Link is for anyone that hasn’t heard of this. BTW, this is NOT intended to devolve into a PS2 vs X-Box pissing contest.
First, I love that they’ll use 3 64-bit processors. As stated in the article, in addition to the video card, the next generation X-Box will put to shame even PC games. In addition to integrating it to HD monitors. wets self
Add to that, and if anyone can give a link to how this’ll work, it sounds from I hear that the new Box will be virtually the same as a high-end PC. As in, being able to play games on both the Box and PC AND use broadband Internet when linked together. Sounds like you could use the Box to post to the SDMB while someone can be in the computer room playing Halo on the PC. Oh, man! I hope that’s how it’ll work out.
2 things they may get rid of.
First the DVD capability. Big frigging deal! You can head to Wal-Mart and get a DVD player for about $50. Considering I paid $30 for the DVD package for my Box, doesn’t seem a big deal.
Second is the possible loss of the hard drive. This I don’t like. I had both the Box and PS2 before selling the Sony, and though it wasn’t a factor in selling it, the memory cards were a major pain in the ass. You had to keep them properly labeled and protected like floppy disks. Also, the hard drive allows me to rip songs to it so I can kill aliens to Motorhead or play football to Linkin Park.
So what would you Dopers do if you had a say in the Next-Box? What have you seen that’s interesting? (Please link to it, most of the stuff I can find is gaming mags that want to perpetuate the MS vs. Sony war)
And, of course, what could you see being added? One thing I forgot is they better make the next generation backward compatible.
I did hear that it would not be backward compatibel and also that games written for it won’t work on the first Xbox. I don’t have a cite for it yet, and I can’t search for it, as our company network blocks Games0sites. If this is true, Microsoft deserves to lose the console wars.
Well, the article I linked to said they weren’t sure if it would be backward compatible or not. I just can’t see it not happening. Also the link seems to say that Microsoft is pretty much sitting on extras based on what Sony does. Presumedly to offer even more than PS3 when it comes out to set up the 3rd generation Box. Yeah, it’s a game they’re playing, but with the billions involved I can hardly blame either.
Anyone know of any other info on the Next-Box? (As I’ve taken to call it?)
God, I’m as much of an XBox supporter as anyone and that article was depressing as hell. No hard drive and (probably) not backwards compatable? Just great.
Yes, the first xbox might put PC systems of that time to shame but PC’s evolve and game consoles are only refreshed every generation. The original Xbox contained a cut-down Geforce3 which was significantly better than state-of-the-art at the time. Now, it’s about 1/10th as fast as a modern system.
I think the reason they might get rid of the hard drive is to try and cut back on people ‘hacking’ the XBOX with mod chips. The hard drive alowed them to put a different BIOS in the things, as well as ripped XBOX games, ROMS and emulators from other systems, ripped DVD’s, illegal MP3’s, etc…
It’s just another step in trying to prevent people from violating copyright protection. Of ocurse, a month after it’s released, someone will have made a mod chip for it, and I’m sure an after market hard drive can be attached somehow.
Do any of you guys actually utilise backwards compatibility in your current consoles?
The amount of times I would be likely to take advantage of backwards compatibility is so minimal that I figure if I wanted to play an old game badly enough, I can just set up the superseded console if backwards compatibility wasn’t available on the new one.
I would be interested to see a sales figure comparison on xboxes before the ability to mod them was common knowledge and when it wasn’t. I say this because a “friend” of mine had not much interest in getting one until it was realised what you could to one with a 120gb hard-drive and a modchip.
Of course you would use backward compatability if you had bought the first one. I bought one and had bought over 30 games (before selling the thing), so would be pretty angry if I had to choose between throwing them away or having 2 Xboxes.
We are talking about quite a lot of money here. (Games cost around 60 Euros down here).
On my PS2 I do use backward compatability to play some classic games, like Vib Ribbon and Metal Gear Solid.
I use the backward compatibility on my PS2 (to play Bust a Move, dontchaknow) and to take advantage of the cheapo PS1 games for sale at used game stores.
I have two PS1s. One’s in a box, one is hooked up to the tv in the bedroom and rarely gets used.
I would want backwards compatiblity in newer systems (PS3 and XBox2 as well as whatever Nintendo is planning) so I don’t have to have thirty boxes sitting on top of my entertainment center. It’s getting kind of crowded up there with a receiver, vcr, dvd player, cable box, four game systems, (ps2, xbox, gamecube, n64) center speaker, tv, and a cat (he likes the warmth of the cable box).
One thing I really want that I forgot to mention is the ability to stack things on top of the bugger. The slightly curved top of the XBox really cheeses me off.