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Xbox News is a site that brings you the very latest Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One news, the latest games and releases, Part of the
DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network.
THE LATEST NEWS BELOW
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May 20th, 2005, 00:46 Posted By: wraggster
The version of Square Enix' massively multiplayer title Final Fantasy XI which was announced with a fanfare for Xbox 360 earlier this week will not feature any major enhancements over the existing PS2 and PC versions of the game, representatives of the firm have confirmed.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at E3, Japanese representatives of Square Enix said that the game would be "exactly the same", with the only update being the addition of HDTV resolutions. No new models or environments will be added to the game, which will run on the same servers as the PC and PS2 editions.
The company also revealed that Final Fantasy XI was originally in development for the current generation Xbox console, but that an agreement couldn't be reached with Microsoft that would allow Square Enix to implement its custom PlayOnline online gaming service on Xbox Live.
The restrictions on this have been eased significantly with the Xbox 360, the firm's spokespeople explained, and players will log into PlayOnline in order to play FFXI, not the Live service.
The team lauded the ease of development of the Xbox 360, saying that it took them just two to three months to get the game up and running on the platform, and said that it hopes to expand the audience for FFXI by moving to the new platform - especially in Europe, where this will be the first console version of the game to be made available.
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May 19th, 2005, 23:06 Posted By: wraggster
Following earlier indications that the Xbox 360 will only be backwards compatible with some Xbox games, Microsoft has admitted that existing software will need to be recompiled before it can be run on the new console.
he problem, it says, is down to hardware incompatibility - since the current Xbox uses an Intel processor, but the 360 will use IBM's PowerPC architecture, while NVIDIA's graphics solution is being replaced with an ATI one.
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May 19th, 2005, 23:05 Posted By: wraggster
Goldman Sachs expects the Home and Entertainment division of Microsoft to break even at the end of fiscal 2007. The research outfit said that this "will depend on competitive pricing by Sony, but we feel this is probably about right, resulting in the elimination of about a 5% drag on overall Microsoft earnings."
Goldman Sachs expects Microsoft will move approximately 3 million Xbox 360 units in the December quarter, "with demand exceeding supply". Goldman noted that the console could be sold atÂ*a retail price that is more than it had expected.
"With the worldwide availability in the December quarter, likely strong initial demand, and the added cost of the hard drive [estimated at $30], we might see a higher initial price."
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May 19th, 2005, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster
So now that all the hard facts about the Xbox 360 are out, we’re left to contemplate some of the more subtle news items regarding the new console. Anyone who remembers Windows 3.1 knows that Microsoft isn’t exactly known for its design suave, but they decided to take an entirely different tack for the daughter-of-Xbox, and plunked down a ton of the cash into the design part of the equation. Their primary goals? Please the Japanese, and please the wives and mothers who, as “nongamers,” will have to pass approval on a new box in the living room. In the interest of brevity we’ll be glossing over the fact that lots of wives and mothers are actually gamers, and just point out that the end result of the process was a shifting away from the aggressive, brute force of the first generation Xbox and on to a more peaceful, organic design. Inspired by a bong hit.
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May 19th, 2005, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster
We all learned a few important things during the XBox 360 unveiling on MTV. First, with little more than an airbrush and a pair of LEDs in the right hands, it’s possible to take the original XBox to unimagined new levels of aesthetic tragedy. Second, professional gamers can earn more than $80,000 per year, which works out to about 50 cents per hour. Finally, women gamers can assert their professionalism by saying “bitch” more times than in an average episode of Showdog Moms and Dads.
Despite all this, the network responsible for attention deficit disorder was the perfect symbolic launchpad for the next generation of home consoles. Both the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 will meld video gaming, television watching, and multimedia to cater to today’s multitasking short attention span gamer archetype. Could it get any better?
It could, says Microsoft, which deserves kudos for recognizing the white elephant in the rosy room of industry growth. Both Sony and Microsoft noted Pong in the chronologies they presented leading up to their visions of the future. Microsoft, though, lamented how early home consoles really drew in the whole family, or at least appealed to a wider demographic than today’s far more sophisticated titles. The situation is poised to get worse as next-generation titles enable more complex gameplay in addition to eye-popping graphics and animation.
Microsoft offered a few ideas on how to broaden the market, most of which — such as tracking performance across games or enabling consumers to design their own virtual merchandise — still seem to appeal to those ensconced in game culture. The most promising was the availability of free classic arcade games and modern casual hits such as Bejeweled via the new XBox Live Silver service, but that seems like a way to appeal to other family members once the console is already in the door. Nobody is going to buy an XBox 360 just to play games that have counterparts freely available on the Web. Besides, it seems like a waste to use the teraflop-crunching power of the XBox 360 to play Tetris. Casual gamers should get to enjoy gorgeous graphics, too.
Why not just include simplified versions of games with the discs on which they ship? Instead of overwhelming casual gamers with choices like designing which tattoo their character should have, simply provide a stock, good-looking character. Instead of making them prove powerslide mastery by finishing first in six races before unlocking any car faster than a Camry, give them the Ferrari up front like the original Out Run did. Instead of a feature film’s worth of cut scenes that set up the elaborate plot that will take 40 hours to unfold, provide a series of simple objectives that allow them to have some fun and get on with their lives. Limited versions of console games are already available in the forms of demos, mini-games, and “quick play” features, but these often limit the game assets available. The idea is to streamline setup and controls for casual gamers, not withhold fun.
There are probably a lot of games that will never appeal to casual gamers — epic RPGs like the Final Fantasy series, for example, would be tough to dumb down. But for racing games, shooting games, and sports, there’s far more that can be done. Console manufacturers can do their part by encouraging a “Have Fun Now” logo that publishers can use to brand games that come with a casual version or allowing consumers to set a hardware preference that automatically favors the casual flavor of the game.
Pricing and distribution would remain challenges, though. Would a casual gamer pay $50 or more for a simplified version of Madden? Would Electronic Arts be able to garner shelf space for a separate, simplified product? Could next-generation download services for consoles deliver the simplified versions? The benefit of the exponentially larger market for game titles that would result from appealing to casual gamers would justify addressing these issues.
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May 18th, 2005, 06:54 Posted By: Cap'n 1time
good news for legal homebrewers of the xbox! im still hoping and praying for a legal dashboard replacement!
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May 17th, 2005, 22:42 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has announced compatibility between Windows Media Center Edition 2005 and the 360? And they’re saying that the 360 will act as a Media Center Extender and that the 360 can pick up HD and regular content from any PC in the house? That’s crazy talk!
Nope, it’s true. MCE 2005 is fully 360 complaint, which kind of tells you the real reason behind the Xbox in the first place—it’s the perfect foothold into the living rooms and bedrooms of our fair nation. Sure, today it’s all about Halo 2 and Ninja Gaiden. But tomorrow… all kinds of stuff on-demand and on screen. So, in a nutshell, the PS3 is a “gaming” machine and the Xbox is an “entertainment” machine.
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May 17th, 2005, 21:32 Posted By: wraggster
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2005 in Los Angeles, Microsoft Corp. today announced it will release a free software update to Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 that will enable customers to take advantage of the Media Center Extender technologies built into Xbox 360 (TM) gaming systems to access and enjoy digital entertainment anywhere in the home. Every Xbox 360 will have Media Center Extender functionality built in and available out of the box. The Media Center Extender functionality, coupled with the software update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, will provide customers with seamless access to digital music, video, photos, and standard and high-definition television and movies on Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs through any Xbox 360 game console in the house.
Inclusion of Media Center Extender technologies in Xbox 360 represents Microsoft's latest effort to provide consumers with seamless access to the same great experience provided in Media Center Edition PCs on any TV in the house. The Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 experience will be accessible on Xbox 360 systems by pressing the green button on the new Xbox 360 remote control. And, for the first time ever, the extender technologies that are built into Xbox 360 will enable customers to enjoy high-definition entertainment. For example, Xbox 360 will let players stream high-definition TV and movies stored on Media Center PCs, allowing them to watch a high-definition sports event while they chat with friends in other parts of the country who are watching the same game. Or they can receive a friend's invitation to play a game while watching live television.
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May 17th, 2005, 19:08 Posted By: wraggster
All sorts of fun facts coming out of Microsoft's E3 2005 Xbox 360 press event. Story will be updated as they come in.
Xbox 360 will have limited backward compatability. Only the most popular Xbox games will be supported, through an emulator.
Square Enix is releasing Final Fantasy XI on the 360, with Live support. First of several Square Enix games on the platform.
More than 160 games are in development.
During a 90 day launch window Microsoft hopes that between 25 and 40 Xbox 360 games are released.
You can buy movies and music online through the 360
All games must support 720p, a 16:9 aspect ratio, anti-aliasing and 5.1 multi channel sound.
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May 17th, 2005, 18:48 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft opened the next-generation floodgates last week when it publicly unveiled the Xbox 360 on an MTV special, firing the first shots at its rivals in what is sure to be an all-out war for consumers. The Xbox 360 will be released this holiday season, and Microsoft held its annual E3 press conference today to tout the system's features and show off its planned lineup of games. The event took place shortly after Sony wowed the crowd at its own conference by unveiling the PlayStation 3.
The biggest story of the press conference surprised many attendees at the Shrine Auditorium. Microsoft announced that Square Enix, a longtime partner with Microsoft rivals Nintendo and Sony, will be bringing Final Fantasy XI to the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.
This will be the first Square Enix game for a Microsoft console, and the third platform for FFXI, which previously appeared on the PC in 2003 and PlayStation 2 in 2004. Final Fantasy XI was the first game in the popular role-playing series to go online, and the Xbox version will sport new high-definition graphics and make use of all of Xbox Live's features.
Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility. However, Microsoft would only say that the console will be "backward-compatible with top-selling Xbox games." This ambiguous wording could mean that Microsoft will select which titles will run on the next-gen console. However, it could also simply mean that Microsoft is merely being prudent in case some original Xbox titles don't work on the 360, as was the case with some older PlayStation 1 games and the PlayStation 2.
Although future Xbox 360 owners will be able to play the more than 200 Xbox titles expected this year, it's the 360 games that they'll really want. Microsoft expects 25 to 40 Xbox 360 titles to be available during the console's launch window (defined as within three months of the system's release), and developers currently have more than 160 games in the works.
Among the games Microsoft announced for the console were Tecmo's previously unrevealed fighter Dead or Alive 4 and Capcom's zombie-slayer Dead Rising, which is being developed by legendary game designer Keiji Inafune.
Publisher Electronic Arts announced that its lineup of 360 games, which includes Madden NFL 06, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and The Godfather, signifies its largest commitment to any next-generation console's launch.
As detailed last week, Xbox Live will come in two different packages. Xbox Live Silver, which allows gamers to send voice and text messages and participate in other basic features, and the premium subscription-based Xbox Live Gold package, which includes spectator mode and multiplayer gaming privileges. It turns out anyone with an Xbox 360 will get a taste of the good life. Microsoft today announced that all 360 owners will be treated to a free month of the Gold service when they first jack into Xbox Live.
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May 17th, 2005, 18:48 Posted By: M@jk
Does anyone can make a port of newest Beats Of Rage? Because all new mods (Vampire Rage, FF:Apocalypse and much more...) is not working on actually v.1 :/
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May 17th, 2005, 18:33 Posted By: wraggster
The official Xbox 360 press conference was Monday evening, and an AP article has news that the 360 is backwards compatible, and that Square Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy XI for the console." Coverage also available at Gamespot. From the article: "Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games." Mostly. Gamasutra points out that backwards compatibility will be selective, with most but not all of the top selling games supported. Kotaku and the Guardian Gamesblog have firsthand accounts from the event, and to watch the conference for yourself Xbox.com has the footage.
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May 16th, 2005, 19:49 Posted By: wraggster
As the battle of the next-gen consoles truly gets underway, Bill Gates has revealed what he believes is Microsoft's secret weapon - the third instalment in the Halo series, to be launched simultaneously with PS3.
That's according to an article in Time magazine, which this week depicts Gates holding an Xbox 360 on the cover. The article reads: "Note to the hardcore faithful: the next version of Halo will not, repeat not, be ready in time for the launch of Xbox 360. It will be part of the all-important second wave next spring.
""It's perfect," Gates says, radiant with bloodlust. "The day Sony launches [PS3], and they walk right into Halo 3.""
Providing Sony does indeed launch PS3 next spring, of course. CFO Takao Yuhara was recently quoted as saying "For the year end sales season, simultaneously building up both the PSP as well as the next-generation PlayStation is one option that we have" - suggesting that the console could launch by this Christmas.
All should be revealed at Sony's pre-E3 press conference, which kicks off today at 11PM UK time.
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May 15th, 2005, 03:03 Posted By: wraggster
Yesterday we asked if anybody had heard anything definitive yet about whether or not the Xbox 360 was going to be backwards compatible with original Xbox titles. No one seemed to know for sure, but don’t feel bad, because it turns out that not even Microsoft knows for sure. At least, that’s what they’re saying, with Peter Moore, VP of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for the Xbox, admitting in an interview last week that they simply haven’t sorted out what’s going on with backwards compatiblity yet. We’ve already gone over the legal and technical issues involved before (let’s just say that if it were easy to do, they’d do it), and while backwards compatibility isn’t exactly going to make or break the new console, all they’re doing by leaving it out is giving a little more ammunition to Sony and Nintendo.
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May 13th, 2005, 18:40 Posted By: wraggster
With the flood of Xbox 360 information coming out today, here are a few of the rumored technical features it does not have:
HD DVD support - It looks DVD is going to have to hold you. [Update: Brian@Kotaku swears Microsoft told him it will support HD DVD, but he also eats paste.]
iPod-like MP3 hard drive - The unit can be removed to take with you, but does not function as a standalone MP3 player
Media Center PC functions - While it will serve as a Media Center extender out of the box, it will not record shows or have a TV tuner.
DVD Burner - This seemed like a long-shot, but some people were convinced.
Wireless-only controllers - The default mode of operation is wireless (and that’s good), the controllers can be plugged in to USB slots to deal with charging and low-power.
A proper logo font - In fact, the typeface being used for the logo looks awful, especially embossed on the tray door.
Backwards compatibility - It is possible that the Xbox 360 can play regular Xbox games, but nothing has been said for sure.
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May 13th, 2005, 18:36 Posted By: wraggster
Forrester Research published a piece that helps explain just what it is that Microsoft was trying to accomplish by eschewing E3 and announcing their product on MTV last night.
As we’ve noted in the past, and as Forrester corroborates, E3 and CES are where the big product announcements are made. Microsoft’s decision to launch their console prior to E3 represents a deliberate strategic move that accomplishes several key objectives. Forrester calls it a “brave move” that allows Microsoft to:
“Side step the industry shindig and talk directly to potential consumers”: Given what we know about the expected timing of the Xbox 360 release (November), it’s early to be putting this product directly in front of consumers. The direct-to-consumer marketing hype generally occurs a few months prior to console launch. Microsoft’s early launch risks “killing its existing hardware line sales and stunting software sales” as consumers begin to delay purchases in anticipation of the $300 to $400 they’ll have to shell out later this year. In other words, Microsoft appears willing to jeopardize first-generation Xbox sales in order to ensure the success of the Xbox 360. They’re hurting themselves, but they hope to hurt Sony and Nintendo even more by locking consumers into an affinity for the Xbox 360 earlier than either of these competitors.
”Reduce the classic five-year game console cycle”: We have to disagree with Forrester on this one. Microsoft doesn’t want to shorten console lifecycles. That would be suicidal, as manufacturers tend to lose money on hardware in order to reap big rewards on software sales. A 5-year console lifecycle allows Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo to milk those software revenues before they have to shell out again on costly console development and production. What Forrester really meant to say is that Microsoft doesn’t want to be the last one out of the gate this time around. They made that mistake by releasing the Xbox in 2001 giving Sony a huge lead in living room penetration.
”Build a frenzy of community speculation and support”: Well, duh. Which console manufacturer doesn’t want this? Still, Forrester gives Microsoft’s marketing machine deserves props for building “a frenzy” over the past six months “carefully fed by occasional press quotes from Bill Gates, leaked images, and viral messaging spread via Microsoft’s “ourcolony.net” site.”
”Offset some of its negative branding in the PC market”: According to Forrester, Microsoft’s approach with this gamers-first approach should win them the goodwill of the consumer market which tends to view Microsoft as the intractable monopolist.
”Break the new console out of the gaming ghetto”: Microsoft has signed an agreement with Samsung to “co-locate next-generation Xboxes with [Samsung’s] high-definition TVs in retail stores” which helps the company’s product escape the crowded gaming aisles and sit on shelves free of Sony and Nintendo consoles. The MTV launch is also an attempt to broaden the gamer market by changing the “games are for geeks” stereotype that still tends to plague the industry and depress sales. Microsoft’s taking the Xbox 360 to MTV is like that seminal moment in Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign in which he played the Sax on MTV and answered questions about his underwear. He became hip and made politics an acceptable activity for the cool kids. Clinton’s campaign credited that appearance with giving the campaign a boost, and you can bet that the MS marketing gurus were thinking the same thing when they put this event together.
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May 13th, 2005, 18:28 Posted By: wraggster
Speaking in one of a number of promotional Xbox 360 videos doing the rounds, Moore identified Project Gotham Racing 3 from Bizarre Creations and Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero from Rare as the launch titles.
That's not a cast-iron guarantee that they will launch alongside the console this "Holiday season" - mostly likely November/early December, even for Europe - but it's the clearest indication yet that all three are being positioned as key components of the Xbox 360 launch offering.
Project Gotham Racing 3 has yet to be officially unveiled by Microsoft - perhaps in an effort to avoid spoiling the European launch of Forza Motorsport on Xbox 1 today - but is almost certain to feature on Monday at the company's pre-E3 press conference.
Perfect Dark Zero, however, has been unveiled in the US print press, with some screenshots popping up overnight which have been labelled as disappointing by many critics, but Microsoft UK today claimed it had "released no shots" of the game.
However, reports in the US media that the game currently crawls along at 20 frames per second haven't helped improve the tone of the online gossip - but may well indicate just how unfinished the code currently being presented actually is.
Kameo, meanwhile, has been demonstrated, but opinion is less polarised. The adventure game, originally bound for Xbox 1 (and before that, for the GameCube), mixes puzzling and adventure with real-time battles and creature transformation.
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May 13th, 2005, 18:27 Posted By: wraggster
Xbox 360 has been officially unveiled by Microsoft.
Confirmation that it was "Xbox 360" came just after 2AM BST as Microsoft's J Allard delivered the immortal words in official context for the first time as part of a streaming video presentation (direct link) that capped off the company's OurColony.net viral marketing campaign. "You are the colony," Allard beamed, before launching into a glitzy look at the making of the system.
Media-wise, our sister-site Eurogamer.net is hosting official photographs, shots of the "Guide", and four "poster pics".
The video confirms that the design seen in leaked shots earlier this week is real, and that the controllers seen in those shots are indeed wireless. The presence of a removable hard drive module is also confirmed, although it's still not clear whether a version of the console without this module will be launched.
It also confirms the launch period: Holiday season 2005, with the suggestion based on aggregated sources being a November US launch - eerily and perhaps deliberately close to the original Xbox launch date - with European and Japanese releases following shortly after. Perhaps even within 7-10 days, according to some.
The special also reveals what the function of the large Xbox 360 logo seen in the middle of each controller is - it's a button to pop up the Xbox 360 Guide, a menu system which gives access to a variety of multimedia, online and offline features of the console, including a host of features designed to link up with Windows Media Centre PC systems.
The system design was the result of a massive process that involved as many as 20 rejected prototypes, and the idea of the final design - which is about the same size as a PlayStation 2 - is that the "dual concavity" gives it the look of something breathing in. It can stand on its side or upright without the need for support.
Full system specifications of the system followed as a worldwide embargo lifted at 2:30AM BST. The console will be powered by three IBM PowerPC CPUs, each one running at 3.2Ghz and with the capacity to run two hardware threads simultaneously - effectively meaning that the system can process six threads at once. Each core also has an on-board vector unit - and the whole system uses a water-cooling system to keep the temperature down, much like the high-end Apple PowerMac G5 desktop computers, which use similar PowerPC chips.
The ATI graphics processor in the box will run at 500MHz, with 10MB of embedded DRAM on the graphics part, while the box itself has 512MB of GDDR3 RAM, which is shared between the CPUs and the graphics chip. This will drive Microsoft's vision of an "HD era". Although Xbox 360 will not require a high-definition television set to run, Microsoft is heavily behind the idea, and all games will have to support 16:9 widescreen resolution, 720 progression-scan and 1080i, as well as anti-aliasing, and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and custom soundtracks.
As expected, the system will not use either of the new high-capacity DVD standards, instead opting for a standard 12X dual-layer DVD-ROM, while the hard drive will ship in a 20GB base unit, which can later be upgraded. Memory card units, two of which can be plugged in at once, will start at 64MB - it's not clear what exactly their purpose will be, as yet.
The system will support up to four wireless controllers, and also has three standard USB 2.0 ports. As well as the built-in network port, it is also "Wi-Fi Ready" - although it appears that the Wi-Fi adapter will be sold separately. Specifications have it supporting 801.11b, 802.11g and 802.11a models - the full range of likely options.
Xbox 360's also listed as "video camera ready", and it's known that the video camera will be sold as an optional extra that allows for video messaging amongst other things. The camera will support VGA 640x480 resolution at 30 frames per second and takes 1.3-megapixel photos.
In terms of multimedia functionality, Xbox 360 will boast DVD playback out of the box. A clever idea is that the X360 will power down its noisiest fans when it plays back video content, allowing users to enjoy things without distraction. Equally curious and bound to be popular is the news that alerts will be able to pop up during television or DVD playback, allowing you to, for example, sit and watch a DVD of The Simpsons whilst waiting for a friend to pop up and challenge you.
There will also be the opportunity to rip music to the hard drive and play content from Windows Media Centre PCs across the network. Interestingly, it also promises the ability to play media from portable music devices and digital cameras - and leaked details from a Danish games magazine specifically mention the iPod, raising the possibility that the system may be happy to play media even off portable devices from Microsoft's competitors in this space.
Microsoft also unveiled the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote, which features backlit buttons and allows you to browse content on the system, controlling music, pictures and more, and extensive Windows XP Media Centre Edition functionality. There's even A, B, X, and Y buttons for basic control of the Xbox 360 itself.
Of course, the announcements wouldn't be complete without some reference to the customisation being touted so strongly by J Allard - so the unit itself can be completely customised with new face-plates, much like clip-on covers on mobile phones. Many are visible in the OurColony video.
Last night's dramatics also confirmed what's already been said about Xbox Live, and more. Users will have a choice of packages - a Silver option, which allows them to download content including new levels, weapons, game demos, community-created content through Xbox Live Marketplace; and a Gold option that opens the door to full online play.
Players will be able to personalise Live with their own snapshot from the camera, engage in video messaging conversations, online tournaments and ladders, play with celebrities and join sponsored tournaments. What's more, the first month of the Gold "premium" service will be free, and various free showcase weekends should follow.
Microsoft has also indicated that you'll be able to avoid players you don't enjoy playing with by ranking them based on the experience.
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May 13th, 2005, 18:23 Posted By: wraggster
Renowned digital artist Jeff Minter of Llamasoft has created a new lightsynth that will be built into the Xbox 360. More information on the console's music player is available from Microsoft." From the post: "I believe it finally begins to achieve the potential that I saw all those years ago when I first made Psychedelia... and I am happier with it than I have ever been with anything I've created in my entire career. And we got it into the firmware again... Microsoft firmware. Of the Xbox360 for goat's sake. At last... after more than 20 years' work, one of my lightsynths is going to reach a decent sized audience. Millions and millions..."
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May 13th, 2005, 18:11 Posted By: wraggster
Xbox 360 tech specs, facts, product overview - you want 'em, we got 'em, all nicely presented with plenty of bullet-points. The Xbox 360 fact sheet provided below has come direct from Microsoft. Enjoy.
XBOX 360 FACT SHEET
Product Overview
The Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system places you at the center of the experience. Available this holiday season in Europe, Japan, and North America, Xbox 360 ignites a new era of digital entertainment that is always connected, always personalized, and always in high definition.
Xbox 360 gives you access to the games you want to play, the people you want to play with, and the experiences you crave-when and where you want them.
Key Highlights
Hardware, software, and services: Unveiled to the world on MTV on Thursday, May 12, 2005, Xbox 360 represents a dramatic leap forward in high-definition gaming and entertainment experiences. Fusing powerful hardware, software, and services, Xbox 360 fully engages you in a gaming experience that is more expansive, dramatic, and lifelike, where the possibilities are limitless and your imagination knows no boundaries. The next generation is here.
Industrial design: A merger of form and function, Xbox 360 wraps powerful technology in a sophisticated exterior. Two of the most innovative design firms in the world-San Francisco-based Astro Studios and Osaka, Japan-based Hers Experimental Design Laboratory Inc.-came together to craft a sleek, stylish system that conveys the very essence of Xbox 360.
Xbox Gamer Guide: The Xbox Gamer Guide is an entertainment gateway that instantly connects you to your games, friends, music, movies, and downloadable content. Available at a touch of the Xbox Guide Button, the Xbox Gamer Guide gives you instant access to the experiences and content you want, from the gamer card of the player that just invited you to play online to new downloadable content for the game currently running.
Personalized interface: Xbox 360 lets you create your own unique system and experience. With interchangeable Xbox 360 Faces, it's easy and fun to change the appearance of your console. Switch on your system and customize the look and feel of the Xbox Gamer Guide and Xbox System Guide with unique "skins." From sleek and sophisticated to fun and funky, pick the Faces and skins that show your personality.
Ring of Light and Xbox Guide Button: Divided into four quadrants, the glowing Ring of Light and Xbox Guide Button visually connect you to your games, digital media, and the world of Xbox LiveTM, the first global, unified online console games service. Featured on both the wireless and wired controllers, the Xbox Guide Button puts you in control of your experience. In addition to bringing up the Xbox Gamer Guide and the Xbox System Guide, the Xbox Guide Button lets you turn the system on and off without ever leaving the couch.
Xbox Live: Xbox Live is where games and entertainment come alive, the only unified place where you can play with anyone, anytime, anywhere. And the best just got better. Connect your Xbox 360 to your broadband connection and get instant access to Xbox Live Silver. Express your digital identity through your Gamertag and gamer card, talk with others using voice chat, and access Xbox Live Marketplace-all right out of the box, at no extra cost. Upgrade to Xbox Live Gold and enter the exciting world of multiplayer online gaming. With intelligent matchmaking, access to all your achievements and statistics, video chat and video messaging, and an enormous selection of games, Xbox Live Gold delivers your competition, on your terms.
Xbox Live Marketplace: Keep your favorite games fresh with instant access to new content. Xbox Live Marketplace is a one-stop shop to download new game trailers, demos, and episodic content, plus new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins, and more. Accessible to everyone who establishes a broadband connection with their Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace lets you personalize and extend your experience, on demand.
Games: Xbox 360 redefines what games look like, sound like, feel like, and play like to engage you like never before. With Xbox 360, epic worlds are alive with detail, from thunderous skies rumbling over a mountain range to tiny blades of grass rustling together in the breeze. Vibrant characters display depth of emotion to evoke more dramatic responses, immersing you in the experience like never before. You'll see all Xbox 360 titles at 720p resolution in 16:9 widescreen, with anti-aliasing for smooth, movie-like graphics and multi-channel surround sound.
Digital entertainment: Amplify your music, photos, video, and TV. Watch progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. Rip music to the Xbox 360 hard drive and share your latest digital pictures with friends. Make the connection, and Xbox 360 instantly streams the digital media stored on your MP3 player, digital camera, Media Center PC, or any Microsoft Windows XP-based PC.
Xbox 360 System Performance Specifications
Custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU
Three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each
Two hardware threads per core; six hardware threads total
VMX-128 vector unit per core; three total
128 VMX-128 registers per hardware thread
1 MB L2 cache
CPU Game Math Performance
9 billion dot product operations per second
Custom ATI Graphics Processor
500MHz processor
10 MB of embedded DRAM
48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines
Unified shader architecture
Polygon Performance
500 million triangles per second
Pixel Fill Rate
16 gigasamples per second fill rate using 4x MSAA
Shader Performance
48 billion shader operations per second
Memory
512 MB of GDDR3 RAM
700 MHz of DDR
Unified memory architecture
Memory Bandwidth
22.4 GB/s memory interface bus bandwidth
256 GB/s memory bandwidth to EDRAM
21.6 GB/s front-side bus
Overall System Floating-Point Performance
1 teraflop
Storage
Detachable and upgradeable 20GB hard drive
12x dual-layer DVD-ROM
Memory Unit support starting at 64 MB
I/O
Support for up to four wireless game controllers
Three USB 2.0 ports
Two memory unit slots
Optimized for Online
Instant, out-of-the-box access to Xbox Live features with broadband service, including Xbox Live Marketplace for downloadable content, gamer profile for digital identity, and voice chat to talk to friends while playing games, watching movies, or listening to music
Built-in Ethernet port
Wi-Fi ready: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g
Video camera ready
Digital Media Support
Support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
Ability to stream media from portable music devices, digital cameras and Windows XP-based PCs
Ability to rip music to the Xbox 360 hard drive
Custom playlists in every game
Built-in Media Center Extender for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Interactive, full-screen 3-D visualizers
High-Definition Game Support * All games supported at 16:9, 720p, and 1080i, anti-aliasing
Standard-definition and high-definition video output supported
Audio
Multi-channel surround sound output
Supports 48KHz 16-bit audio
320 independent decompression channels
32-bit audio processing
Over 256 audio channels
System Orientation
Stands vertically or horizontally
Customizable Face Plates
Interchangeable to personalize the console
Availability: Holiday 2005
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The information contained in this fact sheet relates to a prerelease product that may be substantially modified before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe or reflect the product when first commercially released. This fact sheet is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the fact sheet or the information contained in it.
Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox, Xbox Live, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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