Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Games Entertainment

XBox II Revealed, Maybe 117

Posted by michael from the real-or-memorex dept.
aka-ed writes: "PC Format in the UK claims to have scooped the world with a look at Home Station, an apparent successor to XBox. A multimedia gateway that sits between you and that broadband window on the world, with MS the Gatekeeper. It looks cool, and it's a product of Satan! Who wants to be bad?" "Claims" is the operative word in the above. Update: 09/09 12:42 PM GMT by M : And it's even a duplicate story. Well, news is a little slow at zero-dark-thirty Sunday morning...
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

XBox II Revealed, Maybe More

XBox II Revealed, Maybe

Comments Filter:

  • I hope... (Score:3, Funny)

    by mike260 ( 224212 ) on Sunday September 09, 2001 @04:51AM (#2270223)
    ...they do make it flat-topped like the (obviously fabricated) illustration. Making the top of the xbox curved so you can't stack stuff on it is just rude.
    • Given that its got quite a number of vents, I can imagine it'll be running a Pentium or AMD CPU, which will get quite 'warm', so putting stuff on it will prolly make it overheat.

      Looks like its basically a newbie's computer.
    • Nintendos, they used to be flat topped. Then people would put ham sandwitches and Pepsi on top of the device. This broke some of them when the soda spilled and bread crumbs got in the circuitry.

      All Nintendos since then have been curveyed topped, so you couldn't do that.

      Likewise, if you put a VCR on top of a DVD player, bad things will happen.
  • At first, companies made money by making hardware, a la IBM. Then MS came on the scene and made computers a commodity and software the place for big margins. Now that Linux and the Internet has made proprietary, licensed software somewhat unnecessary, MS is getting into the hardware game. It's come full circle.
    • I don't think you can claim GNU/Linux and the Internet have made proprietary software unecessary, nor can you claim this has led to M$'s decision.

      Both of the two "revolutions" have meant that M$ has had a hard time keeping its foot in the server market, which has led to diminishing returns where usually frequent upgrades are necessary. Meanwhile most home and office desktop users rely on Windows, because GNU/Linux just isn't easy enough for them, nor is it marketed half as well as Windows. So Microsoft still dominates the desktop market, and still has a foot in the server market. The point is that people aren't buying new computers or operating systems as much any more because the market is nearing saturation - almost everyone has now bought a PC. This is why they've deliberately made Windows XP so incompatable - to drive more sales.

      M$ have realised that software won't be able to suppor them anymore, so they've gone back to hardware. So yeah, it's gone full circle in a sense, but not for the reasons you cite. It seems M$ are finally aiming for Bill Gates' dream which he outlines in his awful book "The Road Ahead" - a world where electronic gadgets and computers fit seamlessly into our homes, and everything we do runs off Microsoft software and Microsoft connections.
    • Actually it looks to me like they're somehow making most of their money off beta software and product announcements. How is it we have the XboxII when Xbox (one) hasn't even been released and successful?
    • Yeah, but when it comes down to it ... Microsoft will be losing money on the XBOX hardware, and only making that money back on the software. That's why they promote bundling ... to offset some of that initial loss right up-front.

  • looks a lot like this (Score:1, Redundant)

    by Anonymous Coward
    looks a lot like this [slashdot.org]one doesn'it?
  • what will really be interesting will be the hacking projects.

    whether you can actually play games on it or not, Linux on the Xbox will be too cool (and spite MSFT like nothing other :)

    • Re:hacking (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Loligo ( 12021 )
      >Linux on the Xbox will be too cool (and spite
      >MSFT like nothing other :)

      Anyone taking bets that MS will try to get something into the license that would somehow make it a violation of the DMCA to run any other OS on this thing?

      -l

      • more likely the xbox will be full of winmodem like hardware. this will make it very diffacult to put linux on it in any usable form.

    • Re:hacking (Score:4, Funny)

      by Bodrius ( 191265 ) on Sunday September 09, 2001 @06:10AM (#2270327) Homepage
      If a significant percentage of the Slashdot readership is willing to buy an X-box for the sake of a Linux hack... maybe Microsoft finally found a way to make money out of this "Free Software" thingie...

      • Re:hacking (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Phexro ( 9814 )
        actually, video game console manufacturers sell their hardware at a loss, and make up for it by charging for their development environment and/or licensing fees for game developers.

        sounds like a good deal to me. i get a nice linux box, microsoft loses money. everybody wins!
        • Since the X-box is PC-based hardware-and-software-wise, isn't Microsoft already forfeiting the usual Sony businessmodel?

          Or are there differences I don't know about?
  • And, more important, why Microsoft whoring (X-Box announcements, "Pocket PC good, Palm bad", any comment along the lines "Resistance is futile") is both considered a good idea for articles, and in comments?

    Slashdot wants to make things look more controversial? Well, it succeeded -- when I am sick of Microsoft and Microsoft-inspired idiocy at work, I look at Slashdot and see more Microsoft idiocy. I mean, ok, there was one announcement about HomeStation, people talked (and karma-whored) a lot about it, we have hard multiple times again why everyone except Microsoft supporters should just wrap himself in a sheet and slowly crawl to a cemetery because Microsoft will own everything, but why should we be subjected to this bullshit again?
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Alex, I will tell you why I thought this article was significant.

      We are nearing the point now where "intellectual property owners" are capable of keeping their IP in their "physical possession," in the form of copyable bytes on a remote server.

      In the new licensable-not-purchasable world, MS would like to be the gatekeeper. This story describes a device that sounds like a box-o-fun, but is designed to channel your credit card transactions, and funnel a good percentage of those funds to the gatekeepers.

      As an illustration of Microsoft's current strategy and its logical destination, this article is either skillful fiction, or scary fact. Despite the "artist's concept" illo, I suspect this story is entirely true, because it dovetails so well with what is known about MS and its plans.

      I do not think this is a good thing. I like owning my CD's and videos and games. I don't want my credit acct to be charged a nickel every time I play a song. I won't enjoy music much under such circumstances.

      That is why I think this is newsworthy. Michael says it's a duplicate story, but I don't know what it duplicates, a search for "Home Station" brings up zip.
    • because MicroSoft has made them its bitch :)

  • This is the best link about it! (Score:4, Redundant)

    by Troed ( 102527 ) on Sunday September 09, 2001 @05:01AM (#2270249) Homepage Journal
    right here [slashdot.org]


    ... no more comments about Slashdot editors.

  • I'm guessing strong arm tatics are going to kill any chance of running X on my TV huh? We all know every major network/film studio/EVERYONE will have to work with the MS only set top box standard.

    Please support the Linux project - I don't want to watch MSNBC all day!

  • I remain unimpressed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by datavortex ( 132049 ) <datavortex@datavortex.net> on Sunday September 09, 2001 @05:03AM (#2270257) Homepage Journal
    They're trying to make a little dinky console do too much. I don't think that anyone (especially Microsoft) can integrate so many disparate functions so easily. They should have just stuck more with trying to make it competitive in its core purpose: gaming. I just want my stinking gamecube.
    • Ah, but adding 'features' to a product is an ingrained practice. Granted, some features added to a product are nice. But most of the time they're not features you would ever want, or could use. They're just added so the price can be raised, and/or as an incentive to purchase.

      And let's face it, is there anyone better at adding useless or unwanted 'features' to a product than Microsoft?

  • Xbox II?? (Score:2, Funny)

    by DrD8m ( 307736 )
    Xbox has not yet failed and Microsoft are thinking about Xbox II?

    • Re:Xbox III?? (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Xbox-III will be the killer, remember they don't get anything right until at least version 3.0
    • The XBox II (or HomeStation) is the key to an "all or nothing" campaign, which is how Microsoft does everything. The general idea is to throw a ton of money into marketing an inital product, and if/when that product gains a reasonable market share, release a newer version which incorporates more non-traditional technology in the niche market they're targeting. Also known as embrace and extend - instead of focusing on making the game console better at playing games, they make it do a whole bunch of other things, which essentially forces the competition to follow their lead if the XBox becomes a successful platform. The trick is to have that second (greatly expanded) product waiting quietly in the wings, so that it can be released before the competition has a chance to develop and retool their production line to incorporate the new features.

      From a marketing perspective, it makes a lot of sense for a company with enough resources to do this sort of thing, and it's (obviously) been a very successful tactic in the past. Microsoft can afford to bury their unsuccessful products -- like the oft sited Bob, which undoubtedly had a second revision waiting for release in the event that Bob 1.0 was a huge success.

  • Fine, slashdot editors. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kappelmeister ( 464986 ) on Sunday September 09, 2001 @05:30AM (#2270287)
    I have it on good authority that the box will actually be called "My Games Console".

    Can I have my 4 karma points now? (with apologies to Ayon Rantz [slashdot.org].)
  • While this sort of thing is certainly normal, it's kind of shocking to see XBoxII well along in it's development before XBoxI has even hit the store shelves. This thing's product lifecycle makes Microsoft's proposed 3-year licensing/upgrade scheme look pretty tame by comparison.

    --
    Insert witty URL here
  • Yes, we can all see it's not a photograph, but a computer-generated image. But does that in ANY WAY AT ALL challenge its authenticity? Do you ever see Any Photographs of what a new product is going to look like just after the first rumors of it came out? Of course not. The actual product hasnt been made yet, so there are no photographs.
    Did you see a Photograph of the Playstation 2 when people first started hearing about that? No, of course you didnt, you saw a Computer-Generated image of what they thought it was going to look like.
    Of course the image is Manufactured, The Product hasnt been Made yet. Because it's manufactured, does that make it /fake/? Not at all. In fact my only problem with the image is the font used to write out "Home Station" is one not made by Microsoft, and they probably wouldnt want to go through any legal battles when the original creator decides that he has a stake in the trademark.

  • It's all vaporware. there is no such thing. the people at PC Format aer a bunch of asses looking for another story to fill their pages.
    just the national enquirer of tech.
  • Microsoft is just about to release the XBox, and already talk about the successor/set top box version/pr0n machine/whatever. Remember the PS2? Remember the rumors about PS3? If you guys aren't satisfied with that is comming our way, live with the fact that there won't be a super machine just around the corner...
  • Its funny, XBOX isn't even out here in portugal (as well as i'm aware of) , and they're already talking about the XBOX 2, ok, ok, i know i live in a 3rd world country.. , but have u guys fiddle enough with the XBOX to be asking for an XBOX 2 already ..
  • the xbox still isn't for sale.

    not like this article is premature or anything...
  • If Microsoft makes their products like they write their code... we're all in a lot of trouble ;-)
  • A: "Its a Game Machine."
    B: "Its a Digital Recorder."
    A: "Game Machine!"
    B: "Digital Recorder!!!"

    MS: "Its a Game Machine AND a Digital Recorder!"

    Sound familiar?

    IV
  • Because, like the XBox, HomeStation is going to be 100 times better than anything else available today. In fact when Microsoft announces a future product any competitor might as well consider it here today.

    You can be sure any company in the "home entertainment nexus" business, and there are many, who sees that Microsoft is going to enter it some time in the future is going to get out of the business soon enough. The fact that we've seen nothing but XBox news for most of 2001 even though the XBox was never sold and probably never will be is immaterial. What matters is the perception.

    Just as Microsoft might as well have sold millions of XBoxes in 2001. Microsoft might as well have sold millions of HomeStations in 2001 too.

  • Michael, what does this story duplicate?

    And, since I posted this Saturday afternoon, what's this about early am Sunday?

    Don't be messing with my karma!
  • MS can't profit from broadband content-on-demand as long as end users have hard drives, because hard drives allow for piracy. To stop piracy, MS has to stop HDs.

    The ideal entertainment center (from MS's point of view) is broadband plus a smart card reader, game controller, DV camera, microphone, speakers and monitor. With that set up, not only do consumers get content on demand by payment on request, but they also get videophones that double as a spying device! Otherwise, customers have privacy and piracy, which they don't want us to have.

    So, as long as MS is using broadband and hard drive in the same sentence, they're not that serious about becoming entertainment leaders.
  • Sounds like BS to make people support the X-box so we can then reap the benefits of this "amazing" next product.
    • Yeah, but it's an alarmingly stupid move. People will hold off buying X-Box because they're waiting for X-Box II to come out... especially in an unenthusiastic economy.
  • You people will believe anything you read.
  • If i run X windows on this will it really be an X-box :)
  • I'll post this rant again in case you didnt catch it first time around,

    Personally I am really, really, really sick of this whole "computer as a componiant philosophy". Computers will always be distinct from entertainment systems. This is just another technology that noone asked for like HDTV, WAP and Webterminals. The only people who dig shit like this are marketing exec's who fantasise about total market penatration and hardware geeks who what to put linux on it. Not to dis M$ but they seem to be falling into this trap hook, line and sinker with the xbox and now this home station. This thing is never going to float

    Amiga tryed this same idea years ago with the cdtv and it was a complete flop and since then it has been shown over and over again that the market does not what to pay more then $199 for a console with the failure of the 3do etc etc

    Feature creep and hardware bloat are all right if your are a monopolistic software company only interested in crushing any possible competition before they can even gain ground but they are not the things that you what to see in a console. Consoles are simple single use item's that my grandmother could use, who the hell is going to do ten different thing's from it just cause all the games aint worth playing.

    Clearly, at some stage the point of computers got perverted.

    The whole point of computer's are not to provide a mean's to access MSN or AOL but that of simple personal empowerment. PC's where created becasue some guy/girl got sick and tired of having to rent time on the local college mainframe. Computers are used for writing reports, compiling program's, touching up photo's and, recentlly, editing home movies. Could someone please tell M$ that cause they dont seem to have a clue if they continue to come up with crap like this IMHO.

  • The speculation on the M$Box2, the GameCube (a crap-bucket if I ever saw one) whatever Sony's working on next, and the disappointment (IMHO) of the GBA... makes me glad I can still pick up a TurboGrafx 16 or a SNES for $20 and games for next to nothing.

    Metroid and Pole Position II will live forever-- or at least longer than Pokemon.

Slashdot Top Deals

If a thing's worth having, it's worth cheating for. -- W.C. Fields

Close