This podcast was also delayed in publication due to real-life issues, but there’s a lot of banter involved, including a discussion of Bethesda’s missteps and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls VI, whatever it is.
Let us know what you think.
It’s amazing to think we’re in our third year of “next generation” console bliss. Three years have passed since the first Xbox 360 shipped, for good or bad, and it’s time to start thinking about the future.
Or is it?
Bobbie Bach, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices president, seems to believe this generation of consoles will expand out further than the typical four-year release cycle. Perhaps because the console developers have invested so much money in defeating each other in the market and making their console “number one” in the eyes of their investors.
Bach does not believe we’re cresting on the current generation, that is for certain, and we’ve yet to hear any hype over a new next-generation console from Microsoft. They were the first to market so, theoretically, they should be the first in the next-generation as well, right?
Their move to be number one was really a strategic attack which has paid out well, leading them above the past domination of Sony and Nintendo before it. However, they are holding strong with the Xbox 360 and there might be cause to sit tight and let this generation playout before bringing in another piece of hardware.
Bach stated that he believes consoles today are competing at different levels than ten years ago. There isn’t one clear winner, there isn’t one dominating console. There will be victors in different areas of the industry; casual consoles, top game sellers, best graphics and others. It’s not about sheer “units sold” it’s more about being profitable and building a community around your hardware, see Xbox Live as a great example.
Next generation will be full of fantastic new features, ways to connect and crazy hardware specifications, no doubt, but… for many of us, it will take years before we forget the pain and suffering we paid shipping our dead Xbox 360’s back to Microsoft for repairs. Would you be willing to buy into their next generation as their first customer?
(Thanks, 1up)
This weeks gaming podcast, we’re talking a bit about E3 but not enough to make you sick. We’re curious to the fate of the E3 event, is it really done or will it live on? We’re finishing up the RPG history and we take a look back at the Atari title KABOOM! Was he catching bombs with a box, barrel or pie?
Also in the gaming podcast news:
We’ve also got a listener comment pointing out where Jennifer is wrong about rhythm matching games and give away Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords.
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Are you one of those that have a diskless (or low flash disk) based Xbox 360? We’ve been wondering, ourselves, what Microsoft was going to do to “fix” the fact that the upcoming Fall Update is going to require 128MB of disk space.
It seems they’re going to hand you either a 512MB memory card or a 20GB Hard Disk for the price of $20.00. If you’ve got the $20.00, this would be the best route to go as 20GB is way more than a free 512MB flash card. You’ll be hard up to find 20GB anywhere for a buck a gigabyte – definitely a good deal.
Unfortunately, tonights gaming podcast will still have us pondering the news as we’ve already recorded it and asked the question “what are they going to do?” If you want to see if your console qualifies for the storage upgrade, head to Microsoft’s website with your serial number and console ID handy.
(Thanks, GameStooge)
