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Smaller XBox 1.5 Rumored In Japan
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Gamesindustry.biz article rounding up the Japanese rumors that an XBox 1.5 will launch later this year. It seems Japanese magazines such as WAM and Dorimaga are reporting a smaller-sized XBox will be launched alongside the flagship Japanese RPG True Fantasy Live Online. But the article suggests that "..it's not expected that any changes will be made to the internals of the system, however - this is, by all accounts, a purely cosmetic makeover."
They should make an XBox that you could carry around with you and it should have an LCD display attached. You should also be able to hook up to your TV when you are at home. They could call it a "laptop." It would rock.
...And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
I wonder if the standard controls will be smaller too. I heard a lot of people complain that the size of the controller made it difficult to handle for people with small hands. My five year old prefers to put it on the carpet rather than hold it.
The standard controller on all current XBox systems is the S controller that MS released after the Japanese market rejected the original XBox controller. I had to buy the original XBox controller seperately because I like the bigger controller.
However, if you're looking for a smaller controller than the S controller, I think you're SOL, because there really isn't much chance of it getting any smaller.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
is dead in Japan. THey are getting absolutely hammered by Sony. This has a desperate feel to it. BC
It might be prudent to note here that there are already three versions of the Xbox.
V1.0, V1.1, and V1.2. These all have minor hardware changes in them, but look the same externally. I suspect most of the changes were to stop the mod-chips from working.
So basically the reason it is called 1.5 is that it is just a new version (and they probably will change it a small amount to render current mod chips useless)
All consoles have various revisions which may or may not change how it looks on the outside. So it's not really a big deal, it's expected.
Ok, so I've been rooting for Nintendo to make a comeback for several years. Unlike Sony, they make hardware that I would like to justify developing for. And unlike Microsoft, I don't have to feel like I'm supporting the destruction of gaming ecology.
But back to the point, with both Sony and Microsoft releasing 1.5 systems, they are going to have a hard time selling more systems in the near future. Sony especially, because the system it is releasing has new features, but whenever a new increment of a system is released and sold the people it is sold to will expect a reasonable lifetime for that system, not just a final year or two before an update. Plus, they lose some of the hype surrounding the next big system from _____, as the last big system just came out. Would we be discussing a slightly smaller X-Box if it wasn't consuming some of the interest in the next generation of systems?
Stopgap measures in the gaming industry have proven fatal for sales time and time again. With both Sony and Microsoft shooting for their toes, perhaps the Nintendo Tessaract will have a better chance in the market.
The ______ Agenda
Its not that its smaller, but newer. Newer models are often given bigger numbers. But, I think they should call it "XBox S" to keep in line with their controller nomenclature. I don't think the current XBox will fit in any of the available shelves in my entertainment center, so I'd like to see a smaller one.
"(MS)...plans to release a redesigned Xbox, dubbed "Xbox 1.5", which will come in a significantly smaller case than the original model."
"It's not expected that any changes will be made to the internals of the system, however - this is, by all accounts, a purely cosmetic makeover."
Calling it Xbox 1.5 doesn't only not make sense from a silly pedantic POV (as in my parent comment), but it is also misleading for the Japanese consumer who may be lead to believe that this is a technically better version of the original Xbox. Xbox S, as you suggested, is a much better name.
The XBox has fans? Judging by the way people comment here on /. this comes as a complete surprise to me!