Next Xbox rumors: What if...

So we've been seeing these Durango specs rumors etc... but there have also been pretty solid rumors that MS also has an Xbox Surface gaming tablet coming out this year as well (with a 7" screen).


-So with Nintendo's new system touting a screen c/tablet controller.

-And Sony making noises (and testing the waters) of PS4/Vita cross compatibility/Cross play/Cross Buy/Remote play.

-And with the way MS has been re-branding itself and unifying it's hardware and software across divisions.

-The rumor that the next Xbox won't have a number, but a name.

-That many of the Durango and Surface rumors seemed to blur together.


What if the Durango and the Xbox Surface are actually the same thing?
A portable, powerful dedicated gaming tablet running a windows 8/mobile front end dash that connects to/into a home base with TV out and controller connectivity.

A base with all the inputs/outputs a traditional console would have. A base possibly with a Blu-ray drive built into it. A base that also links into your home network so you have remote access to all your network media while out and about. As well as a full home-console gaming experience on the go.

Something like this would be a huge, generation shift for gaming. And with how strong MS's Xbox brand is it would give a huge boost to pushing their new Win 8 brand.

I for one would be blown away by something like this if were truly next gen console powered and portable.


I don't necessarily think this is the case, but I can dream. If they could pull it off it would definitely mark a huge generational jump and a major shift in the industry.

What would you guys think about something like this if it actually happened?

I am a little confused on how it would work exactly.. This "base" would be something you sit the tablet in to access more features and make it work more in line with a home console on the TV?

chunckylover53 wrote:I am a little confused on how it would work exactly.. This "base" would be something you sit the tablet in to access more features and make it work more in line with a home console on the TV?

It would simply be connected to your Tv and home theater exactly like your 360 is now.

Basically just how you 360 is connected and wired to the TV. When you come home you drop the Xbox tab into this base, it's already wired to the TV. You pick up your 360 controller and play games exactly as you would with a 360. Or possibly you just use the portable as the controller.

The only difference is that the base also charges the system and when you leave you just take it with you.

that would be pretty cool i guess. not sure how some games would work on a tablet though.

The Adli Corporation wrote:that would be pretty cool i guess. not sure how some games would work on a tablet though.

I picture it being a device with physical controls. I just called it a tablet because it would also have that functionality.

Basically it would be a 3DS/Vita portable system with a bigger screen, console power and actual Surface/tablet software and utility.

sounds like a good idea. But also sounds very difficult to pull off.

The battery would be the biggest issue I think.

a tablet with the power of a next-gen console... yeah. battery would be a huge issue

Razer Edge

I would hope that MS could design a much sleeker and ergonomic system than that. I also think the screen is to big on it.

considering the price of a decent gaming laptop (ie in the ballpark of $1k+) a quasi-mobile next-gen console would be pretty cool. it would definitely help distance the console from the typical 'PCs are more powerful for less money relatively' arguments.

but at the same time, would a quasi-mobile console appeal to the 'hardcore' gamers? would they see the mobile aspect as being too 'casual' a la the WiiU?

the Razor Edge is a middle level gamingPC in tablet form...you are paying for the that... It is also a tablet pc at the same time. Its probably meant for people who travel and kids going to college.

I would get it...PC quality gaming in a tablet...awesome. But I rather an Alienware laptop or Razer Blade....

oh god dont get an alienware laptop.... please... no.

The Adli Corporation wrote:
but at the same time, would a quasi-mobile console appeal to the 'hardcore' gamers? would they see the mobile aspect as being too 'casual' a la the WiiU?

To casual? Generally the portable market is considered more hardcore than the console market. You don't see a lot of casuals buying the 3DS, Vita or Neo Geo X.

Also the Wii U isn't a portable. It only works within range of the base and is merely a streaming screen. I'm talking about a true handheld portable.

Metalzoic wrote:

The Adli Corporation wrote:
but at the same time, would a quasi-mobile console appeal to the 'hardcore' gamers? would they see the mobile aspect as being too 'casual' a la the WiiU?

To casual? Generally the portable market is considered more hardcore than the console market. You don't see a lot of casuals buying the 3DS, Vita or Neo Geo X.

Also the Wii U isn't a portable. It only works within range of the base and is merely a streaming screen. I'm talking about a true handheld portable.

i mean as in going from the bulky 360 into a slimmer 'less impressive' looking device. its quite a jump going from stationary to mobile, some players might not like the jump.

Ah I see what you mean. I imagine if a smaller size made a big impact to sales then Sony and MS wouldn't have come out with "slimmer" designs of their hardware. (Then again going from stationary to portable is a much bigger change than just size)

Plus, if someone didn't want to use it portable they could just leave it connected to the TV all the time. Hmmm.. here is also another rumor that the Durango actually has 2 different models, one could be a cheaper non-portable version.



This one isn't to bad, but how does someone put that much effort in and not even notice the screen is completely off-centered.

This one is horrible looking. Probably the NZ version.

the top one looks better, the bottom one doesn't look like the controls would be intuitive to Xbox gamers. at least to top one still has the classic face buttons

Ha! Yeah, the bottom one looks like they just took the viewfinder off of a video camera. Terrible job.

EDIT: I just realized that other than the buttons/stick, the bottom one looks a bit like the WiiU style/design wise.

are those just ideas someone has made, or are those official in any way? i cant imagine MS wanting to change the control layout too much.

The Adli Corporation wrote:are those just ideas someone has made, or are those official in any way? i cant imagine MS wanting to change the control layout too much.

No they're just fake mock-ups people did for the Xbox Surface rumors.

Personally I would picture it having more of a sliding design so the controls could be hidden away when not needed. Kind of like Sony's original design for the Vita.

sliding/folding would be cool. i think trying to add in the 360 face buttons and triggers would add a lot of width otherwise (like the PSP)

The Adli Corporation wrote:sliding/folding would be cool. i think trying to add in the 360 face buttons and triggers would add a lot of width otherwise (like the PSP)

Exactly. Plus I think they would want it to look more like a normal tablet (which is a popular look right now) and not like a "game system".

This *might* be cool. I don't think a lot of hardcore gamers would consider a tablet to be a step up in any way, but it might be cool to have the tablet-to-console thing. The way I'm imagining it is just having a tablet be the main computer, kind of like a regular tablet is, but then hook it into the base and it becomes a gaming system. I'm imagining the tablet being either that first picture of sony...thing... where it's got sliding controls on bottom, or just as a touchscreen tablet, with controls being linked to the base.

I shouldn't have used the term tablet, it seems to really confuse the issue for some reason.

All I'm talking about is "what if their next home console was also portable".

They would never do this for a number of reasons. First is the simple fact for this to be able to play games it would need to be at least $500+, which is suicide in the console or tablet market. Even at this insane price point, the PS4 would still be leagues ahead in terms of performance. Then you have got heat, battery life, no physical media, and the issue where people never buy games for a "tablet" that cost more than $10. Home consoles are not meant to be portable, and for good reason.

Yeah, but I'm talking about a "what if" scenario:

I'm not saying it's really feasible, but:

First is the simple fact for this to be able to play games it would need to be at least $500+, which is suicide in the console or tablet market.

I agree that the preice would probably be to high. But remember that the PS3 launched at $600. Consoles also have a history of selling below cost so take the Durango specs we already have (rumored to sell for $400) and add a screen and battery... how much would that take it up to price-wise?

Plus they have been toying with a subsidized/contract option for consoles.

the PS4 would still be leagues ahead in terms of performance.

I'm talking about if it had the rumored orbis/durango specs which are fairly close to each other.

Then you have got heat, battery life

Yeah I see this as the biggest issue other than price. How do gaming laptops do it?

no physical media, and the issue where people never buy games for a "tablet" that cost more than $10.

Well if the base had a bluray drive then it could easily have physical media. However don't forget that both systems have been rumored to be DD only (although I don't see this being true).
Also we're talking about a full blown console with console games, not tablet games so why would a $10 price ceiling apply? Just the fact that it is portable shouldn't make a difference, the 2 best selling Vita games are $50.

Metalzoic wrote:Yeah, but I'm talking about a "what if" scenario:

I'm not saying it's really feasible, but:

First is the simple fact for this to be able to play games it would need to be at least $500+, which is suicide in the console or tablet market.

I agree that the preice would probably be to high. But remember that the PS3 launched at $600. Consoles also have a history of selling below cost so take the Durango specs we already have (rumored to sell for $400) and add a screen and battery... how much would that take it up to price-wise?

Plus they have been toying with a subsidized/contract option for consoles.

the PS4 would still be leagues ahead in terms of performance.

I'm talking about if it had the rumored orbis/durango specs which are fairly close to each other.

Then you have got heat, battery life

Yeah I see this as the biggest issue other than price. How do gaming laptops do it?

no physical media, and the issue where people never buy games for a "tablet" that cost more than $10.

Well if the base had a bluray drive then it could easily have physical media. However don't forget that both systems have been rumored to be DD only (although I don't see this being true).
Also we're talking about a full blown console with console games, not tablet games so why would a $10 price ceiling apply? Just the fact that it is portable shouldn't make a difference, the 2 best selling Vita games are $50.

Gaming laptops are big enough to have proper fans in them.

A handheld is not

I didn't think laptops had fans.

What if it had a little water bladder in it and you just chucked it in the freezer between uses?

Metalzoic wrote:Yeah, but I'm talking about a "what if" scenario:

I'm not saying it's really feasible, but:

First is the simple fact for this to be able to play games it would need to be at least $500+, which is suicide in the console or tablet market.

I agree that the preice would probably be to high. But remember that the PS3 launched at $600. Consoles also have a history of selling below cost so take the Durango specs we already have (rumored to sell for $400) and add a screen and battery... how much would that take it up to price-wise?

Plus they have been toying with a subsidized/contract option for consoles.

the PS4 would still be leagues ahead in terms of performance.

I'm talking about if it had the rumored orbis/durango specs which are fairly close to each other.

Then you have got heat, battery life

Yeah I see this as the biggest issue other than price. How do gaming laptops do it?

no physical media, and the issue where people never buy games for a "tablet" that cost more than $10.

Well if the base had a bluray drive then it could easily have physical media. However don't forget that both systems have been rumored to be DD only (although I don't see this being true).
Also we're talking about a full blown console with console games, not tablet games so why would a $10 price ceiling apply? Just the fact that it is portable shouldn't make a difference, the 2 best selling Vita games are $50.

It could not have orbis/durango performance though. You need to consider the size of this thing, which I am assuming is around an ipad. An ipad (which is one of the most powerful tablets in terms of GPU power) is getting close to 360 visuals. Also my argument for the pricing of games is that I feel people would view this as an xbox tablet, not really a game system.