Post by TheHellboundHeart on Feb 2, 2004 17:44:51 GMT
extracted from www.gamesradar.co.uk
[02/02/04 10:36]
It's due out in autumn 2005 but hard drive and backwards compatibility are in doubt
Microsoft have started to discuss early specifications of the successor to Xbox with favoured developers. Xbox 2 looks likely to be released in autumn 2005 - and, alarmingly, it may not be backwards compatible and possibly won't feature a hard drive.
It appears as if Xbox 2 will only include a hard drive if Sony decides to include one in PlayStation 3. Otherwise, the console is likely to just make use of memory cards (although there have been rumours of an external hard drive add-on). The main issue here, of course, is where this would leave downloadable Xbox Live content, such as new game levels.
Tim Sweeney, of Unreal developers Epic Games, agrees: "For a console to really have a useful online component, it has to have the hard drive to store downloaded maps and other data. If Microsoft waits for Sony, it is in effect allowing Sony to design Microsoft's box."
Meanwhile, as the chips at the core of the original Xbox are from different manufacturers (Intel and Nvidia) to those that will be in Xbox 2 (IBM and ATI Technologies), Microsoft have voiced concern that hardware and licensing fees would cost too much to enable the machine to play old Xbox games. However, one analyst has already said, "I can't imagine that Microsoft would be so insanely stupid as to make it incompatible," and some sources suggest that the issue could be resolved by using emulation.
At the core of the machine will be three IBM-designed 64-bit microprocessors, the combined power of which will be greater than current top-end PCs. The ATI Technologies-designed graphics chip will also be faster than its forthcoming R400 which basically means that Xbox 2 will be able to display with the resolution of high-definition TV.
Microsoft's emphasis appears to be on keeping the retail price down and, crucially, launching the machine before PlayStation 3 hits shelves in 2006. Xbox first launched just under two years after PS2 and, so far, 13.7 million of them have been shifted, compared to 70 million for PS2. As soon as we have more on Xbox 2, we'll let you know.
[02/02/04 10:36]
It's due out in autumn 2005 but hard drive and backwards compatibility are in doubt
Microsoft have started to discuss early specifications of the successor to Xbox with favoured developers. Xbox 2 looks likely to be released in autumn 2005 - and, alarmingly, it may not be backwards compatible and possibly won't feature a hard drive.
It appears as if Xbox 2 will only include a hard drive if Sony decides to include one in PlayStation 3. Otherwise, the console is likely to just make use of memory cards (although there have been rumours of an external hard drive add-on). The main issue here, of course, is where this would leave downloadable Xbox Live content, such as new game levels.
Tim Sweeney, of Unreal developers Epic Games, agrees: "For a console to really have a useful online component, it has to have the hard drive to store downloaded maps and other data. If Microsoft waits for Sony, it is in effect allowing Sony to design Microsoft's box."
Meanwhile, as the chips at the core of the original Xbox are from different manufacturers (Intel and Nvidia) to those that will be in Xbox 2 (IBM and ATI Technologies), Microsoft have voiced concern that hardware and licensing fees would cost too much to enable the machine to play old Xbox games. However, one analyst has already said, "I can't imagine that Microsoft would be so insanely stupid as to make it incompatible," and some sources suggest that the issue could be resolved by using emulation.
At the core of the machine will be three IBM-designed 64-bit microprocessors, the combined power of which will be greater than current top-end PCs. The ATI Technologies-designed graphics chip will also be faster than its forthcoming R400 which basically means that Xbox 2 will be able to display with the resolution of high-definition TV.
Microsoft's emphasis appears to be on keeping the retail price down and, crucially, launching the machine before PlayStation 3 hits shelves in 2006. Xbox first launched just under two years after PS2 and, so far, 13.7 million of them have been shifted, compared to 70 million for PS2. As soon as we have more on Xbox 2, we'll let you know.
