Sources Suggest Microsoft Will Show Next Xbox In April

Sony went first largely pulling off their next generation reveal without a huge amount of fuss this week in New York. Microsoft, obviously, aren’t going to hang around and let the PS4 get all the limelight though. Nope, they’re going to do something similar, soon.

According to “publishing and development” sources, a one-off event just like Sony’s is currently penciled in for April, at which the new Xbox will be shown.

And curiously, CVG say that some of the sources appear to be Sony employees. One such employee, currently hiding in a bunker somewhere away from the watchful eyes of the higher-ups, said that the company “definitely ruffled some feathers.”

GDC in March is also a likely venue for at least some next-gen chatter from Redmond.

25 Comments

  1. I wonder how Microsoft is gonna counter what the PS4 is offering, gonna be exciting to watch. That 8 gig GDDR5 RAM is one that took people for a loop, is MS gonna match that or do something different? As for games, what are we gonna see? Their first party studios have been quiet for a while.

    • Really? Microsoft has first party studios since when? Oops i forgot the usual Halo and that will be all then.

      • Haha, touche! :)
        I don’t have an Xbox but to be fair to them they do have first party studios, but they really haven’t done that much on Xbox 360 in the last few years so it seems likely they’ll show exclusive stuff.

      • They actually have over 20 studios, including 343, Rare, Lionhead and Turn10. to name a few. If I remember right they have 6 more than Sony

  2. Microsoft are gonna have to have something special up their sleeves to top PS4 imo.
    Will be interesting to see what they come up with.

  3. I think they have don’t have big names to show other than a new Forza or Trials games, considering existing exclusives. It won’t be a new Halo or Gears game it’s for sure.

    So Xbox should come with new exclusive IPs. If they won’t, Kinect or a timed exclusive COD game won’t save them this time.

  4. I can’t really come up with anything that MS could pull off to one up Sony. Sony has the specs, the cloud gaming/streaming, remote play, suspend/resume functionality and some promising first/third party support covered.
    Microsoft has Kinect 2, but if it’s more of the same with better tracking and less delay then I’m not going to be impressed.
    There’s also Smartglass, but Sony mentioned smartphone/tablet connectivity, too.
    I still hope that MS has an ace up their sleeve. It would efinitely be interesting.

    • To be fair though we didn’t expect Sony to have the streaming to the extent they have it, even after the share button stuff leaked, and the suspend/resume came as a complete shock to most.

      What I’m saying is while it doesn’t look like MS has a lot right now, there’s plenty they could pull out of their hat.

      • There’s a lot they need just to stay with the PS4, to go beyond it (and with the expectation that any cloud gaming must be behind Sony’s with the purchase of Gaikai) looks difficult.

        The worry for them will also be that Killzone looks in a good enough shape now that it could be a launch title. They need something big a launch too.

      • The launch title question is interesting. They won’t have Halo 5 (assuming they launch this year) and I feel a fill in Halo is unlikely to sell. Gears of War 4 could do it, particularly if it kicks off a new trilogy.

        It’s also worth noting that Microsoft have got 8 first party studios rumoured to be working on unannounced next gen titles, including Lionhead, and that doesn’t take into account Turn Ten and 343. You’r right though, they need to go big on the software side of things.

        The services are a much harder proposition though, as you rightly say.

      • It is catch 22. They NEED to show new and interesting IPs but without those having the recognition Halo / Gears has they won’t serve as good launch titles.
        Halo 5, Forza 5 and a new Kinect Sports at launch, with a showing and promise of new and risky IPs within another year or two is hopeful. But Halo is wearing thin IMO and the Xbox brand needs new blood.
        LIVE could offer a new membership without Ads and a cheaper Ad subsidised membership. As long as they match PS4 for features then the battle will be down to games alone but I’m not confident MS care enough like Sony always have.

      • We all knew cloud gaming and streaming were on the table since Sony bought Gaikai, so that was a give, even though they did hit the ball out of the park with their implementation.
        MS doesn’t own a streaming company and I’m not sure they could build the tec hfrom the ground up with many crucial patens already in other companies’ hands.
        8 first party dev teams possibly working on next gen stuff is a glimpse of hope but with Kinect 2.0 on the horizon, I’m fairly sure at least half of that is ruined by Kinect or at least riddled with crappy shoehorned features.
        That is my expectation as of now. MS could blow me away, though. You never know.

  5. I’ve had the Xbox and 360 for nearly ten years now. I stand by my opinion that most 3rd party games look and run better on the 360, that LIVE is a better service for online gaming and social interaction. I’ve swapped consoles (thanks to contacts in a retail chain) at will and never really settled for one. But I have recently made my mind up to stick with one and it is Sony for many a reason;

    a) The games. You just can’t find Uncharted, LBP nor Heavy Rain on Xbox. Playstation continues to lead in exclusives and experiences you just can’t find anywhere else.
    b) Sense of passion. The Playstation brand just radiates a sense of passion in all it is and does. Sure it exists to make money, but it does so without intrusive ads nor that “commercial” feeling. My 360 always felt like it was more interested in nipping at my wallet than providing great entertainment.
    c) Dirty tactics. Xbox sealing the deal on timed exclusive games and content just pisses me off (even as a 360 gamer). Sure Sony may have done the same but MS do it so obviously and almost childishly. Where as exclusive on Playstation usually means developed that way – not bought that way.
    d) Supporting the system. The PS3 started with so much missing in comparison to the 360. Yet Sony have consistently supported the system and updated it to not just match competitor features but cater for consumer requests. If there is a feature missing it is more than likely due to the system not being able.

    With the PS4 being easier to develop for together with all the above – I can’t see myself getting another Xbox product again. I loved Alan Wake, Halo was great but got milked too much, Gears killed time. What it all boils down to is the sense of passion about gaming and Xbox as yet has only demonstrated a passion for profits.

    PS4 really need not worry.

  6. Microsoft do have Rare in the fold so there is always an exclusive from them to look for. Plus they will throw money at activision to continue timed COD exclusives.

    I’m interested in what they have to say but am worried that they will also follow suit with the whole Facebook generation and everyone plays online direction.

    • Rare could be a trump card but COD and timed exclusives are not enough to hold my interest.

  7. Was hoping it would be a bit sooner, but they need time to put it all together. If it’s early/mid April that’d keep me pleased, although with a slightly later E3 this year I suppose they could go late April and not encroach into E3 time too much.

  8. It’ll be interesting to see how MS try to better the playstaion meeting.

    • Halo Karting, LittleBigHalo, Unparted; Cortana & Chiefs Wedding Reception, Alan Wake 2; Slightly Weighty Rain Edition, exclusive DLC on all CoD games.
      Kinect 2.0 – now advanced enough to detect and simulate boob-bounce, bundled with DOA Beach Volly Ball Kinect.
      OS advancements now mean 20% more tiles on screen for increased ad revenue to wash down an increase in LIVE subscription cost.

      On a serious note -I really hope MS do surprise us all and show massive investment in exclusive new IPs and development. The 360 is a great console just with money grabbing pen pushers wanting profit without risk or innovation.
      Sony have shown they have learnt from their mistakes and created what the industry needs not what Sony say it needs. The 360 was what this gen needed but lacked the passionate developers to make it the only console to play, MS could have dominated with the right games.

  9. Good luck to them. I’ll be watching and fascinated to see how the media (both specialist and mainstream) react to things.

  10. A bit off-topic but thought a few would be interested in Sony’s new PS4 website.
    http://uk.playstation.com/ps4/

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