Xbox 360 Hardware Disassembled and Analyzed

Hack Jandy writes "Here is the first article I've seen about the Xbox 360 hardware internals. The article details everything from the storage devices to the CPU and GPU core."

Re:It's just cool

[Spit]

I'm an open source, open idea and freedom of information zealot however the xbox 360 is just cool.

Zealot doesn't appear to mean what you think it means. It certainly doesn't mean dropping your ideals when the opposing ideals are "just cool".

Re:It's just cool

[hugzz]

Marked for inflation the 360 costs less than what i spent on an atari years ago, and that is pretty amazing.

Not really. Basically all technology improves while reducing in price over time. That's like saying that, amazingly, your new mobile phone has more features than the first mobile phones available, and yet it costs less.

Re:It's just cool

[freshman_a]

Seeing as how there are no "open" game consoles, I guess us open source people are SOL when it comes to console gaming then, huh?

Re:It's just cool

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

I'll be buying it at day one.

I've got 30-45 mins a day at max i can play, and the experience, ease of use and integration of the xbox and xbox live service is what makes it for me.

You play less than an hours worth of games a day, yet you want to splash out on a new console system the moment it comes out?

I'm finding it hard to believe you've finished all the games you own on your current system, so whay the rush to buy a new one? Prudence would dictate that you take the time to expierience the top quality titles of the current generation, before moving onto the next.

I usually don't buy a system unless I can pinpoint at least three games on it that I simply must have. I've yet to see a console released on day one that offered even two "must have" titles for me.

Save your money and buy some of the quality titles that you haven't played on your current system. The 360 will still be there in 12 months time, at a cheaper price, and with better games, so why pay more now for less?

Re:Huge Power Supply

[Prophet of Nixon]

Actually, I really like the externalized power supply. Putting those awful things internal in devices which don't have much cooling is just asking for heat problems.

Re:It's just cool

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

Zealot doesn't mean that you stop living. Every one of us depends on Microsoft products in some way, every day. My bank runs on Windows. So does the software that coordinates bus schedules for the transit district here. So does much of the software that handles credit card transactions.

You cannot escape the fact that we live in a world of proprietary technology. Your BIOS is proprietary software. The software in your vehicle is proprietary technology. Your CPU is proprietary technology.

Re:It's just cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Does being an "Open source zealot" mean you can't enjoy the xbox just because it was made by microsoft?

Re:It's just boring

[Anonymous Coward]

Why does everybody seem to ignore the Nintendo Revolution? People talk about how the XBox 360 and PS3 only offer performance and graphics enhancements, but no new gameplay styles. Machine power no longer equals new styles of gameplay (although it used to). The Nintendo Revolution is THE system to have if you're looking for something new, something that truly makes console gaming a unique experience (rather than just playing on a PC with a controller).

No wonder the 360 is smaller than the original

[PhotoBoy]

Just look at the big external brick used to power it in the Anandtech article! Take something that big out of the casing and it's bound to be smaller. It would have ended up the same size as the Xbox 1 otherwise.

Re:It's just cool

[cornface]

Because for many people there is inherent pleasure in experiencing something new.

Many people don't feel the need to regulate and restrict their fun to careful guidelines based on what is "prudent."

MS Owns the IP because their name is on the chips?

[nigel_q]

Why is it that Anand thinks that the 'Soft owns the intellectual property to all the chips, just because their name is on them? Companies implement a product to a specification for a customer, that specification might include chip package branding. It doesn't follow that the customer owns the intellectual property or even knows what is inside! Just look at any outsourced piece of software!

Re:It's just cool

[rAiNsT0rm]

You sir, have commited the cardinal sin of LOGIC. As computer folks/geeks we all work in a very logical way... however, when it comes to consoles/cars/women/sex something short circuits and all that is thrown out the window.

I've worked in this industry, and the funny thing is how many game developers/designers/etc. don't even own certain systems. It's because they look at it logically and don't get caught in any of the hype. Why anybody rushes to buy a console the day it appears is beyond me, you get one or two games (generally one of them you buy just 'cause, and there is only one major title) you tire of both quickly, because the wow factor wears thin and you now have a massively expensive paper weight until the next round or releases which is some time off of which may be one more must have... rinse repeat.

Stupidity.

Re:This is no moon

[spy4hire]

I'd have to say Microsoft was very smart in what they did. They took a look at the original XBOX and pulled out the components that were the most prone to failure and made them user servicable. By putting the entire power supply outside, that can easily be replaced by the customer. The hard drive can also be replaced. This will save Microsoft quite a bit of money in having to replace components and allow the console to be used for long periods of time without as many failures as the original XBOX had.

Re:It's just cool

[klubar]

Or how about portable music players (aka iPods) for a monopoly? I forgot-this is /., Apple: good. Microsoft: bad.

Re:This is no moon

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is everyone bitching so much about the external power supply?

I've always thought that external power supplies would make a lot of more sense for PCs. They are more easy to cool passively (avoiding a noisy fan), the heat they generate doesn't get trapped in the case (reducing the need for case fans), and they take up space under your desk (as opposed to on it).

I think this was a smart move by the designers and anyone who disagrees with me has the right to... lick my sweaty scrotum.