The 360 security revolves around preventing the use of unauthorized code. Pulling unauthorized code from a game is the easy part. Microsoft could really care less about an image file.
1) Video game consoles now have native resolutions of 720p and 1080i. Having a 360/PS3 without a HDTV should be a crime. The difference on the 360 is astounding.
2) DVD's are not high def, true, but they are 480p. Normal TV's are 480i. You will see a difference besides the "wide-screenness".
3) DVD players now upconvert to 720p and 1080i. It isn't as good as a pure HD signal, but they do an excellent job for the money.
4) Most people with HDTV's are probably sports nuts, and you cannot compare watching a game on a 50"plasma in HD to a 27" CRT.
The 360 is on the market and the development tools are finalized. The PS3 currently has little to no development tools worth working with on a game of this scale, and the release date is different every time you turn around. How long will they wait?
Among the launches in the US, Asia, and Europe - Microsoft is nearing 1 million consoles sold already.
PS had around 200,000 at launch and none more for 6 months.
Microsoft is dealing with unprecidented demand here. These consoles talk a little longer to build than your average electronics device. This question is ridiculous.
Why do people continue to compare Xbox360's graphics on a 480i NTSC TV to other consoles? It has a native resolution of 720p for a reason.
You will be unimpressed if you do not support 720p or 1080i. The 360 on a plasma tv, on the other hand, is much better than 3x the power of Xbox1 and PS2.
Luckily I got mine on launch day, great system. I've owned pretty much every console from the NES forwards (including virtual boy) and I've never been this impressed.
Highly underrated release lineup. If you have one, buy Kameo.
If Microsoft is near ready to test I highly doubt the idea was stolen from Google and replicated within "a few weeks". I've seen that company, they can't make a decision in that time frame let alone dedicate resources and create this product that quickly.
I've personally played Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Call of Duty2. Without even touching the rest (including PGR3 which is receiving near perfect reviews) this is easily the best release lineup for a modern console.
The goal of a release lineup is to have enough games up front to be worth the early investment. There have been people lined up since before noon today at my local Best Buy - so I think the 360 has gone above and beyond that.
Google uses GMail to build their search index. Try to make an orphan page on your site, email the link to someone, and check back on Google a few weeks later. You will see that page even though it is a complete orphan.
The 360 is more powerful than any gaming machine on the market today. Adjusted for inflation the 360 is also cheaper at launch than NES SNES N64 PS1 PS2 and the Xbox1.
Microsoft has to be eating a ton of the cost for every console sold.
Microsoft researched this and found there was no quality difference between component and HDMI. They did you a favor by not offering 150$ cables that were no improvement, but I'm sure you weren't ever buying a 360 anyway.
The quality of the Xbox360's graphics will only be as good as the weakest link. You need a 720p compatible TV, component cables, and a direct connection (no VCR passthroughs). Any less and you aren't getting your money's worth.
"Absolutely! We're going to be offering free trials for download (or at retail stores) in addition to the all-new Starter Pack. "
I am a former long-time SWG customer (6+ months). There were many broken promises within that timeframe. I have no motivation as a former customer to seek out a free trial and attempt to become 'addicted' again.
Sony needs to pony up and offer an economic incentive to resubscribe. Free month for former subscribers, half-price 3 month subscription, etc.
A short trial isn't enough to bring unhappy customers back.
Microsoft is aiming to dominate the US market. Pamphlets to shareholders is reporting over a million Xbox360's for the US on launch day (compare to under 250k for PS2), with 50k or less being available in Europe and Japan.
As much as we all hate Microsoft for their business practices, this launch will probably be the most succesfull in history.
1) When adjusted for inflation this is the cheapest console ever to hit the market. NES, SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, XBOX are all higher in price. More families than ever will be able to afford one.
2) Launch before the largest shopping weekend of the year. Many people will wait on a 360 rather than going out and shopping. If the 360 came out later then many people would have already purchased gifts.
3) Strong release lineup. Mostly sequals, but those are the games that people know and love and will buy a new console for. The best game in the lineup is probably Kameo: Elements of Power - and you barely hear anything about it.
4) PS3 will be pushing hard for Holidays '06. Way too much time. Xbox360 could have 15 million sold easy by then.
5) PS3, due to its architecture, will probably be priced around 500-600. Xbox360 could be 250 or less by then.
6) Halo 3. Some people don't enjoy FPS's on a console, but most people don't bother keeping a computer up to date with the latest and greatest video card. It will sell, and sell well.
People are hoping for the worst, but the market is ripe and MS has a good product.
What is wrong with sequel games? "Never buy the first year of a new line of cars" is good advice for a reason. Madden is better now than it was back on SNES.
Despite what the Anti-MS'rs will say below, this is an impressive lineup. It has a little something for every crowd that the Xbox360 is targeting.
RPG/Adventure - Kameo, probably the best launch title out there. Great game.
FPS - Call of Duty 2 and Perfect Dark 0. Quake4 and GUN probably won't be as good as these.
Sports - NFL NCAAB Soccer NBA. Won't have much extra functionality than their old-gen counterparts but will look great graphically.
Racing - NFS Most Wanted, Project Gothem, Ridge Racer.
With titles like Dead or Alive4 and Elder Scrolls 4 not far behind Microsoft has done a fantastic job. They will have over a million available on Day1 (over 4x what PS2 had at launch) and will sell out.
Slashdot Mirror
The 360 security revolves around preventing the use of unauthorized code. Pulling unauthorized code from a game is the easy part. Microsoft could really care less about an image file.
Couple points:
1) Video game consoles now have native resolutions of 720p and 1080i. Having a 360/PS3 without a HDTV should be a crime. The difference on the 360 is astounding.
2) DVD's are not high def, true, but they are 480p. Normal TV's are 480i. You will see a difference besides the "wide-screenness".
3) DVD players now upconvert to 720p and 1080i. It isn't as good as a pure HD signal, but they do an excellent job for the money.
4) Most people with HDTV's are probably sports nuts, and you cannot compare watching a game on a 50"plasma in HD to a 27" CRT.
The 360 is on the market and the development tools are finalized. The PS3 currently has little to no development tools worth working with on a game of this scale, and the release date is different every time you turn around. How long will they wait?
Among the launches in the US, Asia, and Europe - Microsoft is nearing 1 million consoles sold already.
PS had around 200,000 at launch and none more for 6 months.
Microsoft is dealing with unprecidented demand here. These consoles talk a little longer to build than your average electronics device. This question is ridiculous.
Why do people continue to compare Xbox360's graphics on a 480i NTSC TV to other consoles? It has a native resolution of 720p for a reason.
You will be unimpressed if you do not support 720p or 1080i. The 360 on a plasma tv, on the other hand, is much better than 3x the power of Xbox1 and PS2.
.. can we say Google is now replicating? :)
Luckily I got mine on launch day, great system. I've owned pretty much every console from the NES forwards (including virtual boy) and I've never been this impressed.
Highly underrated release lineup. If you have one, buy Kameo.
If Microsoft is near ready to test I highly doubt the idea was stolen from Google and replicated within "a few weeks". I've seen that company, they can't make a decision in that time frame let alone dedicate resources and create this product that quickly.
Halo3, along with a 360 price cut, will be too much to overcome in households that can afford only the 360 or the PS3.
the video and screenshots have been proven fake.
Right with the Shift-Key guy. HACKERS!
I've personally played Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Call of Duty2. Without even touching the rest (including PGR3 which is receiving near perfect reviews) this is easily the best release lineup for a modern console.
The goal of a release lineup is to have enough games up front to be worth the early investment. There have been people lined up since before noon today at my local Best Buy - so I think the 360 has gone above and beyond that.
This is like a M$ shareholder saying there is nothing wrong with their business practices.
Actually you are incorrect
Google uses GMail to build their search index. Try to make an orphan page on your site, email the link to someone, and check back on Google a few weeks later. You will see that page even though it is a complete orphan.
The 360 is more powerful than any gaming machine on the market today. Adjusted for inflation the 360 is also cheaper at launch than NES SNES N64 PS1 PS2 and the Xbox1.
Microsoft has to be eating a ton of the cost for every console sold.
I love FireFox as much as the next guy but we need to stop bragging about "100 million downloads !!!" when a new version is out every few weeks.
"They would think seriously about supporting openDocument."
Microsoft doesn't sell IE, Firefox is low on their radar of threats.
Office, on the other hand, is a big reason why their operating system is so popular in both the business environment and at home.
Microsoft researched this and found there was no quality difference between component and HDMI. They did you a favor by not offering 150$ cables that were no improvement, but I'm sure you weren't ever buying a 360 anyway.
The quality of the Xbox360's graphics will only be as good as the weakest link. You need a 720p compatible TV, component cables, and a direct connection (no VCR passthroughs). Any less and you aren't getting your money's worth.
If you don't have enough room next to your TV for an xbox and a 360 then you probably can't afford a 360 anyway...
"Absolutely! We're going to be offering free trials for download (or at retail stores) in addition to the all-new Starter Pack. "
I am a former long-time SWG customer (6+ months). There were many broken promises within that timeframe. I have no motivation as a former customer to seek out a free trial and attempt to become 'addicted' again.
Sony needs to pony up and offer an economic incentive to resubscribe. Free month for former subscribers, half-price 3 month subscription, etc.
A short trial isn't enough to bring unhappy customers back.
Microsoft is aiming to dominate the US market. Pamphlets to shareholders is reporting over a million Xbox360's for the US on launch day (compare to under 250k for PS2), with 50k or less being available in Europe and Japan.
As much as we all hate Microsoft for their business practices, this launch will probably be the most succesfull in history.
1) When adjusted for inflation this is the cheapest console ever to hit the market. NES, SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, XBOX are all higher in price. More families than ever will be able to afford one.
2) Launch before the largest shopping weekend of the year. Many people will wait on a 360 rather than going out and shopping. If the 360 came out later then many people would have already purchased gifts.
3) Strong release lineup. Mostly sequals, but those are the games that people know and love and will buy a new console for. The best game in the lineup is probably Kameo: Elements of Power - and you barely hear anything about it.
4) PS3 will be pushing hard for Holidays '06. Way too much time. Xbox360 could have 15 million sold easy by then.
5) PS3, due to its architecture, will probably be priced around 500-600. Xbox360 could be 250 or less by then.
6) Halo 3. Some people don't enjoy FPS's on a console, but most people don't bother keeping a computer up to date with the latest and greatest video card. It will sell, and sell well.
People are hoping for the worst, but the market is ripe and MS has a good product.
Couple hours at a kiosk. I call this game a 'magical Zelda' - same type of action/adventure/rpg with more based on magic.
What is wrong with sequel games? "Never buy the first year of a new line of cars" is good advice for a reason. Madden is better now than it was back on SNES.
Despite what the Anti-MS'rs will say below, this is an impressive lineup. It has a little something for every crowd that the Xbox360 is targeting.
RPG/Adventure - Kameo, probably the best launch title out there. Great game.
FPS - Call of Duty 2 and Perfect Dark 0. Quake4 and GUN probably won't be as good as these.
Sports - NFL NCAAB Soccer NBA. Won't have much extra functionality than their old-gen counterparts but will look great graphically.
Racing - NFS Most Wanted, Project Gothem, Ridge Racer.
With titles like Dead or Alive4 and Elder Scrolls 4 not far behind Microsoft has done a fantastic job. They will have over a million available on Day1 (over 4x what PS2 had at launch) and will sell out.