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Nachimir

Rumour: Third party 360s?

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This is just a rumour:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168394

We'll tell you what's up with Microsoft: new hardware options. It may sound totally insane -- trust us, we did a double-take the first time Qmann whispered it in our ears -- but word has it that Microsoft may begin allowing third-party manufacturers to create Xbox 360 hardware. And we're not talking about peripherals, people; we mean hardware that runs 360 game discs created by someone other than Microsoft. It's a novel way of dealing with that red ring issue, don't you think?

But it would be genius. It would greater enable hardware to adapt to the end of five year cycles, mitigate problems like the RROD, allow all kinds of platform tweaks and revisions by third parties (*cough* Blu-ray 360 *cough*), and further help to shed any residual nerdy image gaming has, because third party manufacturers are likely to try all manner of convergence and aesthetics.

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I can see the benefit to Microsoft on a financial level but what's the benefit to the consumer? :erm: I realise you touched on some aspects in your final paragraph but I'm having trouble visualising how it'd work. Simply plonking a BluRay player into a third party XBOX isn't going to fly, it would fracture the marketplace surely. Maybe I don't understand the implications of this.

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It's not so much a benefit to consumers as incentive/sneaky deposition of their hardware in people's homes. Multiple SKUs have been targeting everyone from "hardcore" gamers to families so far, but it's possible they could do much better than that by licensing the hardware to other firms with better understandings of different markets and technologies.

Even if the Wii-type controller rumours prove to be true, MS aren't going to compete with the Wii on it's own territory with that kind of "me too" approach. Likewise with a Blu-Ray player. Turning the 360 into a platform like the PC might propel it even further though. Any company that wanted to make a 360 flavoured device would have to pay Microsoft a lot of money for the privilege - MS own the chipset this time round.

Consider it the reverse of Sony's approach with the PS3 - they sold it as a high end gaming console with all this other stuff built into it. That's a specific proposition that appeals to a specific kind of person - a gamer. TV shops aren't selling it as a Blu-Ray player that happens to play PS3 games. Licensing console technology to third parties would sneak it into all kinds of other sales propositions: "Sure, we make set top boxes, but this one is 360 capable". It turns the 360 into more of a brand than a device, and could make the brand a lot more malleable.

If they're raking in licensing fees or even royalties, MS don't have to worry so much about attach rates either - the respective manfacturers would all be incentivised to help sell games.

Sony and Nintendo have both fought to get new demographics, and largely succeeded, over the past 14 years. Since the first Xbox, Microsoft have struggled, targeted traditional gamers, and largely been behind on demographics. Their consoles have a particular image that isn't the most profitable one, and licensing hardware could give them a sneaky route to getting 360s and resultant game sales into new groups of people.

I doubt it's about to happen with the 360 because it just seems far too radical a move for MS, but at some point I think such a platform will be a logical step.

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If this happens it could be excellent as Nachmir detailed. In fact the points you brought up hadn't even occurred to me.

My first reaction was 'What a nightmare'.

Mainly what concerns me is TCR related madness that could ensue.

When I worked in standards on the old Xbox there were actually issues that failed the HMS documents that only happened on Xboxs manufactured in China during a certain period.

Now the idea of several Third parties being able to incorporate the 360 into hardware with different designs and different hardware requirements just has me reeling from the number of nasty bugs that are blatantly going to show up in later games and if anything it might make the 360 look even dumber than it already does with the RROD issues.

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Turning the 360 into a platform like the PC might propel it even further though. Any company that wanted to make a 360 flavoured device would have to pay Microsoft a lot of money for the privilege - MS own the chipset this time round.

But there's already a platform like the PC: the PC. Microsoft tried (and failed) to create a standard brand for gamers on the PC with its "Games For Windows" and "Live" initiatives and now we're supposed to believe that they're just going to open up their locked-in console to whomever wants to build it? Really? They made lofty promises about that whole push (interoperability between PC/XBox. Connectivity with mobile devices, Zune, etc) and delivered on none of them. Instead, their great new upcoming feature is... Mii-like virtual avatars? Way to market lead there.

The idea is a good one and it's been around for a long time (this is essentially what 3DO did) but I just don't see it flying in Microsoft's hands.

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(interoperability between PC/XBox. Connectivity with mobile devices, Zune, etc)

Not sure what you're referring to, but the interoperability between my PC and XBox is excellent. I can access all my music through my network. I use the Windows Media Center to stream TV episodes to my TV, too.

With my Zune I can wirelessly stream music from it to my XBox, as well.

Pretty good, if you ask me! *shrugs*

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Not sure what you're referring to, but the interoperability between my PC and XBox is excellent. I can access all my music through my network. I use the Windows Media Center to stream TV episodes to my TV, too.

With my Zune I can wirelessly stream music from it to my XBox, as well.

Pretty good, if you ask me! *shrugs*

I don't mean with random media. I mean interoperability with Live, which was meant to be this great unifying platform.

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n0wak, if PC and console were open platforms, the difference would be that consoles are much more the kind of thing people would put under their TV, whereas the PC has stabilised on either being a laptop or a big ugly box. Intermediates, like Shuttle PCs, just aren't so common because they tend to involve the added expense of less standard components.

Yes, MS has made a mess with Games for Windows and Xbox live (taking down the least popular games? Exactly the opposite of what you should do with digital distribution, it needs better filters, not less content). All of these things are screwing up because the people in charge have never done it before and are essentially winging it; pretty much anyone would be at the point in the development of the net. Whoever does it will fuck it up in some respect, people will copy, and iterations will get better.

Convergence is really difficult. It's often been called a complete dud because certain efforts at it were so awful and didn't take off, but it is happening.

Mobile phones are kind of an obvious target for it, they're a pocket device with a clear function that just happens to also be a device munching widget on it's way to becoming an omni-computer (Camera, videocamera, dictaphone, wifi, GPS... etc. etc.). In the living room it gets a lot more difficult. Obviously, some kind of network connected computer is going to handle it. Whether it's the TV, a set-top box, DVD player, amplifier, another new box (apple tv), or a games console, something is going to convincingly and efficiently take on lots of functions at some point.

It's not even slightly clear which device will do it and how. The one that succeeds will automatically make sense to people, and nothing quite does yet. I think a games console will be a strong contender for it.

twmac, I think you're correct about the hardware issues, but if the licensing company handled it correctly, reputation hits would point back to specific manufacturers rather than the brand.

Like I already said though, I don't expect MS will open up the 360 hardware. It seems too far fetched a rumour.

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Agreed about the convergence thing.

For the first time in a long time I watched semi-commercial TV and loved it. In england they have a 'Video on Demand' thing going on with some cable providers and it is a breath of fresh air. I can actually watch TV when I want without adverts.

If they were to do that properly on the PS3 or maybe create a 'Platinum' account on Xbox LIVE where I paid something like an optional monthly fee and could watch TV shows for free or a system that provided that as well as a proper gaming console; I totally fucking would.

I've had the delight of catching up on a bunch of old comedy shows without any commercial breaks, without any waiting for the stream to load and all of it legal.

Bring it on.

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