Microsoft Working on Portable Media Device?

[fitbabits]

Hop on over to Gamecloud (http://www.gamecloud.com) for more details (http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=3206)

Business Week's web site is reporting through unnamed sources that Microsoft has a team working on a new hardware device (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2006/tc20060126_148049.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech) that would compete with Apple's successful iPod MP3 device. The article has quotes from Xbox head Peter Moore who would not confirm that Microsoft is working on such a device but did say that if they did go through with such a product it might also include games along with music and video and might be branded with an Xbox label.
May I be so bold as to suggest that Microsoft address the Xbox 360 shortages before venturing into the iPod-dominated field of portable media players?

[Morrolan]

Completely unrelated departments. Making or not making these will have no effect whatsoever on 360 production, because the two teams are working with completely different assets and funding.

[Busted_Astromech]

So....if Microsoft makes a portable device it will be called Xbox something, play games, music, and videos....

An (X)SP? No thanks.

[XenonCJ]

It's called PocketPC and it's been out for years.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

They really don't stand much of a chance - the MP3 player market is pretty crowded as is.

[fitbabits]

Completely unrelated departments. Making or not making these will have no effect whatsoever on 360 production, because the two teams are working with completely different assets and funding.
One word - FOCUS! Microsoft need to be focusing their resources on the Xbox 360 now while there is no competition - not diverting their attention to other, less 'important' products.

[Citizen Philip]

Meh. As long as their corporate watering-hole of Windows OS related royalties keeps the pond full, they can waste as much of their time on any scheme they don't mind taking a loss on.

[YoungAlCapone]

One word - FOCUS! Microsoft need to be focusing their resources on the Xbox 360 now while there is no competition - not diverting their attention to other, less 'important' products.

I agree, all of the funding comes from somewhere. Now is the time to focus on the new product and sell them, I hear they are kind of in demand right now.

[eth3rton]

I say go for it.... Microsoft is well on track to "oust" Sony for the coveted top spot this go around. World Domination Nothing Less.........

[Ferong]

One word - FOCUS! Microsoft need to be focusing their resources on the Xbox 360 now while there is no competition - not diverting their attention to other, less 'important' products.

Pretty sure a multi-billion dollar corporation with tens of thousands of employees can do more than one thing at a time :D

[gojira]

Pretty sure a multi-billion dollar corporation with tens of thousands of employees can do more than one thing at a time :D
No! Really? Wow, wonders will never cease...








</sarcasm>

[fitbabits]

Pretty sure a multi-billion dollar corporation with tens of thousands of employees can do more than one thing at a time :D
That was never in question. What I'm saying is that instead of diverting their collective attention to other products not yet developed, they should be focusing on the Xbox 360 and addressing the shortages. Striking while the next generation iron is hot.

Edit - Oh, and welcome to EvAv. :)

[Morrolan]

What I'm saying is that there is no such thing as "collective attention."
The 360 team exists, and their funding exists. They are what they are ever going to be. There is no reason to keep everyone else from doing something else. It makes no sense, because "focus" is exactly why everyone else fell behind Microsoft. MS is the ultimate at multi-tasking.

The 360's team and funding are locked down, and they've hit a premium. How will adding three hundred people, and giving them a hundred million more dollars make the factories churn out 360's any faster? Extra team members would just be standing around.

[Taco]

Somehow I think if they felt they needed more resources they would just add them without taking away from other business ventures.

[TrackZero]

May I be so bold as to suggest that Microsoft address the Xbox 360 shortages before venturing into the iPod-dominated field of portable media players?

It's already said, but just to reiterate. Completely unrelated departments within the company. Would you like them to stop working on Windows Vista and Microsoft Office while they're at it? (No, don't answer that.)

[Kyle Jones]

I'd much rather see a pendrive maker get into the portable music racket, honestly. Imagine a really nice 2GB flashdrive that has a headphone jack and acts like a drive for a small price. How about a 20-40GB HD player that does the same thing, with no propriety software and focusing on sound quality and player quality rather than fancy features like recorders!

[BabyJesus]

The thing that pisses me off about the IPOD's is they are largely overpriced, I was on apple's website the other day and after it was all said and done I would end up spending $400 to 450 at least to get a decent setup with a case a decent warranty and the FM tuner(that should be included in the $300/$400 price tag). And whats with the price fixing on the damn things? Everywhere you go they are no more than a few dollars off, most notable is amazon giving a whopping $16 discount...

[fitbabits]

Okay, I give up! I agree that Microsoft's games division is seperate from their R&D department (where any media device plans would probably be worked on). I don't expect Microsoft to drop everything and throw several thousand additional employees (and additional funding) at the 360, nor do I expect them to quit working on Vista and other OS-related projects. I didn't ask them to and I'm not so stupid to think that they would. I swear some of you must think I'm thick as shit.

[XxSATANxX]

I don't see how Microsoft can be successful here. If it's a pure game device they will have to create something unique to attract Gamers. If it's a swiss army knife that does it all it's likely to burdened with painful DRM and proprietary formats. PSP lacks amazing games and is not panning out as a song player or a portable movie device.

Red sea/Blue sea where O where are those who seek the Blue Sea!

[Ferong]

That was never in question. What I'm saying is that instead of diverting their collective attention to other products not yet developed, they should be focusing on the Xbox 360 and addressing the shortages. Striking while the next generation iron is hot.

Edit - Oh, and welcome to EvAv. :)

Long time lurker, first time poster. :D

The "diverting their collective attention" part doesn't really apply. Who's attention is being diverted? I'd bet that the people responsible for design and requirements of a new handheld basically have nothing to do with the Xbox360 in its current state. Are you saying they should they be? And if so, how would that skill set apply to improving the Xbox360?

Edit: Took too long to reply! I am now out of context. :(

[Schnoogs]

Hop on over to Gamecloud (http://www.gamecloud.com) for more details (http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=3206)


May I be so bold as to suggest that Microsoft address the Xbox 360 shortages before venturing into the iPod-dominated field of portable media players?

totally unreleated...Microsoft would rely on different manufacturers who may or not be faced with material shortages etc.

I work for a company that makes printers...some of our products face shortages where as others do not. It all depends on the parts vendor for different models.

We dont ignore the products that dont have shortages just because others do have shortages...

[Zanzibar]

Holy fuck. What if they made an Xbox-portable? Uploads Xbox 1 games to the local hard drive (or flash drive?) by use of the USB port on an X360????

DOUBLE holy fuck.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

The thing that pisses me off about the IPOD's is they are largely overpriced, I was on apple's website the other day and after it was all said and done I would end up spending $400 to 450 at least to get a decent setup with a case a decent warranty and the FM tuner(that should be included in the $300/$400 price tag). And whats with the price fixing on the damn things? Everywhere you go they are no more than a few dollars off, most notable is amazon giving a whopping $16 discount...


To be fair the iPods come in a whole range of prices now. They were expensive when they first came out, but that's not really different from any other new electronic device. They come out in all price ranges now.

[XxSATANxX]

The thing that pisses me off about the IPOD's is they are largely overpriced, I was on apple's website the other day and after it was all said and done I would end up spending $400 to 450 at least to get a decent setup with a case a decent warranty and the FM tuner(that should be included in the $300/$400 price tag). And whats with the price fixing on the damn things? Everywhere you go they are no more than a few dollars off, most notable is amazon giving a whopping $16 discount...

First are you a student? Do you know a student? 20% off for students.
Next not sure what you were ordering but in fact there are many i-pod deals to be had. I-pod is MAP priced. This just means that YES they are trying to control the price. Do some digging you can find deals. One major retailer dropped i-pod and was blowing them out at 50% off. I bought 3 when I found that deal. Since you are the son of God try appealing to a higher power. :D

[Morrolan]

First are you a student? Do you know a student? 20% off for students.
How exactly would one go about taking advantage of that particular discount? And, is it US-only?

[Citizen Philip]

Holy fuck. What if they made an Xbox-portable? Uploads Xbox 1 games to the local hard drive (or flash drive?) by use of the USB port on an X360????

DOUBLE holy fuck.

Prolly cause there is a big difference between a digital storage device and active hardware needed to render 3D images: think space, heat, voltage and battery life.

I'm sure than in the near future, assuming certain laws regarding the development of computers continues that such a platform would exsist.

I would rather see the platform after patent reform: so we can buy 1 device to play all the old games, console, PC, handheld, etc.

[Furtive]

Eh. Im not too excited about such news. Sony's proving that the all in one device fails on all fronts. As a pure mp3 player? Nobodys going to dethrone the ipod unfortunently. A video player? The mighty *** surely wont support any codecs other than their own. And on a gaming front? Well theres even less MS franchises I'd like to take portable than Sony.

[Zanzibar]

Prolly cause there is a big difference between a digital storage device and active hardware needed to render 3D images: think space, heat, voltage and battery life.

I'm sure than in the near future, assuming certain laws regarding the development of computers continues that such a platform would exsist.

I would rather see the platform after patent reform: so we can buy 1 device to play all the old games, console, PC, handheld, etc.

Well, the article does state:

Xbox boss Peter Moore says any Microsoft media device would have to leverage the company's most significant consumer strength, video gaming. "It can't just be our version of the iPod," says Moore, who nonetheless would not confirm that Microsoft is considering making such a device. So in addition to playing music and videos, a Microsoft device would include games. Microsoft would probably use the Xbox brand to market the gadget. "I think the brand is an opportunity," Moore says.

The (current) problem with the PSP is that you've gotta develop games specifically for the platform, thus there's very few games that are available. However, if they can miniaturize the electronics of an Xbox system (which they CAN do; the PSP is almost as powerful as a PS2) , they'll have a ridiculous amount of games to play. Plus you'd be able to download content via the Xbox Live service.

I dunno. I think it'd be a smart move. Particularly if you could trade your savegames and be able to choose whether to play on your TV via the Xbox 360 or take your in-progress game with you for the Xbox Portable.

[Ludoc]

I thought Rare was making games for the DS and some one had been contracted to make a portable cell phone halo game. Seems odd to support other platforms if MS is coming out with their own system.

[Kirath42]

I think a portable media player/video game machine would fit in with Microsoft's strategy. A media player that could integrate with WinXP Media Center or Windows Vista (when released) that could synch up and let you take not only music and downloaded videos but actual TV recordings or DVDRips (DVD Rip software is planned for Vista), link wirelessly with XBOX360 (FastRF/WiFi), surf the internet and play games is one of the 'missing links' in their product offerings. When have they not moved to fill such a void?

Besides, I think they're *really* pissed off that Apple made it so difficult to use DRM protected music on the 360. :rolleyes:

I'd be very interested to see what they're going to come up with as a first try. As we've seen though, they're usually better on the followups. :)

The thing is, if they aren't even admitting such a thing is in development, what would be a good guess as to when they'd make an announcement? I wonder how long they worked on XBOX before they announced it...

[Abash Alarmist]

How exactly would one go about taking advantage of that particular discount? And, is it US-only?

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/routingpage.html

Is the link. From the looks of it, it is US only. But I am sure that there are plenty of people here who wouldn't mind buying one and shipping it out to you. I can if you want, just send a pm and we can get something set up if that interests you.

[ChaosDent]

The "diverting their collective attention" part doesn't really apply. Who's attention is being diverted? I'd bet that the people responsible for design and requirements of a new handheld basically have nothing to do with the Xbox360 in its current state. Are you saying they should they be? And if so, how would that skill set apply to improving the Xbox360

The concept of focus can be applied to the brand, not just the development teams. Arguably, spending resources branding a Microsoft portable media player as an Xbox could weaken the Xbox brand, which is now known best for its seamless, well designed and well integrated online gaming system. I think a better brand for such a device (sans gaming) would be Windows Media Center, tight wireless integration with WMC PCs and focus on Microsoft's online media store would more interesting.

[bapenguin]

I think a portable media player/video game machine would fit in with Microsoft's strategy. A media player that could integrate with WinXP Media Center or Windows Vista (when released) that could synch up and let you take not only music and downloaded videos but actual TV recordings or DVDRips (DVD Rip software is planned for Vista), link wirelessly with XBOX360 (FastRF/WiFi), surf the internet and play games is one of the 'missing links' in their product offerings. When have they not moved to fill such a void?

Besides, I think they're *really* pissed off that Apple made it so difficult to use DRM protected music on the 360. :rolleyes:

I'd be very interested to see what they're going to come up with as a first try. As we've seen though, they're usually better on the followups. :)

The thing is, if they aren't even admitting such a thing is in development, what would be a good guess as to when they'd make an announcement? I wonder how long they worked on XBOX before they announced it...

MS already licenses the software for these products. Creative, Toshiba and Samsung all make portable media center devices that sync up to Windows Media Player 10 and Media center.

[Nite_Moogle]

I swear some of you must think I'm thick as shit.
What kind are we talking about here? I-haven't-had-veggies-for-a-week thick or the usual consistency. I know when I get the runs it's not really thick. I don't know if you're making a valid comparison or not.

;)

[BabyJesus]

First are you a student? Do you know a student? 20% off for students.
Next not sure what you were ordering but in fact there are many i-pod deals to be had. I-pod is MAP priced. This just means that YES they are trying to control the price. Do some digging you can find deals. One major retailer dropped i-pod and was blowing them out at 50% off. I bought 3 when I found that deal. Since you are the son of God try appealing to a higher power. :D


I have done LOTS of digging and the best deals I could find were a few dollars off and then maybe some free thing like a case and/or a fm transmitter. Had I found something at 50% off I would have jumped on that deal.

[Montolio]

May I be so bold as to suggest that Microsoft address the Xbox 360 shortages before venturing into the iPod-dominated field of portable media players?

2006 should see this all turn around for them IMHO. If they do go foward with this reported plan, I can see it actually being capable of success. Microsoft has a really strong brand in Xbox so it would only make sense if they attempted to capitalize upon it in some fashion. I'm not saying it will rival Apple's iEverything empire but it has potential.

Besides...

They are already structured for the move with everything and everyone already under the same inner-company roof. Robbie Bach and crew can get it done - he is a Tarheel after all! 'Nuff said heh.

[CrysDark]

Okay the psp is a failure as a device because it seems like sony has abandoned thier hardware. The psp in itself is fairly sleek and sexy, but it's to big to be a music player, and proprietary formats, at least in the digital age, are poor sellers. ( you think they would have learned this by now).

*** could launch a media player, but to get my dollars, they would need to abandoned thier anti-divx, mpg4, or any codec that is not wmv or mpeg2 stance. (see lack of support for 90% of videos on the x360)

The handheld gamming market is still ripe, nintendo is still the only major player, and I was happy to see sony take a shot at them. Just too bad they don't have faith in thier design (has anyone seen a psp kiosk???) It would be great if MS gave it thier go.

Another intersteing tidbit, the guy that is in charge of this (supposedly from the article) is the guy from thier MSN division, if you read on up the recent history of what msn has been doing, this could prove to be very exciting.

[superherotaco]

My computer is Microsoft, my game system is Microsoft, and now my personal media player may become Microsoft?

I, for one, welcome our new Microsoft overlord.

[frederec]

They really don't stand much of a chance - the MP3 player market is pretty crowded as is.

The sad thing is, you say this, and I know it's _technically_ true. However, when I walk around, I see almost everyone with an ipod. If they have something else, it's generally a discman. I think it would be nice if Apple had some sort of competition. The impression I get frequently is that while there are a number of competitors, nothing is as good as an ipod (though some supposedly get close with the right 3rd party firmware).

[frederec]

I, for one, welcome our new Microsoft overlord.

Hey now, this isn't /. We don't need people competing for first post or anything silly like that. And I don't wanna here any Soviet Russia jokes either.

[corn_9]

Well one of students was part of a Xbox focus group here in Chicago during the Winter of 2004. One of the questions he was asked was about a portable HDD drive for the Xbox 2 that could act as a mp3 player and a handheld.

When he told me about it I thought it was the normal concept fluff that comes from focus groups. Now I am thinking that was the original idea for the 360 and they just did the 20 GB HDD as a stop gap to make launch.

[Dr Quincy]

In keeping with previous design decisions will the final product be the size of the Atari Lynx? Yes.

[Abash Alarmist]

In Soviet Russia, you don't own your Microsoft approved Portable Media device. It owns you.

[51|RandoM]

They really don't stand much of a chance - the MP3 player market is pretty crowded as is.

Make an ipod equivalent, charge half as much for it, put the microsoft marketing department behind it.

easy win.

once you've captured the market, lock out competition and then jack up your pricing and support. You can also start pressuring the content developers at that point, since a large portion of their profits will be dependant upon your platform.

Sound familiar to anybody? lol.

[Abash Alarmist]

To some extent. But that isn't really an applicable marketing strategy for the MP3 market because there is only one format/standard for all music: MP3s. Unless Microsoft enforces strict DRM alliances with the RIAA or the likes, it will not work. (The content anyways. The production is a tried and true strategy and probably will work).

[XenonCJ]

Hey now, this isn't /. We don't need people competing for first post or anything silly like that. And I don't wanna here any Soviet Russia jokes either.You must be new here.

[fitbabits]

What kind are we talking about here? I-haven't-had-veggies-for-a-week thick or the usual consistency. I know when I get the runs it's not really thick. I don't know if you're making a valid comparison or not.

;)
Hmm, good question! Probably the "holy fuck, it's a hedgehog" thick. :eek:

[Cool AN]

I doubt Microsoft will enter the Portable market until they actually begin making money on the Xbox franchise.

[TheKeck]

Hey now, this isn't /. We don't need people competing for first post or anything silly like that. And I don't wanna here any Soviet Russia jokes either.

I'm not sure what any of that meant, but I will not stand idly by while someone seems to have a problem with a Simpsons reference! :mad:

;)

[Zanzibar]

PSP, again, would be a runaway success at this point if it allowed you to play PS2 games. You can't beat taking advantage of a huge library of games for a portable console.

There's also the UMD issue; where the drive sucks up so much juice that it's basically unusable at any length.

A handheld that played Xbox games (loaded onto a flash/hard drive via USB connection to an X360) would be incredible. Plus, if it's hooked up to Media Center, you could load DVD movies onto it as well. Although, with only a 16mb/sec read speed, that would take quite a while.

[Cool AN]

PSP, again, would be a runaway success at this point if it allowed you to play PS2 games. You can't beat taking advantage of a huge library of games for a portable console.

So you are suggesting a portable PS 2? Well that is fine but then it wouldn't be a PSP since it would rely on another consoles games. Besides the PSP has only been out for around a year now, the games are coming but like with any other console it takes some time for them to be made (people seem to forget that most consoles have dry periodes for games, the DS included).


There's also the UMD issue; where the drive sucks up so much juice that it's basically unusable at any length.


I am just wondering, do you have a PSP? I haven't had a problem with my PSP's battery life, even with games like GTA or Burnout.

[frederec]

In Soviet Russia, you don't own your Microsoft approved Portable Media device. It owns you.

You bastard!! Yet I just can't get enough of it.

You must be new here.

Hah! I signed up a month after you, and was lurking a while before that. I just actually don't think I've run into the same /. jokes over here.

I'm not sure what any of that meant, but I will not stand idly by while someone seems to have a problem with a Simpsons reference!

Actually, I love that Simpson's reference. I think one of the funniest things in the world is seeing Kent Brockman with the handwritten "Hail Ants" sign behind him saying all this stuff. What I was talking about, and Rogue caught, is that if you go read slashdot discussions much, there are a few jokes and quotes that are really REALLY overused. This is one of them.

ANYWAY. That was fun and all, but in the midst of all this media player discussion, does anyone know of anything that is superior to the iPod? If not, I think I might (shudder) welcome the competition of Microsoft.

[XenonCJ]

Hah! I signed up a month after you, and was lurking a while before that. I just actually don't think I've run into the same /. jokes over here.
Well... the "You must be new here" is another /. reference...

However while we are talking about how new we are to the site, the only reason my account is as new as it is, is because they changed the web engine from "Pubpoint" created by MediNet\Tenaid technoligies, to the new format you see today. With the switchover, I had to create a new account...

I was reading Evil Avatar back when it was called Evl-Arpnet; the military used it in World War 2 to calculate the parameters of The Philadelphia Experiment and laundry processing requirements of the Navy.

[XxSATANxX]

I was reading Evil Avatar back when it was called Evl-Arpnet; the military used it in World War 2 to calculate the parameters of The Philadelphia Experiment and laundry processing requirements of the Navy.


Thanks for the new SIG! :D

[TheKeck]

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/725/mipod9oo.png

[drakkarim]

competition will always benefit the consumer. to that end i hope MS goes to war and bashes some Apple skulls around. as long as they can even match what apple's got they'll be successful in their endeavor, key words are "at least match" however, anything less and it'll be a waste of their money/time.

[Zanzibar]

God dammit, I need an "insert image" tutorial.

[TheKeck]

God dammit, I need an "insert image" tutorial.

You just put the direct link URL in the popup you get when you click on "insert image".

[frederec]

Well... the "You must be new here" is another /. reference...

However while we are talking about how new we are to the site, the only reason my account is as new as it is, is because they changed the web engine from "Pubpoint" created by MediNet\Tenaid technoligies, to the new format you see today. With the switchover, I had to create a new account...

I was reading Evil Avatar back when it was called Evl-Arpnet; the military used it in World War 2 to calculate the parameters of The Philadelphia Experiment and laundry processing requirements of the Navy.

I bow to your superior /.-ness. And that was freaking funny.

[Kelegacy]

Holy fuck. What if they made an Xbox-portable? Uploads Xbox 1 games to the local hard drive (or flash drive?) by use of the USB port on an X360????

DOUBLE holy fuck.
I'm sure it would burn down the train or bus you were playing it on.

[Thenetcase]

One word - FOCUS! Microsoft need to be focusing their resources on the Xbox 360 now while there is no competition - not diverting their attention to other, less 'important' products.

Err.. the people who know how to make the media player aren't even knowledgible on the xBox360. They might know how to turn it on and use it, but that's about it. It's hugely different in concept.

I don't see how this project would divert any attention or -focus- from the xBox360 in the slightest.

-TNC-

[KamaItachi]

Well one of students was part of a Xbox focus group here in Chicago during the Winter of 2004. One of the questions he was asked was about a portable HDD drive for the Xbox 2 that could act as a mp3 player and a handheld.

When he told me about it I thought it was the normal concept fluff that comes from focus groups. Now I am thinking that was the original idea for the 360 and they just did the 20 GB HDD as a stop gap to make launch.

That was what I thought of when I first read the title. Hell, even if the games are just the Live Arcade ones I've downloaded, I'd snap one of those up in a second.

[mneosyne]

any half-wit consumer electronics company can (and finacially should) make a portable media player

its about as hard as falling off of a building

[Sl1pstream]

Portable Geometry Wars Evolved?

Please do =)

[51|RandoM]

Uh, there are great xbox titles they can't even emulate on the 360, you think they're going to do it on a portable?

[Morratut]

Holy fuck. What if they made an Xbox-portable? Uploads Xbox 1 games to the local hard drive (or flash drive?) by use of the USB port on an X360????

DOUBLE holy fuck.

I'd probably buy it :D I'd like mobile Halo etc.

The only reason why I haven't got a mobile at the moment is cos the games on the PSP don't intresting for me at the mo. As soon as some decent games come out for it i'll get one.

[hd1]

Uh, there are great xbox titles they can't even emulate on the 360, you think they're going to do it on a portable?
Well, the 360 is drastically different when compared to the original Xbox. If the portable uses similar hardware to the Xbox, it could easily run Xbox games.

[TheKeck]

Well, the 360 is drastically different when compared to the original Xbox. If the portable uses similar hardware to the Xbox, it could easily run Xbox games.

Yeah, I meant to say this too. You wouldn't have to emulate X-box games on the portable, you would make it specifically to play those games.