the Xbox 360 bundle will have a really cool silver trim that's NOT on the Xbox 360 Core system console.

Do you buy a Media Centre PC, or an Xbox 360?

Channel Up in arms isn't the word for it

By Our Channel Expert: Thursday 18 August 2005, 19:39

MICROSOFT'S DECISION to make its Xbox 360 box available for the Yule season is likely to put pressure on PC OEMs, distributors and dealers attempting to sell full blown Media Centre PCs.

Because the Xbox 360 is so highly specced, and so cheap and cheerful compared to Microsoft Media Centre PCs, many households contemplating buying a PC could switch to the console instead.

Those households are, in the words of CPU manufacturers, "CPU agnostic". They don't care if it's an AMD CPU nor do they care if it's Intel Inside. The question they will ask is, is it cheap? Can I run my videos on it? Will it be noisy? Will it be, er, cheap?

Unlike a Media Centre PC, an Xbox 360 won't set your household back an absolute fortune and if the machine performs according to the specifications Microsoft heralded yesterday, what need for a full blown Media Centre PC anyway?

The dilemma facing PC OEMs, dealers and distributors is that given the way interest rates are going, and the price of oil and the like, it could make perfect sense for homes to go Xbox 360, because it will satisfy many many demands.

Microsoft and Intel partners won't be very happy about it. But who cares about them? Certainly not Microsoft and Intel. Much, anyway. µ

J Allard defends 360 pricing, specs

Microsoft exec goes online with gamers to talk about the upcoming system's target audience, hard drive, and, of course, price.

Last week, Microsoft dropped the skinny on one of the holiday season's biggest questions: How much would the Xbox 360 cost? The answer came as a shock to some (budget-conscious gamers) and was not-so-surprising to others (industry analysts). However, both groups, and everyone in between, have one thing in common: If they want the first of the next-generation consoles that hits the market, they'll have to dip into their accounts and shell out at least $299, or $399 for a more tricked-out package.

Microsoft corporate vice president and chief XNA architect J Allard agreed to participate in an hour-long online chat with fans over the weekend, and as expected, much of the talk was focused on the pricing structure for the 360. The discussion was hosted and moderated by Xbox Live community manager Major Nelson.

Assisted by an able-bodied typist (Allard recently broke some bones after a mountain biking incident), Allard took questions from gamers regarding several aspects of the 360.

With no fear of being discredited or pink-slipped, participants in the chat were able to be more candid and uncouth than industry journalists with their questioning. Straightforward was the tone of the chat's most challenging question, "Why even offer the core package, [as] it [sic] seems quite useless."

Allard pointed out what Microsoft has been implying all along with the 360: The system is being aimed at a broad audience, not just hardcore gamers, an idea that comes up in the chat several times. "Recognize that more than 75 percent of the folks on Xbox have not played Halo. By introducing the Core System, we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market, just like with the Xbox 360 premium bundle that we are committed to."

He goes on to say that it is the company's aim to help expand the market. The Core System is not only aimed at gamers, but also aimed at those interested in jumping into gaming for the first time or those who will use the system for its multimedia features. By making the Core System upgradable, those who want to begin with a bare-bones system can eventually join the ranks of more-intense gamers by simply adding bits and pieces, such as the detachable 20GB hard drive. The "modular" structure system was also the main reason the company didn't offer a third, middle-of-the-road package.

For those that scoff at the $400 price tag of the Xbox 360 (one chatter summed it up simply by saying "Feels steep"), Allard defends the price. "It was worth noting that the PS2 launched at $368 (in Japan) with no hard drive, no online service, no [memory unit], no wireless [controller], no voice [via the included headset], no network adapter, no remote, and only support for two controllers. That's not the reason we priced the system this way, but it does provide a comparative frame of reference for what you are getting."

Many gamers who opt for the $299 Core System will invariably end up purchasing the 20GB detachable hard drive. To do so, Core System owners will end up plopping down $99, one dollar shy of the difference between the Xbox 360 and the Core System packages, sans the rest of the goodies. Why the high price of the detachable hard drive, particularly when 20GB hard drives can be purchased for less than $50?

"The 20GB hard drive is a 2.5-inch user-serviceable drive and is more expense than a PC 'crack the box' drive." Allard also deflects the questioning by emphasizing the value of the "compelling premium bundle."

Allard reconfirmed that the hard drive, which is seemingly more and more vital to the system, can be used to shorten load times, save games and game content, and store ripped music and other files. One concern of many gamers is that by not making a hard drive necessary, developers will makes games with customers who don't have a hard drive in mind. To squash these fears, Allard points not to the future but to the past.

"Consider this last generation, where somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 percent of game consoles had hard drives attached. This did not deter game developers from utilizing the hard drive both for exclusive games and cross-platform games on Xbox. This generation, our first-party team and our exclusive-content developers are just as committed to using the hard drive, and like they demonstrated with this generation, our third-party cross-platform developers are committed as well. Games like Splinter Cell, Madden, and Tony Hawk all demonstrated unique capabilities in hard-drive configured systems."

Allard wrapped up the chat with: "I know the multiple configuration strategy has introduced some confusion and concern with the hardcore gamers in particular. Hopefully this has helped explain some of the thinking that went into it. If you--like me--want gaming to get bigger and want to see more-creative games out there, we need to grow the market."

The Xbox 360 has been projected to be released in November. As for a specific timetable for the console's release date, Allard simply said, "Stay tuned."

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot
POSTED: 08/22/05 02:12 PM PST

Wednesday 17th August 2005

CONDEMNED THRILLS ON XBOX 360 - NEW SCREENS, TRAILER

Monolith's next-gen psychological thriller bends our minds

11:57 Condemned: Criminal Origins is lining up for Xbox 360's launch, the Monolith-developed psychological thriller chucking you into the investigator shoes of FBI man Agent Thomas. Played from the first-person, you're on the trail of serial killers and it'll certainly be no daytime viewing with a brutal and visceral experience promised as you use instincts, forensic tools and melee/firearms combat to bring bad boys to justice.

Enjoy the new screenshots and movie (downloadable by hitting the link below) and for more information check out our previous Condemned coverage here.

Condemned: Criminal Origins movie
Download here (45.7Mb, QuickTime)

Stuart Bishop

Tuesday 23rd August 2005

XBOX 360 MARKETING BROCHURE REVEALED

Glossy marketing brochure shows some of the key 360 components and strategy behind MS's next gen baby

10:21 With the gaming world still seemingly divided on the issue of duel Xbox 360 packages being available at launch (there's a basic Core system and Premium package, if you haven't been keeping up), Microsoft's marketing spiel has leaked all over the internet like a nasty accident after too many pints.

Scans of the Xbox 360 promotional brochure show a nifty break down of the two systems, comparing them feature by feature in an attempt to clear up any consumer confusion. Although there's little in the way of revolutionary information to be found within, they're interesting from a perspective of clarifying certain previously hazy issues.

Firstly, a handy table confirms that the from-the-box Core system won't be backwards compatible with existing Xbox games - with the feature requiring a hard drive installation before you can revel in all that retro Halo malarkey.

Furthermore, Microsoft's Xbox Live service is no longer limited to single one-year subscriptions. The company will be offering a variety of packs at various costs - alongside the 12-month Value Pack, users can also fork out for a 3-month Value Pack (the Value Pack seemingly comes with a headset and "additional features", presumably for the benefit of Core buyers). There's also the option to pick up phone-style top-up cards, available in one month, three month or one year varieties.

In other parts of the brochure, the widely rumoured launch title trio of Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Kameo are all given pride of place in the software section, alongside the news that 25 - 40 titles are expected to ship within in the console's three-month launch window, with another 160 games currently in development.

Finally, we're particularly tickled by the machine's Wireless Network Adapter. Let's just say, we hope Apple doesn't spot the uncanny resemblance to a certain diminutive member of its iPod range.

Matt Wales

Xbox 360 Spotted at IDF

Date 24 Aug 2005
Author Riyad Emeran

Xbox 360 - It's Real!

Considering that Microsoft has chosen not to go with an Intel CPU for its new Xbox console, it came as quite a surprise to find an Xbox 360 lurking on the third floor of the Moscone Center.

The pre-production Xbox 360 was part of a Microsoft Media Center demonstration, and rather than playing games, the 360 was being used as a Media Center extended device. Streaming all its content from a Media Center PC a few feet away, the 360 showed that it could happily playback High Definition video remotely.

The video that was being streamed was 720p HD content, but Microsoft assured me that the 360 will be capable of showing 1080 HD content for the ultimate High Definition experience.

The Xbox 360 was hooked up to a Samsung DLP rear projection TV via component video. It’s a shame that it wasn’t connected via HDMI, but the Microsoft representative assured me that the 360 can output over HDMI, but that there isn’t a cable available at present.

I have to say that the Xbox 360 is definitely an improvement on the original Xbox as far as design goes. Despite not being a finished model, the unit on show looked pretty good and would definitely fit nicely in my living room. It also seemed fairly quiet in operation, although I was assured that the production devices will be far quieter.

Stumbling across an Xbox 360 was definitely a pleasant surprise, and not something I was expecting to see at IDF. Despite Intel’s lack of input with the Xbox 360, the fact that this device will seamlessly integrate with the Digital Home concept means that Intel couldn’t ignore it. It’s only a month or so until Microsoft will be showing off production versions of the Xbox 360 and I can’t wait to get my paws on one.

Link:
Xbox UK

We spent some time talking to Microsoft about Media Centre and X360. We've got good news, and even better news if you are planning to upgrade to VISTA. Currently, X360 will run a Media Centre enviroment and, while this will need you to install some special PC tools on your Media Centre, setup is simple.

The difference from it being a normal Media Centre is that the X360 uses some of its processing power to render the Media Centre Screens - so it feels as if you are actually using a Media Centre.

The biggest news which we have heard is that when Windows Vista ships it will be Media Centre enabled as standard. This will also be able to talk to X360 and the enviroment will change.

If you wish to play a DVD via the Media Centre you can not stream this - it is only avaliable over the LAN, you can only do this with a local disk.

One other downfall is that the Media Centre Extender can not play anything bar WMV9 encoded video, even if you do install the DIVX codecs on your main Media Centre system.

Here we can see the familar XBOX360 standing up and running


XBOX Gaming Menu


XBOX Menu


XBOX360 Connecting to the Media Center Box


XBOX Profile Screen Shot


XBOX360 Rear Shot


Screen Output (HD Cable showing)


HD Cable end on.


XBOX360 Front USB Ports

Xbox 360: New Tech Specs Details Surface

By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Aug. 23rd, 2005 10:26 am

Back in June, when we interviewed Todd Holmdahl, Corporate Vice President of the Xbox Product Group at Microsoft, and the man in charge of more than 1,000 engineers, we asked him if he could provide further details on the Xbox 360 CPU such as manufacturing process, the amount of transistors and other technical data that geeks like me find exciting. Unfortunately, Microsoft could not disclose such information at that time.

Today the desired photos showing the CPU and GPU die in complete nudity have made their way onto the Internet. We presume, due to some of the labels, that these pictures come from Asia.

The picture below is the first photograph of the Xbox 360 processor die, showing the physical design of the three-core CPU that powers the next-generation Xbox. In the picture you can see the three cores and the shared 1MB L2 cache among other sections:

The Xbox 360 CPU die


A second set of pictures shows a system diagram for the Xbox 360 CPU that explains the different units that make each core as well as the entire processor and how these parts interacts with the other areas of the Xbox 360 architecture:

Block diagram of the Xbox 360 CPU



view full-size

Last, but no least, also accompanying these new pictures comes a photo of a die, but this time showing the physical design of the Xenos GPU; the graphic chip designed by ATI for the Xbox 360. In the picture, you can see both the GPU parent die (photo provided by TSMC, the manufacturer of the chip) and the daughter die, the GPU embedded DRAM provided by NEC Electronics.

The Xbox 360 CPU die


This new picture also reveals, for the first time, the transistor count for each part of the two-die design. The parent die has a total of 232 million transistors while the daughter die has 100 million, making the whole package a 330+ million transistor design. In comparison, an AMD Athlon 64 processor has approximately 205 M transistors while the PlayStation 3 Cell processor has ~234M and the RSX GPU designed by nVIDIA has some 300M.

By looking at the pictures and photos above, one realizes the tremendous complexity and state-of-the-art technology that Microsoft has packed into the Xbox 360; a console that for the first time will remain competitive against desktop PCs for more than a year after it launches.

We’ll have more on the Xbox 360 soon.

Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility Illuminated

How the 360 will play your Xbox games.

by Jane Pinckard, 08/24/2005

A lot of us have been wondering about the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility issue. Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 will be partially backwards compatible. What does that mean? Today we spoke with an industry source who shed some light on the subject.

One of the rumors floating around is that backwards compatibility will only work with a hard drive, which would have left Core systems out in the cold. As it turns out, that's only partially true. In many cases, the hard drive will indeed be necessary because you'll need an Xbox emulator file to sit on the hard drive (it's still unconfirmed whether this emulator comes pre-shipped on 360 hard drives but it is highly likely the case) and make your Xbox games 360-friendly. However, our understanding is that this isn't perfectly foolproof, and that it may not work in every single case.

What's especially interesting, though, is that select premium Xbox titles in the present and future are getting special treatment. We've learned that Microsoft is inviting some developers to make their current Xbox titles backwards compatible for both 360 SKUs -- that the games themselves will contain the Xbox 360 emulation code on them. In fact, certain Xbox titles already contain the code to boot up under emulation on the Xbox 360. Teams from Microsoft are helping developers with the project.

But resources are limited, so only triple A titles will get this kind of attention, and only products coming out in the window after the Xbox 360 announcement. Which ones? We have some hints, but nothing we can officially talk about yet. But don't worry, we're on the case.

Ryan O'Donnell contributed to this report.

Microsoft has released a new video from the Games Conference in Leipzig, Germany which shows off various elements of the upcoming Xbox 360 interface. You'll get a look at what the Media Center looks like, how the interface interacts with mobile storage devices (the iPod, PSP, and USB hard drives), and much more.

Microsoft to ship millions of Xbox 360 at launch

Games Developers Conference Europe Chips are getting ready

By Fuad Abazovic in Londinium: Friday 02 September 2005, 12:40

A LITTLE birdie told us that TSMC is working hard to make ATI Xenos Xbox 360 chips and that the Taiwan-based manufacturing company has been producing these chips for months now.

Microsoft is storing the chips and its contractors ready to build hundreds of thousands of Xbox 360 consoles and it's certain that it won't be in short supply when it comes to the graphic part.

We also got confirmation that the company plans to ship the console worldwide and you can expect worldwide availability this time. Microsoft is after fifty per cent of the market, but many people believe that it can take as much as 30 to 35 per cent with its new console.

Many people still underestimate the power of Xbox 360 but we can say that graphically it looks far superior to the Playstation 3 part. The ATI R500 based Xbox 360 chip will be able to do 4X anti aliasing without a performance penalty while Nvidia’s part in Playstation 3 wont be able to deliver such a luxury.

You have to bear in mind that ATI chip has 10MB of very fast EDRAM, which is going to speed up things massively. Right now, Microsoft is telling developers to use at least FSAA 2X for all of the games, while most of the games will be shipped with native FSAA 4X games and will look pretty good. (ed: )

Sony, on the other hand, has a better CPU but it will be some time until developers figure out how to use all seven cores effectively. So if XboX 360 ends up with availability problems, it won't be due to a shortage of graphic chips, that’s for sure. µ