What do you want from the next Xbox?

Credit where credit is due, Microsoft have done an admirable job in turning the Xbox One around. It's a great system now with some neat exclusives, and it's done an admirable job to fix the very things that users hated about it the most.

However, the sad part is, in spite of Microsoft's best attempts, the Xbox One is not selling- sure, it manages to move a very high amount of units in North America during Holiday season, but that's just one tracking period in one region. The kind of constant sales success that the Xbox 360 saw eludes Microsoft.

Fans will tell you that sales don't matter- they're not wrong, really. They don't, not in the short run. The sad reality, however, is that in the long run, they absolutely do. A system that is lagging as far behind its primary competitor as the Xbox One is against the PS4 (Microsoft has stopped reporting sales numbers for Xbox One at this point) will probably be replaced as soon as it is viable.

I don't mean for this to be a hate thread, or yet another discussion about the Xbox One's sales- those happen often enough. However, I want to use this introduction to segue into the fact that the Xbox One successor will probably be introduced soon- before Sony introduces the PS5, almost certainly. We have precedence of low selling systems being abandoned for successors after truncated life cycles from Sega (Saturn), Nintendo (Wii U), and Microsoft themselves (Xbox).

So, given the assumption that an Xbox One successor is coming soon- probably 2018 at the earliest- my question to you all is, what do you want from it? What do you expect from it? What would you like for the Xbox One successor to be?

Personally, I think there are several things Microsoft should be looking at doing:

• Have a (cheaper) Xbox One Elite style controller as the default controller
• Revert to an Xbox 360 style UI- any of the Xbox 360 UIs, really. The original Xbox One UI was a disaster and a mess, and the Windows 10 UI, from what I have heard from people who otherwise love their Xbox Ones, also leaves a lot to be desired. Just go back to the basics with this one
• Hardware- this is the big one. Keep it simple. Keep it straight. Nothing esoteric like the eSRAM. Just make it like the Xbox 360: extremely simple, extremely flexible, extremely powerful. Since the Xbox One successor will be presumably launching before the hypothetical PS5, it will, in the end, probably be less powerful than the PS5- but that's okay, as long as it's easy and powerful enough to not only keep pace with PS5, but also be the go-to for third parties because of its sheer ease of use.
• Have a non asinine name: seriously. The Xbox One is the dumbest name I have heard, except for the Wii U, which should tell you how bad it is when it's being mentioned in the same breath. Before the system was officially revealed, there were so many cool names floating for it- Xbox Loop. Xbox Infinity. Xbox Beyond. All of those would have been good names- better than Xbox One anyway. Just give the console a nice name that makes for some great branding and messaging next time, Microsoft.
• Oh, and most important: don't have the discs be on the left side of the case again, you jackasses

Another 360.

Platformers like Shadow Complex, Deadlight, Mark of the Ninja, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Ori and the Blind Forest.

I know it borders on the impossible but they need Japanese games support. They need games like Ninety Nine Nights, Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, and Tales of Vesperia. They need to get back to that to get me on board. Xbox One could be discontinued for 10 years, and if they announced Lost Odyssey 2 for it I would be racing out to buy a Xbox. The system specs could be a plugged in potato. But if it has the games I want then I'm there.

You just illustrated that it's not the Japanese games support that the Xbox platform has a problem with. With the 360 Microsoft showed that they learned from the mistakes of their first console, redoubling their efforts to deliver more games with an appeal to the Japanese audience. Not to mention broadening their library diversity to all sorts of demographics, of age groups.

So no, it wasn't a matter of games support, but support from the Japanese gamers themselves. Despite having games from well known Japanese developers, they still failed to garner the interest of the community from those parts. If even having such titles doesn't do it, I'm not sure what will.

As for the topic in general, it does seem they're already going in the right direction, emphasizing a platform focused on games over a general media center. They just need to really show more commitment to exclusives, and that does mean games not shared on PC.

Also they took the proper queue to abandon Kinect, so if the successor system brings things back to tried-and-true interface without relying on gimmick features, they can once again display a show of force on hardware performance, or at least very competitive specs.

So beyond these very obvious revisions, not sure what other direction MS can take to regain market share and their brand recognition ion good standing. Oh yeah and couldn't agree more, Xbox One was a completely absurd name, especially for the generation confusion entailed therein.

To not exist. Competition is good, but I'd rather Xbox be replaced by another brand.

To handle games at over 900p/25fps. Sry, had to be said. But really, all i want is for it to be competitive so Sony doesn't win by default and then becomes lazy because there's no competition.

@silversix_: Xbox One is very competitive in the two main markets(US and UK) it is relevant in. It's just the fact that the rest of world doesn't care about the brand and I don't see that changing next generation.

Everything they're doing right now, acquire some new studios for first party, get in better touch with Japanese developers (Scalebound is good groundwork for this), and release a more powerful and easier to work with product than the competition.

That's about it, they don't really need much else.

@AdobeArtist: Even with Japanese support, the Xbox consoles are still unpopular in Japan. What can be the reason? It cannot be that they are just American products, as some American brands have great success in Japan.

-Call it the Xbox Infinity. I think this is a cool name and it would be easy to make great marketing slogans around this name (something like... Xbox Infinity: Infinite Entertainment. Infinite Possibilities). Plus, if they do launch the new console in 2018, which is also the year that Toy Story 4 is scheduled to be released and will probably be one of the biggest things of the year, I think this name could also lead to some good cross-promotion with the new Toy Story movie (To Infinity and Beyond!). And maybe they could even market some kind of Buzz Lightyear interaction with Master Chief.

-Keep the Xbox One controller but just make it a little bit bigger, more like the 360's size.

-Redesign their marketplace to be like it is on the Xbox 360. Their marketplace on the Xbox One is a mess.

-Make the hardware very easy for developers to work with and make it as powerful as they can while not going over a $400 price point. I even think they should be willing to take a little bit of a loss on each console sold as they could easily make the money back from increased software sales and Live subscriptions.

-Make it backwards compatible with the Xbox One at launch.

-Make it possible to stream games from a Windows PC to the new Xbox console.

-Make it possible to use voice commands and interact with Cortana through an ordinary headset without the need for a Kinect.

-Utilize the great RARE franchises that they own and have not been taking advantage of. And why wait, they should start doing this right now with the Xbox One. They need to make Banjo Kazooie their Mario-like mascot; not only would it give them a great platformer series which is one genre they have been traditionally weak on, but they could also take a page out of Nintendo's book and use it for spin-offs like Banjo Kazooie Kart Racing. And they need to bring back Perfect Dark and give it the same hype that they give to Halo and Gears, this would add a different style of shooter to their lineup and strengthen their reputation for being the go-to console for shooters.

-Leverage their existing partnership with Oculus to make the Oculus Rift compatible with the next Xbox console. If people can buy an Oculus Rift and use it on both PC and the next Xbox console, I think that would be very beneficial to both Oculus, as it would lead to increased sales of their product, and Microsoft, as it would give their new console what will probably be the best virtual reality headset and they won't have to waste money developing their own like Sony is foolishly trying to do. Plus, with the combined marketing of both Microsoft and Facebook, this would be a huge deal.

Games.

Continue to bridge consoles and pc's. It would be cool if I could access all my Xbox games on pc and play them with improved graphics.

So what would be the point of having an Xbox?

@NathanDrakeSwag: don't know. You'd have to ask them

They should at least release it at the same time everywhere, people weren't exactly thrilled having to wait a whole year for the xbone nordic release in eu, most just bought ps4 instead.

Deadlight Developer's Rime.

The game was offered to Microsoft as an exclusive XBLA title and possible Windows 8 game; initially Microsoft greenlit the game, but the design was later rejected due to a mismatch with Microsoft's Xbox One XBLA publishing policies which emphasised multiplayer and other social gaming. A development budget was approved by Sony, and the game became a PS4 exclusive.

What ever happened to Rime anyway?

Not to exist. Better to be replaced by Sega.

What consoles need to do in general is ditch all the bloat ware and all the stupidness apps and gimmicky crap.

Back to basics with a console with basic functionality and a focus on pure performance.

The modern console dedicates way to much memory and processing resources to it's operating system.

They don't have to change much really... just get the hardware specs right for the next console and they'll be competitive.

Everything else I think MS does as well as, if not better than Sony or Nintendo.

Can't believe I overlooked Microsoft's asset of Rare. And I have been saying all gen how much I would love to see a new Perfect Dark, even if being a reboot.

The dilemma however standing that Rare is a shell of what it used to be in the 5th generation. Most of the talent that made them what they were went their own separate ways after Rare was re-purposed as the Kinect developers. The way I see it though, is that Microsoft doesn't need Rare to develop new games of those signature characters. Having ownership of the licenses, they can simply contract any number of well known developers to make the new generation of said titles. With Perfect Dark for example, MS can reach out to Epic, Pandemic, DICE, or any number of talented shooter makers. I imagine they'd be thrilled to get to work with an iconic character.

And aside from the Rare lot, still other series from Xbox's past that MS can resurrect for a whole new generation. They were off to a good start with Killer Instinct, but FFS WHERE is a new Crimson Skies?? Huh?? Huh huh huh??? Or a new Mech Assault, or Full Spectrum Warrior? C'mon MS, don't let these awesome titles be left to obscurity.

The developers are probably having issues developing the game because the game may be a bit more ambitious than they thought , it has been secretly canned or they are taking their sweet time making the game. I'm thinking it's option one or three.

Anyway I think the biggest thing microsoft needs to do for their next console is to make it more appealing for markets besides NA and the UK .

More diverse gaming line up.

@super600: awwwww, ya got new bunny avatar ^_^

Games that aren't Forza, Gears or Halo

But they do need it. Not for japan though. As a westerner who was raised on japanese games I depend on them for my gaming needs. When I look at Xbox I still see tons of fps games and various other shooters and it doesn't appeal to me. For me to want to go after a xbox, they NEED those games that appeal to me like Lost Odyssey. If they don't I'll just see it as I see the Xbox One. Like another generic shooter box and ignore it. I couldn't ignore the 360 though.

For it to be called Windows 11.

I just want Microsoft to make the best console they can at $399.99 without some stupid peripheral being forced bundled.

I want 9 Tflop machines minimum come next gen. That isn't even asking for a lot, but it should be powerful enough to run real-time global illumination which is why these current gen games don't quite have the visual leap we've come to expect per generation. We have enough polygons, high res textures, animation systems, but it don't mean crap until we improve the lighting system. The holy grail of realistic graphics is real-time ray tracing and Global Illumination is the first step on that path.

Ability to plug and play; install is optional.

Integration of PC gaming support.

Smaller form factor; ability to place Xbox vertically.

The next XBox should be as powerful as is financially viable, with no hdmi inputs, Kinect, nor other gimmicks driving up the price. Consumers are much more informed about the power of console hardware than they once were.

Having full Oculus Rift support on the software side would probably be a good idea.

The body of the controllers need to be larger than they are currently. My fingers cramp up sometimes from holding the tiny XB1 controller.

Aside from that, the next XBox needs to launch with a good shooter. The XBox One launched with essentially every type of game except a good shooter from Microsoft. Titanfall was a decent MP shooter when it finally launched, but it had no true SP campaign. It took far too long for the XB1 to get a shooter with an actual campaign worth playing...

I don't much trust Microsoft. Still a bad taste left in my mouth from the whole DRM fiasco, and I'm also not too keen on their 1st party offerings. I used to be big into Halo but it's turned to shit, I suppose Forza would be the game I'm most interested in, and I don't really care for racers. I did buy a One just for Ori though.

@AdobeArtist: A modern Mech Assault game would be very nice if done correctly. Also, Perfect Dark Zero was an awesome launch title for the 360. A new Perfect Dark would maybe be a nice shooter for the next XBox to launch with...

No need to still feel sour. Don Mattrick has been gone for over 2 yrs now.

To be honest I wouldn't even care if there wasn't one. Microsoft haven't really impressed me in any way shape or form with any of their consoles. I still can't bring myself to buy a console that literally charges to use half the game I just purchased or all of it if your talking about an only multiplayer game. I'll stick to my pc where I've been for 2 years and loving it.

Yea I know. It's just that they really showed no remorse for what they attempted; saw no wrong in it, the only thing they admitted they did wrong was its implementation. Which is why I believe come next gen, they are going to try it again, only more insidiously.

I don't consider Nintendo worthy to be there new competitor and Nintendo isn't crazy to go up Sony again.

It's selling less than PS4 so you want MS to abandon it early and release a new console, Sony didn't abandon the PS3 last gen and it came back and beat X360 worldwide

The fact that both systems are selling extremely well only 2 years in means we won't be getting new system for a really long time

I prefer the disks on the left (left handed I am) but can understand that most people are right handed and if goes against the brain to have the disks on the left.

I want a full system at launch, all the functions the Xbox One ends with already implemented on day one and working perfectly.

One or two big named franchise games accompanied by at least two new I.Ps at launch.

No Kinect but keep the voice commands, have the mic built into the system itself for command input with the option to switch this to a headset, also have the commands more like Google Now, and have this up and running for all countries the system launches in.

Other than those, I'm loving my Xbox One, it's been almost perfect for me.

@nyadc: They tried Japanese support with 360 too that's nothing new.

Why do people bitch about the XBOX one UI? It's improved quiet a bit since launch.

PS4 has a solid UI too.

Get some more first party studios

Let 343 have a try at making their own ip, everything I've played of their Halo's have somehow lacked soul. They're a mighty talented studio, i think they should be given a spot at creating something new. On that note too, abandon Halo.

Better ui and integration. Have you used the blu ray app on Xbox One? It is awful! The fact it's not even integrated and needs a separate app similar to the playstation store on ps3 rings many alarm bells you start with, but it's also highly buggy, and my house mate has had to factory reset his xbox a number of times just to allow the blu ray player to properly work... And then the xbo uis are horribly clunky and slow, needs improvement!

Replaceable hard drives! I recently replaced my ps4 hard drive for a 2tb drive which will hopefully do me the rest of the gen. Meanwhile my xbox one has 10gb free of its original 370gb (why did it even need so much system reserved space in the first place?) and i need to keep deleting games, games which, i might add, take forever to install and patch.

and i cannot change that without having an external drive.

Cross platform play. Ok, this is a pipe dream i know, but i would love it if i didn't have to buy the same game on both xbox and playstation just to play with various groups of friends, why can't there be some jolly cooperation? :(

I think that's all for me. The Xbox One is a great console, but I think Microsoft can hit harder next gen

I don't think Phil Spencer will even attempt anything of that nature. He knows we aren't that stupid. That would literally kill all the work he's done to bring the Xbox brand back into shape. Microsoft will play it ultra safe come next-gen.

I'd be surprised if there is another Xbox, at least from Microsoft. It has been consistent loser with much of the losses being masked by Android FAT royalties, even then there is deluge of red on the books. What has Microsoft bought with those billions? 1 very distant second place and a dead last finish. How long will this continue? The Xbox is beginning to look less like an investment and more like insanity.

I think we'll see Microsoft selling off the Xbox franchise soon. The question is who would be the buyer? Sega? EA? Valve? AMD? Nvidia? Amazon?

HololensBox that's more powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall building in a single bound. :P

As long as they drop Kinect, I dont care.

1. To quit trying to go HAM at the holidays and actually be consistent with exclusive games that make it a great console to own all year. Right now, the brand is a holiday hype train for sales that leaves you with your dick in your hand for 9 months out of the year. That would be a good place to start. Something they should be trying to reverse course on right now. Sadly, 2015 double-downed.

2. Enough with the MuricaBox and the Halo/Forza/Gears yearlies. XBox One has been the Call of Forza system, now, and it underlines how pathetic they have been at cultivating IP as well as development studios over the years. Thank GOD they have pulled Rare out of mothball patrol with Kinect, but there is so much more that can be done. Focus on gamers this time. As much as no one was impressed by TVTVTVTV, we were all equally as much unimpressed by MSes willingness to put yearly sports titles and Call of Duty on parade at the XBone reveal.

3. It needs to be said, although it is a foregone conclusion. If you are even thinking for a second that you will necromance always-on DRM or any other hair-brained scheme to screw over game trading, don't even bother with an XBox Two at all. Save us all the time and energy of having to torpedo a console into oblivion all over again and just sell whatever first-party studios you have to Valve or Sega. It won't happen.

The Xbox one is great, most of the hate comes from people who do not own it or are still harping on about the same issues that were present two years ago but have long since been fixed.

I think people are ignorant assuming the Xbox brand has failed because it hasnt overthrown the Playstation brand globally. It was never going to. Not with a conventional console at least.

Only took Playstation one generation to sell 100Million+ consoles. Perhaps, it's beginning to seem naive that XBox will meet that goal line as opposed to anything else? Maybe, they just don't know the market or what their goals actually are with the brand.

A powerful console with a simple UI and no unnecessary BS like TV support or Kinect.

In other words: I'd like a console that would be like the Xbox 360 at launch. It should play games and get out of the way.

Oh, and I'd like a console that would somehow attract a better class of fanboy. The ones we have now are really a piece of work.