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"Why is the Xbox so BIG?"

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Wed 24/10/01 at 22:44
Regular
Posts: 787
What's that pounding? Are there ripples in your drink? Maybe it's just the power trying to come back on. Where's the goat?! Brace yourself,because on November 8th in the US and on March 15th in the UK the Xbox is released. And Microsoft intend on making a big impression. A crater in fact, the size of a dinosaur footprint. Gates, you've built one chunky momma!

As they said on the Godzilla poster, size does matter. Certainly in the world of games. Big numbers mean more power, speed, polygons per second... But physical proportions are a different matter. When it comes to technology, smaller is normally superior, but first, let's size thing up against the competition...

Lying flat, PS2 is wider than the original grey Playstation and Nintendo's upcoming Gamecube is the narrowest of all. Xbox is well over double that, beating all-comers. I'm talking video recorder proportions here.

From front-to-back, old-style Playstation and PS2 consoles are 18cms. Gamecube shaves 2cms off that, but the Xbox is a humongous 27cm. Deeper than even Dirk Diggler can delve.
Height is a closer call. Xbox is only a centimetre taller than PS2 and GameCube tops both, but Nintendo's machine is, after all, a cube. Fact is, volume-wise, Xbox is nearly twice the size of PS2 and almost three times that of GameCube. So, if you intend to buy one, you'd better start knocking through an extension to your bedroom now.

Why so bulky? Is it sheer power? Xbox is easily the most pumped machine. It has a faster CPU, faster graphics processor, and can generate twice as many polygons as PS2. Supposedly, it's three times more powerful than any next-gen console and only 20% bigger. Xbox also has an eight gigabyte hard drive and it's the first console to have a permanent storage disk. But is it jam-packed with gadgetry or just full of hot air? Well, the power supply is twice the size of the Dreamcast and is heavier than any other console. This fits explanations that the size is needed for cooling so it's definitely not full of hot air. A cool breeze, perhaps?

Let's face it, if Sony can build VAIO laptops as thin as an exercise book, Microsoft could have made their console a tad smaller than a barbecue. So, is it intentional? They researched a whopping 5,000 gamers across the USA, Europe and Japan, visiting 130 homes to see how people play games. Feedback told them jet fighters, Ferraris, notorbikes and loud stereos were seen as symbols of extreme power. Staggering!
But the look of the Xbox is the work of one man, Horace Luke, who previously created footwear for Nike. The green jewel on top is designed to be like a porthole to a furnace or nuclear submarine and supposedly symbolises a rave in a nuclear power generator.

The Xbox controller is also huge, not much smaller than a remodelled PSone. Microsoft tested 34 versions, coming up with a variation of their Sidewinder pad. One cool super-sized feature is a 9.5 metre cable, which safely unplugs if you trip over it. Personally I think it looks like a fake kid's mobile that just says hello. They should have made something smaller, easier to hold like the PS2 pads. Maybe Microsoft were just trying to be different, who knows!

So there you have it. Big means more powerful than any other machine. Big means it looks like an atomic generator. Big means Batman can use it for flying around and big means the Japanese won't like it or maybe they will. At the end of the day though, it's whether we like it and whether you've got a small shed to keep it in, but most of all, it's the games that count and if they stink that'll be a different matter. The Xbox looks to be the start for the future of gaming due to its speed and power,, which looks BIG!!!
Fri 26/10/01 at 20:19
Regular
Posts: 2,982
So you live in a Dustbin?.......
Fri 26/10/01 at 20:17
Posts: 0
Dav1d wrote:
> The Gamecubes too small......

Ill probably leave it in my pocket, and
> accidentally let it go through the washing machine!

dont get this mixed up with my post. my house isnt that small and dont say its a big cardboard bow either
Fri 26/10/01 at 20:14
Regular
Posts: 2,982
The Gamecubes too small......

Ill probably leave it in my pocket, and accidentally let it go through the washing machine!
Fri 26/10/01 at 20:12
Posts: 0
it has to be because its in ration with gates house. the gamecube looks smart in our little houses but gates got greedy and made it big so it looks nice in his huge living room.
Thu 25/10/01 at 20:02
Regular
Posts: 1,037
Resvilfan wrote:
> Xbox's hard drive is tiny compared to the PS2's, about 4 and a half times
> smaller, so much for big ;-)

But at least developers have started using it to make even better games unlike that huge 40gb expensive memory card which developers dont know what to do with.
Thu 25/10/01 at 13:43
Regular
Posts: 3,611
Hang on a second...am I seeing things? Is it just me or did reload just reply to one of his topics? WOW! Never seen this before....mind you after seeing your copied reviews anything is possible.

MJ
Thu 25/10/01 at 13:26
Regular
"Being Ignorant"
Posts: 2,574
The thing with the PS2 was it was new so Sony felt the had to at least make a profit before dramatically reducing their starting price! Showing that the PS2 wasn't so big when it was released and seeing as most of us had to pre-order our PS2's to get it at least near the lauch date, the release games were terrible to say the least. Hopefully, from what I've seen, the Xbox will produce hot games to satisfy our gaming needs including both great graphics and great gameplay! Nothing less Bill!
Thu 25/10/01 at 13:22
Regular
"Back For Good"
Posts: 3,673
Can you imagine the xbox sat next to a PSone :-D
Thu 25/10/01 at 13:20
Regular
"Infantalised Forums"
Posts: 23,089
£299 means I want big.

I was dissappointed my PS2 didnt take up half my house.
You pay money, you want something massive.
Same with food, it costs a lot so I want it pumped full of stuff to enlarge the cows.

I pay more, I want more.

Simple.
Thu 25/10/01 at 13:18
Regular
"Back For Good"
Posts: 3,673
Xbox's hard drive is tiny compared to the PS2's, about 4 and a half times smaller, so much for big ;-)

The controller just rips of both the dual shock and the gamecube pad and it still sucks. If that big chunky pc in a box didn't have microsoft on the side seriousy overcharging for everything I'd propably look into it.

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