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June 1st, 2005, 22:40 Posted By: wraggster
Fonix Speech, the company responsible for the technology that allows Xbox developers to employ voice recognition in their games, has announced that it will be continuing in this role on the next-generation Xbox 360.
Microsoft's program manager for Audio and Voice Technologies Brian Schmidt said: "By incorporating Fonix's speech recognition technology into our Xbox 360 development kit, game developers can give players a fun and natural way of interacting with their games."
The Fonix Speech-made technology is currently employed in a number of Xbox games. Ubisoft has used it in various titles in its Tom Clancy range, including Rainbow Six 3 and its expansion, Ghost Recon 2, and the forthcoming Rainbow Six: Lockdown.
NovaLogic will also utilise voice commands in its forthcoming port of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, underway at UK firm Climax, while Vivendi-Universal Games' SWAT: Global Strike Team has already made use of it elsewhere.
"Working with Microsoft enables Fonix to offer market-leading voice command solutions for next-generation products and to offer new interface possibilities for game developers and players," said Tim K. Hong, VP, Fonix Games.
"Fonix looks forward to contributing to a new generation of videogames as developers use Xbox 360 to showcase greater possibilities for voice recognition in games."
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June 2nd, 2005, 23:01 Posted By: wraggster
ATI has hinted that it wants to partner with Microsoft for the long haul following its involvement on the company's next-generation games console, Xbox 360, which is due to ship later this year with an ATI graphics part at its core.
"Our view is that when we enter a partnership like Xbox with Microsoft, it's not a one-shot. It's really a launch on a long-term partnership," said ATI CEO Dave Orton, speaking to Reuters during a technology seminar in Taipei.
Orton said he sees ATI starting "to look much more like a PC/digital consumer company, not a PC company that's dabbling in digital consumer" - from which it's easy to infer that ATI would like to produce the next round of graphics technology for Microsoft whenever the latter next decides to iterate its gaming platforms.
But Orton's comments also suggest ATI wants to partner on more than simply gaming consoles. Microsoft has made no secret of its keenness to expand in various multimedia sectors, and Orton thinks ATI can be a part of that too, identifying an opportunity "to do much more together in a range of devices".
"That's what we want to do because we believe this technology is ultimately redeployable in different forms," he added. "That's what we hope ultimately Microsoft will decide."
However ATI is relying on Microsoft to support it, to a certain extent, as the Redmond-based computing giant reportedly owns the designs and rights to all Xbox 360 components, including ATI's chip.
Therefore, should it choose to stop working with ATI, Microsoft is unlikely to run into the sorts of problems it did moving away from its first-generation Xbox partnership with NVIDIA, whose ownership of the graphics processing unit design gave Microsoft a headache when it came to ensuring backwards compatibility in 360 - an issue it has still to resolve completely.
NVIDIA has partnered with Sony for this generation of consoles, developing the "RSX" chip that PlayStation 3 uses to drive its visuals.
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June 4th, 2005, 16:22 Posted By: Hawq
According to maxconsole the size info for the 360 has been announced, bit smaller than the Xbrick then, I was bored & used a nearby tape measure to check out the measurements
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June 5th, 2005, 16:26 Posted By: wraggster
News from <a href="http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=arboretum&prod=" target="_blank" >Divineo China</a> of the latest addition to the Xbox Modchip world, heres info of whats been released:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Xapter V1.6 is Team Xecuter official solution for solderless installation on Xbox V1.6. You can now install your Xecuter chip totally solderless on your V1.6 Xbox with this very high quality official product.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
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June 6th, 2005, 18:53 Posted By: wraggster
Retailers struggling to deal with the poor supply of current-gen Xbox consoles could have more problems when the Xbox 360 launches later this year, according to UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson.
Speaking to trade paper MCV, Thompson said shortages will be down to high levels of consumer demand rather than manufacturing problems. Microsoft plans to launch the Xbox 360 in the US, Japan and Europe simultaneously this November, something which Thompson concedes will not be an easy task.
"I think demand is going to be phenomenal so we see that as a really difficult thing," he told MCV.
"We feel as a company we've done the groundwork to get to a point where we can do the global release; we feel we're going to deliver and have a great Xmas.
"Will we execute well so retail will have good volume? Yes. But I don't think we're going to meet demand as people are going to come into this platform in a big way."
But some UK retailers remain skeptical of Microsoft's promises. Both Action Replay and Virtual Games told MCV they would not be running Xbox 360 pre-order campaigns to avoid any risk of disappointing customers.
This follows the continuing shortage of Xbox consoles, a problem which caused difficulties for many retailers last Christmas and has yet to be fully resolved.
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June 6th, 2005, 18:57 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft's Xbox 360 will be priced at $299 when it hits shelves later this year, according to analysts at major investment bank UBS, with Microsoft subsidising each console to the tune of $75 in order to meet that price point.
Predictions by the analysts, reported last week in the Toronto Globe and Mail, suggest that Microsoft will pay $375 per unit to its manufacturing partners, with the final retail price of the console pegged at $299.
That's in line with comments from Microsoft boss J Allard, who told the media at E3 that the Xbox 360 would launch "in the neighbourhood" of the $300 price point at which the original Xbox launched in late 2001 in North America.
The $75 subsidy reportedly required to hit the launch price is quite high, but not unusual for a new console. Platform holders routinely subsidise their consoles at launch in order to build an installed base, and then make back the money from software sales and the rapidly falling price of hardware manufacture late in the lifespan of the console.
However, Microsoft found it more difficult to do this with the original Xbox, since it had to continue buying components from partners such as NVIDIA and Intel at high prices - unlike Sony, which has been able to hugely reduce the manufacturing cost of the PS2 as it builds most of the core components itself.
For Xbox 360, Microsoft has moved to a more Sony-like model, and expects to be able to realise similar economies as the scale of manufacturing ramps up and the component costs fall.
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June 6th, 2005, 19:06 Posted By: wraggster
With the Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas just days away, Rockstar has casually released these new screenshots of the game to further tempt any of you who resisted the PS2 version to part with your cash.
In addition to the cities, modes and features present in the PS2 version, the Xbox game will feature a few technical improvements over the original, making it the console version to own.
New lighting and shading models, high-resolution textures, an increased draw distance and 480p support make this version look much nicer, with the 5.1 surround sound ably backing up the graphical improvements.
In addition, the Xbox version also features a 30 second replay mode, allowing you to re-enjoy nasty moments, and a customisable soundtrack, giving you the option to build your own radio station playlists.
Amusingly, the DJ commentary and silly adverts still play out in-between your tracks, so you don't have to sacrifice some of the humour in order to enjoy you're own music.
Anyway, enough chat, check out the new screenshots on the right.
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is due for release on Xbox and PC this Friday. The PS2 version is out now
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June 8th, 2005, 02:16 Posted By: wraggster
BGT BioGraphic Technologies, Inc., the leader in real-time artificial intelligence (AI) tools and middleware, announced today that its AI.implant SDK will enable unmatched functionality and performance for game developers targeting the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. As a result, users of the Xbox 360 will be able to interact with the most intelligent NPCs available on any platform.
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June 8th, 2005, 19:59 Posted By: wraggster
Word seeps out today from that leaky old barge known as the games development community that dev are finally getting their grubby paws on Xbox 360 beta development kits right about now.
"So what?" you might reasonably opine, "how does that affect the price of fish?", ah but care you should, as it's going to allow those devs to finally start upping the ante as Microsoft gears up for the crucial next six months before 360 launch.
Actually these kits may be about a week behind schedule as major 360 developers we talked to at E3 expected to have the kits within a week or so of show close.
At E3, Xbox 360 devs were having to show off their games running on Macs at what they were saying was only 30 percent of the 360's total power. In many cases it led to accusations and perceptions that 360 was not the generational leap forward it might have been. "Xbox 1.5" was a phrase which was cruelly bandied about amongst cheeky UK hacks way before the Sony execs got in on the act and adopted it as a line of attack. Maybe we should ask them for a royalty?
However with these kits now purportedly in place, developers should have all the ammo they need and it's also strategically important for that crucial 360 launch line-up. If there's no buzz about the actual games this Christmas and people aren't tearing down the walls to get their hands on Gotham 3, Gears of War and Perfect Dark Zero, then 360 will face a real uphill struggle at launch.
Word also comes our way that some key components like the 360's GPU and CPU have gone into production too, an equally crucial milestone for Microsoft, although apparently they will be holding off production of the unit itself until pricing has been finalised.
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June 9th, 2005, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster
German 3D games middleware developer Trinigy GmbH has announced that future versions of its proprietary Vision Game Engine will offer full support for the Xbox 360.
Trinigy says the new engine will be the first in a series designed for next-generation gaming. The company revealed that it already has an Xbox 360 development kit and the engine is at a "fairly advanced" stage of development.
"The universal design and the comprehensive set of platform-specific features and optimisations makes the next-gen version of Vision an ideal platform for Xbox 360 developers," said Trinigy MD Dag Frommhold.
"Vision allows developers to easily utilise the impressive performance and feature set of Microsoft's next-generation game platform while at the same time saving development time and money."
Tracey Frankcom, program manager at Microsoft's Xbox Advanced Technology Group, added: "We were truly impressed with Trinigy's powerful technology and their coherent and ambitious plans for Xbox 360.
"We are convinced that already the first Xbox 360 titles based on the Vision Game Engine will set new standards in terms of visual quality and realism."
The Vision engine has already been used to create more than 25 games, including Desperados 2, Psychotoxic and Back to Gaya.
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June 9th, 2005, 22:33 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft's Xbox 360 is set to use hard drive technology from storage specialist Seagate, with the company announcing that its new LD25 2.5" discs are to be used as the removable drives for the console.
Seagate announced the LD25 range of drives in a statement last night, describing the new drives as specifically designed for use in game systems, home entertainment devices and small form factor PCs.
The drives will be available in 20GB, 30GB and 40GB variants, with the Xbox 360 set to ship with the 20GB version of the hardware - which will be used for applications ranging from downloading game content to storing video messages and custom soundtracks.
"The hard drive extends the gaming experience on Xbox 360," explained Microsoft's corporate VP of Xbox hardware, Todd Holmdahl. "From downloading trailers, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, and more to supporting custom playlists in every game and storing video messages from friends, Seagate's LD25 Series 2.5-inch hard drive brings gaming and digital media together for the ultimate entertainment experience."
According to Seagate, the new drives use a technology called DynaPlay, which optimises their performance to reduce power consumption and improve media streaming and security, while motors using a technology called SoftSonic mean that the drive runs more quietly than its competitors.
Seagate joins an impressive line-up of technology partners who are working with Microsoft on the new console, including CPU provider IBM, graphics chipset designer ATI and wireless solution provider RTX Telecom.
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June 10th, 2005, 22:08 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft's Xbox 360 will have better graphics performance than the PlayStation 3 despite the better on-paper specifications of the Sony console, according to graphics chip designer ATI's Richard Huddy.
Speaking in an interview with techie website bit-tech.net, Huddy - ATI's developer liaison and technology evangelist - went into detail about the Xenos chipset used in Xbox 360, and how it stacks up against NVIDIA's RSX part for the PlayStation 3.
Although the RSX is more powerful in terms of raw specifications - it runs at a higher clock speed for a start, 550Mhz rather than the 500Mhz speed of the Xenos part - Huddy claims that the unified shader architecture used by ATI will give Xbox 360 the graphical edge.
"That mere 10 per cent clock speed that RSX has on Xenos is easily countered by the unified shader architecture that we've implemented," he claimed. "Rather than separate pixel and vertex pipelines, we've created a single unified pipeline that can do both."
"Providing developers throw instructions at our architecture in the right way, Xenos can run at 100 per cent efficiency all the time, rather than having some pipeline instructions waiting for others," Huddy explained. "For comparison, most high-end PC chips run at 50-60% typical efficiency. The super cool point is that 'in the right way' just means 'give us plenty of work to do'. The hardware manages itself."
For its part, NVIDIA has repeatedly downplayed the importance of unified shader architecture, and has publicly stated that it doesn't believe that this is the best path to improved graphics performance.
Huddy believes that this position is marketing bluster from NVIDIA, rather than being based on any genuinely held beliefs about the technology in question.
"This time around, they don't have the architecture and we do, so they have to knock it and say it isn't worthwhile," he said. "But in the future, they'll market themselves out of this corner, claiming that they've cracked how to do it best. But RSX isn't unified, and this is why I think PS3 will almost certainly be slower and less powerful."
Of course, neither the RSX nor the Xenos exists in final silicon form yet, and the claims of both NVIDIA and ATI need to be taken with a hefty pinch of salt as a result. Although they're both based on IBM-manufactured chips and PC-like graphics parts, the architecture of the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is radically different and direct comparisons are difficult.
However, many developers working with both consoles up to now have privately concluded that Sony's system, which will be launched at least six months after Microsoft's, will have the edge in terms of overall performance.
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June 10th, 2005, 23:22 Posted By: Hawq
N64 emu for the Xbox, heres whats new:
<ul>Added:
<li>Press right thumbstick to Pause/Resume background music
<li>Reset Rom option
Changed:
<li>Removed Vertex Mode option from ingame menu
<li>Removed MaxVideoMem option as the plugins don't need it anymore
Fixed:
<li>Minimized lockups (if entering ingame menu or taking screenshots)
<li>Lockup if launching Surreal from CD/DVD (not tested)
<li>Filters were not applied on startup (Rice 5.10/5.31)
<li>Controller did not rumble properly
<li>Debug output was incomplete (Rice 5.10/5.31/UltraHLE)
<li>Minor bugs in the launcher</ul>
No dl link due to xdk use so hit the usual sources for it folks
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June 12th, 2005, 03:32 Posted By: Cap'n 1time
More details on the backwards compatability of the xbox 360 were posted at www.xbox-scene.com today. Apparently ATI has a huge role in the hardware of the upcoming system. According to them backwards compatability will rely on emulation, somthing I dont recall any previouse console doing.
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June 12th, 2005, 21:04 Posted By: Hawq
Neo CD emu for the Xbox, heres whats new:
<ul>The "only" new is iso/mp3 support, there are some limitations :
<li>1) you must name the cue the same name as you rep (for example d:\isos\kof96\kof96.cue)
<li>2) you must edit path.txt to select your paths (can be edited in d:\ and t:\ if you want)
<li>3) each images must be in a folder in the iso folder (as for the example -] d:\ is the name of the folder which contain emu -] \isos\ is the isopath -] \kof96\ is the kof96 iso folder and \kof96.cue is the cuesheet file who has the same nam as kof96 iso folder.
<li>4) Interface is really limited, I don t know sdl code and dont wanna mess with it, the main limitation is that you will probably all your isos if you have more than 10.
<li>5) your cue must be named as the iso folder but not the files, no problem with their original name (except xbox fatx limitation)
How to use :
<li>1) simply choose CD-ROM/ISO
<li>2) choose your iso (if all works correctly)
The menu is limited to player D-PAD (up and down) and A button, again I don t really know SDL sorry</ul>
No dl due to xdk use so hit the usual sources guys
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June 14th, 2005, 20:48 Posted By: wraggster
It’ll be a November to Remember this year when Xbox 360 debuts. According to the editor of Famitsu Xbox, it will be debuting with 20 titles.
The editor, Munetatsu Matsui, has very close ties to the Japanese Xbox operation, and is therefore considered to be in the know. When contacted, Microsoft did confirm that between 25-40 titles would be available in the launch window.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the story is about how Xbox 360 will have hidden features which won’t be unveiled until a year after the launch. Which of course means every Xbox hacker was just placed on high alert, and anyone with an internet connection will probably be able to find out how to access them by the following Valentines Day.
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June 15th, 2005, 21:16 Posted By: wraggster
ShALLaX has released a new version of Gentoox Home
What's new/fixed:
* Gentoox Loader v5.11.
* Updated software as of 04-Jun-2005.
* Fully synced with magic as of 12-Jun-2005.
* Sparkle v1.5.
* Removed LED tutorials - its now part of the Loader.
* KDE 3.4.1.
* XFCE 4.2.0.
* Switched to 2005.0/2.4 profile.
* Stardust is more friendly to v1.6 Xboxes with overscan.
http://gentoox.shallax.com
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June 17th, 2005, 01:33 Posted By: wraggster
While Beyond3D's article on the ATI C1 (XENOS) graphics processor in the XBOX 360 gives you all you need to know about ATI's next generation hardware in terms of generating screen pixels, it also gives a big clue as to how it'll be useful for general purpose vector programming. XENOS is able to write data out of its unified memory architecture into system memory, and read it back again later. So with a large pool of powerful vector hardware available, does anyone fancy the idea of having a generalised , high-performance vector processor in their PC?. Read about that and the rest of XENOS." From the article: "Since XBOX 360's announcement and ATI's unleashing from the non disclosure agreements we've had the chance to not just chat with Robert Feldstein, VP of Engineering, but also Joe Cox, Director of Engineering overseeing the XBOX graphics design team, and two lead architects of the graphics processor, Clay Taylor and Mark Fowler. Here we hope to accurately impart a slightly deeper understanding of the XBOX 360 graphics processor, how it sits within the system, understand more about its operation as well as give some insights into the capabilities of the processor."
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June 17th, 2005, 01:35 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has signed a deal with NVIDIA to license the company's technology in order to enable backwards compatibility in the Xbox 360, which uses an ATI graphics chipset that isn't natively compatible with Xbox titles.
The question of how to get Xbox 360 - which uses a radically different architecture to the Xbox - to play Xbox titles has been a major problem for Microsoft, and it's rumoured that backwards compatibility wasn't actually part of the original specification of the console.
Indeed, it wasn't even confirmed that the system would be able to play Xbox games until E3 this year, when Microsoft announced that "best-selling" Xbox titles would work on the Xbox 360 - a curious piece of double-speak which the software giant refused to clarify fully.
Following the announcement, sources close to the company indicated that a form of recompilation (known as "transcompilation") would be required to make Xbox games work on the 360, with the resulting patched executables being shipped on the system's hard drive for certain popular games, and patched versions of other games gradually being added over the Xbox Live network.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at the time, Microsoft Xbox PR manager Michael Wolf denied that games would need to be recompiled, and assured us that the company had no intention of charging for updates to the backward compatibility service. However, he refused to answer further questions about how the process will work.
Now a report on US website 1up confirms that Microsoft has in fact licensed parts of NVIDIA's technology from the Xbox to allow it to emulate the chipset in Xbox 360, a deal which will see Microsoft continuing to make payments to NVIDIA for several years.
The company apparently plans to emulate the Xbox' Intel CPU on the 360's multiple IBM PowerPC cores, and will now be able to emulate the NVIDIA chip to some extent on the ATI graphics chip in the 360 - but it would appear that many games will still not work without some modification.
Patches for some popular games - or "emulation profiles" - will ship on the Xbox hard drive, and those games will as a result work out of the box. Microsoft is expected to work to get emulation working for other games over time, and will distribute further emulation profiles over the Xbox Live service.
What's not clear is how users without Xbox Live access - around 90 per cent of users on the current generation Xbox, for reference - will be able to update those profiles, and whether Microsoft will ever get the full range of Xbox software working on the new console.
Wolf declined to answer the first of those questions when we put it to him last month, but was more positive on the second issue, telling us that "our goal is to make ALL Xbox games play on Xbox 360, and at launch we'll have a selection of the top selling that will be tested and confirmed to work."
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June 17th, 2005, 04:30 Posted By: SuspectZer0
whats the deal with the officially licensed wireless xbox controllers?...
how many 3rd party companies have an official license?
anyone recommend a 3rd party wireless controller?
do 3rd party wireless controllers damage your system?
have there ever been evidence of any wireless controller harming your system (goes for any 3rd party controller for any system)
tried to make the questions as "to-the-point" as possible...
any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated
EDIT: found this info on this site: http://www.epinions.com/content_1493016708
...does this apply for the officially licensed controllers made for systems now?...could there be other reasons that 3rd party controllers would damage a console?
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June 18th, 2005, 11:23 Posted By: wraggster
<a href="http://www.success-hk.com/affiliatewiz/aw.asp?B=1&A=50&Task=Click" target="_blank" >Success HK</a> have posted the news of the release of the folowing new Xbox accessorie:
Product Features
Compatible with all Xbox consoles (US, Japan, PAL)
Connect PC Mouse and Keyboard to your Xbox
Especially designed for First Person Shooters
Supports all keys on Keyboard and Mouse (Including Scroll-Wheel)
Bilt-in Memory Card slot for compatible peripherals (incl. Headset)
More Description
Connect PC Mouse and Keyboard to your Xbox®
Especially designed for First Person Shooters
Supports all keys on Keyboard and Mouse (including Scroll-Wheel)
Pre-Installed configurations for most FPS Best Sellers
Built-in Memory Card slot for compatible peripherals (incl. Headset)
Works with any game, even without built-in Mouse + Keyboard support
Compatible with all Xbox® consoles (US, JPN, PAL)
Compatible with standard PS/2 Mice, incl. USB Mice with USB to PS/2 Adapter
Compatible with Optical and Wireless Mice
Controller port cable with inline release
Patent Pending
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June 21st, 2005, 19:32 Posted By: wraggster
In a recent interview with German magazine Gamestar, ATi has made some of the boldest claims to date regarding the base-level power of the Xbox 360 console.
Perhaps offering the most in-depth look at how the 360 chip operates, ATi head of developer relations Richard Huddy said, “First and foremost we have a 'unified shader architecture'. No other console or PC chip can boast this. And what, in short, it means is that the hardware is always able to run at 100% efficiency. All previous hardware has separate vertex and pixel shaders. That means that that previous hardware just had to hope that the vertices and pixels came in just about the right ratios. If you got too many pixels then the vertex engines would be idle, and if you got too many vertices then the pixel engines would starve instead. (...) With a unified architecture we have hardware that automatically moulds its-self to the task required and simply does whatever needs to be done. That all means that the Xbox 360 runs at 100% efficiency all the time, whereas previous hardware usually runs at somewhere between 50% and 70% efficiency.â€
Huddy went on to explain how memory can be accessed from these shaders: “Next on my list is the hardware support for directly accessing memory from within the shader units. This makes the Xbox graphics chip work in a much more flexible way than has ever been possible before. Now it’s relatively simple for a games developer to write code to do anything inside the graphics chip that they could do elsewhere. Accessing memory in arbitrary ways sounds like a very esoteric thing to do within a graphics chip, but actually it allows you to do some amazing things which mean that Xbox 360 games will be more like movies than you ever imagined. It’s so powerful that I’d say that this feature alone makes the Xbox 360 technically superior to any other console planned for the next five years.â€
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June 21st, 2005, 19:33 Posted By: wraggster
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world's top maker of memory chips, on Monday said it is the first supplier to mass produce graphic chips for the next generation of video games.
Mueez Deen, director of graphics for the U.S. semiconductor unit of Samsung, said it has begun high-volume manufacturing of a 512-megabit graphics DDR3 memory chip for use in gaming consoles and personal computers.
Samsung, which is based in Seoul, South Korea, has jumped ahead of rivals in the graphics memory chip market such as Hynix Semiconductor Inc., also of South Korea, and Infineon Technologies AG of Germany, he said.
Samsung's move to mass produce the chips comes several months ahead of the arrival of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, the first major device that will depend on the DDR3 powered chip.
By being first into mass production, Samsung stands to win a big chunk of the early market for these chips. But with the introduction of Microsoft's console still months away, Samsung rivals have time to reach volume production as well, analyst Dean McCaron of market forecaster Mercury Research said.
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June 21st, 2005, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster
Scottish development studio Real Time Worlds has become the latest UK company to sign a deal with Microsoft Game Studios, with "a number" of games currently in development exclusively for Xbox 360.
The partnership was announced this morning in London by Microsoft corporate vice president Peter Moore, who delivered the opening keynote address at the ELSPA International Games Summit.
Real Time Worlds is headed up by former DMA Design (now Rockstar North) boss Dave Jones, who was a key creative force behind titles including Lemmings and the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
The announcement confirms long-standing rumours that Microsoft is working with Jones on the creation of a new, Xbox 360 exclusive franchise. The developer's only previously announced title is a massively multiplayer game, All Points Bulletin, which is being published by Korean firm Webzen and is due to launch in 2007.
No details have yet been revealed of the titles in question, but according to Moore, additional information about the games will be released in the coming weeks.
Real Time Worlds joins a group of UK developers who are seen as crucial to Microsoft's launch window for the Xbox 360 - defined by Moore as "around 90 days post launch" - including wholly-owned subsidiary Rare, which is developing Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power, and Bizarre Creations, which is working on Project Gotham Racing 3.
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June 21st, 2005, 21:12 Posted By: wraggster
Speaking at the ELSPA International Games Summit in London, Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore has predicted that the company's first-mover advantage with Xbox 360 will allow the console to reach 10 million installed base "very quickly."
Asked what position he expects the Xbox 360 to be in by the time Sony's PlayStation 3 arrives on the market, Moore commented that it was "difficult to say until we know what 'Spring' means," referring to Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi's stated launch window for PS3 of Spring 2006.
However, he went on to say that Microsoft has a target of 10 million units, explaining that the firm believes that historically, reaching that threshold has given consoles "tremendous momentum" in the marketplace.
"I'm not in any way saying that he who gets to 10 million first wins," he continued, "but that's a target that we in Redmond believe that we can get to very quickly."
Pressed on his expected timeframe for reaching that goal, Moore went on to say that as the company expects "unconstrained demand" for the Xbox 360, the question becomes a supply issue - but he did say that 12 to 16 months was his expected timeframe.
Also during his talk, Moore said that he expects the games market to grow to 160 to 180 million hardware units in the next-generation; at present, the combined installed base of the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube is around 130 million units.
He reiterated his colleague J Allard's comment, made at E3 last month in Los Angeles, that the next-generation could touch a "billion consumers" - but clarified slightly, saying that he was referring to the industry as a whole, including all three next-generation consoles, rather than simply to Xbox 360.
Speaking about the factors which will drive the growth of the next generation, Moore talked about the industry's need to broaden its audience, both geographically and demographically - and highlighted the growth of high definition television as a key factor which will drive next-gen consoles to new consumers.
Addressing European concerns specifically, he said that while Europe lags behind in HDTV adoption at present, he expects the HD broadcast of the World Cup in 2006 to be a "tipping point" for the uptake of the standard here.
However, he also revealed that the Xbox 360 will be compatible with the VGA connector used by computer monitors and many LCD panels, which are very popular in Europe and will allow consumers to enjoy HD-like resolutions without buying new equipment.
Moore also spoke directly to Microsoft's critics who have likened the Xbox 360 to the Dreamcast, which also had a significant first mover advantage over Sony's PlayStation 2 in the current generation, but was ultimately withdrawn from the market.
The former Sega of America boss, who oversaw the launch of Dreamcast in that territory, argued that the issues with the Dreamcast were totally different to the situation with Xbox 360, and that its mistakes "won't be repeated" by Microsoft.
Zero momentum at launch, an underfinanced company, poor ongoing support from publishers and what he described as "an atrophied brand" were to blame for the failure of Dreamcast, along with the online gaming premise simply being too early, he said.
"There is no linkage between [Xbox 360 and Dreamcast]," he concluded.
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June 22nd, 2005, 07:41 Posted By: Cross
Ok, I have 2.6 on my XBOX and the thing is wonderful, I did my own fashion statement to it, paint and lights, etc. But now I want to add my own EMU's (SNES and NES mainly). So some help would be great. I have noticed a few things so I thought I would address them here:
1) I have a 160gig HD but my XBOX only sees it as a 120, I take it thats the max for some reason or is there a fix that does not delete everything on my XBOX (aka my games) to open that additional space?
2) How do I install EMU's on my XBOX as I know u can not just connect the HD, etc. I have a disk that is I believe the Slayer installer but I can not change it. I would like to add the EMU's but have not located the SLayer installer for Free anywhere its all pay sites. Any help here?
3) Are there any updates I should be applying? To the MOD etc? I am not to familure with the scene since frankly, my XBOX does almost everything I want it to except play SNES/NES. So I have really just left it alone. But anything to make it work somoother, etc would be great.
Thanks guys!!
Also I tried DLing some SNES Emu's with no luck here on the DC site links, anyone have them/can tell me what I should be using for good speed, compatability, options, and quality? Thanks again!!!
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June 25th, 2005, 03:12 Posted By: wraggster
We’ve heard that the Xbox 360 will be compatible (to some extent) with the Sony PSP. But until now, it was assumed that this meant you could share files (music, photos, and video) between the 360 a Memory Stick Duo docked in the PSP. Just recently, some cryptic new info was released that suggests Microsoft has developed the technology to allow the 360 to interact with the PSP and Nintendo DS in unique ways:
â€The technology would allow users of the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS to connect with the Xbox 360 and then play Microsoft’s games online.â€
Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny these rumors, which suggest that Microsoft has plans to release online games for play on its rivals’ handhelds. Very interesting…
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June 28th, 2005, 19:32 Posted By: wraggster
News from <a href="http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3651&&lsaid=219793" target="_blank" >Lik Sang</a>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Metal Slug is a long running arcade style series that pits one man against the side scrolling masses of enemies, guns, tanks, lasers, subs, rocket launchers, missiles, trains, mines, and anything else they can throw at you. This fifth edition isn't quite as tough / suicidal as its predecessors, but anyone but the most experience sluggers will still find themselves chugging down the lives and racking up the unlimited continues. Thankfully there's no need to "insert coin" in a home edition though, so everyone can have a go at really mastering the game.
There's also all sorts of 'slugs' (vehicles) that can increase your odds of survival a little more than the usual million against one though, such as subs, cars, spiders and more. The gunner for example is a mech packing both a canon on its head, a gatling gun on one arm, and a hydraulic spike on the other. Finally a new move to the series gives you the ability to slide below enemy fire while taking shots at them yourself. Metal Slug 5 hits Xbox this week, and as with all our Asian Xboxen titles, is just US$ 44.90.</BLOCKQUOTE>
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June 28th, 2005, 19:36 Posted By: wraggster
Bill Gates has confirmed that the company is thinking about future revisions of the Xbox 360 hardware already, and may incorporate a HD-DVD drive into the console at some point down the line.
Speaking at a joint event with HD-DVD creator Toshiba in Tokyo, Gates reaffirmed Microsoft's commitment to the standard - which currently faces a battle against the competing Blu-Ray next-generation DVD standard, created by Sony.
"The initial shipments of Xbox 360 will be based on today's DVD format," Gates explained. "We are looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capability of an HD DVD player or something else."
While the addition of a HD-DVD drive to Xbox 360 would allow future models to play HD movies stored on the format, it seems unlikely that the extra capacity would be available to game developers, since their titles would then not work on first-generation hardware.
Sony's PlayStation 3 is set to utilise the Blu-Ray system for both HD movie playback and game storage. Sony and Toshiba have held talks to try and establish a joint format for next-generation DVD, but these collapsed recently after Toshiba refused to accept Blu-Ray - which boasts higher capacity discs but is more expensive to manufacture - as the basis for the joint standard.
What's most interesting about Gates' comments is that they confirm that the first generation of Xbox 360 is likely to be joined over time by models with additional functionality - specifically, extra features which are designed to improve the system's abilities as a home media centre.
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June 29th, 2005, 23:38 Posted By: wraggster
Konami president Michihiro Ishizuka has revealed that the publisher is currently working on an all-new title for Xbox 360, hinting that it will be exclusive to the platform.
In an interview with Japanese magazine Toyo Keizai partially translated by Gamespot, Ishizuka says: ""[We will] provide one or two flagship titles for each machine, which will take advantage of their capabilities as next-generation consoles.
"We will release a new Metal Gear as a flagship title for the PS3, and are developing an original product for the Xbox 360."
He goes on to suggest that we can expect see a smaller range of Konami titles on the shelves in the future.
"Most of the titles that don't require full use of technology will be released on multi-platforms, including PC. We will need to narrow down the number of titles that we release."
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June 30th, 2005, 06:07 Posted By: Cap'n 1time
Somthing i have been waiting for for a while, this is a dashboard replacment that can legally replace the ms dash. has all the important functions one wants for his dashboard too. check it out at www.xbox-scene.com
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