Slashdot Mirror

As far as I can tell that seems like an old design because the other pictures have a different color and the eject button is placed differently.

For all the pictures go to:

click
scroll down to see the update

I was not assuming the need for a hard drive.

2. The current X-Box is an Intel x86 chip and an nVidia graphics card which most X-Box games were specifically optimized for. The new one will use a PowerPC chip with an ATI graphics card. Not just different chipsets and motherboards, but different instruction sets, different endian orders, and completely different video card.

x86 is little endian but the PowerPC is bi-endian, meaning it can work either way. The differences between desktop RISC and CISC instruction sets are not what they used to be, especially thanks to the work of NextGen (purchased by AMD in '96). However, I agree that these would be challenging, hard drive or not.

Sources within Microsoft were reporting last summer that backwards compatibility would not be included in the 360. However, the rumors have persisted. J Allard refused to comment either way just two weeks ago.

Also interesting is his comment regarding something for those kick ass Halo 2 players. This fits with the rumor that Halo 2 will come preloaded on the hard drive of the more expensive model.

Even that doesn't always work.

Whiplash! was funny as all get-out, sold for 20$, and yet, didn't even make a dent in sales.

I don't know what went wrong. Probably a lack of word-of-mouth, though I told all my friends about it and absolutely adore that game (it's wickedly funny humor on a very well written platform style game).

So the "sell cheap by a major studio" trick doesn't always work.

Single player and co-op are both 480p and widescreen.
Versus mode is 480p, no widescreen.
Sometimes that back of the game-case is wrong.
Game specs on teamxbox.com
Game specs on consolegold.com

If we're taking bets, I'm going to guess ( for no good reason, without justification ) there's nothing like a Northbridge on this thing, so PPC Linux first.

Besides, you're not breaking a software EULA to get Linux working on your Xbox, doesn't that mean anything to you people ?

Damn, I need a sarcasm key for that last line.

And no, not a 'G5'. Something like it, but likely not actually a G5. A 64-bit PowerPC chip. Not a G5. Though the difference might be slight... it could be significant. The "Cell" for the PS3 is a PowerPC chip, too, but it's quite different from the PowerPC 970.

This sounds very much like Xbox Live Arcard ... http://games.teamxbox.com/xbox/987/Xbox-Live-Arcad e/

i want a fighter to contend with the currently dominating soul calibur. and think about blending them with mmorpgs if at all possible, and by that, i mean replacing the d&d method of diceroll situational decisions with true hit-detection & move priority that makes for fighting goodness. i know that's a lot to ask, but i'd like to see better steps in that direction than Iron-Phoenix, which i have to admit is a fighter, and uses the idsoftware approach to multiplayer battles. i'm still waiting for the one that gets tech like streetfighter or soulcalibur.

In the video, it is a bit unsturdy, I hope the guy piloting it doesn't get sea/car/motion/robot sickness easily.
Looks like it uses wheels in the feet to move around (interesting that it can pivot without having to reposition the feet). That design decision reduces the types of terrain available to traversing, though.

Reminds me a lot of the Mini Cooper "robot". I'd be suprised if the Land Walker were fake, though... it's just too imperfect. :)

I love the progress of science. I want a real Steel Battalion vertical tank! (awesome game, btw)

How come, then, for ever XBOX game brought over to the computer (or released for the computer at the same time or before), the PC version always looks better than the XBOX version?

Because if it was ported to the PC it obviously never took particularly strong advantage of the console hardware to begin with. (The big exception probably being Halo 1, but that game has never looked all that great to begin with.)

Seriously, just go play Phantom Dust, Amped 2, DOA2U, Ninja Gaiden, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Rallisport Challenge 2 (which looks far better than Rallisport Challenge 1, which was ported to the PC), Kindgom Under Fire: the Crusaders, Otogi 2, etc. on a VGA monitor or HDTV. These games easily meet (or even exceed) the best graphics you can find on the PC.

And the game footage you linked to is just a prototype, and besides the fact there are ways to make things look even better than that, it really doesn't look any bit of a higher level of graphical detail than what is out today.

Then you are apparently legally blind, so why you are talking about graphics at all is beyond me. Tell me of a PC game coming out this year with Heavenly Sword's level of high graphical detail (note the piles of bodies left on the ground after the battle), huge armies of models on the screen at once (each of which is better than the best of Doom3 or HL2), massive environments, and all filled with the real-time dynamic lighting on display. Just check out the real-time soft shadows that the army gives off - this is amazing stuff.

But maybe the video footage was too blurry for you to make out the detail. Here's some clear screenshots of the ingame graphics. And here's a video of the game's facial animation system, which shows just how detailed the character models are.

And of course it is a prototype. The Xbox2 hasn't come out yet, so it's not like we can look at the actual games for it right now. If for reason you think this ingame footage is faked (which negates your argument that it doesn't look at all that good), you'll just have to wait to presumably see it at E3 in a couple months. It's also pretty old footage now, so it should be looking much better anyway at this point. This is just preview footage like you see for every upcoming console or PC game...

How come, then, for ever XBOX game brought over to the computer (or released for the computer at the same time or before), the PC version always looks better than the XBOX version?

Because if it was ported to the PC it obviously never took particularly strong advantage of the console hardware to begin with. (The big exception probably being Halo 1, but that game has never looked all that great to begin with.)

Seriously, just go play Phantom Dust, Amped 2, DOA2U, Ninja Gaiden, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Rallisport Challenge 2 (which looks far better than Rallisport Challenge 1, which was ported to the PC), Kindgom Under Fire: the Crusaders, Otogi 2, etc. on a VGA monitor or HDTV. These games easily meet (or even exceed) the best graphics you can find on the PC.

And the game footage you linked to is just a prototype, and besides the fact there are ways to make things look even better than that, it really doesn't look any bit of a higher level of graphical detail than what is out today.

Then you are apparently legally blind, so why you are talking about graphics at all is beyond me. Tell me of a PC game coming out this year with Heavenly Sword's level of high graphical detail (note the piles of bodies left on the ground after the battle), huge armies of models on the screen at once (each of which is better than the best of Doom3 or HL2), massive environments, and all filled with the real-time dynamic lighting on display. Just check out the real-time soft shadows that the army gives off - this is amazing stuff.

But maybe the video footage was too blurry for you to make out the detail. Here's some clear screenshots of the ingame graphics. And here's a video of the game's facial animation system, which shows just how detailed the character models are.

And of course it is a prototype. The Xbox2 hasn't come out yet, so it's not like we can look at the actual games for it right now. If for reason you think this ingame footage is faked (which negates your argument that it doesn't look at all that good), you'll just have to wait to presumably see it at E3 in a couple months. It's also pretty old footage now, so it should be looking much better anyway at this point. This is just preview footage like you see for every upcoming console or PC game...

The same was true of Xbox1. It basically has an early Geforce4 in it (weaker than what eventually was released as a Geforce4 on PC, IIRC). This was released while the PC market was still making due with the cutting-edge Geforce3. Nevermind how many years it was before PC games were really written for that level of hardware...

But yeah, early footage of next-gen console games (like Heavenly Sword) destroys any coming game I've seen for the PC. Unreal3 engine tech is impressive, but I want to see games with release dates. That Heavenly Sword footage shows the kind of graphics the consoles are getting this year (and it will probably look even better, since that footage is of the game more than a year age).

And a lot of the "high end PC games look better than console games always" argument is silly anyway when you look at the games. Panzer Dragoon Orta, Phantom Dust, Amped 2, Team Ninja's games, etc. all look just as good (and arguably better if you don't hold resolution to be the most important visual factor) than the best looking PC games. Writing to a unchanging dedicated gaming platform gives amazing performance benefits.

Even if you want to argue that some PC game does look better than Panzer Dragoon Orta or GT4 (aesthetic tastes certainly vary), you probably won't find one in most of the genres that the consoles provide. Where are the beautiful PC fighting games? 3D action games (a la Ninja Gaiden and God of War)? Platformers (Ratchet & Clank)? Rail shooters (Rez, Panzer Dragoon Orta)? Etc.

Not that Halo 2 was so different from Halo 1, though. So perhaps they will call it Halo 3, anyway.

Bioware have already licensed the Unreal Engine 3 for a project they have said will be a RPG. Bioware of course is the company behind Baldur's Gate and Knights of the Old Republic.

MS claimed Halo 2 was programmed with the XBox 2 in mind, and that the true Halo 2 experience will be on the XBox 2. So there you have it, assuming you want to buy and play that game all over again and you want to buy the XBox 2 to do it.

I don't have the exact specs of its graphics hardware on hand, but I'm sure the graphics capabilities of the Xbox and PS2 exceed it

The X-Box is a 700 MHz Celeron with 64 MB of system memory and a slightly-modified GeForce 3 card.

The PS2 has a proprietary 300 MHz CPU with 32 MB of memory and a proprietary video card with vastly inferior specs to the X-Box. (See this page for the specs if you like.)

The Mac mini has a 1.25 (or 1.4) GHz G4 PowerPC with at least 256 MB of memory, and an ATI Raedon 9200 video card. It might not stack up well against a high-end "1337" game PC, but compared to the X-Box and PS2, it's a graphics powerhouse!

I just strolled into Best Buy and there were dozens, if not hundreds, of copies of Halo 2 on the shelves. Many, many copies of the "limited edition" were still there too. If this is such a huge game then why is it that at the same Best Buy on the release date of GTA: SA there were none to be found?

Gotta wonder if the pre-orders that MS has been touting is just the orders that got shipped out to all the stores or if it's actual numbers of consumer purchased units.

I doubt that Halo 2 will come close to a third of the sales expected of GTA: SA. The first weeks' sales of GTA: SA were expected to have topped 4.5 million units. Halo 2 might get somewhere near that number after it has been out for while. There will probably be a huge dropoff in sales after the release date.

Heck, Halo hasn't sold much more than 3 million copies worldwide as of last year, otherwise there would have been talk about it, and it has been out for nearly 3 years now.

This is a re-copy of that article

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/6754/Xbox-2-Backward -Compatibility-Update

Kikizo: You recently expressed concern about the large rental and used game markets that exist in the west, and that it might be an obstacle in bringing OutRun2 home - are you still worried about that, and will you be adding anything to the game to increase its longevity? Makoto Osaki: I am still worried about that, but after many discussions with Kats Sato [Producer at Sega Europe], he gave us a lot of ideas about what enhancements should be put in the Xbox version, and I am satisfied that they will be OK for the conversion. Another reason is actually Sega Europe is really keen to bring OutRun2 to console. Europe is a very unique market and there are many, many driving game fans, so if Sega Europe is really keen and willing to do it then I am happy for it to happen.

In the article I linked above it seemed to indicate something to the contrary in this passage:

The Japanese unit of Microsoft Corp. said on Monday the company's next-generation operating system, Longhorn, would be compatible with HD-DVD, Reuters reported today. This announcement is considered a boost for the next-generation blue-laser DVD technology, which is promoted by Japanese corporations NEC and Toshiba.

Some further research indicates that they are talking about the AOD (Advanced Optical Disc format), which in it's current spec is read-only, and referred to as HD-DVD.

PS. The above Microsoft comments were largely tongue-in-cheek, lighten up. I mean we obviously don't like 'em, we live with 'em, and, for the most part, we laugh at all the ridiculous commentary we make about them while still harboring strange resentments and utilizing their software somewhere... Tell me that's not a tangled web.

Why would microsoft be microsoft??

You'd think they could see how wildly unpopular that stance would be.

Seriously, however, M$ seems to be putting their weight behind HD-DVD, leading many to conjecture that Xbox 2 will also utilize the format.

in the US, figures put the GC and XBox running either neck-and-neck in 2nd place or with the GC slightly ahead

Hey, late-2002 called, they want their sales figures back. :D

Exact specific numbers are hard to come by nowadays (pay attention after the coming holidays!), but all sorts of info is out there showing the Xbox ahead. Gamecube hasn't outsold the Xbox in more than a year. Xbox in this period has even managed to outsell the PS2 in some months. Back in January 2003 the Xbox was already outselling the Gamecube 2 to 1. As of March the Xbox was only video game system to experience console unit growth in 2004 in the United States (it was only 2%, but the Gamecube was down 18%). In June 2004 the Xbox's total percentage of the US console market share was around 33% - with the PS2 in the lead by quite a large margin still, it is obvious that the Gamecube is not "neck-and-neck" with Xbox!

(And selling a whopping half million Gamecube consoles in Japan this year is not a good defense either, unless perhaps you live in Japan or only play Japanese-region games.)

And you know what? None of this console sales numbers garbage should matter! Console sales numbers have nothing to do with how fun its games are, so to defend Gamecube as still selling close to (or even above!) the Xbox in the US is just ridiculous. It is about the games! I mean christ, the original poster (now modded as flamebait) you are attacking was talking about how much they love Nintendo's games and hope they start selling better again - shouldn't you be agreeing instead of spewing old console sales myths?

It is especially silly with how cheap the consoles are now getting. A Gamecube is what, the price of two games? Most gamers in the US can afford at least two consoles now, and the current numbers of existing consoles is high enough to make a decent profit on any of the systems. You don't need to win market share at the expense of another console right now!

(And please don't complain about biased sources, though some of the PR does make me gag too. :) All the stuff I linked to uses the standard NPD data, and it is available on plenty of other sites like Gamespot, etc. I am not going to spend several hours finding perfectly unbiased webpages just because you can't follow basic console news. ;p Or just post some Nintendo PR that states they are ahead with the Cube in the USA in the past year or so - I didn't find any at Nintendo's site, but it could very well be there.)

You're probably right, and all these other sources are just plain wrong.

Doom 3 for the Xbox

Gamespots take on Doom3 for the xbox

"Alternative MSN client supporting video? "

MSN messenger supports video chat. I believe MS netmeeting does as well. Heck, they even have video chat for the xbox

First some info about the game: http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/749/Future-Tactic s-The-Uprising/p1

Hm, let's see, how would I like this?

It's a SRPG, starting score 8.
3D graphics, -1.
Includes the word 'Tactics' in the title, -1.
Not Japan-developed, -1.
For the XBOX, -1.
Aliens, -1.
All characters have ranged weapons?, -1.
Final score: 2... quite sub-par.

I don't think I'm going to like it, couldn't find a single point that sounded interesting. Sorry, SPRGs are supposed to be pseudo-medieval with lots of swords and magic ;)

By using the new Blue Gene processors.

To quote:

Compared with today's fastest supercomputers, it will be six times faster, consume 1/15th the power per computation and be 10 times more compact than today's fastest supercomputers.
-Team XBox (see link above)

1/15th the power consumption is a heck of a lot of heat that doesn't need to be dissipated. Supposedly can be run without CPU fans, too, but it's still very experimental and that may change when they crank the speed up (the heatsink-and-fanless one for supercomputers I saw was only 700MHz... I don't know if it requires cooling for practical use, though). It's also capable of 200 simultaneous computations per cycle, supposedly.

Halo 2 Multiplayer (Team Xbox)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4


Halo 2 Direct Feed (IGN)

Direct Feed Videos

Halo 2 Multiplayer (Team Xbox)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4


Halo 2 Direct Feed (IGN)

Direct Feed Videos

Halo 2 Multiplayer (Team Xbox)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4


Halo 2 Direct Feed (IGN)

Direct Feed Videos

Halo 2 Multiplayer (Team Xbox)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4


Halo 2 Direct Feed (IGN)

Direct Feed Videos

The fact is that Xbox 2 could be backwards compatible using emulation. Microsoft already owns VirtualPC, which allows PowerPC architectures to run Microsoft Windows applications. However, the problem is that, although Microsoft owns the DirectX API and the Windows kernel, it doesn?t own the nVidia chips found in the Xbox and since it is changing it graphics partner in favor of ATI, there are almost no chances of an agreement between the two companies being reached. This is more of a business problem rather than a technical issue.

What game genres are you interested in? Fighting games? Soul Calibur 2 will be best on XBox. Sure, you don't get link, but you will get the best audio and graphical experience on the XBox, and the XBox controller is better suited to a fighter than the GameCube controller. As well, Team Ninja is quite dedicated to the XBox, so you'll see plenty more Dead or Alive XBox-exclusive titles. Speaking of Team Ninja, if action is your thing then you can't miss Ninja Gaiden. And don't forget the upcoming Crimson Skies. That should be a killer title. If you're into Japanese-style RPGs, how about Sudeki or True Fantasy Live Online? Also, Knights of the Old Republic just shipped, and is quite good (yes, it's more PC-style, being from Bioware, and it will be available on the PC later this year, but it's nice to sit on a comfy couch and play it on a big TV with dolby digital audio). How about shooters? Rainbow Six 3 will be first on XBox. Ubi Soft screwed up the naming, here. The console version of Rainbow Six 3 is different than the PC version of the same name. However, it will be first and best on XBox. XIII will also make it to XBox (though it'll be everywhere). Stealth games? How about Starcraft: Ghost? If you're into NHL sports games, EA's franchise is on the 'Box but Live-less. Sega's franchise is also there, but with online play. And Microsoft has their own hockey title in the works, also with live play. If you're into platformer/action games, two new Rare titles are coming soon: Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Voodoo Vince. And let's not forget the venerable Conker (the single player quest will be mostly the same as it was on the N64, but the game has an all-new multi-player aspect).

On the Cube side of things, there's really nothing I'm looking forward to. The new Mario Kart should be fun, but if it's anything like Mario Sunshine it's not going to be worth the money. The first game I really enjoyed on the Cube (also the last one I thoroughly enjoyed) was the latest Zelda. That one was good. Nothing else has really grabbed me (Metroid Prime was annoying as hell, Mario Sunshine was a rehash of Mario 64, Rogue Leader a rehash of Rogue Squadron). I recently picked up Skies of Arcadia used, and it's decent, but it's little different than it was on the Dreamcast. As well, since I just picked up KOTOR for the Box, Skies of Arcadia is going on the back-burner.

And just to round things out, I don't own a PS2, and perhaps the only title that may make me consider buying one would be Gran Turismo 4. However, GT3 wasn't enough to make me buy a PS2, so I can't see GT4 being sufficiently better to warrant buying a PS2. I'm still happy playing GT2 on my PSOne.

You can sign up to become a Beta tester for the Xbox Live here

What I really wanted to say was Sony has decided to release the PS2 Linux kit in Europe. Sign up Linux Play
Looks like Sony is covering all their based. Look at the deal they just made with IBM about Setbox technology that I am sure will find its way into PS3 related stuff.

Do not expect the first XBOX games to really push the system. I've played both HALO and Munch's Odyssey on the XBOX and I agree that the graphics fall short of breathtaking. The first PS2 games were pretty pathetic, too - wait, most PS2 games are STILL pathetic. Check back in a few months when Sega starts releasing some of vast collection of excellent titles. Of course, Sega also has Shenmue 1/2, Crazy Taxi 2, Sonic 2, Ferrari F351, not to mention their sports games like NFL2K2 which beat the crap out of EA's PS2 counterparts.

If you do want to see breathtaking, take a look at screenshots for Double Steal here or here.

If the XBOX needs a "killer app" to survive, I have my money on Jet Set Future (video preview and official page). Jet Grind Radio on the Dreamcast is considered to be a masterpiece among console games (in graphics _and_ gameplay). Even if were a mirror copy of the DC version, it would be a huge hit, but Smilebit is adding multiplayer and much larger worlds to move around in.

STratoHAK

Here's a few links to other and may be more objective reviews

Zdnet
Gamespy
Gamespot
FiringSquad
TeamXBox
Yahoo 2 3

--
"Can I run a linux cluster of those?"

The gaming community has been drooling over this title for weeks, or months. Many think it'll be the Xbox's killer app. It's visually stunning, and apparently the graphics and, more importantly, gameplay -- both single player and the innovative multiplayer modes -- are a step beyond any FPS currently out there.

MS has spent a ton sending playable demos of the XBox -- usually showcasing this, the new Oddworld, and a few other first-party titles -- to many game retailers around the country. Stop by an Electronics Boutique, Babbage's, etc and if they have a demo console, try this game out. It's for real, and I for one am planning on buying an XBox, in large part for this game.

There are other reviews on the web; check out GameSpot (who also has many movies), TeamXBox, etc.

The gaming community has been drooling over this title for weeks, or months. Many think it'll be the Xbox's killer app. It's visually stunning, and apparently the graphics and, more importantly, gameplay -- both single player and the innovative multiplayer modes -- are a step beyond any FPS currently out there.

MS has spent a ton sending playable demos of the XBox -- usually showcasing this, the new Oddworld, and a few other first-party titles -- to many game retailers around the country. Stop by an Electronics Boutique, Babbage's, etc and if they have a demo console, try this game out. It's for real, and I for one am planning on buying an XBox, in large part for this game.

There are other reviews on the web; check out GameSpot (who also has many movies), TeamXBox, etc.

I think there is a better review over at TeamXbox check out their review.

Plus some VERY exciting stuff coming down the line: Panzer Dragoon, Jet Set Radio Future, Project Ego (Yes, these are in-game!), Metal Gear Solid X, Brute Force, Bruce Lee : Quest of the Dragon, Shenmue 2