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A leak from a Microsoft presentation has revealed that Microsoft are at the very least considering releasing three different version of the Xbox 2. The basic model would be just the console, controversially without a hard drive. The second would offer increased functionality thanks to the inclusion of a hard drive, while the third would pretty much be a PC.
The first two would be released towards the end of 2005, with the PC edition held back as a trump card for the release of the PlayStation 3. It would apparently come with a wireless mouse and keyboard, run Windows and PC software, burn CDs and produce the best visual results if it was attached to a monitor.
While it's very good news that you will be able to buy an Xbox 2 with a hard drive after the scares that Microsoft would eliminate the Xbox' USP to cut the financial losses they make on every single console they manufacture, it does raise some issues. By fragmenting the baseline, programmers will need to produce games that work on an un-level playing field. And history has shown that once you've got people on different combinations of MegaDrive, Mega CD and 32X, things go awry. While the Xbox 2 differences would be a lot different to those facing SEGA owners in the early '90s, we await further clarification with interest...
My thoughts;
Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh
Although he could use Toilet Roll.
> As much as I like the Xbox, i'll be getting myself a PS3.
Why?
Despite what the Microsoft haters say, I don't think Microsoft are that stupid to release something like that when their aim is to steer the XBox away from being a PC. Thats why the XBox doesn't have all that keyboard and mouse crap in the first place.
Maybe the first two choices are true, but then even that would be questionable. Anyone buying an XBox with half a brain would opt for the version with the HDD, simply because you'd only end up spending extra on memory cards in the long run anyway. So Microsoft would still lose money cause they'd have a shedload of non HDD consoles rotting away on the shelves while people all buy the second version.
Until MS prove otherwise, I'll be taking this latest rumour with a pinch of salt to say the least.