Xbox 2

[Zaius]

some nice tidbits coming out of the GDC this week about the Xbox 2/Nextbox.


________________________


Gamer Cards: Gamer Cards provide gamers with a quick look at key Xbox Live information. They let players instantly connect with people who have similar skills, interests and lifestyles.

Marketplace: Browseable by game, by genre, and in a number of other ways, the Marketplace will provide a one-stop shop for consumers to acquire episodic content, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins and new community-created content.

Micro-transactions: Breaking down barriers of small-ticket online commerce, micro-transactions will allow developers and the gaming community to charge as little as they like for content they create and publish on Marketplace. Imagine players slapping down $.99 to buy a one-of-a-kind, fully tricked-out racing car to be the envy of their buddies.

Custom playlists: This feature eliminates the need for developers to support custom music in games. The guide instantly connects players to their music so they can listen to their own tracks while playing all their favorite next-generation Xbox games.

By supporting features such as custom playlists, friends lists, and voice chat at a chip level, Microsoft hopes to allow developers to focus on creating games rather than on developing for technical certification requirements. The next-generation Xbox hardware is designed around a number of key principles, the following of which are taken straight from today's press release:

A well-balanced system that will deliver more than a teraflop of targeted computing performance.

A multicore processor architecture co-developed with IBM Corp. that provides developer "headroom" and flexibility for the HD Era.

A custom-designed graphics processor co-developed with ATI Technologies Inc. designed for HD Era games and entertainment applications.

In addition, familiar software technologies such as DirectX, PIX, XACT and the recently announced XNA Studio--an integrated team-based development environment tailored for game production--complement the new hardware to help game developers unlock increasingly powerful and complex silicon.


___________________



aside from the marketing jargon, I find the prospect of selling your work on Xbox Live to be intruiging.

and it may be time to think seriously about getting the HDTV.

[slackerbot]

hmm.. no info on whether or not it will be backwards compatible with the old Xbox games.

i'm not much of an Xbox fan, but i certainly hope they don't hire another moron to design the actual unit. i think that's one of the many reasons why the Xbox was/is such a flop.

[montyburnz]

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/microsoft-xbox/594331p1.html

excerpt:
"Camera - Xenon will have a USB 2.0 camera. It's capable of 1.2 megapixel still shots and VGA video. Photos can be used in-game and for gamer profiles. The camera can also be used for video chat. It's unknown if the Xenon camera will allow for EyeToy-like gameplay. Developers are currently using a simulated camera driver"

[Zaius]

Originally posted by slackerbot
hmm.. no info on whether or not it will be backwards compatible with the old Xbox games.

i'm not much of an Xbox fan, but i certainly hope they don't hire another moron to design the actual unit. i think that's one of the many reasons why the Xbox was/is such a flop.


hmmm...not sure how you define a flop, Halo 2 sold over 6 million copies...

but it is pretty certain that Xbox 2 will come without the standard hard drive and may be "sexier" if you go for that kind of thing.

[AddictProne]

thank GOD. the seperation of video games and computers is finally here.

[slackerbot]

Originally posted by Zaius



hmmm...not sure how you define a flop, Halo 2 sold over 6 million copies...

but it is pretty certain that Xbox 2 will come without the standard hard drive and may be "sexier" if you go for that kind of thing.
the success of one game doesn't necessarily mean the platform itself is a success. Xbox hardly put a dent in Sony's share of the console market. the success of any gaming console depends on the software library. other than Halo, the Xbox games are a bit uninspiring and a lot them are just ported over from pc games. and i generally think that pc games suck because they usually focus on eye candy and not game play.

i think MS should rethink their strategy and just release a home entertainment box, rather than a gaming box. a lot the Xbox owners have already hacked their machines to play MP3's and movies and do other things. so why not?

[Ryan]

how is that a failure though?

i still dont see how you can call it a FLOP. even if you compare it to the sales of ps2. if it was such a horrible disaster the way you are describing it,why would they bother making a second one?

alot of households have multiple game systems anyway, its kind of moot now having a jerk off contest about which console is the ultimate winner ..

[Zaius]

Originally posted by slackerbot

the success of one game doesn't necessarily mean the platform itself is a success. Xbox hardly put a dent in Sony's share of the console market. the success of any gaming console depends on the software library. other than Halo, the Xbox games are a bit uninspiring and a lot them are just ported over from pc games. and i generally think that pc games suck because they usually focus on eye candy and not game play.

i think MS should rethink their strategy and just release a home entertainment box, rather than a gaming box. a lot the Xbox owners have already hacked their machines to play MP3's and movies and do other things. so why not?


I am not going to get into a xbox vs. ps2 pissing match but you really don't understand the numbers. By any means you care to mention Xbox has been very successful for Microsoft.

[jinzoningen]

From what I understand, the xbox is a stud in the U.S., and a flacid penis overseas.

Besides the Halo series, Ninja Gaiden is pretty good too.

[lupine]

Not that I'm a big fan of Microsoft products but I wouldn't consider the Xbox a failure just because it didn't equal or surpass Sony's market share. Knights of the Old Republic won a total of 126 awards including Game of the Year of 2003 from IGN and Gamespot. Jade Empire will be out next month. Tecmo put out a few solid releases including Dead or Alive 3 and Ninja Gaiden. Sega had some nice titles like Panzer Dragoon Orta and Otogi 1 and 2. Fable was a gem of a game.

Not to mention the Xbox was, overall, a superior system. Built-in networking, hard drive, superior graphics capabilities and a strong online gaming system. It pisses me off that Sony made all these claims of online gaming and such and never made through on all the hype.

[Iago]

Originally posted by Zaius

but it is pretty certain that Xbox 2 will come without the standard hard drive and may be "sexier" if you go for that kind of thing.

Sexier is fine. I just want to knw if it will be aerodynamic.

I agree that the XBox is not a flop.

Critically unsuccessful ventures do not necessarily mean flops. In fact this has been proven many times over in the film business. Commercially, a flop is when you cannot recoup the spent money in the production of something.

A Nicholas Cage movie "flopping" at the theatres masks his popularity and money-making potential when you consider that all his dumb movies to date take home millions nationally and worldwide in video rentals.

[mangamonster]

I predict that the Micro-transactions feature will explode once developers learn how to use it properly. 3rd party online services are already doing this and making a shitload of money and I mean a SHITLOAD. Anything from selling MMORPG money to ingame items and leveled characters. SHITLOADDDD ^^

oh, and check this out, this is a rendering only^^ (fake)



http://www.xbox-mag.net/upload/jeux/25993.xbox360%20fake.jpg
http://privat.bluezone.no/vassbotn/br/xbox45frontcd.jpg

ps- the xbox2 is labeled as the xbox 360

[Iago]

Is that a collection of colored pencils in there?

[stinky]

i think it's candy.

[Iago]

Here's the other fucking thing, unless you are designing this machine to be a couple grand (like Apple's computers), you are NOT going to manufacture something that fucking idiotically intricate. You want that machine to come in at $200 AND make a profit? That being said, Sony with its excellent industrial design history and probably a huge inhouse design department has way more experience in design than either Nintendo or Microsoft.

[slackerbot]

woah, didn't mean to rustle any feathers in here. sorry.

the Xbox isn't a flop i guess. but after being on the market for 4+ years, it barely made a profit this past year. this is from both hardware and software sales. mostly Halo sales, that is. so i guess it's open to interpretation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6877261/

to each his own. real gamers will buy whatever they please. but i really do hope they design it to look better.

[kyberPaavi]

Are there any news on the API's ? I bet they are custom DirectX as with the current XBox. There could be a switch in homebrew scene to Sony due to Ps3's public APIs like OpenGL ES, Collada etc.

edit: wait here it is, I should have read better

Originally posted by Zaius

In addition, familiar software technologies such as DirectX, PIX, XACT and the recently announced XNA Studio--an integrated team-based development environment tailored for game production--complement the new hardware to help game developers unlock increasingly powerful and complex silicon.

[tangent23]

that add-on is still in R+D..

[mangamonster]

Originally posted by Iago
Here's the other fucking thing, unless you are designing this machine to be a couple grand (like Apple's computers), you are NOT going to manufacture something that fucking idiotically intricate. You want that machine to come in at $200 AND make a profit? That being said, Sony with its excellent industrial design history and probably a huge inhouse design department has way more experience in design than either Nintendo or Microsoft.


actually, profit isn't in the console, it's off of the software. sony loses 100 bux per PSP unit. costs 300 bux to make one, 200 bux to sell one. it's all in the software sales. i own a psp, it's way ahead of its time not only in performance, but in quality of materials and build. i hear the xbox cuts even in sales as well

[Iago]

Originally posted by mangamonster



actually, profit isn't in the console, it's off of the software. sony loses 100 bux per PSP unit. costs 300 bux to make one, 200 bux to sell one. it's all in the software sales. i own a psp, it's way ahead of its time not only in performance, but in quality of materials and build. i hear the xbox cuts even in sales as well

That makes sense about the software sales being where the profit lies.

But I guess what I'm trying to say is that the constraints are still a $200 consumer level buy at Chrastmas (you can launch at higher prices for the craze... but that's for the early adopters). Top brass at Sony are still going to build at the lowest cost possible to minimize any loss. In other words, if they are losing $100 now for every PS2 machine manufactured, they are going to either keep it that way or lower it. Due to their current success, I don't think they are going to want to deviate from that path.

The other thing is accessibility. Unless the game companies market the machines in other ways, there's little justification for a machine that is $200+. Sure you can add extra features, but as Ninetendo has proven with the Game Cube, those are just bells and whistles to the primary function of the machine, which is to play videogames.

Microsoft is probably looking at the new XBox as an integrated entertainment machine capable of a number of other things, just by looking at the specs. That's mighty ambitious, but not that far down the line of what will probably eventually happen.

Forecasting from tech heads pegged computers turning into consumer appliances, and game consoles into computers. But these multifunctioning machines have proven to be disasterous in the market place. Consider Nokia and their multifunction phones. Look at the N-Gage. Look at calculator watches.

I am waiting for them to create a Visionnaire or Vertu of the videogaming console for the aging Nintendo generation who has a little more money to spend.

[AddictProne]

it's all about the niche.

[Iago]

Yes, and if you haven't noticed, most launches of videogame consoles have limited games to offer but the games they do offer tap into the most readily available market niche: Sports fans.

[mangamonster]

I'll be the first to jump on the tennis and golf games ^^

[mangamonster]

Also, they really need to start bringing in the dating sim games. Playing that shit is fun as hell, escape from reality types :P

[AddictProne]

Originally posted by Iago
Yes, and if you haven't noticed, most launches of videogame consoles have limited games to offer but the games they do offer tap into the most readily available market niche: Sports fans.

actually I didn't notice but that's a really good point. Every system that comes out, Madden is always one of the first games on it.

[Zaius]

News from Japan on the Xbox 360. News? Hype? YOU BE THE JUDGE!


I will be frankly suprised but pleasantly so if Japan takes to the 360...


________________________


More Japanese game giants choosing next-gen Xbox?

Early convert Yoshiki Okamoto hints that other high-profile game designers in Japan are developing games for Microsoft's forthcoming console.
TOKYO--In a recent interview on the official Xbox Web site in Japan, Game Republic's Yoshiki Okamoto revealed that other big-name game developers may soon join the growing crowd of next-generation Xbox supporters. He also added that, when announced, the lineup of launch games for the console may shock the game industry.

"[Final Fantasy creator Hironobu] Sakaguchi-san, [Space Channel 5 creator Tetsuya] Mizuguchi-san, and myself have been the focus of attention so far. But I've been hearing that some other designers will also be joining [in making games for the next Xbox]. There are a lot of surprises. I find myself saying: 'What, this development studio!? This game!? These people!?'"

"If the current lineup [of games] in development for the next-generation Xbox was revealed," Okamoto said in the interview, "it would not only surprise users, but the entire industry. There probably wouldn't be anyone [in Japan] that would still be uninterested in buying the next-generation Xbox when they see the lineup." He called the still-under-wraps list "a powerful fleet of Japanese designers."

Okamoto revealed that he is currently making a number of games for the next Xbox, all in genres that are new to him. He added that the games are already in playable form.

When asked if there was a negative side to working with Microsoft Game Studios, Okamoto commented, "We can't port the games to other hardware even if it seems possible, so that's a disappointment. But even with that downside to income, Xbox has specs that make us want to develop for it." Then, as a final tease, Okamoto said, "I can't reveal the specifics, but one of the games we're making will really go to the extreme."

By Hirohiko Niizumi -- GameSpot

[Zaius]

http://www.ourcolony.net/

[kamenriderv3]

Microsoft unveils the Xbox 2 (Xbox 360, codename Xenon) on MTV on May 12th.

Hobbit Elijah Wood will host a 30 min. special on MTV that will be broadcasted globally where Microsoft presents their next generation Xbox. This is a industry first.
We reported on the weekend that Sony and Microsoft will announce their new consoles on May 16th ahead of the E3. Now it looks like Microsoft pulls a fast one on Sony by globally unveiling their new Xbox via TV four days earlier. Let see if Sony can top that for their Playstation 3.


http://www.i4u.com/article3163.html

[YelloKitty]

my former coworker is going to the xenon briefing in redmond and i'm jealous!

[jonahlee]

My biggest questions are because of the lack of backwards compatibility and what will happen to XBOX live for the original XBOX. Backwards compatibilty is pretty much a no show since the current XBOX is pretty much a PC, and the XBOX 2 is based on Power PC, and in fact the original Development boxes were in fact Power Macintosh G5's with a custom graphics board and a custom version of windows!

And you can't claim that the XBOX is anything but a sucess. WinInsider (http://www.wininsider.com/news/?7778) has this on the XBOX.

According to Microsoft, the Xbox has increased its market share for 14 consecutive months and now controls 37 percent of the console market. The Xbox was the only video game console to grow market share during both calendar year 2004 and the last quarter of 2004. Meanwhile, the Xbox Live online game service now has more than 1.4 million subscribers, exceeding expectations. The market includes more than 200 Xbox Live-enabled video games, the software giant says, and the most popular title--Halo 2, naturally--has had subscribers log a record 91 million hours of game play.

[kid_robotron]

From what I have read, Xbox 2 will have backwards compatibility, but at a price. Apparently, you will be able to purchase software that will enable you to play your old games, much like buying the DVD playback kit. Not everybody is concerned about watching DVD's or playing old games, so by having such things as 'add ons', the base unit can cost slightly less.

[jonahlee]

The biggest problem with backwards compatibility that I see, is not only the different systems, but the save games for all your games, along with downloads. Unless their is some way to get all of the data from your old XBOX onto your new one, you wouldn't want to play most of your old games. Also hopefully it isn't part of Virtual PC, because that isn't all that fast, but Microsoft does own it now, so that makes some sense.

[joetron2030]

That's what MS had hoped their purchase of VirtualPC would help them out with. But, apparently, performance of Xbox titles under a virtual running Xbox wasn't worth the effort.

I'll be surprised if Xbox2 is backward compatible.

I just read on Joystiq.com that quoted a piece elsewhere saying that new Xbox title will continue to release until 2007, at least.

It's definitely a big question surrounding Xbox2. Backward compatibility could make or break it. Maybe.

But, as an aside, I have a PS2 (which is backward compatible with PSOne titles) and I have to say that there aren't any PSOne titles that I still play. The last one I played was Fear Effect 2. And, I got bored with that game at some point. It was also annoying that you had to use a PSOne memory card to save game saves. I ended up buying one just for that.

[(>_<)]

man, sony might get fucked up.

[jonahlee]

I am going to miss the hard drive dearly though. I love ripping my own songs and being able to listen to them. It makes racing games so much more enjoyable. I know they say you will probably be able to get one with a hard drive, but if all of them don't have it, it is less likely that games will support it. Also to me the coolest feature of the XBOX is being able to download new content to the Hard Drive, and update your games, without a hard drive this isn't going to be very likely, and I think will hamper the apeal of the XBOX 2.

[slackerbot]

did someone post this yet?

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/603/603130p1.html?fromint=1


Global MTV Launch For Xbox Next May 12th

April 11, 2005 - May 12th, the date on which the Ourcolony.net viral marketing scheme site is counting down to, marks the global unveiling of the Xbox Next, live on MTV. Elijah Wood will present the half-hour segment that'll be jam packed with celebs gushing over the console, and even a special performance by Killers.

Viewers will get an exclusive look at the Xbox vision for the next generation — one that ensures that the user experience is always connected, always personalized and always in high definition. The special will feature never-before-seen, action-packed gameplay of future Xbox games, a peek into the future of the Xbox Live online gaming service, backstage celebrity interviews and exclusive insider footage on the making of the next-generation console.

The inside look at the next-generation Xbox will continue at MTV.com, where after the special, viewers will find extended event coverage including behind-the-scenes video, photos and other special extras. MTV.com will also provide ongoing in-depth coverage of the next-generation Xbox highlighting the latest news, product details and previews of hot next-generation games.

"Just as MTV revolutionized the way the world experiences music, the next-generation video game console from Xbox will spark a revolution in how consumers experience games and other forms of digital entertainment," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for Xbox at Microsoft. "We are ecstatic about our alliance with MTV and unveiling a video game platform in a way that has never been done."

9:30 p.m. EDT is when North American folks should tune in, with global air times available to read in the comments.
-- Andrew Burnes

[golivar]

all i know is i ain't buyin it unless it comes with a new version of skate or die.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/golivar/randoms/shop.gif

[Zaius]

Beating Sony to the punch?


________________________________________

Analysts: 3 million Xbox 360s shipped by Xmas

Goldman Sachs says it expects Microsoft's next-gen console to arrive in force this year--perhaps as early as October--for under $300.
With the unveiling of the next-generation Xbox on the horizon, doubts that the console will not arrive this year are steadily evaporating. Any lingering uncertainty was further dispelled today, when the online edition of Forbes reported that top-flight investment firm Goldman Sachs "expects" the console to arrive in time for the 2005 holiday season.



According to Forbes, Goldman Sachs is predicting that the next-gen Xbox, now increasingly referred to as the Xbox 360, will "be available for retail sale in October or November at a retail price of about $249 to $299." Goldman says it "expects" Microsoft to have shipped around 3 million units by year's end, and reiterated its "outperform" rating for Microsoft Corp. stock, which closed at $25.32 today.

Goldman Sachs' predictions were backed up by another high-profile analyst's report. "We expect Microsoft to announce a release date for the next-gen Xbox in the October/November 2005 period," said Boris Markovich of TerraNova Institutional.

In the same report, Goldman Sachs said they do not see the PlayStation 3 appearing on US store shelves until mid-2006. The company predicted an earlier launch--sometime in the first calendar quarter of 2006--in Japan as likely.

By Curt Feldman -- GameSpot

[Zaius]

http://img.penny-arcade.com/2005/20050413l.jpg

[montyburnz]

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/603/603992p1.html

exerpt:
"Yesterday, Ourcolony.net presented a challenge that rewarded people with a high resolution jpeg of a car. Gamers immediately began to speculate that this image is a sneak preview of a next generation racing game, with the most likely candidate being Project Gotham Racing 3. More telling, is the fact that the car is a Ferrari 360, pointing to further confirmation of the name and the next-gen system.

This morning, another bomb was dropped when Gamesindustry.biz announced that they have confirmed the name "Xbox 360" along with the look of the new system. The article cites British sources who gained access to Microsoft marketing documents. The console is rumored to be either white or silver, which jives with the previously released controller images from Ourcolony.net. The site also states that the console is concave in the center and can stand on its side much like the PS2. Of course, Microsoft refused to comment on rumors and speculation."

[Zaius]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/04/25/xbox360_screen001.jpg

[montyburnz]

http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/607/607265/xbox-360-update-42505-20050424034155776.jpg

" This past weekend an incredibly hard puzzle on ourcolony.net was solved to reveal a small picture which seemingly shows a section of the memory card. There is a 64 clearly printed on the front of the card which leads us to believe that the system does in fact use 64 megabyte, removable memory cards."

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/607/607265p1.html

[Zaius]

MTV: Xbox 360 coming in November

Promotional page for next week's cable-TV unveiling pegs the month that Microsoft's next-generation console will be released.
On Monday at the convention of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in Seattle, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates accidentally confirmed that Microsoft's next-generation console was coming this year. Just days later, MTV has apparently confirmed the month the device, which will almost certainly be called the Xbox 360, will hit the market.


Today, MTV's advance schedule began running a listing for MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed, the special that will see the Xbox 360 shown to the public for the first time. Besides saying how the show will feature "tours of the design labs Interviews with the designers Behind-the-scenes and inside scoop" the listing promises to feature "trailers of the newest games that are due out in November for the new Xbox" (emphasis added).

The listing appears to cement suspicions that the next Xbox will launch on the fourth anniversary of the original Xbox's release in mid-November 2001. However, despite the clear wording of the MTV listing, Microsoft representatives said they could not comment on it for the time being.

In the meantime, gamers have less than one week to wait until Microsoft and MTV show off the Xbox 360. MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed airs next Thursday at 9:30pm Eastern Time and Pacific Time. Microsoft could not confirm Central or Mountain times for the special (presumably 8:30pm and 9:30pm). GameSpot will have more details on the Xbox 360 next week.

[slackerbot]

Originally posted by Zaius
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/04/25/xbox360_screen001.jpg
wow. that's pretty. but first thing i'd do is replace the green LED with a blue one. :p

hmm.. that looks like an IR receiver next to the memory slot. i wonder if there will be an Xbox version of Windows Media Center built in to the OS.

[ninjaKid]

actual pictures:

the controller:
http://img.engadget.com/common/images/1387385638449262.JPG?0.21401497218099708

the remote:
http://img.engadget.com/common/images/8390731317563729.JPG?0.09093567823500259

the console (and a few other bits):
http://img.engadget.com/common/images/1488407751772606.JPG?0.18785054353555686

all courtesy of engadget.com, greatest website EVAR!

[jonahlee]

Hmm cool. Looks interesting. I wonder how much larger a unit with a hard drive will be, and how much more it will cost.

[t3h1337p3nguin]

Damn, I don't like this new XBox's design, either. It's ugly, and it appears to be at least as large as the original. It's like they were trying to bite off some of the iPod style by going with white, but it doesn't go like that in consoles.
They're taking the PS2 "flip-it-on-its-side" thing, too.

The fact that it comes with the ripoff Eyetoy and remote control is cool, though.
The loss of the built-in hard drive, which was one of the original's big draws, is to be lamented.

I'm much more behind the PS3, and I'm tentatively behind the Revolution.

[mpyre]

Originally posted by jonahlee
Hmm cool. Looks interesting. I wonder how much larger a unit with a hard drive will be, and how much more it will cost.

The hard drive is in the photo (according to Engadget). It's the dark thingy on top of it (I believe).

Gonna check it out at E3...

[jonahlee]

Hmm yea, the hard drive is pretty important to me, and not having it, and not being able to rip music in any game will be a real setback to this system.

[Zaius]

could be fake.....


2 types of Xbox Live:
Xbox Live Silver (no subscription required)
Xbox Live Gold (subscription benefits)

Features for Gold service
* Also for Silver
# Also for Offline

- Seamless transition to Xbox Live account from Xbox to Xbox 360
- Access to MMOs (additional fees may apply) *
- Free Xbox Live weekends *
- Multiplayer online gameplay
- Avatar for gamer profile * #
- Motto for gamer profile * #
- Personalized look for Xbox System Guide * #
- Offline achievments * #
- Online achievements *
- Access to other players’ Gamer cards via Live *
- Cumulative gamer score * #
- Location/language profile * #
- Reputation *
- Enahnced matchmaking using above
- Skill level matchmaking
- Gameplay style profile (casual, competitive, etc.)
- Recent players list *
- Free and premium download game content *
- Free and premium downloadable movies, music, tv *
- Downloadable demos/trailers *
- Microtransactions *
- Custom playlist in every game * #
- Play music from portable devices * #
- View images from digital camera * #
- Strem media from Windows XP * #
- Interactive screen savers * #
- Track info for CDs * #
- Communication with voice, video or text *

360 HW:
1. Support for DVD-video, DVD-Rom, DVD-R/RW, CD-DA, CD-Rom, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 cd, JPEG photo CD
2. All games supported at 16:9, 720p and 1080i, anti-aliasing
3. Customizable face plates to change appearance
4. 3 USB 2.0 ports
5. Support for 4 wireless controllers
6. Detachable 20GB drive
7. Wi-Fi ready

Custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU
- 3 symmetrical cores at 3.2 GHz each
- 2 hardware threads per core
- 1 VMX-128 vector unit per core
- 1 MB L2 cache

CPU Game Math Performance
- 9 billion dots per second

Custom ATI Graphics Processor
- 500 MNz
- 10 MB embedded DRAM
- 48-way parallel floating-point shader pipelines
- unified shader architecture

Memory
-512 MB GDDR3 RAM
- 700 MNz DDR

Memory Bandwidth
- 22.4 GB/s memory interface bus bandwidth
- 256 GB/s memory bandwidth to EDRAM
- 21.6 GB/s frontside bus

Audio
- Mulitchannel surround sond output
- Supports 48khz 16-bit audio
- 320 independent decompression channels
- 32 bit processing
- 256+ audio channels

[jonahlee]

Sounds great if it is true. Don't really get the difference of the 2 XBOX live types though.

[Zaius]

looks like you can play live on the weekends for free. if you want to play during the week you have to subscribe.

[Zaius]

http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/features/images/45256-6-2.jpg

[Zaius]

http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/features/images/45256-1-2.jpg

[atomicscissors]

Originally posted by Zaius

Features for Gold service
* Also for Silver
# Also for Offline

- Custom playlist in every game * #


That would be rad.

[jonahlee]

So is that the harddrive on the top?

[Zaius]

yes, and it's removable so you can take it to your friend's house.

[jonahlee]

That is very cool, and it comes with it? There were all the rumors about it being glash memory only.

[jonahlee]

Is it just me or did that XBOX 360 Special on MTV suck? It didn't show anything, or give any usefull information!

[Iago]

Eh. The design is pretty boring. Couldn't they have at least carried through the concave curve in some meaningful way into the other visual details of the system? It seems too arbitrary and gimmicky to introduce that as a possible design language and to not follow through.

[shammy718]

Originally posted by t3h1337p3nguin
Damn, I don't like this new XBox's design, either. It's ugly, and it appears to be at least as large as the original. It's like they were trying to bite off some of the iPod style by going with white, but it doesn't go like that in consoles.
They're taking the PS2 "flip-it-on-its-side" thing, too.

The fact that it comes with the ripoff Eyetoy and remote control is cool, though.
The loss of the built-in hard drive, which was one of the original's big draws, is to be lamented.

I'm much more behind the PS3, and I'm tentatively behind the Revolution.

[joetron2030]

So, based on the scant info I've seen either via MTV.com's page for that Xbox 360 special or on Xbox.com, there's no backward compatibility. Right?

[jonahlee]

Yea I would say no backwards compatibility. First off this is the equivelent of a Mac G5 in here, while the last was an Intel Chipset, so unless Microsoft has made Virtual PC much fast their will be no backwards compatibility, though some rumors have said it is possible.

Why memory cards and hard drive? More portability? If the hard drive is removable why need memory cards? I guess the memory units fit on a keychain.

Video Camera sounds interesting, put your own face on your skins, but I an already video chat with my iSight so that is pretty useless.

I can't believe it is always 1080i or 720p HD, that is pretty hardcore.

I like the custom playlists in every game. The ability to stream off of media PC's is useless to me because I have a mac, but hopefully someone will port that to the Mac so you can stream music like with the TIVO.

Does it come with the Universal remote control? It sounds like it. That is pretty cool, though I am sure it doesn't touch my huge universal remote.

I don't think I like the wireless controllers, just because of them eating batteries, I would like the choice of not having to use batteries, or at least have them rechargeable when not in use. I mean if you battery dies you surely won't be able to pause the game either. It is nice that they will have controllers with 9 foot cables, but do those connect USB then? and only 3 USB ports right? Weird.

[Zaius]

the wireless don't use regular batteries. it's rechargeable in the unit, you can plug in the controller when you're low on jiuce and charge it while your playing.


They haven't mentioned compatibility. the rumor is that they have shown it playing old games (Fable) and that there's an Xbox 1 optrion in the start-up list. E3 will solve that riddle.



as far as it being and apple rip-off because it's white and a PS2 ripoff because you can put it on it's side.....that's just silly talk. Apple has a patent on white now?

[Zaius]

the video shat idea is kinda cool, you don't haver to be playing to talk to your friends....you can be listening to music or watching a vdv or whatever. I like the idea of Live being the default as well.

-------------------------


The Xbox 360 controller has also been redesigned. The removable memory cards--now upgraded to 64MB in size--will be inserted into the console directly, allowing for a less-bulky controller. "It's lighter and smaller than the Xbox 1 controller," said Allard who confirmed rumors that Microsoft "moved the black and white buttons up to the shoulders." Each controller will have a jack compatible with any standard cellular phone headset that gamers can use as an Xbox Live headset. "Any standard cell phone headset may be used," said Allard "Plug it in. Boom! You're on [Xbox] Live. You're talking to your friends."

[Zaius]

Originally posted by Iago
Eh. The design is pretty boring. Couldn't they have at least carried through the concave curve in some meaningful way into the other visual details of the system? It seems too arbitrary and gimmicky to introduce that as a possible design language and to not follow through.



Microsoft put a lot of work into getting just the right look for the Xbox 360. The final design was actually the result of a joint effort between Microsoft's in-house design team, a San Francisco design firm, and another firm from Osaka, Japan. Microsoft conducted color studies and performed market research to find out what a next-generation console should look like. The color studies predicted that consumer electronics will be moving toward a lot of whites, silvers, and glass, and the market surveys said the console shape should be more "organic" and "wild" than the previous Xbox.


____________________

would be interested to know the names of the firms....


____________________________________


The Xbox 360 can stand on its side as well.
The final Xbox 360 design definitely has an organic feel, with its soft curves and seamless face. The chrome media tray and green "ring of light" power button add some nice highlights to remind you there's a powerful game machine hidden inside. Microsoft's J Allard stressed to us that the Xbox team wanted the next Xbox to be "less Hulk, more Bruce Lee," and it looks like the final console shape successfully captures that combination of power and finesse.

The front of the console is extremely clean. Aside from the previously mentioned chrome media tray and power button, it's almost easy to miss the small infrared window and two memory card slots. Since the standard Xbox 360 controller is wireless, there's no need for front controller ports, but the system does have two USB 2.0 ports on the front panel hidden behind a plastic cover. The rear of the system has a third USB 2.0 port, an Ethernet port, and a slot for a small, gum-packet-sized Wi-Fi adapter. At this time, the wireless adapter will be sold separately. The system can stand vertically or horizontally, like the PlayStation 2. The new Xbox will also have interchangeable faceplates for extra customization, just in case you wanted a different color for your system.

[jonahlee]

On the Controllers XBOX.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/peripheralsfactsheet.htm)


Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
High-performance wireless gaming is here! Using optimized technology, the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller lets you enjoy a 30-foot range and up to 40 hours of life on two AA batteries—and when they run low, you're given ample warning so you can connect a Play & Charge cable for uninterrupted play

And

You'll have a choice of the plain wireless controller, which runs off of a pair of AA batteries that should give you plenty of play time before running out, or you can also use the rechargeable battery pack (sold separately) with a play-charge cable, which temporarily turns your wireless controller into the wired variety, but only as long as it takes to recharge your gear

So the rechargeable and the cables sound like an extra cost.

[Zaius]

Wireless won't be your only option, by the way, as you'll be able to plug your controller into your Xbox 360 via a USB cable, which will not only function as a standard wired connection, but also trickle-charge your controller's batteries. We understand that the controller can use two AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack. The controller will reportedly give you an early heads-up about when your battery charge is running low, ensuring that you're never caught off guard in the heat of battle.


_________________


looks like you have the option of either.

[Zaius]

hmmm....dueling sources.......mine doesn't say anything about "sold seperately". I can't imagine that recharging cables wouldn't come standard though.

*shrug*

[jonahlee]

Music Player from XBOX.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/musicplayer.htm) .

TriXie: So, game publishers don't have to do anything to implement this anymore. But what will I have to do to listen to my music on my Xbox 360? Will I need to rip all my CDs again?

Steinglass: Nope. Xbox 360 gives you flexibility around where you store your music. You can still rip CDs to the console's hard drive. But you can also store music on your PC and stream it to Xbox 360, or you can stream it from any portable media player, a Rio Carbon, or an iPod.

TriXie: No way. I can plug my iPod into my Xbox 360?

Steinglass: Yep. We know that a lot of people have spent a lot of time organizing their music on their PC or portable player. We see the Xbox 360 as replacing your CD player in your entertainment center, but also as the best digital media amplifier available. Your PC is a great place to manage your music, but it's not always the best place to enjoy it. With Xbox 360 you've got one central place to listen to all your music on the best sound system in the house.

So it looks like I will be able to plug in my iPod (I am guessing using a USB 2 cable) and use that as the music. That is very cool, now better would be if it could stream music from the computer like how TIVO Desktop does (and even the protected AAC files by re-encoding them to MP3 on the fly).

[jonahlee]

Originally posted by Zaius
hmmm....dueling sources.......mine doesn't say anything about "sold seperately".

*shrug* Tend to trust the Specs on XBOX.com since it is actually a Microsoft owned source.

[Zaius]

Originally posted by jonahlee
Tend to trust the Specs on XBOX.com since it is actually a Microsoft owned source.


I looked, it doesn't say the cables or the battery pack are sold seperately.......that last bit wasn't from the same source....where did you get it?

[stryfe]

[h] looks at the hardware (http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NzY4).

[jonahlee]

It sure is from teh same source, it is from the Developers Notes on the same page, talking about controllers.

[jonahlee]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/controllers.htm

Here's the direct link.

[Zaius]

Originally posted by jonahlee
It sure is from teh same source, it is from the Developers Notes on the same page, talking about controllers.


ahhh...ok.

it's an interview with one of the engineers? I doubt he said anything paranthetically in the interview so I assume the interviewer just added that in about the battery pack being sold seperately. the cable still seems to be standard equipment.

And yet these guys aren't in marketing so I doubt they have any say on what gets sold with the unit or what......

and remember...

_________________

The information contained in this fact sheet relates to a prerelease product that may be substantially modified before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe or reflect the product when first commercially released. This fact sheet is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the fact sheet or the information contained in it.



____________________



I'd wait until E3 to get a better idea and even those decisions will change before the December release.

-backwards compatibility, what's "standard" and what's "sold seperately"....I don't think we'll have the final word until december.

[jonahlee]

I am betting on less packed in than more, because this thing has 3 G5 chips in it, all that RAM, and a hard core graphics card, which means they are most certainly going to be losing money on these things. I also bet the universal remote is an extra, and am wondering if the hard drive is as well, especially with the ability to stream music from an XP based computer or even an iPod.

[Zaius]

I'll agree with you on the remote since it's not standard on it now.

The hard drive is also a likely....an option. I never used mine except for save games.


and they will definately lose money on the unit. that's not what drives profits anyway, it's the software and licensing.

[jonahlee]

Yea, but I am betting they are losing a lot on this, and with the additional of free Silver XBOX love to all customers. They need this to be huge.

I want Project Gotham 3!

[stryfe]

Originally posted by jonahlee
I am betting on less packed in than more, because this thing has 3 G5 chips in it, all that RAM, and a hard core graphics card, which means they are most certainly going to be losing money on these things. I also bet the universal remote is an extra, and am wondering if the hard drive is as well, especially with the ability to stream music from an XP based computer or even an iPod.
is the powerpc chip architecture the same as the powerpc's used in the g5?

[jonahlee]

Originally posted by stryfe

is the powerpc chip architecture the same as the powerpc's used in the g5? It is the exact same chip as a G5 (or at least the G5 that will be shipping when this ships) except it is missing the Altivec Processing Unit that the G5's have. it is rumored that the Power PC will eventually become fast enough that the Altivec won't be needed, or that the Cell processor (also by IBM, but being used for the PS3) could be used as a replacement for Altivec in future chips.

[jonahlee]

I find it funny that when Microsoft Had any hardware to chose from they chose what Apple is using instead of what intel is using, and the original development units were actually Power Mac G5's with a special version of Windows running on them.

[montyburnz]

Originally posted by Zaius

would be interested to know the names of the firms....


http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/612/612999p2.html

"It ended up picking Hers, a firm from Osaka, Japan, and Astro, from San Francisco, CA, perhaps aware of the potential of an East versus West collaboration. The final creative process that led to the sleek off-white concave tower included a wild designer brainstorm. Each firm presented a design, and was shown the other's design. They then each created a new one, based on the previous design, and after six to eight different reinterpretations, Microsoft had come up with its final form."

http://www.astrostudios.com/front/frntpg_alien.jpg

Awhile back I was thinking Microsoft should sit down with Alienware to design the console. Turns out Astro designed the Alienware PC's...

[joetron2030]

Originally posted by jonahlee
I am betting on less packed in than more, because this thing has 3 G5 chips in it, all that RAM, and a hard core graphics card, which means they are most certainly going to be losing money on these things. I also bet the universal remote is an extra, and am wondering if the hard drive is as well, especially with the ability to stream music from an XP based computer or even an iPod.

Just to clarify, it does NOT have 3 G5 chips, it has a modified IBM PPC that has 3 CORES in the processor.

[jonahlee]

3 cores? HMm that is interesting, I know they were having Dual Cores come out, hopefully in the very near future (It was expected to have them in the last G5 update, but didn't).

[stryfe]

Originally posted by jonahlee
I find it funny that when Microsoft Had any hardware to chose from they chose what Apple is using instead of what intel is using, and the original development units were actually Power Mac G5's with a special version of Windows running on them.
just read they used a modified version of nt here (http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/174096756/m/947002433731/p/2).

[stryfe]

Originally posted by jskang
Just to clarify, it does NOT have 3 G5 chips, it has a modified IBM PPC that has 3 CORES in the processor.
triple core (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/04/30/screens_6095043.html?page=1) each with it's own L1 cache, sharing 1mb of L2 cache?

[Zaius]

lookin at the new software for the 360...it doesn't look that much better. I wonder how long it will take before something comes along that will really "wow" us.......

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Zaius
lookin at the new software for the 360...it doesn't look that much better. I wonder how long it will take before something comes along that will really "wow" us.......

I had the same reaction seeing the Perfect Dark screenshots.

[Zaius]

New consoles mean new processing power. which means lots of headaches for developers who have to spend more time/money/manpower figuring out how to exploit the consoles to the fullest. I think it'll be 2-3 years before we see games that really show us the difference.

[herrokitty]

x-boring

http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1918/E3-2005-Gameplay-Footage/

[jonahlee]

Hmm, doesn't work. I want to see.

[Cipherous]

Originally posted by brendonm
http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1918/E3-2005-Gameplay-Footage/

Doesn't impress me, looks like a regular xbox game.

[jonahlee]

I think it looks amazing, the trees, shadows, and reflections look fantastic.

[sumtinsumtin]

looks pretty good, the trailers on www.gametrailers.com are pretty nice, a good variety of stuff to see. that dark first person game looks really good, lots of nice animations and a block/deflect move that actually looks cool and may be functional.
lighting is pretty wicked too.

[Zaius]

Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games

[jonahlee]

Originally posted by Zaius
Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games WHere did you here that?

[Zaius]

gamespot. also mentioned final fantasy XI coming to the 360.

[jonahlee]

Yea, backwards compatibility is official, at least for top tear games (not all games though). The big question in my mind, is can you connect you 360 to your old XBOX and take off your old saves, and downloads (like all the songs I have purchased for DDR). And when will someone make a controller adapter that uses the old controllers so you don't need all new ones?

[stryfe]

i might've missed it in this thread...but were the xbox 360's on display during the mtv half hour ad working models?

[jonahlee]

They showed it playing Perfect Dark Zero.

[stryfe]

Originally posted by stryfe
i might've missed it in this thread...but were the xbox 360's on display during the mtv half hour ad working models?
E3: Xbox 360 Live Demos Running on Powermac G5 (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/xbox/index.php#e3-xbox-360-live-demos-running-on-powermac-g5-104295)

[stryfe]

ars article (http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/xbox360-1.ars)

[Zaius]

Report: ~$300 Xbox 360 by Thanksgiving

J Allard tells TheStreet.com that Microsoft's next-gen console "will be in the neighborhood" of $299; Canadian paper confirms November ship-date target.
The dwindling fog around Microsoft's launch plans for the Xbox 360 dissipated further yesterday when the likely price of the Xbox 360 was revealed. Speaking to the financial news site TheStreet.com, Microsoft corporate vice president and chief XNA architect J Allard was asked if the Xbox 360 would launch with the same $299 price tag as the original. "It's going to be in the neighborhood [of $300]," he said, apparently dispelling fears of a $399 or even $499 machine, although $350 could still be possible. However, Allard also stressed that any final decision on the 360's price was "about two months away."


Meanwhile, further north, the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail ran an article profiling Cimtek, a small company specializing in quality assurance testing at a Chinese electronics plants. Burlington, Ontario-based Cimtek recently landed a monster contract to help oversee production of the Xbox 360 in Guangdong Province, in the south of China.

Speaking to the The Globe and Mail, Cimtek vice president of operations Craig Thornton outlined the Xbox 360 manufacturing plan, saying that the console would be in " preliminary build stage until July," after which the console will enter the product-validation phase before "hitting full-scale production in September."

Then Thornton let slip the Xbox 360's target ship date, saying of Microsoft, "They have a huge mandate for getting [the Xbox] out for Thanksgiving this year." His comments appear to confirm the November launch date accidentally posted on MTV prior to the May 12 Xbox 360 unveiling on the network. It also further cements speculation that the console would hit the market in mid-November, around the anniversary of the release of the first Xbox in 2001.

Whatever its exact price or lauch date may be, the Xbox 360 will definitely arrive before the end of 2005 worldwide. "We will be launching the next generation of Xbox in North America and Europe and Japan this holiday season," chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach told GameSpot earlier this year.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

[Zaius]

http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/xbox360/specs/remote.jpg

[slackerbot]

wow. if that's a legit image, it looks like they're going to integrate the Media Center Extender, rather than make you buy a separate unit.

[Zaius]

Munetatsu Matsui - editor-in-chief of Famitsu Xbox, well known for its close connections to Microsoft's Japanese operation - has stated that a grand total of 20 launch titles are lined up for the Xbox 360's November debut.

That's rather more than we've been expecting, frankly, and rather a lot for a publisher planning to launch a new console in three different territories on the same day, you might think...

We contacted Microsoft to ask if Munetatsu's estimate was correct, and a representative told us: "We're not discussing day one titles at this time."

Advertisement
However, the representative did confirm that, "Between 25 and 40 titles will be available for Xbox 360 during launch period." That means from the time the console launches in November until the end of the year, apparently.

In odder news, Munetatsu has also suggested that the Xbox 360 will feature some kind of crazy hidden functions which won't be unveiled until a year after launch, when you'll be able to download an Xbox Live update to access them.

Well now. Microsoft declined to comment, but we'll be keeping a close eye on this one...

[Zaius]

not exactly xbox 360 related but and example of microsoft strategy to leverage that nihon market...


Xbox schooling Japan

Students in Japan will be learning how to videoconference with console donated by Microsoft.
TOKYO--Classrooms in Japan wil be getting some Xboxes, but not for their typical purpose of playing games. Microsoft announced today that it will be donating Xbox consoles enabled with video chat capabilities to all elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo's Suginami ward for educational purposes, starting in late June.

A total of 80 Xbox units will be given out to 44 grade schools, 23 junior high schools, and eight other public facilities in Suginami. Microsoft hopes that its donations will help educate the children to become more IT literate. The consoles will allow Microsoft to teach the students how to use videoconferencing to take online classes and communicate with other Xbox Live-enabled schools.

"Microsoft has been supporting teachers and students to become IT literate in the current education system that is advancing towards the use of IT. Our donation of the Xbox is one of our activities to strengthen the IT environment to schools," said Microsoft in its press release. "We hope this will become a good model case where TV video conferencing is used effectively in the education system."

By Hirohiko Niizumi -- GameSpot

[Zaius]

http://www.bizarreonline.net/news/images/studioupdate/nyshot2.jpg

http://www.bizarreonline.net/news/images/studioupdate/nyshot2wire.jpg

[m1]

wuddup fred. it's been a while, bro.

i dunno man, i think i'm holding out for ps3. i'll keep occasionally playing my xbox for now though - which is great. got any [free] games for me?!


m1

[Zaius]

m1? I seem to remember that name from somewhere......

:)

[Zaius]

interesting bit of infotainment...from joystiq.com

_________________


We’ve got another bit of market research for you, this time about possible future purchases of next-gen consoles in Japan. Maybe not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 didn’t do too well. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that to date the original Xbox has sold around 500,000 units, a sales figure which the PS2 reached two days after launch. The researchers asked 1,000 japanese people which console they will buy and a mere 2% chose the Xbox 360. This is in comparison with the Playstation 3 garnering 60% of the vote. Now, these numbers are purely based on a thousand japanese people’s opinions at this current time. They do not represent any factual market share figures for the next-gen market, they only indicate how the market will go in the future. So don’t shoot the messenger!

[m1]

consider me japanese, then.


m1

[Zaius]

I probably won't get either one until I see some games I must absolutely have. I think they rolled out the "next gen" too quickly for my tastes. The current gen has a lot of life left in it and I haven't been that impressed with what I've seen for any of the next gen consoles. I'll probably get a Nintendo Revolution before either of the others!

[Zaius]

Bonsai, Usagi, Tokei (http://www.origenxbox360.com/)

[AddictProne]

Originally posted by puppy fields
http://www.360hacker.net/articles/07-18-2005/first-xbox-360-seen-in-the-wild

lol ouch. Talk about things taking a turn for the worst.

So will the first Xbox die after 360 comes out? Or will developers think there's still a worthwhile market to develop games for after the 360 release?

Just curious what others here think. I'm personally pretty happy with my Xbox 180 (sorry, can't resist) and can barely keep up with game releases...(I guess that's called having a life though....)

[Zaius]

Yeah, it'll be awhile before I buy one. I'm so behind on my gaming I have a whole year or more worth of games I need to play on the current generation.

[kid_robotron]

I won't be rushing out to buy one just yet, but I do want to get a 360 at some point. It's too early for me to consider the PS3 at this time as Sony haven't provided any real evidence to back up their claims. I'll wait and see.

I haven't had any interest in anything Nintendo put out since the SNES.

[slackerbot]

for those of you that live in LA/OC..

http://www.gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=7387

http://live.ign.com/


Xbox 360 to be Playable At IGN Live Oct. 22-23!


IGN Live was already set to be huge, but now we have even more exciting news to announce. IGN's first live event October 22-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center will feature playable XBox 360 titles on the show floor. Yes, that's right: all those who come will be able to play XBox 360 before everyone else--one month before the XBox 360 hits store shelves!

Confirmed XBox 360 games at IGN Live include THQ's The Outfit and EA's Need for Speed Most Wanted, though rumor has it there may be even more titles to be announced.

At IGN Live, fans will be able to preview these and more of the latest and upcoming games from a variety of the industry’s biggest publishers, challenge other gamers for cash prizes, and meet game developer heroes to learn tips about getting into the game industry. The Dolby HD Theater will provide a matchless way to enjoy brand new game and movie trailers--including the exclusive premiere of the all-new trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia, and PokerStars.com will give players a chance to prove their mettle alongside poker superstars Greg Raymer and Star Trek: TNG’s Wil Wheaton. In addition, IGN Live will include art, cars and environments allowing for the greatest gaming and entertainment experiences possible. All the while, attendees will groove to beats spun by top DJs including 8-Bit Weapon and Power 106’s Mr. Choc and Turbulence.

"IGN Live" takes place Oct. 22-23 at Southern California’s Anaheim Convention Center. Discount tickets are now available for $15 at http://www.ignlive.com. Tickets will also be available at the event for $25 and at selected Southern California Best Buy stores. Tickets purchased online include free trials to GameFly’s videogame rental service and IGN Insider, a total value of $23.99 for attendees.

For more information, please visit http://www.ignlive.com. "IGN Live" is presented by IGN Entertainment, a leading Internet media and services company focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets, and Best Buy, America’s #1 specialty retailer of consumer electronics. IGN Entertainment has partnered with live event producer, Action Media, to bring "IGN Live" to life.

[Decadent1]

Anybody think there's gonna be a Christmastime shortage of 360's? I'm considering hoarding a dozen consoles and ebaying them to the slacker parents who don't want to let their kids down.

[Zaius]

Originally posted by Decadent1
Anybody think there's gonna be a Christmastime shortage of 360's? I'm considering hoarding a dozen consoles and ebaying them to the slacker parents who don't want to let their kids down.


there probably will be but it's an engineered shortage.

[Zaius]

So, when is everyone planning to get theirs?



I'm thinking not until first quarter next year sometime. time to work through all the problems, additionally I'm waiting for Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.



besides, I still have too many xbox version 1 games i need to play first.....

[ninjaKid]

Nov 22. i have always been an early adopter . . .

[beanie]

all the 400s are sold out. so it seems to me I won't be getting it til I get my hard drive AND wireless controllers stock. I'm sorry Microsoft, but that is all I have to say to you.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

I'm sold. tonight I played the demo game for Kong and I nearly creamed myself. the graphics were fantastic.

[AddictProne]

I need more INFO! Feed my geekdom please!

[Zaius]

whaddaya wanna know?

[Zaius]

http://www.1up.com/media?id=2469738&type=lg




I'm looking forward to this game (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3145642&did=1)

[slackerbot]

that's a big ass power supply! you can use it as a hot plate to keep your coffee warm. :p

[Remy]

Went to the gamespot where i preordered it in september and the guy tells me i wont be getting one on launch day b/c MS is only sending them 35 units. I'm on the second shipment, so i'm guranteed one before dec 22 but otherwise i'm shit out of luck. Supossedly bestbuys and other retailers are only get 10-20 units.

What baloney.

[joetron2030]

One of the Penny Arcade guys got the same gasface from where ever it was that he pre-ordered from.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

Supossedly bestbuys and other retailers are only get 10-20 units.

What baloney.

baloney is right. I talked to some guy at best buy and he told me they were getting between 50-70 units but it's first come first serve. I'm sure the line next tuesday is going to be nuts.

[Remy]

well if its anything like how they handled the PSP release then they'll make you buy it in a bundle only.

[Zaius]

Originally posted by Zaius
http://www.1up.com/media?id=2469738&type=lg




I'm looking forward to this game (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3145642&did=1)




http://www.wayoftherodent.com/wilbur/clip_image012_0006.jpg


can't find a good pic....

[slackerbot]

drove by Fry's this morning. the line was pretty short at around 7:30.

[joetron2030]

Holy crap! It's today isn't it?

I have to admit that I'm rather jealous. In another universe (you know, the one without a kid, a new house payment or stay at home wife), I would have probably preordered this thing.

Ha!

Oh well, I can wait. I think. :D

[slackerbot]

yeah. prices will drop after a year, as usual. so no big hurry i guess.

[DJ LunchBox]

Man I barely got my XBox last christmas and I just bought a PS2 from my co-worker like 3 weeks ago and hardly play either of them! I'm just so into my iPod right now though. I would want a gameboy though. that way I can game and listen to my iPod.

[sumtinsumtin]

we got some today at work, pretty cool so far.

with these and the dev kits around, its cool to be surrounded by awesome tech

[SX-70]

WTF?

$6,000 on ebay


http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-Xbox-360-Game-Console-Bundle_W0QQitemZ8236334613QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[slackerbot]

i think it will be worth the wait. MS and retailers are just creating hype by limiting inventory quantities. they probably have a huge warehouse full of them, and will sell them all at $100 this time next year. :p

[Aaron]

Originally posted by sumtinsumtin
we got some today at work, pretty cool so far.

with these and the dev kits around, its cool to be surrounded by awesome tech
Can I come visit you at work and play with one?

[Zaius]

glad I didn't get excited about buying one after reading the reviews. I think 6 months- 1 year from now it'll be worthwhile.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

did any of you actual succumb to the hype and buy the xbox 360?

[slackerbot]

hmm.. i'm sure someone out there will install a water cooled system..

http://news.com.com/2061-11199_3-5969879.html?part=rss&tag=5969879&subj=news

[CaptainPajamaShark]

Originally posted by slackerbot
hmm.. i'm sure someone out there will install a water cooled system..

http://news.com.com/2061-11199_3-5969879.html?part=rss&tag=5969879&subj=news

yup, just heard about this. now I definitely won't be buying one.

just think, bill gates has ruined poor little timmy's christmas.

[tokei]

I think this is normal, like any launch from any console..there's bound to have problems with the hardware. I expect this on the upcoming PS3 too.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

you'd think they'd be able to smooth the edges out with beta-testing though. I'm sure they knew of the technical glitches before they even launched the xbox, but to appease the fans they probabl stuck with the release deadline IMO.

[Ryan]

loling at bleeding edge early adopters who camp out for a system that crashes when they get home.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Mech1
you'd think they'd be able to smooth the edges out with beta-testing though. I'm sure they knew of the technical glitches before they even launched the xbox, but to appease the fans they probabl stuck with the release deadline IMO.

yeah you would think the big M$ would have a better game plan than to just rely on the hype "ohnoes! limited suprise!" to sell these things

[tokei]

this thread could be on the "Shitty Best Buy Experience." thread instead.

yeh...I'll wait for the ver. 2 to come out, plus I'm not to crazy with game console as I am with computers.

[slackerbot]

sometimes getting the Ver. 1 is a good thing. more hacking potential. usually the manufacturer patches those up in subsequent versions. i guess the PSP is a good example of this.

[Ryan]

yeah and void the warranty that youre probably going to need when it crashes BEFORE you hack it.

[fad3r]

I know this is off topic and I posted in another thread, but can anyone recommend someone/someplace that has premodded XBoxes? I'd like to set it up as a media center for the living room that can stream media from my other computers.

[jinzoningen]

Originally posted by Ryan
loling at bleeding edge early adopters who camp out for a system that crashes when they get home.

I've been reading about rumors that it's overheating and shit. Total recall, anyone?

[Remy]

i was able to score three xboxes and sold one of them already. The other I'm keeping.

So far havent had any problems with it overheatting, but then again i dont have it on for 12+ hours like the other fan boys.
nonetheless it should not be overheating and i havent had that problem yet.

The only thing that happened was that while the Need for speed game was running, I flipped xbox from horizontal to vertical and it scracthed the disk to make it unplayable.

[slackerbot]

Xbox 360 freeze up..

http://media.putfile.com/blah-thud-crash

[DJ LunchBox]

My co-worker was telling me about a story he heard on the news about some guy paying $200 for an XBOX 360's box! Said when he received package all he got was the box the console came in and when he tried to dispute, the auction's fine print read that this was for the box only!!! Total burn!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:


:::EDIT:::

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.xbox365.com/news/news.cgi/article/EplVplAFFEPEqOpZkt9331

[slackerbot]

it's not a burn.. it's just plain carelessness. i see boxes for sale all the time. i also see pictures of items for sale..

you are bidding on a genuine unopened picture of an Xbox 360.

always read the auction details carefully.

[kyberPaavi]

Same stuff happened on PS2 release also. Buying just the box I mean.

[slackerbot]

on the flipside, sometimes you need to buy a box. some computer companies require that you send the computer back in the original box/packaging when you need to send it in for repairs or whatever. so not all box auctions are shadey.

[Zaius]

http://www.decalgirl.com/prodimg/x360/x360-fashionr-470.jpg

[Ryan]

http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=632413

goooo xbox!

[Ryan]

Yeah this is pretty pathetic. Here's what my support calls usually go like.

Me: My live account is silver when it should be gold... etc...

Rep: Hmm your account is showing up as gold it should be working, let me transfer you.

20 minutes later

Me: My live account is silver when it should be gold... etc...

Rep: We're working on it

Me: Can you give me a time period? Are we talking weeks, months, years...?

Rep: We can't say.

Me: So not one person knows the status of what's being done, who's responsible for it or anything at all. Is there someone else I can talk to that is semi-knowledgeable about this?

Rep: I can try to transfer you, hold on...

20 mins later

Another Rep: We're working on it.

[joetron2030]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2006/20060109h.jpg

[CaptainPajamaShark]

I noticed stores like Target & Best Buy being fully stocked with the xbox 360 - does this mean the overheating/glitch problem has been resolved? I'm really tempted to buy one.

[Rodfather]

Originally posted by Mech1
I noticed stores like Target & Best Buy being fully stocked with the xbox 360 - does this mean the overheating/glitch problem has been resolved? I'm really tempted to buy one.

The heat problems were most likely a small percentage. I was aware of this problem though and made sure my power supply was kept isolated so there wouldn't be any chance of overheating. Just feeling it, it doesn't seem very hot.
The reason for the shortages though, is because they couldn't produce the amount of units to keep up with demand. The production is now in full swing so you can probably find units everywhere these days.
I'm satisfied with my purchase of the 360. Xbox Live Marketplace is really nice. You can download the demo for almost every game to try out. There are trailers for games and movies you can download also, all in HD. Xbox Live Arcade is ok. The games in there that are worth buying are puzzle games that are very addicting. I've downloaded all the trials but have yet to purchase the full versions. But, at least you have that option of trying them out.
Geometry Wars is probably the one worth purchasing as it is very addicting.
The retail games are good. The one worth purchasing is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. I have it for the PC so I didn't buy it for 360. Still, it's an excellent game. For the games I actually have, are MLB 2k6 (it's ok), Fight Night (excellent), and Table Tennis (great). I rented Condemned and that's also a good game. It's not worth buying though.

As for the console wars.. anything that'll be on the 360 that'll also be on the PS3 but have multiplayer, I'll probably get on the 360 just because of Xbox live. Xbox live is what makes the difference.
For casual gaming, I'll definitely get a Wii.
I'll end up getting a PS3 eventually, but only if there are very high quality games that are exclusively for that console.

[Sethius]

xbox 360's graphics are dynamite. so crisp and clear.

waiting to see how Nintendo's Wii compares.

[Mutterlein]

Originally posted by Sethius
xbox 360's graphics are dynamite. so crisp and clear.

waiting to see how Nintendo's Wii compares.

same here

[SX-70]

I am pretty happy with my 360, what I don't like is that it is super loud when playing from a disc. It also give off enough heat to warm up my bedroom in the winter.

[xsk8teboyx]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/hddvd/360-hddvd-for-200-in-us-203646.php

360 HD-DVD for $200 in U.S....now if they can come up with good movies.

[dequinix]

$200 HD-DVD drive just gave me another reason to not get a PS3.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

does anyone know if this pricedrop for the 360 is actually gonna happen? there are shitloads of games that are xbox only and i'm itching to buy one, but if it's gonna drop in price when the Wii and PS3 launch that'd be better.

[Zaius]

my bet is 90% chance of no drop.

but you can wait a few more weeks and see.

[dequinix]

I don't think they need a price drop. I mean, PS3 is $200 more, so why lower it now?

[ChenZan]

Originally posted by dequinix
I don't think they need a price drop. I mean, PS3 is $200 more, so why lower it now?

to shove it in their face?

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Mech1
does anyone know if this pricedrop for the 360 is actually gonna happen? there are shitloads of games that are xbox only and i'm itching to buy one, but if it's gonna drop in price when the Wii and PS3 launch that'd be better.

I need a 360 soon for Phantasy Star... My bet is that any price drop, if it's going to happen at all, has to happen by Nov. 19th.

If you can wait that long, I'd say wait.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

Originally posted by dequinix
I don't think they need a price drop. I mean, PS3 is $200 more, so why lower it now?

simple economics really. the more demand there is for their console the cheaper it'll be to manufacture, not to mention the fact that it would mean having a financial edge over the PS3. if the 360 drops by the time the PS3 launches we're looking at a possible $300 pricetag versus $600 for a basic PS3 setup. i'll take the 360 thank you.

[ChenZan]

Is it normal for the 360s fans to be so loud and constant?

[cvcgolf]

A lot of upset owners of the 360 when you read the reviews on Amazon. I've been thinking about buying one but lots of people's 360's have broken down.

I've been scared away.

[Remy]

Originally posted by ChenZan
Is it normal for the 360s fans to be so loud and constant?

Yes. The machine runs hot so the fan runs all the time to keep things cool. And its loud as hell too.

The first batch of xboxs had high failure rates, and ppl had to send in their dead xboxes for repairs. Supposedly the problem has been fixed. MS just recently agreed to fix all 1st generation xboxs for free. The newer batches should be a little more reliable.

[ChenZan]

was playing it for 3 hrs today, and it was damn hot even with those fans. No wonder there so many damaged 360s. I just hope mine is built well enough to withstand all that heat.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

shit, didn't think the overheating bug was still a problem.

[Remy]

anybody modded their xbox 360 yet? how'd that turn out? Can you still play online?

[AddictProne]

my friends do. but getting games for them seems to be a pain in the ass because of the size.

some seem to work online.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

if I bought a 360 should I even bother with buying an extended warranty? I was thinking of just picking one up at Target since they have a 90 day returns/exchanges policy.

[atomicscissors]

Costco, dude. Costco has the BEST return policy: No Questions Asked.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

i'm not a member of costco.

[atomicscissors]

Boo.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

damn, if my ebay auction goes through i'm definitely buying a 360.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

ok, I finally bought a 360 today along with Halo and Half-Life 2. the only problem i've experienced is Half-Life 2 doesn't work because of the backward compatibility issue. I now have to order the update from xbox which I think is a load of crap. i'd download the update and burn it to disc but it doesn't say anything about issues with Macintosh. any Mac users here ever have issues with updates?

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Mech1
ok, I finally bought a 360 today along with Halo and Half-Life 2. the only problem i've experienced is Half-Life 2 doesn't work because of the backward compatibility issue. I now have to order the update from xbox which I think is a load of crap. i'd download the update and burn it to disc but it doesn't say anything about issues with Macintosh. any Mac users here ever have issues with updates?

Did you buy the 360 with the HD? You can use X-Box Live for a short while for free. Through X-Box Live, you can automatically download updates to patch older games. I've never had to use another computer to get updates.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

yup, got the 360 with the HD. are you a mac user? didn't realize I had to pay to use xbox live either.

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Mech1
yup, got the 360 with the HD. are you a mac user? didn't realize I had to pay to use xbox live either.

Live (Gold) is free for a trial period with every new X-box system.

I'm not sure but Live (Silver) is either free or at a lower price.

I love Live.

[AddictProne]

Silver is Free on Weekends

[joetron2030]

Don't they require you to provide a CC even for the free trials? They used to, I know that much. Free trial and then they automatically convert you to a subscription unless you cancel in time.

[puppy fields]

http://64.111.216.60//ul/1751-Halo-pickup-shirt.jpg

[joetron2030]

Heh. Clever.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

why can't I find Doom 3 in any brick & mortar store? fucksticks.

[Zaius]

I got one from my awesome girlfriend (she's reading over my shoulder) for Christmas!!


Zaius3000 gamertag

[Johnney5]

I too can join your club Zaius...the gf got me one too!

Now I'm going to hunt down Gears of War...

[Garlic]

Zaius I just got one as well and if you have a wireless controller for your 360 make sure you get one of those rechargable battery packs. It eats batteries like a motherfucker.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

Originally posted by Garlic
Zaius I just got one as well and if you have a wireless controller for your 360 make sure you get one of those rechargable battery packs. It eats batteries like a motherfucker.

didn't realize they sold rechargable battery packs. went through my first batch of batteries in about a week and a half.

[Johnney5]

Get the play and charge...
it's a rechargeable battery, but when it runs low, you plug in the wire that connects it the battery/controller to the xbox, and you can play and recharge at the same time.

it's also the cheapest alternative to the other rechargers for the xbox right now.

btw, GEARS OF WAR is kicking my ass. I played 5 hours straight today. F'ing awesome.

[CaptainPajamaShark]

I've already got a regular battery charger so i'm just gonna use that. no sense in me spending more money on a new one.

[Johnney5]

Jerkface626 <- add me!

I've only got gears of war...and still debating whether or not I should shell out the money for the gold membership...

[Ricky]

i have gears, tony hawk and nba2k7

add me homsuplo

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Poppunk
Jerkface626 <- add me!

I've only got gears of war...and still debating whether or not I should shell out the money for the gold membership...

Worth it...I like not worrying about exclusives, etc.

I just renewed my membership for another year ($49).

Oh...I'm loving Lost Planet--it plays like an old-school NES/SNES game (like Megaman).

[Vahn Roi]

I totally wouldn't have thought that watching the commercials, for some reason I pictured a first or third person shooter.

[mpyre]

Originally posted by Vahn Roi
I totally wouldn't have thought that watching the commercials, for some reason I pictured a first or third person shooter.

It's oldschool videogaming...play and figure out the pattern...die...try again.

There's no co-op mode, but I had a blast this weekend playing the game with two buddies. We traded the controller around whenever someone died--always giving advice or figuring out patterns, etc.

Just like playing Megaman or other old linear NES games!

[Johnney5]

Anyone mod their xbox 360? I've watching videos and stuff on 360mods.net and the shit seems totally complex...

[Johnney5]

Just got Guitar Hero II.

My wrist hurts like hell, but IT. IS. OH. SO. GOOD.

[Vahn Roi]

I'd rather play a real guitar...

[Johnney5]

That's great.

[Vahn Roi]

I concur.