[Sloth_Boy]

Here's some info on the Xbox 2.

The Xbox 2 will be called the "Xbox Next". There will be 3 versions of the Xbox Next. The cheapest Xbox Next will be only for Gaming, Music and Video will may have web browsing capabilites. The 2nd best Xbox Next will cost a little more becuas eit will contain a large hardrive for storing music, patches, Video, Possibly downloads, pictures and other things. It will be the Same as the cheapest Version but with a harddrive, that's all. The Most expensive Xbox is the best by far. It will contain a larger Hardrive, an Operating System based on windows NT (but will look alot better), it will basicaly be a PC playing Xbox Games and PC Games aswell as being able to run any Software 32-bit or 64-bit.
You may also be able to upgrade parts down the road (possibly).

Specs:

The Core: The Processor will consist of a IBM processor. It will contain 3 cores on a single Die. Each Core will operate at 3.5Ghz and each core will be able to run 2 thread which means it will be like running 6 processors. each processor will have certain tasks assigned to them.

Grapahics: The Graphics core will be based on the R500 or R520 ATI chip. It will have a core speed between 500Mhz and 600Mhz and will share the memroy of 512Mb with the system. It will have HDTV Support and will include a Superset of PS and VS 3.0+. It has alot more cool stuff aswell

Games: The games will have incredible graphics and will be on 2 types of discs. The discs are HD-DVD which is a single layer disc that can store 15GB of data. They'll also have a Dual Layer HD-DVD disc which will be (you guest it) 30GB. The graphics are going to be absulatley amazing.

Please add any info or discuss.

I wonder if they'll make a R520 chip for PC.

 

[Burn]

wonder how much the next box will be...

:swearing:

me when i get my credit card bill

 

[YiffyGriffy]

I got 20 bucks says it doesn't use 25% of its processing ability and that it all around sucks...just like the first one.

 

[Sloth_Boy]

How could it suck. It will be released later this year. The PC verison wll be released in 2006.

The processors are each assigned to different tasks. If it didn't use all the processor then they wouldn't have that much power. If then games need to have over 15GB then the games must have detail (and heaps of it). I cant see how it wont be good.

 

[Burn]

whaddya mean, PC version? and i do agree that while it will use all the CPU power that is in the chips, they will overdo the graffics so that later on games will be able to be played on it... future-proofing.

 

[YiffyGriffy]

Yes, it'll be release next year, but look at our current technology now, it's not going to change much in the coming months. It's not logical, there's no way they're going to suddenly change everything just for the release of a console gaming system. The R500 is the Xbox chip made by ATi, the R520 is PC counterpart to be released in Spring 2005.

 

[Sloth_Boy]

For the price that it'll be, it should be pretty good. I'm not a Xbox fan (i actaully hate Xbox) but this one just looks good. total of 10.5Ghz, that sounds nice

 

[blob]

Pshh burn Microsoft! And ATI for joining forces with evil!

 

[Sloth_Boy]

With your Savage, you'd can't really talk blob. Didn't you have a 9200 or something.

 

[Chipp]

First off, don't insult S3. I had a Virge3D 8MB in my laptop untill this September, when I got my current system. That thing was a monster at Age of Empires II and Sports Car GT. Tribes 2 anyone? But, back to XBOX Next. The thing looks awesome! I can't wait to see what they do with all the power.

(I hereby apoint Sloth__Boy the forums official "info and previes" guy)

 

[--Filip--]

I think Microsoft shouldn't call it Xbox but instead:

'The PC for the Dumbass'

It sounds like just a PC only in a more marketable shell.

 

[blob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sloth_Boy With your Savage, you'd can't really talk blob. Didn't you have a 9200 or something.

Hey my computer died

I'm just using my other comp for a while... I do have a 9800pro.

 

[Inquisitor]

...yea and dont forget overpriced

If i got one (*****)

i'd modd the crap outa it and probly find a way to unlock everything

upgrade all the CRAP on it

 

[Sloth_Boy]

It would be sweet if they used PC-Express and sockets for the hardware. Then if they underpriced it you could just buy it for the parts.

 

[Lostnhell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by --Filip-- I think Microsoft shouldn't call it Xbox but instead: 'The PC for the Dumbass' It sounds like just a PC only in a more marketable shell.

They already have those "Windows XP Media Center Edition Systems"

 

[VulcanDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sloth_Boy Here's some info on the Xbox 2.

Most of this is just "informed speculation", though. Apart from a few items, Microsoft has not officially confirmed much about the box.

Quote:

Games: The games will have incredible graphics and will be on 2 types of discs. The discs are HD-DVD which is a single layer disc that can store 15GB of data. They'll also have a Dual Layer HD-DVD disc which will be (you guest it) 30GB. The graphics are going to be absulatley amazing.

This is the only comment that I really wanted to respond to.

First, HD-DVD is not yet the official disc format of the XBox2. The HD-DVD consortium is lobbying Microsoft pretty hard, but no commitments have yet been made. Since the PS3 is going to use Blu-Ray discs, which means that half the planet will have a device capable of reading Blu-Rays, the HD-DVD camp probably needs Microsoft to use their format in the XBox2 to keep the format alive. (Frankly, we should all be rooting for them to fail; the last thing we need is another format war.)

Second, to a layman anyway, dual layer HD-DVD is not a different format from single-layer HD-DVD any more than dual layer DVDs are a different format from single layer DVDs.

And finally, increased capacity of a disc does not translates into better looking games. The vast majority of games today are released on only single-layer DVDs; if they needed more space, they could easily switch to dual-layer. So don't hold your breath waiting for those "amazing looking" 15 GB games to start showing up; developers in general aren't using the 9GB they have available now.

 

[kickassclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YiffyGriffy I got 20 bucks says it doesn't use 25% of its processing ability and that it all around sucks...just like the first one.

The xbox is so overrated it's pathetic. I would have bought one just to play halo 2 but I refuse to pay a subscription fee to xbox-jive to play online when I already have a cable internet connection that I pay for.

MS is smart and it is doing what it needs to so that it can increase its customer base. The number of people who will buy the thing just to have it will be enormous. A pc xbox....what a joke. This is for the masses who are unwilling or too afraid to just buy a decent computer to use.

For all the games xbox has I would probably play about 3-5 of them and that would be it.

I have a computer that I rip my games on and online play for games is FREE. I still play halo 1 all the time. WOW will never be on an xbox. You do have to pay for games like this but that is the nature of the game not the multiplayer aspect which is all the halo2 fiends bought the game to play.

I just spent a $150 dollars on a new game system and I bought myself a nintendo ds system

I need to start an xbox blows thread to confirm my feelings about this gaming system.

The only thing xbox has going for it is that you can mod it

neeyedsm

 

[VulcanDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kickassclone The xbox is so overrated it's pathetic. I would have bought one just to play halo 2 but I refuse to pay a subscription fee to xbox-jive to play online when I already have a cable internet connection that I pay for.

Well, later on you talk about how WoW will never be on XBox. So you're willing to pay a monthly fee for a single games, but not a much smaller fee for Xbox Live. Seems a little contradictory to me.

I can't say I like the fee either, but that's because I'm a spoiled PC user just like you. We are so used to getting services like Battle.Net or GameSpy for free that it seems like corporate greed to expect us to actually pay for it. But honestly, expecting that free lunch to go on forever implies a basic misunderstanding of how the world works. Those servers cost money to operate, plus it's an easy and profitable revenue stream opportunity. Microsoft may be the first to charge for their service, but they won't be the last.

And if it really irks you that much, you can always use tunneling software to play XBox LAN games over the internet. You just don't get all the bells, whistles, and quality control that you get with XBox Live.

Geez, I sound like a commercial for Live. I don't even have it.

Quote:

MS is smart and it is doing what it needs to so that it can increase its customer base. The number of people who will buy the thing just to have it will be enormous. A pc xbox....what a joke. This is for the masses who are unwilling or too afraid to just buy a decent computer to use.

Well sure. Is that bad? Most people can't do with computers what we can do. Nor should they have to. Average Joe Consumer only uses their computer for a couple of simple things, is it "bad" to make computers simpler to accomodate that need? Certainly not. Specialized computers are the wave of the future, and every Tivo box or Media Center Extender device out there is on the leading edge.

Quote:

I just spent a $150 dollars on a new game system and I bought myself a nintendo ds system

What do you think of it? I'm still undecided on whether to get one. There are no games I really want right now, and it's so big for a "portable"...

 

[muffin]

Screw DS, I want a PSP.

Sexiest thing you could hold in your hand apart from a super model...

 

[kickassclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VulcanDragon Well, later on you talk about how WoW will never be on XBox. So you're willing to pay a monthly fee for a single games, but not a much smaller fee for Xbox Live. Seems a little contradictory to me. I can't say I like the fee either, but that's because I'm a spoiled PC user just like you. We are so used to getting services like Battle.Net or GameSpy for free that it seems like corporate greed to expect us to actually pay for it. But honestly, expecting that free lunch to go on forever implies a basic misunderstanding of how the world works. Those servers cost money to operate, plus it's an easy and profitable revenue stream opportunity. Microsoft may be the first to charge for their service, but they won't be the last. And if it really irks you that much, you can always use tunneling software to play XBox LAN games over the internet. You just don't get all the bells, whistles, and quality control that you get with XBox Live. Geez, I sound like a commercial for Live. I don't even have it. Well sure. Is that bad? Most people can't do with computers what we can do. Nor should they have to. Average Joe Consumer only uses their computer for a couple of simple things, is it "bad" to make computers simpler to accomodate that need? Certainly not. Specialized computers are the wave of the future, and every Tivo box or Media Center Extender device out there is on the leading edge. What do you think of it? I'm still undecided on whether to get one. There are no games I really want right now, and it's so big for a "portable"...

I have no issues at all with companies charging for online play, more power to them

. I am a zealous supporter of all things capitalistic. I have been afforded the ability to spend my money on what I want and I refuse to spend it on an xbox. I think you misunderstood my point about WoW. You do have to pay to play WoW and that is why I do NOT play it. The whole game soley based online thopugh and that is why you buy it. Halo 2 on the other hand has a single player mode and online as an OPTION. No one bought Halo2 to play the single player because the single player is rather foul and boring. If I have a cable connect that I pay $100 a month for that has massive bandwidth why can't I host my own server where people can come and play Halo2 for free. I am paying $100 a month but that is besides the point because I use the bandwidth for much more than gaming so I don't care letting people play on my server that I am paying for. Now if I had that option without having to do all kinds of crap to make it work I would buy an xbox but this is not the case.

I understand how the world works just fine Vulcan being the capitalist pig I am I will gladly take a dollar from anyone willing to give me one. I just won't buy an xbox because there is a fee to play. So now me and thousands of other people took our money elsewhere and M$ didn't get one red dime

. Now if it were free I would have owned an xbox long ago and probably a ton of games. That is how the world works and that is why I won't buy an xbox or any gaming device from MS. When Halo2 is ported to the pc I will be playing for free just like I play halo 1 for free now. As far as making a pc/console that is what the xbox is. There is no better computer that you can buy for $149 dollars and if you stick a modchip in there you can unlock the computer aspect of the box and use it for a whole host of things. When xboxes go down to $99 dollars I will picj up a used one on the internet for probably $60-$75 and then I will mod it and fill the 160gig harddrive I will put in it with all the games I can handle.