all devices Xbox Compatible. I've always wished for a Xbox Handheld device, and I think we may see one in the distant future.

 

[azabyaza121]

ign says it'll cost around 400 and below.And also it won't be called Xbox 720. Ign just said its gonna be called "Xbox". Nuthin special in the name.

 

[mazdak26]

yeah, but it needs to be distinguished from all the other consoles that everyone calls "Xbox" anyway.

 

[azabyaza121]

Yea I guess. Is there any info if there gonna continue making games for Xbox 360 even after the Xbox 720 release?

 

[mazdak26]

no, that's all I could find so far.

 

[azabyaza121]

I really hope they do cos It might take me a while before changing consoles.

 

[mazdak26]

yeah, I'm not getting a 720 until Destiny comes out.

 

[azabyaza121]

Destiny. Isnt that the game being developed by bungie? Apperently its being released for both Xbox 360 and 720. Do u think the 720 will be successful?

 

[Berb]

All the 720 needs to be is an updated 360, which is more efficiently built, and can handle the very intensive games that the PC market has held exclusively.
If you look at the following list for example, you'll see that developers, publishers and the console devs could really reap the benefits if the gap between current-gen PCs and current-gen consoles was shortened.

Spoiler

*You may want to expand the image

As long as they don't centre the console around a gimmick, like Nintendo is doing, and keep the same awesome controller, the 720 will be a great success.

 

[azabyaza121]

Yea that is very true. I guess it will be very successful from looking at that chart. Shizz Nintendo is crap as. I just wish that Xbox live multiplayer was for free just like how Sony is hosting free multi player.

 

[Cuffs]

I don't know about you guys but I am ready for this. The Xbox 360 is getting a little slow and aged.
Xbox 360 - :chuck:
"Nextbox" -

 

[azabyaza121]

I don't know about you guys but I am ready for this. The Xbox 360 is getting a little slow and aged.
Xbox 360 - :chuck:
"Nextbox" -

Hmm maybe

 

[Stevo]

Uhhh...

- Intel Processor
...
- Oban CPU

Sorry but, what?
Intel processor, means it's an Intel manufactured Central Processing Unit.
Oban CPU, means it's an IBM manufactured Central Processing Unit.

How can it have two different companies manufacture a processor for the device and have the device function correctly? You can't have a chipset support two different types of processor unless the two manufacturers work together to design a CPU that would function as both. I don't believe that would be the case for the new Xbox.

____________________________________________________

I think these specs are only rumours as I've also heard a little bit more indepth stuff from that. I was told it would have 8GB DDR3 RAM, an Intel i5 Dual-Core processor equivalent clocked at 1.9GHz and I've heard two different iterations for the Graphics Card, the first being an Nvidia GTX600M Series or equivalent design for the Xbox, or the AMD HD8xxx series equivalent. Intel and Nvidia have always stuck together in terms of computing from my knowledge, and AMD/ATI always stuck with their own (I believe ATI always has been a branch off of AMD anyway, or AMD bought out ATI early on) either way, with an Intel chipset, I think it's more likely the company to make a bespoke graphics card would be Nvidia.

 

[Insane54]

With two years of Computer Engineering under my belt, I'm not exactly the MOST knowledgeable about hardware design, but I think I know a good amount. From the report I've seen:

- each core has one fully independent hardware thread with no shared execution resources
- each hardware thread can issue two instructions per clock

Unless this is some new magical technology, this is literally impossible. CPI (cycles per instruction) is ALWAYS over 1, and certainly not 0.5; the clock cycle pushes the cores to the next stage in the multicore pipeline. And I have no idea what they're trying to say with this "hardware thread" thing, but that makes no sense. "Threads" are a programming technique (t_tid threadid) that allows multiple processes to occur connected to a server rather than directly to their peers (as opposed to a process, also a programming technique), not a processor thing. For example, threads are used in servers because each connection can be handled separately and independantly, and they have practically half as much cycles to create/maintain. Ugh.

Someone buying little computer parts on Newegg doesn't mean they understand how a processor works, certainly not enough to make something up. Then again, it could be VERY badly written, but I don't really think it's worth giving that the benefit of the doubt.

I think these specs are only rumours as I've also heard a little bit more indepth stuff from that. I was told it would have 8GB DDR3 RAM, an Intel i5 Dual-Core processor equivalent clocked at 1.9GHz and I've heard two different iterations for the Graphics Card, the first being an Nvidia GTX600M Series or equivalent design for the Xbox, or the AMD HD8xxx series equivalent. Intel and Nvidia have always stuck together in terms of computing from my knowledge, and AMD/ATI always stuck with their own (I believe ATI always has been a branch off of AMD anyway, or AMD bought out ATI early on) either way, with an Intel chipset, I think it's more likely the company to make a bespoke graphics card would be Nvidia.

This setup sounds more likely. I think a lot of people are making stuff up about the CPU, but in actuality, its all about the GPU (and the engineers at MS know that quite well). If you understand the difference between a GPU and CPU, its quite obvious that the CPU really isn't that important here (it's not about "graphics" or "processing", they both process data in a different way). They're going to focus on putting in a quality GPU, stick in a more than decent mid-grade processor. 8 GB of RAM sounds kind of unlikely given that that much won't be needed (a dedicated GPU usually runs with a quick-moving >=2GB dedicated RAM that will handle practically everything), but RAM is cheap these days so it's definitely not impossible that they'll go to 6-8 GB of RAM.

AMD bought ATI fairly recently, FYI. Right now it looks like Nvidia is SLIGHTLY ahead in tech power (but I could be wrong here), AMD seems to be focusing more on mobile solutions but Nvidia already has some great GPUs in place already. I have a Nvidia 650M 2GB on this laptop and it is wonderful. Practically no strain on my i5 processor or 6GB of RAM, and it runs League at ~100fps full settings. The bottleneck here is in the RAM technology, so MS is jumping in at a really good time, until new RAM tech is invented.

 

[Stevo]

Intel / AMD manufacturers war alternates. Usually AMD control the winter months as their tech usually comes out late fall, where as typical nvidia releases head out during the summer months. Usually Nvidia have the better drivers and card functionality over the AMDs so generally make the better sales in those months, but they only tend to control the market for about 3 months until the next AMD series comes out and then that's the big daddy. I remember looking at a 4GB GDDR5 4-way onboard ASUS AMD HD 5970 about two years ago, and that was considered an absolute demon at it's time. It's kinda outdated now in terms of processing though, and if the manufacturers really wanted to push the boat out, I wouldn't doubt you'd find an 8GB device floating around with 4 built in GPU cores.

Anyway, where did you get the first part of your post Aaron? I have next to '0' knowledge on processor functionality, but I understand enough to know what to buy. The calcs/cycle ratio seems impossible for the simple reason a computer processes information in 'On' or 'Off'... you can't have something either 'On' or 'Off' in between any cycle, as a value is essentially being assigned or processed against nothing.

The information I'd read up on previously wasn't something I'd take as a true word, but it seems more reliable than the OP on this occasion. Unless the new Xbox is actually going to be a 'console' PC, then there's no need for Processing power. Processors aren't required to speed up your internet browsing, or download videos faster, or do anything you'd imagine it to pretty much... It doesn't even calculate the stuff you see on your screen, there's a different processor dedicated for that stuff. All the CPU does is crunch numbers and says On/Off extremely quickly to just about everything else sat in your computer. Sure, it'll need some processing power to get the information from the hard disk to your GPU and vice versa, and your controller to your NIC port, but beyond shouting "He's just pressed the 'B' button" so all the other components hear, your CPU really just sits there telling everyone "We'll be needed soon, don't worry." or "Carry on with the work lads, I'll be in the office putting my feet up. Shout if you need me." - In a nutshell, that's a CPUs job.

But like I say, these things were only rumoured, and rumoured about 4 months ago or so when I looked them up... it could be something entirely different. And if they're really going Cloud on this, it could just simply be a 1.2GHz single-core processor, with 1GB RAM, a 128MB GPU with HDMI output and a 1Gb ethernet / wireless NIC... It's cheap, and keeps everything they really need locked up in a datacenter where it's kept safe and secure and properly maintained.

 

[Insane54]

Anyway, where did you get the first part of your post Aaron? I have next to '0' knowledge on processor functionality, but I understand enough to know what to buy. The calcs/cycle ratio seems impossible for the simple reason a computer processes information in 'On' or 'Off'... you can't have something either 'On' or 'Off' in between any cycle, as a value is essentially being assigned or processed against nothing.

vgleaks. And yes, that's exactly right. A clock is just billions of little on/off plateaus (cycles) per a second, therefore an 0.5 CPI makes no sense.

 

[Lights]

Qualcomm > Intel/Nvidia/AMD

I was a little bummed when I heard they wouldnt have a QCOMM chip. But I get that Intel will make Windows integration smoother, so, meh, i suppose.

 

[a bored teen]

So will we have 32 player maps in halo5

 

[Stevo]

Qualcomm > Intel/Nvidia/AMD

I was a little bummed when I heard they wouldnt have a QCOMM chip. But I get that Intel will make Windows integration smoother, so, meh, i suppose.

I've not actually heard of Qualcomm... what do they actually design processors for?

 

[Lights]

I've not actually heard of Qualcomm... what do they actually design processors for?

Just about every mobile device out there. Snapdragon S4 is the chip most people have heard of, and its in probably a third of all current phones and tablets. It's a San Diego-based company (the biggest employer in San Diego aside from the military), and they have basically never done any marketing, which is why most people have never heard of them (despite actually passing Intel in market share last year). The chips they unveiled at CES a couple weeks ago basically confirmed that they have plans to take over the world.