The Verge is reporting Microsoft is building its own gaming tablet. “The Xbox Surface will likely include a custom ARM processor and high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks. We’re told these specifications could be altered to accommodate an unannounced Intel SoC and that the Xbox Surface is being developed independent of specific hardware architecture. Microsoft’s Xbox Surface won’t run a full version of Windows, rather this 7-inch tablet will run a custom Windows kernel. Messaging and other tablet functions may be supported, but the focus is on gaming.” Custom kernel. So, incompatible with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Question. Why?
While their naming is getting more confusing, I’m more concerned by the question whether there are any buttons on the device. Maybe I’m the only one, but I can’t imagine how I’m going to play those fighting game titles on it without button.
A legitimate concern …consider how, not a long time ago, joysticks were the preferred game input method – and in those times, probably quite a few people couldn’t imagine their favourite games on, say, WASD+mouse.
There is always a possibility of another similar paradigm shift (because it of course impacts also the games themselves – for example FPP and RTS which rose to prominence together with mouse, built around the core mechanic of… pointing at things) – and those of us who want buttons in mobile ~console, might face the need to seek out some more niche products; just like joystick-wielders nowadays do.
I will get a Nexus 4 and it beats nearly all 7 inch tablets hands down.
Why would anyone with a high resolution phone need a tablet?
I can have quad core, 2gigs of RAM and a 1280×768 screen with me all the time.
I will also get a wireless charger, I had a touchstone for my Pre and it was great. You always know where to put your phone, it is always fully charged and you never have to stick in stupid cables etc.
Devices you need to charge nearly every day should all be charged wirelessly.
So why would I need a tablet? (I have good eye sight and holding the device a little closer to my face is no problem, because it weighs only 1/3 of a 7-inch tablet)
Having 2 devices for the same purpose seems really dumb to me. I have friends with Ipads and they only play games on them .. they read news etc on their phone.
Reading books and watching videos on a phone is a whole LOT inferior an experience compared to doing that on a tablet. Just try spending several hours reading a book on a phone and you’ll see.
I disagree. Wireless charging is a waste of electricity, you’re trading a lot higher electricity use for convenience.
You asked why people use tablets and I gave you two good examples. I don’t know why you specifically would need one.
That’s their prerogative.
the loss via inductive charging when in contact (like a charging pad) is not too bad < 5% so that is probably a good trade off for most people.
I tried to imagine inductive charging without device contact seriously for a few seconds.
Then a picture of Nikola Tesla’s gigantic antennas popped up in my head.
Edited 2012-11-07 16:54 UTC
There are companies that have built concept devices that do it…the loss is pretty large though.
Now consider if it would become really popular …on a global scale* that quickly starts getting into “how many more power plants will we need?” kind of questions.
*global is the scale here, with “most people” – among them, 5+ billion mobile subscribers already.
Anyway, inductive/pad charging can be seen as less convenient in some regards: its spot needs to remain relatively undisturbed (and recharging in a car is outright out basically – unless in a holder, which pretty much doesn’t change the status quo), using the phone and recharging at the same time is harder. I even suspect it might also lead to some domestic disputes ;p (when somebody “bumps off” a recharging mobile from its pad)
Same reason why people buy 50″ plasmas, when they could just buy a small TV and sit closer to it
I have a Galaxy Nexus and a Nexus 7, and the 3 or so inches size difference is pretty noticeable to me, even though it doesn’t seem like it would be in theory. Besides, if you’re not near a power source and want to read, play games, watch a movie, or whatever, you can do it on a tablet without draining that non-removable battery on the Nexus 4.
Edited 2012-11-07 02:48 UTC
Actually it is about the size of the room.
Odd, I wander around the neighbourhood and half the living rooms have 50″ TV’s yet the rooms, mostly, are tiny…pity the swinging cat. The other 50% are probably unemployed or maybe it’s the other way around.
Edited 2012-11-07 09:29 UTC
We have a large room, yet we decided to buy only a 30″ TV.
Advantages:
* Less power consumption
* Less noise encumbered on neighbours and neighbour rooms
* Less weight (which is nice upon cleaning or relocation)
* Cheaper in price
Disadvantages:
* ???
It is not about the size of the room, but about field-of-view (i.e. size/distance), which accounts for both vision and builtin-stereo-sound-perception.
Edited 2012-11-08 12:26 UTC
I bought a 42inch telly because the Avengers looks f–king amazing on it.
But generally, a larger room requires a larger telly.
Edited 2012-11-08 14:39 UTC
Because phones are too small for some things.
Because it doesn’t have to be–it just have to be compatible with the Windows Store APIs (WinRT). The entire design behind WinRT is precisely for this kind of freedom in hardware. Even if this custom kernel is subset of the Windows 8 kernel, the applications can still be coded using a subset of WinRT APIs.
The end result of this is that this gaming tablet can’t run all Windows Store apps, but the games coded for it can still be executed on a Windows x86 or ARM tablet because they support the full WinRT API. In other words, they can still improve the Windows Store ecosystem without compromising the gaming capabilities of this supposed gaming tablet.
Is this how Microsoft will actually do it? Who knows, it’s still a rumor, but having a custom kernel isn’t as bad as it may seem. Imagine having a tablet where you purchased your games, and you can then resume those same games on your desktop. Now imagine this pitch to developers that you code one game in WinRT and it reaches all devices.
Edited 2012-11-07 00:39 UTC
This is the same approach Sony is having with PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation Mobile SDK developer program.
They aren’t having much success though.
Exactly, create a static platform instead of constantly evolving with the hardware. Like the iPad 4 is underpowered!? <sarcasm> Honestly I can’t see Microsoft’s logic.
Remind me to stay away from such a device.
I am sure it will support all the windows store apps.
Each device provides its own unique experience to the user. In my opinion, watching anything longer than a few minutes worth of video on any cell phone is lame. I certainly would not want to watch a full length movie on it because it simply isn’t capable of providing me with the type of experience I want. Reading anything on a cellphone much beyond an article or short story at most is uncomfortable and bad for your eyes. The more you zoom in to lessen the strain, the more inconvenient it becomes.
All these devices can be describe using one simple word… tools. That’s all they are. To some people a cellphone may provide all the features & experience the user needs/wants. Their beloved cellphone may actually be their electronic swiss army knife. But, that’s no excuse for no seeing how or why that may not be true for others. I don’t mind using different tools depending on the job & what I want out of it. Obviously a whole lot of people feel the same way.