Out Of The XBox

theodp writes 'Bill G.'s snagged the cover of this week's Time, which asks the question: Is Microsoft about to do in the living room with the Xbox 360 what it did in the office with Windows? Turn to page 13 in your Book of Xenon, please: 'As the world's software leader, Microsoft is among the best suited to enable and capitalize this transformation. This is our opportunity to lose.' If PlayStation 3 folks are scared, they're not showing it. 'We look at delivering a quantum leap in technology, not just Xbox version 1.5,' quips a Sony spokeswoman.' The story also reveals that the previously discussed rumor about Halo 3 parrying the PS3 launch is accurate.

Comments

Another easy one.

[Anonymous Coward]

Is Microsoft about to do in the living room with the Xbox 360 what it did in the office with Windows?

No.

Next question.

Sony should be very scared indeed...

[ZephyrXero]

PS3 folks should be very scared. Just as Sony proved last time, the system with the best graphics doesn't always win... With 8 times the RAM and a triple core PPC processor, I don't see how anyone could call it the Xbox 1.5 though. Unfortunately, once you get past the new graphical capabilities of the next gen...you're still sadly left with the same gameplay we've been seeing since the 32 bit days....maybe Nintendo's eledged "Revolution" is the one to really be afraid of if they can carry out that promise.

Re:Sony should be very scared indeed...

[Winterblink]

On the whole, the real comparison you should be making (or at least keeping in mind) is that of the Dreamcast. It was a fantastic console, but it was also the first, and one has to wonder how many people will hold off on the 360 until they see what the PS3 and Revo will be like.

The system with the best graphics might not always win, but keep in mind Sony has the asian markets that will eat up the PS3 more than the 360. And truth be told, it's all about the games. With all the emphasis on more power, better graphics, I think that gameplay is getting left as an afterthought nowadays.

Sony is deluded.

[Golias]

"X-Box 1.5"?

I'm not really all that fired up about the XBox 360... Until I see what games come out for it, I feel no real need to get one, but simply putting one of these things side-by-side with the current XBox or PS/2 makes it obvious that this is definately a huge leap forward, as far as the technology is concerned.

Let's set aside the massively faster CPU, and the collosally better graphics card. One would expect that.

This thing needs two wires: Power, and output. All the controllers connect wirelessly, and it uses 802.11 wireless for the network connection. I'm sorry, Sony, but I consider this a feature to be a very big deal, and one which you and Microsoft should have made the standard in the previous generation of consoles.

Full high-def support is also a biggie. DOAX on the old XBox in 480p looks far better than anything on the Playstation, but once you put it on the big-screen HDTV, the flaws become much more obvious.

I seem to recall Sony talking down the original X-Box back in the day... only to come out with a PS/2 console which in many ways is technically inferior. I've got a feeling history is repeating. Around November, Sony will ramp up yet another "just you wait" campaign, and eventually give us a PS/3 which is almost as good as the X-Box. ... and people will buy the Sony anyway. Not because it will be better, but because of their exclusive contracts with the Rockstar for the Grand Theft Auto series. For many people, there simply is no reason to own a game console apart from playing GTA.

Games, Games, Games

[r_benchley]

If Microsoft can convince enough Japanese developers to make games for the system (By this I mean Capcom, Konami, Square, Namco, etc. NOT, games made by ex-employees of these companies that they've hired for their second-party developers) they'll be competitive with Sony. If it's a repeat of this last generation of consoles, they'll wind up with about 15 - 20% of the console market. Halo and a bunch of games that are available on Sony and Nintendo's machines won't be enough to take the console crown.

Re:Games, Games, Games

[jericho4.0]

" Why is Japanese support thought to be so critical for consoles?"

As of May 8, 2005, the PS2 had 22.81% of the market in Japan, while the XBox had a 0.10%. (I can't figure out whether the data in the link is total console numbers, software numbers, or weekly sales, whatever) In a population of 127,417,244, that's a big deal. If the Japanese are not buying your console, developers are not writing for it.

Enough with the Xbox hype already!

[metamatic]

How many Microsoft astroturfers are working full time to get this amount of "Xbox 360 will rule the gaming industry!" crap onto Slashdot?

I really don't give a crap about how great Xbox 360 is supposed to be. There was only one game on Xbox I wanted to play that wasn't on one of the other consoles; that is the real problem with Xbox, not the hardware. Same goes for GameCube, really.

I'm quite happy with the graphical sophistication my GameCube already pumps out in Metroid Prime; what I want is good games.

The only place where I see the hardware as important is PS3, because frankly the PS2 is showing its limits, games like GT4 notwithstanding.

And remember: Microsoft has succeeded in turning a profit and becoming #1 in exactly two markets: office applications, and desktop operating systems. They've failed in every single other arena. Their success in gaming consoles would be remarkable, given their long history of failures and the strong competition. Xbox 360's dominance is far from assured, and the pro-Microsoft FUD being spread on Slashdot doesn't change that.

Oh really?

[dscho]

Microsoft sure wants to. And as long as every second mail I get contains some silly *text* as *Word* document, I am convinced they will succeed. Apparently, regular people are not as sharp as us here at slashdot.

Re:One fact not noted

[superpulpsicle]

The only thing "great" about the original Xbox is the broadband requirement. Online gaming is here for good now, and it's just a mediocre experience when everyone is slowed down by one 56k modem user. I am hoping PS3 and Xbox360 all require broadband.

I guess I don't understand...

[ultramk]

I just don't get all the hate and vitriol that console fanboys spew on boards like this.

Is being anti-ms or pro-ms so important to people? Is this like a large core of your existence?

It seems pretty simple to me...

1. If you like a console, and the games available for it, buy it.
2. If you don't like a console, or its games, don't buy it.
3. If you like all the consoles, buy them all.

So much is subjective... from gameplay styles to graphics. Some people prefer the more cartoony (imo) Nintendo stuff, some like the range of Sony games, some like the Xbox for its superior graphics or whatever. Great! That means that whatever you like, there will be something for you. Does it really hurt you as a person when someone else buys something you wouldn't have?

"M$ is evil blah blah blah"

Um, so? Blind hate is as misguided as blind adulation. You do realize that the developers working inside that huge company are just as committed to creating great things as the developers at ANY large company. They wouldn't be in the business if they didn't love it.

Hate Gates for being a tool if you want, and Balmer for being a twit, but the devs are like devs anywhere (though they seem to fall more on the brilliant/antisocial end of the scale, perhaps because of hiring practices.)

For the record, I own all 3 consoles, but I haven't plugged in the GC in months, and the PS2 only really gets use for Katamari Damaci. I'm addicted to PGR2 on the Xbox, though.

Of course, maybe if I owned a PC I would understand the hatred better... (I like my G5 too much.)

m-

Re:Sony Could Offer

[Anonymous Coward]

Graphics and cool games come second to managing media on a GAMING console?

Maybe you need to consider buying a HTPC.

I think that is why they bought Virtual PC..

[LWATCDR]

The company that made the emulator that lets the mac run windows software. I have a feeling that if the games uses DirectX that the different graphics hardware will not be a big issue. Combined with the 3 PPC cores It seems like a good bet.