Just to pour a bit more oil on the uncertain waters of the next Xbox, a new report has emerged suggesting that the console may miss its expected 2013 release date.

A story on tech news site SemiAccurate claims that the processor in the next Xbox is being manufactured by AMD - a change from the IBM PowerPC chip in the Xbox 360 - and should start rolling off the production lines in December, but has been hit by manufacturing problems.

The site's sources say that the chip, codenamed "Oban", is being manufactured in huge quantities at a variety of different manufacturing plants in the Far East, which is fairly standard practice for consumer electronics. The problem, apparently, is that most of the chips coming off the production line aren't good enough to pass testing. That means a lot of duff silicon and a greatly reduced ability to manufacture consoles.
 
This isn't uncommon with new chip manufacture, but the numbers are apparently dangerously bad and may mean that Microsoft won't be able to make enough new consoles to meet the expected Xbox 720 launch date of autumn 2013. There's still time to get things sorted, says the report, but not much - if the production problems aren't resolved by November, and chips don't start arriving in big numbers by February, then we might have to wait until 2014 to get the next Xbox.

Could this be the source of Gamestop's recent suggestion that a next-gen console could arrive in 2014? Probably not, we reckon - SemiAccurate's story says that Microsoft is still clinging to a 2013 release date for Xbox 720, and Sony's still got to make a few more quid back on PS3.

Exciting, entirely unconfirmed and possibly completely made-up times. On that subject, here's our roundup of the daftest Xbox 720 rumours.

http://www.oxm.co.uk/45583/xbox-720-launch-date-might-be-delayed-rumour/
http://semiaccurate.com/2012/09/04/microsoft-xbox-next-delay-rumors-abound/
 
To sum it up, the processing chips are fucked up. Was Pachter right?! He recently just said it won't make a 2013 release, now this comes out.

I think the entire industry has been timing everything with a view to getting a new set of hardware by fall 2013, if this really is the case then it'll be bone dry come november next year. That is if Sony by some miracle manage to get Orbis out first.

That would be a harsh set back if true. If Sony are holding back, maybe this would convince them to step their game up a little and try to capitalize. Microsoft always seem to have the worst look with initial hardware...

Also, let's not bring Pachter into video game discussions/predictions.

Well they better make sure their chips are good because I won't be buying it day one anyway and if we get a repeat of the RRoD I'm buying the PS4.

If it's true its a bummer, but think about the games. If they were hoping for a 2013 release and couldn't meet it then we are stuck with just our 360 in a season that was being prepped to be for the "720".

Not buying another Xbox anyway. The 360 had a very strong first few years and now it's incredibly weak. The only reason people will stick with it is because that's what all their friends have.

I think we should talk to Pachter. He knows alot about this stuff.

Must be real bad if it doesn't pass Microsoft's testing. Unless they want to avoid what happened when the 360 launched.

But if they're making them now, then what was the originally launch date? I was thinking it'd be fall, but making them a year out seems weird to me. But I'm no expert on these things, so maybe that's standard practice.

Proving once again that Microsoft is screwed without J Allard.

@believer258 said:

The 360 had a very strong first few years and now it's incredibly weak.

Understatement.

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

I rather they get it right than rush it out like they've seem to have done with both the original 360 and Kinect.

If there's actually any problems with yield, I'd rather Microsoft hold back rather than release another dud of a console. I'd imagine people will be gunshy enough as it is after the defective first runs of the last console.

Also, I didn't invest a crapton into a new PC for nothing. Keep the PC releases coming!

@believer258 said:

Not buying another Xbox anyway. The 360 had a very strong first few years and now it's incredibly weak. The only reason people will stick with it is because that's what all their friends have.

Unlike the PS3?

Last time around, I got a PS3 near launch and later picked up an Xbox (about 2 years ago?). I've been considering going the other way this time around, seeing how disappointed I've been with Sony recently. Then again, they're both pretty terrible.

That is, of course, assuming that PC releases dry up again as the new consoles are released.

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

@believer258 said:

Not buying another Xbox anyway. The 360 had a very strong first few years and now it's incredibly weak. The only reason people will stick with it is because that's what all their friends have.

It couldn't possibly be because people actually like it, right?

No, perish the thought.

I think it's funny how people talk about "delays" of the next gen consoles while in reality, microsoft hasn't even announced their next console and the release date.

Rumor: next console to give handjobs.

@NoobSauceG7 said:

I think it's funny how people talk about "delays" of the next gen consoles while in reality, microsoft hasn't even announced their next console and the release date.

Just think: people have been talking about the next iPad since before the current one was released. Actually, they probably did the same thing with the 360.

@NoobSauceG7 said:

I think it's funny how people talk about "delays" of the next gen consoles while in reality, microsoft hasn't even announced their next console and the release date.

This. How can it be delayed if it doesn't have a release date yet.

Also contrary to popular belief I didn't expect a new generation of consoles for 2013

@AndrewB said:

@NoobSauceG7 said:

I think it's funny how people talk about "delays" of the next gen consoles while in reality, microsoft hasn't even announced their next console and the release date.

Just think: people have been talking about the next iPad since before the current one was released. Actually, they probably did the same thing with the 360.

I remember that time well. It was right around the time of MGS3's release when rumours started circulating that the next year (2005) we would see a new Xbox. Nobody wanted it. Everyone thought it was too soon when there was so much life left in the current gen hardware. People didn't start to get excited about the Xbox 360 until we got closer to the launch.

This time around is different, though. We're seven years deep into this console generation and there's seemingly no end in sight. People really want new hardware because the two primary consoles are really showing their age now. They're preventing developers from pushing new ideas and new play mechanics because of how limiting the current architecture is. If Microsoft or Sony doesn't release by fall 2013, then they're not only fucking over their consumers but their developers as well. Everyone is tired of sequels like Gears of War Judgment and God of War Whatever The Fuck. We want something new, developers want to make something new. We're all waiting on Sony and MS.

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

Umm, actually pretty much everything points to a 2013 release of both PS3 and 360 predecessors.

Rumours != reliable sources. They said from the start it'll be a 10 year cycle, which does not peg next year at all. 2014 is much more reasonable considering nothing was shown at E3 this year at all, not even a hint. Next E3 will be hinting at new hardware for a 2014 release, Microsoft especially will not want to do what they did with the 360 again and throw it out too early.

Lemme guess...a new 3 red lights issue?

Steve Balmer is going to knock a motherfucker out over this news.

"SemiAccurate".... haha. Believe it when I hear it from other sources.

@Oldirtybearon said:

@believer258 said:

Not buying another Xbox anyway. The 360 had a very strong first few years and now it's incredibly weak. The only reason people will stick with it is because that's what all their friends have.

It couldn't possibly be because people actually like it, right?

No, perish the thought.

All right. What games can you get on Xbox that you cannot get anywhere else? Gears of War 2 and 3, Halo 3-Reach, Forza, Fable 2, and some Kinect games. You might as well subtract Kinect games because they have proven themselves to be mostly junk, and what isn't junk isn't often considered much more than a novelty that you show your friends before popping in Halo. Gears, Halo, and Fable all have entries available on the PC, which doesn't mean you can write them off as pluses for the Xbox but it does mean that you can get a good experience of those games somewhere else. Forza is in fact the only significant Xbox exclusive which has not appeared on any other console, period. So, in the way of games the Xbox doesn't really have much.

Disregarding games, there's the topic of actually using the Xbox which these days is a pain. The Blades weren't amazing, but they functioned well enough and, if I remember correctly, they were fairly quick and didn't take so long to load. Every single part of the Xbox, from the UI to playing music to even browsing through your games, is painfully sluggish and disgustingly "organized". It's an horrible mess that's just become more of a nightmare to even so much as look at. Worse than that, though, are the obnoxious ads all over the Xbox's menus. I wouldn't complain so much about these if I wasn't asked to pay to play online (something which no other online gaming platform does), but Microsoft wants $60 per year to play on their ad-covered mess of a console, where the full list of games isn't even the first tab. It's four tabs over!

Speaking of paying for Live, why is that necessary? There is no significant advantage of playing online on an Xbox compared to, say, playing online on Steam. The Xbox's online is better than the PS3's, admittedly, and far exceeds that of the Wii's, but is it worth $60 and giving up the exclusives of the PS3 or the much better performance and great sales of the PC? And even then, no other gaming platform is as sluggish or shows as many ads as the 360.

I understand that this looks like I'm spouting PS4 fanboyism or PC elitism, but I'm not. I have been using the Xbox for 5 years and I spent the years before that constantly looking at games and wanting an Xbox. I'm saying this from the perspective of severe disappointment in the way the Xbox is now, I don't want to say anything I've said but none of it is untrue.

So, what on the Xbox is there, currently, to like? Why, after thinking about it, would a person stick to the Xbox if given the choice to go elsewhere?

I own a PS3, and I don't even have it plugged in. Hasn't been since I returned from college at the beginning of summer.

I own an Xbox and it's what I play console games on. I haven't played a console game online this whole summer.

Some people like Xbox! Get over it people.

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

Umm, actually pretty much everything points to a 2013 release of both PS3 and 360 predecessors.

Rumours != reliable sources. They said from the start it'll be a 10 year cycle, which does not peg next year at all. 2014 is much more reasonable considering nothing was shown at E3 this year at all, not even a hint. Next E3 will be hinting at new hardware for a 2014 release, Microsoft especially will not want to do what they did with the 360 again and throw it out too early.

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

Umm, actually pretty much everything points to a 2013 release of both PS3 and 360 predecessors.

Rumours != reliable sources. They said from the start it'll be a 10 year cycle, which does not peg next year at all. 2014 is much more reasonable considering nothing was shown at E3 this year at all, not even a hint. Next E3 will be hinting at new hardware for a 2014 release, Microsoft especially will not want to do what they did with the 360 again and throw it out too early.

When you look at all the evidence there is a definite 2013 release. Even Jeff says it like fact now. The sales have tanked this year, very few exclusive releases, and with constant talk of many developers having already moved onto next-gen it's going to be flat lining next year without a new console released. We have even been shown next-gen engines and a next-gen game(Star Wars 1313). We all knew this E3 was going to show nothing. They want the consoles out for Christmas next year. They said nothing this year because when the new generation is announced that's it. The current consoles will be even more dead.

Except Microsoft never made any such claims. You can't claim that something has been delayed when you don't know what the original intended release date is.

If this is true than Sony has a great chance at being ahead of the xbox next gen. It's about time they made a comeback. Hopefully this is just a false story.

@believer258: I like my xbox for a variety of reasons, some of which are as follows:

I like Xbox Live. It's stable, it's reliable, and I've never had an issue purchasing content or getting into games. When it comes to online support nobody else is doing what Xbox Live does. Yes it costs more than it should and there are definitely services that shouldn't be put behind a paywall, but to say that Xbox Live in and of itself is not worth paying for is fool hardy. Especially when you consider how long PSN sucked ass before Sony realized you need a paying membership to help offset the cost of maintaining servers and terabytes of data streaming over the entire globe.

Third party games play better on the Xbox 360 than the PS3, or the Wii. I'm not including PC games in here because A) I don't like the interface and B) I have absolutely no goddamn interest in playing games on my computer. PCs are definitely more powerful and more capable, but that's not my scene. It probably won't ever be my scene. For me, the PC environment might as well not exist for as much consideration as I give it in purchasing decisions. Now, back to my point: there is an undeniable difference that between the two major platform holders that the PS3 just can't compete with the 360 in third party games. RAM limitations as well as the Cell processor generally under performing on third party software is probably the biggest reason for this. First party Sony games do look, visually, fantastic. The thing is, Sony doesn't make enough of them a year to warrant me investing in their console. All of the third party games already show up on the 360, and across the board play better. Why would I want a PS3?

This next point is probably not going to make people happy, but here it is: Microsoft is willing to spend in order to secure DLC and other exclusives. Look at Skyrim. I got to play Dawnguard the day of release despite everyone invested in other platforms bitching (and rightly so) about having to wait a month (or in the PS3's case, still waiting). If you actually spend money on add-ons like I do, it pays to be a part of the Xbox ecosystem rather than the Sony or PC environment. Xbox customers don't, generally, get short-shafted by developers when it comes to new content or bonuses because A) there's more of us and B) Microsoft is willing to crack open a checkbook to make sure their consumers get new shit first.

The biggest reason, though? The controller. The 360 controller is perfect. It's not too small like the PS3 controller, the sticks are situated beautifully to rest comfortably in your hands, and the 360 controller has a certain heft to it that makes it feel good. The PS3 Dual Shock has always felt like cheap plastic. Every time I pick one up with my bear paws (I have big hands), I feel like I'm going to break the thing. The sticks don't feel right, either. Aiming with the convex dual sticks on the PS3 just doesn't feel right. For instance in FPS games on the PS3 I can't hit a target to save my life. Contrast that with the Xbox controller where I can pull off reliable chains of headshots in first person shooters and there's definitely something to be said for concave sticks ergonomically placed on the gamepad.

Also the PS3 looks like a vacuum cleaner. No, really. Look at it. Tell me it doesn't look like the head of a vacuum cleaner.

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

Umm, actually pretty much everything points to a 2013 release of both PS3 and 360 predecessors.

Rumours != reliable sources. They said from the start it'll be a 10 year cycle, which does not peg next year at all. 2014 is much more reasonable considering nothing was shown at E3 this year at all, not even a hint. Next E3 will be hinting at new hardware for a 2014 release, Microsoft especially will not want to do what they did with the 360 again and throw it out too early.

When you look at all the evidence there is a definite 2013 release. Even Jeff says it like fact now. The sales have tanked this year, very few exclusive releases, and with constant talk of many developers having already moved onto next-gen it's going to be flat lining next year without a new console released. We have even been shown next-gen engines and a next-gen game(Star Wars 1313). We all knew this E3 was going to show nothing. They want the consoles out for Christmas next year. They said nothing this year because when the new generation is announced that's it. The current consoles will be even more dead.

Next year has loads of good games, more than this year. Everyone left this year for next year. Seeing new consoles release next year to me is just crazy, but eh whatever. I'm more pissed at these stupid hit-grabbing rumour stories that are clearly made up by bored journalists.

This is stupid.

How come something that has not been announced yet be delayed?

They take as long as they want if it results in a console that isn't another damn Pinto.

How can something be delayed when it hasn't even been actually announced yet?

Rumor or not, I want the next consoles to come out as much as the next guy but I do not want a repeat of the RRoD or YLoD issues. So, in that regard, I want them to take their time so they don't royally screw consumers again.

The expected release is still over a year away, I can't imagine they are in full production now; more likely they are prototyping the manufacture process and problems like this are normal, expected, and unlikely to have any effect on a product that hasn't even been announced let alone a stated release date.

@Oldirtybearon said:

@AndrewB said:

@NoobSauceG7 said:

I think it's funny how people talk about "delays" of the next gen consoles while in reality, microsoft hasn't even announced their next console and the release date.

Just think: people have been talking about the next iPad since before the current one was released. Actually, they probably did the same thing with the 360.

I remember that time well. It was right around the time of MGS3's release when rumours started circulating that the next year (2005) we would see a new Xbox. Nobody wanted it. Everyone thought it was too soon when there was so much life left in the current gen hardware. People didn't start to get excited about the Xbox 360 until we got closer to the launch.

This time around is different, though. We're seven years deep into this console generation and there's seemingly no end in sight. People really want new hardware because the two primary consoles are really showing their age now. They're preventing developers from pushing new ideas and new play mechanics because of how limiting the current architecture is. If Microsoft or Sony doesn't release by fall 2013, then they're not only fucking over their consumers but their developers as well. Everyone is tired of sequels like Gears of War Judgment and God of War Whatever The Fuck. We want something new, developers want to make something new. We're all waiting on Sony and MS.

I... really don't want new hardware. Although, for the 360, the market needs one. The PS3 is far from its limit. The Wii badly needs an update, and we're getting it. But as for the new xbox? It's totally outdated. I've transferred to PC gaming for most of the new titles, because they run way better on the PC. ME3, Sleeping Dogs, Darksiders 2, Skyrim and so on. The 360 can't compete anymore. It's capped. As much as we need new hardware, I don't want it personally now that I've realized that the next-gen system is my 900$ computer that can run anything on the market.

I think it's the first time of my life where I just don't care about a new console. The launch titles will be crap, since they're always crap, so I'm going to wait for the cool exclusives to come out.

@Metal_Mills said:

@Chavtheworld said:

Here's what this bullshit article should have said:

Yo guys! We were talking out of our arse when we said that the new consoles were coming out next year, which only a moron would believe, so now we need to make up another retarded excuse so that when they don't come out next year (which they never would have) we don't look like total dickwads. Also - yay more hits! Thanks for free money ya idjits!

Umm, actually pretty much everything points to a 2013 release of both PS3 and 360 predecessors.

The PS3 and 360 predecessors were the PS2 and Xbox 1. What you meant to say was successor.

I don't put much stock in what SemiAccurate is saying, their source is essentially "we heard about it".

I wonder how outdated the CPU's will be by the time the console gets launched

How can it be delayed if it was never announced also Xbox is strong do they can affirmed to wait

@glyn: It will be outdated for sure compared to today's PC standards but being a closed system it doesn't matter. Personally I'm just worried about storage. No next gen system should be launched without at least a main 1TB drive and a small SSD.

@msavo said:

@glyn: No next gen system should be launched without at least a main 1TB drive and a small SSD.

You're crazy.

@TheSlothKing said:

@msavo said:

@glyn: No next gen system should be launched without at least a main 1TB drive and a small SSD.

You're crazy.

Sure let's launch a another Xbox with one sku that has no storage again so it completely fucks up what developers can do with the scope and fidelity in games. Look at all the problems Battlefield 3 had because they couldn't assume every 360 owner had a hard drive.

This could certainly be true since TSMC and GlobalFoundries are barely able to satisfy the demand as it is.

This generation saw me first as an almost exclusively Xbox 360 gamer in 2007, then I got a PS3, and now I'm playing nearly all my games on PC. I don't see myself moving from the PC platform any time soon, but I still have many happy memories of my 360. Microsoft did a great job as market leaders for a good while there until Sony caught them up - red ring of death aside, as I did have one console die on me - but there seem to be plenty of concerns about them heading into the new generation, especially considering how much they seem to have fucked up Xbox Live. I jumped into the new generation of consoles two years late last time, and I see no reason not to do the same this time. But that's just me; I'm sure people are very psyched for a new Xbox.

My initial response to this story is "good, maybe they won't have red ring of death-level issues with the new console", but let's not forget that although launching a year before Sony did mean that the 360 launched with hardware problems, it still had a dramatic affect on the industry. Playstation 2 was the standard for the last generation; this time, the 360 has been the leader. Look at how Xbox focused the GB crew are; they've said themselves that launching a year early gave Microsoft a leg up on the competition. So even if launching in 2014 means that their hardware will be more reliable, if Sony can have a system that's ready to go for holiday 2013, with an online infrastructure to seriously challenge Xbox Live, that could shift the momentum back in the favour of Sony, especially since people seem pretty positive on the Playstation service right now, since PSN and Playstation+ seem to have grown stronger since last year's blackout. And don't forget; even if the WiiU will be graphically inferior to the Microsoft and Sony systems, the WiiU will still have been out for two years by the time the new Xbox hits. I don't doubt that it's very possible that Microsoft never intended to launch in 2013, but it's still an interesting development.

Even if I'm still just playing PC games when the new generation of consoles hits, I'll still be fascinated from a business standpoint to see how this all works out, and I can start wondering how soon I'll feel ready to jump into the new generation of consoles myself. It's all speculation at this point, but it's fun speculation.

@msavo said:

@TheSlothKing said:

@msavo said:

@glyn: No next gen system should be launched without at least a main 1TB drive and a small SSD.

You're crazy.

Sure let's launch a another Xbox with one sku that has no storage again so it completely fucks up what developers can do with the scope and fidelity in games. Look at all the problems Battlefield 3 had because they couldn't assume every 360 owner had a hard drive.

1. SSD are way to expensive.
2. A 1 TB hard drive is to expensive.
3. MS, Sony, and Nintendo want to keep the cost down so they can either lose less money or make the most profit per console.
4. To fix the problem that DICE had, they could just have each console have a mandatory hard drive.

@TheSlothKing said:

@msavo said:

@TheSlothKing said:

@msavo said:

@glyn: No next gen system should be launched without at least a main 1TB drive and a small SSD.

You're crazy.

Sure let's launch a another Xbox with one sku that has no storage again so it completely fucks up what developers can do with the scope and fidelity in games. Look at all the problems Battlefield 3 had because they couldn't assume every 360 owner had a hard drive.

1. SSD are way to expensive.
2. A 1 TB hard drive is to expensive.
3. MS, Sony, and Nintendo want to keep the cost down so they can either lose less money or make the most profit per console.
4. To fix the problem that DICE had, they could just have each console have a mandatory hard drive.

1. I'm not talking about a huge SSD but a very small one to bounce back essential files.

2. 1TB drives aren't expensive. The only reason they'll be expensive is if MS jacks up the price due to the drive possibly being proprietary.

3. If this was 2 years ago than yes I'd be insane but at this point it is entirely viable. They can release a $399 box with a 1TB drive that makes the current gen look like shit with a very little loss.

4. Yes all consoles will most likely have a drive but with more and more emphasis going digital it is in MS and Sony's best interest to provide as much space as possible so they can easily transfer all their previous purchases and encourage consumers to continue to buy stuff from their ecosystems.

The only problem I potentially see is both MS and Sony forcing motion/camera controls into the box right out of the gate. The price of production would go up and they'll have to make concessions to the core console to keep the price reasonable