Could Doom 3 be a Xbox Exclusive? 441
acehole writes "Doom III, id's latest and greatest in the realm of first-person shooters, may be coming out as an Xbox exclusive... if Microsoft has its way." This story is very brief, has no real evidence, and should be treated as entirely speculative. I'd be sad if Doom 3 required me to use the X-Box's controller. It's just not right without a mouse!
Id would never do that (Score:2, Insightful)
I agree with you (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I agree with you (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I agree with you (Score:3, Insightful)
You mean MS products like Windows? Id's main market is on Microsoft products.
Re:Id would never do that (Score:2)
Rus
Re:Id would never do that (Score:5, Insightful)
((Total Projected Sales of units between each of the other consoles) * 25%??? exclusivitiy bonus for the XBox) - (Development Costs to Port to other systems)
If MS is offering more then that then they probably do it. id is powerful enough to demand that sort of deal and MSFT is rich and desperate enough to make that kind of deal. Guarantee you they hit a number like that, they would make it an X-Box exclusive.
Re:Id would never do that (Score:4, Insightful)
An xbox version would be easy to port due to the fact that it basically a pc and uses directx.
A gamecube version might possibly be worthwhile but it is very different architecture from the PC and Xbox, and chances are that MS will offer up more than enough money than could be realistically made by a GC port.
Re:Id would never do that (Score:5, Informative)
Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
Remember Bungie, once pretty much the only significant Mac-only gaming company?
IIRC, id is a privately-owned company, but what if *you* were Carmack and MS offered to fund *your* rocket-making experiment, plus more Ferraris? Would you at least consider an exclusive license on one game?
I mean, here's what I'm saying. Carmack is a really damn good software engineer, and id is a really good company. Carmack's done tons and tons of work for Linux and other platforms -- he's been a powerful OpenGL ally, he's pushed Linux gaming, wrote large portions of the XFree86 GLX 3d driver for my Matrox card as volunteer work, has released all his games crossplatform (and I think id has consistently lost money on Linux releases). Lots of interest in Linux gaming came about *because* of his work, so he's indirectly responsible for much Linux gaming.
Yet, does him doing all this justify everyone expecting him to say no to lots of money *again*?
Re:Well... (Score:4, Interesting)
This happens ALL the time in the console world. Sony is particularly fond of this tactic, paying off companies like Square and Eidos (Tomb Raider) so that these companies' games will be released first for the Playstation/PS2 and 6-months later if at all for competitors' systems.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that Microsoft has already engaged in this practice with Konami for Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance. Just now is the game being released for Playstation 2, yet it has been available for the Xbox for a long time.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
If he would take the money... (Score:2, Insightful)
Exploration of space is much more important than monopoly issues on the entertainment market.
I'd still say no.. Never support Microsoft... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:AN xbox exclusive (Score:3, Funny)
Note : Heavy usage of sarcasm can be too difficult for the average slashdot reader to understand
hmm (Score:5, Informative)
07-APR-03
An article in the current issue of Wired magazine confirms what a lot of gamers were suspecting already: Microsoft is actively courting id Software for the exclusive console rights to Doom III. According to the article--a feature on current developments in the jaw-dropping PC FPS--the company behind the Xbox is offering an undisclosed amount of money to id in exchange for the right to make their latest game an Xbox-only title as far as consoles are concerned. (It'd still come out on the PC, of course.)
The folks at id reportedly haven't made a decision on the matter yet--it seems a reasonable enough assumption (lead programmer John Carmack has made comments in the past that seem to show a preference for the Xbox), but we'll see how it turns out. The PC game will likely be playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next month in Los Angeles.
The Wired article also had one more interesting bit on the PC version: in addition to the multiplayer expansion pack Carmack hinted at earlier, plans are also in the works for a new single-player expansion pack, due to be released some time after the final product hits stores. We'll have more details for you soon, so stay tuned.
Re:hmm (Score:5, Informative)
An article in the current issue of Wired magazine confirms what a lot of gamers were suspecting already: Microsoft is actively courting id Software for the exclusive console rights to Doom III.
That's what I figured. Thanks /. for getting peoples panties in a knot for nothing.
Taco comments without RTFA (Score:5, Informative)
And even better yet:
"money to id in exchange for the right to make their latest game an Xbox-only title as far as consoles are concerned. (It'd still come out on the PC, of course.)"
I can live with people commenting without having read the articles, but now the editors add their clever comment without having read (or understood) the article
Re:Taco comments without RTFA (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
I personally could care less if ANY of the consoles get Doom III. I'm a big console fan, but some genres (namely FPS's and RTS's) are just better with PC-style input devices. By the same token, I'd probably never buy Soul Calibur or DOA or Zelda for the PC, if they ever came out.
Re:hmm (Score:2, Interesting)
Give me the PC version... And the Linux port.
Re:hmm (Score:4, Informative)
Re:hmm (Score:5, Informative)
1. He can increase performance by 50% by optimizing for a fixed plattform (Xbox)
2. Doom3 was designed with NV20 (GeForce 3) level features as the baseline--the NV20 rendering path has all the eye-candy of the ARB2 or NV30 rendering path (see this interview with JC over at Beyond3D [beyond3d.com]).
3. A NV20 (GeForce 3) will be able to run Doom3 at 30FPS with max detail at 1024x768. It's a single-player game as well, so 60FPS+ isn't that big of a concern. With R300/350/NV30/35, you'll be able to get much higher framerates and use of anisotropic filtering and antialiasing. BUT, the game will be playable on a GF3.
4. The only thing that would have to be cut for an Xbox version would be some of the higher-res textures because of the Xbox's memory constraints--however, those textures would also be completely unnoticeable because of the much lower resolution on a TV compared to a PC (unless you're playing on an HDTV, of course).
So yeah. Xbox IS a PC, and not an altogether bad one at that. Plus the NV2X core in the Xbox is faster than a GF3, or so most people believe (but not as fast as a GF4).
Re:hmm (Score:2, Interesting)
From the link in the article:
The PC version of Doom III was running all over the QuakeCon floor on 2.3GHz Pentium 4 systems equipped with ATI's next-gen Radeon 9700 card. However, Carmack commented that the game was designed more for the GeForce2 generation of cards and will likely require a 1GHz machine at the very least.
So the XBox's graphics engine will probably (unfortunately) be sufficient and the processor no doubt will be able to cope once the cod
OpenGL (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:OpenGL (Score:4, Informative)
The XBOX supports whatever software is on the DVD. It would be trivial for Microsoft and NVidia to port NVidia's OpenGL drivers from Win2000 to the XBOX and stick them on the DVD.
DirectX *isn't* built into the XBOX. It is just software libs on the DVD of each game. The OpenGL driver would work exactly the same.
This isn't an issue that Microsoft couldn't fix (with NVidia's help) in the span of a week.
Read the article (Score:4, Informative)
RTFA -- Console exclusive only (Score:2, Redundant)
Re:RTFA -- Console exclusive only (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:RTFA -- Console exclusive only (Score:5, Funny)
It's easy to get loads of karma by reading the articles and then making well thought out comments about them.
Be a man and do it the hard way.
Re:RTFA -- Microsoft Bashing (Score:5, Funny)
Arrgh (Score:2, Insightful)
Not Xbox exclusive! (Score:5, Informative)
This makes a lot of sense, as the Xbox is the most like a PC of the 3 consoles. It won't take as much work for id to port, and if Microsoft is willing to pay them a bunch of money on top of that, all the better.
Very misleading writeup. (Score:2, Insightful)
Did the SUBMITTER RTFA? (Score:2, Redundant)
Jeez... never thought I'd see the day when a story submitter didn't read the article. Then again... this is
Actually,... (Score:2)
Missed it in the first paragraph (Score:2, Redundant)
Article: the right to make their latest game an Xbox-only title as far as consoles are concerned. (It'd still come out on the PC, of course.)
Taco as you said the article is brief, you should have found it. Not reading the comments is one thing, not reading the _articles_ is the reason for the incredible amount of dupes here.
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Could other consoles handle it? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Could other consoles handle it? (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't think so (Score:2, Informative)
2) No Keyboard
3) Slow GFX Chip
4) Slow CPU
5) No Hires GFX
If it comes out for xbox it will have nothing to do with the alpha version we have seen
RedShirt
Re:I don't think so (Score:3, Informative)
2) No Keyboard
FPS suck on consoles because of this. But it can be done. Halo, Goldeneye, and Metroid Prime are good examples. Although you can successfully argue that MP is not an FPS.
There isn't supposed to be a huge multiplayer element to Doom3. So computer gamers blowing away Live! users won't be a concern.
3) Slow GFX Chip
4) Slow CPU
I'm not sure what's sitting in your boxen, but I have an Athlon 1333 and an NV22 (GeForce3 Ti 500). But a game on the XBox should be able to outperfo
Console (Score:2)
However the PC is the real home of Doom. You need a mouse and keyboard for full control. Also with the easy online access is really needed for he online multiplayer expirence
Rus
Re:Console (Score:2)
Xbox console exclusive != Xbox only (Score:5, Informative)
It may well be the technology that dictates where DOOM3 can play, as it's going to be very dependent on hardware pixel and vertex shaders. It could likely only make it to Gamecube and Xbox anyway, unless they cripple the engine just to get it running on PS2.
No way.. (Score:2)
Doom stated on the PC, it is only logical, taht with such a huge fan base using the PC platform to release it for the PC first. Woul not make good business sense not to.
Second why would they go through all the R&D of making a PC Alpha (I have seen it) and then scrap it?
Re:No way.. (Score:2)
I don't think it's going to happen, but what if MS goes to Id and says "How much money do you want to make D3 an Xbox exculsive", and Id quotes them an outrageous figure, and MS writes out the check?
Re:No way.. (Score:2)
Did you fuckheads try reading the article? (Score:5, Informative)
Hey, I got a novel idea: How about if the editors acctually read the linked article before they post stories?
Re:Did you fuckheads try reading the article? (Score:2)
What is it with web designers these days? Light background, dark text is pretty much universal and easy to read (like, say, in these strange items called books ).
Still MS-Exclusive (Score:2)
And just where does the OS on most PCs come from?
Yes, the article is short on facts and long on speculation
Re:Still MS-Exclusive (Score:2)
And in a legal sense, this is not a monopoly. If Doom3 was the only game out there, you'd have an argument, but it's not. If MS had bought out all games' licenses, it would be a monopoly. They have not.
-Erwos
Re:Still MS-Exclusive (Score:5, Interesting)
Having not pried into the numbers of this field which are what ultimately determine whether any of your or my points are valid, allow me to offer a converse assertion.
Porting costs can be very high. Each additional platform Doom3 goes on will require (1) rewriting potentially large chunks of graphics code, if not other things if it turns out some things have to be squeezed a little extra to fit inside the console; (2) perhaps more expensive, extensive play testing to confirm the new hardware doesn't cause strange new problems; (3) creating a production line for creating media and packaging; (4) negotiating with stores shelf-space for an additional title; (5) providing tech support for yet another platform.
You seem to assert that for every additional platform the game is available for will mean more incoming revenue. Whether you meant this or not, it is not the case. Many people have multiple platforms -- XBox and a PC, PS2 and a GameCube, etc. Once more, some people may buy a new console simply for the newst, hot game out. And Doom3 will be coming out with a rather large amount of fan fare. If these two groups are a significant portion of the purchasers of Doom3, you start seeing diminishing returns very quicly -- perhaps even after supporting only two platforms (e.g. Windows and XBox)
Further, the game is already going to run in a Windows environment, doubtlessly. This means that XBox will be the easiest to port to, both because of a minimal amount of code rewrite being necessary and because the mostly stock hardware means that not as much XBox specific testing would be necessary.
If this turns out to be true ... (Score:2, Funny)
The result (Score:5, Funny)
Doom III use OpenGL.. (Score:3, Funny)
This story was meant to be a April Fools Joke! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:This story was meant to be a April Fools Joke! (Score:2)
GamePro didn't fell for anything -- the submitter who didn't read their article did.
And even if it was the case, too bad the guy spreading the joke was out of sync with real life. Like the date, and stuff.
This submission gives me an idea... (Score:2)
I'm more excited about the licensed games using Doom 3's engine than Doom 3. Also, as Warbucket [warbucket.com] pointed out [warbucket.com], to get the "full" Doom 3 experience (legally), you're going to have to drop about a hundred bucks US. (Trust me, those links actually go
how about... (Score:2, Funny)
2) profit
3) change intro screen
4) release doom4
5) profit
Over Dooms dead Body ! (Score:2)
If it's true... (Score:2)
Only on XBOX?! (Score:2)
I find it interesting so many Slashdotter's care! (Score:2)
Game consoles are entirely commercial endeavours, designed first and foremost to pry the maximum amount of money from your wallet for games played on them.
Whether you prefer Playstation 2, X-Box, Nintendo, or something else - I haven't seen any freeware or "try before you buy, $10 shareware" packages released for any of them.
Pretty much everything I've seen run on them could (and *usually* is) done about as well (if not
Re:I find it interesting so many Slashdotter's car (Score:2)
Could Doom 3 be a Xbox Exclusive? (Score:3, Funny)
The answer (included within the article submitted) would appear to be No.
relevant article excerpt (Score:2)
And if it was a console exclusive (Score:2)
Halo seemed like a great game at the time, I would have bought it. But then it was an x-box exclusive. And as such it just wasn't an interesting game for me anymore. I just forgot all about it and played some other good PC games.
You never read the article (Score:2)
OK, Heart Attack Averted. (Score:2)
However, making it a console only version for the XBox while releasing it on the PC.
Eh, I dont' care. To me, FPS on a Console suck. I prefer the KB/Mouse method of input not the little slow to respond pads (in FPS modes, in other mods, the pads rock).
However, I'll never own an XBox so I don't care. Gamecube and PS2 are for me. MS isn't getting near my TV if I can avoid it.
No, I
Mod parent down! (Score:2)
itd be beter on teh CUBE anyways (Score:3, Interesting)
i dont plan on buying it for console, but i will purchase both the OSX and PC versions, cause you DO need a mouse and keyboard.
Here are Carmack's own words (Score:5, Informative)
"We're being offered a pretty significant amount of money to sit on it until an Xbox port is done." -- John Carmack
"It" meaning Doom 3, of course. So MS is trying to get Id to delay Doom 3 for all platforms until an Xbox port is done. (Presumably, it'd come out for the PC first without any outside influence.) Do you really want to sit around while Id finishes the Xbox port, knowing that the PC version of Doom 3 is done?
Re:Here are Carmack's own words (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Here are Carmack's own words (Score:5, Interesting)
World of pain awaiting them (Score:2)
Any experienced doomster playing behind a keyboard and mouse is going to just massively _destroy_ the kids playing with one of those piddly little joystick gamepad thingies..
We'll have to invent a whole new term for the cannon fodder they'll be to those playing behind a PC...... hrmmm... lessee.. how bout:
xbox krispies, nice and chewey and so easy to make...
It all makes sense (Score:2)
stupid (Score:2)
Makes sense to make it XBOX Exclusive. (Score:2)
Second, Even if Microsoft didn't give ID the "Bag of Money" to make it XBOX exclusive for consoles it would make the most sense to put it on the XBOX anyway because
1) The mean age of owners is much higher on the XBOX. In fact it's around the age that ID is targeting.
2) The XBOX gamers are more FPS sa
DNF (Score:3, Funny)
Consider a Linux-only port (Score:3, Interesting)
I know that Linux ports have never been profitable for iD in the past, but that seems to be primarily because there was a more accepted alternative: buy the Windows version and then patch it to run on Linux.
It's a given that Doom3 is going to be immensly popular when it comes out, regardless of what platform it's, so I would reason that this move would cause a massive surge in popularity of Linux among gamers.
It would be a good way for Carmack to give MS the big finger once and for all.
Besides, I'm not sure how OpenGL compliant the XBox drivers are. The only OGL software I've seen on the XBox is under Linux (which of course doesn't require the MS drivers). Wouldn't that be a kicker - you can play Doom3 on the XBox, but only if you install Linux on it.
RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't trust the slashdot editors, they usually screw it up. If you RTA, which in this case takes only a few seconds, you'll see that the rumour is only that it will be available on X-Box and no other *consoles* - the deal MS is supposedly offering concerns exclusivity in the console market and nothing else. And if the rumour is true, it's basically free money for id, since they were not planning to port it to any other consoles anyway.
Re:RTA (Score:2)
But an exclusive deal means that no other console maker can make a deal to get it ported to thier console. I have no objection to Id doing this since the reason they make games is to make money- I just hope it is a good sum if they are going to do it.
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Re:This is Microsoft we are talking about..... (Score:2)
Uhhh, 90% market share means gobs of profit. You flunked Econ 101 and Business 101, didn't you?
Re:Does this seem weird? No (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want Doom3 on a console, you'll have to buy an Xbox. That's the plan. It's not monopolistic, nor is it morally wrong. It's just a good way of doing business.
-Erwos
Re:Does this seem weird? No (Score:3, Insightful)
It wouldn't even be illegal for MS to take all its profits from selling its OSs and give it to id in order to seal the exclusive console deal - unless MS is shown to have an illegal monopoly in OSs (which they have). Even
Re:Does this seem weird? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Does this seem weird? (Score:3, Interesting)
If you own an Xbox, you do. :)
It just seems like saying that companies have done it in the past isn't a good argument of why it should be allowed. Just because something is the way it is doesn't make it right or proper even if it is good business practice.
I guess we should just let Microsoft be and buy up all the companies and rights that they want to.
Re:Does this seem weird? (Score:2)
Re:It won't even run on it (Score:5, Insightful)
Remember, the console only has to run it at 640x480, no AA, and on only one set of hardware. Hand-tweaked assembly isn't going to happen for each computer platform, but I certainly could see it for a single console. How the leaked Doom3 alpha runs on your P4 2.4ghz is not really a good measure of how the final version might run on an XBox (or PC, for that matter).
-Erwos
Re:Submitters, please read the article (Score:2)
Re:Microsoft, ID, PCs, and Everything (Score:2)
Mod parent +5 Insightful ! (Score:2)
Re:Advertisement (Score:2)
Re:id should take the deal (Score:5, Informative)
As opposed to games like Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Eternal Darkness, and others?
Christ, just because Nintendo's core titles are pretty much geared for all ages doesn't mean they're not going to go for mature titles as well. Hell, they stopped censoring their games back in 1994, after they tried censoring the original Mortal Kombat and got spanked by Sega in sales as a result.
As far as the subject matter goes, though... this really is a non-story, as Carmack's been saying for a while that the X-Box was pretty much the only console he was planning to release Doom III on. Nothing to see here, folks...
Re:I don't think so (Score:2)
Think about it this way... (Score:2)
So, to summarize: A company you may hate is propping up a company you love to release the game on a platform they're going to flush on the next console
John Carmack (Score:5, Insightful)
Furthermore, John Carmack is also the same guy that releases his game engines under the GPL, once they are past their prime. Finally, John Carmack has also worked on open source projects... if I remember correctly, he helped develop Matrox drivers for Linux.
Also throw in the fact that the openness of the PC allows and the openness of Id Software's previous games veritably created the mod scene that spawned such things as Threewave CTF, Team Fortress, Rocket Arena... and arguably Half-Life, Counter-Strike, etc... Not releasing a PC port would kill this aspect of the community, or at least it would leave Id Software out of it.
Re:Ok Taco (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ok Taco (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Ok Taco (Score:3, Interesting)