Xbox 360 Announced, and it's a Big Deal [Archive]

Jason Dunn

05-14-2005, 12:39 AM

Yeah, every other Web site on the planet has already posted on the Xbox 360, but I wanted to absorb some of the data I've been reading before posting. The Xbox 360 is a very big deal, and not just because it's the most advance gaming console on the planet. First, <a href="http://msxb.wmod.llnwd.net/a274/o2/ourcolony/TheColony_v1_750k.wmv">watch this great video</a>. Here are some quotes and links to sources around the Web. "The 360 will pack a powerful technological punch, with an advanced IBM Power-PC processor and next generation ATI graphics chip. The machine will once again feature a hard drive for users to store saved games, music and more. This time, the drive will be 20GB (versus the current 8GB drive on the Xbox). It will also be detachable, allowing users to take their data to friends' houses, and upgradable." - <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/12/technology/personaltech/xbox360/index.htm?cnn=yes">CNN Money</a> "Microsoft has realized that if it wants to further software initiatives in the home, it needed to reluctantly become its own hardware OEM and create the market for the hardware necessary to sell software. As a common folk saying goes, “when all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail” and of course that is why the Xbox originally resembled nothing more than a low end PC with a souped up graphics than anything else. Looking ahead, in this regard it is important to note that while Xbox 360 is a hardware platform it is really a software play for Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft has long now adopted a traditional video game business model, where it publishes ALL titles for the platform and charges third parties a fee on each disc that they ship for Xbox." - <a href="http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg/archives/008227.html">Jupiter Research</a> "The Xbox 360 represents a technological breakthrough only possible because of the hard work of hundreds of masterminds around the world who converged to create the ultimate gaming machine. Unreal Engine 3-powered games running at 1280x720 with full screen anti-aliasing? Not a problem for the Xbox 360." - <a href="http://hardware.teamxbox.com/articles/xbox/1144/The-Xbox-360-System-Specifications/p1">Team Xbox</a> "...Bill Gates deliberately blabbed some details about the next xBox game system, which is to be officially announced this week. This gaffe, which I don't believe was a gaffe at all, came for specific reasons that are still not clear, but the implications of Gates' remarks ARE clear -- that xBox 360 will perform many functions that currently require a home computer. Not only will xBox 360 play video games, it will play music and movies, surf the web and probably even offer a non-PC platform for voice-over-IP." - <a href="http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20050512.html">I, Cringely</a> So let's see here: high-definition, amazing CPU power, built-in Media Center Extender...this thing is going to make a killer add-on to a TV set, and is poised to move far beyond just being a gaming machine. Be sure to check out the I, Cringely article linked above - it's very thought-provoking.

Mike Temporale

05-14-2005, 01:16 AM

I've been sucking in the Xbox 360 news all day, and I have to admit that this is one amazing power house console. I love the wireless controllers, and the swapable face plates. Great stuff Microsoft. :mrgreen:

Tom's Hardware also has a really good write up covering a lot of different elements from 360. http://www7.tomshardware.com/game/200505121/index.html

Lee Yuan Sheng

05-14-2005, 01:33 AM

Chris Gohlke

05-14-2005, 01:58 AM

Mike Temporale

05-14-2005, 02:04 AM

I read somewhere in the last day (I think CNN, but can't find it now) that it was going to have 3 3Ghz processors and would be water cooled. I thought WTF, but it was pretty reputable. I just can't find it again. Anyone see this?

It's not 3 different 3Ghz chips. It's one 3Ghz PowerPC chip that has 3 different cores. You can read all about it on this page (http://www7.tomshardware.com/game/200505121/xbox_360-04.html) of the Tom's Hardware review.

Chris Gohlke

05-14-2005, 02:09 AM

mcsouth

05-14-2005, 02:46 AM

:eek: With all of the focus on Sony's Cell technology, the Xbox 360 sure seemed to slip under the radar - at least mine! :D I will admit that I've questioned myself about buying an Xbox, but never quite bit. We ended up with a Gamecube (young kids - it is a Nintendo, after all!), and I didn't figure that I needed another system to buy expensive games for.

However, this new Xbox has almost made up my mind for me - given Sony's tendency towards highly proprietary equipment, I am having a hard time thinking much about the Playstation, although their game base is hard to ignore, but this Xbox, and its apparent openness and, dare I say it, convergence makes it very attractive at this point. It will be interesting to see what price point MS brings this to market at - anybody want to take a guess? Figure that MS will try to get $400 for it, or will it be higher or lower?

Felix Torres

05-14-2005, 03:30 AM

Why I love it when MS is the underdog:

When asked what the thinking was behind letting gamers plug a competitor's product in to use on a Microsoft device, Mr. Henshaw replied, "Other console makers want to force you to buy brand "S" memory and use a brand "S" format to play on brand "S" TV's. We just want things to work for the gamer and be as easy as possible."

Take that, Sony! Muhahahaha!

And now the important question: How expensive will it be?

Sony's nightmare is just beginning:
- XBOX Live (silver) free to all comers
- 512MB RAM/20GB HD/wireless controllers=increased productions costs on features that *must* be matched
- Media center features in the wake of the PSX debacle
- Near-Simultaneous release in all three major markets means a big hit to PS2 revenue this year, right when SONY's other streams are tight
- Worst of all, MS has a *big* co-marketting deal with Samsung (SONY's main CE rival and their main console rival team up to twist the knife)

As for price, it could be anywhere from $199 to $399, but I'm betting on $299. What is unclear is what the bundle will look like.
The wi-fi is an add-on for sure.
The HD may or not be standard in the base price--if they go cheap, the HD may be extra.
One controller should be part of the deal but they could unbundle it.
We'll have to wait until monday for that kind of info.

Should be interesting to see how MS counters SONY's noon vapor pre-announcement of the 06 PS3 in their evening press conference. Maybe by hanging a PS3 poster next to playable 360 prototypes?
"You can look at their pictures or play our games"? :twisted:

(This time, SONY outsmarted themselves; by trying to "beat" MS's announcement to maintain the fiction of leadership they only succeeded in sandwiching themselves and giving MS the first *and* final say.)

So, how can MS screw this up?
1- Miss the schedule
2- Price it too high
3- Overplay the hd capability to where consumers miss the sd compatibility

Basically, if you're into gaming, you buy the best console of 05 and a free Media streaming box for free.
Or, if you're into Media, you buy the MCE extender with DVD playback (the first!) and get a game console for free...

Interesting times ahead.

Me, I just need to know what kind of media it will play through the USB mass-storage interface; they've already indicated music is a go (even the Pod, oddly enough) but I want video, too.
And I want WMV hd via DVD.
If they do, I'm in.

Lee Yuan Sheng

05-14-2005, 03:41 AM

Darius Wey

05-14-2005, 04:01 AM

I've been lusting over this one for quite a while. Unless Sony can deliver the goods sometime soon, the Xbox 360 is where my money's at. Doubling up as a gaming centre and media centre is what makes this enticing. Suffice to say, it's some serious swag. 8)

Felix Torres

05-14-2005, 04:17 AM

Best console? Errr, that'll depend on the person and the games he or she plays. For me there are some Japanese games that are only available on the PS series that the Xbox doesn't have. There're also the driving games (GT series has been a blast). All the talk about penta flops or texels mean nothing if there're no games to play!

Well, sure.
But we're talking hardware here; there is room for objective measurements. The games are by definition a separate issue and one where, as you say, subjective issues dominate.; some folks like racing games, some like shooters, and some of us got the XBOX just to play Morrowind. :wink:
(Deus Ex, Kotor, Breakdown, and Jade Empire came later.)

Key point: of 05.

06 is another thing altogether.
And with SONY's track record of over-promising and under-delivering with PS2 and PSX one cannot judge the merits of what PS3 will have to offer until it actually ships.

So, for now, the 360 hardware is the king of the hill.
Will it stay there 6 months or four years?
Dunno, that's what competition is for...

Jeremy Charette

05-14-2005, 08:02 AM

GT has been surpassed. Play Forza on the current XBOX. You'll never look back to the GT series again. The game is so deep I haven't touched 60% of the capabilities. I've put over 100 hours into it so far. Think about that for a minute.

Forza 2 is slated for the 360, perhaps as a launch title. In addition, Codemasters (well known for a variety of sim racing games) will have three racing titles at launch.

I. Can't. Wait.

entropy1980

05-14-2005, 08:12 AM

You guys are forgetting about Nintendo, don't count them out just yet, while I like what I see from MS this go round let's see what the others are bringing to the table. For instance the PS3 will most liklely have Blu-Ray DVD which puts MS at a HUGE disadvantage... Why? Same reason the PS2 ate Nintendo's lunch last time people like the idea of buying a box that can play the latest and greatest and while the XBox 360 will play DVDs most people already have a DVD player but no one has a Blu-Ray so why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone by getting a Blu-Ray player and next gen console? It will be very interesting to see what everyone has up their sleeves next week. I think we will see PS3 with not only a Blu-Ray frive but also with the ability to play UMDs and Nintendo has been so quiet iit's either WAY HUGE or they are toast!

Phoenix

05-14-2005, 09:07 AM

WOW. This thing is unbeLIEVable! 8O

I cannot even BEGIN to say how excited I am to get my hands on this machine. Two of them.

The ability to plug in digital cameras, digital audio players, and even a Sony PSP?

The lights on the machine and the gamepads and how it reorientates depending on whether you have it horizontal or vertical - it's touches like this - attention to the details - that also really impress me.

The power, the water cooling, the sleek, removable HDD, the software and media capabilities, and wireless everything... And powering on the machine via remote or gamepad... All of it - thanks, Microsoft. Amazing job.

It might be nice to have access to some sort of HiDef DVD drive, but I can understand why this isn't possible or necessary right now.

Beyond this, I'm speechless.

...and sold. 8)

Felix Torres

05-14-2005, 02:02 PM

For instance the PS3 will most liklely have Blu-Ray DVD which puts MS at a HUGE disadvantage... Why? Same reason the PS2 ate Nintendo's lunch last time people like the idea of buying a box that can play the latest and greatest and while the XBox 360 will play DVDs most people already have a DVD player but no one has a Blu-Ray so why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone by getting a Blu-Ray player and next gen console?

Dunno, but several reasons come to mind:

- blue laser drive availability: barring a deal that scraps current BD-ROM specs for a unified spec, the very first BD-ROM drives won't be oem-available until Q2-06, which means limited supply and high initial cost; bare dvd drives have oem prices of $10-20; bd-rom drives don't even exist yet and when they first arrive will cost at least $100 each...

- blue laser content won't be available in quantity enough to drive sales until 07-08

- The ability to play dvds in PS2s *cost* SONY money in the early years because the PS2s were cheaper than dedicated dvd players in Japan so a *lot* of people there bought PS2s but no PS2 games, resulting in the *lowest* launch attach-rate of any major console ever (1.04, I believe)

- putting bd-rom into PS3 serves SONY corporate needs but buys gamers nothing and runs the risk of getting betamax'ed if hd-dvd wins in the marketplace, which is something *consumers* will be well aware of. Which will slow adoption of *both* specs.

- XBOX360 *should* be able to play hd movies on disc--if MS so chooses--through WMV hd and FMV disks. The latter format has already launched in asia; don't know how prevalent it is, but MS has been promoting HD on red laser for a while and there are several dozen movies out in the format.

MS is basically gambling here, betting that next-gen games will fit on 9GB disks and that bd-rom won't be a *real* market that drives sales until 07, if ever.

Or, think of it another way; what would you rather have: dvd+20GB removable HD for $299 or HD-dvd but no HD?

Its a gamble for SONY, too.
Betting on blue laser could drive their costs out of reason if they have to match the 360's RAM, HD, and wireless controllers...

Conceivably SONY might have to launch at $399 to meet the checklist.
Price-point matters.

mcsouth

05-14-2005, 02:14 PM

To me, BlueRay DVD in the PS3 is a negative, not positive. Why would I want to purchase a gaming system that uses expensive discs (are Sony going to sell those at a loss also? - I think NOT), and may end up being an expensive drive that you can't purchase anything for?

I can't believe that Sony is going down this road again - I mean, did the Betamax incident not register in their brains? As a consumer, I will be sitting on the fence as far as BlueRay and HD-DVD are concerned until the industry can decide what it is doing. Until then, I don't need to tie up my hard-earned cash for fancy features that may be worthless in a year or two.

Okay, so maybe I'm not a true early-adopter, but I like MS's approach here, gamble though it may be. As some have mentioned, it will come down tothe games, and it is hard to argue with Sony's huge library of games, but MS has its share of solid titles, and I don't need a huge number of games anyways. Having the biggest library doesn't always guarantee continued dominance in the marketplace - just look at Palm's performance in past years!

Lee Yuan Sheng

05-14-2005, 03:12 PM

GT has been surpassed. Play Forza on the current XBOX. You'll never look back to the GT series again.

Ooo, that's a great recommendation! Thanks!

entropy1980

05-14-2005, 04:23 PM

Blu-Ray is backward compatible so doesn't really matter Sony could choose to release games on either format that's why it's superior.

Jason Dunn

05-14-2005, 07:44 PM

You guys are forgetting about Nintendo, don't count them out just yet

Nintendo? They're so over man. ;-) Seriously, I don't know anyone that owns a Gamecube. Nintendo is the "cute little system" you get for an eight year old kid. Nintendo is the third horse in a two horse race.

For instance the PS3 will most liklely have Blu-Ray DVD which puts MS at a HUGE disadvantage... Why? Same reason the PS2 ate Nintendo's lunch last time people like the idea of buying a box that can play the latest and greatest and while the XBox 360 will play DVDs most people already have a DVD player but no one has a Blu-Ray so why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone by getting a Blu-Ray player and next gen console?

Time will tell, but I thnk MS made the right move here - Blu-Ray, and high-definition DVD in general, is still *so* far away from being mainstream consumer. BEST case scenario is that by late 2006 the format wars are over and we have some real movies on the shelf to buy. Microsoft can just slap whatever drive they want in there and sell a new machine. Sony is doing Blu-Ray in the PS3 because they HAVE to, not because it makes business sense (although in Japan there's more Blu-Ray traction to be sure, but Japan does not the world make).

Lee Yuan Sheng

05-14-2005, 08:57 PM

Seriously, I don't know anyone that owns a Gamecube. Nintendo is the "cute little system" you get for an eight year old kid.

Now I don't think that's the case. I'm sure there're quite a few games that adults can play. Last I checked Resident Evil isn't a kiddy game. It's the depth of the lineup that undermined the Gamecube (and the teeeny memory card problem).

Time will tell, but I thnk MS made the right move here - Blu-Ray, and high-definition DVD in general, is still *so* far away from being mainstream consumer. BEST case scenario is that by late 2006 the format wars are over and we have some real movies on the shelf to buy. Microsoft can just slap whatever drive they want in there and sell a new machine. Sony is doing Blu-Ray in the PS3 because they HAVE to, not because it makes business sense (although in Japan there's more Blu-Ray traction to be sure, but Japan does not the world make).

Ok, this tech-talk isn't going to mean much. Really, it all depends on the games. Take the UMD for instance. DOA format, but thanks to the PSP people are buying UMDs. And another DOA format, the MS Duo, is also being snapped up thanks to the PSP. Don't underestimate the games!

mcsouth

05-14-2005, 09:17 PM

I agree about the games - 1UP had a preview of one of the games expected to hit the Xbox 360 this fall, and it sounds neat, but it is not a game that I would buy. For Xbox to be a smashing success this fall, there are going to have to be a solid mix of titles, with a few "must have" games in the middle, like Halo, etc. I doubt that there will be any kind of Halo 3 by this fall, but there is no doubt that games will drive the sales volumes - but I'm sure that MS knows that.

Xbox is going to have the biggest advantage for a few reasons: the biggest being that it will be FIRST. If Sony really is as far away as 2006 some time before PS3 comes out, MS will have had 4-6 months of time to sell Xboxes, and get a lot of the average consumer market sewn up. PS3 may be backward compatible, but again, it will be about games, and if most everyone has already upgraded, it may take some sizzle out of their launch.

The second biggest thing that MS has going is the sheer utility of the Xbox 360. I'm going to be able to sell this to my wife (a non-gamer) simply because of all the other stuff it does, besides play games. Look at how popular the PS2 was once folks figured out that it wasn't much pricier than the DVD player they were planning on getting. We will have to wait and see just how much capability Sony builds into their PS3, but I'm not holding my breath - knowing Sony, it will integrate just fine with lots of other stuff, as long as it all has Sony name plates on it. If nothing else, Sony seems to love continuing to perpetuate all of its proprietary technology, instead of giving us something a wee tad more mainstream.....

Jason Dunn

05-15-2005, 02:09 AM

The second biggest thing that MS has going is the sheer utility of the Xbox 360. I'm going to be able to sell this to my wife (a non-gamer) simply because of all the other stuff it does, besides play games.

This is absolutely key, and I think some people aren't giving it enough credit. The Xbox 360 will be about much more than just games, and I wouldn't be surprised at all seeing some people buying one and rarely playing games on it.

Lee Yuan Sheng

05-15-2005, 03:37 AM

That actually happened with the PS2 at a time when DVD players were more expensive than the PS2. I would like to wait a bit more though, for details on how the entire thing works before drawing my conclusions. While I expect MS to get it right here, they most certainly can get things wrong, especially in 1.0 releases.

Darius Wey

05-15-2005, 05:14 AM

Jeremy Charette

05-15-2005, 06:22 AM

Mike Temporale

05-15-2005, 12:28 PM

Nintendo? They're so over man. ;-) Seriously, I don't know anyone that owns a Gamecube. Nintendo is the "cute little system" you get for an eight year old kid. Nintendo is the third horse in a two horse race.

It was game over once Microsoft bough Rare. For those that don't know who Rare is/was, they are the makers of all the good Nintendo games. Nintendo had many opportunities to buy them, but never did.

Philip Colmer

05-15-2005, 02:14 PM

I read somewhere in the last day (I think CNN, but can't find it now) that it was going to have 3 3Ghz processors and would be water cooled. I thought WTF, but it was pretty reputable. I just can't find it again. Anyone see this?
It is in Tom's Hardware Guide review (http://www7.tomshardware.com/game/200505121/xbox_360-04.html):

Since a CPU of that power will generate a lot of heat, Microsoft also chose a vacuum sealed water cooled heatsink to manage heat.
--Philip

mcsouth

05-15-2005, 03:28 PM

I find it terribly coincidental that MS has chosen to integrate many features into the 360 that were only available on the XBOX via. the haXor community. The ability to stream music, videos, browse media from your xbox, play MP3s (and a zillion other music formats)...there were all free applications developed by haXorz and enabled through mod chips. MS subsequently found ways to scan the device and keep these people off of XBOX Live.

Looks like MS got the hint, people want more than a game console.

Given this information, I find it amazing that a company actually paid attention to how the consumers were using its products! I seem to recall reading that MS didn't exactly make things easy for the hacking community, as constant hardware and Bios updates made for new mod chips, etc, but I suppose that MS wasn't always deliberately trying to kill the mod community.

Seems that most times a group of enterprising folks find ways to extend a product's usefulness, most companies' first reactions are to try their hardest to shut that functionality down. At least in this case, it would appear that MS actually took notes from what folks were doing......

mcsouth

05-15-2005, 03:44 PM

Nintendo? They're so over man. ;-) Seriously, I don't know anyone that owns a Gamecube. Nintendo is the "cute little system" you get for an eight year old kid. Nintendo is the third horse in a two horse race.

Bwahahahahaha! Brilliant - took the words straight out of my mouth. :lol:

Uh folks? I have a Gamecube - as you say, it is perfect for kids, given the typically 'Nintendo' gaming fare. The kids are now really enjoying the "Link" series of games, and Metroid Prime is a favorite of my oldest as well. Then there are some Star Wars games that we enjoy, and of course. lots of "kid" titles, like Pokemon, Mario, etc. There are a certain number of 'older age group' titles available, but their library is certainly limited compared to the other two dominant systems.

Having said all that, my kids are getting older, and the next gaming system we get will PS or Xbox. We are all getting tired of seeing neat new games coming to market that are only supported by PS2 and Xbox. If MS can bring the Xbox 360 to market at a decent price, it is certainly looking like the top runner for my dollars.

Jason Dunn

05-15-2005, 09:08 PM

I find it terribly coincidental that MS has chosen to integrate many features into the 360 that were only available on the XBOX via. the haXor community. The ability to stream music, videos, browse media from your xbox, play MP3s (and a zillion other music formats)...there were all free applications developed by haXorz and enabled through mod chips.

Well, I don't know if it's as simple as you think - the Media Center Extender software that allows you to do all of that stuff now has been out for around eight months, and you can assume it would have been in development mode for at least a year before that...meaning Microsoft was probably thinking along those lines over two years ago. That said, remember the Xbox 360 is just going to be a conduit for the content, not store the content itself. A buddy of mine has an Xbox modded up with a 120 GB hard drive where he keeps all his Divx videos and whatnot, which is opposite to the model that Microsoft is working with (keeping the content on an MCE computer). So ultimately Microsoft's implemntation is still pretty far away from the hacker implementation. I think looking into 2008-2009 we'll see the next generation Xbox become a full computer replacement with a TV tuner, massive storage, etc...and that's when Dell and Microsoft go to war. 8O

Felix Torres

05-16-2005, 01:21 AM

I think looking into 2008-2009 we'll see the next generation Xbox become a full computer replacement with a TV tuner, massive storage, etc...and that's when Dell and Microsoft go to war. 8O

1- The "missing" features of the 360 (tuner/pvr/etc) are the features of most modern cable set-top boxes, which are a product in flux as we transition from low-res analog tv to high definition digital; theoretically the 360 will still be in production circa 2009 when analog tuners will likely be history and hence dead weight

2- Those same "missing features" are the calling card of the upcoming MS/LG PVR box. MS seems to be offering a two box solution instead of a PSX all-in-one monster.

3- There remain the rumors of an 06-release "homestation 360" with both gaming and hd PVR features as well as the less-likely xbox-compatible mce PC

As noted, MS is closely tracking what people actually do with digital media rather than just listening to pundits or university media gurus and their strategy seems to be one of slicing-n-dicing the market into Web TV2, MCE extenders, MS PVR, xbox, and MCE PCs, offering a range of compatible platforms tailored to different customers and letting the market evolve the consolidated set-top box of the future, which might be future MCE PC or a third-gen xbox or something else in between...

rzanology

05-16-2005, 05:21 AM

As much as we all love to hate Microsoft, there is no denying it. They are crushing the game industry. Gone are those days where you go into a game stop or EB and hear the kid behind the counter telling some helpless mother “ps2 is better it has way more games.” Gone are the days where GT3 and the new GT4 dominate the sim racing genre. Gone are the days where metal gear solid is the best spy game.
Strong off the success of halo 2….and now forza….microsoft has already set themselves up for a hell of a sling shot into the next gen. Sony got the jump last year, a full year ahead as well as a full years worth of games. This time around Microsoft has the jump, and it looks like they are taking full advantage of this. But they big factor with 360 seems to be the 3rd party support. This is where xbox was lacking when it was first released….that is no longer the case. Personally I thought Microsoft wouldn’t be able to wrap up the most important of them all….but they did…EA. That alone shows Microsoft is on an unstoppable mission.
Good luck sony…..

mcsouth

05-17-2005, 03:28 AM

Say it isn't so!........apparently, MS has not yet decided about backwards compatibility with current Xbox games on the Xbox 360........WTx? How could you launch such an important product, and not have decided yet on backwards compatibility? There seems to be lots of rumours running rampant about why such a decision hasn't been made - everything from emulation issues of current hardware on the next gen stuff of the 360, to licensing issues with Intel & Nvidia, makers of significant hardware bits in the current Xbox.

Take Halo, for example - one of the more significant Xbox titles. Given the timeframe between Halo and Halo2, I'm not sure that it is reasonable to expect Halo3 in time for Xbox 360 launch in the fall.....maybe they'll decide to re-release a new version of Halo2 optimized for the 360's hardware, with perhaps some bonus content?

Either way you slice it, not having backwards compatibility could be a significant factor at launch, given the cost of building a brand new library of games for your home to justify the new console. I think that was probably one of the things that helped sell PS2's - you could still play the PS1 games on it while slowly building up your library of newer titles optimized for the new console - you didn't have to start all over again from scratch.

Jason Dunn

05-17-2005, 03:45 AM

Either way you slice it, not having backwards compatibility could be a significant factor at launch, given the cost of building a brand new library of games for your home to justify the new console.

Yeah, I agree that would hurt it. Mind you, I'd still buy one because I know that one look at a game running at 720p would make me never want to sully the Xbox 360 with a crappy low-res game again. :lol:

mcsouth

05-17-2005, 03:58 AM

Mind you, I'd still buy one because I know that one look at a game running at 720p would make me never want to sully the Xbox 360 with a crappy low-res game again. :lol:

In a way, that's sort of a downside also - some of us still need to upgrade to that HD TV - that kinda makes the Xbox 360 a wee tad pricier in the bigger scheme of things!

Oh, and it's not just the TV - a nice widescreen HD tv in any reasonable size won't fit into my current entertainment unit, so that has to go, and of course I need to upgrade the sound system from the current 2.1 to something with a bit more oooomph, like a 5.1 or 6.1/7.1 system, and of course if we do all that , the wife will want to repaint and redecorate, so in goes new carpeting......and surely you wouldn't put that crappy old furniture in there - this wonderful looking room full of high tech wonders just cries out for new furniture..... Damn you, MS, this Xbox 360 could end up costing me $10000!!! (and the room could look too nice to do gaming in!) :wink:

Jason Dunn

05-17-2005, 07:08 PM

mcsouth

05-18-2005, 04:36 AM

Interesting update here:

http://news.com.com/A+gaggle+of+new+games+for+Xbox+360/2100-1043_3-5709353.html?part=rss&tag=5709353&subj=news

Final Fantasy will be coming to the Xbox 360, which is a major win for the platform. And it will be backwards compatible with older games - though it seems like the Xbox needs to be tweaked for each game, which sucks.

Yeah, I guess the question of whether or not backwards compatibility will exist is sort of answered in that article in this statement:
At Monday's event, Microsoft also announced plans to make all games from its previous console compatible with the upcoming Xbox 360. However, few details were given regarding how, or when, updated support for Xbox titles would be achieved. Microsoft representatives did say they would start with more popular titles such as "Halo," then move down the line.

However, I do not entirely agree with this statement, made by an Xbox product manager:
Gamers who have purchased a library of games for the Xbox have been concerned about not being able to play those titles on the new console, but Microsoft representatives have said they didn't expect those worries to slow sales of the gadget.

"Backward-compatibility is not the reason people buy a new system," said David Hufford, Microsoft Xbox group product manager. "The perception is that it is significant. We've put all our energy into new titles, but since our consumers have asked for it...we've made it a goal to make all titles backward-compatible."

Maybe hardcore gamers are willing to give up backwards compatibility for the sake of owning the latest and greatest, but there are those of us who look at the library of games that we have collected, and hope that we can continue to utilize them on the new platform.

Look at the Sony PSP launch - because of the unique media (expected), you were looking at $250 for the PSP, plus $40-$50 per game that you bought for it. Unless you were willing to live with only one game for a period, you were easily looking at $350-$400 to start! That same kind of expense for an Xbox that is not backwards compatible will be a hard sell to mom and pop.

When we got our Gamecube for the kids a few Xmas's ago, one of the advantages was being able to buy used and price-reduced games for the unit, since it had been on the market for a while - not the same thing, I realize, but still, there is a cost to build a library for any proprietary device, so anything that helps control that initial cost is a positive sales deal. One of the things that I would plan on doing when I purchase an Xbox 360 is to pick up some current Xbox titles, like Halo2 (which will be priced better than the new release games), along with some of the newer titles.