Rumors are a wonderful thing online. The latest buzz is some research conducted on behalf of Microsoft related to a machine capable of playing both Xbox and PC(Windows) platform games.
The B/R/S Group, a California-based market research company that lists Microsoft and the Xbox division specifically as clients, has been gathering consumer feedback on a device it refers to as Xbox Next PC – "a videogame console system with a hard drive and a built-in fully functional PC." Mention of the device came on one of several slides shown to focus groups.
"There will come a day – in the not too distant future – that [PC] games will be interchangeable between Windows and the Xbox," Moore [Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for Microsoft's home and entertainment division] told [CNN] at the recently completed E3 trade show.
The supposed price point for this hybrid machine is $599. Significantly lower than the $5000 some people will pay for super-powered gaming PCs. Leaning the Xbox against the distribution of Windows games, and Windows itself, would be a serious competitive move. What OS will Sony choose?
1. MS is interested in the console mkt not just to joust with Sony but because for every disc that's sold, they get a cut.
If you buy the PC version of any game (not from MS studios), they do not get a cut.
So, there is ZERO chance that the next (or any future XBox) will play PC games ... that's not to say MS will not try and merge the two so developers can "easily" port a PC version to the XBox ... but MS is not losing $100-$150 on each XBox console just so you can buy a PC disc to pop in there ... It will have to be labeled a proprietary XBox disc - otherwise, they're just undercutting themselves and the $5-$20 bucks from each XBox disc sold ...
Posted at 5:50AM on Dec 19th 2005 by jbelkin