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Martin

Sat May 14, 2005 12:52 pm


XBox 360

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Being previewed on E3 very soon. It looks like Microsoft has the console thing figured out, and Sony is in for some trouble (Nintendo, in retrospect, has been in a lot of trouble for a while now.)

They've secured the strongest list of developers I've ever seen, and the XBox 360 will have titles from such series as Halo, Perfect Dark, Need for Speed, Ghost Recon, Elder Scrolls, Battlefield, Quake, Splinter Cell and possibly Final Fantasy.

Discuss.


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Andy

Sat May 14, 2005 1:26 pm



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the newspaper said that it'll have a 3.2 ghz powerpc processor? are you serous? xbox360 is gona kick ass


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Dan

Sat May 14, 2005 2:45 pm



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I don't think the time is quite right for any new console systems to come out. Right now thes new consoles are not going to give much more then the old ones. Shure they will have more vid and cpu power but the diffrece will not be that noticable. I think that the big 3 conosle makes should have wated another year at least befor starting all this....


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Amailer

Sat May 14, 2005 2:54 pm



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Still, just buy a PC.. that thign is almost a PC XD
+ I don't like consols... games get over and you can't play them again (get boring).. unless it was xBox live.. sorta makes it better XD


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Andy

Sat May 14, 2005 3:09 pm



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i think online console gaming is a great idea, cuz then no one would have advantages over other gamers.. 
[url=http://geek.com/news/geeknews/2005May/bga20050511030408.htm]here's the full spec


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wtd

Sat May 14, 2005 3:17 pm



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I think it's great that Microsoft is rediscovering the PowerPC (NT4 ran on PPC).  However, they've aimed too high with their specs this time.  

IBM's a great company that makes great chips, ut ask Apple about their difficulties in delivering high clocked PowerPCs in large yields.

There are three ways the Xbox 360 can be shipped:

Fast
Cheap
Well

It can be any two of those at the same time, but not all three.  If they want it on time for Christmas 2005, it's either going to be of poor quality, or really expensive.

The other problem the Xbox 360 poses is that they're planning to market at least one version of it as a Windows Media Center, but likely undercut companies like HP and Dell that are doing the same with traditional x86 PCs.  

With Microsoft directly competing with their own customers, will these companies look for ways to bite back, perhaps by competing with Microsoft on the software front?


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[Gandalf]

Sat May 14, 2005 3:30 pm



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I guess they're looking for competition...

Why would you want an XBOX over PC anyways?  Because the games are more expensive?  Or is it because you're making Bill Gates happy?

I'm sure even that XBOX 360 will be out of date soon enough.


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rizzix

Sat May 14, 2005 3:31 pm



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yea.. heha.. i dont have a console box or anykind for this reason alone: there's not point to a gamming console box after all PC games are more advanced.. and more enjoyable.

PS: wait actually i do have one.. but i dont use it.. what a waste of cash.


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wtd

Sat May 14, 2005 3:41 pm



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"]Why would you want an XBOX over PC anyways?

Cheaper
Easier
Fits into an entertainment center environment better

This is not to say the Xbox 360 is perfect, or even good, but for what it'll do, it'll do these things better than existing PCs.


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Andy

Sat May 14, 2005 3:47 pm



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the xbox360 will have a release price of less than that of the ipod picture, so it shouldnt be too expensive.. and hopefully it'll be a well built machine


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wtd

Sat May 14, 2005 3:48 pm



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the xbox360 will have a release price of less than that of the ipod picture, so it shouldnt be too expensive.. and hopefully it'll be a well built machine

Don't count on tjhat.  $699USD at release isn't out of the question.


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Andy

Sat May 14, 2005 4:10 pm



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i didnt make that up, its what microsoft said


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Martin

Sat May 14, 2005 7:43 pm



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I'm guessing that XBox'll release the console at $299 US (the release price of the original xbox). They're aiming to do with the XBox 360 what Sony did with the PS2, and if they're going to do that, they'll have to have the price low from the get go.

Microsoft knows how to do consoles really well, so they wouldn't make the mistake of making it too expensive. If there's anything that Microsoft knows, it's that cheap is the way to go. I think that the only things that could be a problem for them would be either a poor list of release titles (not saying that it's going to have this problem, but it would be a problem if it happened) or Sony suprising everyone in a couple of days and saying that they'll launch the PS3 at the same time (unlikely, but possible).

One of the big features of the PS3 and XBox 360 is that they're introducing HDTV support (for games and movies.)

And practically everyone is a Microsoft customer (hence, you know, most profitable company ever), so if they want to do anything, they'll end up competing with their customers. Fortunately, that only serves to lower prices.

It would be cool to see Apple release a console. Unfortunately they don't have the resources to enter the race any time soon. They'd do a good job though I imagine.


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wtd

Sat May 14, 2005 7:56 pm



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It would be cool to see Apple release a console. Unfortunately they don't have the resources to enter the race any time soon. They'd do a good job though I imagine.

If they did, I'd like to see them try a different direction: slightly more expensive hardware, but open formats, and free developer tools.

Imagine a $500USD gaming console that comes with a USB port (or bluetooth) for mouse and keyboard, and software for creating your own games.  That puts games on standard DVDs.  That uses Compact Flash cards for game storage.  That has an iTunes Music Store style interface where you can download the newest games for $10, and smaller games from independent game makers for a dollar or two a piece.  IMagine the ability to preview them before buying.


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Dan

Sat May 14, 2005 8:55 pm



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i think online console gaming is a great idea, cuz then no one would have advantages over other gamers.. 


If u are refureing to peoleop hacking online games on P.C.s it can be done just as easly on consoles if you know how, in fact it is some times esayer and more effective on the consoles beacuse less time is put in to secuity b/c they are thinking just like you. Anything can be hacked with enougth time, effort and thought.


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Neo

Sun May 15, 2005 4:16 pm



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I think he is talking about the hardware. Everyone will have the exact same system so some guy with a monster computer doesnt have a 20FPS advantage.


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Andy

Sun May 15, 2005 4:32 pm



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yea thats exactly what i meant..


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wtd

Sun May 15, 2005 5:22 pm



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I think he is talking about the hardware. Everyone will have the exact same system so some guy with a monster computer doesnt have a 20FPS advantage.

Indeed.  The really nice thing about consoles is that, more or less, they set a hardware standard for game makers to target.  If you buy a console when it launches, you know there are going to be new games out in three years time that run just spiffy on the same machine, with no additional hardware investment.  Can the same be said for PC gaming?  No.


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[Gandalf]

Sun May 15, 2005 6:22 pm



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I think he is talking about the hardware. Everyone will have the exact same system so some guy with a monster computer doesnt have a 20FPS advantage.

Well, then just join a server with a good ping for you, and one with a decent fps cap based on what you can handle.  I know these things can be set in most online FPS games...  It's your fault if you join a server that is not playable or fair on your computer.


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Maverick

Sun May 15, 2005 6:28 pm



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Lol you nub. That doesnt make that big a difference. I run about 20 FPS or lower, so no matter where i play, a guy with 300 FPS will have a huge advantage.


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Dan

Sun May 15, 2005 7:41 pm



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ummm, why not just turn down the grapficks?


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Martin

Sun May 15, 2005 11:48 pm



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It would be cool to see Apple release a console. Unfortunately they don't have the resources to enter the race any time soon. They'd do a good job though I imagine.

If they did, I'd like to see them try a different direction: slightly more expensive hardware, but open formats, and free developer tools.

Imagine a $500USD gaming console that comes with a USB port (or bluetooth) for mouse and keyboard, and software for creating your own games.  That puts games on standard DVDs.  That uses Compact Flash cards for game storage.  That has an iTunes Music Store style interface where you can download the newest games for $10, and smaller games from independent game makers for a dollar or two a piece.  IMagine the ability to preview them before buying.

They did this. It's called the Mac Mini. It's not very good for playing games on.


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wtd

Mon May 16, 2005 1:36 am



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Not really.  They did a $500 general purpose computer.  You can do a fair amount more with $500 if the scope of the machine is as limited as a gaming console.


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Martin

Thu May 19, 2005 9:41 am



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In a strange twist of events:
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/05/17/0517automarketscan03.html?partner=theregister


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wtd

Thu May 19, 2005 10:21 am



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That's an acknowledgement of reality for Microsoft.  They know they've lost that battle (especially when 60% of MS employees own iPods), but they want the game console market.

The same contradictions happen in any company when it gets large enough.  Heck, just look at Sony.  Sony sells music, and sells it on the iTunes Music Store.  Why not sell it exclusively via CD or on their own online store?  Because they know the iTMS is the best means of selling music, and ultimately they want that more than dominating online distribution.

