Source claims new Xbox is 'already in manufacturing stages'

[Shawn Knight]

The next generation Xbox has already reached the manufacturing stage according to a report from IGN. A source has told the publication that assembly recently started at the Austin, Texas branch of Flextronics, the same company responsible for manufacturing the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox before that.

The company reportedly created a whole new testing group to work on the new Xbox, separate from everyone else. The new group was responsible for marketing, software and hardware testing and with those tasks behind them, the project has moved on to manufacturing.

IGN points out that although systems are being actively created, they likely aren’t retail models. Instead, Flextronics is probably churning out development kits that will be sent to game studios so companies can get to work on making games for the new system that will be ready in time for the console’s launch.

Speaking of launch, the new Xbox is still probably a couple of years out. We already know for a fact that Microsoft won’t be showing any new hardware at this year’s E3 convention. A company spokesperson confirmed this statement back in March.

As is the norm, Microsoft and Flextronics provided no comment on the rumor. Considering that Microsoft will soon be offering a subsidized $99 Xbox 360 bundle paired with a two year service agreement, it seems feasible to think that the company plans to ride the 360 wave for at least two more years following the successful launch of Kinect.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/48460-source-claims-new-xbox-is-already-in-manufacturing-stages.html

 

[Guest]

is this the same xbox that will need a constant internet connection and won't play used games? if so, NO THANKS.

 

[TomSEA]

Both of those rumors about the new XBox have already been squashed by MS, guest.

BUT...I'm thinking this thing will be released a helluva lot sooner than 2 years if the new Wii and PS4 start racking up big sales numbers.

 

[CrisisDog]

I think I'm done with consoles, sticking with my PC for gaming. Just wish a few of the top titles would be ported over, but I'm not sweating it...

 

[Guest]

tom if thats true, and MS doesnt try to pull something similar, then I might get one.

 

[scorpionvenom]

I think I'm done with consoles, sticking with my PC for gaming. Just wish a few of the top titles would be ported over, but I'm not sweating it...

i deffo agree with you pc all the way cant see myself buying the new xbox either always gaming on my pc

 

[Guest]

As a PC gamer, I don't care that much for the next Xbox since Xbox makes the least sense given its lack of good console exclusive titles and its dominance of first person / shooters, which are better on the PC anyway.

However, I find it extremely disappointing that all the hardware is finalized and is already going into production in small volumes, despite the console NOT launching for almost another 2 years. Given that Apple and Samsung can release smartphones with cutting edge hardware and manufacture 30+ million headsets in 1 quarter, there is absolutely no reason at all why the next PS4 or Xbox shouldn't have hardware that's at most 6-8 months old. In other words, if PS4 launches by end of 2013 and Xbox next by Q1 2014 (current rumors for both), those consoles should at minimum have HD7000/GTX600 or even HD8000 GPUs inside of them. Unfortunately, the current rumors point to HD6670 style GPUs in both.

This is upsetting since that means PC graphics will be once again stagnated by consoles that will be vastly underpowered ON THE DAY of release. At least PS3 and Xbox360 had somewhat decent midrange GPUs at their launch time (~7950GT and between X1800 and X1900XTX for the 360). This console generation looks gimped from the start. Given how excellent the power consumption is on HD7850 2GB, that should be the bare minimum GPU to last consoles for 7-8 years.

If the next generation of consoles means renewed development focus on PC gaming, I am all for it. But in the last 4 years we have hardly seen any innovation on the PC. Since Crysis, there have been only a handful of great looking games (BF3, Metro 2033, Witcher 2), with the vast majority being console ports that can be maxed out on $200 HD6950. That doesn't look to change until at least 2014 when next generation consoles force ALL developers to make games in native DX11.

 

[m4a4]

@Guest above: As a gamer who loves to game on PC, get over it. Games shouldn't be more about the graphics, but the gameplay. If you want graphics, go get a recent benchmark...
I still go play SNES games every so often and guess what? They have a couple hundred times worse graphics than this generation of games and yet it's still fun to play anyways...

Anyways, this is a smart move by MS as it will give their system a better lineup of quality games at launch.

 

[Guest]

If they were to include a HD 7850 we will defiantly see a PS4 being $600 or more.

 

[soldier1969]

..And already long outdated by my current PC build and about to be even further behind when I upgrade again this Summer to a GTX 690 512gb SSD 16Gb ram and Ivy bridge @ 5ghz. when it releases whenever I will have it beat by light years. But hey if your 12 this is good news.

 

[Guest]

I'll be interested in buying one but not till I see how reliable it will be. The early models of the ford pinto...err I mean 360 was a joke of a lemon.

 

[Guest]

maybe this console will play 1080p resolutions. in all actuality the current xbox can only support 720p, when u select the 1080p option in your xbox all your doing is stretching the 720p image to 1080p resolution, but the picture quality isnt 1080p. not to mention theres alot of input lag when playing in hd mode with the 360, possibly the ps3 as well. pc for the win. I enjoy the fact my pc version of modern warfare 3 is much sexier on my pc at 720p than my friends running it at "1080p" on his tv/console.

 

[Guest]

[FONT=Helvetica]m4a4, [/FONT]

You totally misinterpreted my comment. I never said Graphics > Gameplay. I am saying why finalize the specs of the console 2 years before it will be actually launched? Apple and Samsung put the latest chips in smartphones just 6 months after they come out. There is no need to put the ancient HD6670 into consoles when they aren't going to be out for another 2 years. In fact, since new generations of consoles now last 7-8 years, as opposed to 5-6 years as was the case in the past, putting a weak GPU will have far reaching consequences. I never said that I am a graphics *****. I am saying that by the time these consoles launch HD6670 level GPU is laughably outdated.

[FONT=Helvetica]@ Guest: "If they were to include a HD 7850 we will defiantly see a PS4 being $600 or more."[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]Wrong. HD7850 costs $250 right now but in 2 years from now a GPU of that power could be shrunk to 20nm and easily purchased for $120-130. I will bet all the $ in the world that by end of 2013 a GPU with a power of HD7850 will not cost more than $140 on Newegg. Therefore, such a GPU could easily be purchased in millions of quantities for $120-130 by Q4 2013 or by Q1 2014. [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]Also, with BluRay drive prices having plummeted where a BluRay writer can be purchased for $60 on Newegg, there is no reason why PS4 would cost $600. When PS3 was released, BluRay drive was estimated to cost $230+. That's simply not the case today. That means there is a lot of budget room to squeeze a $120-140 GPU inside the console and still be able to sell it for $399. [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]PS4 is rumored to have A8-3870K Llano CPU or 3850. That CPU costs $120 today, which means by end of 2013 there is no way it'll be more than $100 on Newegg. The console is also expected to have HD6670 discrete GPU (that costs $60-70 at most today). Thus, the CPU + GPU costs are no more than $200 TODAY. By 2013, such cheap components will be worth half. [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]It's funny how people complained that this console generation stagnated PC gaming graphics but Xbox360/PS3 were far more powerful in relative terms to 2005/2006 PCs than what Xbox next and PS4 will be relative to powerful PCs by end of 2013/early 2014. The next console generation is shaping up to be a big disappointment.[/FONT]

 

[m4a4]

@Guest above: I suggest you register, it makes things easier
1. You are complaining about how graphics for games will suffer because of the slightly older cards (hence my comment, but I never said you were a "graphics *****" for it. I just said get over the fact that they won't be as pretty).
2. You must not understand how consoles work if you think that they can put the state of the art cards in them and sell them at affordable rates (which they subsidize quite a bit). The reason why the Wii sold so well was because it was affordable and had good games, not a good graphics card...

 

[Nic]

To make the X-box 720 affordable, it will use a 2 year old graphics chip ... nice one!

Actually, that's probably powerful enough for good graphics, and the 2 year delay roughly coincides with the release cycle for most games ... and for many gamers, better graphics is one good reason to upgrade to a new console.

 

[davimous]

I don`t understand why people treat computers and consuls as the same thing. I prefer consul for some games and PC for others. I am quite disappointed in the time between new consuls but I will still buy the new x box when it comes out. I find sitting on my couch relaxed far more enjoyable then being 18 inches away from my monitor sometimes.

 

[Guest]

input lag? sorry dude, thats your tv not the xbox or ps3, my tv has the same thing, then I turn on game mode and it goes away.

 

[cookiedude]

..And already long outdated by my current PC build and about to be even further behind when I upgrade again this Summer to a GTX 690 512gb SSD 16Gb ram and Ivy bridge @ 5ghz. when it releases whenever I will have it beat by light years. But hey if your 12 this is good news.

And you'll be able to get all of that for sub-£400?? Clearly not, hardware for consoles and PCs simply cannot be compared simply because you're talking about completely different considerations for the user and completely different price points. The GTX alone costs more than 3 PS3s!!

What I'm more interested in is how well they get the CPU and GPU to work together, computing power is as much about efficiency of calculations as it is about sheer grunt.