While some believe that Microsoft is scrambling with their plans to market the Xbox 720, reports today say that they are seeing no competitive pressure from Sony and it’s PlayStation 4, and they’ve pushed back their big reveal because of this lack of competition. The Next Xbox and PlayStation 4 will be very similar, with both console makers using a similar AMD processor in their next console, according to a report out of Bloomberg. While Sony has already announced their system architecture to a positive response from game developers, Microsoft having a similar architecture would certainly bring down multiplatform development costs for publishers and developers.
Microsoft decided against an April reveal because it saw little competitive pressure
Bloomberg reports that the Xbox “720” will use an “AMD system-on-a -chip that combines powerful Jaguar central processing units with graphics chips,” according to an anonymous source. A switch to the x86 format found in modern personal computers also means that the next Xbox will likely be non-backwards compatible.
Analysts are thinking that this is a major win for publishers and developers if both Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Next Box have similar architectures. Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group a technology consulting firm told the publication that there will likely be “many more titles because the console makers are saying the publishers are back in the driver’s seat…they can essentially create once and port once, and be done.”
So why is it that Microsoft isn’t seeing Sony as a threat? They could be as unimpressed as some of the analysts that left Sony’s PS4 event with scathing criticism towards the lack of innovation in the new console, and many of the advancements for the new platform being geared towards social and connected features.
What say you? Should Microsoft be worried about Sony in the next-gen? It doesn’t sound like they are.
Published: Apr 8, 2013 10:00 pm