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Xbox 360 Launch to Face Several Hurdles
JamesO writes "Microsoft's J Allard has said that the Xbox 360 will be released in differing versions over the next five years. "It's something we're not ready to announce yet," he said. "I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon." Relatedly JamesO writes "Microsoft is saying that anywhere up to 40 games could be released for the Xbox 360 during its launch period, but which of those will make or break the console's launch? Pro-G choose their ten most important Xbox 360 launch games. Not the ten best launch games, but the most important for the success of the Xbox 360."
So it seems Microsoft has done a complete 180 on previous statements? How ironic!
Her sphincter covered with bright red blood...all the visuals of a shiny, blood-red pussy without the smell
Xbox 360 Launch to Face Several Hurdles
This may be true, but does it really reflect the article(s)?
10: Kameo: Elements of Power
9: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
8: Ridge Racer 6
7: N3: Ninety-Nine Nights
6: Dead or Alive 4
5: Call of Duty 2
4: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
3: Project Gotham Racing 3
2: Madden NFL 06
1: Perfect Dark Zero
Slashdot: come for the pedantry, stay for the condescension.
Who wants to buy my preorder?!
I put a down payment for an XBox 360 under the assumption that WHAT THEY HYPED was what would be in the unit. Not some pie in the sky, it'll have HiDef DVD next year and then the year after that we'll introduce XBOX360 3.0 which, as you all know, is when Microsoft gets it right so hooo-baby, get your preorders in for that one, and oh sorry about that built-in wireless router but that was too expensive.
I completely and totally understand that some features may change from preorder to launch. But all of this hype now about different consoles and such and I'm ready to just drop the whole thing until they actually ink the final shipping product features.
Fool me once, shame one you... fool me twice...
One things for sure, it'll be a LONG time before I preorder any Microsoft game system again.
How many people reading this are planning on buying an XBox 360? What sold you on it?
I am genuinely curious as to the anticipation level here. The last game that I anticipated was Master of Orion 2, but that was years and years ago.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
I would be pissed off if I bought version 1 of the X-Box, and then find out that X Game 001 only works on version 4 and above because it requires a HD. If games are compatible across all versions, I think this would still make consumers less willing to buy the X-Box. Why would I buy an X-Box now when version 2 with HDTV could be out in two more months?
The whole concept that drives consoles is that they are easy to use. You see the Xbox logo, you know you can play it. This idea has obviously degraded some with the online movement (not everyone will be able to play online), but this is taking it too far. When I buy a game system, there should be no compatibilty question. That's what my PC is for.
The average parent isn't going to know what to pick for their kid, and faced with a choice they might just turn around and pick up a console they know will be able to support any game on the system.
More experienced/older gamers might look at the inferior versions of the system as worthless, and will simply wait until the maxed out system comes down to a reasonable price. A good analogy would be with computers. The average slashdotter isn't going to go buy a celeron notebook (lets go with plain old celeron, when they sucked) when there are vastly superior Pentium M notebooks available. They will wait for the better system's price to come down. Maybe not such a great analogy, but hopefully it gets the point across.
It's a good idea to revamp the console over its lifetime, but it's not really a selling point for people buying the first generation. Either you get games which push the hardware now, but will work better on future, unreleased hardware (sounds like PC gaming). Or you get future games which work only on future revisions of the console, and are unplayable on the current generation. (sounds like PC gaming). Alternatively, you get generic titles which will work on the lowest common system. (ditto)
MS Flight sim is an example from the PC world. When first released, there's no hardware which can render smooth frame rates with all settings maxed out. As the hardware improves over time, the visuals can be pushed higher and higher until... the next version comes out and we start all over.
Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
Until there are games and the final hardware version is released, I think I am just going to stick with my PS2 for at least another couple years until the HD-DVD/Bluray and platform wars are decided.
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
No hard drive will seriously take away one of the advantagest the Xbox2 will have against the PS3, which also is planning on not having a hard drive. The hd comes standard on the current xbox, removing it now will only confuse the consumer base Also MS does NOT need to upgrade the optical drive at a later date to an HD DVD drive, unless the cost is as cheap a dvd drive. Why does Microsoft think that their plan of offering three to five different versions of the xbox will do anything but segment their own market is beyond me. Sony has always made on system and then figured out ways to shrink everything over a few years and then make money off of that hardware.
"Jeremy, you need to get to an internet cafe and cut and paste some appropriate sentiments about me from the world wide
The article failed to mention the two main setbacks. First, they based the OS off of Longhorn. Second, they want to ship every console with a copy of Duke Nukem Forever.
Any good-looking games going to be released for the xbox360 that isn't a sequel?
I don't know much about Xbox except that it is MS, which leads me to the question, "Will the 40 games still work after the release version is superseded?"
Viva la PS2!
Look at that BSOD go, I bet im getting at least 100fps on the dam thing. I feel sorry for all those people who didn't buy M$ new and "improved" game console, i heard they dont get cool BSOD's like us, heck i dont think they get any.
Who did you preorder with? I'd think you can cancel without penalty up until 2-4 weeks before release date.
Most likely you can even cancel up until it ships, if you're willing to spend enough time calling them up and complaining. (and being transferred & put on hold repeatedly...)
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Taking a cue from their competition (Nintendo), Microsoft announced that we can help them overcome these hurdles by repeatedly pressing A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B as fast as possible.
I am not too into consoles, I used to be when I was young, but I find that computers are more versatile(duh). The last console I bought was the regular playstation and that system is still kicking after 9 years despite some things that have been said about the original PSX. With this new move, I dont see a reason to ever own a console, from microsoft at least, ever. Why? So I can get screwed out of some features later? How can microsoft think that it is a good idea? Undoubtedly they have heard of the "Sega CD" and other bastard children from other companies. I cannot see how anyone over there calling the shots can think that this is good.
I take it that means the first generation system will be significantly cheaper than predicted, right? Right, guys?
*crickets chirping*
This is why I won't bother with consoles. Ever.
1. XBox 360 95- Way better than the Xbox, but you have to take it apart and rebuild it monthly. Optional "Plus Pack" to add themes.
2. XBox 360 98- Plug and Play joystics added (sort of). Though it crashed less, its not really that much different than XBox 360 95 but everyone thinks they want it.
3. XBox 360 CE- This is the portable version, Duh!
4. XBox 360 98SE- Exactly the same as XBox 360 98, but it costs more, and M$ says it's better so people think they want it more. Also included, a Weezer Video.
5. XBox 360 ME- This version crashes almost as much as the XBox 360 95, but it has built-in backups for when it corrupts, so you've got that going for you.
6. XBox 360 XP- Much better than all previous versions, but the EU and SEC will make Microsoft remove the browser, which is full of bugs... The linux community will absolutely hate the XBox 360 XP, even though it really isn't all that bad, if you know how to secure it, which is a serious pain in the ass.
7. XBox 360 Vista- This version will totally rip-off all other 3rd Generation consoles, and is the whole reason they have the tiered release plan anyway...
Why not just come out with a new version of the guy game!? That should get some more sales for Microsoft.
Schaedenfreude much?
"Made up/misattributed quote that makes me look smart. I am on
From article summary:
Microsoft's J Allard has said that the Xbox 360 will be released in differing versions over the next five years.
That's several hurdles right there. The story summary didn't say anyone but Microsoft was actually putting the hurdles in front of them.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The 360 will almost certainly include the hard drive at launch. Remember, it is detachable, so what Allard is doing is making sure you can still play games when the hard drive isn't attached. He's also saying that sometime in the next five years, they may or may not sell a version of the 360 without the HD included.
What if Microsoft's plan is to give every single Xbox 360.v1 owner a coupon for a free HD-DVD drive by mail? It could make sense, economically, if the difference in cost between the HD-DVD changes enough over the course of two years. Two years from this Christmas, then, Microsoft launches the Xbox 360.v2 with the HD-DVD drive and all Xbox 360.v1 owners are told that they can send in a copy of the bottom of their Xbox to receive their free HD-DVD drive upgrade. It could save a lot of money I think, and not cause the Osborne effect or the Sega CD effect.
The Mega CD , the 32X , jaguar CD ...
.... By which i mean more money via add ons ,are making a fatal mistake here "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it". ... well maybe one small add on you can get away with (Though nintendo were quite lucky with the N64 RAM pack , not that it didn't have a few problems itself) , change the disc format and you are nearly guaranteed to have limited success if not damage done to your market.
,they are like comfortable track suit trousers that you can slip into of a night , pig out on a massive pizza and remain calm in the knowledge you wont need to undo a button as time goes on .
We all remember how successful extensions to your console are(Though the jaguar CD was a great add on , it was expensive and the console was struggling at the time anyway ) .
MS in an attempted to create an extendable console
People like consoles because they are simple to use
They certainly don't want to waste much money on upgrades for it and to start having to worry about requirements
"I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon."
People like consoles in a One size fits all
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
Why buy now when later I'll be able to get an HD-DVD compatible mode. Why bother when the hard drive is being removed from the equation and will cost extra as an addon, thereby limiting developers' use of its potential, thereby removing the outstanding feature of the original Xbox.
I got to see the Xbox 360 in closed doors demos at E3 this year, and I have to say despite the ringing hype endorsement of the PS3 over a prerendered demo (Killzone) which everyone on the floor as developers could name who created it - the Xbox 360 really did blow me away technically and the games were impressive looking and desirable - especially the new EA sports iterations (not to say anything of their gameplay and the company's lack of innovation).
But this latest news really puts me off bothering to pick one up soon. I recently had a ton of games stolen and went to eBay to load up on games I lost in the theft that were out of print. When it came time to find all the titles for the Xbox, there were very, very few I even wanted to bother replacing.
The current lineup, Call of Duty 2 excepted (which looked exceptional at E3 running in a limited capacity), does nothing to make me jones for Xbox 360. It still is a box dedicated towards dumbed down PC games played on a television. For now, I'll wait and see if an HD-DVD model ever comes out. I'll pick up a PS3 and use it as my Blu-Ray player.
** http://www.nkhumanrights.or.kr/ ** Human rights in North Korea. 1 million estimated dead from starvation.
Round 1 (this year):
One model with hard drive, one without. (360HD and 360).
Round 2 (next year, one week before Sony launch):
One model with HD-DVD and HD, one model with HD-DVD and no HD (360 HDDHD and 360 HDD).
360 HD and 360 reduce in price (1/2 cost of PS3), still offered.
Halo 3 re-issued on HD-DVD media with added content.
Round 3 (year after Sony launch)
New model with improved graphics performance to pass Sony, hard drive and no hard drive models - 720 HDDHD and 720 HDD.
360 HDDHD and 360 HDD reduced in price.
360 HD and 360 discontinued.
Halo 4 issued in HD-DVD, requires 720 XXXxx model to work.
Funny or insightful? You decide!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
There are rumors that one of the reasons the HD will be detachable is that it will double as a portable music player. We probably would have heard more about this already if it were true, though.
10) Relies on someone going back in time to a point when Rare made a good game.
9) Built to convince PC RPG gamers to switch to a console.
8) Kills two birds with one stone, great arcade racer and greater Japanese interest in console.
7) Makes sure that second bird is really dead and not just faking it.
6) The first lesson of Breast Physics dictates the pull of the console is proportional to the bounce of your fighter.
5) Because the WWII genre is just so fresh.
4) "Ubi-quitous" stealth action game.
3) To draw people tired of the license grind.
2) It's the only way to have football on when there's no football on.
1) Make that two games that rely going back in time and... loop detected!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I think MS and Sony might have a tougher time than they think this time out. I hear a lot of 12-13 year olds saying "Xbox 2 is gonna be l33t!" or "I so need a PS3 when it comes out." but I spend a lot of time at a nearby game store talking to the guys that work there and from the sound of things, it's gamers that have the cash to burn on new systems that are saying things like, "The only one I know I'll get is the Revolution." and "I'm sick of all the bullshit hype."
So yeah, hey Sony and MS: fire your marketing departments and put the money towards game development. Everyone already knows that your next gen shit is coming, shut up about it and give us games that make it a worthwhile purchase.
No sig for you!!
The choice for him though was between a PC and the 360 - I don't think the PS3 really entered into the equation as a primary platform since, as he said, he still plans to release for the PC first.
He did berate both consoles for going the muti-processor route.
But between the UT engine and the Doom3 engine, I have to say the new UT engine looks more impressive. That will be out for both platforms anyway.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
A prequel: Perfect Dark Zero.
Actually, Microsoft is innovating the concept of gaming console: they planned some revisions of their product (not in number but in time period).
Each release will be a fix for the flaws borrowed by the previous one.
Oh, wait...
Fact: XBox 360 will not ship with HD-DVD drive.
Theory: After the PS3 is released (heck, while they are developing PS3 launch titles) game developers will scream to Microsoft they need the storage space HD-DVD offers to port the mammoth games they have just developed over to the XBox (and even then they may have a to cut and/or heavily compress some content to fit in the smaller space the HD-DVD format offers).
How can anyone really doubt this will not be true? How can anyone even hold a moment of doubt that at the very least a 2nd model with an HD-DVD drive will be released, and some game in the future (probably from EA) will require it? The only reason you are seeing Madden is that they will have another version next year anyway and this one will get the engine kinks worked out.
I think the only real surprise going forward would be Microsoft deciding to go with Blu-Ray instead of HD-DVD. But I just don't think they could swallow thier pride enough to do so, they are driven to be seen as the market leader.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Instead of offering the console in several different versions, why not let the people customize it by themselves? Want a HD with the console? Buy one and add it in! Want better optical-drive? Replace the one that came with the system with a better one! The user could also add better CPU and more RAM to the system.
Since these consoles would be more personal than the identical model they have sold in the past, we need a new name for these consoles. I suggest a "Personal Console", or "PC" for short.
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
You managed to get in the monstrous size of your display, the massive strength of your computer hardware, the size of your ALTERNATE television - an LCD, and you even put "(not a typo)" in there, as if to suggest we might all suspect you mean 10.5 inches, or perhaps 15 inches, rather than 105 inches.
Your penis must be less than 2 inches. It's the only explanation.
JamesO writes "Microsoft's J Allard has said that the Xbox 360 will be released in differing versions over the next five years.
If you don't like the first one, stick around, give us a chance to make a better one, but lets do the traditional announcement to lock the market into 'wait-and-see' for the next 5 years. Problem is, does this work on gamers?
"It's something we're not ready to announce yet," he said. "I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon."
I am not actually ready to make this comment, but since I already have, isn't this proclaimation redundant? Or are they pointing at more details?
Relatedly JamesO writes "Microsoft is saying that anywhere up to 40 games could be released for the Xbox 360 during its launch period, but which of those will make or break the console's launch?
Between 0 and 40 games will be released!
Anyway, Sony are locking up their consoles, everyone is. I would rather not sponsor these types of locked down computer systems blindly, under the guise of games, and people should start realising that.
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1.Whichever game has the exploit to install Linux. 2-10.Crap no one cares about.
On Xbox 360
On PS3:
My other Beowulf cluster is... er...
Really, if it's like the last time and the best game turns out to be another Halo, why bother? Halo is fun and all, but it's really not all that different from other FPS games, besides the graphic capabilities (and the weapon switching, of course). I don't mean to troll, but the entire reason the Xbox was successful was because it had powerful hardware. Everyone knows that makes games great, right? Anyway, if all this hardware keeps being removed, and they keep updating it, forcing you to keep upgrading your console, why bother? It's just the same as a computer. Microsoft is going about this all wrong. I still don't see how they think they're revolutionizing gaming by essentially building a PC.
Everyone seems shocked by this, but it all makes perfect sense. First Microsoft breaks the hardware apart a bit, and makes you buy it piecemeal. That's to get the consumer comfortable with a new way of buying consoles. When the third generation XBox comes out, it will be a lot easier for Microsoft to start selling the system's OS (and upgrades/revisions...of course....) seperately as well. I can already imagine the lines we'd be fed.
"By selling the system hardware and software seperately, we are allowing the system a much longer lifespan, so you don't have to buy a new console every year! Instead, you can just buy the hardware and software upgrades and have a "brand new" system!"
This isn't that different from the DVD playback "add-on" for the original XBox. Microsoft's merely seeing how far they can take it one generation at a time.
Why buy a 360 when you can buy a 720
?
That would be a smart move for Microsoft, even beyond iPod "competition." Having an "important" part of your gaming system also be portable would create all sorts of situations in which you could break or lose it. Only thing to do then would be buy another one. So long as they were making even a slight profit per sale on these things, that much more would be made on replacements alone.
I'm somewhat surprised more companies haven't been trying to think up new and creative ways to make the consumer more likely to need to purchase a replacement. Works well enough with products such as earbud headphones with (easily lost) silicon tips, games with more than one installation cd, and a variety of others.
...that ALL of the "first ten" are SEQUELS?
Not a single new, original idea?
Microsoft tried to avoid calling it "XBOX 2" at all cost. But it is just that. A 2nd grade sequel to XBOX, with more fireworks and special effects, most of which you've seen already, and nothing to really enjoy.
Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
Seems to me that Microsoft would prefer that you refresh your X-Box 360 each year with a new $200 purchase to get the latest technology.
I wonder if they'll have lifecycles on the older X-Box 360s and, over the next 2-3 years, kill Live support for the earlier generations of X-Box 360s that lack hardware of the most recent ones.
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
....judging from the summary saying that the XBox 360 will be released in different verions over the next few years, why should I worry about buying one until say.. 2008 or 2009? If TFS (The FSCKING summary) is accurate in any way, shape, or form, what's the point of buying this next-gen console? Just on an assumption (Mod as flamebait or troll for this comment as you please) based upon this poorly written summary, I could just wait until the Xbox 360 is emulated before I decide whether or nto to buy the actual system and any accompanying games.
What is Microsoft's relevant strategy towards releasing different versions of the 360 over the years, besides forced consumerism, (which I'm sure many would wish would amount to racketeering in many states,) and forced money rehashes thanks to "You must buy this upgrade to ensure your other paid-for product works perfectly with our product?" crap?
Are they trying to run their consumer market into the ground, leaving them without money to support their next effort in the console market? Or are they making a bold new move into an undefined arena of "In order for this to work, you must buy our upgrade" market?
Either way, I smell up and coming FUD miles away, and I'm just here to give an advance warning. Watch it, or lose it, your choice, and the big companies are giving you that opportnity ever-so-slyly to see if you'll notice. Pay attention, and take heed, grasshoppers. FUD has a new name, and it's in the form of screwed up future console marketing.
Okay, mod me as appropriately as you like. I'm asking a relevant question that I'm not sure many people could give a reasonable answer to, but the question still remains as a major one that should be asked, given the track record of the aforementioned company.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Just between MS and Sony, MS has taken the wrong approach... again. Just recall what happened at E3. The XBOX 360 had actual prototypes whereas Sony only had videos of "real footage." In the end, Sony came out on top -- at least in the eyes of the average gamer who tends to buy into the hype. (Remember how the initial reaction was: "Holy cow, Sony's specs blows the XBOX 360 out of the water!" or something to that effect?) Point is, MS jumped the gun to deliver their specs giving Sony's PR department tons of time to put together something to counter MS's announcments.Had they both made their announcements at E3, then Sony would not have had an advantage in terms of PR.
Now you've got this "several versions" scheme -- why would anyone buy an XBOX 360 at launch (esp. since the launch titles don't shout out "Buy me!") when the PS3, or a better version of the XBOX 360 would be coming out a few months later? By then the "top 10" games will have likely been priced down into the 19.99 range, too. Even if you only consider one new revision (say one that comes right after Sony's PS3 debut so MS can counter with a much-better and new 360), the fact that Sony is [hoping] to launch only a few months later would mean that most people are likely going to just wait and see during that time. I highly doubt the sales for the first XBOX 360 will be all that spectacular.
To be honest, if I knew that by waiting a few months I'd get a better version of , I'd just wait and make do with what I have. My current game consoles are more than capable of keeping me entertained in the meantime.
Patent infringement suits against Microsoft, valid or frivilous, I don't really mind. Wouldn't that be sweet?
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I read through the comments here and saw a lot of very confused people saying very confused things. After reading TFA here's what I gleaned:
- Microsoft is making sure game-developers treat the HD as optional.
- Seeing as the HD is optional, those who do not want the functionality will be offered the opportunity to purchase the console at a lower price.
- Microsoft may offer an HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360 in later revisions (SPECULATION: to drive sales in the latecomer camp who are intrigued by the added bonus of playing HD-DVD content.)
Now here's what wasn't stated, but what I believe:
- Consoles are loss leaders for the major manufacturers. It is not desireable to sell hardware repeatedly at a loss. So what? Microsoft isn't going to encourage people to re-buy something that actually costs them money. Instead they will push for software titles to work on every Xbox 360 so that the maximum number of consumers can pay them licensing fees.
- Microsoft is going to (at minimum) STROGNLY encourage all software vendors not to code to the hard drive or the HD-DVD drive (when it arrives). While such coding may occur (FFXI will almost surely require a hard drive) it will not be the norm. They want the Xbox you bought on launch day without the HD to continue to get them licensing money through your continued purchase of software (see above).
- Confusingly, while many people replace the 's' in Microsoft with a '$', they accuse the same company whose success is so obvious of being incompetent at selling things. Whatever you want to argue about Microsoft, it is hard to argue that they are bad at making money. To that end, please re-read the above two points. They will not restrict their income artificially.
- Consumers LIKE new hardware revs. How many folks bought that cute miniature PS2? Enough to show that a re-rev of hardware (with different functionality) can be accepted by users. There's also the wild success of the Gameboy Advance (and SP) to this end. Did all your peripherals work with the SP? No. How many people still 'upgraded' from the Advance to the SP? Lots! It offered a compelling reason to upgrade, without breaking backwards compatibility for what matters (the games).
My conclusion: I'll buy an Xbox 360 on launch day because my lust for a new console is high, and because I am confident that the 360 I buy will work with games released until the Xbox 1080 (or whatever). If you do not believe that games will work then you are welcome to wait it out. A lot of people I know hesitated on huying an Xbox because it was a "second class" console to them. Then they ended up buying one because it had a few compelling games that were "must play" to them. If you don't want the 360 at launch then don't buy one, but don't be too shocked if there is comeplling (to you) content released that is Xbox exclusive and you end up wanting one in the end.
(Hint: Ninja Gaiden is not Halo, Forza is not Halo, do not reply to this with smarmy comments about Halo being the only popular exclusive game for the Xbox because it isn't, unless you want the standard "anti Microsoft" Slashdot karma over being factually correct.)
you can take the road that takes you to the stars...
Ouch, where's my mod point when it's needed...
According to GP's analogy, this thing will be super stable without XBox360 XP's resource eating crap plus super-duper copy protection+activation, though would be short-lived..
Quoting myself, a very short time ago:
The choice for him though was between a PC and the 360 - I don't think the PS3 really entered into the equation as a primary platform since, as he said, he still plans to release for the PC first.
What part of that is a falsity? The parts you pulled out were very nice and all but altogether irrelevant to my point. Did I say the PS3 was easier/as easy to program? Nope. Did I say anything whatsoever about the PS3? Why no. What I did say was that the PS3 was irrelevant to the choice of primary platform because - and this is where you might want to look up there at the italics - he plans to release for the PC first. Thus it would seem to make a WHOLE lot of sense to develop on the platform that used similar tools and the same API to write against, rather than a completely different platform that would require a port. Even if he liked the PS3 more and thought it was easier and the better route he still wouldn't be using it as a primary development platform.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
So here's the deal - look at the figures you give, and imagine the timeline of storage medium beside them.
Basically what is happening is that games run into the storage limit of the tme and sit there, lothe to exceed the limit of a single disc (but doing it anyway from time to time). Only Doom 3 I think had the audactiy to require as many floppies as an OS install, and I think that also came in a CD version.
Think of all the HD cutscenes game makers will want to include, along with hi-res models. Now they can, so they will - it's as simple as that. Art will expand to fill availiable transport mediums. More space means less compression is needed, which is nice for a higher quality.
At least one of the first PS3 games will probably flll 75% of the blu-ray disc or more.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
But I do somewhat question whether we might have been better off this generation having an out-of-order main processor, rather than splitting it all up into these multi-processor systems.
Very light, but criticism nonetheless. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere a harsher and more detailed account of his dislike with the blanket move to multi-CPU architectures, but you can see it in the quote above.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm an old school gamer - I was around when the Atari 2600 was first introduced into the market (although my parents couldn't afford one). I have seen many console launches to this day, believe you me. Yes, we'll never see the kind of technological leap in graphics and processing power as we saw going from the Sega Genesis/SuperNintendo era to the Sony PlayStation/Sega Saturn (mentioning the 3DO would only confuse things), I still love reading about the first wave of games that will usher in the new gaming technology of the day. I may never buy the XBox 360, but it's still cool to read about what gaming companies are backing what systems etc and all the associated industry rumblings. It's like pre-Superbowl hype or sleigh rides and candy canes at Christmas time (or any other superfluous, superficial pagan traditions that bastardize the true meaning of holidays).
I guess what I'm saying is stop being such grumps and savour the blatant, sensational promotions and unrealistic expectations of this new gaming era!
Games are about having fun, aren't they?
SEO Copywriter. Just Say ON
Don't get me wrong I love the original XBOX, and I don't often say that about something MS makes. This, however, is stupid. If I wanted a piece of kit to upgrade and tinker with, I'd get a PC!
The beauty of the console is that if it says "XBOX" on the cover then I know it will run on my XBOX.
I don't have to answer questions like "do I have enough disk space?" "Do I have the right graphics card?" "Do I have the right optical drive" etc.
Drop a game in and play.
Several versions over the next five years? It's a recipe for disaster.
If you're going to upgrade it significantly then please - call it something else!
if you buy a x-box 315.5 Alpha1 at launch, it will be obsolete in 6 months, when xBox339Beta2 is released, which in turn will be obsolete when XBox360 is finally launched. Along with this, all xbox games will either only be coded for the lowest common demonator (ie. XBox 315.5 Alpha1), or will only work on the latest (XBox360).
if you RTFA all it says is that the HD might not be there sometimes. if theres a mini 360 equivalent to the psone or pstwo then this could be the reason... thus all those people who dont want a massive washing machine sized game console can have the sleek sexy chrome 360 with all the gamer-geek bollox removed. which sounds like a marketing ploy to target the non already consoled sections of the populous who dont care about chipsets, megabytes, gigabytes and bandwidth, who want to use it like they use their existing DVD player. just one that also happens to have games.
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
About Perfect Dark. Just the other day I was wondering why Rare had stopped making games. When checking their website i realized why. Damn M$ bought them too and now they're only making games for xbox. First Bungie, then Rare. Makes me sad...
I'm sure that is why everyone bought an XBOX rather than a PS2.
Not a single launch title I give a damn about.
... and those who don't get it yet:
It only needs one game -- next-gen Madden. That alone will trump all else, sell systems in droves, and will do so worldwide (because apparently you people have chosen to ignore the fact that Madden outsells even FIFA wordlwide). Madden will drive or break the launch. If it's there, it's a hit. If it's not, there could be trouble...
You don't believe me? Wander in to a Best Buy or Gamestop right now and hang around. Watch the kids and adults my age come in. Watch them come in, not even browse, go straight for the Madden box, buy, and leave. Watch kids wander in, pick up the Madden box, struggle with trying to decide to blow their hard-earned cash on it when they maybe can't even afford, AND STILL PICK IT UP EVERY SINGLE TIME.
There are no more-devoted game series fans out there. They all buy largely the same game EVERY SINGLE YEAR and play it to death, and a next-gen leap will only garner even more attention and sales than normal. And believe me, EA will roll out Der Hypen Machine for it in full force, so everyone will know when Madden launches.
People call in sick to work the day they know Madden launches. Peopel rearrange life schedules aroudn Madden launching so they hae plenty of time to go buy it and then play. Yes, it's that big.
Madden alone will make or break the 360 launch. because believe me, nobody cares about Perfect Dark...
I'll be surprised if Kameo or Perfect Dark are actually released at launch. At least since that Conker game(which went through at least three publicized versions across several years), they've been rather longwinded in their game development... especially after announcing and promoting their games.
This is my sig. It's prescription, I swear. I need it for reading things... on the other side of things
It's hard to hype an original title before launch. Street Fighter 360 makes for better press than Famu Street Brawler 360. Once the system is near the shelves and they're ready to get in-depth we should see more of the original titles.
The ______ Agenda
No need to add them, they're already there.
What's been overlooked so far as to the reason to design games to be playable with or without a hard drive is the possibility of a portable XBox handheld.
Design a game to operate in a dual-mode fashion and every console game becomes a portable game. It's easy to imagine a portable XBox handheld that is no larger than a typical CD walkman-type form-factor.
Just something to consider.
You guys don't get it.
MS wants to sell a PowerPC based system where they tightly control all the hardware and software. Total control over the market.
They already assume they will crush Sony and Nintendo and are driving towards a very lucrative upgrade market.
What they're trying to do is morph the console market into a new PC market.
But this time they control everything and don't have to deal with pesky hardware companies competing with each other or have to deal with supporting hardware vendors. Now the hardware vendors must support MS. And MS rakes in all the hardware $$'s
That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
It seems that the market is fucked up in such a way that the only thing companies can come with are SEQUELS.
:)
Was that the video game market, or the movie industry you were describing?
"I'm used to playing 1600x1200 on my pc at 60FPS."
Newb. Everyone knows you should be running on a 16:10 screen now - 1920x1200 is more appropriate for todays games.
"I'm playing on a 105" (not a typo) screen with a native resolution of 1366x768"
1366x768 sucks. Well, it doesn't suck, but you can visibly see pixelization on a 42" screen. Already, you can't do 1080i/p, which is where all the media will end up soon enough. That's why I chose the Sharp 45" LCD (1920x1080) over any of the 50" plasmas (1366x768.) I'm guessing your 105" screen is just a projector hanging on your ceiling or something.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
Like everybody on the planet likes american football, let alone sports games...
You KNOW what will make or break the Xbox 360... Halo 3.
(and no, I don't like Halo, it's over-hyped by console fanboys who never played a FPS on a computer)
...the Xbox 360 is not being renamed the Xbox Osborne.
The parent is obviously a very biased person with little to no logic skills.
Look at his "evidence". Can you spot the fallacies?
Mods, way to support the trolls.
They were really reaching for things to praise about the games. A sampler.
- Hundreds of characters on screen at once
- Take down hundreds of enemies at once
- First-person RPG with stunning visuals
- Will undoubtedly look stunning
- The smoke looks stunning
- The explosions look brilliant
And finally, the only evidence needed to know that this entire article was a big troll:
- Would Microsoft back a loser?
Xbox360: stunning, stunning, brilliantly stunning smoke and detritus.
just = (My)Opinion.toCents();
my confidence in this article is now zero.
I personally highly doubt that the multiple versions of the XBOX will affect game play. As has been stated before XBOX 360 will be HD equipped at launch. Despite the rumors, I don't see a "mini" version making MS much money, so it probably won't happen. In any case, it is fairly certain that every version of the XBOX 360 will be able to play every XBOX 360 game (or nearly every game, if the mini version happens).
On the other hand, MS has been trying to find magic "set-top box" that they can sell into nearly every home on the planet. They have tried (and failed) with WEB-TV (and Internet appliance). They have tried (and failed again) with Ultimate-TV (a PVR). They most recently have tried (and mostly failed) with Windows Media Version (another PVR). But... with a gaming console have had some success.
In light of this, I think it's highly likely that you will see an XBOX360-PVR with the ability to "rent", download, and play DRM'd WMV videos... along with an iTunes-like (iVideo?) online service. As long as you pay a small monthly fee you can download all your favorite shows and watch them as many times as you like... but you have to watch the ads (which are customized to your demographic, BTW). For an extra fee, you can "unlock" the ad-skipping capabilities for a single viewing.
Just think about it, this would have the potential to tap an enormous new revenue stream for MS... one they have tried to tap before. So far they just haven't been able to get it right, but who knows. Maybe eventually they will succeed.
this is microslut
Hmm, probably my taste for games is just totally the opposite of the writer's....
....
.... like gottham racing ... looks nice, works fine, it is just missing any SOUL that give a game some intensity ........ .... it's like duke nukem ... dull textures and you are bored of most in 5 minutes ....
..... (and does not include Ghost recon which i am a big fan of) ......
... or a more realistic fighting game other than that clunky slooow one (soul calibur, fight for NY) ....
... and most of these are just the OK i play 10 minutes and I never wanna see it again ....
... probably i will skip the next xbox and go for a PS3
Most of these games are the ones that fall in the fancy but tasteless category
th kind of games like halo
ahm
it is just a personal taste of course
why not splinter cell, quake 4, burnout revenge
dunno, just prefer games that make you sweat and shout and you can immerse into
but again
(no i have no problem with the current xbox, actually i prefer it over my ps2 as it is faster, newer and has anything the body needs:)
Simple solution:
If the initial release doesn't have the features you want, don't buy it and wait for the one that does.
I actually think some level of configurability makes a good deal of sense, provided we actually recieve a decent price break on the versions with less features. I would much rather see all versions / accessories released at launch, but seeing as I probably wouldn't be in the market for an XBox 360 until a number of months after launch, it's not really a big concern for me.
I waited a year after launch to buy a PS2 and a year and a half after launch to buy my XBox. Between the price drops on the consoles themselves and the games to play on them, I am about $350 fatter in my wallet for it.
I think the only way MS will really make a splash is by bringin back Johnny Turbo. They could run adns caliming to be the first next gen console! that should get people to buy 360! besides those people at nintnedo and sony, They're not even human!
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
Oh I agree, I'm not looking forwar dto games that are all cutscene and no action.
But that's where a lot of the big game makers will go, and Microsoft will have to head there or be left behind. It's just like the srms race with action movies where they had to have bigger explosions, badder car chases, yadda yadda yadda.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
If you are pretty sure an HD-DVD model is going to come out next year (I am), and that some games will come out for it (me again), then why would you buy a console now only to have to buy another in a year for some really hot game?
That's where the real fracturing occurs, as you have seen in other messages people are going to put off purchases to wait for the full-featured versions - a fracturing. The HD aspect is different and is more a fracturing in terms of what games will support, basically you can imagine that few games would dare to make much use of the HD since it's hard to say how many will go for it.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sure there are anumber of games that use in-game cutscenes.
But for games that really want the full artistic impact pre-rendered cutscenes are always going to be more impressive, since so much rendering and audio work can be done until tweaked just right. There will always be some game makers that want to let the artists have full control over a cutscene and not rely on capabilities of the engine.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
"I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all [approach] over the next five-year horizon."
That would hamper revenue...
Um, I hate to correct, but it's the "superfluous, superficial pagan traditions" that are the true meanings of holidays and the 'new religions' are what "bastardize the true meaning of holidays".
-your friendly pagan
Allard's comments didn't say anything about the first version being a soon-to-be out-of-date version. It sounds to me that Microsoft wants to keep the potential of offering a cheaper XBox 360 in the future.
I suspect that outside of the DVD drive, this first version will be one of the most robust versions; however, it will be the most expensive as well.
would ever have been on my list.
Guess I'm buying a PS3. Or the Nintendo box.
They just lost my market share. And my son's.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Well I hated all the versions of the playstation so far, and unless sony changes their controller for the ps3 like microsoft did for the xbox, I do not see the 3rd generation of playstation making an appearance into my home anytime soon. Maybe I am just biased, I think of sony like most of you slashies think of microsoft. Regardless, I don't want a controller that I can't even throw away.
apple?
What a crazy world we're living where microsoft is moving toward integrated OS+hardware and apple is moving away from it.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
The interview also offered a good defense on why you actually don't want HD-DVD or Blu-ray in your game console just yet (largely that it is much slower at reading thant the 360's 12X DVD drive), but that's another rant entirely...
MS is supposedly going to be making an announcement of 360 pricing and launch details in the next couple of days, so hopefully this article is just one last gasp of Sony astroturfing.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
Oooh, good one! Go fuck yourself.
Yeah they did:
= 3465t -16902.html
http://forums.dvdfile.com/showthread.php?t=54438
http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t
http://www.n-philes.com/forums/archive/index.php/
Xbox still loses MS money. Even after Halo the net to MS bottom line has been a loss. They recently made a little profit on it. Clearly it is the most subsidised console out there. Most businesses couldn't/wouldn't bankroll something like this and not see dollar one. This has been quite apparent since MS now reports profits/losses by divisions.
NT
Planning on Buying?
/. don't have the integrity to do the same, if they truly believe that Microsoft is a malevolent force.
I'm boycotting the thing, and I'm surprised most other people on
I think the opposite is true. Usually, the launch of a new system is a great time to introduce new franchises. People are excited about "newness", and there aren't many established franchises to compete against.
If there are any new franchises for the 360, right about now would be a great time to tell people about them, get people excited about them.
Everything shred of new info about the 360 gets first-page-treatment in most gaming mags/sites. If you want to introduce a new franchise, do it now when people care. Not a few months after the 360 launches and the game shelves are filled with sequels.
As an example, the launch of the DS allowed entirely new franchises like Project Rub or Polarium to get media attention they would never have received under normal circumstances.
The smaller PS2 didn't change any of the games-related functionality of the PS2. It's just a smaller version of the PS2, not an upgraded PS2. Same applies to all the Advance updates.
If Microsoft suddenly decides to update the 360 to HD-DVD, that's an entirely different thing. Will new games be sold on HD-DVD? That would mean that everyone who bought an Xbox 360 before the HD-DVD version is screwed. Consumers don't like being screwed.
Their plan might be that at some point during the 5-year cycle, the same game software will run unmodified on a handheld 360, which will lack a hard drive...
and did so on the same day my slim PS2 bit the dust, 9 months old, and giving me the same old "disk read error" bs as all the other PS2's out there. Sony has continued to fail to produce a reliable product, and on top of that, their customer service sucks more than a black hole. the only problem I had with the xbox is that it won't accept burned audio. but the 360 has solved that problem with direct mp3 transfers from your pc. I'll be more than happy to use my ps2 as a door stop, that is when I get it back from Sony in 2 months, and it burns out again 1 day after it's 90 day limited warranty has passed.