Official XBOX360 Thread - Game Reviews Are In - 1UP Likes 7's

[JayPatel]

Reviews are lifted. Apparently 1Up likes to give 7's

Kameo - 7.0 :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0
http://xbox360.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3145712&did=1

NBA2K6 - 7.0
http://xbox360.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3145672&did=1

AMPED3 - 7.0
http://xbox360.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3145673&did=1

Kameo - 8.7
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/kameoelementsofpower/review.html

Madden2006 - 8.0
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/666/666658p3.html

Project Gotham 3 - 10
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3145713&did=1

Kameo - 8.4
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/666/666667p1.html

[x-batman]

Hmm, they are starting early....

[Carnage]

Hmm, they are starting early....

Not really when you think about it.

E3 is only about a month away, so they're probably trying to build up hype before unvailing the system.

[joshmxpx]

this looks pretty cool, i'll have to keep an eye on it

is the password play?

edit: yes it is

[nfnx]

what are you guys talking about?
is this a game or system?

[joshmxpx]

what are you guys talking about?
is this a game or system?

its an unofficial page designed to create hype for the new xbox system

[JayPatel]

Got these from GAF

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/gofreak/x2-controller-rumor.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/gofreak/Newxboxhardware.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/gofreak/noticenocord4mw.jpg

looks similar to the ourcolony.net teaser pics

[Hurk]

They look pretty comfortable. I'd rub it.

[JoKeRr]

They look pretty comfortable. I'd rub it.

rub it with _______?? :cheesygri

[MrDisco]

whats with the spider?

[JayPatel]

whats with the spider?

its an ant. its part of the marketing campaign that Microsoft just launched for the XBOX 360.

[JayPatel]

http://www.brandweek.com/brandweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000874671

XBOX360 is going to be simulcast on MTV May 12

[sfu_lifer]

http://www.brandweek.com/brandweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000874671

XBOX360 is going to be simulcast on MTV May 12
Can't wait. And in other news, Microsoft is promising support for the Xbox until 2007.

[JayPatel]

Can't wait. And in other news, Microsoft is promising support for the Xbox until 2007.

Interesting.

Also if your looking to buy an XBOX you better do so quickly. Microsoft is only producing 2 million more units of XBOX before production is shifted to the XBOX360. While I thought it was just rumour, I also had this confirmed at my local ebgames who were informed so by head office.

[mahjongmaniac]

interesting stuff...

i can't wait to see what's new up MS's @$$$... oops i mean sleeves.....:D

[SwiZz]

http://www.brandweek.com/brandweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000874671

XBOX360 is going to be simulcast on MTV May 12

I dont get MTV >:(

Can someone tape it via their computer and upload it? =)

[mark_in_2k]

Can someone tape it via their computer and upload it? =)
Don't worry, news like that will be posted a minute or two after the event. Gamespot will probably have some good coverage.

On the subject of the ending of Xbox manufacturing; it's a shame as I don't feel that developers have pushed the limit of the Xbox hardware. Look at the PS2, developers are still pushing the hardware as can be seen in God of War, GT4, etc. Imagine what the current Xbox could do given another year or so (I'm not saying that Xbox games don't push it, the games are already pretty stunning).

[wanted]

Can't wait. And in other news, Microsoft is promising support for the Xbox until 2007.


Probably Xbox Live right...?
If it was games, that would be cool..... :cry:

[SwiZz]

Probably Xbox Live right...?
If it was games, that would be cool..... :cry:

So does that mean Xbox Live, for the current xbox would just not work anymore? i dont think they'd do that...

like look at Blizzard's games...like starcraft/diablo/warcraft....they're all still working fine arent they? heh...

Counterstrike is still being played even though there's counterstrike source...

so i wouldnt assume they'd ever really stop xbox live...at least not at 2007

[vonteego]

Don't worry, news like that will be posted a minute or two after the event. Gamespot will probably have some good coverage.

On the subject of the ending of Xbox manufacturing; it's a shame as I don't feel that developers have pushed the limit of the Xbox hardware. Look at the PS2, developers are still pushing the hardware as can be seen in God of War, GT4, etc. Imagine what the current Xbox could do given another year or so (I'm not saying that Xbox games don't push it, the games are already pretty stunning).

Yeah GT4 is friggin unbelievable. Long load times aside, I cannot believe what a complete and incredible racing sim this is...the audio, the graphics, the perfectly tuned controls, HOW did the developers do it??? Amazing.

Needless to say I'm actually looking forward to the next-gen of the xbox, not the PS3, as it sounds like Microsoft has really become fan based like really listening to what people have said their mistakes were and giving us games we ask for.

For example, while the gameplay in Forza Motorsport remains to be seen, you gotta love the fact Microsoft is putting it in on xbox live with TRADING of cars, parts, sharing things, etc. A true car community. That's awesome.

Can't wait to see what this next xbox can do, especially with some Japanese developers behind it.

[DJXP]

wow sick sick sick, cant wait for it :)

I don't see why they would get rid of xbox live though they make $ off it, unless they won't actually make enough to pay for their costs and still make a profit.
People will still be able to use programs like xlink kai etc though.

I really wonder what they are going to do in terms of security on the xbox 360, im sure it would make an even better linux machine :twisted:

[Headhunter]

What're the launch titles going to be? I can't think of any real franchise that's X-Box exclusive other than Halo/Knights of the Old Republic, and there's no way their next entries will be ready at launch.

[Fantaz]

Can I join your ant colony?

[joshmxpx]

What're the launch titles going to be? I can't think of any real franchise that's X-Box exclusive other than Halo/Knights of the Old Republic, and there's no way their next entries will be ready at launch.

the new burnout or the new nfs are rumoured to be launch titles.

So does that mean Xbox Live, for the current xbox would just not work anymore? i dont think they'd do that...

i'm sure they won't cancel xbox live, as long as there are people willing to pay the subscription, it will exist

[Ryan]

Have they revealed the launch price yet?

[Fantaz]

My guess is around $400.

[JayPatel]

Id speculate that its probably close to $349.99 to $399.99 US

[vonteego]

Id speculate that its probably close to $349.99 to $399.99 US

Agreed Jay...but I'd wager they'd at least force a pack-in game for $349 USD. I'm betting $299 for the system alone, just like PS1 and PS2 on their launch, followed by MS making their money on memory cards, component HD cables and xbox live subscriptions.

I think MS learned their lesson from the last generation, you MUST price discriminate to truly reach the MASS market (e.g. Greatest Hits games). No hardrive and smaller system size will hopefully cut down on shipping/freight costs for MS too.

[JayPatel]

Agreed Jay...but I'd wager they'd at least force a pack-in game for $349 USD. I'm betting $299 for the system alone, just like PS1 and PS2 on their launch, followed by MS making their money on memory cards, component HD cables and xbox live subscriptions.

I think MS learned their lesson from the last generation, you MUST price discriminate to truly reach the MASS market (e.g. Greatest Hits games). No hardrive and smaller system size will hopefully cut down on shipping/freight costs for MS too.

good points, but this time there is no competition. MS is going to have a minimum 6 month lead time over the PS3 and Revolution. And that lead time is actually probably close to 1 year. Also word is that MS is cutting its developer royalty fees drastically if not to zero for the next gen in order to entice more devs so they are definitely going to price the system accordingly to make back some of those lost revenues. Also giving away over 9000 XBOX 360's (rumoured pepsi promotion) wont be cheap. They are definitely going to go with premium pricing and then will drop the price to a more reasonable amount when the other systems launch... its definitely an exciting time for a gamer thats for sure.

[JayPatel]

Hmmmmm PGR3? ourcolony.net now reveals the followingt picture.

http://www.gamona.de/images/upload/screenshots_full/734_22007.jpg

[danfromwaterloo]

good points, but this time there is no competition. MS is going to have a minimum 6 month lead time over the PS3 and Revolution. And that lead time is actually probably close to 1 year. Also word is that MS is cutting its developer royalty fees drastically if not to zero for the next gen in order to entice more devs so they are definitely going to price the system accordingly to make back some of those lost revenues. Also giving away over 9000 XBOX 360's (rumoured pepsi promotion) wont be cheap. They are definitely going to go with premium pricing and then will drop the price to a more reasonable amount when the other systems launch... its definitely an exciting time for a gamer thats for sure.

9K Xboxes * $300 (ballpark cost to build one of these suckers) = 270K.

Bill spends more on soap per year than this would cost him. He's got more money than Jesus. Microsoft has gained critical mass, IMHO, and when they set their mind to something, there's no stopping them. XBox2 will be the de facto gaming platform eventually. PS2/3 won't stand a chance.

[SwiZz]

What're the launch titles going to be? I can't think of any real franchise that's X-Box exclusive other than Halo/Knights of the Old Republic, and there's no way their next entries will be ready at launch.

I remember from reading somwhere that Team Ninja has said there is going to be a new Ninja Gaiden....and I'm sure that will be coming out for the new xbox...can't wait to see that one..

dam if u guys havn't played Ninja Gaiden for xbox....you're missing out...the best game i've played on the xbox.....in terms of overall game experience....but again evveryone prefers different things....but this game was just so unbelievable.

i have this one video clip...someone edited parts of the game to music, and its an 80 MB file...looks crazy, it was amazingly done...i'd put it up here but id go oveer my bandwidth level for my server so quickly....if anyone would want to host i'd give it to them.

http://media.ign.com/thumb/696/696145/hottestninjagaiden_022004_005_thumb.jpg (http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/hottestninjagaiden_022004_005.jpg)
screenshots do not do justice

[vonteego]

http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/04/12/0412automarketscan05.html?partner=yahoo&referrer=

"Goldman Sachs said it confirmed with Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people that the company is unlikely to discontinue production of the Xbox videogame console with the launch of Xbox 2."

"The research firm, which rates Microsoft at "outperform," expects Xbox 2 to be available for retail sale in October or November at a retail price of about $249 to $299. Goldman said the Xbox console would cater to the lower-end of the consumer segment."

[joshmxpx]

Hmmmmm PGR3? ourcolony.net now reveals the followingt picture.

http://www.gamona.de/images/upload/screenshots_full/734_22007.jpg


that's sick!!!!

too bad i won't be able to get one of these until its been out for a long time and the price has dropped substantially

[JayPatel]

For the curious, the screen is that of a Ferrari Modena 360. Notice the significance of this car and why Microsoft chose it specifically.

[JeiJei]

I think by shipping it first doesn't mean able to win the battle in console world.

MS lose a lot of money on X-Box, mainly due to the lack of sales in Japan/Europe. (relatively speaking when comparing to PS2)

What MS doesn't understand is that what exactly the gamer community wants.

I, as a gamer, really don't care a LOT about graphics although it's nice to see some hi-def., Final Fantasy Movie's quality 3D actions in game, but it's not something I'd be aiming for a game.

It all comes down to the game play-ability or how much I can enjoy in the game. I still remember the old days when I spent 18hrs straight when I first got PS1 with FF7. The game was awesome.

I purchased my X-Box not until the very late of its production(my console was modded with X3 just to give u an idea) not because of its games titles either, I just wanted to have a DIVX player in my room and can't justify to get another HTPC.

Most games on XBOX are designed by and for NAmericans, which honestly, don't fit all the gamers out there. And XBox-Only games aren't too interesting either.(DOA Volley?! come on) I personally find PS2 and GC with better exclusive game tittles (GTx/FF serie for PS2, Mario/Resident Evil serie for GC)

MS should really try to find some dev. in JP/EU market for them, otherwise they won't stand a chance against the Sony empire in console gaming.

[wanted]

I think by shipping it first doesn't mean able to win the battle in console world.



Tottally, agree with you on that.
It will just give them a head start in the console wars...most likely the one to release next will see what the first company has (whats good, whats bad, whats needed) and then they can capitalize off that.

[Fantaz]

Hmmmmm PGR3? ourcolony.net now reveals the followingt picture.

http://www.gamona.de/images/upload/screenshots_full/734_22007.jpg


If that is in-game graphics then I might have to kill myself.

[vonteego]

If that is in-game graphics then I might have to kill myself.

Graphics don't make the game. Gameplay does. (Ninja Gaiden still pains me to this day...worst camera ever).

[JayPatel]

From an article at Eurogamer

British sources have confirmed that the next generation Xbox is indeed called Xbox 360, that the logo is a simple, round nexus, and that the console itself has a concave design. And it's white. Maybe.

Advertisement
Many rumours have been circulating in the past months regarding Microsoft's next generation system, but let us now lay them all the rest. The name of Xbox's successor is Xbox 360, we can confirm, and the design of the machine is indeed a concave shape.

Speaking under conditions of strict anonymity, a British source privy to Microsoft's marketing documents has today confirmed the machine's name and previously rumoured details of the actual design.

The machine can stand upright and hollows in at the middle, like it's "sucking in its cheeks," our source told us today. Previous rumours had put the console as silver, although fresh information says the final design may be white. It's impossible to tell from the documents, the source went on to say.

According to the source, the rumoured slot for the hard drive - which was apparently at the top of the machine - is not obvious on the document, and the person was unable to clarify where the slot for discs actually appeared.

The logo is described as a simple, round nexus with "Xbox 360" written inside it. Previous rumours had simply the numbers "360" in the disc.

Microsoft will show the console for the first time in a half-hour special on MTV on May 12, a week ahead of E3. The company's press conference, on Monday, May 16, will be the first viewing of the console to the trade en bloc.

Xbox 360 is expected to receive a global release in late 2005.

When contacted today, Microsoft simply said that it does not comment on rumours and speculation relating to next generation product.

[sleepyguy]

Doh! Would prefer BLACK or SILVER to fit with my HT gear... oh well.

[SwiZz]

Graphics don't make the game. Gameplay does. (Ninja Gaiden still pains me to this day...worst camera ever).

heh...i guess everyone has different things that bug them.....i personally didn't find the camera to be THAT much of a b*tch... the first hour or two it was weird cause the camera was shifting...but once you use the right trigger to "reset" it, it becoems like a reflex, and i was able to play the entire game without that being an issue...

besides, normally the pros outweight the cons for me, and even if the camera was a huge issue, i think everything that game has to offer more than enough makes up for it...

i can't wait to see what team Ninja puts together for the xbox 360...but i believe they said that a Dead or alive 4 will come out before any sequel to ninja gaiden is done...

will xbox 360 be compatible with regular xbox games? can't go research it at the moment...im at work...i think someone mentioned it wont be though...but that would really suck if it cant

i can't picture a white xbox either...

my sister's b/f's older brother is working on the new xbox at microsoft in california....i really should be asking him about specifics =S....lol i never bothered to even ask....i dont think he'd tell me either way though....as microsoft would probably kill him

[jjboy]

9K Xboxes * $300 (ballpark cost to build one of these suckers) = 270K.

Bill spends more on soap per year than this would cost him. He's got more money than Jesus. Microsoft has gained critical mass, IMHO, and when they set their mind to something, there's no stopping them. XBox2 will be the de facto gaming platform eventually. PS2/3 won't stand a chance.

uhh i dont think so
ps2 is beating the xbox by a land slide (in overall sales) and there are alot more developers for the ps2
Many Japanese developeres are still only making games for ps2 because of the extremlly poor sales of xbox in japan
For many gamers, americanized games (WWE, american foobtball) are not something they will play

[vonteego]

heh...i guess everyone has different things that bug them.....i personally didn't find the camera to be THAT much of a b*tch... the first hour or two it was weird cause the camera was shifting...but once you use the right trigger to "reset" it, it becoems like a reflex, and i was able to play the entire game without that being an issue...

besides, normally the pros outweight the cons for me, and even if the camera was a huge issue, i think everything that game has to offer more than enough makes up for it...

i can't wait to see what team Ninja puts together for the xbox 360...but i believe they said that a Dead or alive 4 will come out before any sequel to ninja gaiden is done...

will xbox 360 be compatible with regular xbox games? can't go research it at the moment...im at work...i think someone mentioned it wont be though...but that would really suck if it cant

i can't picture a white xbox either...

my sister's b/f's older brother is working on the new xbox at microsoft in california....i really should be asking him about specifics =S....lol i never bothered to even ask....i dont think he'd tell me either way though....as microsoft would probably kill him

You're right Swizz....

I guess in many ways Ninja Gaiden was about me vs. the camera. I NEVER got killed on screen, it was always from some off-screen projectile. That pink demon woman flying boss thingy in the temple, holy crap she comes at you from off-screen!! I just figured that two full years after the masterpiece Devil May Cry that Ninja Gaiden had no excuse to have such a crappy camera. To each their own though.

It's the same reason I can't stand the grand theft auto series - off screen bullets and horrid controls.

[Fantaz]

Graphics don't make the game. Gameplay does.


Yeah, but who isn't a fan of eye candy? And better graphics provide you to become more immersed in the game. I will always be excited to see better graphics.

[jerryhussain]

uhh i dont think so
ps2 is beating the xbox by a land slide (in overall sales) and there are alot more developers for the ps2
Many Japanese developeres are still only making games for ps2 because of the extremlly poor sales of xbox in japan
For many gamers, americanized games (WWE, american foobtball) are not something they will play
But Microsoft has a lot going for Xbox 2, they have been signing developers like crazy. Plus the cell processor in the PS3 is fairly new, so it'd be hard for the developers to write games for it. In the recent trade show where they should the GUI (HUD) of Xbox, they stressed that Microsoft with Xbox 2 hopes to make the life of developers a lot easier.

[Fobulous]

starting to save my pennies for this machine.

[jjboy]

But Microsoft has a lot going for Xbox 2, they have been signing developers like crazy. Plus the cell processor in the PS3 is fairly new, so it'd be hard for the developers to write games for it. In the recent trade show where they should the GUI (HUD) of Xbox, they stressed that Microsoft with Xbox 2 hopes to make the life of developers a lot easier.

thats true
is good to have competition

I still like the ps2/3 more , not bcus I am a sony boy, but xbox just doestn have any good rpgs (I can play kotor 1/2 on pc)

[JayPatel]

starting to save my pennis for this machine.

you mean pennies right? :) :) :) :) :)

[Fobulous]

you mean pennies right? :) :) :) :) :)
hahahaha i should have just written dollars. :D

[B40]

Is this the xbox 360?
http://www.xbox360blog.com/xbox-360-leaked-pic.jpg

This is a pic from what looks like a meeting among executives for the xbox. Standing up and presenting is none other than Allard. Take a look at the pic, real or fake?

[JayPatel]

From Kotaku. I think its credible since this isnt the first time ive seen these numbers thrown around.

My super-secret console-licking moles have unearthed a few more Xbox 360 gems worthy of posting. OK, actually the mole doesn’t lick consoles and really it’s just one gem. Apparently, the Xbox 360 will be sold at two price points. For $299 you will get the base system which doesn’t have a hard-drive or backwards compatibility. For another $100 you get the system bundled with some sort of optional add-on which will include WebTv.

Taking a page from the PSP-launch playbook, I’ve been told that about 80 percent of the systems initially produced will be bundled with the add-on. So unless you feel like waiting, you’ll be plunking down nearly $400 for your Xbox 360.

[Chandler]

Is this the xbox 360?
http://www.xbox360blog.com/xbox-360-leaked-pic.jpg


its the xbox development kit

[divx]

What MS doesn't understand is that what exactly the gamer community wants.

I, as a gamer, really don't care a LOT about graphics although it's nice to see some hi-def., Final Fantasy Movie's quality 3D actions in game, but it's not something I'd be aiming for a game.

It all comes down to the game play-ability or how much I can enjoy in the game. I still remember the old days when I spent 18hrs straight when I first got PS1 with FF7. The game was awesome.

I agree with you that graphics don't make a game, however they do BREAK a game in this day and age. Also, your opinion don't speak for everyone, there are gamer out there will buy xbox for the sole reason of superior graphics. DOAXBVB only last 10 minutes to me......soooooo boring.....

[Jump]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered already but what's the Xbox360? I'm guessing Xbox2 and Xbox360 are two totally different projects.
Anyone know if Microsoft is still planning releasing 3 different versions of Xbox2? I think each one came with different features and hard drive sizes.

[B40]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered already but what's the Xbox360? I'm guessing Xbox2 and Xbox360 are two totally different projects.
Anyone know if Microsoft is still planning releasing 3 different versions of Xbox2? I think each one came with different features and hard drive sizes.


reporting with some certainty (for them, anyway) that the next Xbox will indeed be called Xbox 360, as had been speculated. Apparently the boys in Redmond are absolutely dead-set against calling their next-gen Xbox the Xbox 2, since they feel consumers might assume it's less powerful than the PlayStation 3.

http://wham.canoe.ca/xbox/news/2005/03/21/968095.html

[joshmxpx]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered already but what's the Xbox360? I'm guessing Xbox2 and Xbox360 are two totally different projects.
Anyone know if Microsoft is still planning releasing 3 different versions of Xbox2? I think each one came with different features and hard drive sizes.

i thought in the beginning they were going to release three diff vers, one regular gaming system, one with a hard drive, and one like a htpc

maybe they scratched that and are just going with two different versions now. it would suck if what the earlier post said is true, if we have to spend an additional $100 for backwards compatibility

[JayPatel]

As this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) draws closer, more and more details regarding Microsoft’s Xbox successor come to light.

It seems that Microsoft is making a serious push for the “HD Era� that J Allard boasted of at this year’s Game Developers Conference. Several of our sources have told us that Microsoft has outlined very strict technical requirements when showcasing Xbox 360 titles at this year’s E3.

In order to fully demonstrate the visual prowess of the new console, Xbox 360 games will not be displayed on regular TVs, which means no SDTV or EDTV sets (although the console can utilize such technology), and it is mandatory that the displays used in the E3 demonstrations are HDTV-ready and not just HDTV compatible.


You should know that many of the flat panel screens that are sold as HD capable are only “HDTV Compatible�, which means they can display HDTV signals but they resize the image to the panel’s native resolution, which sometimes is lower than the minimum HDTV spec, 720p. Full HDTV Ready displays are those TVs that have a built-in HDTV tuner (ex: ATSC tuners for over-the-air HD reception, CableCARD™ slots for cable HDTV), DVI and HDMI inputs, and a panel with a 1920x1080 native resolution, which allows the TV to display any HDTV signal without having to compress the image.

Several sources have informed us that Microsoft is demanding that companies display Xbox 360 games at E3 on equipment with a minimum resolution of 720 physical lines. We have yet to learn if Microsoft is requiring any type of specific audio capabilities during demos, such as a Dolby Digital 5.1 system.

It looks like as far as Microsoft is concerned, the “HD Era� truly has begun.

from txb

[JayPatel]

http://www.gamereactor.se/media/microsoftse3inbjudandampner_23500.jpg http://www.gamereactor.se/media/microsoftse3inbjudandampner_23499.jpg

E3 invites

[Fantaz]

I hope I can connect the Xbox 360 with VGA to my LCD monitor, because I have no money for an HDTV.

[P__S__2]

that sucks...now for us who dont have an HDTV tv cant play it...

[jerryhussain]

that sucks...now for us who dont have an HDTV tv cant play it...
No ! you can still play it, just wont be gaming in its "full glory".

This HD push is a good thing, it should drive the prices down.

[P__S__2]

^oh , I see. Looks like I might pick up and hdtv if i save up.

[jerryhussain]

http://img241.echo.cx/img241/4043/xenonimage162536l2dp.jpg

http://img241.echo.cx/img241/6376/xenonimage162537l8rd.jpg

http://img241.echo.cx/img241/5637/xenonimage162538l7sz.jpg

http://img241.echo.cx/img241/4686/xenonimage162539l7jh.jpg

http://news.spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=8590

[jerryhussain]

Following our previous story of the first pictures of the Xenon Development Kit, now comes another shocking image to keep us awake until May 12th. Oh you damn Gamem8ker!

The latest challenge has revealed a new photo and this time it could be the real deal. The big question is, what exactly are we looking at?

The picture, which is taken from an odd angle, still brings up many questions. This could be a removable hard drive and the button on the top could be the cover for the dock in which a removable HDD would plug into. Perhaps the silver part is a handle that can be lifted out for easy carrying. There have been rumors that the Xbox 360 can stand up vertically, so this could be a picture of the console when placed vertically.

http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/xbox360/rumor/xbox360.jpg

Last year, when we ran our first big editorial on the Xbox successor, we predicted the next Xbox could end up sporting a grey, metallic look, like the Satin Silver PlayStation 2. We went even further, hoping that the next Xbox could mimic this design of Apples 1U rack-mount Xserve which also has an anodized aluminum case.

If the picture above is a photo of the exterior of the Xbox 360, then the following picture, seen a few days ago, might showcase the innards of the new console:
http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/xbox360/rumor/insidethexbox360.jpg

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8101/Xbox-360-Revealed/

[Fantaz]

Time to revive this thread.

Click here (http://www.darkhak.com/videos/XBOX_Final_30_with_audio.mov) (Save Target As...) to watch a 30 second commercial teaser of the upcoming event.

Source: Spong (http://news.spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=8594)

http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/movies/mtv_teaser.jpg (http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox/1843/MTV-Presents-The-Next-Generation-Xbox-Revealed-Teaser)

Damn those marketers!

[temporalillusion]

Gizmodo just put up this image:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/xbox360.jpg

[joshmxpx]

Gizmodo just put up this image:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/xbox360.jpg

definate fake, looks like photoshop

[joshmxpx]

Time to revive this thread.

Click here (http://www.darkhak.com/videos/XBOX_Final_30_with_audio.mov) (Save Target As...) to watch a 30 second commercial teaser of the upcoming event.

Source: Spong (http://news.spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=8594)



Damn those marketers!

i wish there was a station that carried it in canada, without me having to have digicable or anything

[cheukiecfu]

definate fake, looks like photoshopagree...
looks ugly... and i expect better from Microsoft...
the name 360 doesn't resemble that console...

[JayPatel]

http://img15.echo.cx/img15/5177/therealxbox3602005042207173040.th.jpg (http://img15.echo.cx/my.php?image=therealxbox3602005042207173040.jpg)

doesnt look like a photoshop to me

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/607/607001p1.html

For comparison here is one of the first images that came out of ourcolony.net

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/04/06/ourcolony_screen003.jpg

[JayPatel]

lookie what just came in my inbox

http://img250.echo.cx/img250/5800/xbox3600ah.th.jpg (http://img250.echo.cx/my.php?image=xbox3600ah.jpg)

[jerryhussain]

lookie what just came in my inbox
You're not the only one ;) That thing is spreading faster than spam :cheesygri

[sfu_lifer]

Looks too much like the phantom. I hate consoles where you can't put stuff on top since it's not flat.

[Spare-Flair]

All the sites are saying this is confirmed by people in the industry but still, take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.hardocp.com/images/news/1114246095b3fzFwZ1eQ_1_1_l.jpg

Looks like we're going Infra-Red controllers.

[temporalillusion]

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/zomg3zt.jpg

EDIT: Oops JP already posted this one.

Yeah, this is looking more real.

[shabby]

Looking at the size of the hd enlcosure, it kinda looks like a 2.5" hd.

[cheukiecfu]

All the sites are saying this is confirmed by people in the industry but still, take it with a grain of salt.
http://www.hardocp.com/images/news/1114246095b3fzFwZ1eQ_1_1_l.jpg

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/zomg3zt.jpg
actually it matches this picture as well...
man... this Xbox is ugly.....

[JeiJei]

man... this Xbox is ugly.....

Yeah.. I think M$ could do better than that on the design.

I remember when I first saw PS2, and comparing it to PS1, the design was breath-taking.. (the one with vertical stand).

But I really don't see that b/w XBox and XBox 360

Another point on design is that the PS2 integrates into HT nicely, without any distortion among the "look" of HT equipments. But the new XBox looks like a toy with that huge power button(I guess) there.. you need some fancy design equipments in order to have a match set. :(

[Headhunter]

If this newest image is the real design, I'm not impressed. It seems like one of those overwrought pieces of plastic you'd see at a nouveau rich art gallery, instead of a game console.

[Fantaz]

Damn, I was hoping it was fake.

[Haris]

why does it only have 1 controller port.. if that is a port... seems like a fake too me..

[P__S__2]

NEXT GEN MADDEN VIDEO.....here it is guys..for those who havnt seen it. AMAZING.


http://www.maddenmania.com/nextgen.wmv

[P__S__2]

why does it only have 1 controller port.. if that is a port... seems like a fake too me..


It may be a Infra-Red port.

[Carpe Diem]

Who gives a crap what it looks like, How's it gonna preform.

I'll buy it, even if it looks like a steaming pile of dog dirt.

[ainsane]

Hrmm the shape on the eject button is rotated in these 2 pics:

http://www.hardocp.com/images/news/1114246095b3fzFwZ1eQ_1_1_l.jpg
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/zomg3zt.jpg

[CanadaBoy]

http://img15.echo.cx/img15/5177/therealxbox3602005042207173040.jpg

[temporalillusion]

why does it only have 1 controller port.. if that is a port... seems like a fake too me..

The controllers are wireless afaik.

[mark_in_2k]

The controllers are wireless afaik.
Yeah, that was the rumour a while ago, wireless controllers, can't wait for that.

NEXT GEN MADDEN VIDEO.....here it is guys..for those who havnt seen it. AMAZING.

As quoted on Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/x360/sports/maddennfl2006/preview_6122758.html) the graphics of the "nex-gen" version of Madden are only the opinions of what the EA artists think the consoles will be able to produce. This video isn't actually in-game footage, just a rendering of what they think the graphics would look like.

Having said that, the guys at EA believe the nex-gen consoles maybe capable of producing better graphics than shown in the Madden video :D

[Angultra]

The controllers are wireless afaik.

Sweet. That would eliminate the 4-player cap on multiplayer games and get rid of cords altogether. Expect to pay a premium on extra controllers though if you just want cheapos.

[Moot]

Hrmm the shape on the eject button is rotated in these 2 pics:

http://www.hardocp.com/images/news/1114246095b3fzFwZ1eQ_1_1_l.jpg
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/zomg3zt.jpg

:-0 Good eye. I hope this isn't the new design. Ugly.

[Angultra]

I like how it looks...sort of like a nice SFF PC.

[joshmxpx]

Sweet. That would eliminate the 4-player cap on multiplayer games and get rid of cords altogether. Expect to pay a premium on extra controllers though if you just want cheapos.

i'm pretty sure there would still be a for player limit, how good would it be to have your screen split into 5 or 6 or more smaller screens?

4 is pretty much the standard, and i don't think that will change

[ainsane]

i'm pretty sure there would still be a for player limit, how good would it be to have your screen split into 5 or 6 or more smaller screens?

4 is pretty much the standard, and i don't think that will change

Yeah probably not. But it woudl be nice to have more htan 4 for sports games.

[Homer88]

Looks more like a Dell computer
http://www.discountpc.net/products/DELL_OPTIPLEX_GX150.JPG

[Carpe Diem]

Why does it need a "memory unit" when there is a hard drive?
You would just save to the HD like in the Xbox now.

[Talamasca]

Why does it need a "memory unit" when there is a hard drive?
You would just save to the HD like in the Xbox now.

Rumour has it that the new Xbox won't have a hard drive.

[dabble boy]

Cannot wait!

I've got to say I've been pleased with my xbox.......the xbox live componenet has been excellent, and I now used the Media center extender to use xbox as a hard drive source for my network.......can't wiat for a bigger drive.

[jerryhussain]

Hrmm the shape on the eject button is rotated in these 2 pics:
I think the first one is a prototype/concept shot.

[Fantaz]

I just hope you can rechange the wireless controler batteries instead of replacing them with new ones every couple weeks.

The power button looks too big. It seems easy to bump it bymistake and shut it off while you're in a game.

[dmdsoftware2]

I just hope you can rechange the wireless controler batteries instead of replacing them with new ones every couple weeks.

The power button looks too big. It seems easy to bump it bymistake and shut it off while you're in a game.

From what I've heared, you have to hold the power button down for 2-3 seconds to turn off the unit. This avoids turning off the system by an accidential jab or bump of the power button.

[cheukiecfu]

Looks more like a Dell computer
http://www.discountpc.net/products/DELL_OPTIPLEX_GX150.JPGit does look like a dell computer...
and dell computers are ugly fugly...

[bmaz]

Rumour has it that the new Xbox won't have a hard drive.
There will be 3 versions, initially 2.
One w/ a hard drive, one w/o a HD (with possibility for upgrade to include a HD).
The third will be a PC that plays XBOX2 games, which will be unveiled much later this year.

[JayPatel]

http://ourcolony.net/images/gallery/3737115.jpg

[cheukiecfu]

http://ourcolony.net/images/gallery/3737115.jpgthat's the memory unit with a memory stick inserted?
man.... that "photoshop" picture matches all the 3 weird angle pics!!
very possible that it's real.. :(

[sonick]

that is one ugly ass memory unit

[Nacster]

Found this article claiming that this possibly might be the New Logo for the Xbox 360:


http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/news/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=35577&subsectionid=1586

[spawn582]

uhh... that reminds me too much of the Dreamcast logo.

[toalan]

I think we all expect for the xbox 360 to look like crap, the PS3 on the other hand will have the sony sexiness. Whatever microsoft is gonna do with the look in a few months time sony will make it look like a big pile of crap.

I honestly hope microsoft will expand their game genre with the xbox 360, I mean Microsoft did not really capitialize on the extra hardware edge the original xbox had over Ps2, they only thing microsoft did was apply a PC approach and make xbox the king of FPS, everything outside of FPS you could hardly tell xbox had superior hardware.

[nfnx]

wow microsoft needs some better designers... they're consoles are huge...

[joshmxpx]

wow microsoft needs some better designers... they're consoles are huge...

i'd rather have the big xbox than the new little sony ps2. i have both, and any time i barely tug the controller on the ps2, the thing almost flies out of my cabinet, it's way too light!! i'd rather have something bigger and heavier that i'm not worried about breaking

[jerryhussain]

http://img105.echo.cx/img105/4335/9328749832793aj.jpg

[JayPatel]

http://www.ourcolony.net/images/gallery/05271122875.jpg
http://www.ourcolony.net/images/gallery/1140105.jpg
http://www.ourcolony.net/images/logos/932874983279.jpg

[jerryhussain]

^ That spells out SIX, meaning T & Y are next ?

[mark_in_2k]

^ That spells out SIX, meaning T & Y are next ?

T & Y? What do you mean by that?

[jerryhussain]

T & Y? What do you mean by that?
SIXTY ! Unless ofcourse I'm going in the wrong direction. :|

[JayPatel]

SIXTY ! Unless ofcourse I'm going in the wrong direction. :|

you are correct.

1st shot is confirmed to be Project Gotham 3
The second one is debatable between a new fable title or Kameo: elements of power
the final shot is obviously the Dashboard that jerry posted earlier.

somewhere on the site is also a picture of a old school clock indicating 5 o clock. Interestingly enough it could be taken in two ways, 1 is obviously the big and little hand are pointing to 5 and 12, which is the day of the MTV tv show. it could also be taken as 512 which is the rumoured ram increase from 256. I havent seen this myself but its being talked about at various forums.

[sfu_lifer]

That tree picture in the "I" looks like crap.
It must be something from those lazy overpaid bastards at Rare.

[jerryhussain]

Latest update on OurColony.net is some guy named THX8612 from unifiction forums solved a audio clue which gave him an email address. On replying to that address, he got a reply asking for his phone #. He gave his number and got a call from the "gamemaker". He won "something big" and he is going to "represent OurColony". Folks are predicting that he won an Xbox 360 and is going to be on the MTV show on May 12. Also the next clue he was asked to convey was that "the truth" will be revealed to OurColony an hour before the MTV show.

[JayPatel]

nice....lucky guy if true.

[jb22]

I was just reading some stuff at IGN, mainly about the X-Box version of Half-Life 2 and GTA:SA and was just wondering, do you guys think maybe MS should hold off on the releasing the next X-Box? I mean it sounds like developers can still push the current X-Box's hardware a bit further, especially with the engine Valve is developing for Half-Life 2. I mean as a Dreamcast owner, I don't want to see MS or ratehr the X-Box fall into the same trap. Just some thoughts. I of course am eager to see the enxt gen of games, on all platofrms, especially Nintendo just b/c I have no clue in which direction they're going.

As for current X-Box Live subscribers, is being part of X-Box Live make you want to get the next X-Box or does it not effect your decision? I'm just curious, I don't play much online but I do have Live and do enjoy how easy and fast it is to get into a game online, espcially with games like PGR2.

[Fantaz]

They will also be showing it on CTV in Canada later in the night here. "THE NEXT GENERATION XBOX REVEALED" on CTV Hosted by Elijah Wood and featuring performance from The Killers Premieres Friday, May 13, 2005 @ 12:30am ET (check local listings). Guide (http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/tvlist/CFTOtvlist2.html)

[ledorky]

I was just reading some stuff at IGN, mainly about the X-Box version of Half-Life 2 and GTA:SA and was just wondering, do you guys think maybe MS should hold off on the releasing the next X-Box? I mean it sounds like developers can still push the current X-Box's hardware a bit further, especially with the engine Valve is developing for Half-Life 2. I mean as a Dreamcast owner, I don't want to see MS or ratehr the X-Box fall into the same trap. Just some thoughts. I of course am eager to see the enxt gen of games, on all platofrms, especially Nintendo just b/c I have no clue in which direction they're going.

As for current X-Box Live subscribers, is being part of X-Box Live make you want to get the next X-Box or does it not effect your decision? I'm just curious, I don't play much online but I do have Live and do enjoy how easy and fast it is to get into a game online, espcially with games like PGR2.
I also wish they'd hold off but the big gorilla, the PS3, is looming and Microsoft wants to sew up the next gen at any cost. I'm not sure they can make any inroads in Japan but I'm glad they're trying. I have too many games as it is to play thru so I'll wait for the PS3 before jumping in the next gens stuff.

[Fobulous]

As for current X-Box Live subscribers, is being part of X-Box Live make you want to get the next X-Box or does it not effect your decision? I'm just curious, I don't play much online but I do have Live and do enjoy how easy and fast it is to get into a game online, espcially with games like PGR2.


I'm on Live, and i can't wait for the next gen. XBOX. MS has stated somewhere (forget where i read this, very likely somewhere in this thread) that they will continue to provide support to XBOX up through 2007.

Mind you, the game that never moves from my disc tray is Halo 2. Everything else has been traded into Blockbuster already.

[wanted]

They will also be showing it on CTV in Canada later in the night here. "THE NEXT GENERATION XBOX REVEALED" on CTV Hosted by Elijah Wood and featuring performance from The Killers Premieres Friday, May 13, 2005 @ 12:30am ET (check local listings). Guide (http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/tvlist/CFTOtvlist2.html)

It's Thursday on the 12th.....can anyone upload/record this....will be at school that time.

[jerryhussain]

It's Thursday on the 12th.....can anyone upload/record this....will be at school that time.
I'm sure it will be recorded and distributed on the net like crazy, who would want to miss an Xbox 360 in action ?

[jb22]

I wonder how people will react if the MTV debut of the X-Box 360 is just a teaser, and not much is really shown in terms of final product hardware.

[joshmxpx]

It's Thursday on the 12th.....can anyone upload/record this....will be at school that time.

you will be at school at 1230 am? sucks to be you....

i was hoping someone would carry it in canada, looks like another great job by ctv, which is turning out to be quite the network this year

[JayPatel]

from the GA Forums.

Oh no's, I see a wire

http://img166.echo.cx/img166/2365/xbox05614651656qi.jpg

and a pic of Gears of Wars from Ourcolony
http://img111.echo.cx/img111/7608/212121211bu.jpg

[jerryhussain]

from the GA Forums.

Oh no's, I see a wire
I think there will be both wire/wireless controllers, just a guess.


and a pic of Gears of Wars from Ourcolony
http://img111.echo.cx/img111/7608/212121211bu.jpg
Interesting, btw the challenge was straight forward (too easy). I also think there was a "T" in it, but that is strage considering S, I & X were all reward images :?

[wanted]

Was the OUR COLONY banner in Forza posted here?

[wanted]

http://www.geocities.com/jeksjeks/100_0857.jpg

[wanted]

i didn't take it, posted on the scene.
I can't beleive it's in there, so wierd.

[wanted]

http://xboxlive.msxbox-world.com/news/article.php/2729


This ones more clear, more hi-res.

[joshmxpx]

that's crazy, i've been playing for a few days now and i haven't even noticed that. i'll will try to see it now that i know. i wonder how that got past the designers and testers, seeing as microsoft has no official relationship with our colony

[jerryhussain]

that's crazy, i've been playing for a few days now and i haven't even noticed that. i'll will try to see it now that i know. i wonder how that got past the designers and testers, seeing as microsoft has no official relationship with our colony
It was already established that Ourcolony belonged to microsoft, wasnt it?

[wanted]

MS keeps denying that they are affiliated with OurColony.
gamem8ker (the guy on the scene) probably works with MS and is paid to go to forums and troll.

[JayPatel]

It was already established that Ourcolony belonged to microsoft, wasnt it?

J Allard also was wearing a shirt at the GDC with the ant logo on it.

[JayPatel]

http://www.ourcolony.net/images/logos/11104275.jpg

[sonick]

that ourcolony banner in Forza looks fake....

[P__S__2]

^ i agree..we need more pics..then i will shutup.

[jerryhussain]

that ourcolony banner in Forza looks fake....
Its been confirmed by two well know websites, they even list the tracks you can find them on.

Good observation Jay.

[wanted]

http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/xbox360/rumor/05-04_02.jpg


if you see the one above, it's fake:
it's just an emachines monitor :lol:

http://x2.putfile.com/5/12319533457.jpg


and


http://x2.putfile.com/5/12319535560.jpg


plus



http://x2.putfile.com/5/12319540644.jpg

[jerryhussain]

if you see the one above, it's fake:
it's just an emachines monitor :lol:

That picture is from the Gamemaker's photobucket, which was already proved to be fake. Anything other than OurColony.net is OOG (Out of Game) and is 99.99% fake, so many Ourcolony.net wannabees around, just to fool people. Dont fall for them !!

[JayPatel]

they are taping the XBOX360 MTV special tonight. Wonder if any more information is going to leak tonight.

[wanted]

they are taping the XBOX360 MTV special tonight. Wonder if any more information is going to leak tonight.
There's an 8 page thread at the scene, where this guy said his friends there and took a pic with a camera phone.....8 pages later still no pics :mad:

[jerryhussain]

There's an 8 page thread at the scene, where this guy said his friends there and took a pic with a camera phone.....8 pages later still no pics :mad:
Here you go ;)

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/5171/green2kj.jpg

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/1093/passes6zq.jpg http://img11.echo.cx/img11/8379/013qy.jpg

http://img11.echo.cx/img11/6105/026uy.jpg http://img11.echo.cx/img11/1425/031yi.jpg

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/990/mtvnextgenelijahwood5jj.jpg

From MajorNelson (http://www.majornelson.com/wp/index.php)

Listen to his latest Blogcast (Elijah wood's interview) and you can hear a small audio of the music during it .. :cheesygri

[firehawk12]

Do you think the CTV thing is just the same program re-aired?

[jerryhussain]

Do you think the CTV thing is just the same program re-aired?
Yes.

[wanted]

Do you think the CTV thing is just the same program re-aired?


ya...of course.
Why would CTV have something like that...why not SPACE or Discovery?


BTW....no pics of the actual console though. >:(
(And im not talking about the fake ones....the real ones from the event)

[jerryhussain]

BTW....no pics of the actual console though. >:(
(And im not talking about the fake ones....the real ones from the event)
The ones posted earlier on OurColony.net are genuine even if they are not the final (maybe prototypes).

As for the taping last night, people might've taken pics who knows :cheesygri

[JayPatel]

From Kotaku

And the first leak from the MTV taping of the Xbox 360 launch is in. A fried of a friend of a guy of a lackey, says that the unveiling had Perfect Dark Zero on had to play (It looked like a prettier version of Time Splitters.), versions of Unreal, Quake and Brothers in Arms were also on hand to impress. All of the games had the sort of graphics details that would make you drool.


The Xbox 360 logo is apparently a 4x5 square of dots, some empty, some filled. The pictures of the white controller are accurate. The 360 controller has no black and white buttons, two shoulder buttons and two triggers.

The system itself doesn’t look much different than what has been circulating, though it’s said to be nearly as big as the original. Remember these are unconfirmed sightings only

[joshmxpx]

ya...of course.
Why would CTV have something like that...why not SPACE or Discovery?

ctv has been making all the right choices lately, this is another one of those, unlike its canadian rival, cbc

[c h u d]

From Kotaku

He also just put a post on his site that he's going to have an indepth review with pics and what not in a week. Until that time MS has managed to get him to keep his mouth zipped.

[JayPatel]

gamertagradio.com had audio up of the event till they got a call from Microsoft to take it down. Lots of juicy information was released.

DVD Burner was heard
new Medal of Honor and Ghost Recon 3 game
Perfect Dark Zero was playable. 22 weapons. Jetpack flying.
Tivo capabilities
Text Messaging via XBL
Confirmed wireless controllers
fully customizable XBOX faceplates

[jerryhussain]

gamertagradio.com had audio up of the event till they got a call from Microsoft to take it down. Lots of juicy information was released.

DVD Burner was heard
new Medal of Honor and Ghost Recon 3 game
Perfect Dark Zero was playable. 22 weapons. Jetpack flying.
Tivo capabilities
Text Messaging via XBL
Confirmed wireless controllers
fully customizable XBOX faceplates
Sounds true ! Latest pic from OurColony.net

http://www.ourcolony.net/images/logos/37943.jpg

[JayPatel]

http://img197.echo.cx/img197/8048/3600ge.jpg

Someone snapped that pic with their Camera phone at the recent MTV event which was taped on Thursday.

You can see the harddrive on top, an eyetoy like camera, XBL headset and the wireless controllers

[c h u d]

Nice find! Looks pretty close to the images that have been floating around for the last few weeks. IMHO, I think it looks pretty good.

[bmaz]

Seems to be Apple-White, interesting.
For something they want to incorporate into the peoples entertainment system white seems an odd colour.
Of course its better designed than the previous XBOX which doesn't say much at all.
Can't wait for Sonys offering.

Edit: the Current PS2 looks better in my opinion.

[jerryhussain]

Someone snapped that pic with their Camera phone at the recent MTV event which was taped on Thursday.

You can see the harddrive on top, an eyetoy like camera, XBL headset and the wireless controllers
Excellent find !

[JayPatel]

the designs starting to grow on me... enough of the hardware shots, show me the damn games :)

[jb22]

The only thing that I don't like about the X-Box 360's design (if that really is the final product design) is the size of the power button, seems too big to me.

Any way, I'm also to see some in game footage but I'm also curious about the Tivo like features the 360 may have if any. If this thing turns out to be a good PVR that owuld be a great bonus.

[jerryhussain]

Whats this part ? Any guesses :|

http://img149.echo.cx/img149/8962/3600ge8um.jpg

[jerryhussain]

Picture of the Xbox360 Remote

http://img125.echo.cx/img125/2762/remote0bc.jpg

[JayPatel]

I wonder if the XBOX360 DVD software will allow for upconverting of signals to HDTV resolutions.

[wanted]

still looks pretty big to me.

still pretty similiar to the ones floating around.

[rilhouse]

wow, looks fugly. but what do you expect with M$? i hope PS3 looks as nice as PS2.

[jerryhussain]

A close up shot of the controller.

http://img17.echo.cx/img17/2476/controller7kh.jpg

[wanted]

ok, it looks ugly.
This is a prototype right....?
White and green....wierd combination.
And the system !!! It's still big !!!!

[jerryhussain]

ok, it looks ugly.
This is a prototype right....?
White and green....wierd combination.
And the system !!! It's still big !!!!
People can never be happy. :cheesygri

Its the final thing, not a prototype. The prototypes didnt had the globe (new Xbox logo) on it.

As for the console's size, I'm not surprised considering it was supposed to have 3 cores of the PowerPC cpu from IBM.

[ferkel]

have they learned nothing? the console must weight 20 pounds!

[JayPatel]

man the leaks are just coming everywhere today. i wonder if that X thing on the controller happens to be a trackball

[jerryhussain]

i wonder if that X thing on the controller happens to be a trackball
Look closely at the controller pic, the globe thing has 1 2 3 4 on all the sides of the "X" on the globe. Could as well be a 4 point trackball.

[JayPatel]

apparently the X globe is a trackball but its primary usage is going to be for navigating the menu's. hopefully devs use it for freelooking in FPS games.

btw, a friend of friend who is some janitor who knows some lady down the street says that shakycam footage should be making its way around the net tonight.

I hope its the Perfect Dark Zero footage.

[Carpe Diem]

If it's a track ball, I can see it moving 360 then allways centering when released.

[Fantaz]

That's the real thing alright. Looks pretty good imo. Hope the software is better this time. Going to watch it when its on CTV later at night. If that X logo is also a touch sensor that would be wicked.

I guess they went with white due to the iPod fashion now. I just don't like the placement of the start and select buttons. But I'd have to say that hands down, the PS2 controller is still the best and always had the most ergonomic feel compared to anything else. Hopefully PlayStation 3 will have the same controller and maybe wireless as well

[Jabb]

IMHO, hands down, Nintendo ALWAYS makes the best controllers

[skeletor]

IMHO, hands down, Nintendo ALWAYS makes the best controllers

**remembers days of those blisters from playing too much on square nes controllers.**

[Carpe Diem]

The N64 controller what sweet.

[jerryhussain]

gamertagradio.com had audio up of the event till they got a call from Microsoft to take it down. Lots of juicy information was released.

DVD Burner was heard
new Medal of Honor and Ghost Recon 3 game
Perfect Dark Zero was playable. 22 weapons. Jetpack flying.
Tivo capabilities
Text Messaging via XBL
Confirmed wireless controllers
fully customizable XBOX faceplates
Found that audio: ;)

http://cgi.rbentley.plus.com/1/360.mp3 <- (30MB)

[StarStrike]

Found that audio: ;)

http://cgi.rbentley.plus.com/1/360.mp3 <- (30MB)

Thanks :cheesygri

[Dealz-4-U]

PICTURES!!!

http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/media/gamesradar/pop3264_1.jpg

I am actually kind of disappointed in these graphics as i think the current xbox could do them just fine.

[sonick]

no, i think the trackball in the middle is to select the channel for the controller, since they're wireless...

So if u have friends over they bring their controllers, each person chooses a channel, and they start gaming. 4 game ports on current Xbox, i'd think thered be 4 controller support for Xbox360

[rilhouse]

yah, that pic is weak. man that chick in the mp3 is so annyoing, i couldn't listen to more then 5min.

[jerryhussain]

yah, that pic is weak. man that chick in the mp3 is so annyoing, i couldn't listen to more then 5min.
That happens if you party too much, she says that right in the beginning. ;)

[JayPatel]

that POP3 pic is from the current gen. not next

[Buggy166]

looks too big and who has white tv/stereo system/dvd players to blend it in with that? lol

the design looks like something from the 80's nothing new or exciting

[Moot]

Oh man. :eek: I would buy this console for Perfect Dark Zero alone! I want to see some screenies! Not a big fan of the physical design but meh.

[JayPatel]

PC compatible adapter for XBOX360 controllers

http://img17.echo.cx/img17/2476/controller7kh.jpg
http://img199.echo.cx/img199/9173/x3603zi.jpg

[jerryhussain]

looks too big and who has white tv/stereo system/dvd players to blend it in with that? lol
Color matching home theatre equipment has become old, besides I wouldnt want my console to be black, too tired of it now seeing it for the last 5 years. :|

[Fantaz]

I'd still use my PS2 controller for my PC.

[MrDisco]

PC compatible adapter for XBOX360 controllers


The adapter is giving us the finger :(

[jerryhussain]

More Xbox 360 Details Revealed

So as promised, we received a bit more information regarding Microsofts next Xbox. As you all know, MTV held its taping in Los Angeles last Thursday night for the unveiling of the Xbox 360 on May 12. Well, some interesting news has surfaced.

The Xbox 360 controller used at the event was wireless and on the controller had an Xbox Live button which when pushed, an Xbox Live menu pops up on the screen with various options. Text messaging is also integrated this time around with the usual voice communication. A DVD burner with TIVO like capabilities is also said to be incorporated. Although, well have to see about a DVD burner---seems very interesting.

Well have more when it becomes available.

http://news.gaminghorizon.com/media2/1115488980.915.html

[swifferman]

PC compatible adapter for XBOX360 controllers

http://img17.echo.cx/img17/2476/controller7kh.jpg
http://img199.echo.cx/img199/9173/x3603zi.jpg

I call bull crap on that strange looking USB adapter one as it's the exact same connector used on my old Rio 800 MP3 player.

http://www.mercadolibre.com.mx/org-img/preview/MLM/012005/6960207_1425.jpg

http://www.mercadolibre.com.mx/jm/item?site=MLM&id=7487508

[RedLightning]

Doesn't mean they can't use it. Remember that even current Xbox controllers and memory units are just USB devices with funny connectors. By using a connector that already exists, it saves them having to design / engineer / commission the manufacture of / test a new connector, pushing back the release date even more. Note that the same port is visible on the controller even in the MTV even display case campic.

[Headhunter]

Dreamcast look, anyone?

[BoxsterS]

ok, it looks ugly.
This is a prototype right....?
White and green....wierd combination.
And the system !!! It's still big !!!!

Yes, they're launching a prototype. Expect the final product to be black and resemble the current Xbox.

[jb22]

Yes, they're launching a prototype. Expect the final product to be black and resemble the current Xbox.

Why would MS invest in creating a new desing only to go back to something that looks like the original X-Box?

I think MS has the issue of making sure that people know the next X-Box is not the same product as the original. Heck, MS didn't want to name the next X-Box "X-Box 2" because they felt that consumers would think it was not as good or a lesser product then the PS3.

If these pics going around are still prototypes, I don't think the final product will differ to much from them. Remember the PSP prototype/early design, the final product is pretty darn close to that early design.

[BoxsterS]

Why would MS invest in creating a new desing only to go back to something that looks like the original X-Box?

I think MS has the issue of making sure that people know the next X-Box is not the same product as the original. Heck, MS didn't want to name the next X-Box "X-Box 2" because they felt that consumers would think it was not as good or a lesser product then the PS3.

If these pics going around are still prototypes, I don't think the final product will differ to much from them. Remember the PSP prototype/early design, the final product is pretty darn close to that early design.

Ya, um, right. Did you see the new TPS reports on the Xbox? They contain pictures of the final version.

[sfu_lifer]

Dreamcast look, anyone?
It's supposed to be "brushed metal" in color.
Teamxbox has the dimensions and it's slightly smaller than the original PS2.

[JayPatel]

Take these with a grain of sale. Came from TeamXBOX forums. Seems plausible. Also rumours abound that the system is currently only capable of delivering 60-70% of the performance that was stated on paper to devs. problems with yields on the CPU is the problem.

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

[stockbones]

wow i hope those things are true

[JayPatel]

wow i hope those things are true

i think they are as the page at teamxbox has dissapeared. something to hide?

[stockbones]

so are they gonna be all wireless? is there a choice to be wired, not that i prefer wired..just curious
also when are they going to show that mtv special on tv?

[Carpe Diem]

Wow, They have gone from 700MHZ(xbox) to 9.6GHZ :eek:

[jerryhussain]

Memory
-512 MB GDDR3 RAM
- 700 MNz DDR
GDDR3 for memory ? Isnt that a little too soon. I guess its going to cost atleast $500.

[JayPatel]

GDDR3 for memory ? Isnt that a little too soon. I guess its going to cost atleast $500.

i think its supposed to be GDDR2

[poppa]

anyone else worried about how much these beasts will cost consumers? These next gen consoles remind me of the failed PSX

http://img217.echo.cx/img217/8488/sonypsx6gk.th.jpg (http://img217.echo.cx/my.php?image=sonypsx6gk.jpg)

[jerryhussain]

i think its supposed to be GDDR2
That would seem right then.

[Barton03]

Wow, there is no way a kid's mom will be able to afford all that. Why not someone try even building a PC to compete with that? If a PC costs that much, guess how much a console will be???

[MrDisco]

Wow, there is no way a kid's mom will be able to afford all that. Why not someone try even building a PC to compete with that? If a PC costs that much, guess how much a console will be???

ms has the ability to subsidize the cost of the hardware and make their profit on Live subscriptions and the games themselves.

[_pOtEnZa_]

Ya, um, right. Did you see the new TPS reports on the Xbox? They contain pictures of the final version.


ROFL !!!!

xbox2 will blow imo cuz they will try to have a media center pc, not a gamong console, viva the sony play3 !!

[wanted]

Wow, there is no way a kid's mom will be able to afford all that. Why not someone try even building a PC to compete with that? If a PC costs that much, guess how much a console will be???


exactly...that's going to be a ridicolous cost....no way my parents will buy me one.

[SAS-1]

Wow, there is no way a kid's mom will be able to afford all that. Why not someone try even building a PC to compete with that? If a PC costs that much, guess how much a console will be???

I'm going to miss all the 13 year old's on Xbox live this time around. :lol:

[JayPatel]

Supposed camera phone shot of Perfect Dark Zero. Colour me not impressed

http://www.activewin.com/xbox/articles/2005/images/pd00033dt.jpg

[JayPatel]

Those specs have come from Play magazine so consider them official. They had the world "exclusive" on the debriefing of the system

http://ve3dmedia.ign.com/ve3d/image/article/611/611295/xbox-360-live-specs-leaked-project-dark-zero-image-leaked-20050509031834302.jpg

[Carpe Diem]

exactly...that's going to be a ridicolous cost....no way my parents will buy me one.

My kids are lucky...I wan't both Xbox360 and PS3, so they luck out.

[JayPatel]

More information released

from

http://xblgamers.com/story.php?storyid=122

Earlier today, we received a nice little tidbit in an e-mail regarding the 360. As is already known, there will be two packages ready in the fall.

One consists of the bare, basic console, controller, cables, etc. It will retail for the standard $299.99 USD.

The other contains the 360, controller(s?), remote, and the HDD (with extra content). We couldn't get a comment on the chance of this package having the camera bundled. This will retail for the bargin, and fairly uninspired, price of $360 USD.

See what they did there? Xbox 360, $360. Cute.

[Carpe Diem]

ROFL !!!!

xbox2 will blow imo cuz they will try to have a media center pc, not a gamong console, viva the sony play3 !!

A modded Xbox is kinda what the 360 will be like, a media center.
You can do so much with it PLUS games.

Most games will be available for both anyway.

[wanted]

Let's just all hope OzXodus, Xecuter and the gang will release a mod-chip quickly
:)

[Barton03]

Let's just all hope OzXodus, Xecuter and the gang will release a mod-chip quickly
:)

its out already

edit: btw, my friend has a cousin who works in a factory in china, and they say that the pics leaked are not exactly the same, its slight off. his cousin makes xboxes .. wow!

[wanted]

its out already

edit: btw, my friend has a cousin who works in a factory in china, and they say that the pics leaked are not exactly the same, its slight off. his cousin makes xboxes .. wow!


lucky....does he get one?

[SAS-1]

PDZ Pic
http://www.activewin.com/xbox/articles/2005/images/pd00033dt.jpg

HL2 Pic
http://www.uberclan.com/albums/album76/dm_depotbeta3.jpg

[Carpe Diem]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Nice find. I'm start'in to tink alot of this 360 talk is hoo'ey.

[SAS-1]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Nice find. I'm start'in to tink alot of this 360 talk is hoo'ey.

Yea, I just hope the specs aren't. ;)

[Carpe Diem]

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller in use....
http://www.activewin.com/xbox/articles/2005/images/xbox360_controller.jpg

[JayPatel]

Yea, I just hope the specs aren't. ;)

we'll find out in about 75 hours

[webdoctors]

BASED on the specs, thaTS an amazing deal, $360, U R getting so much, the graphics card alone is worth $300 cdn (assuming its as good as a X800) and the 3.2Ghz CPU's? wow...smoking deals, normally can only buy a budget sempron 256k cache wid integrated dx7 native graphics.

I think these are gonna fly of the shelf, I probably won't bother upgrading my radeon 9800 in the future.

[willy]

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/2522964530774831.jpg

[FuNPoLiCe001]

holy crap, 3 x 3.2 ghz CPU's? that can't be right...what the hell needs that much power?!

forget buying new video cards, just get an xbox 360 and you're set for the next 4 years

spend the money on a nice HDTV if you don't have one already

i wanted to pick up an xbox to play with this summer, but if the new specs are 10x as good (literally), then i might as well hold off

[xpoint9]

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller in use....
http://www.activewin.com/xbox/articles/2005/images/xbox360_controller.jpg

wish that pic had the actualy xobox in it :o

[Ryan]

I was thinking of building a PVR/Media Centre PC... maybe not now. If your Live subscription included the PVR subscription, I'd get it.

[sfu_lifer]

Man those graphics suck. Hm, I guess my bro was right, the initial leap won't beall that much over a high-end PC despite the higher specs. I guess we'll find out in 2 days. Still, if 3rd parties code for the lowest spec machine, PS3 won't look all that much better :)
But if they can give me backwards compat and a large HD at $360 US, that's a no-brainer. If only they add a web browser in there, I'm sold regardless :)

[Ryan]

Man those graphics suck. Hm, I guess my bro was right, the initial leap won't beall that much over a high-end PC despite the higher specs. I guess we'll find out in 2 days. Still, if 3rd parties code for the lowest spec machine, PS3 won't look all that much better :)
But if they can give me backwards compat and a large HD at $360 US, that's a no-brainer. If only they add a web browser in there, I'm sold regardless :)

There are no real screenshots yet.

[cmge]

A close up shot of the controller.

http://img17.echo.cx/img17/2476/controller7kh.jpg
hmmm SEGA anyone?.... lame... cant the crack team of xbox designers think of anything better?

[nfnx]

ahhh u guys are killing me!
i was a fan of sonys playstation so im getting that for sure... but now all this hype has me interested in the xbox.

what to do??
no talk on the ps3? dont knwo what im comparing this to

[JayPatel]

actually this time around MS designed an outside firm to design the XBOX360 as opposed to using an inhouse team like for when they designed the XBOX

I dont mind the look of the system anymore. I just want to see the screens.

[guest10586]

BASED on the specs, thaTS an amazing deal, $360, U R getting so much, the graphics card alone is worth $300 cdn (assuming its as good as a X800) and the 3.2Ghz CPU's? wow...smoking deals, normally can only buy a budget sempron 256k cache wid integrated dx7 native graphics.

I think these are gonna fly of the shelf, I probably won't bother upgrading my radeon 9800 in the future.


I doubt they will have processors like that and a video card and take a $500+ loss on every console. Get real.

[sfu_lifer]

I doubt they will have processors like that and a video card and take a $500+ loss on every console. Get real.
It's a multi-core CPU, not 3 CPU's.

[sfu_lifer]

There are no real screenshots yet.
Oh, what were those posted earlier? I hope they're not real 360 shots cos those are underwhelming.

[JayPatel]

It's a multi-core CPU, not 3 CPU's.

Its actually 3 seperate PowerPC processors capable of processing 2 threads each for a total of 6 simultaneous threads

[guest10586]

Its actually 3 seperate PowerPC processors capable of processing 2 threads each for a total of 6 simultaneous threads

3+ GHz processors though? Was this confirmed?

[JayPatel]

3+ GHz processors though? Was this confirmed?

Thats a definite. looking at all the block diagrams that have been out, plus also what developers have said its a sure fire that there are 3 seperate CPU cores w/2 hardware thread processing per core.

[JayPatel]

From TeamXBOX article back in February

As the Mercury News article says, the Xbox 2 will use three 64-bit processors. But we'll give you even more details. The Xbox CPU will be a multi-core processor based on IBM’s 64-bit POWER5 architecture in which these three 64-bit processors, each one running at 3.5+ Ghz, will share 1MB of L2 cache.

This Diagram was released in April of 2004. Notice how accurate the diagram is. except the CPU was not able to yield at 3.5+ Ghz

http://home.btconnect.com/hgi/xbox2/xbox2systemL.gif

[temporalillusion]

Man, maybe I won't upgrade my PC.

My only concern is FPS's.. I can't play them on a console! If I can hook up a mouse and kbd to it to play Halo 3, then I'd be sold :)

Cool setup with the XBox Live Silver and Gold, free weekends, etc.. enough free features to whet the appetite.

[sfu_lifer]

Thats a definite. looking at all the block diagrams that have been out, plus also what developers have said its a sure fire that there are 3 seperate CPU cores w/2 hardware thread processing per core.
This is what I got from xbox365:
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

[Wassup Doc]

hmmm. maybe its time for me to migrate from the pc world to the console world. tired of constant upgrades, patches and bug/driver solving.

[webdoctors]

I doubt they will have processors like that and a video card and take a $500+ loss on every console. Get real.

I am guessing they are able to reduce prices by 70% through mass manufacturing. Realistically, the R500 is a R520 derivative, for sake of argument lets just assume its a X800PE equiv. (although historically, the XBOX was just as good as the geforce3 it was derived from). That alone is worth $300 cdn.

Obviously 3 full cpu's would cost a fortune, having them share 1MB cache and assuming its just even a powerPC cpu thats eqivalent to a Pentium4 3.0Ghz CPU, that must be worth $200 honestly (i can't conceive of any cpu in history, regardless of architecture, having 1MB cache being less than $200).

So its $500 cdn and we are not even considering cost of RAM, HDD, wireless controllers, DVD playa and mobo. Defenitely worth buying over building your own PC in the future. PC prices no longer drop as fast now anyways....Even 1 yr from now, tough to build a PC for a similar price point.

I can see how M$ gets it so cheap, they are like Dell, they are getting the cpu's for literally only the cost of the die and same with the vid card. The R&D cost has been spread out over sooo many chips it becomes insignificant. Although I am only speculating....

[bfurtado]

Power PC? Hmmm, I'd like to run OS X on it :). should be possible, if people can get Linux to run on the original XBOX.

Brian

[Carpe Diem]

Power PC? Hmmm, I'd like to run OS X on it :). should be possible, if people can get Linux to run on the original XBOX.

Brian

Great idea...It would be the most powerfull Mac for a fraction of the price.

[RedLightning]

Power PC? Hmmm, I'd like to run OS X on it :). should be possible, if people can get Linux to run on the original XBOX.

Brian

Not at easy as you think. Getting Linux to run on the new Xbox shouldn't take TOO much work once they figure out how to run unsigned code on it (they'll have to write drivers for the display and stuff though), but getting OSX to run on it would be like trying to get Win2K running on the original Xbox - when it happened, it happened through Linux inside a Virtual PC emulator.

Maybe somebody can write a PearPC CPU core that just executes all the instructions directly, though...

[puff_daddy_58_99]

I am surprised that nobody has commented on the 64bit nature of the chips. If anything, having 3 cores with 2 threads each using a 64bit architecture is a pretty big jump for microsoft. What better place to introduce the first 64 bit games though than a system where everyone has the same specs.

I mean game makers for PC have to worry that some might have 64 bit, some might not, so they still code for the 32 bit. If everything on xbox360 is 64bit, that could be a huge jump forward in the next gen games.

[mark_in_2k]

I'm really excited about the free Silver Xbox Live service that's (hopefully) going to be included. As I have a modded Xbox I can't sub to the current XBL as they can detect the chip I'm running, resulting in a ban.

I know that I would only be able to play on the weekends for free, but that's good enough for me as I don't play too much during the week.

[radeonboy]

Some of you guys are jumping to conclusions about the Xbox360 looking like crap, etc. Why dont you just wait for the official release and then judge?

[sureLoss]

Picture of system and controler:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050509/1912/z050937ajpg

[Barton03]

I am guessing they are able to reduce prices by 70% through mass manufacturing. Realistically, the R500 is a R520 derivative, for sake of argument lets just assume its a X800PE equiv. (although historically, the XBOX was just as good as the geforce3 it was derived from). That alone is worth $300 cdn.

Obviously 3 full cpu's would cost a fortune, having them share 1MB cache and assuming its just even a powerPC cpu thats eqivalent to a Pentium4 3.0Ghz CPU, that must be worth $200 honestly (i can't conceive of any cpu in history, regardless of architecture, having 1MB cache being less than $200).

So its $500 cdn and we are not even considering cost of RAM, HDD, wireless controllers, DVD playa and mobo. Defenitely worth buying over building your own PC in the future. PC prices no longer drop as fast now anyways....Even 1 yr from now, tough to build a PC for a similar price point.

I can see how M$ gets it so cheap, they are like Dell, they are getting the cpu's for literally only the cost of the die and same with the vid card. The R&D cost has been spread out over sooo many chips it becomes insignificant. Although I am only speculating....

What are you smoking? Are you saying that because MS is able to spread the cost of the chips over 5 million units that its able to reduce its R&D costs? You are out of your mind. Intel alone, sells way more Xboxes than MS, and you dont see the price of their CPUs dropping, and no its not because they want to make more money.

[jerryhussain]

I am guessing they are able to reduce prices by 70% through mass manufacturing. Realistically, the R500 is a R520 derivative, for sake of argument lets just assume its a X800PE equiv. (although historically, the XBOX was just as good as the geforce3 it was derived from). That alone is worth $300 cdn.
R500 & R520, completely different architecture.

[poppa]

MSRP in Canada should be $399 and $489, on par (maybe better value) with the PS2 launch price. About the size/design of the 360 is that it is meant to stand out and replace existing some home theatre components. Hence, the milk white as opposed to midnight black.

[JayPatel]

R500 is a new architecture that was too advanced for its time to be put into a PC, it originally started out as the R400.

R520 is a jacked up version of the same 9700 R300 core thats been recycled by ATi for the past couple of years now. They've added more pixel pipelines, a beefier shader engine and SM 3.0 support.

no doubt some of the technologies are being shared by the 2 cores.

[d_jedi]

MSRP in Canada should be $399 and $489, on par (maybe better value) with the PS2 launch price. About the size/design of the 360 is that it is meant to stand out and replace existing some home theatre components. Hence, the milk white as opposed to midnight black.
ARG. They're screwing us over, then.. best to buy one from the US (so long as the exchange rate stays lower than $1US = $1.35CAN)

[mark_in_2k]

ARG. They're screwing us over, then.. best to buy one from the US (so long as the exchange rate stays lower than $1US = $1.35CAN)
The price quoted by poppa is merely speculation as no Canadian pricing has been confirmed (heck, no US pricing has been confirmed yet!).

[JayPatel]

Newest image from OurColony

http://ourcolony.net/images/logos/L2893749823.jpg

[poppa]

The price quoted by poppa is merely speculation as no Canadian pricing has been confirmed (heck, no US pricing has been confirmed yet!).

You are correct sir! I just did the USD to CAD conversion and filled in a couple of dollars to cover the fluctuating loonie.

I really hope that Joanna Dark has the realistic/sexy vixen look as opposed to the anime/cartoon one.

[TenzoR]

looks nice :)

[wanted]

Just read on the scene that the video from MTV has leaked, anyone know where to find it....?

[Carpe Diem]

Newest image from OurColony

http://ourcolony.net/images/logos/L2893749823.jpg

I can just picture her hair flowing, eye blinking and smoke rising.

[mark_in_2k]

Just read on the scene that the video from MTV has leaked, anyone know where to find it....?
I believe that was merely a rumour as no one can confirm that. I have quite a few sources and there hasn't been any posting on the MTV show leak (although I wish it was :D).

M$ and MTV are doing a good job so far of keeping it under wraps!

[Barton03]

Xbox2 will retail $700+ no doubt. Just like Xbox1 when it launched.

[jerryhussain]

Xbox2 will retail $700+ no doubt. Just like Xbox1 when it launched.
$700+ ?

[sleepyguy]

Didn't xbox launch at $450 canadian? $700 isn't bad for the hardware that xbox360 is harnessing. I would wait until it drops to $200 of course :)

[SAS-1]

Xbox 2 will retail for < $500 CDN. And for that price, with that hardware, it's a steal of a deal. It's going to be hard to wait for price drops.

[sleepyguy]

Sweetness... much rather have that than another video card upgrade :) $500 is a pretty good price for that hardware.

Xbox 2 will retail for < $500 CDN. And for that price, with that hardware, it's a steal of a deal. It's going to be hard to wait for price drops.

[Carpe Diem]

Didn't xbox launch at $450 canadian? $700 isn't bad for the hardware that xbox360 is harnessing. I would wait until it drops to $200 of course :)

Xbox1 was $599.99 the day it was released, I know cause i bought one.

[ainsane]

Man, maybe I won't upgrade my PC.

My only concern is FPS's.. I can't play them on a console! If I can hook up a mouse and kbd to it to play Halo 3, then I'd be sold :)

I have a mouse and keyboard hooked up to my Xbox now to play FPS games :) Plus I hook it to my monitor for true HD since my TV isn't HD.

[bfurtado]

512MB RAM? If they do get OS X running on it, it'll need more RAM than that. I wonder if RAM is upgradeable :)

It functions as a media centre on its own, but I want OS X so that it will play nice with my iMac - and my mother can use it as a regular Mac b/c she prefers that platform. I would install center stage to keep the media centre functions running:
www.centerstageproject.com

Brian

[Furkmyster]

On the Xbox, the RAM isn't socketed, it is directly on the motherboard. I don't think that will change.

[Angultra]

Regarding that "free live" and "premium live" services, do you think the original Xbox will get the free service as well once Xbox 360 is released?

[wanted]

Regarding that "free live" and "premium live" services, do you think the original Xbox will get the free service as well once Xbox 360 is released?


good question....
I don't think so because they'll have to "refund" all the current users while their account is active.....they could still do it though.

[jerryhussain]

good question....
I don't think so because they'll have to "refund" all the current users while their account is active.....they could still do it though.
Current Live members will be upgraded to the "Gold", atleasts thats what these rumors say.

[wanted]

People are already pre-ordering in the US.

http://img202.echo.cx/img202/1840/img2096copy4mt.jpg

[x-batman]

Xbox1 was $599.99 the day it was released, I know cause i bought one.
you got ripped off, unless you got a package deal, i got my xbox the day it was realeased for $449.99 at walmart, i believe i still have the receipt here somewhere

[luthair]

512MB RAM? If they do get OS X running on it, it'll need more RAM than that. I wonder if RAM is upgradeable :)

It functions as a media centre on its own, but I want OS X so that it will play nice with my iMac - and my mother can use it as a regular Mac b/c she prefers that platform. I would install center stage to keep the media centre functions running:
www.centerstageproject.com

Brian

I would think running a Mac OS on the Xbox would break their EULA, otherwise people would purchase a PowerPC System and install Mac OS on it rather than pay a premium.

[Ojam]

I'm really debating getting one of these (the 360, might as well go all the way) I never did get an Xbox, went with a Cube instead (which I'm extremely happy about, I wanted to just relax while taking breaks from studying with Mario Kart, and Mario Golf, been thinking about getting Tennis too) but all the media functions of the 360 are extremely enticing. Anyway I might see about pre-ordering one...

[ryan123]

now how much would the modchips cost?

[Carpe Diem]

you got ripped off, unless you got a package deal, i got my xbox the day it was realeased for $449.99 at walmart, i believe i still have the receipt here somewhere

It came with Halo and Much-something. :?:

[Supra_KL]

now how much would the modchips cost?

The better question would be, what type of media it uses...
Don't want to end up getting a modchip if you can't backup games.
[Ignore this post if it has been already answered in this thread]

[wanted]

The better question would be, what type of media it uses...
Don't want to end up getting a modchip if you can't backup games.
[Ignore this post if it has been already answered in this thread]

Depends on size of the game.....could be games as big as 9-10 gigs...then they'll use Dual-Layer.
Or, don't worry about media...because it might have a hard drive, as a result you'll back up games to the HDD.
Let's just hope there will be a modchip for it :o

[wanted]

The better question would be, what type of media it uses...
Don't want to end up getting a modchip if you can't backup games.
[Ignore this post if it has been already answered in this thread]

from the scene:

Features:

-The DVD drive will be a 'simple' DVD9-drive, with support for: DVD-video, DVD-Rom, DVD-R/RW, CD-DA, CD-Rom, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG photo CD
-A detachable 40GB HDD (included)

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=395593

[Ghetto_Child]

Well I'm impressed with how much future/next gen technology they are trying to keep up with. They put so much new features I'm sure 90% of us won't know what to do with it.

Reading that they chose white for the colour, I'm not so happy about that. White only looks good in a house decorated to the iMac theme :lol: However seeing the controller I think the controller looks great even in white. Just that box looks a little 70's Sci-Fi styled. Remeber the sci-fi movies of the 70's? Remeber how they designed everything to a streamlined curved theme with solid colours. Nothing translucent, or deep rich vibrant colours either.

Anyway my only real complaint is the fact that they didn't give you an option to use a wireless controller or a corded one. Think of how many wireless things are in a modern household these days. The electrical interference will mess up some people's gameplay badly. Can you picture you have the top score on xbox live and suddenly someone answers a cordless in the house and poof, your controller refuses to respond for a few minutes :evil: :mad: or your character just keeps running in the same direction without stopping and off a cliff you go, or the controller says "quit the game" and you have to start all over again :evil: :mad: :mad: . I can't wait to see the floods of complaints for this :razz:

Sure embrace technology but doesn't anyone think of the practical sense into the use of all this new tech?

[radeonboy]

I know your concerns over the Xbox wireless controller but I have a wireless Xbox 1 controller that looks totally the same and I have found no interference whatsoever and it responds quickly like a corded controller.

Well I'm impressed with how much future/next gen technology they are trying to keep up with. They put so much new features I'm sure 90% of us won't know what to do with it.

Reading that they chose white for the colour, I'm not so happy about that. White only looks good in a house decorated to the iMac theme :lol: However seeing the controller I think the controller looks great even in white. Just that box looks a little 70's Sci-Fi styled. Remeber the sci-fi movies of the 70's? Remeber how they designed everything to a streamlined curved theme with solid colours. Nothing translucent, or deep rich vibrant colours either.

Anyway my only real complaint is the fact that they didn't give you an option to use a wireless controller or a corded one. Think of how many wireless things are in a modern household these days. The electrical interference will mess up some people's gameplay badly. Can you picture you have the top score on xbox live and suddenly someone answers a cordless in the house and poof, your controller refuses to respond for a few minutes :evil: :mad: or your character just keeps running in the same direction without stopping and off a cliff you go, or the controller says "quit the game" and you have to start all over again :evil: :mad: :mad: . I can't wait to see the floods of complaints for this :razz:

Sure embrace technology but doesn't anyone think of the practical sense into the use of all this new tech?

[SAS-1]

Sure embrace technology but doesn't anyone think of the practical sense into the use of all this new tech?


I have 4 cordless controllers right now with my Xbox and they work flawlessly. The only time they can get wonkey is if I ignore the low battery light.

[Carpe Diem]

:D Tonight's the night. :D

[mark_in_2k]

:D Tonight's the night. :D
I just wish that MTV Canada would show the bloody thing! They play all the other MTV shows, so why not this?! I don't want to have to watch it at CTV's crazy time! :mad:

[Carpe Diem]

I just wish that MTV Canada would show the bloody thing! They play all the other MTV shows, so why not this?! I don't want to have to watch it at CTV's crazy time! :mad:

Don't watch the Canadian Ver.

The MTV US ver. will be on the net so fast.

[bisk]

I just wish that MTV Canada would show the bloody thing! They play all the other MTV shows, so why not this?! I don't want to have to watch it at CTV's crazy time! :mad:

You do realise that they're airing at 9:30pm Pacific Time, right? CTV is airing it at the SAME TIME as MTV, it's just that PST is 3 hours behind.

[Barton03]

so what time and what channel for us cdns?

[puff_daddy_58_99]

12:30 AM on CTV, right after the daily show airs. I'll just get it off a torrent site in the morning.

[bisk]

so what time and what channel for us cdns?

12:30 tonight on CTV (Channel 13 for me)

[jerryhussain]

http://img58.echo.cx/img58/8282/1s1ke.jpg (http://img58.echo.cx/img58/6126/14po.jpg) http://img58.echo.cx/img58/6008/2s2is.jpg (http://img164.echo.cx/img164/9977/29qk.jpg)

http://img58.echo.cx/img58/4250/3s2ps.jpg (http://img58.echo.cx/img58/3971/34ij.jpg) http://img58.echo.cx/img58/2346/4s3cx.jpg (http://img58.echo.cx/img58/7126/49sc.jpg)

So anyone volunteer to translate it for us ? :cheesygri

[puff_daddy_58_99]

Is that live screenshot Project Gotham 2 or 3? I have never played 2 online, and can't tell it that's from the existing one, or a the next version for xbox360.

[jerryhussain]

Is that live screenshot Project Gotham 2 or 3? I have never played 2 online, and can't tell it that's from the existing one, or a the next version for xbox360.
Thats PGR3, uploaded the HQ version of the scan#2 just now.

Btw, Halo 3 is confirmed.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

hey, that PGR pic also says "spoilers and rims available" ie. customizing your fav enzo/carrera gt?

The thing about PGR3 is that it will be compared to Forza, and I don't know where it can beat forza, aside from better graphics.

[sfu_lifer]

check out the high res screens at jeuxfrance.com of Dead or Alive 4.

I'm a bit underwhelmed by these graphics so far. Looks like top-end Xbox games and not the leap I'm expecting.

[numb555]

http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/569/569953/dead-or-alive-ultimate-20041201042543639.jpg
DOA Ultimate

Vs

DOA4 (http://www.gaming-age.com/media/2005/may/doa4/11.jpg)

If DOA 4 is for XBOX 360, than i'm not at all impressed!

[JayPatel]

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40581320050512_194146_6_big.jpg
http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40581320050512_194145_5_big.jpg
http://images.hosteol.com/news/120505160920_12big.jpg
http://images.hosteol.com/news/120505160955_14big.jpg
http://images.hosteol.com/news/120505160856_11big.jpg
http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40581320050512_194138_1_big.jpg

[rdtx2002]

if Xbox2 prices about 399.. then i'm absolutely certain PS3 will launch 299.

[rdtx2002]

check out the high res screens at jeuxfrance.com of Dead or Alive 4.

I'm a bit underwhelmed by these graphics so far. Looks like top-end Xbox games and not the leap I'm expecting.

i agree.. but what can you expect.. they are basically cutting the Xbox life short.. and they switched to ATi..

lets see what Sony brings to the table

[sfu_lifer]

i agree.. but what can you expect.. they are basically cutting the Xbox life short.. and they switched to ATi..

lets see what Sony brings to the table
There's absolutely nothing wrong with switching to ATI. Look at the 9700 technology that's lasting ATI 3 friggin' years so far and this is supposed to be ATI's next gen. I am also curious to see what Sony brings to the table. $399 pricepoint is too expensive. I doubt Sony will beat the Xbox's price. Look at the PSTwo! That friggin' thing is worth <$99 and they're still selling it at $179
:evil:
Sony seems to think it can gouge the consumer more than anyone else.

[mark_in_2k]

I'm a bit underwhelmed by these graphics so far. Looks like top-end Xbox games and not the leap I'm expecting.
I agree that the graphics don't look super-amazing, but let's also not forget that this is still early days before the 360's release date (look at the Forza demo released at the beginning of the year and compare it to the final release).

What would be super-amazing would be to see this game in motion. I'm hoping that the costumes that the fighters wear will behave like real fabric would behave. Now that would be incredible.

The screenshots of Ghost Recon 2 from the magazine scans do look amazing though. Can't wait for that one, plus Live play :D

[luthair]

It'll take some time for games to take full advantage of the new systems, particularly since devs now have to deal with multithreading.

Also, switching to ATI isn't a bad thing, the 9XXX GPUs beat nVidia hands down and their newer GPUs aren't too bad either.

[divx]

does anyone know the full spec? what's the vid card gona be used?

[poppa]

It'll take some time for games to take full advantage of the new systems, particularly since devs now have to deal with multithreading.

Also, switching to ATI isn't a bad thing, the 9XXX GPUs beat nVidia hands down and their newer GPUs aren't too bad either.

Agreed. Just compare first generation games on PS2 and to the latest (God of War, GT4, etc.)

[dvdvideo]

And the jump in graphics this time won't be so huge, mostly because advanced and more detailed models take more time to create. So in some ways they could delay stuff and have nothing for a year or 2, or put out what they can in the first year. Of course larger companies and big budgets help, we just can't expect cgi, which some people seem to be expecting. The same will hold true for the ps3.

Don't get me wrong, I think we will se some fantastic stuff......

Price wise nobody knows how it will play out, it's all speculation.....

[Intense]

Some pics also at

http://www.360daily.com/

[temporalillusion]

Some pics also at

http://www.360daily.com/

Creation date: 24 Apr 2005 16:30:41

Gee, a site with no content, one forum post, pictures that have been posted on this thread already, and google ads at the top to profit from the hype.

The registrar is even in Ontario! :D

[Headhunter]

Isn't the MTV unveiling tonight? Hope someone rips it to HDTV and puts it online...

[jerryhussain]

Spec leaks were right, its revealed.

http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv

Watercooled CPUs ! I'm getting one def, crossing fingers that it will be moddable (hardware wise).

[wanted]

Spec leaks were right, its revealed.

http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv

Watercooled CPUs ! I'm getting one def, crossing fingers that it will be moddable (hardware wise).

beat me to the post.

[Ryan]

Sounds pretty good.

The video employs that you'll be able to download games. That'd be cool.

[wanted]

Sounds pretty good.

The video employs that you'll be able to download games. That'd be cool.

Demos I think, remember reading that.

[jaigandhi5]

wow.

im gona have to get a job just for this to offord this console :-0 :lol:

[ferkel]

mei-mei bong!

[wanted]

I hated how the lady with the blonde hair said she came to Microsoft to work with them....ya right......she's the lucky few that got hired. It's not like she came to the doors and was hired :mad: LOL.


The Sikh guy broke the warranty...took it apart! :cheesygri

[jerryhussain]

mei-mei bong!
You got your Xbox 360 already ? Lucky ******, j/k

The Sikh guy broke the warranty...took it apart! :cheesygri
lol, atleast he looked happy.

[Carpe Diem]

www.Xbox360.com

[Fantaz]

What a waste of life! The MTV presentation was horrible! Really, I want my 30 min back. Haven't we learned anything from SpikeTV? Even G4 is laughing at them.

Oh well, at least we saw exactly 1:36 of game footage. And Quake 4 will have mechs. Definitely not worth staying up to watch. Wait until E3 guys.

Excuse me while I have the urge to pimp out my faceplate...

[SwiZz]

upload the video!!

[sleepyguy]

Saw some shots of Ghost Recon 3 (will be awesome if it's like 2) and I must admit it was pretty impressive. Problem for me will be explaning the 60inch DLP in the living room when the GF gets home on the XBOX360 release day ;)

[Fantaz]

Watch this video and enjoy:

Stream (http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv) or Right Click Download (http://www.planetnds.com/personal/TheColony_fr34k.wmv).

[jerryhussain]

Watch this video and enjoy:

Stream (http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv) or Right Click Download (http://www.planetnds.com/personal/TheColony_fr34k.wmv).
Direct from OurColony.net:

http://msxb.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v2_750k.zip

I dont think its worth looking for the MTV unveiling from what I've heard.

[Dymis]

Watch this video and enjoy:

Stream (http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv) or Right Click Download (http://www.planetnds.com/personal/TheColony_fr34k.wmv).
I want my 5 minutes back!!

[friesenth]

Maybe i'm just not seeing it anywhere but i'm wondering is xbox360 backwards compatible or not. IGN says they don't know yet, but it might be difficult because they switched from nvidia to ati. Anyone heard anything about it?

[Ryan]

So I watched the MTV Killers Unveiling... er Xbox Unveiling.

They really didn't show much, I get the feeling Perfect Dark is still fairly early.

Some of the clips they showed really quickly looked good.

Guess we'll have to wait for E3.

[bmaz]

Well I am glad thats all over, not bring on the PS3.

[jb22]

Maybe i'm just not seeing it anywhere but i'm wondering is xbox360 backwards compatible or not. IGN says they don't know yet, but it might be difficult because they switched from nvidia to ati. Anyone heard anything about it?

I think I read some where someone from MS saying that X-Box 360 owners would be able to play Halo 2 against current X-Box owners on Live. I'm not sure if that ment the Halo 2.5 version for 360 or if hem ent you can put in the current game in the 360.

As for the MTV thing, didn't really watch it but I did see some game footage that looked alright, especially considering that these aren't complete games yet. I think the problem that all the next gen consoles face is that people are expecting so much from them that a lot of people might be dissapointed by first gen titles for all the systems. It's going ot take a while for developers to learn the system and really push it, so we probably won't see what each of the new systems really have to offer until their 3rd or 4th year, so that's what 2007/2008 or so!

[sfu_lifer]

Man, I can't believe I stayed up to watch that crap. Ugh.
That's the most ******** launch I've ever seen. 10 seconds of sub-standard gameplay which looked Dreamcast in quality and trash-talking from nerds.

Tomshardware has a very nice piece on the 360. I love this part:
"When asked if you would be able to surf the Internet as well, Mr. Henshaw responded, "The PC is better suited to that, and we aren't trying to make this into a PC. We've found that for most it's not an entertainment experience suited for living rooms." Another question prompted him to explain that USB mice and keyboards will be supported in the 360's dashboard (Xbox System Guide) but it would be up to developers and publishers to choose to support them in games. He speculated that most game designers would decide against this."

I still don't know if I'm gonna buy it at launch. I don't want to be stuck with a console full of FPS'es and driving games which are not my regular thing. If it were backwards compatible, it makes the decision much easier.

[chdude3]

I still don't know if I'm gonna buy it at launch. I don't want to be stuck with a console full of FPS'es and driving games which are not my regular thing. If it were backwards compatible, it makes the decision much easier.I've never bought a console at launch, and never will. It just costs too damn much, and invariably there are problems or bugs with the first production runs that get ironed out later on.

That being said, and leaving PS3 and Revolution out of it for now - let's assume that I'm going to buy a 360. If the 360 *is* backwards compatible, I will buy it much sooner. Not having an Xbox now, I could then snap up the cheap greatest hits titles and enjoy them while 360 titles drop in price.

If it's NOT backwards compatible, I'm going to play the living snot out of my Gamecube and wait as long as possible to get the 360.

Again, the above is running on the hypothetical situation that PS3 and Revolution suck and I for sure get a 360.

Something else I've been thinking - the next round of consoles just may get me out of being a PC gamer. I could sit down at my PC and play a game on my 22" screen, with 5.1 analogue audio if the game supports it. OR, with Xbox 360, I can go play a game on the 100" screen from the projector in 720p HD, Dolby Digital surround, and not have to worry about futzing with networking and routers to play games with my friends online. And it will cost much less than keeping a PC up to date. And I'm a fairly hardcore PC gamer...

[mark_in_2k]

I agree that the MTV unveiling was a complete waste of time. Never let MTV get in on anything like this again. They just add a tonne of fluff and they think that gamers aren't interested in the more detailed specs of the 360. It would have been better to let G4-TechTV take a look at it 1st. They would have told us a lot more about its capabilities.

There was a little footage that looked promising, such as the NFS title they showed. Not sure whether it was in-game stuff or pre-rendered. Have to wait and see on that one.

On another note, I PVR'd the show from CTV. I recorded two versions of the show; one in Eastern time, another from Central time an hour later, and the show's seemed to be slightly different. Did anyone else notice this?

[radeonboy]

Yes what a waste of time. I stayed up to watch it on CTV at 12:30AM and felt that it sucked. if I wanted to look at the console, I would have went on the net to do that, I wanted to see more of it in action.

Wasted my sleep :(

[(Bean)]

MTV show - time not so well WASTED.

That show if anything decreased my desire to buy the xbox 360. They showed game cinemas almost no game play - atleast I have never driven a car from outside looking back at the car.

The faceplate thing is stupid, the name is stupid. I can overlook that if it is a great system. Thing is the show focused on the dumb parts of the system and discouraged me buying it.

[JLunar]

ugh. I don' t have my press discs with me. FOrgot about this or I'd post specs, but I'm sure it's already online.

The specs look nice on the 360, but really, when I picked up the controller, I had severe Dreamcast flashbacks (not a bad thing for DC, but..).

They wouldn't tell us if it were backward compatible. I'm sure they're trying, but I'd almost say that they're not going to offer it since they're so mum.

I think the 360 is making pretty bold moves to get people online on to their network, but DS just did that deal with Gamespy to be able to play over ANY wireless network, anywhere in the world, (home, café, travelling). I'd be suprised if this didn't include the Revolution. NO FEES. That's pretty damn exciting to me. It's greater to be than XBox giving out free Live! access, since you STILL have to pay for the actual content downloads. And their user console has an Ad spot in it. wankers.

[poppa]

Some new Revolution info:

Pre-E3 2005: Breaking: Revolution Details
Sleek system to play standard DVDs, says Nintendo. More inside.
by Matt Casamassina

May 12, 2005 - The Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005 is still days away, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from debuting its Xbox 360 console on MTV. And now Nintendo has followed suit, revealing some new, meaty details about its next-generation console, codenamed Revolution.

In a recent New York Times article, Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan describes the console as "very, very sleek." The system, which is reportedly tiny, will stand horizontally. Its width will reportedly be no more than three DVD cases stacked flatly on each other, or slightly more than an inch. That makes the console theoretically smaller than Apple's recently released Mac Mini computer.

Although Nintendo has historically selected proprietary media formats, such as the GameCube Optical Disc, for its platforms, the publisher is with Revolution opting for a more standardized medium. The new console will play standard DVD media, according to the company. Nintendo has not yet revealed if Revolution will as a result be able to play Hollywood movies on DVD, but that seems very likely at this point.

At the Game Developers' Conference in March, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that Revolution would offer Wi-Fi online connections out of the box and would be backward compatible with GameCube, or able to play GCN software.

According to recent information, Revolution will also be able to play high-definition games and regularly go online.

Finally -- something of a no-brainer given the popularity of the Wave Bird pads -- Revolution's still-secret controller will be completely wireless. Controllers for Microsoft's Xbox 360 are also wireless. Upon hearing this news, puppies everywhere let out a collective cry.

More details to come at E3 2005. Stay tuned.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/613/613340p1.html

[Ryan]

Screenshots for various games (not just PDO as the link title suggests):

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox-360/perfect-dark-zero/613190p1.html

[cheukiecfu]

http://cube.ign.com/articles/613/613340p1.html
that's cool... hope they have a better design that this 360...
it looks like crap.... well... except for their logo...

[Barton03]

Mirror to video found on www.thecolony.net

http://individual.utoronto.ca/loop/vids/TheColony_v2_750k.wmv

will be live in 15 mins.

[temporalillusion]

Keep in mind that if none of the info had been leaked onto the net the MTV show would have been better in that we'd all be seeing it for the first time.

I haven't seen it and won't because it's not like MTV (or any other TV channel) puts out anything of substance anyway. :) It's like the one time I waited to see some awards show on G4.. lame...

Anyway, the console's ability to play media from another computer (video, audio, images) is one thing I really like; I've been thinking about something like that but this would do the job, and do it in HD!

And I know they're working hard on getting the new system to emulate the old system so they can play old games. If they get that running I'll be a lot more motivated to get it.

It'll take em years to make games that really exercise the system too.

[Jump]

They're really trying to use the "all our games run on HD" as a sale point. Anyone know the rough numbers of HD owners versus regular tv owners? Personally I don't have $3,000+ to shell out for an HDtv nor does anyone else I know.

I have to say, I'm pretty unimpressed so far. There's still time for next gen systems but am I the only one noticing only a slight improvement with graphics? I know it can process more polygons and give higher frame rates and less slow down but if you consider the leap consoles made inbetween each other, this seems to be the smallest step so far. Games are just trying to make themselves look nice by doing a soft focus/post-process technique but I've seen so much of it lately it's starting to feel like cel-shading to me...overused in games.

[jerryhussain]

am I the only one noticing only a slight improvement with graphics?
Like already pointed out, first gen games can in no way fully exploit the potential of any console. Same went for the console launched prior to the 360 and same would go for the console that launch after the 360.

[sfu_lifer]

They're really trying to use the "all our games run on HD" as a sale point. Anyone know the rough numbers of HD owners versus regular tv owners? Personally I don't have $3,000+ to shell out for an HDtv nor does anyone else I know.

I have to say, I'm pretty unimpressed so far. There's still time for next gen systems but am I the only one noticing only a slight improvement with graphics? I know it can process more polygons and give higher frame rates and less slow down but if you consider the leap consoles made inbetween each other, this seems to be the smallest step so far. Games are just trying to make themselves look nice by doing a soft focus/post-process technique but I've seen so much of it lately it's starting to feel like cel-shading to me...overused in games.
Don't judge yet. The MTV idiots didn't care one whit about the system.
Let's see E3 then judge. I'm really hoping MS has something that would knock us out because so far, the stuff they've shown is all hype and zero substance (see Rare).

[kitty]

Something else I've been thinking - the next round of consoles just may get me out of being a PC gamer. I could sit down at my PC and play a game on my 22" screen, with 5.1 analogue audio if the game supports it. OR, with Xbox 360, I can go play a game on the 100" screen from the projector in 720p HD, Dolby Digital surround, and not have to worry about futzing with networking and routers to play games with my friends online. And it will cost much less than keeping a PC up to date. And I'm a fairly hardcore PC gamer...

While I agree with the "cost much less than keeping a PC up to date" bit, what is stopping you from plugging your PC into your projector and getting a 100" screen that way?

Also, the issue of configuring networks and routers to play online is by no means eliminated with XBox. You still have to do all that.

[Dymis]

Like already pointed out, first gen games can in no way fully exploit the potential of any console. Same went for the console launched prior to the 360 and same would go for the console that launch after the 360.
If you look at the previous jumps, you could clearly see the difference between the two consoles. From NES -> SNES -> N64 -> GC, PS1 -> PS2, they all showed leaps in comparison even with the initial games.

Maybe it's just limitations to programmers or simply that graphics is nearing it's peak?

[GunnerX]

Also, the issue of configuring networks and routers to play online is by no means eliminated with XBox. You still have to do all that.

Do all what? I connected my router to the rogers modem, plugged in the xbox and that's it. I then plug in my modded xbox to the same router and it instantly sees all the shared drives on my PC without me doing anything.

There's still time for next gen systems but am I the only one noticing only a slight improvement with graphics?

Wow, you've already seen all the games on the Xbox 360 running in real time? Just like how Forza Demo sucks so no one should get the game.

[chdude3]

While I agree with the "cost much less than keeping a PC up to date" bit, what is stopping you from plugging your PC into your projector and getting a 100" screen that way?Because the PC is upstairs in the office, and the projector is down in the basement. I don't want to be lugging everything back and forth all the time just to play a game on the projector. And I don't want to leave the PC set up in the basement because it's not conducive to doing work when that's required. A console is a gaming system (and possibly media extender) that I don't mind leaving set up down there.

Also, the issue of configuring networks and routers to play online is by no means eliminated with XBox. You still have to do all that.As GunnerX stated, it's much simplified. Plug and play, and with integrated voice chat.

[Headhunter]

Anyone have the MTV video (not the 5 minute OurColony one)?

mei-mei bong!
I had a "Heh heh" reaction too...

[Chandler]

about 8% of north america have HDTVs...something roughly like that.

Xbox360 is indeed unimpressive so far....not in terms of graphics but the whole package. The best part is the X-Box Live thing, and the free weekends, but if Sony comes out with a half decent online service their FF/MGS/GT/GTA and other AAA 3rd party titles audience will always flock to PS3 first. I'm looking forward to what Sony and Nintendo will have to say.

[dvdvideo]

The fact that they have 2 different packages means they could change to free for basic, if they see a competative online service from sony....

[sfu_lifer]

I'm very impressed with the hardware (who wouldn't?). With 3 3.2Ghz cores, 2 threads per core and a vector engine per core, that sounds beyond even the best PCs at the moment and I think will give the 8-cell engine PS3 a run for its money. The wireless controller, the Media Center capabilities makes it sound quite good to me.
BTW, check out the Japanese launch vids. Way way more impressive than PD0.

[Fantaz]

I'm very impressed with the hardware (who wouldn't?). With 3 3.2Ghz cores, 2 threads per core and a vector engine per core, that sounds beyond even the best PCs at the moment and I think will give the 8-cell engine PS3 a run for its money. The wireless controller, the Media Center capabilities makes it sound quite good to me.
BTW, check out the Japanese launch vids. Way way more impressive than PD0.


You never know. PS3 could come out next year and blow us all away being 2-3 times more powerful. The games I've seen for 360 seem to look only just a bit better than what we have for PC.

[dvdvideo]

You never know. PS3 could come out next year and blow us all away being 2-3 times more powerful. The games I've seen for 360 seem to look only just a bit better than what we have for PC.

Doesn't seem likely, I echo stu's sentiments, the machine is a beast.

What you are seeing in tems of graphics for the 360 with all that power is due to developers not tapping in and wanting to actaully finish projects, not a lack of power. Besides, never judge a system on one unfinished game. Look at the 2k6 vid, it looked amazing.

[jerryhussain]

You never know. PS3 could come out next year and blow us all away being 2-3 times more powerful.
lol

Looks like the folks over at Sony are getting their panties in a bunch after seeing the specs of Xbox360:
http://engadget.com/entry/1234000137043182/

[wanted]

wow, just watched the MTV video....it was so pointless.
I think I FF'ed almost 15 mins, skipped "The Killers" concert. Not much, only good thing was the preview of upcomg games (PGR3,NBA2K6 etc). EP should've done this, or someone else.
BTW, did anyone see the size of xbox1 to 360 !!!! 1 was soooo smaller compared to 360.

[Fantaz]

Biggest waste of $500,000 Microsoft has ever spent.

http://www.forbes.com/personaltech/2005/05/12/cx_ah_0512xbox.html

[GunnerX]

$500K for 30 mins a waste? I think it actually garnered the attention it was meant to get. Everyone in every forum is talking about it.

[jb22]

Why are people suprised by the MTV show? I mean with E3 next week, MS has to hold some stuff back for the show. Plus it's an MTV show, or rather a 30 minute infomercial that MS paid MTV to produce so it was pretty much what was expecting.

[Talamasca]

Biggest waste of $500,000 Microsoft has ever spent.

http://www.forbes.com/personaltech/2005/05/12/cx_ah_0512xbox.html

I think it's a damn bargain worthy of RFD. Remember that a single 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl is over $1 million. Even a commercial during a popular TV show like Survivor can run a few hundred thousand.

[Fantaz]

"With the shortened attention spans in this demographic, this is Microsoft's way to get them to concentrate on one thing for a full half-hour"

Could be marketing for the younger audience because they may know that their console might not sell as well as the competition. The next-generation is going to be tough on the market.

[evilserge]

wow, just watched the MTV video....it was so pointless.
I think I FF'ed almost 15 mins, skipped "The Killers" concert. Not much, only good thing was the preview of upcomg games (PGR3,NBA2K6 etc). EP should've done this, or someone else.
BTW, did anyone see the size of xbox1 to 360 !!!! 1 was soooo smaller compared to 360.

xbox 1 small?
rofls, well i havent seen pics of the 360 yet, let me look for some

[wanted]

xbox 1 small?
rofls, well i havent seen pics of the 360 yet, let me look for some


they brought it out during the video, they had the x1 horizontally breifly....way way smaller.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/xbox_360eng.jpg

[wanted]

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050513/xbox107.jpg

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050513/xbox01.jpg


http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050513/xbox102.jpg

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050513/xbox101.jpg

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050513/xbox18.jpg

they got it in japan!!!!

[wanted]

ok, i w/d my comment about it being big.

it's quite small, just about the same as original PS2? Or maybe bigger?

[Fantaz]

http://img205.echo.cx/img205/2792/quake425pb.jpg (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/740/740717/vids_1.html)

Seriously, what's up with the mechs?

[sonick]

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/608/608394/xbox-360-faq-20050428074528991.jpg

[jb22]

I was just watching BBC World and they were just having a little talk about MS, Sony and Nintendo and the whole next gen console issue. Any way, the had someone from Newsweek on answering or commenting on people's emails. Some one emailed in asking if any other companies might enter the console market and the guy from Newsweek gave a kind of interesting answer.

Now this was totally based on his opinion, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if Samsung entered the console market, maybe teaming up with Nintendo. Now I know at first some people may shrug this off but if you think about it it kind of makes some sense.

Currently Samsung has teamed up with MS and the 360, mainly to help cross promote the 360 and it's HD capabilites with Samsungs HDTVs. So Samsung is in a way slightly exposing itself to the gaming sector. And Samsung is a very popular and innovative company with a wide range of products. It's funny that a few weeks ago I was reading up on how Samsung is now regarded as the new Sony in terms of quality, design and innovation. So to hear that Samsung could enter the gaming market just like how Sony did a few years ago is interesting to me. I'm not saying that they would be successful but it be interesting.

As for teaming up with Nintendo, I don't know about that. Considering the politics between Japan and other Asian nations at the moment, I would think that the big N would rather team up with another Japanese partner if it needed to to survive.

[wanted]

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/608/608394/xbox-360-faq-20050428074528991.jpg

-1 inches @ height, -2.5 inches width....hmm, not that significant is it?

[evilserge]

i like the fact that you can set it horizantal or vertical, this is the only console i've seen that doesnt look like a box, designers really did a good job with this console, its visually pleasing and as well has the technology inside to do the heavy duty outputing. the features on this console has catered to most of the consumers want's (wifi, bigger upgradable harddrive, wireless controllers, connectivity with other pcs in your lan) It also has the capabilities to be a gaming beast and a multimedia home theater (they've integrated features that XBMC has =D)

i believe the xbox will gain the market share microsoft has always deserved in the gaming industry, its hard to see how sony will compete with this product.

[jerryhussain]

-1 inches @ height, -2.5 inches width....hmm, not that significant is it?
That did a great job considering the 700MHz Celeron in the original Xbox had no cooling issues where as the triple cores in Xbox 360 need water cooling. I'm glad they could still cut down on the size while the insides remains a beast.

I was just watching BBC World and they were just having a little talk about MS, Sony and Nintendo and the whole next gen console issue. Any way, the had someone from Newsweek on answering or commenting on people's emails. Some one emailed in asking if any other companies might enter the console market and the guy from Newsweek gave a kind of interesting answer.

Now this was totally based on his opinion, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if Samsung entered the console market, maybe teaming up with Nintendo. Now I know at first some people may shrug this off but if you think about it it kind of makes some sense.

Currently Samsung has teamed up with MS and the 360, mainly to help cross promote the 360 and it's HD capabilites with Samsungs HDTVs. So Samsung is in a way slightly exposing itself to the gaming sector. And Samsung is a very popular and innovative company with a wide range of products. It's funny that a few weeks ago I was reading up on how Samsung is now regarded as the new Sony in terms of quality, design and innovation. So to hear that Samsung could enter the gaming market just like how Sony did a few years ago is interesting to me. I'm not saying that they would be successful but it be interesting.

As for teaming up with Nintendo, I don't know about that. Considering the politics between Japan and other Asian nations at the moment, I would think that the big N would rather team up with another Japanese partner if it needed to to survive.
Samsung entering the console market would be awesome, more the merrier ! So far my experience with Samsung has been great and I do hope that they expand into other horizons.

[bmaz]

....i believe the xbox will gain the market share microsoft has always deserved in the gaming industry, its hard to see how sony will compete with this product.

Are you kidding me Sony = Innovation.
Early rumours are that their CPU is 4 times faster than the Xbox 360s, true or false their CPU will be powerful.
Sony is giant multimedia company the know how to do convergence.
Sony already has the game developer's support.
They will have Blu-ray which will be backward compatible with current gen DVDs, which might also mean backward compatibility to PS2's games.
They already have the PSX (http://liksang.com/news.php?artc=3244) in Japan with PVRs features, they could easily bring this to the PS3.

I am pretty sure I am missing out on some other points, but is late and I am sick.

[jerryhussain]

Are you kidding me Sony = Innovation.
I bet you have realised that the above statement expired a couple of years back.

Early rumours are that their CPU is 4 times faster than the Xbox 360s, true or false their CPU will be powerful.
So far Sony hasnt said anything about PS3 except that its going to use Cell technology. The economics of such a powerful processor (which hasnt made its way out yet) in a console remains to be seen. Sony might have to "cut corners" to keep the costs down and we all could end up with a slouch of a PS3. So, its better to not speculate which console is going to be more powerful unless we have some facts first.

Sony is giant multimedia company the know how to do convergence.

Yes, that is why they failed at many multimedia fronts.

Sony already has the game developer's support.
AFAIK, Microsoft is letting no stone unturned this time round in signing up developers for the Xbox 360. I think they even signed up the FF developer. lol

They will have Blu-ray which will be backward compatible with current gen DVDs, which might also mean backward compatibility to PS2's games.
Toshiba & Sony havent agreed yet on a universal format, so lets imagine the stand off continues and Sony employs Blu-ray into the PS3. It might end up as a Betamax because HD-DVDs are already out and could potentially reach 45GB.

They already have the PSX (http://liksang.com/news.php?artc=3244) in Japan with PVRs features, they could easily bring this to the PS3.

That would be great, I'll be the first one to buy one if Sony does that and keeps the price below $500. Or else PS3 will be another PSX, a failure.

Its pointless to argue on which console is going to "own" which console, like betting on horses. I wish that the Revolution is the most powerful of the three and also the most successful. But if wishes were horses .. :cheesygri

[numb555]

I"m gonna go out on a limb and say the XBOX finishes last, we will see Nintendo back in this generation.

PS3 - Too much power, too much dev., and the Fanbase!
Rev and 360 will fight it out for 2nd, I hope Nintendo doesn't drop the ball this time around and go for the gamer market instead of the kiddies market.

[jerryhussain]

I hope Nintendo doesn't drop the ball this time around and go for the gamer market instead of the kiddies market.
You shouldnt have said that, Gamecube owners will be after you now :razz:

From the rumors, Nintendo seems to be using ATI's R520 tech. And R500 >> R520 :|

[numb555]

You shouldnt have said that, Gamecube owners will be after you now :razz:

From the rumors, Nintendo seems to be using ATI's R520 tech. And R500 >> R520 :|

Actually I own all 3 consoles, and right now i can tell you RE4 is my favourite game of this generation of consoles. And this is from a die hard FF, MGS, GT guy.

[jerryhussain]

Actually I own all 3 consoles, and right now i can tell you RE4 is my favourite game of this generation of consoles. And this is from a die hard FF, MGS, GT guy.
I know RE4 is an awesome game, worth buying the Gamecube just for that game alone. I was >.< close of giving into the temptation. Sad we dont have anything of that sort on the PC.

[bmaz]

I bet you have realised that the above statement expired a couple of years back.
They might have lost the lead, but they are still an innovative company and they have learned their lesson in regards to proprietary formats.


So far Sony hasnt said anything about PS3 except that its going to use Cell technology. The economics of such a powerful processor (which hasnt made its way out yet) in a console remains to be seen. Sony might have to "cut corners" to keep the costs down and we all could end up with a slouch of a PS3. So, its better to not speculate which console is going to be more powerful unless we have some facts first.
It's said that the PS3 will be previewed @ E3 which is next week if I am not mistaken.
Reportedly there are developers out there already with some kits, and early reports are that Sony's cell processor is faster.
Able to decode 24 seperate streams of divx encoding simultaneously.
Of course as you say this is all specualtion.


Yes, that is why they failed at many multimedia fronts.
Name something current apart from their MP3 players, which they have already learned from.


AFAIK, Microsoft is letting no stone unturned this time round in signing up developers for the Xbox 360. I think they even signed up the FF developer. lol
I got nothing for this one.


Toshiba & Sony havent agreed yet on a universal format, so lets imagine the stand off continues and Sony employs Blu-ray into the PS3. It might end up as a Betamax because HD-DVDs are already out and could potentially reach 45GB.

Its too early to speculate on that, most people prefer Blu-Ray because of its higher capacity, plus Sony does have support.


That would be great, I'll be the first one to buy one if Sony does that and keeps the price below $500. Or else PS3 will be another PSX, a failure.
I don't know about the PSX's popularity in Japan so I won't comment


Its pointless to argue on which console is going to "own" which console, like betting on horses. I wish that the Revolution is the most powerful of the three and also the most successful. But if wishes were horses .. :cheesygri
I never said the PS3 would own the XBOX 360, I just laughed when the evilserge said he didn't think Sony could challenge Microsoft.

[jerryhussain]

It's said that the PS3 will be previewed @ E3 which is next week if I am not mistaken.
Reportedly there are developers out there already with some kits, and early reports are that Sony's cell processor is faster.
Able to decode 24 seperate streams of divx encoding simultaneously.
Of course as you say this is all specualtion.
So far there is just one rumor which says PS3 > Xbox360 and that comes from a very unreliable website. Besides, the encoding demo was pretty impressive. What I'm saying is that if Sony cripples it (for some reason) then it might not be what we're all waiting for. I read that the Cell technology "can reach" speeds of upto 4.5GHz, but does that say that the PS3 will have a 4+GHz processor? It doesnt make sense from Sony's point of view; after spending close to a billion dollars and so many years in the making, they will give the consumers the best (4GHz). Whats wrong in milking it, like always ? Microsoft is doing the same, they could have stuck with their original 3.5GHz prototype but will the consumer appreciate it?

Name something current apart from their MP3 players, which they have already learned from.
Their music service, Connect is far from a success. All Sony is doing these days is play catch up.


Its too early to speculate on that, most people prefer Blu-Ray because of its higher capacity, plus Sony does have support.
People prefer Blu-Ray as of now because it sounds "cool" and some probably prefer it because it has 50GB. But what if it comes at a expense (like benefits always do). If there isnt an agreement, it will turn out ugly for one standard. Btw, Microsoft was reported to back the HD-DVD format and we all know how important that is.


I never said the PS3 would own the XBOX 360, I just laughed when the evilserge said he didn't think Sony could challenge Microsoft.
I'll join in with you and share the laugh then. ;) I wont count out any of the three consoles, not so early atleast.

[sonick]

-1 inches @ height, -2.5 inches width....hmm, not that significant is it?
considering the Xbox is only 3.5" tall and 12.75" wide, a 1" decrease in height is about 29%... and approx 20% decrease in width... which is quite substantial relatively

[BoxsterS]

Are you kidding me Sony = Innovation.
Early rumours are that their CPU is 4 times faster than the Xbox 360s, true or false their CPU will be powerful.
Sony is giant multimedia company the know how to do convergence.
Sony already has the game developer's support.
They will have Blu-ray which will be backward compatible with current gen DVDs, which might also mean backward compatibility to PS2's games.
They already have the PSX (http://liksang.com/news.php?artc=3244) in Japan with PVRs features, they could easily bring this to the PS3.

I am pretty sure I am missing out on some other points, but is late and I am sick.

Sony knows as much about innovation as you do about hardware. Here's a simple equation for you:

3 Power PC cores > 1 Cell core (that is PowerPC based)

[Ghetto_Child]

Sony knows as much about innovation as you do about hardware. Here's a simple equation for you:

3 Power PC cores > 1 Cell core (that is PowerPC based)


That's the exact same thing I was thinking. A core is practically a cpu, 3 cores mean 3 cpus (probably into one chip). Plus we all know Macintosh computers were always better at multimedia because of RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Calculation) processing as apposed to cpus like Intel that use CISC (Complexe Instruction Set Processing). Same thing when AMD's came out with their K6 up to Athlon whatever level.

With RISC cpus the processor retrieves more data and stores it in the cpu cache before processing, thus processing larger chunks of data per cycle and the benefit comes in the reduced time to process a given amount of data because less wait cycles are spent change the cpu from "retrieving state" to "calculation state" and back again. So a reduction on latency. This is why AMD K6's had so much larger cache sizes and this is why AMD says and I quote "our processors perform faster because they make larger sized steps and so require fewer steps. This is why our cpus have lower clock cycles. They need less cycles to process the same data." My quote could be misworded a little but that's pretty much what they said. One more thing about RISC cpus, from what I've read they don't exactly have transition states or not many. The cpu has independant parts responsible for one task. One part for retrieval, one for caching, one for calculating, one part for returning data. This also reduces latency as CISC cpus must perform one type of action and then the whole cpu reconfigures to perform the next type causing latency due to reconfiguration time. If my memory serves me this is the diff between the two.

For some reason this RISC method performs better with multimedia. My guess is that with multimedia there is lots of crucial but highly redundant data; and if precached the cpu can compress some or most of this data, so more often the processed data will only need to be repeated from what was already processed and stored in cache. Think of a movie, when the point of view on a scene is stationary and only the people are moving, then the only data that really needs to be processed is the first frame and then just the colours for the moving objects. All the colour info and pixel postions for the background will be the same as the very first frame so no need to waste time reprocessing it. Even a moving image can be done this way as the colour only changes position at a certain rate, but the colours for most of the frame is the same and just changing position.

Multicore to me means less latency in cpu transition states (retrieval state to processing state and back).

[chdude3]

You shouldnt have said that, Gamecube owners will be after you now :razz: It just means that it's painfully obvious that Numb hasn't actually played any non-kiddy GCN games. The only thing lacking on the GCN is online play. It's hardware and visuals are better than the PS2, and it's game library (especially exclusive titles) is the best of the three - all in my opinion, of course.

Why is everyone blasting Sony now, after lauding them so much over the PSP? Why not just wait and see what they come up with?

[sfu_lifer]

It just means that it's painfully obvious that Numb hasn't actually played any non-kiddy GCN games. The only thing lacking on the GCN is online play. It's hardware and visuals are better than the PS2, and it's game library (especially exclusive titles) is the best of the three - all in my opinion, of course.

Why is everyone blasting Sony now, after lauding them so much over the PSP? Why not just wait and see what they come up with?
Really? I could've sworn those of us (almost everyone) with dead pixels were beating a dead Sony horse on that one (not to mention the forced bundling they tried to do with the utter POS Gretzky game). After the lies they put out with the PS2, I think we're starting to learn from their marketing dept.

[jerryhussain]

3 Power PC cores > 1 Cell core (that is PowerPC based)
Actually the Cell arch has 9 cores in total. Hence the rumors were born that PS3 was 3 times more powerful than the 360. lol (9/3=3)

[BoxsterS]

That's the exact same thing I was thinking. A core is practically a cpu, 3 cores mean 3 cpus (probably into one chip). Plus we all know Macintosh computers were always better at multimedia because of RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Calculation) processing as apposed to cpus like Intel that use CISC (Complexe Instruction Set Processing). Same thing when AMD's came out with their K6 up to Athlon whatever level.

With RISC cpus the processor retrieves more data and stores it in the cpu cache before processing, thus processing larger chunks of data per cycle and the benefit comes in the reduced time to process a given amount of data because less wait cycles are spent change the cpu from "retrieving state" to "calculation state" and back again. So a reduction on latency. This is why AMD K6's had so much larger cache sizes and this is why AMD says and I quote "our processors perform faster because they make larger sized steps and so require fewer steps. This is why our cpus have lower clock cycles. They need less cycles to process the same data." My quote could be misworded a little but that's pretty much what they said. One more thing about RISC cpus, from what I've read they don't exactly have transition states or not many. The cpu has independant parts responsible for one task. One part for retrieval, one for caching, one for calculating, one part for returning data. This also reduces latency as CISC cpus must perform one type of action and then the whole cpu reconfigures to perform the next type causing latency due to reconfiguration time. If my memory serves me this is the diff between the two.

For some reason this RISC method performs better with multimedia. My guess is that with multimedia there is lots of crucial but highly redundant data; and if precached the cpu can compress some or most of this data, so more often the processed data will only need to be repeated from what was already processed and stored in cache. Think of a movie, when the point of view on a scene is stationary and only the people are moving, then the only data that really needs to be processed is the first frame and then just the colours for the moving objects. All the colour info and pixel postions for the background will be the same as the very first frame so no need to waste time reprocessing it. Even a moving image can be done this way as the colour only changes position at a certain rate, but the colours for most of the frame is the same and just changing position.

Multicore to me means less latency in cpu transition states (retrieval state to processing state and back).


Good post but the advantages of a RISC CPU over a CISC CPU are minimal nowadays. There is still a slight advantage in using RISC, but it's not enough to set it truly apart. What really sets the PowerPC (G5) from the x86 CPU's is the implementation of VMX (AltiVec compatible SIMD extensions). Unlike a scalar processor such as Intel or AMD CPU's, a PowerPC with VMX can process vectors and matrices significantly faster and more efficiently. This ability gives the PowerPC with VMX a tremendous performance advantage in the area of multimedia applications.

[BoxsterS]

Actually the Cell arch has 9 cores in total. Hence the rumors were born that PS3 was 3 times more powerful than the 360. lol (9/3=3)

Of those 9 Cell "cores", 8 are vector units. Does a vector unit equal a CPU? Similarly, if we're now counting vector units as CPU's, does the PS2 and its 2 vector units count as 3 CPU's? And if so, why did it get spanked by an Intel CPU? If the PS2 developers had trouble with 2 vector units, I can only imagine the confusion they'll have with 8 (although the majority of the blame goes to Sony for providing inadequate development software to use their own hardware. IBM will supply the proper development environment to exploit the Cell and it will all be based in the Eclipse framework)

[wanted]

Another video:
http://games.kikizo.com/news/200505/101.asp
Watch the 73MB one, it's pretty cool, a bit more new footage.

[sfu_lifer]

Ok I'm in lust now.
Just watch the gameplay vids below:
http://gamershell.com/news/22120.html
I think I'm gonna blow my Best Buy GCs on this baby for Xmas. I'm sure I'll regret it a year later when the price drops by a 100 bucks and they put in a pack in game but Kameo and PGR3 is calling me ...

[poppa]

Ok I'm in lust now.
Just watch the gameplay vids below:
http://gamershell.com/news/22120.html
I think I'm gonna blow my Best Buy GCs on this baby for Xmas. I'm sure I'll regret it a year later when the price drops by a 100 bucks and they put in a pack in game but Kameo and PGR3 is calling me ...

Easy man, I think you should wait until all 3 to come out and then decide. You might be kicking yourself even more a year later.

[dvdvideo]

Being on the curring edge with consoles is great.....so what if you lost $200 over 2 or 3 years? You could spend that every 6 months upgrading one's pc.
I bouhgt an xbox on day one for like $450 and never regretted it one bit.
Besides, $400 for a machine that has more power than any current pc for games is a bargain, plus it doubles as a media center for your living room.

[SLee]

Good post but the advantages of a RISC CPU over a CISC CPU are minimal nowadays. There is still a slight advantage in using RISC, but it's not enough to set it truly apart. What really sets the PowerPC (G5) from the x86 CPU's is the implementation of VMX (AltiVec compatible SIMD extensions). Unlike a scalar processor such as Intel or AMD CPU's, a PowerPC with VMX can process vectors and matrices significantly faster and more efficiently. This ability gives the PowerPC with VMX a tremendous performance advantage in the area of multimedia applications.
Modern x86 processors have their own vector processing units, MMX, 3DNow, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, etc.

[wanted]

the below grafx can be acheived by xbox 1. for sure.

[sfu_lifer]

ROOWWRR. I read Rare "leaked" these out to quell all the negative crap that's been spewed regarding the MTV old build:
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1095/771_0001.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1095/771_0003.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1095/771_0004.jpg

[poppa]

wtf happened to Joanna Dark (if that is her)?! She looks like a wh0re...

[Ryan]

Those new PDZ graphics look hot.

[numb555]

That is more like it! :)

[jerryhussain]

I'm starting to like the controller ...

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/612/612999/pre-e3-2005-xbox-360-the-design-20050512093011664.jpg

[BoxsterS]

Modern x86 processors have their own vector processing units, MMX, 3DNow, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, etc.

There's one slight problem with your explanation - MMX, SSE 1, 2 and 3 are not VPU's, they're extensions to the instruction set and data types of the CPU. Unfortunately, none of them compare to the VMX extensions in the PowerPC in terms of performance and efficiency.

[SLee]

There's one slight problem with your explanation - MMX, SSE 1, 2 and 3 are not VPU's, they're extensions to the instruction set and data types of the CPU. Unfortunately, none of them compare to the VMX extensions in the PowerPC in terms of performance and efficiency.
They're very comparable, SSE enables an x86 processor to perform up to 4 single-precision operations per cycle. Benchmarks show very clearly that x86 processors are more than competitive with a PPC970 in multimedia applications.

[rdtx2002]

just keep in mind.. all 'leaked' stuff is all CG work imo

[jerryhussain]

XGP Gaming is reporting leaked Xbox 360 prices. The basic package is expected to retail for $299.99 and will include the console, one controller and all the requisite cables.

The deluxe package is expected include an extra controller, the remote, and a hard disk drive loaded with extra content. It may also include the eyetoy-like camera, though details are still sketchy. The price? $360. Where in the world did they come up with that crazy number?

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000390042885

[Fantaz]

So that's around $380 Canadian for the basic package and $455 for Deluxe? Interesting. Although I wouldn't trust dodgy game sites such as XGP gaming (http://www.xgpgaming.com/news/news.php?id=1304).

[BoxsterS]

They're very comparable, SSE enables an x86 processor to perform up to 4 single-precision operations per cycle. Benchmarks show very clearly that x86 processors are more than competitive with a PPC970 in multimedia applications.

Are these benchmarks from the same site or article that called MMX or SSE VPU's?

[elty]

and the xbox 360 demo actually ran on Mac

http://news.com.com/Xbox+360+demos+running+on+Macs/2100-1043_3-5706658.html?tag=nefd.top


"We purchased a number of Apple G5's because very specific hardware components of the G5 allow developers to emulate some of the technology behind future Xbox products and services," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. "This is an interim development tool that will be replaced with a more powerful and comprehensive solution later."

[elty]

considering the Xbox is only 3.5" tall and 12.75" wide, a 1" decrease in height is about 29%... and approx 20% decrease in width... which is quite substantial relatively

20% smaller than a giant paper weight can still be a giant paper weight....... I still like the GC design the most. XBOX is ugly as hell. I hope X360 will be better.

As far as game titles goes, I think currently PS2 and GC ahs the best exclusive titles available... of cuz people may like PS2 more as it is much easier to play back ups

[Fantaz]

A feature that I am interested in is how you can turn off the console remotely through the game controller and easily bring up the Xbox System Guide for MSN, music, movies, web surfing and more during the game's pause screen. And the Xbox Live Silver is great for those that hate paying annual fees.

Also there have been rumours that Xbox Live Marketplace will later support the purchasing or rental of full games to the harddrive. That would be really awesome!

[chdude3]

Incidentally, when I was in EB Games today, they told me they started taking pre-orders for Xbox 360 this past Friday (May 13). They're currently listing the price at $620CAD - but let me know that's just a covering move, as they also listed PSP as something like $450 or 500 for pre-order.

[jerryhussain]

Incidentally, when I was in EB Games today, they told me they started taking pre-orders for Xbox 360 this past Friday (May 13). They're currently listing the price at $620CAD - but let me know that's just a covering move, as they also listed PSP as something like $450 or 500 for pre-order.
Wow, thanks for the info. :|

[sfu_lifer]

Wow, thanks for the info. :|
Anything >$400 I'm gonna have to pass. Cos after games and an additional controller, you're looking at $600. Quite an outlay ...

[BoxsterS]

The $299 USD price point is interesting because it works out to about $360 CAD. I think the base Xbox 360 will definitely be around $360 CAD at its introduction in November and I wouldn't be surprised if they announce a price cut during the North American PS3 launch date to steal away some press. Microsoft needs to capitalize on this head start and do everything they can to saturate the NA market with 360's.

[sfu_lifer]

BTW, this is how Allard (the main d00d in the Colony video) looked like before his extreme 4 year makeover:
Before:
http://www.xdome.de/pictures/1060261265.jpg
After:
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0325/kaigai05.jpg

[wanted]

:!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
Wow, what a make over !!!!
He looks so younger now :)

BTW, $620CAD!!!!! I'd rather get a PC...on top of that IF i were to get 360...i'd have to get an HDTV :mad: Right now I use 20" HI-DEF SOUND :cheesygri

[JLunar]

guys, unless someone from within the xBox marketing crew talked, they wouldn't comment on the price point at all during the pre-E3 interviews.

I mean, -at all- so take whatever you hear with a giant grain of salt.

And can I say again - those controllers felt like holding the Dreamcast ones, so if you liked those, (yes please!), these will hold nicely. They offwhite colour and candy-coloured buttons really adds to the DC look/feel too.

[JLunar]

Sorry, reading backwards. Wanted to comment on this:

As for teaming up with Nintendo, I don't know about that. Considering the politics between Japan and other Asian nations at the moment, I would think that the big N would rather team up with another Japanese partner if it needed to to survive.

Don't know if Samsung would partner w/Nintendo - Nintendo has an exisiting relationships with Panasonic Japan (they put out the Q in Japan - it's a sessi looking Cube/DVD player), and Panasonic Canada. Not sure how long this was for, but Panasonic has major presence at every major gaming launch event that Nintendo itself puts out.

[P__S__2]

looks like lex luether

[Headhunter]

Incidentally, when I was in EB Games today, they told me they started taking pre-orders for Xbox 360 this past Friday (May 13). They're currently listing the price at $620CAD - but let me know that's just a covering move, as they also listed PSP as something like $450 or 500 for pre-order.
Good Lord, that's insane. Even if they're going over, there's no way it'll hit a $400 price point...and this is without games/2nd controller/memory card, I assume. Wow.

[sonick]

20% smaller than a giant paper weight can still be a giant paper weight.. if it was an indeed a giant paperweight that was 20% smaller, the difference would be even BIGGER and more obvious... thus proving my point... The Xbox260 it doesnt look that much smaller than the Xbox now because of its small size. If it were a GIANT boulder, a 20% reduction in size is quite obvious.

[sfu_lifer]

guys, unless someone from within the xBox marketing crew talked, they wouldn't comment on the price point at all during the pre-E3 interviews.

I mean, -at all- so take whatever you hear with a giant grain of salt.

And can I say again - those controllers felt like holding the Dreamcast ones, so if you liked those, (yes please!), these will hold nicely. They offwhite colour and candy-coloured buttons really adds to the DC look/feel too.
Say, Jen, how did the triggers feel? The DC triggers gave you cramps after a while since the springs were wound pretty tight. Otherwise I liked the DC controllers and are they LiIon batteries or can we put our own AA's?

[jerryhussain]

http://i.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/2005/1101050523_400.jpg

[wanted]

What's with the two color lights? Error #xx :lol:

[jerryhussain]

What's with the two color lights? Error #xx :lol:
The "ring of light" is made of 4 LEDs corresponding to the wireless controllers in use. So in that pic, there are 2 controllers, #1 & #3 or #2 & #4.

[P__S__2]

What's with the two color lights? Error #xx :lol:


lmao ha

[SAS-1]

The "ring of light" is made of 4 LEDs corresponding to the wireless controllers in use. So in that pic, there are 2 controllers, #1 & #3 or #2 & #4.

Holy ****! That's awesome! :eek:

[Dealz-4-U]

http://tinypic.com/52ex3a

[CSR]

http://tinypic.com/52ex3a

O **** i thot that was real, was checking that girl out too!

[cheukiecfu]

http://tinypic.com/52ex3a
holy shitt..looks just like a real picture...
oh well.. picture often looks more real than a video...

[sfu_lifer]

holy shitt..looks just like a real picture...
oh well.. picture often looks more real than a video...
Too bad everybody is doubting if it's even real (I posted those shots last week in a different thread).
Now regarding E3, say it with me folks: TOY STORY OR BUST!!!
They've been saying "Toy Story" quality for the past 5 years and we don't have anything near that still.

[Fantaz]

They could use just a pre-rendered background and 3d models like some adventure games.

[sleepyguy]

ala Resident Evil on GC?

does look impressive though :)

They could use just a pre-rendered background and 3d models like some adventure games.

[wpooh888]

XBOX is to be compatible with the PSP & iPOD.

It's the 3rd "Rumour" (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/15/news_6124668.html)

[sonick]

XBOX is to be compatible with the PSP & iPOD.

It's the 3rd "Rumour" (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/15/news_6124668.html)
AHAHAHAHAhahahaha no way in hell will it be PSP compatible...

[jb22]

AHAHAHAHAhahahaha no way in hell will it be PSP compatible...

Well if the 360 can read/write to plug and play devices like mp3 players, then the PSP should work as it just shows up as a removable drive in Windows, unless Sony does something to stop this in a future firmware upgrade.

[sonick]

edit: well from the stream they made it pretty clear its connectable to the PSP... by "compatible" i was imagining something more than using the PSP as a storage device...

[wanted]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/16/news_6124969.html


no more new xboxes.

[SAS-1]

For all interested. Gametrailer is showing the Xbox Conference tonight at 10:30pm EST (7:30 PST).

Xbox Conference (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1665)

[wanted]

For all interested. Gametrailer is showing the Xbox Conference tonight at 10:30pm EST (7:30 PST).

Xbox Conference (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1665)



too bad it's pacific on soooo late!!

[SAS-1]

too bad it's pacific on soooo late!!

Only 45 more minutes. You can make it. ;)

[JayPatel]

xbox.com is also streaming the conference live.

[wanted]

xbox.com is also streaming the conference live.


is there a more specific section, i went it's all 360 nothing about conferences.

[wanted]

Only 45 more minutes. You can make it. ;)

the music's quite soothing :razz:

[Fantaz]

"Securing Final Fantasy XII for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) as the king of the hill in the video game console business."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2005/05/16/cx_ah_0516xbox.html

[_pOtEnZa_]

i so hope this is not true


"Securing Final Fantasy XII for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) as the king of the hill in the video game console business."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2005/05/16/cx_ah_0516xbox.html

[sfu_lifer]

i so hope this is not true
Why not? Sony took the franchise from Nintendo. I don't mind if Nintendo takes it.

[Fantaz]

10 minutes!!

http://www.xbox.com/media/games/e32005/vid-e32005livewebcast-001-Lo.asx - 56k live stream

[sfu_lifer]

HA! All you M$ haters.
I TOLD you Square Enix was onboard.
I don't know what they mean with "limited" backwards compatibility but any compatibility at all is good enough for me. So long as it plays the Tecmo, MS and Sega games, I'm good. Sounds like a "bleem!" type emulator.
Great time to be a gamer. I can't wait to hear what Nintendo has to give for tomorrow :D

[jerryhussain]

"Securing Final Fantasy XII for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) as the king of the hill in the video game console business."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2005/05/16/cx_ah_0516xbox.html
Hey, nobody noticed this ... BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY (limited)

The company also confirmed that some of the top-selling current Xbox games will work with the forthcoming Xbox 360, due out later this year.

[sonick]

does the stream keep dropping out for anybody else? even with the low-fi stream i keep getting drop outs

[Fantaz]

I say wait until you can download it.

[jerryhussain]

does the stream keep dropping out for anybody else? even with the low-fi stream i keep getting drop outs
I'm not getting any drop outs, I'm off to bed. Too exhausted now, one press conf is enough for one day. Wont eat all my cookies at once ;) :cheesygri

[vonteego]

"Securing Final Fantasy XII for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) as the king of the hill in the video game console business."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2005/05/16/cx_ah_0516xbox.html

The quote I see at Forbes.com says FINAL FANTASY 11 (ELEVEN) XI. Not 12.

"Securing Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony"

[Dymis]

Am I the only one confused by this securing FFXII? It comes out for PS2 at the end of the year.

[SAS-1]

Yea, I gave up. The video drops now and then and the feed is too low quality (even on the high band version). I'll wait for a high res download tomorrow.

[Fantaz]

Sorry, I meant FFXI.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/16/news_6124746.html

I wonder how it will look on the system.

[sfu_lifer]

Hm, after this E3 I think I will support one less gaming platform: my PC.
I'm gonna sell off everything PC that I have except for my laptop and my linux fileserver & scanner/fax all in one :D

[guest10586]

"Securing Final Fantasy XII for the Xbox will be seen as a key victory for Microsoft's campaign to overtake rival Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) as the king of the hill in the video game console business."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2005/05/16/cx_ah_0516xbox.html

It actually is a key victory for xbox. There is a certain problem with it though. FFXII will be on PS2 long before xbox has it... That being said the the key demographic of people playing on xbox are people who play sports games and FPS. In other words, square enix is testing the waters before they jump in... If it fails they will not put aside resources for xbox, unless they are getting something in return from MS directly, as they are just concerned with highest number of sales...

stu_lifer, you might want to go out and buy 50+ copies...it will help...a bit.

It still doesn't change anything in the long run... The next set of FF games on PS3 will probably be out before the Xbox ports of it and with PS3 having equal or better hardware to boot there would be no reason to wait for ports of FF or games like GTA5.

[sfu_lifer]

Please people, it's SFU_LIFER. I am not Stu :)
And no, I don't feel the need to buy FFXI for the 360. In fact, I'm not buying it at all.
I loathe that game. Snorefest. What I want are the FFXII type games and for that (if it is exclusive), that's why I'll have a PS3 as well.
I see no point in not owning both consoles. I'll just forego upgrading my PC to a mid-> high-end videocard and upgrade every 2 years instead of the current 6 month treadmill. If Nintendo can promise a stream of games for the REvolution, I'll seriously think about getting that as well. I have no plans to buy the Revolution. I might borrow or swap with somebody every time they have an exclusive game come out but for now, after the Gamecube experience of a trickle of titles, it's a wait and see.

[guest10586]

Please people, it's SFU_LIFER. I am not Stu :)
And no, I don't feel the need to buy FFXI for the 360. In fact, I'm not buying it at all.
I loathe that game. Snorefest. What I want are the FFXII type games and for that (if it is exclusive), that's why I'll have a PS3 as well.
I see no point in not owning both consoles. I'll just forego upgrading my PC to a mid-> high-end videocard and upgrade every 2 years instead of the current 6 month treadmill. If Nintendo can promise a stream of games for the REvolution, I'll seriously think about getting that as well. I have no plans to buy the Revolution. I might borrow or swap with somebody every time they have an exclusive game come out but for now, after the Gamecube experience of a trickle of titles, it's a wait and see.

Whoops, should have checked the name. Sorry.

2 consoles is too much, think I will stick with one. Hopefully with the HD in the PS3 people will have more success soft modding it. Plug in a huge HD and use it in the same way that everyone uses their xbox for. All my friends with xbox hardly use it for games...that's the funny thing. Revolution will be what Gates said it was...a small time player...

[jerryhussain]

Whoops, should have checked the name. Sorry.

2 consoles is too much, think I will stick with one. Hopefully with the HD in the PS3 people will have more success soft modding it. Plug in a huge HD and use it in the same way that everyone uses their xbox for. All my friends with xbox hardly use it for games...that's the funny thing. Revolution will be what Gates said it was...a small time player...
2 consoles isnt too much when you consider the fact that their releases are a year apart. Sony has promised a fall 2006 launch for the PS3, they will take a little more time for a NA launch. Besides if the 360 is moddable, it will serve completely different purpose. We'll have a multi-purpose console and a pure gaming console. I could also give up on my PC gaming like sfu_lifer.

[jerryhussain]

Kameo

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/2047/e32k5113446ru.jpg

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/8592/e32k5113461me.jpg

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/517/e32k5113476ie.jpg

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/4772/e32k5113485vw.jpg

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/7393/e32k5113494ot.jpg

http://img85.echo.cx/img85/7396/e32k5113517lx.jpg

All are in-game screnshots.

[Draff]

Hm the press conference wasn't all that great. I'm not really impressed as I was with Sony's PS3 unveiling... Sony's pretty good at the hype machine.

I can't wait for Nintendo's unveiling today.

[sonick]

man, itd be sweet if the 360 upconverted Xbox games with better AA and higher resolution and stuff, like Bleem!cast did for PS games on the Dreamcast...

[c h u d]

Man, I hope this contest is coming to Canada.

http://gamesindustry.biz/press_release.php?aid=8860

[ryan123]

like the ipod contest?

[joshmxpx]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/16/news_6124969.html


no more new xboxes.


As mentioned in 1UP's pre-show report, Microsoft noted the original Xbox would not be dropped because of the Xbox 360. Instead, the company appears to be focusing its own development efforts on the next-generation, while encouraging third-parties to continue supporting the platform. Allard said over 200 titles are scheduled to be released on the Xbox throughout the rest of the year, while "several hundred more" are on track to be released throughout 2006. Additionally, contrary to rumors, Xbox hardware production will not be stopped, as the company announced it would continue to promote sales of the hardware into next year and beyond.

correct me if i'm wrong, but looks to me like they are continuing full-heartedly with original xbox game and hardware production

from 1up.com

1up.com (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3140595)

[sfu_lifer]

LOL, they took out Perfect Dark @E3 since it looked so crappy.
Way to go Rare.

[Haris]

hey.. how do we know the xbox will sell for $360??? any prrof from a website??? LMK..Laytez

[guest10586]

LOL, they took out Perfect Dark @E3 since it looked so crappy.
Way to go Rare.


MS got wasted by Sony's presentation at E3... Unveiling on MTV...teen stars playing the xbox 360...zzzzz.

MS, hurry up and get Halo 3 ready and out...obviously that is the only selling point...

[jb22]

The only 360 game that has me some what interested is PGR3, and I don't beleive that the game footage was real time so basically it was a nice CG render that doesn't tell me much about the 360 and what it is going to offer.

On the other hand, the Killzone demo that I just saw it full res on tv so I got to really appreciate it and all I can say is wow. I really want to believe that it's in game gameplay footage but I kind of doubt it.

I have to admit, that I was expecting E3 to come along and I would be sold or atleast be very excited about the next gen systems, but I really don't have that feeling to rush out and get any of the systems when they first launch. I actually feel like I'm going to wait a year or two and see what developers do with the tools they have because right now this entiren ext gen hype is falling flat, IMO.

[jerryhussain]

Xbox 360 vs. PS3 (Part 1 of 4)

One of the great things about working at Xbox is that we have some of the smartest people in the world working on the Xbox 360. When Sony came announced the PS3, along with the product specs some of our team started looking at some of the numbers to see what they mean. Floating Point, shaders, bandwidth&.what does it all mean. Clearly there are some numbers and stats that mean more to gaming then others, so the team cranked out some facts for everyone to absorb. Our world class technology team looked at the numbers and claims and decided to do what everyone else does: compare them to the PS3. The difference it that these guys are uniquely qualified to do so, and can cut through the smoke and mirrors to see what the real deal is. To that end, I present this summary, which I have broken up into four parts to make it more RSS Reader friendly.

Warning: Some of this stuff may make your head hurt, but these are the facts as they stand right now. Enjoy the read:

XBOX 360 / PLAYSTATION 3 PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

SUMMARY
Now that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 specifications have been announced, it is possible to do a real world performance comparison of the two systems.

There are three critical performance aspects of a console:
" Central Processing Unit (CPU) performance.
o The Xbox 360 CPU architecture has three times the general purpose processing power of the Cell.
" Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance
o The Xbox 360 GPU design is more flexible and it has more processing power than the PS3 GPU.
" Memory System Bandwidth
o The memory system bandwidth in Xbox 360 exceeds the PS3s by five times.

http://majornelson.com/wp/images/moreimages/index.7.gif
The Xbox 360s CPU has more general purpose processing power because it has three general purpose cores, and Cell has just one.

http://majornelson.com/wp/images/moreimages/index.8.gif
Cells claimed advantage is on streaming floating point work which is done on its seven DSP processors.

http://majornelson.com/wp/images/moreimages/index.3.gif
The Xbox 360 GPU has more processing power than the PS3s. In addition, its innovated features contribute to overall rendering performance.

http://majornelson.com/wp/images/moreimages/index.4.gif
Xbox 360 has 278.4 GB/s of memory system bandwidth. The PS3 has less than one-fifth of Xbox 360s (48 GB/s) of total memory system bandwidth.

CONCLUSION
When you break down the numbers, Xbox 360 has provably more performance than PS3. Keep in mind that Sony has a track record of over promising and under delivering on technical performance. The truth is that both systems pack a lot of power for high definition games and entertainment.

However, hardware performance, while important, is only a third of the puzzle. Xbox 360 is a fusion of hardware, software and services. Without the software and services to power it, even the most powerful hardware becomes inconsequential. Xbox 360 gamesby leveraging cutting-edge hardware, software, and serviceswill outperform the PlayStation 3.

[Fantaz]

Yeah, that information straight from a Microsoft employee. But I do believe that ATi has made a better chip for X360. They're always just a bit ahead of nVidia.

We'll just have to wait and see how powerful both of them really are.

[Carnage]

I like Xbox and all.

But really that "report" means nothing to me. Looks just like fake numbers that mean nothing. They don't even explain how they got those numbers, or what them mean. Just blanket statements with no facts behind them.

[Fantaz]

A little OT but here is a video of the next Ruby demo running off the Xenos (X360 GPU) this was being demonstrated at the ATi booth and apparently was one of few units running final silicon.

http://xboxyde.com/news_1610_en.html


Damn, that's awesome! ATi should've released this earlier.

[jerryhussain]

But really that "report" means nothing to me. Looks just like fake numbers that mean nothing. They don't even explain how they got those numbers, or what them mean. Just blanket statements with no facts behind them.
If you go on his website, he explains in more detail about each graph. The numbers are direct from Sony & Microsoft.

This has to be taken with a fair bit of salt.

[chdude3]

But really that "report" means nothing to me.Even if it meant something to me, I wouldn't really care. So far, for functionality, Xbox 360 is what I'm leaning towards. I want a console where I'll be ably to easily hop online and play with (and sometimes against) my friends. I don't think that anyone can deny that the Xbox Live infrastructure is currently the only game in town for that.

But if the games suck on Xbox 360, no matter how powerful the console may be, there's no point in getting one. As excited as I am about the next gen consoles, my two primary criteria are :
1 - Able to play co-op with friends online
2 - Library of games I want to play.

If Nintendo pulls some serious online functionality out of their anus for Revo, I could easily see myself getting that instead of 360 (I only have time for one console). It doesn't look like Sony is going to have what I want in hardware or software, nice as the PS3 may be.

[Fantaz]

Here are the HD WMV videos in 720p:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/e32005/videos.htm

[Sgt_Strider]

Even if it meant something to me, I wouldn't really care. So far, for functionality, Xbox 360 is what I'm leaning towards. I want a console where I'll be ably to easily hop online and play with (and sometimes against) my friends. I don't think that anyone can deny that the Xbox Live infrastructure is currently the only game in town for that.

But if the games suck on Xbox 360, no matter how powerful the console may be, there's no point in getting one. As excited as I am about the next gen consoles, my two primary criteria are :
1 - Able to play co-op with friends online
2 - Library of games I want to play.

If Nintendo pulls some serious online functionality out of their anus for Revo, I could easily see myself getting that instead of 360 (I only have time for one console). It doesn't look like Sony is going to have what I want in hardware or software, nice as the PS3 may be.

Well online gaming on the xbox 360 won't be free. I only purchase a console base on the kind of games that it has. I don't want to place a penny on the xbox 360 if it doesn't have a good selection of games. That's exactly why I never purchased an xbox or a gamecube. Sony is a proven leader and my money is on the PS3 at this moment. I'm planning to buy two consoles so Nintendo and Microsoft will have to compete for my money :cheesygri

[temporalillusion]

XBox Live Silver will be free (which includes online play on weekends), while XBox Live Gold will be a pay service.

[radeonboy]

XBox Live Silver will be free (which includes online play on weekends), while XBox Live Gold will be a pay service.

I think thats pretty cool of MS to offer weekends free service. Silver will attract people like me who never ever have gone on LIVE to now actually go on to see what its all about. :D

[Carnage]

XBox Live Silver will be free (which includes online play on weekends), while XBox Live Gold will be a pay service.

Are you sure weekends were free?

I thought what it was going to be "select" weekends that would be free. Kind of like when the movie network was on cable. from time to time they would unscramble the channels for weekends.

That's what I understood that the silver included. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

[chdude3]

Well online gaming on the xbox 360 won't be free.As temporalillusion pointed out, the Silver package will be free. I suspect I would start on that, especially since with a full time 9-5 job, a lot of my gaming is on weekends anyways. (Play all you can while you're in school, kids, cause you'll never have that much free time again!).

I only purchase a console base on the kind of games that it has. I don't want to place a penny on the xbox 360 if it doesn't have a good selection of games. That's exactly why I never purchased an xbox or a gamecube.See, we agree that you want to purchase a console that has the best selection of games that you want to play. But you chose the PS2 for the games, where I opted for the Gamecube and don't regret it at all. Between my PC and the Cube, I don't feel I've missed out on anything.

Sony is a proven leader and my money is on the PS3 at this moment.Leader of what? If anything, I've seen them stagnate for the last decade. They have better hardware this time around (and I'm comparing to their own previous gen, not to 360 or Revo), but that seems to be about it. Microsoft is taking Live several steps further, and is also making the console more of a convergence device. Information from Nintendo is sketchy, but there is still the promise of innovation in their yet unannounced controller.

Xbox 360 still holds most interest for me right now. Nintendo is in second since there's still a lot unrevealed. And unless something changes drastically, I can't see myself getting a PS3.

[temporalillusion]

Are you sure weekends were free?

I thought what it was going to be "select" weekends that would be free. Kind of like when the movie network was on cable. from time to time they would unscramble the channels for weekends.

That's what I understood that the silver included. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

Good point, I reread the stuff I read before and it could very well mean select weekends, it doesn't say every weekend.

Hopefully that doesn't mean once every 3 months!

[BoxsterS]

Xbox 360 vs. PS3 (Part 1 of 4)

One of the great things about working at Xbox is that we have some of the smartest people in the world working on the Xbox 360. When Sony came announced the PS3, along with the product specs some of our team started looking at some of the numbers to see what they mean. Floating Point, shaders, bandwidth&.what does it all mean. Clearly there are some numbers and stats that mean more to gaming then others, so the team cranked out some facts for everyone to absorb. Our world class technology team looked at the numbers and claims and decided to do what everyone else does: compare them to the PS3. The difference it that these guys are uniquely qualified to do so, and can cut through the smoke and mirrors to see what the real deal is. To that end, I present this summary, which I have broken up into four parts to make it more RSS Reader friendly.
...


Numbers can be used offensively and defensively and any accountant can make any numbers look good. This person doesn't seem very objective to me and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a habit of bashing Sony, but the surprising part was that he didn't give the PS3 any quarter at all during his "objective" analysis. I do agree with his analysis of CPU comparison, the Xbox and its 3 symmetrical cores has the definite advantage in terms of general purpose computation, while the PS3 has the advantage in floating point computation with it's 7 SPE's - the point being that games require more general purpose computation than floating point computation (and this isn't speculation, it's a fact). I also think that a lot of people have underestimated the ATI GPU because it didn't get as much press as the Nvidia RSX GPU. The fact of the matter is that the ATI GPU is more versatile than the Nvidia GPU and has a better overall architecture design. The Xbox 360 may not gain the #1 next gen position, but it will clearly set the benchmark in terms of next generation games.

[sfu_lifer]

That article made sense until I scrolled down and saw it seemed to have been written by a Microsoft employee :)
I have no doubts the gap between PS3 and Xbox aren't as wide as Sony made them out to be but I think I'll wait a few months and take every "analysis" with a grain of salt until more devs have had a crack at the dev kits.
I'd ask my bro but he's too busy finalizing their game for the holidays and hasn't had a chance to work with the kits :).

[Sgt_Strider]

As temporalillusion pointed out, the Silver package will be free. I suspect I would start on that, especially since with a full time 9-5 job, a lot of my gaming is on weekends anyways. (Play all you can while you're in school, kids, cause you'll never have that much free time again!).

See, we agree that you want to purchase a console that has the best selection of games that you want to play. But you chose the PS2 for the games, where I opted for the Gamecube and don't regret it at all. Between my PC and the Cube, I don't feel I've missed out on anything.

Leader of what? If anything, I've seen them stagnate for the last decade. They have better hardware this time around (and I'm comparing to their own previous gen, not to 360 or Revo), but that seems to be about it. Microsoft is taking Live several steps further, and is also making the console more of a convergence device. Information from Nintendo is sketchy, but there is still the promise of innovation in their yet unannounced controller.

Xbox 360 still holds most interest for me right now. Nintendo is in second since there's still a lot unrevealed. And unless something changes drastically, I can't see myself getting a PS3.

Sony is the leader of the console market. Microsoft is currently second and Nintendo is third. To me, Sony has the best selection of games available and that justifies the purchase of the PS2.

AFAIK, the silver package doesn't allow free online gaming. Check out the information available.

The PS3 is more future proof than the xbox 360. It will play Blu-ray discs which is the lightly format for next generation HD DVDs. The Xbox 360 is currently only able to play current generations of DVD's. Square Enix is not completely on Microsoft's side so don't expect Final Fantasy XIII (Assuming there will be one) on the xbox 360 any time soon. FFXI doesn't really count since it's just a ported version of the PS2/PC version.

[sfu_lifer]

Sony is the leader of the console market. Microsoft is currently second and Nintendo is third. To me, Sony has the best selection of games available and that justifies the purchase of the PS2.

AFAIK, the silver package doesn't allow free online gaming. Check out the information available.

The PS3 is more future proof than the xbox 360. It will play Blu-ray discs which is the lightly format for next generation HD DVDs. The Xbox 360 is currently only able to play current generations of DVD's. Square Enix is not completely on Microsoft's side so don't expect Final Fantasy XIII (Assuming there will be one) on the xbox 360 any time soon. FFXI doesn't really count since it's just a ported version of the PS2/PC version.
ALL Weekends free according to a MS person I chatted with online. I consider that free online gaming. I'm not gonna fork over $10 a month for the other 5 days of the week :)

[vonteego]

Sony is the leader of the console market. Microsoft is currently second and Nintendo is third. To me, Sony has the best selection of games available and that justifies the purchase of the PS2.

AFAIK, the silver package doesn't allow free online gaming. Check out the information available.

The PS3 is more future proof than the xbox 360. It will play Blu-ray discs which is the lightly format for next generation HD DVDs. The Xbox 360 is currently only able to play current generations of DVD's. Square Enix is not completely on Microsoft's side so don't expect Final Fantasy XIII (Assuming there will be one) on the xbox 360 any time soon. FFXI doesn't really count since it's just a ported version of the PS2/PC version.

Very good points. Something alot of us take for granted is that PS2 is the game selection.

Devil May Cry (arguably the PS2's best action game) came about like TWO years before Ninja Gaiden on xbox . Thus for alot of PS2 players, Ninja Gaiden was nothing special...it was excellent, but not a killer app given how late it came.

Same goes for Forza. Nice that it's finally out, slightly better than sony's GT4. BUT the impact is lessened by the fact that PS2 owners have been playing GT3 for 2-3 years!! (and GT4 for 2 months).

When I got my PS2 back in 2002 (instead of an xbox) it came down to variety. The Greatest Hits series (under $30) on PS2 at the time had Ratchet, Jak, GT3, Devil May Cry, MGS2, FFX....but on the xbox, there were few under $30 games, if any. Those greatest hits on PS2 i just mentioned were better, or at least CLOSE to being as good as the best xbox FULL PRICE ($50) offerings at that time.

Now with XBOX360, Microsoft will be in the position Sony was in during the last generation - MS using it's SECOND generation XBOX360 games + 1 gen Platinum Hits games to fight the PS3 LAUNCH titles. So we may see MS take a big lead this time around.

Say in June 2006, when PS3 launches, 9 months after XBOX360:
-Imagine XBOX360 at $249 (dropped $50 to counter PS3 release)
-360 has 10 or so "Platinum Hits" games at $30 or less, AA quality titles.
-Halo 3 and Forza II come out in June 06 for full price.
-PS3 sells for $399 with its LAUNCH titles at full price fighting an established MS XBOX360 with 2nd generation titles.

[jerryhussain]

Numbers can be used offensively and defensively and any accountant can make any numbers look good. This person doesn't seem very objective to me and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a habit of bashing Sony, but the surprising part was that he didn't give the PS3 any quarter at all during his "objective" analysis. I do agree with his analysis of CPU comparison, the Xbox and its 3 symmetrical cores has the definite advantage in terms of general purpose computation, while the PS3 has the advantage in floating point computation with it's 7 SPE's - the point being that games require more general purpose computation than floating point computation (and this isn't speculation, it's a fact). I also think that a lot of people have underestimated the ATI GPU because it didn't get as much press as the Nvidia RSX GPU. The fact of the matter is that the ATI GPU is more versatile than the Nvidia GPU and has a better overall architecture design. The Xbox 360 may not gain the #1 next gen position, but it will clearly set the benchmark in terms of next generation games.
Agreed.

[temporalillusion]

AFAIK, the silver package doesn't allow free online gaming. Check out the information available.

From various sites and info:

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

Features for Gold service
(S) Also for Silver
(O) Also for Offline

- Free Xbox Live weekends (S)

Many many sites have talked about free XBox Live weekends.

[BoxsterS]

From various sites and info:

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

Features for Gold service
(S) Also for Silver
(O) Also for Offline

- Free Xbox Live weekends (S)

Many many sites have talked about free XBox Live weekends.

Just to expand on that, here's the rest of the features:

It's interesting to note that Multiplayer Online gaming has no (S) beside it. Perhaps the purpose of the free Xbox Live weekends is to get you to buy Xbox content using micropayments and bombard you with ads.

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

Features for Gold service
(S) Also for Silver
(O) Also for Offline

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

[BoxsterS]

I'm starting to doubt whether you'll be even able to play online games with the Xbox silver package.

http://www.xboxsolution.com/article2217.html

Doesn't look good.

[chdude3]

Sony is the leader of the console market. Microsoft is currently second and Nintendo is third.In North America currently, sure. I recall a time when Sony wasn't even in the console business.

To me, Sony has the best selection of games available and that justifies the purchase of the PS2.And here is, again, where we both agree and disagree. I have no fault with your logic of purchasing the console that has the best games available - I just didn't feel it was (or still is) the PS2.

AFAIK, the silver package doesn't allow free online gaming. Check out the information available.Fair enough, so I may need to pay for Xbox Live. I'd be paying for it now if I had an Xbox, so it's not a big deal.

The PS3 is more future proof than the xbox 360. It will play Blu-ray discs which is the lightly format for next generation HD DVDs. The Xbox 360 is currently only able to play current generations of DVD's.I don't own any Blu-Ray discs, and certainly don't intend on purchasing reams of them once PS3 comes out. Blu-Ray compatability isn't a big deal right now, not with how pervasive DVD is now. Once Blu-Ray is commonplace, I'll go buy a Shinsonic Blu-Ray player for $39.99 at WalMart.

Square Enix is not completely on Microsoft's side so don't expect Final Fantasy XIII (Assuming there will be one) on the xbox 360 any time soon. FFXI doesn't really count since it's just a ported version of the PS2/PC version.Not a problem; the series has gone downhill and I've ignored it since FF VII (which I played on PC, incidentally; not on PS1).

Again, bottom line is features I want and games I want. Right now, with all that's out, PS3 doesn't stand a chance with me. Does it mean it's bad? Of course not. I'm as wow-ed with the hardware as the next tech-head. It's just not for me.

[Sgt_Strider]

In North America currently, sure. I recall a time when Sony wasn't even in the console business.

And here is, again, where we both agree and disagree. I have no fault with your logic of purchasing the console that has the best games available - I just didn't feel it was (or still is) the PS2.

Fair enough, so I may need to pay for Xbox Live. I'd be paying for it now if I had an Xbox, so it's not a big deal.

I don't own any Blu-Ray discs, and certainly don't intend on purchasing reams of them once PS3 comes out. Blu-Ray compatability isn't a big deal right now, not with how pervasive DVD is now. Once Blu-Ray is commonplace, I'll go buy a Shinsonic Blu-Ray player for $39.99 at WalMart.

Not a problem; the series has gone downhill and I've ignored it since FF VII (which I played on PC, incidentally; not on PS1).

Again, bottom line is features I want and games I want. Right now, with all that's out, PS3 doesn't stand a chance with me. Does it mean it's bad? Of course not. I'm as wow-ed with the hardware as the next tech-head. It's just not for me.


Your first point is only the partial truth. Sony is the leader in the entire world console market except possibly the GBA if you count that, but that is only the portable market. Microsoft is barely edging Nintendo for 2nd place, but nonetheless 2nd. It seems to me that you're focusing on yourself, but that is okay since you should only purchase what you want and not what others want. I have no doubt in my mind that Sony is going to have more exclusive titles at least initially. The PS3 plays DVD's as well and if you have the PS3, you wouldn't have to worry about purchasing a new Blu-ray player in the future, but that is your choice. If you don't like Square Enix's games, that's ok too because they sell millions and millions of games even if you decide not to purchase them. If you want to pay for online gaming, that's ok too because that is your choice.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

I recall reading that more gameboys were sold last year than all other consoles COMBINED. That's a heck of a large market share for nintendo!

[wanted]

in-game killzone for ps3
http://www.ps3today.com/

(not sure if posted, 34 pages !!!)

[jerryhussain]

http://img132.echo.cx/img132/9917/brumakcanyon12808zi.jpg

[Fantaz]

Graphics looks really nice, but gameplay just looks like another 3rd person shooter. And I hate when they do stupid blindfire like Killswitch because nobody does that!

[jerryhussain]

Graphics looks really nice, but gameplay just looks like another 3rd person shooter. And I hate when they do stupid blindfire like Killswitch because nobody does that!
There was an video interview with the lead designer of Gear of War, he was demonstrating the gameplay and he was saying that almost anything is destructable and the possibilities to create cover for you are endless.

One thing I like about it is the over the shoulder view like the one from RE4.

[Fantaz]

Yeah, I heard they took a lot of influence from RE4. Going to have a lot of similarities. Hey, I'm not complaining about that.

[JayPatel]

http://img8.imagevenue.com/loc225/th_ab9_BrumakCanyon_1280.jpg (http://img8.imagevenue.com/img.php?loc=loc225&image=ab9_BrumakCanyon_1280.jpg)

[temporalillusion]

Now that's not bad.

[Carnage]

That looks pretty cool.

I'm not sure what to expect from Gears of War. It's not the first game to be hyped as a halo killer.

They kept saying that for Brute Force and it ended up as one of the worst games I've every played. Complete piece of crap that I wouldn't even recomend as a rental.

Though Gears of War does look like it has more promise then Brute Force ever did.

[Fantaz]

http://www.xbox365.com/gdb/images/GGGruGdPLG04221653/Xbox_360_54.jpg

[P__S__2]

^nice....

[jerryhussain]

Looks nice, that HDTV is from Samsung I think. However I dont know whats the use of the memory slots :confused:

[Fantaz]

I don't know if any of you noticed the PlayerOne.be (http://www.playerone.be) URL in the monitor screen. So it could probably be fake.

This Prey trailer (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/744/744397/vids_1.html) looks really good.

[chdude3]

Can't wait until November, man. I'm forgoing upgrading any of my PCs - there's no point when a $400 console will last for years and take care of most of my gaming needs. This may just be the first console I buy at launch - IF the backwards compatability is good enough to play through all the cheap original Xbox games until the 360 games come down a bit.

[sfu_lifer]

Looks nice, that HDTV is from Samsung I think. However I dont know whats the use of the memory slots :confused:
I think that's for folks who play at home and go there to show off (or if you are too poor to afford the 360, play the game at the kiosk, save your data to the memory slot, and come back again).
I've always bought one console at launch and the others a year or so later. With the AtHome 20% off, I think I can afford to buy each at launch and not regret it later :cheesygri

BTW,HD trailers here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=abde1e02-b529-469e-ae6a-7417fcde9e12&displaylang=en)
Damn, my MCE XP2500+ can't even play the video smoothlY :(

[Fantaz]

I'd wait until you see some good games come out before buying it at launch. Not worth wasting the money. Who know, Nintendo Revolution could blow them all away.

[sfu_lifer]

I'd wait until you see some good games come out before buying it at launch. Not worth wasting the money. Who know, Nintendo Revolution could blow them all away.
I'm only buying Kameo and if it's any good, Perfect Dark otherwise I'm gonna be playing my still wrapped Xbox 1 games on it :)

[ABOVEtheRIM]

http://img279.echo.cx/img279/9985/pdztvscreen10bp.jpg

http://img279.echo.cx/img279/9671/pdztvscreen24qm.jpg

[ABOVEtheRIM]

The greek developers of Track 7 today revealed the first images and informations about their upcoming adventure game called Theseis.

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0001.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0002.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0003.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0004.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0005.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1387/844_0006.jpg

[temporalillusion]

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/xbox360-2.ars

An interesting artice on the CPU(s?) used in the 360.

[JayPatel]

Rumors and some game developer comments (on the record and off the record) have Xenon's performance on branch-intensive game control, AI, and physics code as ranging from mediocre to downright bad.

At any rate, Playstation 3 fanboys shouldn't get all flush over the idea that the Xenon will struggle on non-graphics code. However bad off Xenon will be in that department, the PS3's Cell will probably be worse. The Cell has only one PPE to the Xenon's three, which means that developers will have to cram all their game control, AI, and physics code into at most two threads that are sharing a very narrow execution core with no instruction window. (Don't bother suggesting that the PS3 can use its SPEs for branch-intensive code, because the SPEs lack branch prediction entirely.) Furthermore, the PS3's L2 is only 512K, which is half the size of the Xenon's L2. So the PS3 doesn't get much help with branches in the cache department. In short, the PS3 may fare a bit worse than the Xenon on non-graphics code, but on the upside it will probably fare a bit better on graphics code because of the seven SPEs.

In sum, the Xenon will certainly make the Xbox 360 a 3D graphics powerhouse. Though history suggests that the Xbox 360's games will probably never attain the level of graphical realism promised by Microsoft's pre-launch hype and portrayed in the pre-rendered "game demos" that were shown off at E3, gamers can nonetheless expect a significant advance in levels of graphical realism and visual immersiveness.

Best comments in the article.

[dvdvideo]

I expect both machines to be monsters. At least sony didn't screw that up this time. But where is there online strategy? And what of Nintendo? They seem content to just plug along, along as they stay profitable. What they don't seem to understand is that thier share is going to shrink more and more and eventually they won't be profitable anymore. Of course with 5 billion in the bank, they can still make an offensive.

[cheukiecfu]

am i the only one here that thinks the XBox wi-fi adapter looks like an ipod shuffle?
http://winsupersite.com/images/showcase/xbox360_hw2_Wi-Fi.jpg

[jerryhussain]

From Xboxyde.com:

http://media.xboxyde.com/misc/sg/perfectdarkzero01_010605.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/misc/sg/perfectdarkzero02_010605.jpg

[guest10586]

I'd wait until you see some good games come out before buying it at launch. Not worth wasting the money. Who know, Nintendo Revolution could blow them all away.

Yeah, launch titles usually suck for the most part. Nintendo could blow them away now that they finally upgraded to DVD...god. Their 3rd party support is still very weak imo though.

[jerryhussain]

http://img169.echo.cx/img169/107/xbox360vsxbox9yx.jpg

[P__S__2]

nice pic.

[oppositeset]

hey guys i need ur help

i've never owned xbox or ps2 and i want to buy one of these 2 in a week or so, so i want ur suggestions
there r few ppl who support ps2 other say xbox is better
what i need to ask u guys is tht

1. is it possible to modify hard disk of ps2 and save games on it?
2. i think its possible to modify hard disk of xbox and save games, am i right?
3. the new slim design ps2 is now available everywhere... i've heard tht it shuts down automatically after heating up after like 3-4 hours of continous play, is it correct?
4. when are ps3 and xbox 360 releasing ?

Thanks for ur time

[sfu_lifer]

hey guys i need ur help

i've never owned xbox or ps2 and i want to buy one of these 2 in a week or so, so i want ur suggestions
there r few ppl who support ps2 other say xbox is better
what i need to ask u guys is tht

1. is it possible to modify hard disk of ps2 and save games on it?
2. i think its possible to modify hard disk of xbox and save games, am i right?
3. the new slim design ps2 is now available everywhere... i've heard tht it shuts down automatically after heating up after like 3-4 hours of continous play, is it correct?
4. when are ps3 and xbox 360 releasing ?

Thanks for ur time

1. No.
2. Yes
3. Maybe (when modded)
4. xbox 360 = thanksgiving (like the Nintendo DS last year), PS3 is spring 2006 but likely will drop to Summer 2006. With the Blu Ray standard not being done yet, the nvidia chip not done, it's great strategy by Sony to keep those folks ready to jump ship from considering the 360 with Sony coming close behind.

[oppositeset]

whats the diff. b/w modded and um modded xbox :-s

[sfu_lifer]

whats the diff. b/w modded and um modded xbox :-s
Okay I think I misunderstood you here.
With the older PS2 you can use the HDAdvance/HDLoader (or make your own by altering your memory card) and with a Network Adapter you can add any IDE HD and add "backups" to the HD. Doing this way,
BUT you cannot save your game progress in the HD.
With Xbox, you can save your progress and "backups" to the HD. You can put your own HD in an xbox.
An Xbox can be softmodded so you don't need a chip.
If you want to play games off the HD with the PS2 you don't need a modchip either but not all games will play off the HD. I'd say about 90% success rate.
You can't play "backups" without modding an Xbox (meaning you can't store game images in the HD without modding - modding requires either a modchip or "softmodding"). I suggest going to xbox-scene for more info.
I modded my Xbox so I can stream movies/music to my TV.

[jjboy]

Just wait a little longer for xbox 360. Btw, like sfu lifer said, the slim ps2 doesn't support hd loader.

[Nacster]

I found an interesting article in regards to the Faceplates for the Xbox 360..I found the original link from the website www.gaminghorizon.com U can vote for your Favourite one..Not sure if this is actually official or not, but I thought it was pretty neat :cheesygri

http://www.xboxemea.com/xbox360/survey/faceplate/en-gb.htm

[bmaz]

Does Anyone have any more info on this?

With Apple transitioning over to a x86 architecture, would MS be doing the opposite for a limited edition XBOX 360 PC based on the PowerPC chip?
They already have a developer kit running Dual PowerPC chips.

I thought Apple would have been in a good position with games, being that XBOX 360 games should be easily ported over to the Mac, But Jobs knows best I guess.

[jb22]

Does Anyone have any more info on this?

With Apple transitioning over to a x86 architecture, would MS be doing the opposite for a limited edition XBOX 360 PC based on the PowerPC chip?
They already have a developer kit running Dual PowerPC chips.

I thought Apple would have been in a good position with games, being that XBOX 360 games should be easily ported over to the Mac, But Jobs knows best I guess.

Why would MS allow a PPC Mac running OSX the ability to play games? I think Apple has a better chance gaining some ground with game moving over to Intel based cpus, but in my opinion I really doubt Apple all that much about gaming on the Mac. The Mac has always been known as a platform for content creation, right now their real appeal is to video from editing and post work and compositing along with music and graphic/web design.

I was thinking maybe Apple should have adopted the Cell cpu since they also have a relationship with Sony,although even in that case I don't see PS3 games running on a regular Mac.

[Canadianpsycho]

OK, I am so not reading through 36 pages (well not for a while)

Does anyone know and Cdn. locations that is taking preorders? I've read a couple US locales are preordering already.

[bmaz]

Why would MS allow a PPC Mac running OSX the ability to play games?....
Unless MS signed an Exclusive contract I believe it would have been up to the developers to 'port' it over, just like any multi-console game.

[sfu_lifer]

In game pics of Project Gotham Racing 3:
http://www.bizarreonline.net/img/screenshots/pgr3/03.jpg
http://www.bizarreonline.net/img/screenshots/pgr3/02.jpg
http://www.bizarreonline.net/img/screenshots/pgr3/01.jpg

[jerryhussain]

^ first shot is sick. Love that anti-aliased buildings. :twisted:

[chdude3]

OK, I am so not reading through 36 pages (well not for a while)

Does anyone know and Cdn. locations that is taking preorders? I've read a couple US locales are preordering already.Yeah, I mentioned it weeks back when EB started taking pre-orders.

[jerryhussain]

ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified (http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/xenos/) - by Dave Baumann

From what I've seen being discussed from that article, it is clear that

Xenos > RSX

But since the cell architecture is still unproven (could be spectacular or otherwise) at gaming, its still a toss up between which console is powerful.

[Carpe Diem]

Ohh Man...I can't wait to smash-up those cars in Project Gotham Racing 3. :twisted:

[BoxsterS]

ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified (http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/xenos/) - by Dave Baumann

From what I've seen being discussed from that article, it is clear that

Xenos > RSX

But since the cell architecture is still unproven (could be spectacular or otherwise) at gaming, its still a toss up between which console is powerful.

Since the RSX does not yet exist in physical form, one can say that a transistor is more powerful than the Nvidia RSX. Therefore:

RSX < Transistor < Xenos

[JayPatel]

http://www.realmmedia.com/gallery2/d/1158-3/100_3294.JPG

http://www.realmmedia.com/gallery2/d/901-3/100_3243.JPG

http://www.realmmedia.com/gallery2/d/1146-3/100_3296.JPG

[puff_daddy_58_99]

wow, I like that last pic....so you run your cable/satellite through the xbox for picture in picture? Talking on live while watching something would be pretty cool....... The natural thing would be to make it a TIVO like device, microsoft would probably market it like the DVD remote for the xbox and charge an extra amount, or maybe the tivo functionality would be on the higher end one with a larger hard drive.

Either way, I know i'll be in line for a 360 on opening day.

[jerryhussain]

http://img132.echo.cx/img132/6079/c14lb.jpg (http://www.beyond3d.com/index.php)

382 million transistors :cool:

[JayPatel]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2461&p=3

must read article.

[Moot]

:(

[jerryhussain]

:(
http://img292.echo.cx/img292/6586/anand9xu.png

Dont worry, Anand's two recent articles are probably his worst articles yet.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

that anandtech link takes me to a general search page. When I search for xbox articles, I don't get anything more recent than may. Did they pull the article?

[jerryhussain]

that anandtech link takes me to a general search page. When I search for xbox articles, I don't get anything more recent than may. Did they pull the article?
Yes they pulled it. They also the pulled previous one (June 24) article. :cheesygri

[sfu_lifer]

Found out some bad news:

Kikizo posted an interview with Microsoft's Robbie Bach regarding to the company's plans for Xbox 360.

* Xbox Live will be offered in two services: Xbox Live Silver (Free) and Xbox Live Gold (Paid), Xbox Live Silver will not have access to online multiplayer games, which are for Xbox Live Gold only, However Xbox Live Silver users can try out features offered in Xbox Live Gold.
* Electronic Arts will have 6 launch titles ready for Xbox 360, and 25 titles are in development.
* A total of 160 Xbox 360 titles are under development. Approximately 15 titles will be available at launch
* There are no more first party titles for Xbox in development.
* The price of Xbox 360 is still undecided, Microsoft is still investigating for a suitable price point.
* Microsoft has not decided to release an adapter for existing Xbox controllers for Xbox 360.
* The Alpha Kits only possess 25% of Xbox 360's power.
* Bach expects Microsoft to become the market leader in the next 5 years.

No free multiplayer :(

[dougi3000]

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1456/726_0001.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1456/726_0002.jpg

[Fantaz]

Yeah, those buildings look almost real.

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000177049223

[BoxsterS]

More info from Bizarre:

http://www.bizarreonline.net/index.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=32

[Yesdear]

Yeah, those buildings look almost real.

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000177049223

WOW!

[wanted]

http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/hsdemonz/Xbox360Dev/xbox360.jpg


Was at the scene, supposed to 360 Beta Dev Kit.
Heres the thread discussing it, http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=417789&st=0&p=2752525

[wanted]

At the scene:
http://pictures.xbox-scene.net/4/xbox360/xbox360black_flat.png
Photoshopped, to be black. Looks nice.


http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEkEEAluEyCPtiwOpz.php

[Headhunter]

^ Personally, I dug the white. Hopefully the PS3/Revolution will have white (not silver) versions.

[sfu_lifer]

^ Personally, I dug the white. Hopefully the PS3/Revolution will have white (not silver) versions.
I'm tired of black and silver. Bring on the iPod colors ;)

[ShadowVlican]

Yeah, those buildings look almost real.

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000177049223
omg, that's amazing. :eek:

[Fantaz]

Isn't that nuts? I can't wait! :D

[dvdvideo]

I like the black.....hopping they will release one eventually.....or brushed aluminum maybe....

[ZeeTX]

:arrow: Project Gotham 3 - Screenshots (http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/07/01/pgr3_screenshots) .... :eek:

[jerryhussain]

First Xbox 360 seen in the wild

Its pretty common for kids to go trolling on game forums and make obnoxious claims such as having a go on the Xbox 360 in their own home. Well, this thread on Gamespot started that way, except the kid actually backed up his claims with these photos:

http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/5794/thumbxbox3600013xa1sx.jpg

http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/5859/thumbxbox3600031yha0kz.jpg (http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/2654/xbox3600031yh3um.jpg)

http://360hacker.net/articles/07-18-2005/first-xbox-360-seen-in-the-wild/

[Carpe Diem]

Looks like its made with plastic and cardboard.

Fake if you ask me.

[jerryhussain]

Looks like its made with plastic and cardboard.

Fake if you ask me.
It is real, read the whole thing on that link. ;)

[wanted]

Looks like its made with plastic and cardboard.

Fake if you ask me.


Yep, it's real. Posted at the scene as well, I think MS visits the scene. If they find out who that kid is...hhahah in the words of Donald Trump to the kids dad "You're Fired".

[Carpe Diem]

Well when you think about it...The Xbox360 is coming out in 3-4 months so they must be firing out these units in a large production run somewhere and someone is bound to get there hands on one.

[jerryhussain]

Well when you think about it...The Xbox360 is coming out in 3-4 months so they must be firing out these units in a large production run somewhere and someone is bound to get there hands on one.
That kid's dad was recently hired by Microsoft and that is how he got it. To prove that it is genuine, the kid also posted his Dad's Id card. :-0 Like all the serial numbers on the Xbox360 unit wasnt enough. :|

[Carpe Diem]

That kid's dad was recently hired by Microsoft and that is how he got it. To prove that it is genuine, the kid also posted his Dad's Id card. :-0 Like all the serial numbers on the Xbox360 unit wasnt enough. :|

Holy Crap!! :-0

[FuNPoLiCe001]

what an idiot kid

he might have just cost his step dad his job

unless that's what he was planning to do...

[yatko]

First Xbox 360 seen in the wild

http://360hacker.net/articles/07-18-2005/first-xbox-360-seen-in-the-wild/

It says Samsung on it :-)


http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/5469/xbox3600031test7li.jpg

[wanted]

It says Samsung on it :-)


http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/5469/xbox3600031test7li.jpg


probably the drive. (disc)

[jerryhussain]

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/8/72600011fy.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/9563/72600035ln.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/1692/72600041jo.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3739/72600054eb.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/778/72600132rq.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5227/72600142bo.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/518/72600164ss.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/9811/72600192uf.jpg

[trunkzz]

pretty sure that kid got his dad fired

[wanted]

cool program

[jerryhussain]

Confirmation that those pics were real:
Xbox 360 falls into wrong hands

The son of a Microsoft employee gets first public crack at company's next-gen console and posts pictures on the Web.

With the advent of the Internet, gone are the days of teenagers sneaking through their parents' sock drawers for stimuli. Nowadays, being the coolest kid on the block (or the Web) takes a lot more than some smut.

Imagine this scenario: A young gamer's stepfather gets a job at Microsoft testing top secret hardware. Said stepfather returns home with an Xbox 360. Now the kid is eyeing the box like fat campers do a pack of Twinkies. Of course it's not too hard to picture what happened next. However, it's even easier to picture with photographic evidence.

The youngster, who says he is 16 years old, had a friend snap some pictures of him playing with the 360 (apparently with his father's permission, according to the post) and then posted the photos (see inset) on GameSpot's forums, which have since been deleted. The poster says his father is in charge of making sure the power supply doesn't "explode."

The first picture shows the culprit in a suspiciously barren apartment with the 360 standing inverted next to him on the floor (the wires sticking out of the console are apparently used for hardware testing). The second picture depicts the same scene from a different angle, this one showing the Halo 2 title screen on a small monitor. The final screen shows the Xbox 360 launch screen on the monitor.

He goes on in his posts to tout the hardware and preinstalled programs, including the 360's dashboard and other features of the console. He also describes the unit's multimedia functions, including streaming music to a PC.

Reportedly, the hardware is or is near complete. The post also described the external power supply as being "not compact."

Assuming the pictures and reports are authentic, it sheds some light on some previously gray areas. If, in fact, the unit was playable, the Xbox 360 is indeed on its way to its holiday release date. Backward compatibility also appears to be coming along nicely with Halo 2 (unless there is an original Xbox hidden under the pillow, which is the lone piece of furniture in the room).

While some may grumble that this is actually a viral marketing ploy by Microsoft to show that the 360 is indeed on the way, it's more likely a great example of how to get your stepfather fired.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/18/news_6129378.html

[wanted]

Confirmation that those pics were real:


They censored his face as well :|
Better hold on to those pictures :lol:

[Emancipated]

Backward compatibility also appears to be coming along nicely with Halo 2 (unless there is an original Xbox hidden under the pillow, which is the lone piece of furniture in the room).

/giggling, hehehe.

[jerryhussain]

probably the drive. (disc)
or the Hard Drive.

[riskit]

ex-step dad

[Sgt_Strider]

Confirmation that those pics were real:

LMAO! That is so funny. Even if his step-dad is fired, we probably won't hear about it. Now I hope he learns a lesson from this, don't let your 16 year old kid play with your toys :rolleyes:.

[JayPatel]

damn...they rendered almost half of manhattan in that shot

[WiZZLa]

That kid's dad was recently hired by Microsoft and that is how he got it. To prove that it is genuine, the kid also posted his Dad's Id card. :-0 Like all the serial numbers on the Xbox360 unit wasnt enough. :|

I'm surprised no one has made a "priceless" mock ad yet. I wonder if his dad smacked that smug look off his face.

[Headhunter]

Wow, that kid definitely cost his stepdad his job. If I were the stepdad, I'd be overcome with rage...

[wanted]

or the Hard Drive.

Hmm..I don't think it has a built in HDD does it?
It has detachable.

[jerryhussain]

Hmm..I don't think it has a built in HDD does it?
It has detachable.
It a detachable (mobile) HDD which Samsung could be providing.

[wanted]

It a detachable (mobile) HDD which Samsung could be providing.


OKay

[Fantaz]

First Xbox 360 seen in the wild

Its pretty common for kids to go trolling on game forums and make obnoxious claims such as having a go on the Xbox 360 in their own home. Well, this thread on Gamespot started that way, except the kid actually backed up his claims with these photos:

http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/5794/thumbxbox3600013xa1sx.jpg

http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/5859/thumbxbox3600031yha0kz.jpg (http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/2654/xbox3600031yh3um.jpg)

http://360hacker.net/articles/07-18-2005/first-xbox-360-seen-in-the-wild/

Really, where's Halo 3? And 4.5?... the cows need milking! ($ moo $)

Now about that kid, I wish I was him just for a chance to play. :D

[jb22]

I was watching AOTS the other day and one of the hosts suggested that these whole thing with the kid and photos of the X-Box might be part of a viral marketing campaign by Microsoft, which I tend to believe.

What I don't get are why is this kid living in a home with no furniture? Why is he playing a next gen system on a 13" TV? Why, or rather how could any MS employee be able to take a unit home? I don't get how having wires sticking out has anything to do with compatibility testing? Why are there no photos of next gen games? Or pics of the multimedia funstions?

Also, in the post it says that the kid took the photos with his fathers permission - BS. I still don't buy that any MS employee would be able to take a unit out of a MS building. Heck, at the MS officies in Mississauga (Mississauga Rd. & Derry) they had copies of Halo 2 playable a moth or so before the game came out. I was talking to an MS employee and he stated that the games were locked to only be playable on those specific X-Boxs, and that the units themselves were locked down pretty tight. So I doubt MS would be so relaxed with a key product like the 360 and just let any emplyeee, especially a new one go home with one.

I call BS.

[othy]

What I don't get are why is this kid living in a home with no furniture? Why is he playing a next gen system on a 13" TV? Why, or rather how could any MS employee be able to take a unit home? I don't get how having wires sticking out has anything to do with compatibility testing? Why are there no photos of next gen games? Or pics of the multimedia funstions?

I think the no furniture thing is because the stepdad had just gotten the job at MS.. And the family has JUST moved to town.. I know a couple people in the xbox group at MS and unless they are putting me on, they swear it is not a viral marketing thing. They were checking the phone list to see if the stepdad had gotten fired yet..

Still could be I suppose, but if it was you'd think they would have some shots of their next gen games rather than halo 2 testing the backwards compatibility..

So the answer is: maybe! :)

[swifferman]

Really, where's Halo 3? And 4.5?... the cows need milking! ($ moo $)

Now about that kid, I wish I was him just for a chance to play. :D

Microsoft is going to punz that kid so hard. Lol

What an idiot. Let me take pictures of myself with this top-secret console!

Might as well take pictures of yourself with files from Area 51.

[wanted]

I was watching AOTS the other day and one of the hosts suggested that these whole thing with the kid and photos of the X-Box might be part of a viral marketing campaign by Microsoft, which I tend to believe.

What I don't get are why is this kid living in a home with no furniture? Why is he playing a next gen system on a 13" TV? Why, or rather how could any MS employee be able to take a unit home? I don't get how having wires sticking out has anything to do with compatibility testing? Why are there no photos of next gen games? Or pics of the multimedia funstions?

Also, in the post it says that the kid took the photos with his fathers permission - BS. I still don't buy that any MS employee would be able to take a unit out of a MS building. Heck, at the MS officies in Mississauga (Mississauga Rd. & Derry) they had copies of Halo 2 playable a moth or so before the game came out. I was talking to an MS employee and he stated that the games were locked to only be playable on those specific X-Boxs, and that the units themselves were locked down pretty tight. So I doubt MS would be so relaxed with a key product like the 360 and just let any emplyeee, especially a new one go home with one.

I call BS.


Similiar to ourcolony.
Or, you never know it could be real...

[jerryhussain]

I was watching AOTS the other day and one of the hosts suggested that these whole thing with the kid and photos of the X-Box might be part of a viral marketing campaign by Microsoft, which I tend to believe.

What I don't get are why is this kid living in a home with no furniture? Why is he playing a next gen system on a 13" TV? Why, or rather how could any MS employee be able to take a unit home? I don't get how having wires sticking out has anything to do with compatibility testing? Why are there no photos of next gen games? Or pics of the multimedia funstions?

Also, in the post it says that the kid took the photos with his fathers permission - BS. I still don't buy that any MS employee would be able to take a unit out of a MS building. Heck, at the MS officies in Mississauga (Mississauga Rd. & Derry) they had copies of Halo 2 playable a moth or so before the game came out. I was talking to an MS employee and he stated that the games were locked to only be playable on those specific X-Boxs, and that the units themselves were locked down pretty tight. So I doubt MS would be so relaxed with a key product like the 360 and just let any emplyeee, especially a new one go home with one.

I call BS.
The morons on AOTS could be right for once but no one can be certain about it. The way things went and turned ugly in that Gamespot thread, it looked genuine. You cant help but notice the side conspiracy stories. ;)

[bmaz]

Microsoft is going to punz that kid so hard. Lol

What an idiot. Let me take pictures of myself with this top-secret console!

Might as well take pictures of yourself with files from Area 51.
Huh?
Am I missing something here? I honestly don't see the big deal.
The Console has already been unveiled, we already know what it looks like.
And he was playing Halo2 thats already released, we already know the full specs of the system.
So what the fuss?

[wanted]

Huh?
Am I missing something here? I honestly don't see the big deal.
The Console has already been unveiled, we already know what it looks like.
And he was playing Halo2 thats already released, we already know the full specs of the system.
So what the fuss?

THe kid showing it, he's probably not allowed to show to public.
Something about NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

[webdoctors]

many houses dont have furniture in all the rooms, especially basement dens or game rooms.

He just playing on a gamesystem that everyone will have in 4-6 montha anyways, so really no big deal.

[bmaz]

THe kid showing it, he's probably not allowed to show to public.
Something about NDA (non-disclosure agreement).
And what is he disclosing that isn't already public knowledge?
People throw around this phrase without even knowing exactly what it means.

[wanted]

And what is he disclosing that isn't already public knowledge?
People throw around this phrase without even knowing exactly what it means.

Why did the Harry potter book have to be kept secret?
Probably many reasons, similar to this

[bmaz]

Why did the Harry potter book have to be kept secret?
Probably many reasons, similar to this
Dude you arer just grasping for straws.
The Harry Potter thing was mainly marketing, also they wanted all the books out at the same time because they were scared people might A) bootleg the book or B) Digitize it and give it away free or most likely C) Go online and discuss it giving away the ending making it less enticing for readers.

The Harry Potter things is similar to when a music album is bootlegged before its available for purchase, it cuts into profit, people don't like to wait.

Now how can you compare those two things to posting the pic of of a xbox 360, when better pics have already been posted, it didn't even show a new game or even the GUI.

[jerryhussain]

Resident Evil 5 Announced: PS3 and Xbox 360 to get next entry in Capcom's survival horror series. (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/635/635096p1.html)

[jetgrind]

And what is he disclosing that isn't already public knowledge?
People throw around this phrase without even knowing exactly what it means.


it doesn't matter what the public knows and what the public doesn't know...if u sign a NDA then you can't violate it regardless.

[jerryhussain]

http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/1268/15rd.jpg

http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/7707/21ou.jpg

http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/5792/36wh.jpg

[sfu_lifer]

Everyone says that's CGI Jerry.
Chris's movements are too varied in the trailer.

[vancouverforsale]

What do you guys think is going to happen with Emulation on the 360?

N64?
All Arcades?
Playstation?
Dreamcast?
GameCube?
PSP?
DS?

As long as it plays N64, Playstation and all the Arcades and maybe GameCube... I'm cool. Of course, I won't buy one until the system is dead though.

[J1M]

LOL, Nintendo and Sony are not going to let Microsoft emulate their old game consoles. At best you will get Xbox and Sega Genesis (MAYBE).

[J1M]

it doesn't matter what the public knows and what the public doesn't know...if u sign a NDA then you can't violate it regardless.
You've never read an NDA before and it shows.

[jerryhussain]

Everyone says that's CGI Jerry.
Chris's movements are too varied in the trailer.
I know, but considering that RE4 was damn good RE5 looks exciting.

[radeonboy]

You've never read an NDA before and it shows.

Maybe you can share a little bit on NDA's, can you give us a sample contract? Im interested...

[poppa]

What do you guys think is going to happen with Emulation on the 360?

N64?
All Arcades?
Playstation?
Dreamcast?
GameCube?
PSP?
DS?

As long as it plays N64, Playstation and all the Arcades and maybe GameCube... I'm cool. Of course, I won't buy one until the system is dead though.

GC? Not possible man, the proprietery discs spin in the opposite direction unless you mean play the GC images of the hard drive...

[vancouverforsale]

LOL, Nintendo and Sony are not going to let Microsoft emulate their old game consoles. At best you will get Xbox and Sega Genesis (MAYBE).

I'm talking about the possibility of it happening. There are tons of people already working on doing this on older consoles, including Playstation 1 (Sega Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System).

[Fantaz]

Everyone says that's CGI Jerry.
Chris's movements are too varied in the trailer.

I bet you it's real time.

[radeonboy]

I bet you it's real time.

If you are right, then we are in for a treat :)

[sfu_lifer]

I bet you it's real time.
I hope you're right but I see another killzone at the moment.

[jerryhussain]

I hope you're right but I see another killzone at the moment.
The comparision is flawed.

Guerilla Games' talent is no match for Capcom. :lol:

[sfu_lifer]

The comparision is flawed.

Guerilla Games' talent is no match for Capcom. :lol:
Actually, Killzone 1 looked pretty good in screenshots, esp for a PS2 game. The only flaw graphically was the piss poor framerate. I lasted an hour before turning it off and returning it to Blockbuster since I had a severe headache due to the crappy framerates and the stupid "bobbing" camera.

[radeonboy]

Actually, Killzone 1 looked pretty good in screenshots, esp for a PS2 game. The only flaw graphically was the piss poor framerate. I lasted an hour before turning it off and returning it to Blockbuster since I had a severe headache due to the crappy framerates and the stupid "bobbing" camera.

LOL. That sounds similar to me renting the game Elder Scrolls MorrowWinds...That game just flat out sucked and gave me a headache and made me barf...couldnt stand it so I brought it back.

[jerryhussain]

Microsoft's list of American, Japanese games in development for Xbox 360

Idea Factory: untitled
Eidos: untitled
Arc System Works: a 'battle melee action' game
Activision: Quake 4
Activision: Call of Duty 2
Activision: Tony Hawk American Waste
Activision: Gun
Atari Japan: Test Drive Unlimited
Artdink: Take the A Train X
SNK: KOF Max. Impact 2
EA: FIFA
EA: Need For Speed Most Wanted
EA: NBA Live
Capcom: Resident Evil 5 Dead Rising
Capcom: Dead Rising
Kids Station, untitled
Cavia: untitled
Glef: untitled
Genki
Koei: Shin Sangoku Musou Special
Koei: Dynasty Warriors 5
Konami: Winning 11
Konami: Rumble Rose XX
Konami: Yakyuu Spirits
Success: Operation Darkness, ZOOKEEPER
Success: ZOOKEEPER
Jaleco: untitled
Square Enix: FFXI
Spike: untitled
Sega: Chrome Hounds (?)
Taito: World Air Force
THQ Japan: Saints Row
THQ Japan: The Outfit
D3: X
D3: Oneechanbara X
Tecmo: DOA4
Tecmo: DOA XVB 2
Tecmo: Project Progressive (action game)
Tecmo: DOA Code Cronus
Tomy: Zoids
Treasure: untitled game
Namco: Ridge Racer 6
Namco: Frame City
Namco: untitled RPGL
Namco: LOVE FOOTBALL
Hudson: Tengai Makyou ZIRIA
Hamster: untitled
Bandai: Z Gundam
Banpresto: Super Robot Taisen
Vivendi: untitled
From software: EM Enchant Arm
Frontier Groove: untitled game
Microsoft Game Studios: Everyparty (from Game Republic)
Microsoft Game Studios: Ninety Nine Nights
Microsoft Game Studios: PGR3
Marvelous: untitled game
Yukes: Wrestle Kingdom
Ubisoft: Ghost Recon 3

[Carnage]

Namco: LOVE FOOTBALL


I sure hope that's just a translation error. Otherwise that sounds like a very, very odd game.

[wpooh888]

Reconfirming their plan to have their Worldwide launch in Q4 this year.

Link (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/25/news_6129702.html)

[jerryhussain]

I sure hope that's just a translation error. Otherwise that sounds like a very, very odd game.
Oddly that is the name of the game, it is for Japan only.

Ridge Racer 6

http://img326.imageshack.us/img326/2294/ridgeracer6200507241058372681b.jpg

http://img326.imageshack.us/img326/3791/ridgeracer6200507241058356128d.jpg

[jerryhussain]

VIDEOS:

Project Gotham Racing 3 (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/741/741362/vids_1.html)

Frame City Killer (Based on Unreal 3 Engine) (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747906/vids_1.html)

PGR3 is shaping up to be THE best racing game EVER. :twisted:

[jerryhussain]

Frame City Killer

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40681320050725_121721_1_big.jpg http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40681320050725_121721_5_big.jpg http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40681320050725_121721_4_big.jpg
http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40681320050725_121722_9_big.jpg http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40681320050725_121722_7_big.jpg

[J1M]

Maybe you can share a little bit on NDA's, can you give us a sample contract? Im interested...
You can find a standard NDA contract if you use a search engine. Should be pretty simple.

Those RE5 shots are real-time for sure. RE4 on Gamecube practically looks that good already.

[Fantaz]

PGR3 does looks pretty unbelievable!

There's some more good looking games:
http://media.xbox360.ign.com/articles/636/636165/vids_1.html

"Inafune spoke briefly about Dead Rising. One of his goals with the game is to display 1000 zombies on screen simultaneously. That's right, a thousand! Download the trailer, and you'll see a scene with a seemingly uncountable number of zombies. The final Dead Rising will have situations with more zombies than even that!"

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/636/636130p1.html

[jerryhussain]

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/5967/12ar.jpg

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/4829/23jh.jpg

[jerryhussain]

WORLD AIRFORCE

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/6310/f15c027tr.jpg

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/2835/f15c035sk.jpg

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/5500/f15c011fu.jpg

[sfu_lifer]

Wow. That airplane game looks really good as is DOA4 (backgrounds) and PGR3.
Dead Rising and Frame City Killer don't look next-gen at all.
I wish they announced more RPGs although that one from FROM software looks interesting.

[Headhunter]

Shots look awesome, but I'll still treat all next-gen pics as prototypes until we see video of someone playing a console that looks that good.

[jerryhussain]

Shots look awesome, but I'll still treat all next-gen pics as prototypes until we see video of someone playing a console that looks that good.
There is a video of that game on IGN. ;)

[numb555]

Shots looks amazing, can't wait! If graphics are like this and beyond, i'm getting all 3 systems!

[guest10586]

Dead or Alive graphics look pretty weak...

[puff_daddy_58_99]

PGR3 looks incredible, but seeing live in game video would be good. I also like the looks of that flying game, man that looks realistic.

DOA is just a meh for me.

[JayPatel]

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9919/9ksb9i7iy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7996/9ksbhl4oe.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2315/9ks9xe4qy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[puff_daddy_58_99]

qwerty keyboard built into the controller? wow

[ZeeTX]

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7996/9ksbhl4oe.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Is that Half-Life 3 under 'Game Engines' ? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me. :-0

[Fantaz]

Nah, I think that just says Half-Life 2. But I wonder what word is next to it after id Quake. id Quake/Doom?

[demha88]

i see a 3

[Nitram]

i see a 3

It's definatly a 2

[radeonboy]

It's definatly a 2

I see a 2 also.

[mark_in_2k]

i see a 3
I see 3 too. I took the image into Photoshop and increased the size and tried to sharpen it a little (I know, it's sad :D ). It definately has a "3" shape.

http://img318.imageshack.us/img318/874/9ksbhl4oe7sa.jpg

[P__S__2]

Chea its a 3.

[radeonboy]

I say someone go find a HQ pic of that slide and then we'll pass judgement :) I still see a 2 for some reason...

[rilhouse]

looks like xbox360 will have hd-dvd but not at launch. wtf? i'm not buying a launch 360 then. :mad:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Microsoft-Toshiba-HD-DVD-Alliance-Changes-Xbox-360-3902.shtml

[sfu_lifer]

looks like xbox360 will have hd-dvd but not at launch. wtf? i'm not buying a launch 360 then. :mad:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Microsoft-Toshiba-HD-DVD-Alliance-Changes-Xbox-360-3902.shtml
I did read somewhere that they are considering allowing early adopters to RMA their console for the upgrade. That would be cool.

[jerryhussain]

looks like xbox360 will have hd-dvd but not at launch. wtf? i'm not buying a launch 360 then. :mad:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Microsoft-Toshiba-HD-DVD-Alliance-Changes-Xbox-360-3902.shtml
Thats an old article (28 June). ;) Its only an speculation from Bill Gates' interview.

[bmaz]

Thats an old article (28 June). ;) Its only an speculation from Bill Gates' interview.
Its almost common knowledge now. Xbox will get HD-DVD once its finalized (ready).
http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20050730DVDWarsLookingForthe20thCenturyFox.html

[jerryhussain]

Its almost common knowledge now. Xbox will get HD-DVD once its finalized (ready).
http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20050730DVDWarsLookingForthe20thCenturyFox.html
Microsoft's alliance with Toshiba is being touted to be very strong but MS officials keep denying it. (for now) :twisted:

[bmaz]

Microsoft's alliance with Toshiba is being touted to be very strong but MS officials keep denying it. (for now) :twisted:
MS will do anything to stick it to Sony at this point.
To think the results of the upcoming console war might be directly impacted or have direct impact on the HD format wars.

[jerryhussain]

MS will do anything to stick it to Sony at this point.
To think the results of the upcoming console war might be directly impacted or have direct impact on the HD format wars.
From the interviews of J Allard, R Bach & Bill Gates you can clearly see their tone of not betting on either of the formats.

[BoxsterS]

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 launch systems will ship with a standard DVD drive and then integrate the HD-DVD drives later on when manufacturers start producing them in mass quantity. My question is: Why would anyone buy an Xbox 360 launch system only to see it become obsolete, from a DVD perspective, within 6 months? The good news, however, is that games will be shipped on standard DVD format for some time. Which is good news if you like to backup your games.

[BoxsterS]

Is that Half-Life 3 under 'Game Engines' ? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me. :-0

Certainly looks like it. And right below it is the CryEngine (Crytek)

[rilhouse]

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 launch systems will ship with a standard DVD drive and then integrate the HD-DVD drives later on when manufacturers start producing them in mass quantity. My question is: Why would anyone buy an Xbox 360 launch system only to see it become obsolete, from a DVD perspective, within 6 months? The good news, however, is that games will be shipped on standard DVD format for some time. Which is good news if you like to backup your games.

if that happens i doubt any games will ship on hd-dvd. prolly the only use will be movies.

[vonteego]

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 launch systems will ship with a standard DVD drive and then integrate the HD-DVD drives later on when manufacturers start producing them in mass quantity. My question is: Why would anyone buy an Xbox 360 launch system only to see it become obsolete, from a DVD perspective, within 6 months? The good news, however, is that games will be shipped on standard DVD format for some time. Which is good news if you like to backup your games.

Sony proved that people are ?gullible? enought to re-buy a system later on for a small addition of features. The launch PS2's were later replaced by a progressive scan model and people promptly traded in their old PS2's for this progressive scan model...EBGames even had a promo, something like give in your old PS2 + 3 games and get a new progressive scan model.

Now the slim PS2 caused people to do the same thing.

[Dymis]

Sony proved that people are ?gullible? enought to re-buy a system later on for a small addition of features. The launch PS2's were later replaced by a progressive scan model and people promptly traded in their old PS2's for this progressive scan model...EBGames even had a promo, something like give in your old PS2 + 3 games and get a new progressive scan model.

Now the slim PS2 caused people to do the same thing.
I certainly didn't buy a new one since my launch unit is perfectly fine. It's one thing to add IR and progressive scan (which don't effect gaming aside from the few which use the progressive scan), but it's another to include a drive that makes possible future games to not work on your unit. It would be like PlayStation 2 being released with a CD-ROM and later upgrade to a DVD-ROM.

I take it that right now HD-DVD isn't a possible route since it's not done? I haven't been following the whole HD-DVD/Blu-Ray other than which platform uses what.

[BoxsterS]

if that happens i doubt any games will ship on hd-dvd. prolly the only use will be movies.

And this is a very good thing.... :)

[Fantaz]

From what I've read HD-DVDs can be compatible with any DVD player with just a firmware upgrade. I could be wrong though.

[jerryhussain]

From what I've read HD-DVDs can be compatible with any DVD player with just a firmware upgrade. I could be wrong though.
It would be interesting to read that article, can you find it for us.

From what I understand it is impossible as both HD-DVD & Blu-Ray use blue lasers and hence our current DVD players which use red lasers will be completely incompatible. :|

[bmaz]

From what I've read HD-DVDs can be compatible with any DVD player with just a firmware upgrade. I could be wrong though.
Yeah, a firmware update can't turn a red laser into a blue one.
What they are planning to do is have a hybrid media with one side HD-DVD content and the other side regular DVD content, at least for the interim, until one of the HD standard fully takes over.

[jerryhussain]

Probably the best racing game ever

.
.
.

[jerryhussain]

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/8720/edgeth2nq.jpg (http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6531/edge015ul.jpg)

This is an ingame screenshot. :twisted:

[puff_daddy_58_99]

PGR 3 will be THE killer launch title. It has solidified my place in line on launch date (hopefully November 4th!)

[jerryhussain]

From TeamXbox:

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/59/11231026971py.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8094/11231026994ea.jpg

[sfu_lifer]

Not too impressed with those shots.
They look like they're all dressed in plastic.

And I got this off Magic Box:
"Square Enix president Yoichi Wada told Mainichi Newspaper in Japan that the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series will appear on two or more next generation consoles, in order to reach more customers and extend the market."
So there ya go folks. Sounds like the 360 will get some traditional console RPG loving from Square as well.

[Fantaz]

Yeah, COD2 looks much better in motion than in screenshots. I really can't wait to play this game, on PC.

[Moot]

Awesome. If the Final Fantasy series does show up on XBOX 360, then there is no point buying a PS3. :lol:

[poppa]

no blood in COD2?

[jerryhussain]

PSP connected to the 360

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/5343/xbox36018uz.jpg


http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8168/xbox36023oi.jpg


http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/2996/xbox36034rp.jpg


http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/3890/xbox36049ku.jpg


http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/5871/xbox36055bk.jpg


http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/3844/xbox36068ma.jpg

[Headhunter]

Looking hot!

[KennyX]

anyone know if this (or the ps3) will have dvi output?

[bmaz]

anyone know if this (or the ps3) will have dvi output?
The PS3 will have Dual HDMI output no mention of DVI.

[Yesdear]

Sorry if this is a repeat question, I search this thread and nothing came back....

Does anyone have any pre-order info? Any EB, FS, BB employees here that know what/how the 360 will be sold (meaning are stores going to force bundles like with the PSP). Also, any final updates on the price and where would be the best place to pre-order. I am kind of leaning towards EB because they have always had the best warranty (replace vs repair). I purchased my XBOX at launch from them and was pretty happy with how things worked out.

[radeonboy]

The Xbox UI is hot!! :D

[Fantaz]

Since you were forced with a bundle when Xbox first came out I suppose they would do that with X360 as well.

[Yesdear]

Since you were forced with a bundle when Xbox first came out I suppose they would do that with X360 as well.

I can't remember now. I'm sure you are right, I just can't remember. Sucks getting old.

[bluetroll]

i can't wait for this system to come out...

hooking up an iPod to this would be pretty sick.

[canuck_fan]

nice graphics.

[Yesdear]

Has there been any talk about getting your XBOX game saves into the 360? What about transferring your XBOX live account (or user name) for use with the 360?

Once MS identifies the list of XBOX games that backwards compatible with the 360 I'm sure people would love to have the game saves too.

[sfu_lifer]

Has there been any talk about getting your XBOX game saves into the 360? What about transferring your XBOX live account (or user name) for use with the 360?

Once MS identifies the list of XBOX games that backwards compatible with the 360 I'm sure people would love to have the game saves too.
I haven't heard too many specifics but it is confirmed there will be a way to transfer your saves to the 360 and the same Live! account is good for both the 360 and the original Xbox.

[wanted]

http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/4/xbox360/xbox360_package.jpg

http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/4/xbox360/xbox360core_package.jpg

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEkuklkuFViIFLKyav.php


Retail packaging I beleive, and article on pricing.

[Canadianpsycho]

What frequency are the 360's wireless controllers on? Is it going to screw with my wireless network?

Sorry if this has been asked before.

[Headhunter]

What frequency are the 360's wireless controllers on? Is it going to screw with my wireless network?
I think the FCC would regulate frequency distribution, shouldn't be an issue.

[Wasgo]

Checking out the Xbox.com Canada site, we're getting ripped off with a retail price of $399 and $499 Canadian. Grr...

[sfu_lifer]

Checking out the Xbox.com Canada site, we're getting ripped off with a retail price of $399 and $499 Canadian. Grr...
Now that's just wrong.
Sony must be thanking their lucky stars right now. It's completely made me willing to wait for the PS3 before I jump to the next-gen gaming. I'll likely buy all 3 but not all 3 at launch :).
I'm sure Sony will charge at least a $100 more but then you're looking at the addition of a blu-ray movie player and a console with built-in HDMI as opposed to using "AV packs". PS3 is looking mighty attractive right now. Having 2 SKU's is gonna fragment the market. BIG mistake by MS. What dev in their right mind is gonna think of caching stuff to the HD by default now and having to test for that? Tsk tsk, MS. And to think I thought you've been studying past videogame history before. If Sony launches at $499 Cdn, I see another tremendous Sony win this gen.

[Canadianpsycho]

I think the FCC would regulate frequency distribution, shouldn't be an issue.

You'd think so, but yet 2.4GHz phones and 2.4GHz routers seem to screw with each other constantly depending on manufacturers.

So, blind speculation aside, anyone know?

[Canadianpsycho]

Now that's just wrong.
Sony must be thanking their lucky stars right now. It's completely made me willing to wait for the PS3 before I jump to the next-gen gaming. I'll likely buy all 3 but not all 3 at launch :).
I'm sure Sony will charge at least a $100 more but then you're looking at the addition of a blu-ray movie player and a console with built-in HDMI as opposed to using "AV packs". PS3 is looking mighty attractive right now. Having 2 SKU's is gonna fragment the market. BIG mistake by MS. What dev in their right mind is gonna think of caching stuff to the HD by default now and having to test for that? Tsk tsk, MS. And to think I thought you've been studying past videogame history before. If Sony launches at $499 Cdn, I see another tremendous Sony win this gen.

Except that Sony won last gen with the exact same approach 360 is taking now. Be out first.

I pretty much plan on owning both.

[Carnage]

Except that Sony won last gen with the exact same approach 360 is taking now. Be out first.

I pretty much plan on owning both.

That's not always a winning strategy though.

Just ask Sega,Atari, or Panasonic if coming out first always works. All 3 have crashed and burned on that strategy(SEga more then once).

[dvdvideo]

$499 for a system with a headset, wireless controller, component hd cables, hard drive, and the media center remote, and has about more graphical power than today's best $2000 pc's for gaming?
Count me in. Seems like a bargain actually when you figure the hardware inside.
Still cheaper than today's best pc video card and more powerfull.

[Fantaz]

Check for more pics/info on this site (http://www.xbox.com/en-ca/leipzig2005/default.htm?level1=encahome&level2=hero&level3=leipzig) under the Related Links on the top right.

Hmm... $50 for a memory card?! I guess I'll go with the hard drive for my saves. Also I don't see many people buying a lot of $20 plastic faceplates.

Nice to see that they are also releasing a VGA cable for computer monitors to get cheap HD quality. Now that sounds reasonable for $50.

Well I'm still not getting the system until there's at least a game that appeals to me exclusively for Xbox 360.

[Headhunter]

You'd think so, but yet 2.4GHz phones and 2.4GHz routers seem to screw with each other constantly depending on manufacturers.
Isn't that a case of certain manufacturers breaking the rules? Or have I been drinking too much of the regulatory board Kool-Aid...

[Carpe Diem]

Question: I have a VGA and a HDMI plug on my projector, so witch one should i use with the Xbox360?

What's better VGA or HDMI? or are they the same.

[JayPatel]

From the Gaming-Age forums

This is a press release from E3 2005 that is stilll available on XBOX.COM. Notice any discrepancies between this and the SKU's that were announced today??

The Xbox Platform — Powering the Xbox 360 Games and Entertainment
Xbox 360 is designed with a singular platform vision that fuses high-performance hardware and intelligent software and services so the player is always in power. Offering the greatest value in entertainment today, Microsoft detailed more key platform experiences that come standard with every Xbox 360 system:

* An IBM PowerPC-based CPU with three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each, packing the most advanced AI and physics processing available
* A custom ATI Graphics processor and more than 512 MB of memory for high-definition games and entertainment applications
* All games optimized for 16:9 aspect ratio, HD output (720p and 1080i), multichannel surround sound output, and full-screen anti-aliasing
* Detachable and expandable 20GB hard drive to download demos and trailers along with new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins, community-created content and more, to rip music for playback and to listen to custom playlists in every game
* A wireless controller with Microsoft®-patented wireless technology; Xbox Guide Button on every controller to instantly connect gamers to their games, friends and music, and to power on or power off Xbox 360 without their having to leave the couch
* Gamer Profile software that remembers what players have achieved in games
* Instant, out-of-the-box access to Xbox Live, including a built-in Ethernet port for connectivity; Xbox Live Marketplace for downloadable content; a Message Center to receive voice and video messages from friends; functionality that let users talk to friends, even while watching movies or listening to music; and an Xbox Live Headset
* Three USB 2.0 ports for Xbox Live Camera peripheral, to plug in wired game controllers that are also common for Windows®-based PCs; to stream media from a portable media device, digital camera and Windows XP-based PC
* Progressive-scan DVD movie playback out of the box; DVD and CD music and photo playback out of the box; support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, Windows Media® Audio CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
* Media Center Extender built in to access recorded TV (including high-definition TV) and digital movies (including high-definition film), music, video and photos stored on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs through any Xbox 360 system
* Support for up to four wireless game controllers and an optional Universal Media Remote with Windows XP Media Center Edition Button for Media Center Edition functionality
* Support for Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter via 802.11b, g and a
* Interactive, full-screen 3-D visualizers
* Two memory unit ports to save data on portable memory units, starting at 64 MB
* Detachable Face so each console can be personalized
* Parental Controls to help restrict the games and movies that are played; Xbox Live controls to manage Friends List, voice and video communication, and Gamer Profile sharing

[sfu_lifer]

Yeah, I'm very much bummed about the broken promises (Nintendo also with the just announced $99US Gameboy Micro - announced as the "price of one game")

[Yesdear]

This may be the first launch system I buy without games. $499....ouch. Anyone else think the price for the accessories is a little high?? $49 for an extra controller?!?

[masta_mindz]

thats $49 USD too, unless your talking the wired one, which will seem pretty weird to me if you have one wireless, one wired.

[luthair]

thats $49 USD too, unless your talking the wired one, which will seem pretty weird to me if you have one wireless, one wired.

Its not USD, its in Canadian Dollars.

[JayPatel]

yeah the accessories is definitely overkill in terms of price. 100 USD for a 20GB harddrive??? insane.

also so much for experiencing the HD era if you buy a core pack. You dont even get component cables...thats going to set you back another 40 USD. Might as well splurge the extra 60 USD and get the premium pack. This pricing model makes absolutely no sense.

[JayPatel]

Its not USD, its in Canadian Dollars.

the wireless controller is 49.99 USD. the wired one is 39.99 USD

* Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB). 20 GB and detachable, the hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace and more (estimated retail price $129.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64 MB). Easily portable, this lets gamers save games, in-game achievements and unique gamer profiles for quick and easy access on the go (estimated retail price $49.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. The same hassle-free high-performance precision wireless gaming that comes with the premium edition features the Xbox Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music and games libraries as well as a range and battery life of up to 30 feet and 30 hours of life on two AA batteries (estimated retail price $59.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit. This allows plug and play for high-performance, precision wireless gaming with the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. Gamers will be given ample warning when the end of battery life is nearing so they can connect the Play & Charge cable for uninterrupted play (estimated retail price $29.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 rechargeable battery pack. This provides up to 25 hours of gameplay for wireless gaming fun (estimated retail price $14.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter. With this, gamers can chat with friends and play games via Xbox Live, as well as stream videos and music to Xbox 360 from a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC, all without the clutter of wires (estimated retail price $129.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Headset. This heightens the Xbox Live experience by letting gamers strategize with teammates or trash-talk opponents while playing games (estimated retail price $29.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. Sold as an accessory, this integrated control center for the entire digital experience lets consumers play DVDs, movies and music, as well as control a TV and their Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC controls with a single controller (estimated retail price $39.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable (U.S. only) Xbox 360 SCART AV Cable (Europe only). This versatile cable works for both high-definition and standard-definition TVs that use S-Video or composite video inputs. It provides optimal audio and video signal transfer (estimated retail price $39.99 CDN*).
* Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable. Gamers can experience high-definition gaming on flat-panel TV or VGA monitors. This cable provides optimal audio and video signal transfer (estimated retail price $49.99 CDN*).

[Yesdear]

yeah the accessories is definitely overkill in terms of price. 100 USD for a 20GB harddrive??? insane.

also so much for experiencing the HD era if you buy a core pack. You dont even get component cables...thats going to set you back another 40 USD. Might as well splurge the extra 60 USD and get the premium pack. This pricing model makes absolutely no sense.


Don't forget if you buy the base package you won't be saving your games without a memory card. Not sure how much that is. I guess all 360 games will not require a hard drive for cache.

[Sgt_Strider]

Question: I have a VGA and a HDMI plug on my projector, so witch one should i use with the Xbox360?

What's better VGA or HDMI? or are they the same.

From the post above, the xbx360 will use VGA. HDMI is better since it's a digital connection while VGA is analog.

[jaigandhi5]

MAN WTF!!!

499$ for the package?? :(

its 399USD in us which is 483.406 CAD why do we have to pay more!!!

499+tax!! :-0 :-0 :-0

WHICH IS A WHOPPING>>>>> $573.85!!!!!!!!! >:( >:( >:(

[jerryhussain]

From the Gaming-Age forums

This is a press release from E3 2005 that is stilll available on XBOX.COM. Notice any discrepancies between this and the SKU's that were announced today??
Microsoft employees screw-ups ... whats new ? :lol:

edit: jaigandhi, take the taxes out as that is due to our government not Microsoft. Paying 17CAD over the US price isnt such a big deal. Now imagine if you were in UK, 275 pounds ... :-0

[JayPatel]

Don't forget if you buy the base package you won't be saving your games without a memory card. Not sure how much that is. I guess all 360 games will not require a hard drive for cache.

Makes you wonder how happy Square Enix is going to be. FFXI on the PS2 required the harddrive in order to play. But I imagine they've incorporated some type of streaming technologies to circumvent it. I would have liked to see the HDD standard in all packages...it allows the developers to truly code the best game for the system. Now they have to code games to accomodate the lowest common denominator.

But Hey...at least with the Premium package you also get the chrome tray cover!!

http://www.major-nelson.com/blogimages/leipzig/xbox360core.jpghttp://www.major-nelson.com/blogimages/leipzig/xbox360package.jpg

[jerryhussain]

Elveon

http://static.4players.de/premium/Screenshots/1c/b6/132332-vollbild.jpg

http://static.4players.de/premium/Screenshots/c5/82/132328-vollbild.jpg

http://static.4players.de/premium/Screenshots/18/2f/132330-vollbild.jpg

[jaigandhi5]

just to enjoy this baby ill need a projector(high end) or a 42'++ tv

so lets do some calculating

42' Plasma:
1999+Tax=2298.85
Xbox 360
573.85
===$2872.7

>:(

[radeonboy]

just to enjoy this baby ill need a projector(high end) or a 42'++ tv

so lets do some calculating

42' Plasma:
1999+Tax=2298.85
Xbox 360
573.85
===$2872.7

>:(

you will be eating bread for a long time after that, and I mean plain bread. :-0 :mad: >:(

[jaigandhi5]

i need a job.....

[wanted]

just to enjoy this baby ill need a projector(high end) or a 42'++ tv

so lets do some calculating

42' Plasma:
1999+Tax=2298.85
Xbox 360
573.85
===$2872.7

>:(
:lol:

I'm not going to bother getting one :lol:

[jaigandhi5]

:lol:

I'm not going to bother getting one :lol:
im sure all the brown "techies" are going to get one as soon as a mochip comes out for it :lol:

i know i will :lol:

[wanted]

im sure all the brown "techies" are going to get one as soon as a mochip comes out for it :lol:

i know i will :lol:
:lol:

If theres a chip...I'd be amazed :eek:

[jaigandhi5]

:lol:

If theres a chip...I'd be amazed :eek:
Nothing is impossible.... :lol:

im sure teamx is going to build some sort of a mochip for the xbox360....after all the 360 does use normal dvdr media....

funny how we are already talking about modchips and xbox360 isnt even out yet :lol:

we're so... :twisted:

[wanted]

Nothing is impossible.... :lol:

im sure teamx is going to build some sort of a mochip for the xbox360....after all the 360 does use normal dvdr media....

funny how we are already talking about modchips and xbox360 isnt even out yet :lol:

we're so... :twisted:

that kid, who showed himself with the x360, could've sold it to any team.
xec, ozxodus, probably for $10,000 or a bit less. Or maybe more on ebay!

[jaigandhi5]

that kid, who showed himself with the x360, could've sold it to any team.
xec, ozxodus, probably for $10,000 or a bit less. Or maybe more on ebay!
yea but then his dad would have lost his job....which probably pays over 100k a year :lol:

[Carnage]

yea but then his dad would have lost his job....which probably pays over 100k a year :lol:

His dad probably already lost his job.

And if the kid sold that xbox360 his dad would have been in ALOT more trouble then just losing his job.

[Yesdear]

So what package is everyone going to get? I personally am going with the $499 package to get the extras I would have bought anyway.

Take that price and add a game or two, makes you wonder how hard it will be for stores to sell extended warranties on this system. I was planning on purchasing one myself because I am going to use this system as my main entertainment device (movies, music, you name it) and am tired of worrying about overuse. It's time to enjoy what you pay so much for.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

Here's my worry....It has media centre functionality, great. There goes my neex for XBMC for the current xbox. In addition, it supports external storage devices through USB: good thing I jumped on that tiger direct USB case, that will be my external drive for movies, music, etc for the xbox 360. The problem is divx, xvid, etc. The chances that MS will include these codecs is slim to none, meaning either you re-encode everything in stupid wmv format, or you really can't watch your movies on the new xbox.

I will certainly be getting the $499 package, and probaby PGR3. Since I've had a modded xbox (bought from yesdear back in the day), i've never had the chance to play on live. That'll be the first thing to try out. I wonder how the chatting functionality will run, whether through MSN (ie. can chat with others on your regular msn list) or if it is just to other xbox users.

[Yesdear]

Here's my worry....It has media centre functionality, great. There goes my neex for XBMC for the current xbox. In addition, it supports external storage devices through USB: good thing I jumped on that tiger direct USB case, that will be my external drive for movies, music, etc for the xbox 360. The problem is divx, xvid, etc. The chances that MS will include these codecs is slim to none, meaning either you re-encode everything in stupid wmv format, or you really can't watch your movies on the new xbox.

I will certainly be getting the $499 package, and probaby PGR3. Since I've had a modded xbox (bought from yesdear back in the day), i've never had the chance to play on live. That'll be the first thing to try out. I wonder how the chatting functionality will run, whether through MSN (ie. can chat with others on your regular msn list) or if it is just to other xbox users.


I have been trying to find out more info about multimedia aspect of this system. I was hoping we could dump MP3s to the hard drive instead of streaming everything. I only have a work laptop so I would not have any use for streaming functionality.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

well it did mention the opportunity to rip mp3's to the hard drive, just like you can do now......I doubt they will allow direct access to the hard drive over the network, because then you wouldn't need MCE2005 to stream the video/music over (and they want to sell as many copies of MCE as possible).

[Yesdear]

well it did mention the opportunity to rip mp3's to the hard drive, just like you can do now......I doubt they will allow direct access to the hard drive over the network, because then you wouldn't need MCE2005 to stream the video/music over (and they want to sell as many copies of MCE as possible).


That's in the the microsoft format though, not MP3 format. I never got into ripping CDs on the original XBOX because you had to manually title the album and track. Pain in the XXX if you ask me.

What about the USB route you are taking? Could you plug in an external hard drive and play content from there?

[tonychau]

hey want to play your older xbox games on your X360.

Then expect to get the Premium package with HDD :mad:

---
A Microsoft spokesperson said the 360 requires a hard drive to play original Xbox games, meaning consumers will have to purchase the $399 version, which includes the drive, or buy a separate hard drive.

Industry sources said Microsoft is planning to launch the 360 in stores sometime between November 8 and 24, but an Xbox representative would only confirm that the system will be available in North America, Europe and Japan this Christmas season.

The company has also not announced which games will arrive with the system at launch, though dozens, including "Project Gotham Racing 3," "Perfect Dark Zero" and "Kameo: Elements of Power," are currently in development. A Microsoft spokesperson said 25 to 40 Xbox 360 games will be in stores before year's end.

[Carpe Diem]

Why not buy the core system and slap a WD 160GB HD in it. :lol:

[Yesdear]

hey want to play your older xbox games on your X360.

Then expect to get the Premium package with HDD :mad:

---
A Microsoft spokesperson said the 360 requires a hard drive to play original Xbox games, meaning consumers will have to purchase the $399 version, which includes the drive, or buy a separate hard drive.

Industry sources said Microsoft is planning to launch the 360 in stores sometime between November 8 and 24, but an Xbox representative would only confirm that the system will be available in North America, Europe and Japan this Christmas season.

The company has also not announced which games will arrive with the system at launch, though dozens, including "Project Gotham Racing 3," "Perfect Dark Zero" and "Kameo: Elements of Power," are currently in development. A Microsoft spokesperson said 25 to 40 Xbox 360 games will be in stores before year's end.


See, that makes me wonder what the heck M$ is thinking. What is the point of offering a system without a hard drive? I think the reason for two systems was so that people would not get sticker shock from the $499 price.

[jaigandhi5]

yea i think im going to wait until it gets modded/hacked....

then ill buy one from and rfder :lol:

[DJXP]

im definately hoping a hack for using our own hdd's in a base system becomes an option.

Except that Sony won last gen with the exact same approach 360 is taking now. Be out first.

I pretty much plan on owning both.


you're terribly wrong if you belive that is the only reason. "be out first."
Its everything from the success of the psx, to the games, the design/look, and yes controller. A lot of people went to the ps2 for just the controller, I mean how many little kids can hold manage the duke controller ? The "s" controller was microsucks solution to that problem though. It wasn't till the xbox's easy modability till I noticed a lot more people starting to switch over to the xbox units. Still the majority out there will own a ps2 instead of an xbox. With Xbox 360 and PS3 there will be more of a fair fight, though getting out there first is an important factor, it will get them more initial sales. Releasing Halo 3 when PS2 launches is also a sneaky tactic.
In the long run though I see PS3 taking this win also, so long as their hardware isn't as cheaply manf. as possible.

[tonychau]

MS is so backward with their hypes and promises HDD, wireless controller, HDD, XBL (gaming) would be standardize for next generation. The core system is like completing with PS2 slim with no HDD, no memory card, and one wired controller. How could MS justify their core price at $299 USD ($375 CDN). Plus a over price Memory card at $40 for 64 mb (Get 3 of the memory card, you are a pro!)

Sony and Nintendo should just repackage their PS2 slim and Gamecube as a joke with wireless controller, HDD, and cheap S-Video cable at $110 USD ($180 CDN + $50 for the extra = $230 CDN) (GC $170 CDN), just to confuse the hell out of the consumers.

For sure, then consumers would see the X360 is just a remodel of Xbox with their attachable cheap facelet.

---BTW, who are interest on the XBL, I don't want to bust your bubble. YOur X360 is include a Silver XBL only limited you for online chatting. So you are expect to pay more for gold XBL, plus your deluxe box at $399 USD.

"Both versions of Xbox 360 will include a silver membership to Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. The silver membership will allow users to access other online players' profiles, to chat and send voice and text messages to those users, and to download demos and trailers. The gold membership allows users to play against each other online."

[Fobulous]

---BTW, who are interest on the XBL, I don't want to bust your bubble. YOur X360 is include a Silver XBL only limited you for online chatting. So you are expect to pay more for gold XBL, plus your deluxe box at $399 USD.

"Both versions of Xbox 360 will include a silver membership to Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. The silver membership will allow users to access other online players' profiles, to chat and send voice and text messages to those users, and to download demos and trailers. The gold membership allows users to play against each other online."


What good is silver then... its pretty garbage if you can't play against others! read in the past that certain XBL packages would have free wkend gaming... guess that ideas been scrapped.

[dvdvideo]

How could MS justify their core price at $299 USD ($375 CDN)

Errr...it's the exact same price the core xbox and ps2 lauched at, and it's 5 years later, and we are lucky we aren't facing inflationary costs. In fact, most consoles began thier lives at around the $300 U.S mark.

[Canadianpsycho]

im definately hoping a hack for using our own hdd's in a base system becomes an option.

you're terribly wrong if you belive that is the only reason. "be out first."
Its everything from the success of the psx, to the games, the design/look, and yes controller. A lot of people went to the ps2 for just the controller, I mean how many little kids can hold manage the duke controller ? The "s" controller was microsucks solution to that problem though. It wasn't till the xbox's easy modability till I noticed a lot more people starting to switch over to the xbox units. Still the majority out there will own a ps2 instead of an xbox. With Xbox 360 and PS3 there will be more of a fair fight, though getting out there first is an important factor, it will get them more initial sales. Releasing Halo 3 when PS2 launches is also a sneaky tactic.
In the long run though I see PS3 taking this win also, so long as their hardware isn't as cheaply manf. as possible.

So you don't think about 6 months lead time isn't going to be enough to convince most folks that already drop 5 bills on a 360 to spend even more on a PS3? One of PS2's biggest factors was the fact that it had so many more games. Now 360 is going to worldwide launch (Sony isn't even sure they will be able to) and they'll have exactly what Sony had when the PS2 came out.

Amazing console or not, the PS3 is going to face an uphill battle simply because:

-360 will be out half a year early (approx)
-360 will have a sizeable game library unless PS3 launches with a huge # of titles (which ir pretty much unheard of for most console launches)
-360 will be cheaper (both at launch and more then likely cheaper when the PS3 is launched)

Hardcore morons (like me) will more then likely own both systems if Sony can come out with some good exclusive titles, but the extra features of the PS3 doesn't do much for me. The "newer" tech argument pretty much fails simply because the PS2 is the most antiquated tech of the current gen consoles and its still kickin' ass. Is it the games? Possibly. I'd be more inclined to believe the fact that most average folks don't need/want 2 game consoles. Twice the cost for the system, games, controllers, blah blah blah.

360 will be out first, and just in time for Xmas. Sony better blow everyone's socks off.

[Headhunter]

What good is silver then... its pretty garbage if you can't play against others! read in the past that certain XBL packages would have free wkend gaming... guess that ideas been scrapped.
Silver can't play against others?? I expected limitations like the only-weekend thing, but that would have been fine...

Errr...it's the exact same price the core xbox and ps2 lauched at, and it's 5 years later, and we are lucky we aren't facing inflationary costs. In fact, most consoles began thier lives at around the $300 U.S mark.
The X-Box came with a standard HD, and the PS3 will most likely soar past the PS2 launch price.

[dvdvideo]

Yeah, it came with a hd. But it wasn't near the hardware that is in this unit. When the Xbox came out it had pretty weak main processor, and video card pretty comparable to what was in top pc's. This time we get a monster machine that easily beats even the most powerfull pc in therms of graphics gaming power.

[rilhouse]

100$US extra for a 20GB HDD? wtf? :confused:

[bmaz]

100$US extra for a 20GB HDD? wtf? :confused:
Please read the entire posts before making a post like that.
You also get the wireless remote, headset, chrome drive tray, and some other minor accessories.
But its not just US$100 for a Hard Drive.

[duckdown]

Thats a PUNY HD.. No way I would buy that.. I guarantee people will have them modded within like a month, and we'll see screenshots within a week of its release..

[Headhunter]

When the Xbox came out it had pretty weak main processor, and video card pretty comparable to what was in top pc's. This time we get a monster machine that easily beats even the most powerfull pc in therms of graphics gaming power.
Alright, alright...I still think it's insane. Part of that leap is because CPU development has slowed down a bit.

[bmaz]

Thats a PUNY HD.. No way I would buy that.. I guarantee people will have them modded within like a month, and we'll see screenshots within a week of its release..
Yeah but you probably still have to buy MS's Hard Drive just to get the housing.

[dvdvideo]

It has a laptop sata drive, so it would cost about $70-80 anyhow.

[Carpe Diem]

Question: I have a VGA and a HDMI plug on my projector, so witch one should i use with the Xbox360?

What's better VGA or HDMI? or are they the same.

Anyone have an answer on this?

Also, Has anyone herd if you will be able to surf the net on the 360?

[Marlek]

At this point, no DVI or HDMI have been announced for the 360. So in terms of connection, VGA is the best way to go (which is an adaptor to be purchased at additional cost).

That said, HDMI would be the better choice if it were available, since it is a true digital connection vs. analog VGA.

I'm somewhat irked that DVI / HDMI aren't available as an option... I could have had all HDMI to my projector without having to worry about bulky component or VGA cables! :cheesygri

[wanted]

http://www.planetxbox360.com/?view=article&article=83

Marketing brochure.

[Moot]

Well, I will no doubt be getting the premium package. I want the hard drive, wireless controller, and HD A/V cables since I will have a DLP by the time 360 comes out (I'm saving all of my pennies). :lol:

With the HD A/V cable that is included in the premium package, I only see L/R audio connections. What about surround sound? Am I going to have to buy a separate optical audio cable? Does the 360 have an optical connection? Any pics showing this?

[sfu_lifer]

Also, Has anyone herd if you will be able to surf the net on the 360?
Nope. MS doesn't want you doing PC things on the Xbox 360. It will undercut their PC business which is their bread and butter. I'm hoping we see a hacked Firefox someday on it.
And you'd be crazy not to buy the Premium edition. You're only option to pay up $40 for a saved games memory cartridge so you might as well go all out and get the cables and the HD (and the "limited time" remote).

[Carpe Diem]

http://www.planetxbox360.com/?view=article&article=83

Marketing brochure.

Thank-you, That was a plethora of info!

[stockbones]

any information on other accessories?
i thought i saw a keyboard that could be added to the underneath the controller

[Carpe Diem]

This is interesting... www.origenxbox360.com

I wonder what it is..... :?:

[sfu_lifer]

any information on other accessories?
i thought i saw a keyboard that could be added to the underneath the controller
That was the special thumb-board controller in the Spain brochure.
I haven't seen any mention of it. MS keeps pushing voicechat which is useless for entering any sort of information.

[Fantaz]

Chat with J. Allard starts in a few minutes!

http://www.majornelson.com/2005/08/20/chat-with-j-allard

Already over 1500+ users in chat.

[poppa]

I wonder if someone will ask about John Carmack's comments toward the 360 as "half the performance of desktop cpu's. "

[dvdvideo]

Chat a disaster, laggy, booting people, half hour gone by and one question answered. The biggest tech company in the world and they can't host a chat? Brutal.
This makes them look really bad.....and I'm an xbox supporter.

[jaigandhi5]

Chat a disaster, laggy, booting people, half hour gone by and one question answered. The biggest tech company in the world and they can't host a chat? Brutal.
This makes them look really bad.....and I'm an xbox supporter.
i cant even get in... <_<

[dvdvideo]

Transcript

Major Nelson (Moderator): We are just about to get started
Major Nelson (Moderator): Welcome to today’s chat. I am happy to have J join us for an hour to take your questions on the Xbox 360. Just to let you know, due to J's injury he does have someone typing for him, but all of the answers are directly from J himself. With that said...welcome J. Also, we already have over 1,000 questions...many of which are similar, so we'll chose the ones that are most representative of the majority of the questions.

J Allard (Expert):
A: we'll get going with the first question now....
J Allard (Expert):
Q: My question: Can Microsoft guarantee that the HDD will be fully uitilised when present or are we going to see long load times with a slow DVD unit as standard from most developers.
A: just like last generation utilization of things like xbox live and the hard drive will be up to the game designers and just like last time we expect game developers to be excited by this. we have been in clear communication for more than a year that some scenarios will include a disconnected hard drive and it has not slowed them down

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Mr. Expert, will the Xbox 360 games use the hard drive for game saves and caching like the original Xbox did?
A: absolutely. we think game designers have all kinds of innovative ideas that the hard drive will be used for. use of the hard drive is not limited to game scenarios. like xbox 1 you will be able to do things like rip and store music and don't forget about live scenarios and all the downloadable content

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why is the hard drive so highly priced? A 20GB hard drive now a days goes for about 20-30... why $100? I believe this will deter alot of sales..
A: the 20 gb hard drive is a 2.5 inch user servicable drive and is more expense than a pc "crack the box" drive. it's one of the reasons we pushed to create a compelling premium bundle.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why is the hard drive so highly priced? A 20GB hard drive now a days goes for about 20-30... why $100? I believe this will deter alot of sales..
A: one of the reasons that we designed a user removable hard drive is in direct response to the hard core gaming audience to make it easier to take game saves, game maps, soundtracks, etc. easily to their friends house or lan party. they also wanted the ability to upgrade to larger capacity drives. and if the drive is not present because someone in the house took it on the road, you still want to be able to use the console for movies, music or games.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: will the loss of HDD mean that all games will be made without the HDD in mind, therefore effecting users of the premium pack?
A: absolute not. consider this last generation where somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of game consoles had hard drives attached. this did not deter game developers from utilizing the hard drive both for exclusive games and cross platform games on xbox. this generation our first party team and our exclusive content developers are just as committed to using the hard drive and like we they demonstrated with this generation our third party cross platform developers are committed as well. games like splinter cell, madden, and tony hawk all demonstrated unique capabilities in hard drive configured systems.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Can we stream videos from our PCs?
A: yes. if you have media center on those pcs. you will be able to stream standard and high definition video.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why even offer the core package, its seems quite useless
A: great question! the thing to remember that while we designed a no compromises game system, a huge percentage of our customers are not like the folks in this chat room. recognize that more than 75% of the folks on xbox have not played halo. by introducing the core system we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market just like with the xbox 360 premium bundle that we are committed to you.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why even offer the core package, its seems quite useless
A: the significance of this message can not be understated. many of the publishing and retail partners want our commitment to grow the market. and as you have heard from us in our press conferences and such we are very committed to growing the market.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Can you use your Xbox live gamertag for xbox live gold on the 360?
A: absolutely. we want to make sure you can preserve your identity, friends, and investment in xbox live moving forward with xbox 360 and of course you can keep gaming with your identity on xbox 1.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why not package the Xbox 360 with only the hard drive and a wireless controller for $349.99, so that you can have one SKU
A: good question and one of the many combinations we looked at. with our research with hard core gamers, retailers, and the broader market, we felt like these two configurations were the right starting point. the great news is that the way we have desgined the system in a modular way we can easily adjust these configurations over time.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: wILL THEE CABLES IN THE 400 PACKAGE WORK WITH MY T.V THAT USES A/V CALBES?
A: the av pack bundled with the premium pack will work with component and composite cables. this means it will pretty much work with all hd and sd sets out there. the other cool thing is that you can take that cable between high def and standard def tvs.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: What is your opinion on HD-DVD?
A: it's going to be interesting to see how and if a high def format for movies plays out. when we designed the the initial xbox many people asked if sacd or dvd audio would be the successor to the cd format for music. as everyone knows the real successor was mp3 and digital distribution with things like napster ipod and msn music. while there is a lot of talk about this in the industry it will be interesting to see what the exact future of this is for movies. of course i think there will be a need for higher capacity optical media for storage applications. we prefer hd-dvd to blu-ray in terms of the flexibility it offers to different applications as well as the infrastructure costs to the market.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Will consumers be able to purchase and download songs or other media directly through the Live Marketplace?
A: not at launch. it is something we would love to get your feedback on. please give us your thoughts.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Will developers utilize the hard drive when one is detected, or will most games be made without using it at all? Will the HD speed up load times?
A: speeding up load times is one of the many things a hard drive can be used for but really it is up to the imagination of the developer. we have been talking with game developers for a while now to make sure that games will load efficiently without a hard drive present. in terms of load times, as a gamer i am super sensitive to how frustrating load times can be which is one of the reasons we put in a dual layer 12x dvd in the system to make sure gamers get great perf with or without a hard drive. one of the challenges with new optical formats when they first come out is the performance of the media which was a consideration when we decided what the optical format for xbox 360 would be.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Can a USB Memory been used by the xbox 360??(I'm asking this because the 360 has USB ports)
A: at present our design for xbox 360 uses the usb ports in a read-only capacity for playing music and viewing photos. if there are other applications that you guys think are interesting then please give us your feedback.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why doesn't wifi work out of the box?
A: we worked with game designers and talked to hard core gamers and asked them what their top priorities were and the bulk of our investment went into the silicon to the cpu and the gpu so we would have kick **** games. we had a fixed budget and could not do it all. in the end we had a budget and had to offer wifi as an option but we did decide to add "a" as a standard in addition to b and g. we are also compatible with existing devices already on the makret.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: will the core system come with a memory card? if not, how can u save games?
A: no it does not come with a memory unit. gamers will need an mu or a hard drive to save games with which is consistent with the games industry for the last decade.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: will the core system come with a memory card? if not, how can u save games?
A: i think it is really important to emphasize especially for the folks in this chat room that we did not design the core system around you guys. similar to the shuffle, the boxter, the 4:3 tv, the 1mpix camera, we designed the core system as a way to get folks to come into the family at a cheaper prices and decide if an how they scale the system. the great thing about our approach unlike these examples is that the core owner can upgrade the system and match the capabilities of the premium system when the time is right for them.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Will a completely black 360 be available?
A: not currently in plan for launch but as you know we will have removable faceplates and i expect down the line we will get feedback that people want other colors and we will provide it

[dvdvideo]

Continued

J Allard (Expert): This in from e-mail: Got a question about the $399 price point for Xbox 360. Feels steep.
J Allard (Expert): i think that the capabilities we are offering with xbox 360 are unmatched in the history of videogaming. it's a great value. and the system that most of the folks in this chat room are going to prefer. i saw a posting earlier today where someone looked up the historical prices and capabilities of games systems. it was worth noting that the ps2 launched at $368 (in japan) with no hard drive, no online service, no mu, no wireless, no voice, no network adapter, no remote, and only support for 2 controllers. that's not reason we priced the system this way but it does provide a comparitive frame of referencfe for what you are getting. when you consider you are getting the most powerful games system, best cd player, digital media player, movie player, etc. it's a great value.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why do they have the core package? Why doesn't microsoft just release the package with the Harddrive so developers will be able to fully utilize it?
A: independent of the configurations we have at launch it was imparative that we work with developers now to abstract the storage system because (1) the drive is removable and we want people to play even if the drive is not present (2) another possibility is that 5 years from now that you want more storage on the box or on the network and be able to take advantage of that. by abstracting storage in the system we are making sure that all xbox 360 games will work on all configurations moving forward and early customers will be able to take advantage of future scenarios like bigger drives and network storage.

J Allard (Expert): Another one from mail: What about backward compatibility in the core system?
J Allard (Expert): because we didn't abstract storage in the first generation xbox back compat will require a hard drive. the good news is that the core system owners can upgrade if they deside to update at a later date.
J Allard (Expert):
Q: When can we expect an official release date to be announced?
A: this is our last question we are able to take for the chat and then i have one thing i want you guys to know after. answer in short is: stay tuned. just like all of you talking about the system around the clock we are working around the clock to finish the system and the games. we will have more announcments soon.

J Allard (Expert): i just want to thank the community for the enthusiam and passion for xbox since the beginning. conversations like this are super valuable and we would love to do this again.

in summary we tried to optimize launch around three critical audiences

[1] - the game developer - by offering them a no compromises platform with great hardware, tools and the leading online service with live.
[2]- the hard core gamer - by putting together a configuration with everything you would want at a compelling price.
[3] the entry level gamer - that wanted to get into next generation gaming and was excited by the media capabilities and wanted an entry level option

i know the multiple configuration strategy has introduced some confusion and concern with the hard core gamers in particular. hopefully this has helped explain some of the thinking that went into it. if you - like me - want gaming to get bigger and want to see more creative games out there we need to grow the market.
J Allard (Expert): like the consumer electronics industry or the automotive industry having a family of products (we believe) will be good for the market.

at the end of the day, you guys make xbox a success and we designed xbox for you and dialogs like this are what have gone into the xbox program to date and will continue to give life to xbox for years to come.

let's keep the dialog going. thanks for your time.

i should also mention that we know a lot of folks could not make it into the chat and will be interested in this dialog so know that we will be posting all of this onto majornelson.com and sorry for the lag (it's been hard for us too).

[jerryhussain]

Thanks for the transcript dvdvideo. :)

[dvdvideo]

Not a problem, wish they hah answered more questions though.

Still, a 360 will be mine later this year, even if I have to sell a whole bunch of stuff to afford it, LOL.

[sfu_lifer]

I still think it's stupid to fragment the market this way.
$349 and pack in that laptop HD. No pulling wool over folks heads just so you can advertise "$299"

[puff_daddy_58_99]

the whole thing isn't really encouraging. I mean, the lack of HD will really limit the potential of games....remember you couldn't save a KOTOR game on a memory card, it was too big....you needed to have the hard drive. In the same way, I couldn't imagine playing games off a CD now that I have them all on a modded HD, it's so much faster.

I have no problem with the two price points, but really a $350 launch and $450 launch would have been better if it meant everyone had a HD, and then the $450 one could have included a wifi adaptor, or second controller or something.

I'll still be getting it in November, just not too sure on the direction they are taking the console.

[radeonboy]

I'm gonna wait until prices drop down and by then the PS3 comes out to make my judgement. I know know never to buy anything when it first comes out like I did with my Xbox 1, because now after the pricedrops, Xbox 1 costs soo cheap I got ripped offf.. >:( ;)

[eliteblaze]

a HD costs little to nothing for a 20 gb laptop drive anyways. I think a 40gb 5400 rpm drive is $90 :p

[Carpe Diem]

I don't know too much about HD's but couldn't you just use a SATA to IDE converter and hook up a Normal HD.

[dvdvideo]

No. Part of the reason they used a lap top drive is it's more durable against shock, vibrations, etc.

I think the whole hard drive issue is overblown, since the new dvd drive is 6 times faster than the xbox dvd driver.
Also, most developers never used the xbox hard drive, even though it was there to use.

[Headhunter]

No. Part of the reason they used a lap top drive is it's more durable against shock, vibrations, etc.

I think the whole hard drive issue is overblown, since the new dvd drive is 6 times faster than the xbox dvd driver.
The HD is important more for persistent content, than faster loading times.

Also, most developers never used the xbox hard drive, even though it was there to use.
I thought that was stupid, can't justify that. Platformers and the like don't need it, but there were a lot of titles that could have benefitted from permanent storage and chose to go cheap/lazy...

[jerryhussain]

As expected Premium packs are getting sold out (preorders).

[dvdvideo]

The HD is important more for persistent content, than faster loading times.

That only holds true if they would actually use it....which they have proven they will not. I was hoping for a standard hard drive too but in the end it might not matter. Besides, the few developers that used it in the past will still optimize games for loading from the hard drive.

Pre-orders.....where are they even selling them besides eb and toys are us?

I've been waiting for Futureshop to start pre-booking, I won't stand in line at EB while the eb sales people flog extra stuff one by one. Halo 2, they put thru like one customer every 10 minutes, a blazing pace.

[JayPatel]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/644/644005p1.html

Confirmation that in order to play FFXI, you will need the Premium pack or buy the hard drive seperately.

[jerryhussain]

Pre-orders.....where are they even selling them besides eb and toys are us?

I've been waiting for Futureshop to start pre-booking, I won't stand in line at EB while the eb sales people flog extra stuff one by one. Halo 2, they put thru like one customer every 10 minutes, a blazing pace.

IF I ORDER NOW AM I GUARANTEED A CONSOLE FOR LAUNCH / CHRISTMAS?
Unfortunately not - demand for Xbox 360 has been phenomenal. We have now sold out of our expected first allocation and are unable to promise delivery before Christmas if you place an order after 14:30 on 22nd August 2005. Its always possible we will still be able to secure you a unit for launch, but unless we are 100% confident we are not willing to make you that promise.

http://shop.game.net/lowdown.aspx?lid=5128

There is also another retailer where it was sold out already.

[Yesdear]

That only holds true if they would actually use it....which they have proven they will not. I was hoping for a standard hard drive too but in the end it might not matter. Besides, the few developers that used it in the past will still optimize games for loading from the hard drive.

Pre-orders.....where are they even selling them besides eb and toys are us?

I've been waiting for Futureshop to start pre-booking, I won't stand in line at EB while the eb sales people flog extra stuff one by one. Halo 2, they put thru like one customer every 10 minutes, a blazing pace.


I would say your best bet is Future Shop or Best Buy. They will have a large pre-order allocation because of their buying power. Another option may be blockbuster believe it or not. I pre-ordered at EB over a month ago only because no one else was taking them and I had 70% of the total cost to put down. I knew if I didn't that hole in my pocket would get larger and larger and the RFD demons would tempt me with shiny objects.

Just to add to your EB comment.... I recently returned to EB to add additional money to my pre-order and was told they cannot do that. They said they would have to cancel my pre-order and start a new one and then they couldn't guarantee my 360 for launch.

Rant # 1 - Do not take pre-orders if you cannot deliver on the pre-order when I want it. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where he reserves a rental car and then is told there are no cars available when he goes to pick it up.

Rant # 2 - EB - I am entering a change request order for your software and stop hiring obnoxious (boarding on ignorant) staff that possess 'Used Car' sales tactics.

Ok, I feel better now.....nothing to see here, move along.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

So, as far as pre-orders go

a) has anyone pre-ordered
b) how much was it
c) when was the estimated release, according to the people who took your money?

[Headhunter]

Is anyone offering an X-Box 360 preorder bonus (savings and/or "gift")?

If not, I can't understand why anyone would put their money down up front, when places like Wal-Mart are bound to have copious stock.

[tonychau]

You forgot about the "limited" edition of the "Remote" with the Standard Pkg.

Core pkg is nth with HDD.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

EB Games is offering 2 pre-orders

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/systems/xbox360/default.asp?site=NLF0823
__________________________________________________ ______
Xbox 360 Ultimate Bundle
$699.92
Limit 1 per customer.
If you're a serious gamer looking for the ultimate console, the search ends here. Fully loaded, the Xbox 360 Ultimate Bundle is the unsurpassed gaming and entertainment experience right out of the box, with a selection of games and accessories hand-picked for power gaming.

This bundle includes:

* Xbox 360 Premium System
o Xbox 360 Game Console
o Wireless Controller
o Combination High-Definition Component and Standard A/V Cable
o 20GB Hard Drive
o Ethernet Cable
o Headset
o Universal Media Remote
o Xbox Live Silver
o Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
* Perfect Dark Zero Limited Edition
* Dead or Alive 4
* Kameo: Elements of Power
* Project Gotham Racing 3
* Extra Wireless Controller
* Play & Charge Kit (for extra controller)
* Rechargeable Battery Pack (for included controller)
____________________________________________
Xbox 360 Core Bundle
$599.93
Limit 1 per customer.
The Xbox 360 Core Bundle includes everything you need to hit the ground running. Plug in the console and controllers and fire up one of the four games included. Then decide what extras you add and when—it's expandable to the full Xbox 360 experience.

This bundle includes:

* Xbox 360 Core System
o Xbox 360 Game Console
o Wired Controller
o Composite A/V Cable
o Xbox Live Silver
o Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
* Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition
* Dead or Alive 4
* Kameo: Elements of Power
* Project Gotham Racing 3
* Extra Wired Controller
* Memory Unit (required to save games without hard-drive)

This bundle does not include the hard drive needed to play games created for the original Xbox
__________________________________________________ __

Oh, and those are in US dollars......$799 is INSANE. You are paying $200 for 4 extra games and an extra controller, which isn't bad but sure is a lot of money to fork out....I would probably get PGR3 and DOA anyways....hmmmm, I might try and find out what the canadian price will be for this.

[fuhreal]

Good LORD!!! Thats expensive!!!

So what do you guys think about how blue ray is being backed by companies that have pulled out of HD DVD. If HD DVD fails, and blue ray is sony propriatory, wouldn't Xbox be at a disadvantage?

[jerryhussain]

If HD DVD fails, and blue ray is sony propriatory, wouldn't Xbox be at a disadvantage?
Microsoft could join the Blu-Ray association after all they could lock out Blu-Ray out of Vista and it'll be a big blow. :cheesygri

[tonychau]

Wow, priceless! That's probably would be on my WISH list this christmas.
I don't think I would spend almost $1000 cdn on one purchase just on games. Good bundle though.

Xbox (1) has 4 years life span.
Xbox 360 probably has 3-4 years life span, given if PS3 release in 2006, so
Xbox 720 would be out by 2008-2009, 2 years after PS3 released.

Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) would fit in after 2 years on 2007, after PS3 release with Blu-ray?

If Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) release around same time with PS3 in 2006, X360 (DVD)would has 1 years life span.

The timing is not right.


---Tony

[jerryhussain]

Wow, priceless! That's probably would be on my WISH list this christmas.
I don't think I would spend almost $1000 cdn on one purchase just on games. Good bundle though.

Xbox (1) has 4 years life span.
Xbox 360 probably has 3-4 years life span, given if PS3 release in 2006, so
Xbox 720 would be out by 2008-2009, 2 years after PS3 released.

Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) would fit in after 2 years on 2007, after PS3 release with Blu-ray?

If Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) release around same time with PS3 in 2006, X360 (DVD)would has 1 years life span.

The timing is not right.


---Tony
The lifespan of 360 will depend on its success, not on the history/performance of its predecessor. :idea:

[JayPatel]

Im pretty sure you are going to see a longer lifespan for this upcoming generation of consoles...

Wow, priceless! That's probably would be on my WISH list this christmas.
I don't think I would spend almost $1000 cdn on one purchase just on games. Good bundle though.

Xbox (1) has 4 years life span.
Xbox 360 probably has 3-4 years life span, given if PS3 release in 2006, so
Xbox 720 would be out by 2008-2009, 2 years after PS3 released.

Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) would fit in after 2 years on 2007, after PS3 release with Blu-ray?

If Xbox 360 (HD-DVD) release around same time with PS3 in 2006, X360 (DVD)would has 1 years life span.

The timing is not right.


---Tony

[Yesdear]

EB Games is offering 2 pre-orders

Xbox 360 Ultimate Bundle
$699.92

Xbox 360 Core Bundle
$599.93

Oh, and those are in US dollars......$799 is INSANE. You are paying $200 for 4 extra games and an extra controller, which isn't bad but sure is a lot of money to fork out....I would probably get PGR3 and DOA anyways....hmmmm, I might try and find out what the canadian price will be for this.

I just read an IGN article about this bundle and it states that this bundle is for online orders and would not be forced in store.

This is a good thing because I like living and my wife would KILL me if I spent that kind of money on a game system.

[jb22]

I think that this next gen of consoles will last until 2010. I seriously doubt that Sony, Nintendo or MS want to introduce another product until/console for a while. The PS2 came out in 2000, now it'll be 6 years later that we'll see the PS3. The X-Box came out in 2001, and the only reason the 360 is coming out so soon is becasue MS feels they need to be out first to win in this upcoming round of console wars.

I doubt either manufacturer will start R&D on the next gen of consoles until atleast 2007 if not later.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

I called both my local EB games stores last night, they said they had sold out of pre-orders long ago (started when it came out on MTV)..... Said they were only guaranteed 15 for the 1 store and 9 for the other, but that all the pre-orders were for the premium unit. They also said they knew nothing about the EBgames.com pre-order special, and that there was no such promotion in canada right now.

PS - if you look at gamestop.com, they have a pre-order for halo 3 already.....

[Yesdear]

I found this on xbox-scene. Not sure if this contest will run in Canada or not:

"Beginning August 28, 2005, Mountain Dew (Pepsi’s intense citrus soft drink) and Xbox will select a winner of an Xbox 360 console every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for nine weeks straight. To play, (US) consumers will collect codes found under the caps of Mountain Dew and other participating Pepsi products, and enter codes in a personal online account at http://www.every10minutes.com."

[Yesdear]

I called both my local EB games stores last night, they said they had sold out of pre-orders long ago (started when it came out on MTV)..... Said they were only guaranteed 15 for the 1 store and 9 for the other, but that all the pre-orders were for the premium unit. They also said they knew nothing about the EBgames.com pre-order special, and that there was no such promotion in canada right now.

PS - if you look at gamestop.com, they have a pre-order for halo 3 already.....


Not sure how EB Games knows that when Microsoft has yet to announce stock levels and how much each store will get. I don't even think production has started so anything now is a forecast at best.

"* Retailers cautious while stock allocation still unknown.
Several retailers, like GAME in the UK, put up "warnings" on their pre-order page as Microsoft did not announce final stock allocation each country or store will get yet. Read more about it on gamesindustry.biz and planetxbox360.com."

[puff_daddy_58_99]

That's 9222 xbox 360's....

Unfortunately: Promotion open only to legal United States residents residing within one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia throughout the Promotion Period. Void elsewhere and where prohibited by law, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands.

http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/scp/viewer/index.php?client_id=740&event_id=15635 for official rules

[jerryhussain]

There is a $1200 Bundle at Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=B020253C) which includes:

Xbox 360 System
Perfect Dark Collector's Edition
Project Gotham Racing 3
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead or Alive 4
Call of Duty 2
GUN
Quake 4
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Condemned
Madden NFL 06
Kameo
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit
Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery
Xbox Live 12 Month Card
1 Year Product Replacement Plan


Lets put together the prices:
(1 x $399 + (11 x $50) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $20) + (1 x $12) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $50) = $1132

RIPOFF !

[Yesdear]

There is a $1200 Bundle at Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=B020253C) which includes:

Xbox 360 System
Perfect Dark Collector's Edition
Project Gotham Racing 3
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead or Alive 4
Call of Duty 2
GUN
Quake 4
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Condemned
Madden NFL 06
Kameo
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit
Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery
Xbox Live 12 Month Card
1 Year Product Replacement Plan


Lets put together the prices:
(1 x $399 + (11 x $50) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $20) + (1 x $12) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $50) = $1132

RIPOFF !
:lol:

[wanted]

There is a $1200 Bundle at Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=B020253C) which includes:

Xbox 360 System
Perfect Dark Collector's Edition
Project Gotham Racing 3
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead or Alive 4
Call of Duty 2
GUN
Quake 4
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Condemned
Madden NFL 06
Kameo
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit
Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery
Xbox Live 12 Month Card
1 Year Product Replacement Plan


Lets put together the prices:
(1 x $399 + (11 x $50) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $20) + (1 x $12) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $50) = $1132

RIPOFF !


Games are 59.99 each though.
GUN:http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=200104
So add another 11*9.99 = $109.89
1132+109.89= 1241.89

[demha88]

im assuming those are all the launch titles

[jerryhussain]

Games are 59.99 each though.
GUN:http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=200104
So add another 11*9.99 = $109.89
1132+109.89= 1241.89
First party titles are $49.99, so all of the games included arent $59.99. Even if you ignore that and look at it your way; $41 savings when you spend 1200 bucks. It isnt even a 'cold' deal. :cheesygri

[demha88]

damn new game prices dropping so much i remember when xbox games cost 69.99 lol halo 2 anyway, been a while since i bought 1

[puff_daddy_58_99]

The price of games is how I can justify a modded xbox. I know they don't make money on the console, but when I bought Tony Hawk Underground for my gamecube, and futureshop charged $69.99 plus tax on the first day, i just said enough was enough, games are too expensive.

I'll get PGR3 at launch, maybe PDZ, but most of those other games would be a wait for review kind of purchase

[poppa]

The price of games is how I can justify a modded xbox. I know they don't make money on the console, but when I bought Tony Hawk Underground for my gamecube, and futureshop charged $69.99 plus tax on the first day, i just said enough was enough, games are too expensive.

I'll get PGR3 at launch, maybe PDZ, but most of those other games would be a wait for review kind of purchase

Remember N64/SNES cart prices? Now those were crazy prices. I still remember Street Fighter 2 Turbo for SNES $119.99...

[Emancipated]

Heard on Justin Nolan's of 360hacker.net podcast that the Xbox 360 will have water cooling? He wasn't sure and was saying about pipe cooling system, which I took to be passive cooling.

What's the dealio?

[Ziggy007]

It appears Microsoft is going to screw some people somewhere along the way. I read today that despite MS says about the HD only adding "bonuses" or "features" and is not a requirement, some companies are coming out saying that the HD will be a requirement to play, namely Square Enix with FFXI

[Emancipated]

Amazon.co.uk's #1 preorder is the Xbox360 premium. Not many are ordering their Core system.

[tonychau]

From ebgames.ca

--------------
Important information for both bundles:
We will only ship these bundles to the billing address on file with your credit card company.
These bundles will ship within the continental U.S. only and cannot be shipped to P.O. or APO boxes.
Due to the size and weight of these bundles you will be charged an additional $10 shipping and handling fee.
Dates and prices have not been confirmed and are subject to change. If a price drops before launch, you will receive the lower price.
To expedite order processing, your credit card may be charged up to 10 days before the Xbox 360 launch date.
We reserve the right to substitute or remove a game or accessory that will not be available at launch. If this occurs, you will be notified and have an opportunity to cancel at any time up until 10 days before the Xbox 360 launch date.
Bundle contents, if defective, may be exchanged only for same item subject to our return policy.
Orders will be shipped on a first-come, first-serve basis. Supplies are limited.



----------
Launch titles are still unconfirmed from MS.


im assuming those are all the launch titles

[Emancipated]

Is there a Canada release date?!

[wanted]

damn new game prices dropping so much i remember when xbox games cost 69.99 lol halo 2 anyway, been a while since i bought 1

those prices are US 49.99/59.99 = 59.99/69.99

[Canadianpsycho]

Heard on Justin Nolan's of 360hacker.net podcast that the Xbox 360 will have water cooling? He wasn't sure and was saying about pipe cooling system, which I took to be passive cooling.

What's the dealio?

I sincerely doubt its going to be liquid cooled.

Maybe a heatpipe design, like the shuttle SFF PCs.

Water cooling would be a nightmare logistically speaking. Can you imagine if there were any leaks? Or if a user knocked over their console?

[poppa]

CTRL + V from another site which quoted Hard OCP


Xbox 360 Cooling Update:
We had a couple people, after reading our Xbox 360 article, comment on Microsoftýs statements that the Xbox 360 was ýwater cooled.ý While this might be technically true, it carries a very heavy marketing spin in order to glom onto an enthusiast technology. To be succinct, the Xbox 360 is not water cooled in the way we, meaning just about every computer hardware enthusiast on the planet, tend to think of water cooling. The Xbox 360 motherboard we were shown did have a CPU heatsink in place that utilized a heatpipe. Yes, a heatpipe does have liquid in it and some H2O as well, but is usually primarily ammonia. In a heatpipe, the liquid at the ýhotý end vaporizes, and is moved to the ýcoldý end of the heatpipe by a pressure differential and convection. Once the heat is transferred to the fins in the cold end, the substance condenses and the process repeats. The CPU cooler we saw on the Xbox 360 processor looked very much like this CPU cooler seen at Plycon except the Xbox 360 cooler was taller than wider and only utilized one copper heatpipe tube.

Below is a low quality picture of the Xbox 360 internals. The tall heatsink on the right is the heatpipe unit that covers the CPU, and the wide heatsink on the left, that reminds me of a heatsink on an old Voodoo 3 3000, covers the ATI-built GPU. Obviously, the Xbox 360 is not water cooled in the conventional manner that most enthusiast relate to when they hear the term ýwater cooledý. As far as we know, there hasnýt been a water cooled Xbox since our original water cooled Xbox project back in early February 2002.

[JayPatel]

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/360/360.asp there is now a $2000.00 Omega bundle


There is a $1200 Bundle at Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=B020253C) which includes:

Xbox 360 System
Perfect Dark Collector's Edition
Project Gotham Racing 3
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead or Alive 4
Call of Duty 2
GUN
Quake 4
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Condemned
Madden NFL 06
Kameo
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit
Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery
Xbox Live 12 Month Card
1 Year Product Replacement Plan


Lets put together the prices:
(1 x $399 + (11 x $50) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $20) + (1 x $12) + (1 x $50) + (1 x $50) = $1132

RIPOFF !

[Yesdear]

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/360/360.asp there is now a $2000.00 Omega bundle

That is nuts......I want it. :twisted:

I love how they state...'One per customer'. At $1999 I don't think you are going to have too many people buying more then one.

[jb22]

That is nuts......I want it. :twisted:

I love how they state...'One per customer'. At $1999 I don't think you are going to have too many people buying more then one.

I think buying a console for that much is just stupid. I mean how do you know that all the games you're getting are even going to be any good. I am not aware of any new console that had all amazing launch titles. How can they even guarantee that all those games will be out for launch?

Sorry but I don't care how hyped you are for a gaming console, paying $2000 is kind of sad IMO. I'll wait a year and pick up the system for $100 off and grab half those titles (if by chance half of them turn out to be worth owning) for a quarter of the price as greatest hits titles.

[radeonboy]

For 2000 bucks I would save that money to buy a kickass PC yO! That would rape the Xbox 360 anyday! Or save that money to buy like two laptops for the price of a Xbox 360.

Must wait till Xbox 360 drops in price to event think of buying one.

[jerryhussain]

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/360/360.asp there is now a $2000.00 Omega bundle
Insane ! :-0

[sfu_lifer]

Well if you have money to blow. Those $2000 bundles are not designed for us cheapskates here on RFD. Those are for the really spoiled stupid rich kids.
I'm sure 3/4 of those titles will suck and be "Xbox 1.5."

[Sgt_Strider]

For 2000 bucks I would save that money to buy a kickass PC yO! That would rape the Xbox 360 anyday! Or save that money to buy like two laptops for the price of a Xbox 360.

Must wait till Xbox 360 drops in price to event think of buying one.

Yea, I much rather spend $2000 and buy a powerful computer. Besides some of the launch games are going to suck. Every launch has crappy games and I'm sure the xbox 360 is not going to be the exception.

[Marlek]

Is there a Canada release date?!

There is no official release date period, let alone in Canada. Only "sometime in November".

[jb22]

There is no official release date period, let alone in Canada. Only "sometime in November".

I think I've heard November 25th, someone from EA was on tv, some show on G4 and I think the guy let it slip although I guess the game he was talking about could always ship after or even before the actual hardware hits stores.

[sfu_lifer]

I'm really getting turned off on the 360 now.
I just read the wireless controller that is packaged in the 360 bundle doesn't come with the rechargeable battery nor the cables to charge them with.
That's an additional $20 US.
M$ really knows how to rape you. Plus with peripheral makers unable to make their stuff w/o M$ getting their blood money, it's not gonna be a pretty site for them either.
I'm gonna wait for the PS3 (MS will surely drop their price then). I got spoiled by the low prices of the Xbox 1.

[Fantaz]

Okay, ANYONE who orders that $2000 undle from gamestop deserves to have that Xbox360 shoved up their ass.

Let's ignore, for a moment, that fact that it comes with 20 titles, 60% of which will simply NOT BE OUT when the Xbox360 ships.

Have a look at these two gems :

- Your credit card may be charged up to 10 days before the 360 launch date.

In other words, we're using YOUR money to purchase our stock with! Score!


Due to the unusual size and weight of the Microsoft Xbox 360 Bundle Packs, an additional shipping and handling fee of $9.99 will be added to your order.

You sell a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR BOXED SET, and then you have to charge A F--KING HANDLING FEE???

This has to be the worst bunch of f--king scum I've seen online in a very long time.

I'm skipping on the new consoles until summer next year or so.

We reserve the right to substitute or remove a game or accessory that will not be available at launch. If this occurs, you will be notified and have an opportunity to cancel at any time up until 10 days before the Xbox 360 launch date. (price will remain same)

Speachless...

[Ziggy007]

Whatever happened to the system + one game bundle for an extra $50? Why the hell does every store have bundles with 6-20 games?

[sleepyguy]

same here... i'll be playing in 2007 probably :)

Okay, ANYONE who orders that $2000 undle from gamestop deserves to have that Xbox360 shoved up their ass.

Let's ignore, for a moment, that fact that it comes with 20 titles, 60% of which will simply NOT BE OUT when the Xbox360 ships.

Have a look at these two gems :

- Your credit card may be charged up to 10 days before the 360 launch date.

In other words, we're using YOUR money to purchase our stock with! Score!


Due to the unusual size and weight of the Microsoft Xbox 360 Bundle Packs, an additional shipping and handling fee of $9.99 will be added to your order.

You sell a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR BOXED SET, and then you have to charge A F--KING HANDLING FEE???

This has to be the worst bunch of f--king scum I've seen online in a very long time.

I'm skipping on the new consoles until summer next year or so.

We reserve the right to substitute or remove a game or accessory that will not be available at launch. If this occurs, you will be notified and have an opportunity to cancel at any time up until 10 days before the Xbox 360 launch date. (price will remain same)

Speachless...

[Carnage]

I'm skipping on the new consoles until summer next year or so.


Not too mention that launch consoles typically always have flaws in them that are fixed in the first few revisions.

So the people that drop 2 grand on that bundle will also have their xbox360 die first. Where as the people that wait a year will be using theirs probably years after the people who buy at launch.

[tonychau]

WTF, what is going on with MS Marketing camp?
First, MS introduces 2 valued bundles for different valued conscientious consumers (like there is any choose at all, the deluxe bundle owned!)

Now, the Gamestop and Ebgames introduce all this outrageous bundles (Core to Omega bundles). Does MS has any control over its distribution channels? The channels are definitely projecting $$$ greedy MS image all over the place. These kinds of bundles are killing the success of x360 launch. Maybe I am wrong with that, maybe there are people would lineup to pay $$$ for it at launch.

When PSP launched, did Gamestop and Ebgames have outrageous bundles to scare average consumers away? Conspiracy from Sony – do they have stocks with Gamestop and Ebgames?? (Current rumor has it; Sony is not planning to drop their price on PS2 when x360 launch, but who know there are still 3 months before the launch. Anything could happen to make that $1200 go to Sony’s hand)

Could you see when PS3 launch, same thing would happen with these kinds of bundles from base model to Mega-Mega-Omega bundles with Sony’s WEGA TV and Home Theatre system?

These bundles are getting out of hand. Let’s see if any companies could top those bundles any time soon.

-Tony

[Carnage]

Now, the Gamestop and Ebgames introduce all this outrageous bundles (Core to Omega bundles). Does MS has any control over its distribution channels? The channels are definitely projecting $$$ greedy MS image all over the place. These kinds of bundles are killing the success of x360 launch. Maybe I am wrong with that, maybe there are people would lineup to pay $$$ for it at launch.


Actually the weird thing is that there's probably people out there willing to spend even more $$$ when people start scalping the xbox360's.

Typically with launch consoles they sell out so quickly that they are hard to get. Xbox360 in particular will be this way as it's right before Christmas.

So I'd wager to bet that lot of people will be buying units just so they can turn around and make a killer profit off these things.

So that $1200 bundle could be turned around and sold for even more.

[Fantaz]

I think it's up to the retailers to decide bundles or not. Maybe Futureshop will offer the system by itself because they're nice like that.

[jerryhussain]

DevKits in hands of SmartXX now. They just released a bunch of pictures. Here are the XeCPU and C1(R500):

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/4645/smatxx7wl.jpg

More pictures are Xbox-Scene:

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEkVEuupVAhBWJPUsL.php

[Fantaz]

I have a feeling that there's going to be a modchip already at launch. :razz:

[Yesdear]

"Although not unexpected, it's been confirmed that there will be no way for you to move your Xbox game saves on your Xbox system to the Xbox 360. However, you will be able to transfer your current Live account to the Xbox 360, but it needs to be attached to a Microsoft Passport Network account. (Which can be done, by visiting the official Xbox site)
As well as this, you will need to re-purchase any Live Arcade games you have bought, as the games will be optimized for the Xbox 360. And for all those wondering, a gold membership will not be required to play Massively Multiplayer Online games."

[dvdvideo]

And for all those wondering, a gold membership will not be required to play Massively Multiplayer Online games

Which really makes no sense, considering you need gold to play the games online, except for the occasional free weekend on silver.

[sfu_lifer]

Actually the weird thing is that there's probably people out there willing to spend even more $$$ when people start scalping the xbox360's.

Typically with launch consoles they sell out so quickly that they are hard to get. Xbox360 in particular will be this way as it's right before Christmas.

So I'd wager to bet that lot of people will be buying units just so they can turn around and make a killer profit off these things.

So that $1200 bundle could be turned around and sold for even more.
Oh like the non-existent demand for the PSP at launch here despite the massive amount of hype from the press? Pricing and # of units will decide this. $399 is a lot of money and only the hardcore of hard will end up buying. When the PS2 launched, most folks did not have DVD players and the Xbox 360 brings nothing new this round in terms of entertainment.
MS will do their best to market this but I don't see the demand at that price for the normal job bloes."
I bet we won't see a modchip on the 360 for at least 6 months despite the availability of the devkit. The board layout will be most certainly different and from what I've heard, MS will do more board revisions this round.

[divx]

I don't think it matters that much if modchip is available on launch. the launch price of the console is too expensive for the type of people who would use modchip anyway.

[Yesdear]

I don't think it matters that much if modchip is available on launch. the launch price of the console is too expensive for the type of people who would use modchip anyway.


Good Point!

[EZman]

I think you all do know that you can pre order your system at eb games

[Yesdear]

Future Shop starts pre-order tomorrow (Aug 31st).

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/xbox360/EN/default.asp?logon=&langid=EN

[Yesdear]

I think you all do know that you can pre order your system at eb games

This is true but it doesn't mean you are pre-ordering a launch release 360. I was told by EB Games in Mississauga that they will continue to take pre-orders even if it means they cannot fill them until weeks after the release.

[DJXP]

i didnt see an ide cable, is that an sata cable for the dvd rom drive, or did they come up with something new ?

in any event this board looks very modable, hopefully opens a way to add a hdd on it for cheap.

[justlooking]

Future Shop starts pre-order tomorrow (Aug 31st).

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/xbox360/EN/default.asp?logon=&langid=EN

But what's with the "50 units will be available for pre-order on futureshop.ca, Wed August 31 and 10 units each day until September 8th"? Are they trying to create some fake hype for this? So after the 8th, you can't pre-order? Guess I should pre-order mine now!! Go! Go! Go!

[Canadianpsycho]

499 CAD for the premium bundle... Is it just me, or is that a really good price considering its lists the wireless adapter and a memory card?

Preordered. I'm printing this out and getting all those things they listed. That's a steal.

[sfu_lifer]

499 CAD for the premium bundle... Is it just me, or is that a really good price considering its lists the wireless adapter and a memory card?

Preordered. I'm printing this out and getting all those things they listed. That's a steal.
If I can use my GCs on this, I would've jumped :(
That is quite the deal (considering it's launch and all).
The 'play and charge kit' is extra, as are the wireless adapter and memcard.

[Canadianpsycho]

If I can use my GCs on this, I would've jumped :(
That is quite the deal (considering it's launch and all).
The 'play and charge kit' is extra, as are the wireless adapter and WLAN kit.


Exactly, that's gotta be an error... But even if it is, I'm raising high hell and at least getting a couple free accessories. I'll ***** and moan that I preordered with FS because of the bundle, and then they change it and I missed out on other preorder promotions.

[Yesdear]

I see it is sold out already. Also, I don't see where it states the extra items are included (memory card, wireless network card etc.).

[Canadianpsycho]

Under "more info"

Anyways, I canceled... I just think 600 bucks is gonna be too much. I'll wait for price drops and spend my money on my trip to the Carribean in two weeks.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

All I see is a button saying 'Coming soon' - does that mean they are sold out?

And how is it $600? You mean after taxes?

With the wireless adaptor (hope they didnt mean controller) and a memory card, this is a pretty good price. I will pre-order for sure.

EDIT: I got to the page, they are still sold out. Anyone know when they update? Like should I stay up till 12:01 and order then?

[Ziggy007]

Microsoft Has More Suprises

PRICING DETAILS FOR the online play system of the Xbox 360 have been revealed in a recent leak which shows that there will be two versions of the premium service available.
We had already been told by Microsoft that basic access to Xbox Live, which includes the ability to message other users but not actually play games, would be free. The premium "Gold" service however works much like the current Xbox Live subscription system where players pay a flat fee in order to access the system.

The pricing for this Gold subscription was leaked to Xbox Live France which managed to get scans of the marketing materials.

The most expensive subscription is the "Premium Gold" which comes with a 12 month subscription, a communications headset, an Xbox Live arcade game "Billiards," a $20 discount on an Xbox 360 game purchase and 200 points in the Xbox Live marketplace. All this costs $69.99.

After that one can get a basic 12 month subscription for $59.99 which has one extra month thrown in for free, or a 3 and 1 month subscription to the service for $19.99 and $7.99 respectively. µ


http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25822
-----------------------------------------------

Yes people, they told you that there would be a two tier onilne package with everyone being a silver and paying members being a gold subscriber. What Microsoft "forgot" to say is that there is two tiers to the gold membership: Plain Gold, and Premium Gold.

This whole system has turned into one big scam. MS is planning one big royal screwjob on paying gamers with this system because they will be first to the market. Do yourselves a favor and grab a PS3, your life will be much better in the end.

[impronto]

whered u guys see the preorder option. i dont see it anywhere

[actyper]

What time was stock put in? Was up at 12:15ish not there. I hope its not 3am everyday

[Canadianpsycho]

To answer everyone's questions:

-yes, 600 is after taxes and air shipping ($6.99). Actually was $586 something.
-The system was available at 6:15 am for me, with 15 units left.
-Wireless adapter, charger, memory card were all listed in the bundle. They were not in the picture however. Info: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10066139&catid=23363 This is also the link I used to order.

I want one, but I'll wait. I have a wireless bridge already, so the savings isn't huge for me. I'll wait for a pricedrop first. Sunday Ticket, Lions Tickets and my trip come first. I'll probably wait until after Xmas when the fever and hype are done and we know for sure.

[Ziggy007]

Oh it should also be noted that the first series of XBox will be shipping with only a DVD-ROM meaning that you will have to purchase many multi-disk games. Microsoft is holding off on commiting to HD-DVD because they want to see if Blu-Ray is going to do well. If Blu-Ray flops, MS will start pumping out HD-DVD versions of the 360, but if Blu-Ray wins they will start producing Blu-Ray versions of the system. Either way consumers lose :)

[TenzoR]

Do yourselves a favor and grab a PS3, your life will be much better in the end.

I don't see how buying a PS3 will be doing yourself a favour

[taro-chan]

Oh it should also be noted that the first series of XBox will be shipping with only a DVD-ROM meaning that you will have to purchase many multi-disk games. Microsoft is holding off on commiting to HD-DVD because they want to see if Blu-Ray is going to do well. If Blu-Ray flops, MS will start pumping out HD-DVD versions of the 360, but if Blu-Ray wins they will start producing Blu-Ray versions of the system. Either way consumers lose :)
errr.... the main reason for the dvd rom isnt that. Imagine the price tag for 360 if it included hd dvd or blu ray... its already at 400-500 ranges....

[Ziggy007]

Many game developers have complained to MS about their inability to choose between DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray because they don't know the storage capacities they will be dealing with and don't want to have to send out 3-4 disk games.

What happens if the launch an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray version in 6 months and developers decide not to support the DVD formats? basically people who bought first will be screwed.

Also many developers have said that Xbox is near impossible to develop for because they don't know if the consumer that buys their game will have an HD or not. Because of this many developers are going under the assumption you have one, and if you don't you can't play the game at all. Square-Enix has pretty much already said that for FFXI.

[taro-chan]

Many game developers have complained to MS about their inability to choose between DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray because they don't know the storage capacities they will be dealing with and don't want to have to send out 3-4 disk games.

What happens if the launch an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray version in 6 months and developers decide not to support the DVD formats? basically people who bought first will be screwed.

Also many developers have said that Xbox is near impossible to develop for because they don't know if the consumer that buys their game will have an HD or not. Because of this many developers are going under the assumption you have one, and if you don't you can't play the game at all. Square-Enix has pretty much already said that for FFXI.
ya. read that somewhere too. too much BSing around by MS for my tastes. Neither format is finalized and they wont jump on any. Also the HDD is external... =S... so that xbox 360 you see everywhere doesnt show the ext-HDD (they are sneaky about this too, its labeled as a "Hard drive" and doesnt mention anything about it being external.)

[c h u d]

ya. read that somewhere too. too much BSing around by MS for my tastes. Neither format is finalized and they wont jump on any. Also the HDD is external... =S... so that xbox 360 you see everywhere doesnt show the ext-HDD (they are sneaky about this too, its labeled as a "Hard drive" and doesnt mention anything about it being external.)

I'm pretty sure the HDD goes in the system - sticks in the side. It is, however, removable. As for developers not knowing if the consumer has a HDD, MS told them a while ago that there will be two systems and to accomodate that. MS also has a policy that all games - with the rare exceptions like MMORPGs - MUST be able to run without the HDD. The way MS is making the optional HDD less of an issue is that it comes with the live package you buy; so if you're playing on live you have HDD. Thus MMORPGs...you have a HDD...downloadable content...you have a HDD...I was a little dissappointed when I first read this, but if they use this method it can acutally work quite well.

[dvdvideo]

Any word yet if the Xbox 360 is pre-bookable in store at Futureshop?

[puff_daddy_58_99]

12:04 AM, just checked, no more stock online. Unfortunately the pre-order is announced on the main futureshop.ca welcome page, so whenever stock does come in it will go fast.

With the wireless adaptor ($100 value), the memory card, and the rechargeable battery pack, i'd consider the package a hot deal!

[Emancipated]

What's the ETA from Futureshop?

I'm absolutely jonesing for GPR3.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

So here's the lowdown. I emailed some people at FS, they told me that they update at midnight PST, meaning 3AM here in Ontario. aka. I will set my alarm for 2:58AM tomorrow, and try to get one (before falling back into bed.)

Anyone lucky enough to get one already? For the price (including the extras) I don't see how you can go wrong!

[masta_mindz]

is everyone 100% sure that the bundle comes with everything in the more information section? it seems that they just listed like every single accessory in that list, like they copied and pasted it, like it could be a mistake. but im not sure, has anyone emailed FS and asked are all the accessories included?

[dougi3000]

Pre order Xbox360 and recieve a $200 Touque for FREE.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/Proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10065496&catid=10869&newdeptid=22

LOL.

http://www.futureshop.ca/multimedia/products/large/10065496.jpg

[jabronie505]

Pre order Xbox360 and recieve a $200 Touque for FREE.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/Proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10065496&catid=10869&newdeptid=22

LOL.

wow... maybe we should put this in the hot deals forum :cheesygri

[dvdvideo]

Hmmm....who thinks the battery pack, charge cable, and wireless adapter is a futureshop mistake? I bet it gets removed.

[Fantaz]

Hmmm....who thinks the battery pack, charge cable, and wireless adapter is a futureshop mistake? I bet it gets removed.

I am almost certain. This is not the first time they've done something like that.

[masta_mindz]

thats what i thought. maybe i should email them. anyone else up to the task so i dont have to do it? :lol:

[c h u d]

also, why would they have h HDD and a memory card in the package....

[JayPatel]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143371

PhysX features cannot be fully handled by the X360 CPU. Sonys Cell shouldnt have a problem handling advanced physics

[dvdvideo]

PhysX features cannot be fully handled by the X360 CPU. Sonys Cell shouldnt have a problem handling advanced physics

And there are some graphics features the PS3 won't be able to do that the xbox 360 can. 3 - 3ghz cpu's will still be fine, if my single 2 ghz chip can do half life 2 physics, it doesn't bother me.

[jb22]

I agree, I mean if a developer can't push the limits with the hardware of any of the next gen systems then they probably aren't very good developers. I mean instead of complaining that one system can't pull of a certain effect or technique, should they be working a little bit harder to find an alternative method to achive their goal?

I think some developers are just plain lazy or dpn't have the budget (time) and no matter what hardware they have available, will never be able take full advantage of the hardware.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

ok, so be honest. who's staying up until 3AM EST (aka midnight pacific) to get the pre-order? Cause I sure know I am! That's right, i've got just under 2 hours to go until the order.

And if they are sold out in like 10 seconds, i'll shoot someone.

[soulflare]

nvrmind...

[dvdvideo]

Got one! For some reason firefox showed me the buy now button while explorer would not....


Edit...now they both work.....wow, they went fast. Gone in like 3 minutes.

Now all I want is for futureshop to honor the bundle as advertised....

Who knows, maybe the canadian bundle is different. We have had different bundles here before (clear xbox).

[puff_daddy_58_99]

AAAAAARGH!!!

I added it, there were 8 left. Then it just had a toque it wanted to charge me $200 for, along with the pre-order, then there was only the toque and no pre-order. This is a joke.

Come on futureshop!

[puff_daddy_58_99]

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10066093&catid=23363

The basic xbox package is also up now, but has zero in stock.

FEATURES:

* Xbox 360 Controller: This wired controller features an extended nine-foot cable and a comfortable, enhanced ergonomic design and an adjustable vibration feedback.
* XBOX 360 Faceplate: Like no other console before, the XBOX 360 console allows customization and a removable Faceplate that comes in stylish "chill" (white), which can be swapped out with other custom Faceplates to reflect gamers' personalities or decor.
* XBOX 360 Standard AV Cable: This connects gamers to the world of XBOX 360, delivering great next-generation graphics and games using standard-definition connections.

for $399

[dvdvideo]

The basic package isn't a very good value.

I think the toque was showing as $200 for me too but as I proceeded it changed to zero....I think. It definatly shows zero now in the order. The good news it seems if you are on top of it odds are good you will get one tommorow night.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

easy for those in sask. and west, but it's 3AM here in ontario and I don't think I could do another night of this!

Screw FS, i'll pre-order it elsewhere. Maybe walmart will have something closer to november

[dvdvideo]

You know, I was thinking originally that I would buy in store but now I think it's better to get it online since there is no 2 hour long lineups to pick it up....kinda torn still though. I guess it depends on when they ship online, I had expected one day air but it only had xpresspost or ground. Xpresspost is 2 days ussually......sucks if they send it out the day before I have to wait that extra day. Doesn't seem like much now but it will be killing me on launch day!

I'm assuming they won't bill the futureshop card until it ships.....better not be charging it now.

Now I have to figure out a way to pay for the machine for real....LOL

[jabronie505]

w00t! i got the first one tonight at 23:46 PST
plus a free toque!

[dvdvideo]

23:49 mine reads.

[Fantaz]

Just try pre-ordering again tomorrow.

[jabronie505]

or go here:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/subclass.asp?page=0&catid=23383&sort=2&logon=&langid=EN

:)

[dvdvideo]

Interesting, they are listing the battery pack, wireless adapter, etc as well. Of course it's the same web crew.

[Tanith]

or go here:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/subclass.asp?page=0&catid=23383&sort=2&logon=&langid=EN

:)
thanks a lot man! i just ordered one :-0

[puff_daddy_58_99]

bestbuy one is also sold out!

[dvdvideo]

Except that it seems to let you add it to your cart and order it.

[Tanith]

Except that it seems to let you add it to your cart and order it.
no it doesnt, try to add it, you will have 1 item at 0.00, and it wont let you checkout

[dvdvideo]

Ahh, I see. It worked last night when I tried it, guess not any more.

[jerryhussain]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143371

PhysX features cannot be fully handled by the X360 CPU. Sonys Cell shouldnt have a problem handling advanced physics

Clarification from AGEIA:
The summary of the information below is that AGEIA would like to go on record that we do not have data to support performance comparisons for the PS3 or Xbox360 that would impact any of our physics features. Specifically, statements that the Xbox360 cannot run fluid simulations are not correct. In addition, conclusions about relative performance should not have been stated or implied in our presentations.

Our recent presentations created confusion and debate. Please allow us to clarify the statements we made and correct inferences in things we did not say.

Tom Lassanske is one of the lead AGEIA technical people working with developers. The presentation that caused this issue was given at several conferences, including Microsoft GameFest. The presentation at GDC Europe was presented by one of the European staff, not Tom.

The summary of the section of the presentation is below.

The middle section of the 58-slide presentation is all about how platforms with different processor configurations can map to physics simulation, ranging from single core PC to platforms with more processors. A developer requires at minimum game-play physics, but must anticipate that different hardware will have different levels of capability for more advanced simulation. Physics has a different characteristic for level of detail in that the game must handle a wide range of capabilities directly. There is no intrinsic knob that can be turned to reduce the level of detail such as screen resolution in graphics.

The presentation uses implied assumptions on the relative power of the platforms from single core, dual core, console and PC-with-PhysX platforms, based on publicly-available information. The only platforms for which there is actual comparison data at AGEIA are the single core PC, dual core PC and PhysX platforms. There is no current data on the PS3 or Xbox360 on relative performance. The implied difference in performance was from assumptions about the number of compute elements and memory architectures, and how well these might fit to various simulation algorithms as enabled by typical game developers. The difficulty in predicting performance across platforms is that physics is inside a game loop where many other game-related processing is taking place. Again, we dont have a simple metric like fill-rate that is greatly dependent on the capabilities of the graphics chip and less dependent on what is going on in the game.

The statement has been made that there is a problem with fluid simulations on the Xbox360. There is no data to support this statement nor was this meant to be implied. The Xbox360 obviously has a great deal of compute power and the PowerPC processor is a very capable processor for physics simulation. Our SDK already runs on the Xbox360 and that SDK includes fluid simulation. This is the same SDK that operates on the single core PC and dual core PC. Again, we have not experienced any problems operating any type of simulation on any platform.

The goal of a cross platform SDK is to expose the same features so we enable developers to target that same level of physics features, although, as I stated earlier, the physics effect might have to be scaled across different platforms. Our sources of game titles for our PhysX product are the console and PC title developers that need the highest performance out of their chosen platform. We will do our utmost to get the highest performance from any platform or a competitor will do it instead.

The last point is to correct a factual error in the last paragraph of the ExtremeTech article. The physics computations of the boulder demonstration were running in software in the first case (typically between 4-6 fps on high-end PC processors), consuming almost all of the CPU cycles; and on the PhysX processor in the second case (typically between 40-50 fps), consuming around 20% of one processor (mostly for graphics, with some small overhead for PhysX synchronization). In the past we have hesitated to quote these numbers because of the difficulties in interpreting their meaning. In the case with the PhysX processor on our boulder demonstration, the CPU is doing very little work and thus has idle cycles that could be used for other purposes (making the game more fun), so the differences in frame rate are not meaningful. A more meaningful comparison is one where the software-only demonstration gives the physics a fraction (10%) of the CPU time, as is typical in all games, compared with a PhysX processor example where the same game is running and the PhysX processor offloads the physics calculations. The same comparison can be made between a software-only demonstration on a dual core PC with the appropriate loading and a PhysX plus dual core system. In both comparisons, you would see a much greater difference in capability.
Sorry to ruin all the fanboys' party, ouchies .. :cheesygri

[dougi3000]

preordered from futureshop.
2 left.

10 posted at 11:45
one gone per minute.

[dougi3000]

bizzare creations PGR3 update 11!
Virtual 3D image of PGR3!!!
unbelievable. (O_O)

http://www.bizarreonline.net/news/images/studioupdate/3dscreen/index.html
:)

[Daemar]

Got 1!

6 left.

[jerryhussain]

Inquirer is reporting that PDZ is delayed. There are rumors that PGR3 is delayed as well. :|

[tonychau]

FYI:

if anyone work at any game stores then you might want to register at microsoft's retailer employees site. it is basically microsoft training for answering 360 questions, and they reward you with free games and stuff. but you really have to work at any game stores, the program isn't available to the general public.

[Ziggy007]

Today the inquirer reported that Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Need for Speed:Most Wanted will not make the launch date of the 360 and will likely have a best case scenario of Christmas.

Also, XBox360 games are expected to rise 28% over current game prices.

[jerryhussain]

Today the inquirer reported that Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Need for Speed:Most Wanted will not make the launch date of the 360 and will likely have a best case scenario of Christmas.

NFS:Most Wanted isnt delayed, where did you read that ?

Also I cant find what Inquirer is basing their story on after saying today "Microsoft announced" when there is no announcement or press release from Microsoft. Looks like they misread the Eurogamer article which implied that there will be more emphasis on PDZ.

As for the prices, Inquirer was referring to the EU prices. First party games for 360 will be the same price as games for Xbox.

[sfu_lifer]

Inquirer is reporting that PDZ is delayed. There are rumors that PGR3 is delayed as well. :|
I wouldn't be surprised if they delayed PDZ. It looked like ass in the few gameplay vids out there. Xbox 1.5 indeed.
MS can't afford to release real crap 360 1st party games like they did with the first xbox launch (Halo excepted of course).

[Geologic]

For everyone pre-ordering from Futureshop. Didn't they do this for the PSP and they never ran out?

Bastards just create hype like there is only 10 left when they just replenish online stock after it runs out.

Atleast for the PSP, they would put up a low amount of stock (10 or so) and when it sold out they would leave it for a day and then replenish it the next day.

[jerryhussain]

I wouldn't be surprised if they delayed PDZ. It looked like ass in the few gameplay vids out there. Xbox 1.5 indeed.
MS can't afford to release real crap 360 1st party games like they did with the first xbox launch (Halo excepted of course).
I agree that PDZ looks terrible but they havent shown much of it since E3, it looks like they could get it done. Its not on my wanted list though. :lol:

[TommyC]

For everyone pre-ordering from Futureshop. Didn't they do this for the PSP and they never ran out?


Not sure about the psp but on the xbox360 promo page at futureshop.ca it says that they will be taking pre-orders for 50 units the first day (aug 31) and then 10 units each of the following days until september 8th.

They make take more preorders after that but it probably depends on how much stock microsoft will guarantee for them.

[Juice23]

i want more info on that microsoft retailer employees program

[jerryhussain]

The Outfit

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8761/theoutfit200509070624115639es.jpg

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4797/theoutfit200509070624132049yk.jpg

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4172/theoutfit200509070624162350nz.jpg

Screenshots from IGN.

[tonychau]

Couple people have PM regarding this. This program isn't available to the general public. If you work in a game stores, you have to check with your manager/owner wheather they are registered retailer with Microsoft.

Microsoft and its partners are providing the retail industry with powerful integrated solutions that enable improved shopping, a more effective staff, and enhanced store operations.

The Microsoft "Smarter Retailing Initiative" delivers, along with our partners, technology and support that helps retailers compete on much more than cost. It can dramatically improve customer service and selling opportunities through better access to customer and product information. It can also help retailers deliver a shopping environment that is compelling, inspiring, and accessible. By implementing existing and emerging technologies from the Microsoft portfolio and from Microsoft partners, retailers can revolutionize their in-store environment. This enables:

• Smarter Shopping: creating a compelling in-store experience with an environment that is unique, inviting and inspiring to the target customers

• Smarter Selling helping store associates deliver the latest product availability and other information to customers in real time

• Smarter Operations: enabling retailers to drive costs out of the organization, react to market conditions in real time, and maximize the value of new business opportunities



There is no direct link I could offer to you. It is a registered real-time web portal between your store and Microsoft. For this case if your store sell Xbox, then Microsoft would offer online training for answering Xbox 360 questions and they would reward the employees for taking the training with free games and stuff.

For Microsoft's mind offering free games and stuff for the training, cost them nothing while you go sell thousand of units of Xbox deluxe bundles for Micro$oft.

Happy selling!
Tony



FYI:

if anyone work at any game stores then you might want to register at microsoft's retailer employees site. it is basically microsoft training for answering 360 questions, and they reward you with free games and stuff. but you really have to work at any game stores, the program isn't available to the general public.

[tonychau]

http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/5A77E1A8-DF7E-4FE3-8F4D-240943A2B69A/0/xboxeventsheader.jpg


You’ve played the games and experienced what the Xbox presents Much Unleashed tour has to offer. Now it’s time to get your chance to win what you saw on tour.


Sign in and register for your chance to take home: (http://www.xbox.com/en-CA/xboxevents/enter.htm)

http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/5E3E41E1-A1AF-45FA-A940-E2DEA994D1F4/44384/PRIZES2.jpg

----
Grand Prize
Limited Edition E3 2005 Xbox 360 Faceplate
Samsung 512 MB MP3 Player
5 Xbox titles from Unleashed Tour
Xbox T-Shirt

3 Runner-Up Prizes
3 Xbox titles from Unleashed Tour
Xbox T-Shirt
----

[TheGame]

^^^
they were at UBC on the first day of classes.
I played a couple of games... NFS Most Wanted and Burnout: Revenge (both on the original XBOX)

btw, are they only giving a faceplate, and not an actual console for the contest in the above post

[jerryhussain]

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/GR3-1.jpg (http://images5.theimagehosting.com/g14ws.jpg)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/GR3-2.jpg (http://images5.theimagehosting.com/g49ez.jpg)

[dvdvideo]

The single grand prize is a xbox 360 faceplate and some xbox games? Wow, that sure measures up to 10,000 xbox 360 machines Pepsi is giving away in the states.

[BoxsterS]

Here's a link to an amazing Sonic video for the 360. At the end of the video you'll hear the presenter say that it was all in game video.

http://www.sonicstadium.org/games/nextgen/movies/tech_demo.wmv

[Headhunter]

The single grand prize is a xbox 360 faceplate and some xbox games? Wow, that sure measures up to 10,000 xbox 360 machines Pepsi is giving away in the states.
It's gonna look real sweet with your FS/BB preorder touque! :lol:

[dvdvideo]

I plan on selling the extermely rare and limited edition touque for $500 on ebay. LOL

Actually, that faceplate went for a lot on ebay.....

I just hope (crossing fingers and toes) Futureshop honors it's listing of what comes with my 360 order.

[c h u d]

Check out this new ghost recon movie, it's nuts!
Ghost Recon video (http://www.xboxworld.nl/news/7279/)

[BoxsterS]

Check out this new ghost recon movie, it's nuts!
Ghost Recon video (http://www.xboxworld.nl/news/7279/)

That was an amazing demonstration of High Dynamic Range lighting. It just made the entire demo seem so realistic.

[Yesdear]

That was an amazing demonstration of High Dynamic Range lighting. It just made the entire demo seem so realistic.

I think I know what game I am picking up first!

[dvdvideo]

I was as impressed with the motion capure as the lighting. Good stuff. Don't really care for the red and green highlight....takes away from the realistic look and makes it look cartoony. Good for gameplay though.

[puff_daddy_58_99]

i'm not a fan of those reinbow six/ghost recon/splinter cell games, but that video is incredible. quite a lot better than full spectrum warrior

[dougi3000]

I was as impressed with the motion capure as the lighting. Good stuff. Don't really care for the red and green highlight....takes away from the realistic look and makes it look cartoony. Good for gameplay though.

the highlights are from the heads up display on your visor on your helmet.
it is new technology for these soldiers.
Friendlies are easily identified because of same technology, but not all enemies are identified by the HUD.

[dvdvideo]

I realize it's a new helmet tech, but it still makes the game look less realistic.

[Fantaz]

Broadband Xbox 360 TV On Demand! (TiVo)

Nagravision and Microsoft will work together to enable the development of cost-effective products and services that use both parties' technologies for the delivery of premium television content to personal computers running the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system and its ecosystem of connected devices, including Xbox 360 and Portable Media Centers.
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9223/Microsoft-and-Nagravision-Team-Up-for-Digital-PayTV/

[puff_daddy_58_99]

Got my pre-order last night through computsmart, with a $20 off coupon and free shipping with the Visa Perks coupon. It's not all that hot, but a $479.99 Xbox is better than the 499.99 base price.

I didn't get any games, but will probably buy PGR3 at launch and rent the others.

[JayPatel]

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo06.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo07.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo08.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo09.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo10.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo11.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo12.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo13.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20050914/kameo05.jpg

[jerryhussain]

Looks beautiful and unfinished. :cheesygri

[Fantaz]

Bizarre Creations has been trying to break an Xbox 360 by standing 35,000 (yep, that's 35,000) polygon spectators on the corner of a Project Gotham Racing 3 track. A screenshot of this frankly bizarre experiment can be seen (feel free to count heads to see if the number's a lie) and the developer says in a recent update on its community website that the whole thing was actually a test o show how crazy our crowd rendering system is.

http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/vortal_pic1.jpg

So it wasn't trying to break an Xbox 360 really. Was it?

Anyway, apparently the scene was rendered without a framerate hit, although we certainly won't be seeing 35,000 spectators on a single track corner in the final game. However, Bizarre does promise in the update that we can still expect many thousands (yes, thousands) of spectators per track and adds that Seeing all of these virtual spectators shuffling around and waving their arms is a memorable sight.

[sfu_lifer]

I wonder if they used the employees as face maps :)
I can't wait for Kameo and PGR3. The troubling thing with Kameo are the jaggies. What's up with that? The 360 is supposed to be FSAA with no hit.

[dvdvideo]

Don't worry about the jaggies, they will be gone.

[jerryhussain]

I wonder if they used the employees as face maps :)
I can't wait for Kameo and PGR3. The troubling thing with Kameo are the jaggies. What's up with that? The 360 is supposed to be FSAA with no hit.
I noticed that too hence I said unfinished. :cheesygri

I guess pretty much all developers arent trying all that hard trying to get the maximum out of the console yet:

Answering those critics, just before this year's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft and Epic invited us to check out the game -- running on the newly unleashed final Xbox 360 development kits. And it looks better than it did at E3. Not drastically better (or even drastically different, given that the level they showed was one of the levels that was shown at E3), but for those worried about the company not being able to produce the same level of quality in the visuals, this undeniably shows that the game will look that good (or better, if Epic is to be believed).

In the demo we checked out, the characters and environments looked just like they did at E3, but other minor details were improved, such as the nice dramatic motion blur effect when you turn quickly and the polished look of the line that shows up when you aim to throw a grenade (which now looks futuristic). The framerate appears to be improved on the E3 version as well, and though it's still not 100% perfect in all areas -- the game doesn't come out until 2006, after all -- it's clearly well within reach and we don't see the occasional hiccups showing up in the final version at all.

According to Epic's Cliff Bleszinski, the game as it is running right now is only using one of the Xbox 360's three cores, and has been up and running on the final development kits for only about two weeks. The game had been running on Beta development kits for only a few weeks before that, so it's clear that the team at Epic is only getting started in terms of finding out how much power they can get out of the system.
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3143680

[JayPatel]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143730

November 22 US launch date confirmed at the Tokyo Game Show

[Sgt_Strider]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143730

November 22 US launch date confirmed at the Tokyo Game Show

Looking forward to the launch.

[Moot]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143730

November 22 US launch date confirmed at the Tokyo Game Show

Awesome. :)

[JayPatel]

http://www.xbox.com/assets/en-us/tgs2005/downloads/DeadRising.zip

you have to check out these new dead rising screens....looks 10X better than any E3 shots

[JayPatel]

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/9740/01deadrising3gq.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=01deadrising3gq.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/2931/02deadrising0oz.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=02deadrising0oz.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/1323/03deadrising1an.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=03deadrising1an.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/6006/04deadrising4wa.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04deadrising4wa.jpg)

[JayPatel]

1 new shot of RE5
http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/8096/85700031uv.th.jpg (http://img395.imageshack.us/my.php?image=85700031uv.jpg)

[dvdvideo]

Holy crap......this gen is going to be sweet indeed.

Hopefully we won't be hearing any more garbage like the ps3 is way more powerfull than the xbox 360.

[sfu_lifer]

Isn't this new as well:
http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1275/full-res/1126760627.jpg

[sfu_lifer]

Okay boys, time to drool:
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1868/726_0001.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1866/726_0004.jpg
Chrome Hounds (Sega):
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1860/822_0005.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1860/822_0006.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1860/822_0001.jpg
World Air Force (Taito):
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1852/860_0007.jpg
http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1852/860_0003.jpg

[Ziggy007]

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/9740/01deadrising3gq.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=01deadrising3gq.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/2931/02deadrising0oz.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=02deadrising0oz.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/1323/03deadrising1an.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=03deadrising1an.jpg)
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/6006/04deadrising4wa.th.jpg (http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04deadrising4wa.jpg)

OMG the ESRB is going to explode when they see this. Mad controvery for sure.

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

Anyways, we can't proove that the PS3 will own the 360 until we have both systems to benchmark :)

[aequitas]

you know with the high price of the xbox360...i figured ill just stick with my original xbox and ps2 and just wait for the next gen prices to drop....but man after reading and seeing all these screens...i dont think ill be able to hold out.

ill problly pick one up around christmas.

[Yesdear]

I am looking forward to Resident Evil 5. RE4 was the best game I have played this year. I just wish I could have played it on the XBOX.

[Yesdear]

Just got off the phone with the plant and my 360 is just being packed up. Here is a pic..... :cheesygri

http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/4/xbox360/xbox360_production.jpg

[poppa]

I bet that guy is thinking "PS3 owns you"

[Ziggy007]

Haha I am rather impartial at this point much unlike the Sony/Xbox fanboys running around. The only thing that has been decided so far is that Sony and MS are going to have beasts out on the market while Nintendo has died off a lot. I say this is Nintendo's last kick at the home console bucket before they go into software (read: Sega)/handheld

We have until launch to see how it goes for either system, but I can tell you right now that the deciding two factors for both systems will be price, and game selection.

To date Sony's PS2 library owns the crap out of the Xbox library and no fanboy can deny even that(although some try foolishly). MS needs to get an inside to Japanese game developers, which they have tried through money, and had limited success so far. If they can grab some good game developers from Japan they may make up market share on Sony.

Until then we all wait.

[sfu_lifer]

Haha I am rather impartial at this point much unlike the Sony/Xbox fanboys running around. The only thing that has been decided so far is that Sony and MS are going to have beasts out on the market while Nintendo has died off a lot. I say this is Nintendo's last kick at the home console bucket before they go into software (read: Sega)/handheld

We have until launch to see how it goes for either system, but I can tell you right now that the deciding two factors for both systems will be price, and game selection.

To date Sony's PS2 library owns the crap out of the Xbox library and no fanboy can deny even that(although some try foolishly). MS needs to get an inside to Japanese game developers, which they have tried through money, and had limited success so far. If they can grab some good game developers from Japan they may make up market share on Sony.

Until then we all wait.
Who's the "we"? As for kicking the crap, that's all relative. Sony has way more selection that's for sure. But for 90% of the cross-platform games, the Xbox version was the way to go.
Nintendo is aiming for the low-end. They may actually surprise us. Since they're rumored to only have dual core PPCs, and the fact that the Xbox 360 games are mainly using 1 CPU (same thing will happen with the Cell and its multiple DSPs at first), the gap may not be as wide as we think.
It's a fun time in the game industry. Lots of excitement. I can't wait to play the 360 this Xmas.

[actyper]

Just got off the phone with the plant and my 360 is just being packed up. Here is a pic..... :cheesygri


Man those things are going to look ugly as part of my HTS.

[dvdvideo]

To date Sony's PS2 library owns the crap out of the Xbox library and no fanboy can deny even that(although some try foolishly).

LOL, sure, you are so impartial. You can say that till you are blue in the face but it still won't be true. Both machines had some excellent exclusives, and generally for the multiplatform games the xbox version was superior.

[jerryhussain]

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193021_0_big.jpg

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193022_3_big.jpg

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193022_2_big.jpg

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193022_1_big.jpg

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193023_5_big.jpg

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/40661320050915_193023_4_big.jpg

The Kameo urge just went crazy. ;)

[luthair]

LOL, sure, you are so impartial. You can say that till you are blue in the face but it still won't be true. Both machines had some excellent exclusives, and generally for the multiplatform games the xbox version was superior.

I think his point was that the PS2 had far more titles than the Xbox which does seem a reasonable statement.

[Ziggy007]

LOL, sure, you are so impartial. You can say that till you are blue in the face but it still won't be true. Both machines had some excellent exclusives, and generally for the multiplatform games the xbox version was superior.

I know the ports over to Xbox were better (though they also came out so far after the other versions that nobody cared about the game at that point in time *cough*San Andeas*cough*)

What I meant was the above comment. As a whole the PS2 library of games rocks the pants of Microsoft. Sony has a balance of all sorts of games while Xbox has heavily relied on a couple franchises, namely Halo and PGR to carry the load on the first release. All analysts will say most of the Xbox games looked pretty but bottom line sucked. MS has to diversify with quality games for the 360

[dvdvideo]

I think his point was that the PS2 had far more titles than the Xbox which does seem a reasonable statement.

That's not what he said, I would agree with that, since ps2 has had more games. However, in terms of quality games, there has n't been much more on the ps2 than the xbox.

I know the ports over to Xbox were better (though they also came out so far after the other versions that nobody cared about the game at that point in time *cough*San Andeas*cough*)


Almost all ports for the multiplatform came out simultaneously, so you can qoute the 2 games that did not till you are blue in the face. GTA still sold well on the Xbox, so somebody did care.

What I meant was the above comment. As a whole the PS2 library of games rocks the pants of Microsoft. Sony has a balance of all sorts of games while Xbox has heavily relied on a couple franchises, namely Halo and PGR to carry the load on the first release. All analysts will say most of the Xbox games looked pretty but bottom line sucked. MS has to diversify with quality games for the 360

The PS2 library is argueable a tad bit better for certain genre's. If you are into FPS, racing, and sports games, the xbox had the superior lineup. So blanket statments saying the ps2 linup rocked the pants off of anything simply are not true. Both systems have large selection of AAA games.

[wanted]

heh, november 22nd.
Looks like they didn't go for the xbox 1 release date, november 15th.
I think it was nov 15th.

[ABOVEtheRIM]

http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/9388/406113200509131309270big3iw.th.jpg (http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/9388/406113200509131309270big3iw.jpg) http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/2619/406113200509131309281big9xy.th.jpg (http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/2619/406113200509131309281big9xy.jpg) http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/7708/pd010ku.th.jpg (http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/7708/pd010ku.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1197/pd026ai.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1197/pd026ai.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/828/pd035fv.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/828/pd035fv.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/4018/pd046yi.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/6406/pd040yd.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1262/pd055tw.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1262/pd055tw.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1361/pd066ba.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/1361/pd066ba.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/3267/pd088cu.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/3267/pd088cu.jpg) http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/4576/pd072fu.th.jpg (http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/4576/pd072fu.jpg)

[ABOVEtheRIM]

couldnt fit them all on one post, here is the last

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/6866/pd095mg.th.jpg (http://img55.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pd095mg.jpg)

[JayPatel]

http://pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/w1280Madden1.jpg
http://pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/w1280Madden2.jpg
http://us.i1.yimg.com/pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/fullM06_3.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/fullM06_5.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/fullM06_6.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/pepsi.yahoo.com/everyten/images/fullM06_2.jpg

[wanted]

Wow, those grafx aren't very impressive.
And wow, still using those generic crowd people. :|

[Yesdear]

Wow, those grafx aren't very impressive:|

Looks good to me. :confused:

[bukkake]

Graphics are only a slight improvement :|

[sfu_lifer]

Looks good to me. :confused:
Madden = Xbox 1.5
Gross.
I guess we got spoiled by Visual Concepts on Xbox 1 ...

[jerryhussain]

Looks good to me. :confused:
Its good in places but worse in other places. Overall it doesnt look good.

[ttt]

just saw the madden 06 xbox 360 video from burnout revenge's extra stuff. the graphics are way better than that of xbox.

[dvdvideo]

It looks good to me. Not that I would buy it, for the sake of EA's buying the exclusive license. Bad trend for the industry, bad for gamers.

[sfu_lifer]

The sad thing is, remember that "trailer" from the NFL draft?
Looks nowhere near the actual shots that we're seeing now. I bet we'll be seeing that from most of the PS3 stuff that was shown at E3.

[Carpe Diem]

Toy's"R"Us Whitby had tons of Xbox360 pre-order's last night, $50.00

[Yesdear]

I guess they used the XBOX base and changed what they could for the 360. I am sure that 07 will look great. I prefer the 2K series but until Microsoft starts up the Fever series again you either play Madden or you watch football on TV.

[Ziggy007]

I would have to say those screenshots aren't exactly imperssive, but then again they are zoomed in much closer than you would ever use to play the actual game so it might work out.

Looks like it could use some serious AA.

[chdude3]

I'm still torn on whether to pre-order or not. Historically, it's a bad idea. And something I've never done with a console. Prices will always be dropping - maybe even one drop before Christmas (although I doubt it).

The launch title list seems to be getting smaller - this is why I really want to hear more about the backwards compatability. Since I don't have an Xbox right now, I'd easily be able to find a lot of old cheap great titles to play through while waiting for current gen stuff to come out.

I've been saving for this, and it's certainly tempting me!

[Yesdear]

I would say the first price drop would be when the PS3 comes out.

[poppa]

just saw the madden 06 xbox 360 video from burnout revenge's extra stuff. the graphics are way better than that of xbox.

That was a representation of what Madden 360 COULD look like. It was just a CG video.

[chdude3]

I would say the first price drop would be when the PS3 comes out.Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. At least if Twilight Princess was released in November (before getting pushed to '06), I'd have something to do while waiting for the 360 price drop.

[ShadowVlican]

I would have to say those screenshots aren't exactly imperssive, but then again they are zoomed in much closer than you would ever use to play the actual game so it might work out.

Looks like it could use some serious AA.
yea, AA would help it a lot

still, it doesn't look that great...

[JayPatel]

http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_xbox360/obx12B.jpg
http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_xbox360/obx11B.jpg
http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_xbox360/obx10B.jpg

[JayPatel]

50 new screens of DOA4
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_2009_en.html

RR6 Gameplay video - super sharp road textures
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_2004_en.html

WarDevil Engine Trailer
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_2008_en.html

Gears of War Presentation
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_1994_en.html

[Carpe Diem]

Nice...Thank-You

[BoxsterS]

Microsoft will not be selling the core 360 in Japan. They will only be selling the enhanced edition and it will be $50 USD cheaper than the U.S price. Thanks Microsoft, you incompetent idiots.

[Fantaz]

They're probably selling it there cheaper because it's being made in Japan. They don't have to spend extra money shipping. Anyways everything is more expensive in Japan.

[JayPatel]

http://media.xbox.gamespy.com/media/749/749072/vids_1.html

couple of cool vids from the next gen sonic the hedgehog

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/651/651720/sonic-the-hedgehog-20050917024129132.jpg

[Yesdear]

Just came back from topping up my 360 pre-order and was told that a number of original launch games will not be ready for launch.

PG3, Topspin 2 and Ghost Recon 3. Could be BS or wrong information. I am just passing on what I was told.

[JayPatel]

Just came back from topping up my 360 pre-order and was told that a number of original launch games will not be ready for launch.

PG3, Topspin 2 and Ghost Recon 3. Could be BS or wrong information. I am just passing on what I was told.

its been known for a while now that PG3 is not going to make launch day. In fact M$ has been aggressively helping EA to get Most Wanted ready for launch day in order to have a racer on the market. it will be nice if they can get it out the door the day X360 lands

[jerryhussain]

They're probably selling it there cheaper because it's being made in Japan. They don't have to spend extra money shipping. Anyways everything is more expensive in Japan.
Made in Japan ?

As far as I know most of the 360s are being made in China.

[JayPatel]

With Microsoft recently announcing a launch date of November 22 we can now start showing off more of the product we have been working on over the past year or so. The Xbox 360 version of Madden NFL 06 is really starting to come together and I’m very excited about it. To me, the game really is looking, playing and feeling "next gen." Back in April we showed you some video of what we thought this game could be like and with each day of development that passes, I am more and more encouraged that we will be able to meet or exceed that target.

We still have several weeks left in development, so what we are releasing now not final yet; but I do want to confirm that all screens are captured from the game engine and not pre-rendered. You will see this level of quality and more in the final product. As things like player sizes/builds and different weather/lighting conditions become fully tuned you will begin to see these great graphics come to life in all situations. We'll soon see what the Giants at Eagles at night, in the snow looks like in real-time in this new engine and can't wait to share that with you. Of course, Madden isn't just about great graphics; we will deliver a many innovations in game play with an animation system driven by over three times the number of animations as previous versions of Madden. We're also planning on bringing franchise mode to the Xbox 360 with a whole new way to access information that franchise players will really enjoy.

They only let me share two screens this week, so we picked two that both show off the detail of this game, but in different ways. The first is a close-up of Saints QB Aaron Brooks focusing down field. We took this shot a ultra high resolution, so I hope that makes it out to you, if it does, you will notice stubble on the players’ faces and even reflection in the player eyes. Without doubt, the player faces are the most faithful reproductions we’ve ever done. Additionally the detail on essentials like the football and helmets are incredible. There are more polys in our next gen helmet than there were in the complete player from previous versions of Madden. Each NFL team helmet has the accurate paint style (notice the metallic paint of the Saints), and we have exact models of all the various helmet styles and facemask types worn in the NFL. The football is detailed down to the last pimple on the ball, and it has its own reflective properties.

In the second screen of Manning and Harrison at the Bengals, we show even more detail in the player uniforms, helmets and faces. Check out the different helmets on the Colts teammates, as well as the reflection on this sunny day scene. You also get a glimpse of our full 3-D crowd who are individually placed in each individual seat in the stadium accurately. We probably wouldn't normally show a screen shot of the back of a player's head, but this one caught my eye and felt very realistic.

In game, the players come alive with facial animation and NFL Films on-field audio, which adds a whole new level of authenticity to the game.

You will soon be seeing a lot more screens and videos as we get ready to start football season again in November. Also, be sure to check out the November issue (on sale October 4th) of EGM, which has the first detailed information and impressions of the game from their visit to our studios several weeks ago.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4824/madden12xr5lm0wh.th.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=madden12xr5lm0wh.jpg)

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7451/madden28qa9bj7oy.th.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=madden28qa9bj7oy.jpg)

[jerryhussain]

KAMEO 40 minutes gameplay footage:

http://www.gamespot.com/live/streamer_new2.html?title=Kameo:+Elements+of+Power+ Video+Tour+1&path=kameo_gd_xb360_01_091705.asx&pid=516505&ppath=xbox360/action/kameoelementsofpower&ksubmoid=&urdate=1130832000

[jerryhussain]

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916084109433.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916084107574.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916083820688.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916083852999.jpg

[Yesdear]

KAMEO 40 minutes gameplay footage:

http://www.gamespot.com/live/streamer_new2.html?title=Kameo:+Elements+of+Power+ Video+Tour+1&path=kameo_gd_xb360_01_091705.asx&pid=516505&ppath=xbox360/action/kameoelementsofpower&ksubmoid=&urdate=1130832000


Cool, now I know what I am doing at lunch time.

[chdude3]

Have their been any further clarifications or information regarding the backwards compatability? Not owning an original Xbox, I know that I can tide myself over by purchasing some "Greatest Hits" and the like until some decent 360 titles come along. That doesn't work so well, though, if there are severe limitations on the compatability.

Also, it would be good to know that the games are fully functional - being able to play online with friends over Live (on Xbox 1 titles) would obviously be great.

[Ziggy007]

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916084109433.jpg

Am I the only one who found it odd that these kneeling soldiers are as tall as this car? :lol:

[tonychau]

"Microsoft has not yet revealed shipment targets, but Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes MS will have at least 2 million units ready for sale in the U.S. and Europe and will probably sell 1.5 million in less than a week."

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=10571

Which means a.) console is sell-out status by Nov. 29, b.) MS better not blow the opportunity and make sure they can re-stock the stores every week, c.) they could have a 1 billion dollar week - 1.5 mill x. hardware, plus accessories, games (each person average spending about 660 total), d.) it would triple the previous record holder the Nintendo GC which did a little over 500,000 in 1 week.

Would you be one of the millions, X360 lovers?
cARE to predict the first week?

[Fantaz]

I really don't think they will be able to sell out so easily. Unless they pull out some crazy marketing tactics out of their bums.

[Tanith]

Most place in Canada and USA where you can preorder are soldout, so its possible

[jerryhussain]

http://xs47.xs.to/pics/05381/GoW1.jpg

http://xs47.xs.to/pics/05381/GoW2.jpg

[poppa]

man just think what Halo 3 could look like...

[Emancipated]

Sports games are so passe/blasse.

I can't wait to see that new F1 game.

Sonic is boring too. STUPID game only little snot nose kids like. blah!

[Emancipated]

http://xs47 .xs.to/pics/05381/GoW1.jpg

http://xs47.xs.to/pics/05381/GoW2.jpg


Wasn't that monster (right side) featured on the Unreal 2006 engine during the 6800GT release press conference? It looks like it.

I doubt those screens are from in game action. Looks rendered.

[Fantaz]

Yeah, I dunno about that blood. Also the animations in that game look a bit off in my opinion. So I suppose we shall see.

[Headhunter]

Most place in Canada and USA where you can preorder are soldout, so its possible
Every store that offers preorders will keep some stock reserved for opening day; I wouldn't sweat it...

[jerryhussain]

I doubt those screens are from in game action. Looks rendered.
"In-game assets" just like MGS4 :cheesygri

[jerryhussain]

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1921/805_0001.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1921/805_0003.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1921/805_0004.jpg

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/1921/805_0002.jpg

[Fantaz]

http://www.befirsttoplay.ca/images/logo_e.jpg (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201072)

Giving away an Xbox 360 every hour starting Oct. 2nd! :cheesygri

[Ziggy007]

Am I the only one thinks that RE game doesn't look that impressive? Some of the other game screenies were way better, that looks like Xbox1.5

Compared to GoW this looks like it is 8bit gaming lol

[othy]

Ohhhh those pics of kicking ass on zombies rule.. I want that game!

*sledgehammer action*

[ABOVEtheRIM]

Am I the only one thinks that RE game doesn't look that impressive? Some of the other game screenies were way better, that looks like Xbox1.5

Compared to GoW this looks like it is 8bit gaming lol

if you are refering to those screenshots posted above, then your an idiot

thats not resident evil, its dead rising

[TheTik]

if you are refering to those screenshots posted above, then your an idiot

thats not resident evil, its dead rising

ya, RE has more of a ....gloomy,scary,evil look to it. That game doesent even look that good...personally i cant wait for elder scrolls Oblivion..its probably one of the only reasons im gettin xbox 360. and gears of war, that looks amazing

[Fantaz]

Dawn of the Dead is one of my favorite movies and I always thought about playing a zombie game set inside a mall. Everyone knows that nobody does zombies better than Capcom, so I can't freaking wait!

[ABOVEtheRIM]

new perfect dark zero gameplay vids


http://hosted.filefront.com/gamestopzak

[Yesdear]

new perfect dark zero gameplay vids


http://hosted.filefront.com/gamestopzak


Looking forward to this game but it is not expected to be a launch title now.

OMG, there must be an easier way to view this movie. Just tried to use your link and it brings you to link after link only to end in error.

[jerryhussain]

OMG, there must be an easier way to view this movie. Just tried to use your link and it brings you to link after link only to end in error.
http://www.jeux-france.com/ftp/Divers/Perfect_Dark_Zero_1.mov
http://www.jeux-france.com/ftp/Divers/Perfect_Dark_Zero_2.mov

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9343/Perfect-Dark-Zero-Movies-New-Info/

[Moot]

:eek: Wow, Perfect Dark Zero looks amazing so far. Can't wait!

[sparhawk909]

[IMG]http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/651/651679/call-of-duty-2-screens-20050916083852999.jpg

Wish they laid back on the pixel shaders here. I didn't know Russians wore rusted rough-hewn iron plate mail. ;)

[othy]

Wish they laid back on the pixel shaders here. I didn't know Russians wore rusted rough-hewn iron plate mail. ;)

Looks more like snow-crusted wool coats to me..

Don't people just love it when folks include a giant picture in a quote? I know I do..

[Kurtz7834]

I have sort of been late to the party and ignored the 360 and all the hype til now. I have all 3 major systems (XBox, Cube, and PS2), so I hopefully know enough about the systems to discuss them a bit. The above systems were bought after significant price drops (Cube $120, XBox $300 and PS2 $110 (Refurb.) - I did not buy any of these at launch date. I am not really biased for or against any given system, I enjoy and play all of them. The XBox is my fave but the PS2 has definite advantages, particularly for RPGs, of which I am a fan.

I was going to wait for a year or two to pick up the 360 but reading about the included hardware I became excited, the machine really offers good value for your $500. With the $50 off coupon at FS last weekend I took the bait and preordered.

I have read the majority ot this lengthy thread and the opinions voiced, and now I'm going to offer some of my own. I would love to hear your comments on my views and speculation.

Much like the first generation XBox games, most of these first 360 games appear to be more of the 'tech demo' sort than new or innovative games - Bloodwake, anyone? I am not into racing games, FPSs or sports games, but I am really excited about the new Elder Scrolls: Oblivion game, which I assume won't be ready til January. This game looks like it could really make use of the 360's power. Until this game is released I may just rent a couple of 360 games to try.

But my guess is the *good* 360 games will not be out til late winter, early spring, for the most part. The launch lineup looks weak, as of now. How much this hurts 360 sales remains to be seen.

It looks like MS is rushing the 360 to market well ahead of the PS2. Some here seem to think this is a mistake - I disagree though. The hardware base it is built on seems solid and very 'next gen.' I believe that the 360 will have an easier time attracting developers this time around as any game with graphical 'wow' that requires real hardware will *HAVE* to be released on the 360 (well, either that, or pushed WAY back, over a year in the future.) However, it is well known that video game development in 2005 costs millions of dollars and you want to push a game out to market as quickly as possible to recoup your costs. So for cutting edge games, the 360 is your only choice. All signs point to the PS3 being pushed back to a 4th quarter 2006 release date at earliest, as far as I'm aware.

The PS2 hardware is aged, to put it kindly. It is circa 2000 technology, after all. The PS2 hardware has been pushed to its limits and cannot handle more graphically advanced games than have been done. Anyone who has played San Andreas and noticed how muddy and ugly the game is (while still fun) will know what I mean.

PS2 games will still be released for the next year of course but they will suffer in comparison to the 360 games. I personally think Sony has really dropped the ball here by letting MS beat it to the market with a new console. Sony has had 5 years to develop a new console and got lazy because the PS2 games were selling so well. So now it is stuck with a dated console and I think many key developers will decide to go cross platform and develop for the 360, as Square Enix seemingly have. This translates into MS gaining market share and Sony losing it.

There has been much talk about how MS has screwed up by not including the next gen DVD drive. However, the format war rages on and there's no way they could have without pushing back the release date of the 360 and losing the above advantage. The 'winner' of the format war is still far from clear.

Now, I don't think the lack of the new format drive will be a deal breaker for people buying the 360. It is a video game system and I think most people are buying it to play video games.

Undoubtedly MS will release a new version of the 360 with the new format drive when the 'war' is decided, probably in 3rd or 4th quarter 2006. And they can charge the original 360 console owners for the upgrade. I think the majority of games and movies will be released in the 'old' format for years to come, if I had to guess.

As for those who want to wait for the PS3, that's fair and fine. But as great as the PS3 could or will be, it is simply air in Nov. 2005. The 360 is tangible and will be here, now come November. The dated PS2 badly needs a replacement and it looks like that's at least a year off the market. So gamers lose interest, MS gains market share and wins round one of the next gen console wars. I haven't gotten into Nintendo as I haven't read much about the Revolution release date and they will probably remain a niche player IMHO.

Please feel free to comment everyone.

[othy]

The PS2 hardware is aged, to put it kindly. It is circa 2000 technology, after all. The PS2 hardware has been pushed to its limits and cannot handle more graphically advanced games than have been done. Anyone who has played San Andreas and noticed how muddy and ugly the game is (while still fun) will know what I mean.

Totally, don't forget the occasional frame rate issues and the weird draw-in you get with that game too.. Still a fun game but when you get going *really* fast, things get kind of weird.

Hopefully any games still developed for ps2/xbox will be well designed games with serviceable graphics that don't try to push the envelope.. Katamari damacy is the most fun PS2 game I had played for ages, and it could probably have been coded for the dreamcast.. Well, maybe not, but it wasn't exactly a graphics powerhouse game..

[poppa]

Remember, the PS2 was said to be the most difficult to program for, and look how well it did. The Gamecube was touted as "developer friendly" by Nintendo, and they did ok. In Japan, people are loyal to their own (Sony, Nintendo) but MS is aggressively pursuing them. Should be an interesting race this gen!

[sfu_lifer]

Remember, the PS2 was said to be the most difficult to program for, and look how well it did. The Gamecube was touted as "developer friendly" by Nintendo, and they did ok. In Japan, people are loyal to their own (Sony, Nintendo) but MS is aggressively pursuing them. Should be an interesting race this gen!
Not just "said". It is FACT. The PS2 is very difficult to program for. It's gotten easier thanks to better dev libraries and dev environments but the Xbox is the most developer friendly thanks to MS's experience in providing easy to use PC-centric tools. This will not change with the Xbox 360. The Revolution is still an unkown.
I also own all 3 systems and I played the Xbox the most, the 'Cube second and the PS2 only for the AAA exclusives and RPGs. After TGS, I believe the polls showed a HUGE increase in interest in the Xbox 360. Not the piddly 2% that was being reported earlier. I think MS will do better in Japan but will still be stuck at 3rd place, Sony retaining #1. In Europe and US, I think it will be a major battle between Sony and MS for #1. The hardware relative "power" is not that different this time. The upper hand goes to Sony for including Blu-Ray. The issue with Sony now is pricing. The stuff in their console is not cheap. Just about all the demos so far shown on the PS3 have not been gameplay. But they're doing a great job though taking some steam away from the 360 by showing in-game FMVs that customers will mistakenly think as gameplay shots.
I can't wait for the 360 this year and the PS3 the next. Time to upgrade the telly :)

[tonychau]

... hey, would you like to get your hand on the x360 controller without the system??

I won't for $140 us currently at ebay!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-new-authentic-XBOX-360-Controller-NIB-NR_W0QQitemZ8221934663QQcategoryZ41017QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

tony

[jerryhussain]

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/4editeurs20050926_174908_0_big.jpg

Time for the fanboys to get their panties in a bunch :cheesygri

[chdude3]

... hey, would you like to get your hand on the x360 controller without the system??

I won't for $140 us
How about a faceplate for $215US? (http://cgi.ebay.ca/Microsoft-Xbox-360-Faceplate-NR-E305-LE-w-E3-bonus_W0QQitemZ8220453237QQcategoryZ20385QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem)

Or an email address for $250US? (http://cgi.ebay.ca/Microsoft-Xbox-360-Ships-Out-Today-gmail-com-for-Sale_W0QQitemZ8221583767QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem)

[ashtar]

I'm looking to trade Rhapsody® 2 Song Downloads for Pepsi/MT.Dew/SierraMist Bottle Cap Codes. Look for a code printed underneath specially-marked "Every10minutes" bottle caps of 20 oz. and 1-liter Pepsi , Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist products (might also be on 12 and 24 pack cases). I'm willing to negotiate how many codes for each 2 Song codes I have. I've been saving these codes all summer long so I have a few but not too many so they will go quickly. The cool thing about these promotional codes that i have is that when you goto the website to download your songs you can also choose to be entered into a sweepstakes to win alot of other cool prizes as well as your free songs. If you'd like to know more about this promotion then goto www.HEINEKEN.com and click on the links which will lead you to this page http://www.real.com/heineken/ .

If you are interested then please email me at Ashtar2k@gmail.com. Don't PM me because i don't check the PMs as often as i do my email and like i said these songs will go fast i'm sure. Lates!

[Daemar]

Looks like Microsoft has decided to support HD-DVD.
You'll probably see Xbox 360's with this drive by the New Year. So for those who preordered like I did, we might get screwed over if there's no ability to upgrade, or if we have to pay extra and upgrade (these drives aren't very cheap). I wonder if they'd keep the price of the 360 the same with the new drives.

[chdude3]

Looks like Microsoft has decided to support HD-DVD.
You'll probably see Xbox 360's with this drive by the New Year. So for those who preordered like I did, we might get screwed over if there's no ability to upgrade, or if we have to pay extra and upgrade (these drives aren't very cheap). I wonder if they'd keep the price of the 360 the same with the new drives.I think you'll find that the HD-DVD drives will be used only for movies/media, and not games. Otherwise it is a giant can of worms, in that if they release actual games on HD discs, they'll have all the non-HD systems incapable of playing them.

[Daemar]

I think you'll find that the HD-DVD drives will be used only for movies/media, and not games. Otherwise it is a giant can of worms, in that if they release actual games on HD discs, they'll have all the non-HD systems incapable of playing them.

Then they will seriously lose out to PS3 and Blue-Ray. Besides, what do you mean they'll have non-HD systems incapable of playing them. Why would you want an Xbox 360 game being played on anything else? HD-DVD drives can also play regular dvds. Blue-ray doesn't seem to support that.

Plus, I don't want to have to change between 6 discs just to play one game.