Updating hardware requires development of a custom motherboard with specific requirements: supports four displays, 2 being internal touchscreens, very tight formfactor, low profile, no fans, Midi, etc.
While a regular PC motherboard can be picked up for around $100 due to the enormous volumes they are produced at, custom motherboards in low volume like this cost in the thousands. Not to mention the enormous development time required.
At the end of the day, it still doesn't solve the problem unless the users are willing to buy the hardware upgrades. The fact that there are numerous of the existing consoles out there means we still have to support them, while the new hardware would run faster it means that we still have to develop software to run based on the older hardware that exists in the field.
The point is, that we are doing everything we can to improve performance to the best it can be without *forcing* the users to replace expensive hardware in the console. Isn't that what you guys would expect of us?
At some point there will be updated hardware when parts go end of life and of course when that re-design happens we'll put in the best hardware we can find and hopefully include an upgrade path for users wishing to invest in their console. In the mean time, we're going to continue working to improve the performance of the software as we have been.
Updating hardware requires development of a custom motherboard with specific requirements: supports four displays, 2 being internal touchscreens, very tight formfactor, low profile, no fans, Midi, etc.
While a regular PC motherboard can be picked up for around $100 due to the enormous volumes they are produced at, custom motherboards in low volume like this cost in the thousands. Not to mention the enormous development time required.
At the end of the day, it still doesn't solve the problem unless the users are willing to buy the hardware upgrades. The fact that there are numerous of the existing consoles out there means we still have to support them, while the new hardware would run faster it means that we still have to develop software to run based on the older hardware that exists in the field.
The point is, that we are doing everything we can to improve performance to the best it can be without *forcing* the users to replace expensive hardware in the console. Isn't that what you guys would expect of us?
At some point there will be updated hardware when parts go end of life and of course when that re-design happens we'll put in the best hardware we can find and hopefully include an upgrade path for users wishing to invest in their console. In the mean time, we're going to continue working to improve the performance of the software as we have been.
