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[Various]Microsoft Xbox One will get a new APU based on the upcoming Polaris GPU architecture

43K views 268 replies 98 participants last post by  Arizonian 
#1 ·
Update:
Here is a huge tell that Xbox One might be based on the newest upcoming architecture from AMD.

All current GPUs from AMD support up to DirectX 12.0. Only Maxwell supports DX12.1.
From GDC Europe in late 2015. Notice Xbox One



Ever since Xbox One and PS4 was released, Microsoft`s console have been under constant critique that their hardware is much less capable than PS4`s hardware.
After all the PS4 have 18 compute units (1152 cores) while Xbox One had to settle with 12 compute units (768 cores).

This is about to change. Microsoft and AMD have been secretly working together to make a more powerful GPU for the Xbox One, and since the GPU is embedded in one chip, it means Xbox One will get a new APU. One can wonder what architecture the CPU part of the APU will be based on (Zen perhaps?), but some console users have noticed the name "Xbox One Polaris" flashed during Netflix usage with their Xbox One.

We know that AMD`s upcoming next generation GPU architecture will be called Polaris, so it seems that Microsoft is about to release a refreshed Xbox One based on the newest GPU architecture.

TL;DR: AMD and Microsoft have been working on a new APU with a GPU based on AMD`s upcoming GPU architecture Polaris. Codename have been noticed by some users while using Xbox One and Netflix.


  • Here is leak from HWBattle about the name of AMD`s upcoming GPU architecture:

  • The first user to notice "Xbox One Polaris" was "BLNJ" which he posted on twitter. This was all the way back in October in 2014

  • Twitter user "yeyixic" also noticed the same codename during Xbox One usage in November this year

  • Twitter user "blueisviolet" got hands on a screendump as proof

    http://i.imgur.com/FMd8Um6.png
  • Earnings Call Meeting for Q3 2015 with the investors, AMD`s Lisa Su had this to say about their plans for consoles.
    Quote:
    Demand from Sony and Microsoft indicates that the record setting sales pace of this generation of game consoles will remain strong. We also remain on track to begin revenue shipments of our additional semi-custom design wins starting in the second half of 2016.
 
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#4 ·
It's either a new console with backwards compatibility(+enhanced settings potentially), or a slim version with similar performance.
 
#5 ·
Yeah i'd say it's going to just be for efficiency.. They're probably working on a xbox one "slim", so the lower temps will be important.

If they do go for improved performance then it is a slap in the face to current owners, and then what's the point of owning a console? You may as well just go PC if that becomes the norm.
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#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrawesome421 View Post

This is good and bad.

Good for future Xbox One owners.

Crappy for current ones. I'd feel cheated, but this happens with early adopters all the time.
I`d say good for everyone. Perhaps we get a little more out of the games to PC from consoles now that we dont have a console thats holding developers down at 720/900p. Cutting textures and VRAM usage down just to get it to work on the "old" Xbox One and being lazy and not giving us that have capable hardware the real goodlooking textures because it cost too much money to make more texture packs
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#7 ·
Meh, the literal sole reason I own an Xbone is due to a close online friend that I enjoy gaming with, unfortunately Halo 5 turned out to be absolute CoD garbage with a campaign not worth touching, but we still have fun in other games.

Anything that matters in terms of horsepower on that console I can get for PC or PS4 since everything's gone the multiplatform route this generation.
 
#11 ·
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sequences View Post

Why would an existing owner feel cheated by an update to a piece of tech released in 2013? Do you feel cheated when new models of anything comes out?
Exactly!!

If that was the case, buy the new car market would have been gone a LONG time ago. I.E. Hey Jim, how do you like my 2015 truck? Its great Bob BUT have you seen the 2016!!!! Better gas mileage, lighter frame, heavier payload.
 
#13 ·
It will be interesting to see how MS handles this. I'm guessing developers would want to support both APU versions anyway.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by BinaryDemon View Post

It will be interesting to see how MS handles this. I'm guessing developers would want to support both APU versions anyway.
Just release Xbox Final - an HTPC for your living room. Come on Microsoft, you know you want to do it, you can ship it with WINDOWS TEN and a free copy of Microsoft Pinball & Minesweeper !
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#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sequences View Post

Why would an existing owner feel cheated by an update to a piece of tech released in 2013? Do you feel cheated when new models of anything comes out?
I suppose I took this news as Microsoft putting a more refined, efficient architecture (and therefore more powerful and better performing graphics capabilities) inside future versions of the XBO.

If that is indeed the case, in terms of graphical performance, that would kind of be a first for console's. Would it not? Past versions of the same gen hardware with weaker graphics than newer versions?

Isn't that approaching and pretty much crossing the line between console and PC environments? Perhaps I took this news completely wrong.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sequences View Post

Why would an existing owner feel cheated by an update to a piece of tech released in 2013? Do you feel cheated when new models of anything comes out?
Because the allure of owning a console is that the hardware is set for all time. Isn't that what we hear day in and day out as the biggest draw aside from couch gaming? If all of a sudden consoles do start this trend then as it was stated above, why not just go PC at that point. Doesn't really impact me as I don't own a xbone atm but I could definitely understand why some/most would be hella frustrated. Not only did you drop the bones for it when it was new but now you have to shell out again to rebuy the console you already purchased just to be able to game better.

We're used to this on PC what with our constant upgrade paths but this if true is a HUGE blow to the security blanket console gamers have had with regard to their "one size fits all" hardware expectations
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrawesome421 View Post

This is good and bad.

Good for future Xbox One owners.

Crappy for current ones. I'd feel cheated, but this happens with early adopters all the time.
Not with consoles it doesn't. What we get is what we get till the next gen is out. Aside from smaller form factors and bigger hard drives, never have we had a chance like this. Sega CD doesn't count since it brought a different media with it.

This is not a good idea for MS. The R&D towards this plus the backlash of the Xbox users will surely seal their fate IMO. Both of these "next gen" consoles should have shipped with stronger modern hardware instead of going on the cheap.

Every gen aside from this one, the company behind the console lost money per console sold for a few years.

However, shenanigans like this could help grow the PC community too. Perhaps some people will realize what's going on and move over to a better platform.
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#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by majin662 View Post

Because the allure of owning a console is that the hardware is set for all time. Isn't that what we hear day in and day out as the biggest draw aside from couch gaming? If all of a sudden consoles do start this trend then as it was stated above, why not just go PC at that point. Doesn't really impact me as I don't own a xbone atm but I could definitely understand why some/most would be hella frustrated. Not only did you drop the bones for it when it was new but now you have to shell out again to rebuy the console you already purchased just to be able to game better.

We're used to this on PC what with our constant upgrade paths but this if true is a HUGE blow to the security blanket console gamers have had with regard to their "one size fits all" hardware expectations
Exactly this. Couldn't have said it better myself, and I tried, lol.

Spot on.
 
#19 ·
there is no way this will be a performance upgrade-it defeats the point of a console. ms made a bad design decision and now they will have to deal with it in the long term.

that's what they get for hiring an nbc exec to head their division.
 
#20 ·
This is very interesting! If that image with the device model "Xbox One Polaris" is real and this new Xbox One model has a Polaris GPU then wow!

Oh man, a more powerful Xbox One? I don't believe it, seriously. On the good side if this turns out to be true, then a more powerful Xbox One will be an interesting system brought to the table.

I suppose it could be possible that the Xbox One Polaris could just be more efficient and possibly smaller without yielding faster hardware with increased performance capabilities.

On the other side, there's soo many things that can go wrong if a more powerful Xbox One is introduced, one of them is a fragmented user base of the 18+ million owners of the first Xbox One model, especially the new Xbox One owners from Christmas.

This is going to be a great thread filled with discussions!
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#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by majin662 View Post

Because the allure of owning a console is that the hardware is set for all time. Isn't that what we hear day in and day out as the biggest draw aside from couch gaming? If all of a sudden consoles do start this trend then as it was stated above, why not just go PC at that point. Doesn't really impact me as I don't own a xbone atm but I could definitely understand why some/most would be hella frustrated. Not only did you drop the bones for it when it was new but now you have to shell out again to rebuy the console you already purchased just to be able to game better.

We're used to this on PC what with our constant upgrade paths but this if true is a HUGE blow to the security blanket console gamers have had with regard to their "one size fits all" hardware expectations
I agree with this. It will piss off a lot of people who bought one that's for sure. When did console become like a yearly thing.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sequences View Post

Why would an existing owner feel cheated by an update to a piece of tech released in 2013? Do you feel cheated when new models of anything comes out?
Console generations since the original PlayStation last around 5+ years before a successor is released, the original Xbox was 4 years and 7 days old by the time the Xbox 360 was released.

Consoles also have a sense of longevity, as they mature over time, a great example of this is to look at the games released early in that console generation, and later on in that console generation. With the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 the developers continued to get more and more out of that console, the same goes for other consoles and console generations.

The Xbox 360 lasted 8 years until the Xbox One released, the PlayStation 3 lasted 7 years and 2 months until the PlayStation 4 released.

It wouldn't surprise me if someone felt cheated by a successor to a console released in 2013, the console would be 3 around years old by November 2016 which is around the time of year where Sony's, Microsoft's and Nintendo's new consoles are released, their consoles traditionally release near the end of the year.
 
#26 ·
its either a chipset for VR so they can sell a version with a vr headset built in or its the media set top box for netflix etc like they were talking about, in the console world rendering people not able to play the new games after 3 years will NOT go over well, console life cycle has pretty much ALLWAYS been 5 or 6 years
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