Next Generation Consoles
XBOX, Playstation, Nintendo
- Trent DeWhite
- Former Mayor
- Posts: 11659
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: Canada
- Contact:
Next Generation Consoles
It's not a bird . . . it's not a plane . . . it's XBOX 360.
General FAQ
Q: Is Xbox 360 the official name?
A: Yes. If you would like to know why, check out IGN's article detailing the thought process behind the design of the system here.
Q: When will the system be fully unveiled?
A: An MTV special on May 12th 2005 officially unveiled its name, the look of the system, the controller and a few quick snippets of gameplay footage. You can get extremely detailed system specs in this FAQ and on Xbox360.ign.com. The full unveiling, including things like full system specs, the launch lineup and more, will be unveiled during Microsoft's E3 press conference on May 16th.
Q: When is the system launching?
A: All signs point towards a November 2005 launch window. This is a prime month for Microsoft to position Xbox 360 as the must-have holiday item.
Q: How much will Xbox 360 cost?
A: Approximately $299.
Q: What are all the ports and whatnot on Xbox 360?
A: The silver tray that says "Xbox 360" is obviously the optical drive, with the eject button directly to its left. To the right, you'll notice the large green power button. According to Microsoft: "It's more than a power button; it's the gateway to the next-generation of games and entertainment. Surrounding it is the Ring of Light, which is a visual indicator of game status and system messages."
Looking along the bottom of the system, on the far left you'll see an IR port, for the DVD remote. To the right of the IR port you will find two memory card slots that use 64 megabyte memory cards. To the right of those is a small circle with three curved dashes next to it. This is a connection reset button for wireless device(s).
The round port on the right side of the system is a door that unveils two USB ports. These can be used to connect to cameras to stream photos, MP3 players to stream music, and many other peripherals. There is also a USB port in the rear of the system which is a prime place to attach the camera.
Q: What are the controllers going to be like?
A: It is very similar to the current Controller S. The "Controller X", for lack of a better name, features roughly the same D-Pad, analog sticks and X, Y, A and B button layout as the Controller S. The main difference is that the Controller X will have its Black and White buttons moved to just above the two analog triggers, resulting in a design that falls somewhere between the current Controller S and the PlayStation 2's Dual Shock 2 controller.
The Controller X will be wireless, employing a removable battery pack. This pack has an optional docking station and a power input. When the batteries run low, a warning will appear on the screen and players will have the option to plug-in the controller and continue playing.
The Xbox 360 controller will be by far the most sophisticated wireless controller the market has ever seen. It uses "frequency-hopping spread spectrum" a thousand times a second or so, changing frequencies, cutting down drastically on the amount of interference you might encounter from other devices in your house. Not only that, but it's already a tried-and-true system.
Q: What are the system specs?
A: Brace yourself.
-3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores
-ATI custom graphics chip
-512MB GDDR3 Unified System Memory
-10MB embedded DRAM
-12X DVD drive
-20GB HDD
--------------
In essence, this console is going to be insane.
General FAQ
Q: Is Xbox 360 the official name?
A: Yes. If you would like to know why, check out IGN's article detailing the thought process behind the design of the system here.
Q: When will the system be fully unveiled?
A: An MTV special on May 12th 2005 officially unveiled its name, the look of the system, the controller and a few quick snippets of gameplay footage. You can get extremely detailed system specs in this FAQ and on Xbox360.ign.com. The full unveiling, including things like full system specs, the launch lineup and more, will be unveiled during Microsoft's E3 press conference on May 16th.
Q: When is the system launching?
A: All signs point towards a November 2005 launch window. This is a prime month for Microsoft to position Xbox 360 as the must-have holiday item.
Q: How much will Xbox 360 cost?
A: Approximately $299.
Q: What are all the ports and whatnot on Xbox 360?
A: The silver tray that says "Xbox 360" is obviously the optical drive, with the eject button directly to its left. To the right, you'll notice the large green power button. According to Microsoft: "It's more than a power button; it's the gateway to the next-generation of games and entertainment. Surrounding it is the Ring of Light, which is a visual indicator of game status and system messages."
Looking along the bottom of the system, on the far left you'll see an IR port, for the DVD remote. To the right of the IR port you will find two memory card slots that use 64 megabyte memory cards. To the right of those is a small circle with three curved dashes next to it. This is a connection reset button for wireless device(s).
The round port on the right side of the system is a door that unveils two USB ports. These can be used to connect to cameras to stream photos, MP3 players to stream music, and many other peripherals. There is also a USB port in the rear of the system which is a prime place to attach the camera.
Q: What are the controllers going to be like?
A: It is very similar to the current Controller S. The "Controller X", for lack of a better name, features roughly the same D-Pad, analog sticks and X, Y, A and B button layout as the Controller S. The main difference is that the Controller X will have its Black and White buttons moved to just above the two analog triggers, resulting in a design that falls somewhere between the current Controller S and the PlayStation 2's Dual Shock 2 controller.
The Controller X will be wireless, employing a removable battery pack. This pack has an optional docking station and a power input. When the batteries run low, a warning will appear on the screen and players will have the option to plug-in the controller and continue playing.
The Xbox 360 controller will be by far the most sophisticated wireless controller the market has ever seen. It uses "frequency-hopping spread spectrum" a thousand times a second or so, changing frequencies, cutting down drastically on the amount of interference you might encounter from other devices in your house. Not only that, but it's already a tried-and-true system.
Q: What are the system specs?
A: Brace yourself.
-3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores
-ATI custom graphics chip
-512MB GDDR3 Unified System Memory
-10MB embedded DRAM
-12X DVD drive
-20GB HDD
--------------
In essence, this console is going to be insane.
Last edited by Trent DeWhite on Wed May 18, 2005 3:51 pm, edited 4 times in total.
That one needs to be in the gallery! I love it!Chandler wrote:Interesting emoticon.Trent DeWhite wrote:
- The Top Crusader
- Hammer Bro
- Posts: 22646
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side
I suppose XBox 360 will be all well and good... but I'm more interested in the Nintendo Revolution. I think Nintendo has learned from their mistakes with the GC and N64, and shall once again be on top of the console war...
- Eugene Blackgaard
- Amadeo killed me!
- Posts: 5337
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: The Place to Be.
- Contact:
- The Top Crusader
- Hammer Bro
- Posts: 22646
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side
PS3 is looking great as well... I just saw the other day a demo of Final Fantasy VII with PS3 graphics (the whole intro scene)... Looks pretty good.
I've just never been a big Xbox fan... I only like mine cause it has certain... additions.
I've just never been a big Xbox fan... I only like mine cause it has certain... additions.
http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-x ... ures_image
Here's a good breakdown of the XBOX 360 vs. Playstation 3.
And as much as I love Nintendo, I'm thinking they are still going to finish 3rd this time around. There system looks way better than the Gamecube, and the fact you can download the entire library of games from Nintendo/Super Nintendo/Nintendo 64 is really awesome, but I don't think they can penetrate the market like they once did.
Though, Legend of Zelda: Twlight Princess for the Gamecube looks incredible.
Here's a good breakdown of the XBOX 360 vs. Playstation 3.
And as much as I love Nintendo, I'm thinking they are still going to finish 3rd this time around. There system looks way better than the Gamecube, and the fact you can download the entire library of games from Nintendo/Super Nintendo/Nintendo 64 is really awesome, but I don't think they can penetrate the market like they once did.
Though, Legend of Zelda: Twlight Princess for the Gamecube looks incredible.
- The Top Crusader
- Hammer Bro
- Posts: 22646
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side
I hadn't even heard they were going to let you download old games... but that is a smart move.Shadowpaw wrote:http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-x ... ures_image
Here's a good breakdown of the XBOX 360 vs. Playstation 3.
And as much as I love Nintendo, I'm thinking they are still going to finish 3rd this time around. There system looks way better than the Gamecube, and the fact you can download the entire library of games from Nintendo/Super Nintendo/Nintendo 64 is really awesome, but I don't think they can penetrate the market like they once did.
Though, Legend of Zelda: Twlight Princess for the Gamecube looks incredible.
- The Top Crusader
- Hammer Bro
- Posts: 22646
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side
I haven't heard anything since the latest slew of gaming magazines... though I suppose I COULD look online at that type of thing once in a while.
I take it they just announced the name of the new Zelda, as well...
But really, game pirating is so widespread... they can probably get this to work in their advantage, as long as they price things reasonably.
I take it they just announced the name of the new Zelda, as well...
But really, game pirating is so widespread... they can probably get this to work in their advantage, as long as they price things reasonably.
- Trent DeWhite
- Former Mayor
- Posts: 11659
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: Canada
- Contact:
- Eugene Blackgaard
- Amadeo killed me!
- Posts: 5337
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: The Place to Be.
- Contact:
- The Top Crusader
- Hammer Bro
- Posts: 22646
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side
- Eugene Blackgaard
- Amadeo killed me!
- Posts: 5337
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: The Place to Be.
- Contact:
CLOUD WOAH WOAH WOAH HEY HEY HEYThe Top Crusader wrote:PS3 FFVII demo...
"In game" graphics...
http://i.afterdawn.com/news/SQUARE-ENIX ... TASY-V.jpg
anyway I like the idea of the downloadable game thing on nintendo revolution maybe itl be like itunes music store you know one click downloading I hope so....the xbox360 looks real Macy tho
- Shad Lexer
- Ignorance of the law is no excuse
- Posts: 4032
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: Right where I'm supposed to be.