Xbox 2 info hotting up!

[mark_in_2k]

It seems like the new name will almost definately be Xenon .

Here's part one of Gamespy's coverage...

and part two.

Seems like they're not going to use the newer HD-DVD / Blu-ray which is kind of a bummer. Going to have to buy another separate DVD player for the HD movies. Still, when you think about, no game really needs 25GB of data. Just have to look at PC games for that.

I like the option of choosing to have a hard drive or not. Can't wait to see what apps will become available for it

[JayPatel]

Company’s Chief XNA Architect Shares Vision for HD Era of Gaming

SAN FRANCISCO — March 9, 2005 — Today at the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC), Microsoft Corp. announced the first details of its next-generation Xbox® video game system platform, highlighting how hardware, software and services are being fused to power enhanced game and entertainment experiences.

Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA™ Architect J Allard further outlined the company’s vision for the future of entertainment, citing the emergence of an “HD Era� in video games that is fueled by consumer demand for experiences that are always connected, always personalized and always in high-definition.

“In the HD Era the platform is bigger than the processor,� Allard said. “New technology and emerging consumer forces will come together to enable the rock stars of game development to shake up the old establishment and redefine entertainment as we know it.�

Building on 10 years of innovation with the DirectX® API, the Microsoft® Windows® and Xbox platforms will enable ground-breaking game experiences in the HD Era. Illustrating what that means for gamers, Allard shared the first details about the next-generation Xbox guide. Persistent across all games and media experiences, the guide is an entertainment gateway that instantly connects players to their games, their friends and their digital media.

Features of the guide include these:

· Gamer Cards. Gamer Cards provide gamers with a quick look at key Xbox Live™ information. They let players instantly connect with people who have similar skills, interests and lifestyles.

· Marketplace. Browseable by game, by genre, and in a number of other ways, the Marketplace will provide a one-stop shop for consumers to acquire episodic content, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins and new community-created content.

· Micro-transactions. Breaking down barriers of small-ticket online commerce, micro-transactions will allow developers and the gaming community to charge as little as they like for content they create and publish on Marketplace. Imagine players slapping down $.99 to buy a one-of-a-kind, fully tricked-out racing car to be the envy of their buddies.

· Custom playlists. This feature eliminates the need for developers to support custom music in games. The guide instantly connects players to their music so they can listen to their own tracks while playing all their favorite next-generation Xbox games.

Typifying the HD Era game experience, the guide requires hardware designed with software in mind. System-level features of the guide such as custom playlists, the Xbox Live Friends list and voice chat are enabled at the chip level, liberating developers to focus on creating games, not developing for technical certification requirements (TCRs).

To support consumer demands for the HD Era, the next-generation Xbox is designed around key principles that let developers maximize real performance, using concepts they are already familiar with.

The next-generation Xbox hardware design principles include the following:

· A well-balanced system that will deliver more than a teraflop of targeted computing performance

· A multicore processor architecture co-developed with IBM Corp. that provides developer “headroom� and flexibility for the HD Era

· A custom-designed graphics processor co-developed with ATI Technologies Inc. designed for HD Era games and entertainment applications

In addition, familiar software technologies such as DirectX, PIX, XACT and the recently announced XNA Studio — an integrated team-based development environment tailored for game production — complement the new hardware to help game developers unlock increasingly powerful and complex silicon.

The HD Era gaming platform will strike an elegant balance of hardware, software and services to power the new experiences consumers demand. Games and entertainment features such as the next-generation Xbox guide represent a shift toward more immersive and integrated consumer experiences. This shift will be further illustrated by a significant leap to high-definition graphics, where character movements and expressions are intensely vibrant and nearly indiscernible from real life; by multichannel, positional audio fidelity so clear and precise that players will be able to hear the faintest enemy footsteps sneaking up behind them; by richer online communications; and by an abundance of on-demand content for game consoles.

[Carpe Diem]

Company’s Chief XNA Architect Shares Vision for HD Era of Gaming

SAN FRANCISCO — March 9, 2005 — Today at the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC), Microsoft Corp. announced the first details of its next-generation Xbox® video game system platform, highlighting how hardware, software and services are being fused to power enhanced game and entertainment experiences.

Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA™ Architect J Allard further outlined the company’s vision for the future of entertainment, citing the emergence of an “HD Era� in video games that is fueled by consumer demand for experiences that are always connected, always personalized and always in high-definition.

“In the HD Era the platform is bigger than the processor,� Allard said. “New technology and emerging consumer forces will come together to enable the rock stars of game development to shake up the old establishment and redefine entertainment as we know it.�

Building on 10 years of innovation with the DirectX® API, the Microsoft® Windows® and Xbox platforms will enable ground-breaking game experiences in the HD Era. Illustrating what that means for gamers, Allard shared the first details about the next-generation Xbox guide. Persistent across all games and media experiences, the guide is an entertainment gateway that instantly connects players to their games, their friends and their digital media.

Features of the guide include these:

· Gamer Cards. Gamer Cards provide gamers with a quick look at key Xbox Live™ information. They let players instantly connect with people who have similar skills, interests and lifestyles.

· Marketplace. Browseable by game, by genre, and in a number of other ways, the Marketplace will provide a one-stop shop for consumers to acquire episodic content, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins and new community-created content.

· Micro-transactions. Breaking down barriers of small-ticket online commerce, micro-transactions will allow developers and the gaming community to charge as little as they like for content they create and publish on Marketplace. Imagine players slapping down $.99 to buy a one-of-a-kind, fully tricked-out racing car to be the envy of their buddies.

· Custom playlists. This feature eliminates the need for developers to support custom music in games. The guide instantly connects players to their music so they can listen to their own tracks while playing all their favorite next-generation Xbox games.

Typifying the HD Era game experience, the guide requires hardware designed with software in mind. System-level features of the guide such as custom playlists, the Xbox Live Friends list and voice chat are enabled at the chip level, liberating developers to focus on creating games, not developing for technical certification requirements (TCRs).

To support consumer demands for the HD Era, the next-generation Xbox is designed around key principles that let developers maximize real performance, using concepts they are already familiar with.

The next-generation Xbox hardware design principles include the following:

· A well-balanced system that will deliver more than a teraflop of targeted computing performance

· A multicore processor architecture co-developed with IBM Corp. that provides developer “headroom� and flexibility for the HD Era

· A custom-designed graphics processor co-developed with ATI Technologies Inc. designed for HD Era games and entertainment applications

In addition, familiar software technologies such as DirectX, PIX, XACT and the recently announced XNA Studio — an integrated team-based development environment tailored for game production — complement the new hardware to help game developers unlock increasingly powerful and complex silicon.

The HD Era gaming platform will strike an elegant balance of hardware, software and services to power the new experiences consumers demand. Games and entertainment features such as the next-generation Xbox guide represent a shift toward more immersive and integrated consumer experiences. This shift will be further illustrated by a significant leap to high-definition graphics, where character movements and expressions are intensely vibrant and nearly indiscernible from real life; by multichannel, positional audio fidelity so clear and precise that players will be able to hear the faintest enemy footsteps sneaking up behind them; by richer online communications; and by an abundance of on-demand content for game consoles.

That's a Hole-Lot-A-Nothing.

[dvdvideo]

I wouldn't take gamespy's unnamed inside source as the be all of wether the final version will have a hard drive or hd-dvd. These are things ms could still go with that would not affect development much of the first titles.

[chdude3]

It seems like the new name will almost definately be Xenon.

I thought that was just the internal codename for it.

[JayPatel]

Its the first time they've gone on record, which amounts to at least something other than rumours.





J Allard is doing his keynote currenty. Expect more information out soon

[sleepyguy]

I'm very surprised MS isn't trying to push out a handheld device to complete with the DS and PSP instead.

Xbox2 looks very promising on paper... but of course all that matters is the GAMES!

[Barton03]

I'm very surprised MS isn't trying to push out a handheld device to complete with the DS and PSP instead.

Xbox2 looks very promising on paper... but of course all that matters is the GAMES!

If you read the book "Opening the Xbox" By david? taraki? it mentions that Bill wanted to make a handheld called the Xboy(!!) but J Allard and gang said 'not yet' until they have established market ground and gained consumer confidence..and at the time, nintendo was kick serious ass and by making Xboy, it would truly kill M$'s gaming division. Plus, now that sony is in, perhaps there is a larger market now catered for 'mature' gamers looking for handheld video games? wait and see...

[SAS-1]

I'm very surprised MS isn't trying to push out a handheld device to complete with the DS and PSP instead.

Xbox2 looks very promising on paper... but of course all that matters is the GAMES!

With the developers they've got lined up things are looking good for Xbox 2. It'll be interesting to hear the PS3 specs.

[jerryhussain]

I thought that was just the internal codename for it.

Same here, I doubt it will be named Xenon. Besides SponG has been wrong many many times before

[vonteego]

With the developers they've got lined up things are looking good for Xbox 2. It'll be interesting to hear the PS3 specs.

Dare I predict that PS3 will be backwards compatible with PS2 (but not PS1)?

Seems like the big selling point for PS3 will be PSP connectivity and Blu-Ray DVD movie playback....just like the PS2's original selling point was DVD playback. So many people bought their original PS2 for $449 justifying the purchase as being their first DVD player as well!

[Carnage]

Dare I predict that PS3 will be backwards compatible with PS2 (but not PS1)?

All the rumours I've read have been pointing away from backwards compatibility with both Xbox2 and PS3.

[rilhouse]

Dare I predict that PS3 will be backwards compatible with PS2 (but not PS1)?

Seems like the big selling point for PS3 will be PSP connectivity and Blu-Ray DVD movie playback....just like the PS2's original selling point was DVD playback. So many people bought their original PS2 for $449 justifying the purchase as being their first DVD player as well!

could be bad for xbox if they don't include HD-DVD. i read a rumor saying sony was hiring emulation programmers for PS3. would make sense since PS3 would have the power to emulate PS2/1 via software.

[Headhunter]

This could be a huge mistake for Microsoft; the system specs are very impressive...and unless they're going to eat another huge loss on the sale of every console (think it was over $100 US per X-Box at launch in 2001), also prohibitively expensive.

I hope all 3 of the big players make out well in the next generation, but MS is taking the kind of risk that can kill them.

[springroll]

"hotting" up?!