The X-Box

have any of you heard of the new console microsoft is making?

its called the XBox, and it has a 733mhz processor, and a 8gb Hard Drive, all of the games are made in DirectX and it has full screen anti-aliasing, and it can have 4 simultanious textures, it also has 64mb unified ram...
but they said it isnt going to be PC compatible.

does anybody else have anything to add?

See This page

[HarryW]

Well I would point and laugh at anyone who hadn't heard of it

[Fox]

*ggg* You're sooo right Harry

HarryW and Fox: Why is that? The current stats show that it's much more powerful than Sony's upcoming console Playstation 2.

[Sastraxi]

Well, I guess you can point at laugh at me-!

SobSob

[HarryW]

This reminds me of a popular phrase: 'There's lies, damned lies and statistics'.

Does that look like a full and complete specification to you? It doesn't to me, that's a MS site and they want to say 'hey look at this, it's soooo much better than PS2, honestly' because that's gonna be their main competitor.

I am unsure what the actual specs of the X-box are to be honest, because they have changed so much over the past year or so. Is it 128 bit? the processor frequency is near irrelevant, different provessors do different things in one clock cycle. Look at the Apple Mac G4, that's pretty damn good if I've heard correctly, and even the highest frequency G4 CPU would be entry-level for AMD or Intel.

I am actually pretty sure the specs will be impressive, maybe even better than the PS2, but I don't think that table is much use except as propaganda. I am especially intrigued by the 300 million polygons per second that they claim for the X-Box, considering the original PSX does 1 million.

At any rate, I am sure that MS will manage to make some really inefficient use of their lovely new hardware. They'll need that 8 Gb HDD for all their bloatware too

I'm not a big fan of MS, but I respect their achievements, and I hope the X-Box is as good as they are hyping it to be.

[Sastraxi]

Yeah, Harry, you're right. I think that this'll be just another console. So what if Microsoft is making it! In two years, we'll look back at it and laugh like the old NES.

[Fox]

The console alone is crap, only the games make the thing good... Look at the SuperNES, sometimes I really prefer some classical games as Secret of Mana or Super Mario instead of the crappy computer games!

As the PlayStation; there are really alot of games but most of them are crap! On the N64 there arent that much games, but nearly all of them are good and have a good gameplay...

[parksie]

Excuse me for being an idiot but I think that Microsoft are really starting to get over-arrogant even for them by going head to head with SONY in the consoles market.

[HarryW]

Didn't Sony do that with Sega and Nintendo though, when they released the Playstation?

[Sastraxi]

Yeah... When I remember 2 years ago, when I was playing Chrono Trigger for the first time.... Pure Enjoyement. I still play it now, sometimes.

I really don't think the company that produces the console is relevant. People want games and that's what MS will give them.

[Fox]

Yeah, and in case it doesn't work... you know the MS-strategy:

If you can't be better.. buy it!

And how come they can buy it? Because they have worked hard to build powerful software tools that everyone seems to enjoy. This is what got them rich and they can do whatever they want with their money.

[Fox]

...even if their software's full of errors, yes

[HarryW]

I wouldn't debate that they have worked hard for their money, but I'm seriously in doubt as to whether they worked hard enough to deserve all the money they've got.

The fortune Microsoft has is due to its monopoly of the market. There was hard work involved in getting that monopoly, but that monopoly has allowed them to consitently overcharge their customers for the products they sell. What percentage of the money you pay for a product do you think goes on development costs? A pretty darned small one. MS say it's for support, but do you think you get the support you pay for?

I use a large range of MS products. I don't necessarily want to though. Word for instance - I would much much rather use Corel WordPerfect, but Word is the industry standard and so the .doc format is pretty universal. That there is a standard is a good thing, but it's a shame that the standard is decided by which company can flex its corporate muscles the most, not which is the better product.

[parksie]

Originally posted by HarryW
That there is a standard is a good thing, but it's a shame that the standard is decided by which company can flex its corporate muscles the most, not which is the better product.

Yeah, but hasn't it always been like that? Think back to Bell.

[HarryW]

Sorry, what about Bell?

It think he is referring to the "telephone giant". As I recall, they (or it might have been AT&T) monopolized the telepohne industry.

[slashandburn]

Remember about all microsoft software requires an patch or update so it may to.

[Krass]

Well this was an interesting X-Box thread once.

I didn't own much video game consoles but saw LOTS of playstation games in action - many were good, but why havn't they used anti-aliasing? IMHO, this is killing 60% (or maybe 65%) of the game

I am saying this because the playstation 2 will be like the first one - without anti-aliasing. Didn't they realize how Gran Turismo could have been better with decent graphics?!..

Have a nice day

[Primal Rage]

I agree Anti-Aliasing is a Must-Do kind of thing if you are trying to compete with other Consoles.

PR

[parksie]

I don't, actually. I would prefer higher resolutions rather than antialiasing, since AA just blurs out detail. At high resolutions, AA is a good thing, but if I could have a game at 1600x1200 with no AA, and 640x480 with, I'd choose the former.

[joelryan]

The real question -- is it VaporWare?

My own definition...

VaporWare: A product designed to stop customers from buying another product because of anticipation. VaporWare products are either never created or never released (or even released much, much later).

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Maybe I am little late for posting this, but someone asked if Microsoft can go into Competition with SONY. Sure they can!! (and btw the PS I was not only produced by sony but also I think sega, but they go into trouble and sony bought the whole thing)
The DirectX makes it a big thing! Not that I think it is much better than the systems of other systems, but It will be pretty easy to convert a whole lot of PC games in a short time. The 8GB harddisk really gives to think. A whole lot of Patches could fit on there :-)

And I read somewhere, that most of the PS I games were bad. NO THEY ARE NOT. There is a whole lot of uneeded games, but also a whole lot of real cool games. I think Bond was the only killer-app like game on the N64, while there where a lot of real cool games on the PS I.

But since I am a PC freak I don't like consoles to much. I always like to customize stuff on the games, and that is still most possible on the PC.

So... I don't think the X-Box will be "the Console", but I still it could give some interesting possibilities with all the Hardware. What I really want is a cool possibility to play one game over the internet with PCs, PSX 2, Dreamcast, X-Box and whatever will come.!

[HarryW]

I am very much a PC gamer, but I will still be buying a PS2. Why? For Tekken Tag Tournament, and that's about it I just love beating my best friend's ass all over the screen hehe

Seriously though, some games genres are just not very well suited to PCs, and I think beat-em-ups are one of them. People have different controllers and some of them suck for different games. With consoles everybody has the same (well designed!) controller (usually) and it's even ground.

Consoles are popular because you need absolutely no technical knowledge to use them. You put the game in, turn on the power and it works. Just like that. Can M$ get Windows to do that? I'll believe it when I see it

[/\/\isanThr0p]

I think at the point when I don't have to mess around with Windows anymore, I will change to linux to have my mess

I just like doing all the stuff with my system, than beeing happy to archieve two more FPS after doing all the stuff, and than forgeting the game and never play it again!

I just like all the technical stuff. I like consoles, when I meet a bunch of my friends and we play all over the night and go home at 10am to sleep! (btw to all ppl who do this too: Do you also hate it when it gets brighter again and the Sun rises?)

[HarryW]

Well yes I hate that too, and it's 5:12 am right now so it's gonna happen soon

I know what you mean, you like being what's known as a 'techie fertler' (don't ask me why) and so do I sometimes, but I think the reason consoles are popular with the general public is because they're easy to use.

[Fox]

I will buy every Nintendo console just to play the new Zelda! Not joking, my friend bought the N64 and he has exactly 2 games (Zelda OOT / Zelda MM). Id do the same but well I have some more games coz theyre just good. Nintendo may have less games but they have wayyyy more gamplay than 90% of PlayStation games..

[kedaman]

Last time i played on a console was 1 year ago while i was in the army (a playstation), it was cool for a while but i missed my pc a lot. That means i'm a PC gamer and would never buy a console Although i've played some console games emulated on my pc and i have to agree there is something that differs console games from pc games, well ah, it's as late as it can be, 11:12 am i've beaten all of you know hehe

[Zero]

It can't run Windows CE. WinCE is designed for RISC and MIPS processors; it can't run on an x86. As usual, M$ isn't tipping its hand. It could be the greatest thing since sliced bread, or it could be the next "Hellbender". Worse, it could be the next "Hearts". In the long run the third party developers will make or break the X-Box. It did it with the SNES, it's doing it with the N64 (in a neegative way) and the X-Box remains to be seen. Literally.

Still, I think people like me will just cannabalize it for hardware...

~Zero the Inestimable

[MoMad]

XBOX is cool. I totally agree with that whole thing y'all
got going, but i was looking for the sdk's for this crap.
they say its free but where??? and how can you test it if
its not pc compatible? --wait, you make it on a pc, dont
you?

I dont know, im lost with this whole x-box thing. when i
first heard about it, i thought that it was gonna be some
sort of "arcade game" type, like the ones at the arcades,
(street fighters, etc...)

but then they say its a console, microsoft has big words
and stuff (e.g. innovation, this, that, blah, blah) but no
crap. I mean windows 2000 is a lamer version of NT man.

You'll have to excuse my french on this one, i think ive
been up for way too long. Its 2:16AM now, so ill just
settle with this and call it a day.

Nite'

[Krass]

You've been up for way too long? Well, me too I guess, because I was pretty sure that what you wrote was in english...

[MoMad]

according to ign, http://xbox.ign.com/archives.html it all seems that the x-box is a "playstation-like" game and they also say that it will not work under the pc, but no-one ever mentions how its going to be developed. Are they gonna develop it in windows then burn the game on a cd and then test it on the x-box, or is it gonna be some nighmare trying to develop it like the playstation. It would be nice if you can play the x-box games in the ordinary pc, bu thinks just dont look too good.

Microsoft already has every popular developers "somewhat developing" new systems and genres and games for the x-box, and the damn thing isnt even coming out for another year. Its really amazing that Epic is letting out their Unreal Engine for the x-box. Not to mention that Capcom is bringing their next wave of action arcades into the x-box and so are all the big time developers.

This x-box is getting waay too popular, and its NOT coming out for another year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, im going nuts, but Microsoft is so good at selling their products, it just makes me go nuts!!!!

Personally, I would like to see all my favorite arcades and classics at the x-box, with a new 3D twist, better than the playstation. And one other thing, I am very impatient and i hate waiting, so I hope their processor is fast enough to skip the "loading" part of the game. Instead replace it with cinematics or whatever.

[MoMad]

Thats right, 155 of them--all lined up with xbox projects.

check this:
http://xbox.ign.com/news/25233.html

[MrShickadance]

Zero: What do ya mean it can't be WinCE? I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort on Microsofts part to recompile CE for a CISC machine. Do you think all RISC CPU's are the same w/ the exact same opcodes? I hope not. I'm pretty sure that MS isn't going to use CE anyways... more like a striped version of ME.

As soon as XBox is released, someone will make a hack so XBox games can be run on PC's.... no need to buy an XBox.

Long Live SMS!!

[Zero]

And knowing M$, it'll run something called WindowsX that won't be compatable with anything, but will be touted as the 'wave of the future' anyway.

~Zero the Inestimable

[HarryW]

Just remember to turn down the blue on your tv, don't want to wear out the phospors with all those blue screens.

X-Box is no-doubt, better than playstation. The graphix are, no-doubt, better than playstation. I don't think MS will say that it's shipping X-BOX with 700 MHZ and then release it with 300MHZ.. that's not the way MS is. MS aint stupid ok?

If they're going to invest in something... they make sure it's good.

I'm sorry but all you 'stupid' people who hate Microsoft for some UNKNOWN FREAKIN' reason, and yet still use their technologies.

YOU ARE NOT FREAKIN' FORCED TO DO SO. Go move on to linux or some **** like that. MS may be monoply, but their products are GOOD (I LOVE THEM), and their buisness people are smart ass people who know how to do Buisness to make money, not loose money. There are all these other loser companies, who're stupid and can't make money, and then they blame it on microsoft. It wouldn't matter if Microsoft was the 'ONLY' software/hardware company in the world. Because their products are of good quality.

They get all this bad courtesy from people WHO STILL ****ING USE THEIR PRODUCTS! I don't get it. The only way you can make them lose money is, to build your PC and install Linux in there. Or go buy a ****ing Mac (BALCH! throwup ****)....

THen you blame it on computer company who're providing windows with your computer or this or that. All that **** is crap. You can avoid MS if you want. But you don't, yet still talk crap about them.

It's just.... PLAIN STUPID!

jeez...

Stop using their products, that's how you can hurt the company. By saying stupid **** about Microsoft, only makes you look stupid, because, adults... they're not stupid, they think... Kids just look to blame everything.


THis post may not look like it belongs here. But I know that it's going to start into a MS vs Sony thing, and then it's going to go into people cussing out MS.. so I wanna put a stop to that beforehand by saying, MS IS NOT STUPID! They started out just like any other company. They didn't have A LOT OF MONEY. they made it, and worked hard for it. They've earned their position in the market.

If I made an operating system, would I ****ing support another operating system? or would I make sure that my OS sells, and all the games are for my OS and all of my products are for MY OS, so people go buy my OS. That's what MS is doing. But it's also supporting other OS's like MAC or Linux, by providing their software for them too, and believe it or not, people use their software, even if they don't have windows.