7 ms·

Serious question: what's the reasoning behind naming scheme of Xboxes? Only serious, non-ranting explanation I've found [1] is that they're rebranding it back t

by magnat 7y ago

Serious question: what's the reasoning behind naming scheme of Xboxes? Only serious, non-ranting explanation I've found [1] is that they're rebranding it back to just "Xbox", which somehow makes even less sense. [1] https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/microsoft-only-using-xbox-name-going-forward-2019-12 https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/microsoft-only-using-xbox-...

syspec 7y ago
Direct-X box
- Koshkin 7y ago
  I was hoping for X Window...
Tsiklon 7y ago
I suspect they want to diminish the concept of console generations altogether and push towards an "xbox as a service" type idea. Looking at how they've mentioned that owners of their new first party titles on xbox one will have an upgraded/enhanced release available at no cost on their new console - I suspect this is to blur the lines between the two series.
BitwiseFool 7y ago
I heard that Steve Ballmer pushed the idea of the Xbox 360's successor being named "Xbox One". He was hoping people would start calling it 'The One' because it was supposed to be a unifying home media device. Also, this was around the time Microsoft got sued by Sky and had to change the name of SkyDrive to OneDrive. So there was definately a 'One' branding scheme going on. You also google his 'One Microsoft' reorganization plan and see a clear theme.
- bitwize 7y ago
  And instead we got a passel of XBone jokes. Good job, Ballmer.
  - skohan 7y ago
    I remember there was a director's commentary on a Simpson's episode where they remarked that they tried several times too inject a word into the American lexicon, and it failed miserably every time. Apparently it's extremely unpredictable what people will latch on to.
    - trianglem 7y ago
      At least one of the cromulent attempts was successful.
      - skohan 7y ago
        I know you're joking but as I remember they said they did it unintentionally several times but when they tried to do it on purpose it never worked.
        bitwize 7y ago
        The Portal writers apparently tried to get a hoop from the final scene of the game made into a meme. It didn't go over at all, but "the cake is a lie" -- memed instantly.
dx87 7y ago
It sounds like they're moving to the same naming scheme as cars, where a "Toyota Corolla" is basically the same, but has additional features or performance if you buy a new year model. Supposedly the new Xboxes are no different than consumer computers, so I could see games having a "runs best on Xbox 2021 or newer" label. Also, I remember that the "XBox 360" got its name because they didn't want "XBox 2" to be competing with "Playstation 3".
- s_dev 7y ago
  So consoles have entirely given up on the market and just become branded PCs?
  - Analemma_ 7y ago
    Basically, yes. The PS5 is also going to be just an x86 Ryzen machine with the same AMD GPUs you'd get in a PC. This is sort of disappointing from a technology nerdery perspective, but after years of game developers struggling with bespoke weirdness like the PS3 Cell chip, I imagine they're welcoming the change. It also makes it much easier to handle backwards-compatibility, which most gamers treat as non-negotiable these days.
    - vernie 7y ago
      This change already happened in the last generation as both the PS4 and Xbox One used Jaguar APUs with GCN GPUs.
    - skohan 7y ago
      But there are some meaningful differences right? Like it's an SOC with shared CPU/GPU memory. Theoretically this could give better performance for things like loading assets, which have to go from storage -> main memory -> graphics memory on PC.
    - ericflo 7y ago
      One difference is the large amounts of GDDR6 on the APUs in these upcoming consoles, which is not something PC CPUs typically have access to. (It'll have to share that memory for both graphics and compute though, so not a pure win.) I think that just that memory architecture difference alone could lead to some interesting performance characteristics compared to contemporary PCs.
redm 7y ago
I'm guessing it has something to do with game compatibility improvements. Consoles used to only support games from that generation, i.e. Nintendo and Super Nintendo are not compatible. I think the model is more like an iPhone, most apps are compatible with multiple platforms and versions of the OS, to a point. So my guess is that its a play to change the way people think about console generations.

by magnat 7y ago

syspec 7y ago

Direct-X box

Koshkin 7y ago
I was hoping for X Window...

Tsiklon 7y ago

I suspect they want to diminish the concept of console generations altogether and push towards an "xbox as a service" type idea. Looking at how they've mentioned that owners of their new first party titles on xbox one will have an upgraded/enhanced release available at no cost on their new console - I suspect this is to blur the lines between the two series.

BitwiseFool 7y ago

I heard that Steve Ballmer pushed the idea of the Xbox 360's successor being named "Xbox One". He was hoping people would start calling it 'The One' because it was supposed to be a unifying home media device. Also, this was around the time Microsoft got sued by Sky and had to change the name of SkyDrive to OneDrive. So there was definately a 'One' branding scheme going on. You also google his 'One Microsoft' reorganization plan and see a clear theme.

bitwize 7y ago
And instead we got a passel of XBone jokes. Good job, Ballmer.
- skohan 7y ago
  I remember there was a director's commentary on a Simpson's episode where they remarked that they tried several times too inject a word into the American lexicon, and it failed miserably every time. Apparently it's extremely unpredictable what people will latch on to.
  - trianglem 7y ago
    At least one of the cromulent attempts was successful.
    - skohan 7y ago
      I know you're joking but as I remember they said they did it unintentionally several times but when they tried to do it on purpose it never worked.
      - bitwize 7y ago
        The Portal writers apparently tried to get a hoop from the final scene of the game made into a meme. It didn't go over at all, but "the cake is a lie" -- memed instantly.

dx87 7y ago

It sounds like they're moving to the same naming scheme as cars, where a "Toyota Corolla" is basically the same, but has additional features or performance if you buy a new year model. Supposedly the new Xboxes are no different than consumer computers, so I could see games having a "runs best on Xbox 2021 or newer" label. Also, I remember that the "XBox 360" got its name because they didn't want "XBox 2" to be competing with "Playstation 3".

s_dev 7y ago
So consoles have entirely given up on the market and just become branded PCs?
- Analemma_ 7y ago
  Basically, yes. The PS5 is also going to be just an x86 Ryzen machine with the same AMD GPUs you'd get in a PC. This is sort of disappointing from a technology nerdery perspective, but after years of game developers struggling with bespoke weirdness like the PS3 Cell chip, I imagine they're welcoming the change. It also makes it much easier to handle backwards-compatibility, which most gamers treat as non-negotiable these days.
  - vernie 7y ago
    This change already happened in the last generation as both the PS4 and Xbox One used Jaguar APUs with GCN GPUs.
  - skohan 7y ago
    But there are some meaningful differences right? Like it's an SOC with shared CPU/GPU memory. Theoretically this could give better performance for things like loading assets, which have to go from storage -> main memory -> graphics memory on PC.
  - ericflo 7y ago
    One difference is the large amounts of GDDR6 on the APUs in these upcoming consoles, which is not something PC CPUs typically have access to. (It'll have to share that memory for both graphics and compute though, so not a pure win.) I think that just that memory architecture difference alone could lead to some interesting performance characteristics compared to contemporary PCs.

redm 7y ago

I'm guessing it has something to do with game compatibility improvements. Consoles used to only support games from that generation, i.e. Nintendo and Super Nintendo are not compatible. I think the model is more like an iPhone, most apps are compatible with multiple platforms and versions of the OS, to a point. So my guess is that its a play to change the way people think about console generations.