Microsoft to Release Three Versions of Xbox 2 73
BlueMoon writes "TheInquirer is reporting that Microsoft plans to release 3 version of the next generation Xbox console: one of which appears to be a fully functioning PC device, the other 2 are closer to a home console - one with a HDD, the other without.
Xbox Next and Xbox Next HD are planned for autumn 2005, the Xbox Next PC is not excepted to show up before autumn 2006."
Microsoft and a G5 PC? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Microsoft and a G5 PC? (Score:4, Insightful)
I wouldn't exactly report this as news, it didn't come out of the mouth of God or anything.
Re:Microsoft and a G5 PC? (Score:2)
The article doesn't say anything about a G5, but assuming that they'll be using that as the CPU I guess it means XP or Longhorn will have support for it.
Not quite (Score:2)
Like Slackware, Fedora, Gibraltar, TSL, JB Linux, Rock, Libranet, Smoothwall, etc?
Re:Microsoft and a G5 PC? (Score:2)
Re:Microsoft and a G5 PC? (Score:2)
Hmm.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Hmm.. (Score:1)
hint? no, they're likely trying to figure out how to encorporate the modding communities latest innovations and simultaniously disallow them from making any future unauthorized innovations.
that's how it always feels anyway.
Re:Hmm.. (Score:2)
So... (Score:2)
Re:So... (Score:2)
And, I'm guessing that they'll sell you a copy of Windows CE for PPC too, if you're willing to pay the bucks for it.
Re:So... (Score:2)
Smart move (Score:1)
WTF? (Score:1)
And no, I didn't RTFA, but it's still a silly move, which is a shame since the XBOX was pleasant surprise for MS' first foray into consoles.
Re:WTF? (Score:4, Interesting)
Peripherals for consoles never achieve any decent amount of sell-through. This is because developers will never support it. They can either develop a game that works on 100% of the installed base of consoles or develop a game that woks on n% of the installed base, where n is a sufficiently small number. The XBoxHD will offer increased functionality but probably not things that are of any dramatic benefit to gamers. Yeah, it might alleviate the need for a memory card or allow for some limited downloadable content. More than likely, though, it will offer TiVO like functionality and a way to store and playback media files.
Re:WTF? (Score:2)
Were? Still are. I picked up one of these [cobaltflux.com] a few months back, and let me tell you, I have one regret: I didn't pick up two.
DDRMAX 3 was recently released for the PS2, and it even uses the eyetoy if you have one.
Re:WTF? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:WTF? (Score:1)
There has been much protest [petitiononline.com] against the speculation that the second Xbox will not be backwards compatible with first-generation Xbox games. Since Xbox games are so highly dependent on a hard drive, (they use the E: partition of the hard drive to save games and the X:, Y:, and Z: p
Re:WTF? (Score:2)
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-5419179.html [zdnet.com]
Steve Ballmer doesnt want an xbox in the homes of every Mac, Linux and PC user... he wants WINDOWS in every home, everywhere in the world!
The essence of this is, buy Windows and get a free computer. Only, windows in this instance is in the guise of a games machine. Add this desire to get windows out there, with their drive behind XNA, and it's plain to see that MS see gaming as a luctritive way to get millions of use
Re:WTF? (Score:2)
I can't believe I missed such an abvious point, thank you.
However, they still only need one XBOX, not three.
The bag opens and... (Score:2, Interesting)
It's likely that we'll see games that require the Hard Drive for certain functions, or even the fully-fledged XBox PC. People who buy the cheapest model will be forced to upgrade.
Other rumors are that the lower model, without the Hard Drive, will also be not quite as powerful as the other ones. Interesting to se
Re:The bag opens and... (Score:2)
Rob
Re:The bag opens and... (Score:2)
"Forced"? (Score:2, Insightful)
Forcing somebody to buy ANY XBox2 would involve something along the lines of putting a gun to their head and saying "Buy it or die".
Offering different versions forces nothing. The consumer is free to buy or not buy any one iteration.
You remind me of the whiners who always complain about the different editions of DVDs. First they come out with the standard, then the extended, then the Director's, FORCING you to buy it three times
Re:"Forced"? (Score:1)
That kind of nonsense is annoying. So if MS does go through with this multi-tiered approach, let's hope they're not dicks about it.
Oh! (Score:3, Funny)
This goes along with something I submitted (Score:2)
Rob
They really have missed the point, haven't they? (Score:3, Insightful)
Any PS2 game I buy will work on my PS2. Simple as that.
As soon as there's a game that requires a certain specification of PS3 or XBox Next or whatever, it gets messy again. This is a slippery slope.
I get enough stress dealing with compatibilities between L2TP -v- OpenBSD and PDFLib -v- PHP during my day job. I don't want to IT troubleshoot when I get home too.
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:1)
Of course, then all you have to do is make saves too big to fit on the memory card (I have a few games which do that in the Original Xbox, they won't fit on a offical Xbox 8MB memory card(500 blocks), although they will fit on my 32 or 128 MB usb memory stick (2000 and 8000 blocks). Or you require some things be saved on the
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:1)
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:2)
Using a memory card is a laughable alternative.
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:1)
It is only a small part of the population that use them for other uses.
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:2)
One load time at the start of the level, then play 30+ minutes without seeing another load screen. Play an entire act without a load screen... awesome stuff. Without the HD Halo 2 couldnt possibly cache the entire level into memory. Its amazing what it does for the pacing of the game. (makes me wonder why Fable didnt do a similar thing, being xbox only)
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:2)
Nice job by Bungie if they pulled it off. Shame on GI if they're wrong.
Re:They really have missed the point, haven't they (Score:1, Insightful)
Yeah, but not if you get a PStwo. No hard drive, no FFXI. Sony is on that slippery slope as well.
Consoles are getting complicated. The Nintendo DS is virtually a PDA...
Only the Hard Drive is Upgradeable (Score:1)
Re:Only the Hard Drive is Upgradeable (Score:2)
PC, PC/XT, PC/AT (Score:2, Insightful)
Xbox Next PC -- Coleco Adam (Score:1, Informative)
Still nervous (Score:1)
So this begs the question on whether or not HD-specific features will still be there or will be treated as light gun support. I'm hoping for the former.
Also, did anyone think Xbox Next HD meant high-definition until they read farther? That may not be the best name for it.
There you go.... (Score:2)
Xbox2 Professional and
Xbox2 Media Center Edition
That's a very innovative way to approach the different segments of the console market.
Re:There you go.... (Score:2)
Look at windows XP home and professional, which can even be swapped in between versions with NTswitcher.exe. M$ is notorious for marketing the same garbage 30 different ways.
Re:There you go.... (Score:2)
Re:There you go.... (Score:2)
Or a very expensive HD, as opposed to removing a moderately-expensive one from the HD version and having to fing a new home for it : )
Re:There you go.... (Score:1)
expect (Score:2)
How long, I wonder . . . (Score:2)
I call bullcrap... (Score:2, Insightful)
...on the entire article. Will play PC games? What the hell for? Why would you go through all the coding and compatibility concerns for a market segment that would make you zero dollars? Money is makd off licensing and selling software, and allowing PC games to be played eliminate those dollars.
An HD and Non-HD version? Yeah right. Let's segment the console market, that's always a good idea. (See Sega CD, 32X, the PS2 HD, etc.) Developers wouldn't bother writing things to use the HD if they knew everyone
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
Most developers don't write specificly for the HD now. That doesn't make it any less usefull. If nothing else, you just won't have to worry about memory cards.
Most Xbox games are multi-platform. Not many support Hi definition, widescreen or Xbox Live. That doesn't make these things pointless. If you could save a few bucks to buy a 'lite' xbox for your 27 inch st
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
It might not be that hard to throw in some built in checks; "if LiveSupportingHardware = No Then DisableThisOptionOnTheMenu()" or "if HardDriveIsPresent = Yes Then CacheThisInformationForFasterAccess; else StreamThisInformationOffOfTheDVDAsRequired".
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
Most developers don't write to cache to the hard-drive, but that doesn't mean they don't write for it. You've forgotten custom soundtracks and content downloads. Most UBIsoft games (Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell), Ninja Gaiden, Links 2004, Rallisport Challenge 2, Project Gotham 2, ToCA Race Driver 2, Halo 2...
Those all use the hardrive, and I'm not talking about just game saves either. They allow you to download new content, and do custom soundtracks, and if most users didn't have an HD, those f
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:1)
What I'm curious about is if they'll offer a hard-drive upgrade kit. Seems to me they'll have to.
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:1)
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
As for the HD, make it so xbox live games will only play on the HD model. No broadband and HD, no Live. The Live players already jumped through the broadband hoop so they'll get the HD too. When the console final
Re:I call bullcrap... (Score:2)
Xbox2 runs ppc (Score:1)
The device will also play most available PC games.
Ohhhh k, so I'll be able to play Half Life 2 on this XBox which runs a PowerPC CPU?
Sounds bogus to me
What only three versions?? (Score:1)
Whatever happened to:
1. Xbox2 without HD and not backwards compatible
2. Xbox2 without HD but backwards compatible
3. Xbox2 with HD but not backwards compatible
4. Xbox2 with HD and backwards compatible
And I have not even mentioned the variants due to Thompson, Philips and Samsung
Please everyone aptitude uh? (Score:2)
Seriously, a PC that can do office work, 3d models and play HL2, doom3 and Halo 2(3) on the same case? count me in! I wont even look at the price tag twice! (but of course Im a compu
Xbox Next To Take Pictures... (Score:1)
iXbox2
Might I address the jury? (Score:5, Funny)
My case -BACAKAAA- rests your honah.
Actually a good idea (Score:2)
If anyone buys software for the thing, MS gets 100% of the money for that (apart from existing game titles). That's what they've wanted for a long time now! And no pesky laws to get in the way; except for the pesky laws that
Interesting Idea (Score:1)
Random speculation (Score:2, Insightful)
After the initial silly-prices of the first month or two after release have passed, the HDD-less X-Box 2 will be pretty cheap, maybe around the $100 mark. This will be intended as a direct competitor to whatever console Nintendo puts out next. The HDD version will probably follow a price curve similar to the original X-Box's and will be the main comp
Recipe For Failure (Score:2)
Developers will end up developing for the lowest common denominator and the high end Xboxes will end up sitting on the store shelves gathering dust. Sony has just got to love the way Microsoft is determined to shoot itself in the foot!