Next Generation Consoles
Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:12 am
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.
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
