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Thinking Positively About The X-Box : - )
OK, many of you know that I’m not the biggest Microsoft Fan. However Microsoft’s new machine the X-box is starting to look like something special, and even I'm impressed. So instead of Focusing on the negative I've decided to focus on the positive things about the X-box.
So what is there to know about the X-box, well when it comes out in the US this November it will be the worlds most powerful home console/entertainment system. It will cost $299 stateside, so this means it will probably cost £299 by the time it arrives in the UK in early 2002.
The Games look impressive with Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Dead or Alive 3, Star Wars Obi-Wan, Crazy Taxi, Panzer Dragoon, The Simpsons Road Rage, Jet Set Radio Future, SegaSports NBA 2K2, Sega Sports NFL 2K2, Sega GT, House of the Dead 3, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2X, Dino Crisis 3,Genma Onimusha, Madden NFL 2002, F1 2001, a new FIFA game, and WWF Raw is War to name but a few of the titles that are being developed for this machine
However what interested me the most was the new features Microsoft has put into the X-box’s basic user interface (Called the X-box Dashboard). Not only will their be parental controls that will allow parents to prevent their children from playing games/or sections of games with a violent or mature content. The dashboard will also allow gamers for the first time to play the music they want in their favorite games. Normal audio CDs can be put into the X-box, and the music can be stored on the X-box’s 8GB hard drive. This means for the first time that gamers will be able to take full control of a games music. This is something that was on my wish list for a next generation console, and surprisingly it now looks like someone at Microsoft was listening to the voices of the gamers everywhere.
There are some grey areas with regards to the X-box, most notably what internet connectivity features will be available in the final machine, and if the machine will play DVDs. I have just visited www.xbox.com and so far there seems to be no official line on this.
However Microsoft has said that they expect a broadband hardware add on to be available for the machine in the second half of 2002, so hopefully by the time the X-box reaches the UK this feature may be built in.
Microsoft certainly have the power, money and influence to deliver broadband Internet access to gamers, they own are large share of the UK cable company NTL so perhaps an online future isn’t that far away. :-)
OK, many of you know that I’m not the biggest Microsoft Fan. However Microsoft’s new machine the X-box is starting to look like something special, and even I'm impressed. So instead of Focusing on the negative I've decided to focus on the positive things about the X-box.
So what is there to know about the X-box, well when it comes out in the US this November it will be the worlds most powerful home console/entertainment system. It will cost $299 stateside, so this means it will probably cost £299 by the time it arrives in the UK in early 2002.
The Games look impressive with Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Dead or Alive 3, Star Wars Obi-Wan, Crazy Taxi, Panzer Dragoon, The Simpsons Road Rage, Jet Set Radio Future, SegaSports NBA 2K2, Sega Sports NFL 2K2, Sega GT, House of the Dead 3, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2X, Dino Crisis 3,Genma Onimusha, Madden NFL 2002, F1 2001, a new FIFA game, and WWF Raw is War to name but a few of the titles that are being developed for this machine
However what interested me the most was the new features Microsoft has put into the X-box’s basic user interface (Called the X-box Dashboard). Not only will their be parental controls that will allow parents to prevent their children from playing games/or sections of games with a violent or mature content. The dashboard will also allow gamers for the first time to play the music they want in their favorite games. Normal audio CDs can be put into the X-box, and the music can be stored on the X-box’s 8GB hard drive. This means for the first time that gamers will be able to take full control of a games music. This is something that was on my wish list for a next generation console, and surprisingly it now looks like someone at Microsoft was listening to the voices of the gamers everywhere.
There are some grey areas with regards to the X-box, most notably what internet connectivity features will be available in the final machine, and if the machine will play DVDs. I have just visited www.xbox.com and so far there seems to be no official line on this.
However Microsoft has said that they expect a broadband hardware add on to be available for the machine in the second half of 2002, so hopefully by the time the X-box reaches the UK this feature may be built in.
Microsoft certainly have the power, money and influence to deliver broadband Internet access to gamers, they own are large share of the UK cable company NTL so perhaps an online future isn’t that far away. :-)
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Good thing I'm getting that new PC then
Because by the time it is released I will have a brand new compu. and I don't mind having to buy an emulator if it is released, and it should work on a P3 700mhz, if it dont then it'll definately work on a P4 1.5ghz (chrimbo pres.)!
Armatige Shanks wrote:
I might be wrong, the
> games might be
> superb, and actually fun to play, but from what I've
> seen its
> all power, no personality.
They have a lot of developers making
> games... and a lot of games comming... also theres a lot more
> western developed launch titles, which can, for the home audience do
> wonders for sales... the box has no personality, because its still a
> long way from happening...
Shanx you seem to know a bit about the games will they work on PC's!
I might be wrong, the
> games might be
> superb, and actually fun to play, but from what I've
> seen its
> all power, no personality.
They have a lot of developers making
> games... and a lot of games comming... also theres a lot more
> western developed launch titles, which can, for the home audience do
> wonders for sales... the box has no personality, because its still a
> long way from happening...
Shanx you seem to know a bit about the games will they work on PC's!
Meka_Dragon wrote:
I've watched the shows, seen some of
> the demos, but it's always the same thing.
I just want to
> butt into their conversations to ask "But is it
> fun?"
It's the one question of Xbox that doesn't seem to
> have been asked, though surely it's the most important
> factor!
When I saw the Gamecube videos, and heard the developers
> commentary, it was all about innovative gaming, and giving the gamer
> something special. I liked this.
Thats the difference though huh? ... Nobody has spoken to the developers of X-Box titles yet...
I'm sure
> it boils down to Microsofts lack of experience in this market. They
> just don't know how to get your average gamer excited. Sony are out
> there, on the streets shaking hands and kissing babies. Nintendo are
> saying ever more impressive things by the week, and more and more
> clips are making their way onto the net. Microsoft are just sitting
> there saying "We will be the best." "We are the most
> powerful."
Although Sony already have their box on the street... its easier to advertise somthing that is currently live and producing software...
Although, there are many people, who would suggest that Sony really arnt making their machine look exciting...
The number of people preferring to wait for the X-Box/GC release has got to be bad news... Though not as much as the people who are spending cash on older machines...
How can the PS2 be doing well when its still being outsold by the PS1?
Every system needs games. A system won't survive
> on games that don't inspire the player.
I might be wrong, the
> games might be superb, and actually fun to play, but from what I've
> seen its all power, no personality.
They have a lot of developers making games... and a lot of games comming... also theres a lot more western developed launch titles, which can, for the home audience do wonders for sales... the box has no personality, because its still a long way from happening...
I've watched the shows, seen some of
> the demos, but it's always the same thing.
I just want to
> butt into their conversations to ask "But is it
> fun?"
It's the one question of Xbox that doesn't seem to
> have been asked, though surely it's the most important
> factor!
When I saw the Gamecube videos, and heard the developers
> commentary, it was all about innovative gaming, and giving the gamer
> something special. I liked this.
Thats the difference though huh? ... Nobody has spoken to the developers of X-Box titles yet...
I'm sure
> it boils down to Microsofts lack of experience in this market. They
> just don't know how to get your average gamer excited. Sony are out
> there, on the streets shaking hands and kissing babies. Nintendo are
> saying ever more impressive things by the week, and more and more
> clips are making their way onto the net. Microsoft are just sitting
> there saying "We will be the best." "We are the most
> powerful."
Although Sony already have their box on the street... its easier to advertise somthing that is currently live and producing software...
Although, there are many people, who would suggest that Sony really arnt making their machine look exciting...
The number of people preferring to wait for the X-Box/GC release has got to be bad news... Though not as much as the people who are spending cash on older machines...
How can the PS2 be doing well when its still being outsold by the PS1?
Every system needs games. A system won't survive
> on games that don't inspire the player.
I might be wrong, the
> games might be superb, and actually fun to play, but from what I've
> seen its all power, no personality.
They have a lot of developers making games... and a lot of games comming... also theres a lot more western developed launch titles, which can, for the home audience do wonders for sales... the box has no personality, because its still a long way from happening...
Ive just found some clarity from www.xbox.com. This information wasnt there yesterday so its breaking news.
It involves an Add on for the X-box called the "DVD Movie Playback Kit", from the website it looks like its an remote control that will allow the X-box to be used easily as a DVD player (So the X-box will have a DVD as standard, just not the remote). This is the official line from Microsoft:
"The DVD Movie Playback Kit is a quick way to expand the functionality of the best gaming machine around! Xbox requires this kit to enable DVD movie playback. Simply plug in the infrared receiver to a controller port and use the remote control designed for DVD movie playback. No messy cables or confusing game controllers to deal with!"
For this, and more information on the latest X-box hardware visit the official site at http://www.xbox.com/hardware/
It involves an Add on for the X-box called the "DVD Movie Playback Kit", from the website it looks like its an remote control that will allow the X-box to be used easily as a DVD player (So the X-box will have a DVD as standard, just not the remote). This is the official line from Microsoft:
"The DVD Movie Playback Kit is a quick way to expand the functionality of the best gaming machine around! Xbox requires this kit to enable DVD movie playback. Simply plug in the infrared receiver to a controller port and use the remote control designed for DVD movie playback. No messy cables or confusing game controllers to deal with!"
For this, and more information on the latest X-box hardware visit the official site at http://www.xbox.com/hardware/
Yeah I know...
...Ugly mug
...Ugly mug
Its not as though the X-Box looks that nice either.
Yeah I know I am finding it really hard to look at it as something speacial like the GC!
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