Xbox 360 User Interface Revealed

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Xbox 360 User Interface Revealed

Posted by Hemos on Monday May 23, 2005 @12:20AM from the neat-to-look-at dept.

Eric writes "BetaNews has some screenshots up of the new Xbox 360 user interface, which appears to be greatly refined over the original Xbox Dashboard. The new UI can be customized by the user and offers access to four main screens: System, Games, Media and Xbox Live. The big focus seems to be on tying Xbox Live into all aspects of the console, be it gaming or entertainment. Consequently, Xbox 360 will ship out of the box with a free Xbox Live Silver-level subscription."

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Temporary UI by Nytewynd · 2005-05-23 00:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

I guess this is the UI we'll have to live with until modchips come out, and we get a dashboard that allows us to do what we want.

I hope that MS learned from the modchips of the past to find out that people want to fully harness the power of the machine, and not be limited to playing only XBox games on it. If they provided a dashboard that allowed for more customization, or the installation of emulators that would be great. I don't ever see that happening.

I'll probably wait to get the new xbox until Team Xecuter figures out the new platform.

--
/. ++
1. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 02:38 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  I hope that MS learned from the modchips of the past to find out that people want to fully harness the power of the machine, and not be limited to playing only XBox games on it.
  
  ? ... PROFIT!
  
  You hoped that they would give the box and games away for free of course, and maybe line up so you could smack them with a bat just for kicks, but alas, they didn't. What a woefully unenlightened company. Seriously, they do not care about the .0001% of their market who isn't inclined to actually buy a single game.
  
  Golly, I've never seen such ignorance.
2. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 03:06 · Score: 0
  
  Right, because paying $90 to import a game from japan is "free".
  
  Just because people are talking about modchips doesn't mean they're talking about ZOMG JUAR3Z!!1! The continued existance of NCSX, play asia, lik sang, and so on prove that there is a market for imports large enough to keep several companies well-fed. And a sizable portion of that market is using a mod-chip for playing perfectly legally purchased software on otherwise perfectly legally purchased hardware.
  
  And they still don't get away the box for free, either way.
3. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  I hope that MS learned from the modchips of the past...
  Of that you can be absolutely certain.
4. Re:Temporary UI by Dysproxia · 2005-05-23 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, it's just a game console / part time media center. Whatever UI it has, it's designed for people who want to play Xbox games.
  
  Not Playstation discs, not shady ROMs, and certainly not uncertified third-party software. It sounds like you're expecting for MS to start making some sort of general purpose PCs.
5. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 03:54 · Score: 0
  
  "harness the power of the machine"
  
  With leather and chains, yes... I like to dominate my shitbox 720 in most inappropriate ways.
6. Re:Temporary UI by RemovableBait · 2005-05-23 04:09 · Score: 1
  
  I hope that MS learned from the modchips of the past to find out that people want to fully harness the power of the machine, and not be limited to playing only XBox games on it.
  
  Why would Microsoft learn from mod chips? Especially not in a positive way, as far as the modders are concerned. Microsoft are in the business to make money, and they do that by selling games. Xbox Games. They don't make any money from PS2 games someone tries to play on a modded Xbox, so they aren't going to make it nice and easy to mod the Xbox. I strongly suspect, that Microsoft has learned from mod chips, and that they are going to do everything in their power to snub them out at the source.
  
  The other serious problem with the mod chips, is the enormous amount of integration with the Xbox Live services. On older Xboxes, if you modified the console in any way you could kiss goodbye to your Live subscription. With free Xbox Live access, and access tied into many of the features, Microsoft could seriously cut the features for people using modded Xboxes, just by cutting out the Xbox Live.
  
  As far as the Dashboard is concerned, it is supposed to be quite customisable. Various colour schemes and skins are planned for the future, with the possibility of user built skins. In this case, you wouldn't need to suffer what you consider a nasty dashboard -- change it!
7. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 04:36 · Score: 0
  
  So wait, there were Japanese games out for Xbox?
8. Re:Temporary UI by Saige · 2005-05-23 05:28 · Score: 1
  
  I'm GLAD they're cutting modded Xboxes off of Live. Why? Because modded Xboxes make cheating a HELL of a lot easier. There have been a lot of problems on Halo 2, for example, with people using hacked a hacked profile that elimiated reload times, and now there are hacked maps that allow people to have more poweful weapons than the other team.
  
  If you're going to hack up your Xbox, just keep it off Live, and you'll be set. If you want to play Live, get an unmodded one.
  
  --
  "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
9. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 05:56 · Score: 0
  
  Who the fuck buys an Xbox of all things to play Japanese games?
  
  Why don't you try imagining a scenario that makes sense next time you want to try defending this position (the position being that of an Xbox-owning n00b pirate, of course).
10. Re:Temporary UI by Blakey+Rat · 2005-05-23 06:02 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I think Microsoft would prefer that people, you know, actually *pay* for the games they play... helps have good relations with developers and distributers.
  
  Not only should Microsoft not stand in the way of your piracy, they should make piracy easier on the 360! Yes, that makes perfect sense...
  
  --
  Comment of the year
11. Re:Temporary UI by RemovableBait · 2005-05-23 06:07 · Score: 1
  
  Likewise. Apparently Forza Motorsport has suffered some problems with modded Xboxes cheating the system. Due to the fact that customised vehicle can be raced on Live, some people have tinkered with the profiles to let themselves run hugely souped-up vehicles on lower ranked games -- much to the annoyance of the players.
  
  To be honest, something akin to the hardware hashes that Windows Activation uses should be put in place. Then, every time the user connects, the server queries the Xbox and allows connection only when its hardware hash matches the standard factory configuration. Obviously people will still use mod chips, but this will make them much more difficult to keep quiet.
  
  Hopefully with the Xbox 360, the integrated Live will allow Microsoft to shut these units down. I've no objections to people running Linux on their Xbox... but if the install was destructive, and stopped them from using the Xbox for games, many people would rethink.
12. Re:Temporary UI by Nytewynd · 2005-05-23 06:25 · Score: 1
  
  Nowhere did I say anything about promoting piracy. Modchips can be used for piracy, but a lot of their features actually make the Xbox more useful. Don't forget that a large percentage of Modchips do nothing besided unlock the region code of an import. There is nothing wrong with that at all, assuming you purchased the original.
  
  My point is that MS might actually reduce the amount of modding by giving us features we seek out in the modchips. Obviously they aren't going to support hacked games, but supporting emulators (some of which are legal) makes my Xbox much more fun.
  
  --
  /. ++
13. Re:Temporary UI by Blakey+Rat · 2005-05-23 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  Crazy-ass guess figures here:
  
  Percentage of modders who mod their Xbox to pirate games:
  98%
  
  Percentage of modders who mod their Xbox to use Japanese-locale games or a media center:
  2%
  
  Percentage of the former who play pirated ROMs or MP3s with the mod chip:
  1.5%
  
  --
  Comment of the year
14. Re:Temporary UI by Golias · 2005-05-23 07:35 · Score: 1
  
  Ahem.
  
  Non-pirate Reasons for Modding an X-Box
  
  1. Replace a failed DVD drive (which happens at a shocking rate on the X-Box) with an inexpensive, industry-standard DVD drive instead of buying inflated X-Box specific hardware.
  
  2. Run Linux on it to use as a general-purpose computer system.
  
  3. Use it as a TV media console.
  
  4. Make back-ups of your game media which can be used if the originals are damaged.
  
  5. Inspire "Imagine a Beowulf Cluster" trolls.
  
  6. Expand the hardware add-on options.
  
  7. "Ov3rcl0x0r, b4by!"
  
  8. Oh yea... some Japanese games which maybe two or three dozen Americans care about.
  
  Then again, there's also the joy of piracy. Arrr! Avast, me hearties!
  
  (Note: I own an X-Box. No, it's not modded. I don't really need any of the uses I just listed, and I'm willing to pay for games I play. Those who do have a need to mod their X-Box, I say more power to 'em.)
  
  --
  Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
15. Re:Temporary UI by tannernd · 2005-05-23 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  That's 101.5%. If the Xbox can acomplish this, it is quite unique.
16. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 08:49 · Score: 0
  
  Read it again. Slowly. Hint: Look for these words "of the former."
17. Re:Temporary UI by Blakey+Rat · 2005-05-23 11:04 · Score: 1
  
  Brilliant comprehension skills you're displaying here.
  
  --
  Comment of the year
18. Re:Temporary UI by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-24 00:28 · Score: 0
  
  So your saying that 0.03% (1.5% of 2%) of modders play pirated roms and mp3s? Though not.
  
  Retard.
Oh GAWD. by Creepy+Crawler · 2005-05-23 00:37 · Score: 0, Redundant

Who in the fuck would buy a system with "Banner Ads" built into the damned GUI?
--
- Mod parent up! by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Thurs, Nov 31, @13:37
1. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 00:42 · Score: 0
  
  I would.
  
  Provided, of course, that it compares well with the other next-gen consoles as a gaming machine - and early indications are that it will. What matters to nerds on slashdot is not, by and large, what matters to the wider public or even the general gaming demographic. Not everybody sees advertising as a gross breach of their privacy. Provided it doesn't interfere with functionality, I'm fine.
2. Re:Oh GAWD. by Nytewynd · 2005-05-23 00:58 · Score: 1
  
  I also see a lot of other areas where they are turning their Xbox into a web-whoring machine. Banner ads are one thing. Take a look at the content they offer. There are downloadable games, kind of like the PopCap stuff on the internet. There is also some kind of iTunes feature that may appear in the future. Nice ideas, but I am assuming there will be fees to download new content.
  
  All of this is targeted at teens that play video games and will rack up the bill on Mommy's credit card. Who wants to also be that the new Xbox keeps track of purchases and delivers banner ads based on purchases? Who also wants to be that MS has a database to track this and sell your info to other marketers?
  
  What kind of world do we live in when your game console needs a pop-up blocker?
  
  --
  /. ++
3. Re:Oh GAWD. by FirienFirien · 2005-05-23 01:01 · Score: 1
  
  Someone who realised that said banner ads are there to generate revenue for the people who put them there, so lowering the cost to the end user.
  
  What's that? You mean you want to buy a machine with equal performance for MORE money?
  
  --
  Browsing with +2 to insightful posts and a higher threshold makes the average post seen seem a lot more ingenious
4. Re:Oh GAWD. by zero_offset · 2005-05-23 01:02 · Score: 1
  
  All of this is targeted at teens that play video games and will rack up the bill on Mommy's credit card.
  
  Most Xbox owners fall in the 20-30 year old age range.
  
  --
  Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
5. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 01:04 · Score: 0
  
  Considering I'm only willing to spend enough money to buy one of the next generation consoles, this is all the more reason not to but an Xbox.
6. Re:Oh GAWD. by justforaday · 2005-05-23 01:12 · Score: 1
  
  Ah yes, Microsoft, the company that is always looking for ways to lower the cost to the end user...
  
  --
  I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
7. Re:Oh GAWD. by Momoru · 2005-05-23 01:17 · Score: 1
  
  Because of a bloody banner ad? The current Xbox already has these types of ads...they seem more like news to me then ads "oh the new forza game is out"...they are mostly ignorable. I agree in principle that you shouldn't have to see ads in a pay service, but its not like the banner pops up while you are playing a game or anything.
8. Re:Oh GAWD. by WhatAmIDoingHere · 2005-05-23 01:21 · Score: 1
  
  People who want free X-Box Live use? Maybe if you upgrade from the free offering to the pay one, there are no ads.
  
  --
  Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
9. Re:Oh GAWD. by bigman2003 · 2005-05-23 01:21 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Well, telling you that there is a new game available in Xbox Live Arcade...
  
  Is that a banner ad, or is it an 'informative message.'
  
  I would go with the 'informative message' myself.
  
  When I am on a website that sells shoes, and they have a 'see our new stuff' button, I don't see it as advertising. I see it as a convenient way to find ou what new products they have at their store.
  
  I'm already there, I've already expressed interest...I just want to find stuff.
  
  I don't want to sort through a list of all of the Xbox Live Arcade games just to see if there is anything new- it is so much easier when they tell me about it...
  
  On the other hand, here we are at Slashdot...right now I have a huge Vonage banner at the top of my screen. I am not interested in Vonage, nor does Vonage have anything to do with this section of Slashdot...but I keep coming back.
  
  --
  No reason to lie.
10. Re:Oh GAWD. by Jack+Sparrow · 2005-05-23 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  The current Xbox already has these types of ads...they seem more like news to me then ads "oh the new forza game is out"
  
  2004 Superbowl day they had a message in there to play xbox during halftime. I read that and I played my xbox (new then) during halftime( I distinctly remember I played TopSpin).
  
  I will never forget the message that made me miss the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.
11. Re:Oh GAWD. by astro_ripper · 2005-05-23 01:29 · Score: 1
  
  Eh, it's just a graphic for a new game, and it appears to be showing up on a list of available games. I wouldn't really call it an ad, it's not quite the same as if it were a graphic for say, MSNTV or something.
12. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 01:33 · Score: 0
  
  ... who still live in their parents' basements.
13. Re:Oh GAWD. by Nytewynd · 2005-05-23 03:36 · Score: 1
  
  Most Xbox owners fall in the 20-30 year old age range.
  
  True, but the majority of the 20-30 year olds probably don't impulse buy things just because a flashy graphic pops up. A 14 year old might just purchase the game without caring that a parent is going to get billed. It's kind of like all of the cigarette ads. They might not be targeted directly at teens (even though they really are), but teens are the most impacted by them because older individuals already have formed an opinion one way or the other. Most marketing campaigns go after the younger people because they will either purchase it or make their parents' lives a living hell until they get it.
  
  --
  /. ++
14. Re:Oh GAWD. by NanoGator · 2005-05-23 03:46 · Score: 1, Redundant
  
  "Well, telling you that there is a new game available in Xbox Live Arcade... Is that a banner ad, or is it an 'informative message.'"
  
  It's Microsoft, so everybody's on a witch hunt to find anything that's wrong with it. If it were Sony or Nintendo, everybody'd be jumping up and down at the implication that game teasers and demos would be avabilable through their on-line service.
  
  --
  "Derp de derp."
15. Re:Oh GAWD. by zero_offset · 2005-05-23 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  because they will either purchase it or make their parents' lives a living hell until they get it
  
  Parents who cede that sort of control to their children utterly deserve everything they get.
  
  --
  Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
16. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 03:56 · Score: 0
  
  Use Adblock you stupid fuck. I'd rather not see 'informative message' - aka, sleazy, garbage.
17. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 05:00 · Score: 0
  
  The same people who think fast sounding specs (with out any real world numbers) makes the best system EVER. The same people who think playing violent games instantly makes you an adult!
  
  The answer? Teenagers and morons in their 20's who might as well still be teenagers.
18. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 05:05 · Score: 0
  
  DOn't be an idiot. Tell me, what is the difference between Advertisement and Information Message? ALL ADVERTISERS THINK OF THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS AS INFORMATION MESSAGES YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
19. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 05:08 · Score: 0
  
  What a load of CRAP. Everybody has already jumped down Nintendo's throats a few weeks ago when they announced their online service because they thought there would be Ads on it.
  
  Give me a break.
20. Re:Oh GAWD. by NanoGator · 2005-05-23 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  "What a load of CRAP."
  
  You can honestly tell me that when a MS story comes along people don't go to stupid extremes to describe how what they're doing is wrong?
  
  --
  "Derp de derp."
21. Re:Oh GAWD. by Rallion · 2005-05-23 05:56 · Score: 1
  
  Who in the fuck would buy a system with "Banner Ads" built into the damned GUI?
  
  Because we all know how badly StarCraft turned out.
22. Re:Oh GAWD. by Blackwulf · 2005-05-23 06:01 · Score: 1
  
  Tell me, what is the difference between Advertisement and Information Message? ALL ADVERTISERS THINK OF THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS AS INFORMATION MESSAGES YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
  The banner ad in the image shown by the grandparent (which I doubt you looked at) is actually a graphic advertising a new addition to a service you are already paying for. It's the best way to find out about new features on the service.
  
  To me, it's not an advertisement if you're already paying for it. It's an informational message telling you that what you're paying for just got more stuff.
23. Re:Oh GAWD. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-24 03:33 · Score: 0
  
  You're obviously not a parent or you wouldn't be making such a clueless statement.
  
  If you are a parent and you have never once been persuaded by endless begging to buy on overpriced toy, then you are a cyborg.
24. Re:Oh GAWD. by zero_offset · 2005-05-24 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  I was a child once (obviously), and we were not permitted to behave so poorly. I therefore assume it is possible for parents to control their children, although I'll admit this appears to be a dying trend.
  
  --
  Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
25. Re:Oh GAWD. by FirienFirien · 2005-05-25 00:43 · Score: 1
  
  You miss the point - Microsoft still get the same money, presumably more so over time. The advertisers are investing in place of a share of your payment in the hope that they can get more from you than they're shelling out to get the ads there in the first place.
  
  --
  Browsing with +2 to insightful posts and a higher threshold makes the average post seen seem a lot more ingenious
Cable companies. by Lemental · 2005-05-23 00:59 · Score: 1

Same people who subscribe to 50-60 dolar a month digital cable service and get banner ads on the guide system.

I hate those damn things, in fact, my cable company used to have them right in the show info banner itself! Unfortunately, looks like they are here to stay. I wish it wasnt so.
1. Re:Cable companies. by Momoru · 2005-05-23 01:19 · Score: 1
  
  What I want to know is who are the people that are clicking on them and getting information...at least with comcast, when you click one it just displays some horrible text...if it showed you a commercial or something maybe they would be useful, but its always like "ROGAIN. GET BACK YOUR HAIR NOW. CALL 18883335498 FOR MORE INFO". (Ok yes, i guess I AM one of the people that clicked the ads...but only to see what they showed)
Themes (Faces) by astro_ripper · 2005-05-23 01:22 · Score: 1

It will be interesting to see screenshots of the various Faces (themes) that are supposed to ship with it.
Someone scoring geekpoints... by James_Duncan8181 · 2005-05-23 01:42 · Score: 4, Funny

...a username of HiroProtagonist?
Either MS is wanting to suck up to the /. crowd, or they are anticipating really bad virus problems this time round.

--
"To any truly impartial person, it would be obvious that I am right."
1. Re:Someone scoring geekpoints... by malakai · 2005-05-23 02:03 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  That's J Allard's gamertag. Vice President of XBOX and Chief XNA Architect. And a lucky son of a bitch.
  
  --
  -Malakai
  A Dragon Lives in my Garage
2. Re:Someone scoring geekpoints... by Doomstalk · 2005-05-23 03:51 · Score: 1
  
  Or perhaps he has some delusions of grandeur. Xbox Live is cool, but it's no metaverse.
3. Re:Someone scoring geekpoints... by parcel · 2005-05-23 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  That's J Allard's gamertag. Vice President of XBOX and Chief XNA Architect. And a lucky son of a bitch.
  
  You forgot pirate:
  
  I mentioned in my last post that J Allard looks like a pirate, which is incontrovertible. You only need to look at a picture of the man to see that he spends a lot of time swinging on rigging and generally being dashing.
Who Spends Time in the Interface? by GaryPatterson · 2005-05-23 02:01 · Score: 4, Insightful

... when they could be playing the games?

It's a nice interface, clean lines and all that, but the thing I notice most about interfaces in video game consoles is that you want to spend as little time as possible in them.

You want to get to the game, after all.
1. Re:Who Spends Time in the Interface? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  sure...and you would want to get to the game as cleanly as possible..setting it up in the way you want as efortlessly as possible
2. Re:Who Spends Time in the Interface? by jericho4.0 · 2005-05-23 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  The next generation of consoles are going to play games very well. But they are also going to do a lot more than that. The best use of the built in networking, storage, and HD capabilities is going to come via software.
  
  --
  "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
3. Re:Who Spends Time in the Interface? by GaryPatterson · 2005-05-23 13:42 · Score: 1
  
  I thought about that after posting, but I still think that the interface is something to be moved out of the way while you use the X-Box.
  
  You don't want the interface while watching a DVD or using the machine for some video function. There's probably a remote for that, and that's a better interface than any on-screen one. You don't want it while playing games, although connecting to game servers will require it. You don't want it while listening to music, as it's good, but not *that* pretty - there'll be a visualiser, no doubt.
  
  But yes, while you're selecting something you do need an interface. It's just that you want to get in, find what you want and get out with the minimum of fuss. While a good design will help, every application or game will have its own, unique interface that users will spend far more time in.
  
  I guess I'm saying, in my incredibly long-winded and overly verbose manner, that the graphical interface is not that critical to actual usage on the X-Box - it's just something you pass through when you're going somewhere more interesting, like a door into a room. It's a very different world to general purpose computers.
Gag by MeanderingMind · 2005-05-23 02:03 · Score: 2, Interesting

Judging from all the new downloadable content, it seems likely that Microsoft may follow a Halo 2 model when it comes to the new features. Any game that has any popularity at all has the possibility of being plagued by charges each individual new map, weapon, or character.

I'm not opposed at all to being able to acquire and even pay for new content. I've played enough Blizzard games to be familiar with the concept of the expansion pack. It's more some lurking fear about how Microsoft will implement what would otherwise be a nifty feature that has me worried.

--
Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
1. Re:Gag by DanthemaninVA1 · 2005-05-23 03:08 · Score: 1
  
  You do realize that in a few months, all of the maps you have to pay for now will be free, right? I'm patient...I can wait until September and have all the maps that everyone else does. The only people who have to pay are the ones that want them sooner.
2. Re:Gag by drewmca · 2005-05-23 03:23 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Then you should be familiar with all of the tweaks and balance changes and cheat fixes that Blizzard has been shipping for years, right? Any game with a huge online community will inevitably have exploits and cheats exposed by people. These are, as I said, inevitable. No amount of testing will expose every possibility for cheating. It's not skimping on QA, or cheapness that causes this, but the fact that these things will always occur in any system of moderate complexity.
  
  If you take a look at the downloads Bungie has made available, they compare very closely to those that Blizzard has made available. They're fixes to expoits (sword flying, modem reset), balance tweaks (bumping up grenade damage), etc. Not bug fixes. The alternative is to let the game remain unplayable due to these problems. I think before jumping on the "xbox is a patchfest" bandwagon, you should take a hard look at what has actually happened and seriously consider the alternatives. People bitching about Halo 2's patchability are just having a knee jerk reaction.
3. Re:Gag by Blakey+Rat · 2005-05-23 06:09 · Score: 1
  
  Two things:
  
  1) Halo 2 isn't the first game to charge for premium content. I think MechAssault was the first, but I may be wrong.
  
  2) As with almost everything people whine about on Slashdot, if you don't like it-- don't buy it! If a lot of people don't like it, it will go away. If a lot of people do like it, it'll stick around and you'll be in the minority. Sorry, that's just how a free market works.
  
  --
  Comment of the year
Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side comparison? by LordJezo · 2005-05-23 03:14 · Score: 1

Comparing the specs and all that between the two systems?
Re:Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side compariso by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 03:45 · Score: 0

The specs don't matter to me one bit. It's the developers and how they use the system to make games that I want to play. I'd buy a system that came with a celeron CPU in it if it had games made by developers who were dedicated to making the games the very best they can.
Re:Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side compariso by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 04:01 · Score: 0

Get down on your knees, then bend over for some balling by Ballmer. They like you. You probably would buy a celeron console... I have no doubt. I can hear your stupidity loud and clear.
The X-Box has an interface? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 04:06 · Score: 0

Not owning a game-console, I didn't even know the X-Box (and presumably other consoles as well) had an "interface". Isn't the whole point of these game-consoles that you just pop in the disc and boom, you are instantly playing? No need to muck around with system settings to get a game to play well (or at all).

My God, it even has an option to muck around with NETWORK settings? Isn't that the type of crap people flee to consoles to avoid?
1. Re:The X-Box has an interface? by bartyboy · 2005-05-23 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  The original XBox also has a network setting menu. It's useful if you want to hook up the XBox to the internet without going through a router or through a computer. From what I understand the network connection is fairly simple to set up - my sister did it on her own, and he's not very computer literate.
  
  The XBox interface is useful when you want to use it to listen to some music or to edit settings. The Gamecube also has an interface which appears if you turn it on without a disc in the machine. You can set the date, time, delete saved games off the memory card, copy data, adjust sound output, etc.
  
  Consoles have gotten to a point where they need a way for the player to access certain features, which the interfaces allow you to do. However, they still allow you to "pop in the disc and boom, you are instantly playing".
  
  ***
  
  A little more on topic, I notice that the music player still doesn't have a fast forward button. You can skip tracks back and forth, but no fast forwarding to your favorite part. Get a clue, Microsoft.
2. Re:The X-Box has an interface? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 05:18 · Score: 0
  
  The Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Xbox all have interfaces. For every system, this is used for managing basic settings, or managing files on your memory card.
  
  The Xbox's interface, known as the 'Dashboard', can and has been extended, using a modchip you can even use your own Dashboard, like Evolution X. The Xbox Dashboard does basic file/settings management like the others, but it also plays music.
  
  With a software upgrade, it added a menu item to create an Xbox Live account. If you have an account already, it takes you to a menu where you can manage your account, send voice messages to friends, and see new events taking place on Xbox Live.
  
  Of course, consoles are supposed to be simple, lean mean gaming machines. So historically the only way to access the interface is to boot the console without a game disc inserted. If one is inserted, it'll go right to the game.
3. Re:The X-Box has an interface? by Fred+Or+Alive · 2005-05-23 05:36 · Score: 1
  
  As far as I know every disc based console has some sort of UI. Usually they have a memory card file manager, a CD player, and usually some basic settings like language, system clock and mono / stero sound so you don't have to set them in every game. If you have a disc in already, they all boot the game automatically, and starting the game from the UI is either simple, or automatic.
  
  The Xbox also has network settings, but they're only there for enviroments that don't use DHCP, or need a specific MAC address. Overall the various settings on consoles are far simpler than any PC, you usually set them once, and forget about them.
  
  The 360 does seem to have a fairly complex UI though, I guess it's mostly to push the online aspects of the system, Microsoft want to push it. Although quite a bit of the UI seems to be a redesign and expansion of the existing functions in the Xbox 1's system, except slightly better organised, and putting a bigger emphesis on the online features. I guess it's mostly because Microsoft really want to push the online features. It is a contrast to the usually spartan UIs of consoles though, but I'd guess the Nintendo Revolution may have a similar UI from what Nintendo have said about it's console's online features.
  
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  10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10
4. Re:The X-Box has an interface? by Chosen+Reject · 2005-05-23 07:44 · Score: 1
  
  Your sister is a he? You got a strange family.
  
  --
  Stop Global Warming!
  Just say no to irreversible processes!
5. Re:The X-Box has an interface? by bartyboy · 2005-05-23 23:57 · Score: 1
  
  That will teach me to use the preview button.
Re:Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side compariso by dmaduram · 2005-05-23 04:21 · Score: 1

There was a fairly thorough XBOX360/PS3 spec comparison at IGN:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html

It's IGN, though, so take this with a measure of salt -- the individual articles at AnandTech are much better.
Jeff Minter! by Saige · 2005-05-23 04:59 · Score: 2, Insightful

All I have to say when it comes to the new Xbox 360 visualizations is...

HELL YEAH!

Jeff Minter is doing the things, and with what he's done on the Jag and the Nuon platform with lightsynths and trippy effects, it's safe to say that the visualizations on the 360 will be nothing like the poor things on the Xbox. They're sure to be amazing displays, and I'm really looking forward to them!

I think I used my JagCD more for the visualizations than for gaming...

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"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
Any PlayStation3 UI Screenshots? by displague · 2005-05-23 05:30 · Score: 0, Offtopic

I'ld love to see previews of this nature for the PS3. Please, reply with links if they exist..

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Marques Johansson
Re:Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side compariso by jericho4.0 · 2005-05-23 06:12 · Score: 1

Here's a good one. Here's my evaluation;
CPU power; Both platforms are going to deliver a huge leap in power, but the cell is going to deliver more, and it's looking like a lot more.

GPU;Tough call. The PS3's Nvidia claims "twice the performance of two 6800 Ultras", and doesn't talk pipelines, the 360 says 48 pipelines + USA, whatever that means for performance. Both will look amazing, and I think the killer games this generation will be more about pushing physics and simulation than graphics.

I/O; The PS3 is loaded compared to the XBox 360, built in wireless, bluetooth, gigabit ethernet X 3, BluRay, 6 X USB2.0. And don't forget the dual 1080p outputs.

I think the PS3 is the more desirable, at this point, but things can change. One area I see changing is clock speed. The IBM fab tapeouts of the Cell were running faster than that, the memory can handle it, and it's an easy way to one up the competition at the last moment. Other specs can change also. Price is a factor, but I think the market is different this time around. These are not just game machines, but super-slick-media-p2p-internetworking-entertainmen t-thingies, which bring me to my last point; software.

Both consoles have tons of power, and the software is going to mean a lot in how that is delivered. Can I stream HD video over the network to other boxes? Can I use video chat in games? Outside of games? Can I share media? Etc.

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"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
Another link by Jack+Sparrow · 2005-05-23 08:31 · Score: 1

A little more descriptive:

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i =2424&p=4
PS3? Riiiiight... by EvilGoodGuy · 2005-05-23 08:32 · Score: 1

Hah, well get pictures when it exists.
Xbox360 == Modded Xbox 1? by EvilGoodGuy · 2005-05-23 08:35 · Score: 1

Other than graphics they seem to have made Xbox360 pretty much what I have made my Xbox. Right up to the visualizations that I love so much.
Re:Anyone have a 360 to PS3 side by side compariso by Anonymous Coward · 2005-05-23 23:32 · Score: 0

Don't believe anything Sony tells you. The PS1 was shit, the PS2 graphics sucked donkey balls. The demo and specs of the PS2 made it look far more impressive than it turned out. Sony is trying to steal thunder from the 360 which is actually being released this year. Some day when Sony has actualy product and actual in game demos, I'll look.
Gag Revised by MeanderingMind · 2005-05-24 02:19 · Score: 1

Just as clarification concerning the excellent points made in response to me.

1) I do in fact realize the maps will be made free via Microsoft's Xbox Live service in a few months. It is notable that you have to pay for the Live service or ~$20 for the physical manifestation appearing in stores.

2) Concerning the tweaks and balances of Blizzard, those are availible for free without any additional cost save for what you already pay for an internet connection. I am not informed as to whether one can download the patches Bungie releases without subscribing to Live.

That said, I'm not complaining about the fact that in the near future console games will be enjoying the same post-release patchability that their desktop based brethren have enjoyed. My greater concern is in how companies decide to dole out gameplay additions (such as maps, weapons, storyline expansions, extra models for character creators etc.) to the gaming public. Honestly Halo 2's approach was perfectly fine. People like myself can readily wait and get them for free via Live (if already paying for that anyway) or wait and buy the actual expansion pack when it comes out. What worries me is how Microsoft and other companies might corrupt the method in order to squeeze money out of gamers.

In any case, I've use Macintosh computers for long enough to be used to being in the minority. Perhaps I will end up dealing with a world where Activision charges $3 for an extra skater for Tony Hawk's Amateur Skater Aboveground 12. Or maybe my fears are baseless and companies will not only do so well as Halo 2 did, but find even better and unique ways of distributing cool add-ons without it being a fleecing.

Thank you for your comments.

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Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!