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Microsoft's Xbox, which launches in the UK on 14 March 2002 at Ł299 is something of a Trojan horse. The company has conquered the desktop and now seems intent on sneaking a PC into your living room. Of course, this black behemoth of a system looks and acts just like a video game machine -- and a state-of-the-art one at that. But with built-in support for high-speed networking, a 8GB hard drive, DVD playback capabilities and display support for HDTVs, the Xbox does more than just play games.
With a front-loading disc tray, two buttons and four controller ports adorning the face, the monstrous case will look at home among any other home-theatre components you may have. Inside this 3.6kg box you'll find the power of a PC and the heart of a video game console. Still, as nice as all that processing power is, what really matter are the on-screen results.
Video enthusiasts will appreciate that the Xbox works not only with standard 4:3 TVs but with HDTVs as well. If you have an HD-ready set, you can set the Xbox to output 480p, 720p, and 1080i signals in either normal or wide-screen aspect ratios for your games. Stepping up from 480p to 1080i on Dead or Alive 3, we found that jagged lines were virtually wiped clean in 1080i. A nice complement to this visual horsepower is the fact that the Xbox can decode 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and deliver 256 simultaneous voice channels -- previously unheard of in a game system. All of this adds up to some of the richest, most realistic experiences we've seen in video games.
However, to get the most out of the system, you will have to spend some extra cash on optional accessories. The Xbox ships with composite video cables and RCA audio outputs like every other game console. But for improved audio and video performance, you'll need the Advanced AV Pack which has an S-Video connector as well as optical digital audio jacks. The High Definition AV Pack offers component video connectors plus the optical digital audio jacks. And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs out of the box, you'll need to pay extra for the Xbox's DVD Movie Playback Kit. Note to videophones: even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.
Although Microsoft makes you pay to unlock some features, it does include some PC-like ones that can't be found in competing systems. First, there's a built-in Ethernet adapter for broadband multiplayer gaming, regardless of whether you're using cable, DSL or an office LAN. Online gaming won't be available until early next year, but we were able to link a pair of Xboxes via the office LAN to play the game Halo.
The console also comes with a built-in 8GB hard drive, so you don't need to buy expensive memory cards to save your game progress. The hard drive also opens up some other possibilities. For starters, games load quickly because they can cache levels on the speedy hard drive rather than having to read all of the game's information from the disc. Another fringe benefit is the ability to drop audio CDs into the unit and copy songs to the hard drive. You can then use the console to play your music rather than fumbling for your CDs. Unfortunately, you can't install whole game discs. I would rather stay with the PS2 as you don’t have to buy so many things. This is a miss for me how about you???
With a front-loading disc tray, two buttons and four controller ports adorning the face, the monstrous case will look at home among any other home-theatre components you may have. Inside this 3.6kg box you'll find the power of a PC and the heart of a video game console. Still, as nice as all that processing power is, what really matter are the on-screen results.
Video enthusiasts will appreciate that the Xbox works not only with standard 4:3 TVs but with HDTVs as well. If you have an HD-ready set, you can set the Xbox to output 480p, 720p, and 1080i signals in either normal or wide-screen aspect ratios for your games. Stepping up from 480p to 1080i on Dead or Alive 3, we found that jagged lines were virtually wiped clean in 1080i. A nice complement to this visual horsepower is the fact that the Xbox can decode 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and deliver 256 simultaneous voice channels -- previously unheard of in a game system. All of this adds up to some of the richest, most realistic experiences we've seen in video games.
However, to get the most out of the system, you will have to spend some extra cash on optional accessories. The Xbox ships with composite video cables and RCA audio outputs like every other game console. But for improved audio and video performance, you'll need the Advanced AV Pack which has an S-Video connector as well as optical digital audio jacks. The High Definition AV Pack offers component video connectors plus the optical digital audio jacks. And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs out of the box, you'll need to pay extra for the Xbox's DVD Movie Playback Kit. Note to videophones: even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.
Although Microsoft makes you pay to unlock some features, it does include some PC-like ones that can't be found in competing systems. First, there's a built-in Ethernet adapter for broadband multiplayer gaming, regardless of whether you're using cable, DSL or an office LAN. Online gaming won't be available until early next year, but we were able to link a pair of Xboxes via the office LAN to play the game Halo.
The console also comes with a built-in 8GB hard drive, so you don't need to buy expensive memory cards to save your game progress. The hard drive also opens up some other possibilities. For starters, games load quickly because they can cache levels on the speedy hard drive rather than having to read all of the game's information from the disc. Another fringe benefit is the ability to drop audio CDs into the unit and copy songs to the hard drive. You can then use the console to play your music rather than fumbling for your CDs. Unfortunately, you can't install whole game discs. I would rather stay with the PS2 as you don’t have to buy so many things. This is a miss for me how about you???
.
Šiais metais Šventas Valentinas, į mūsų
širdis, atvyksta su daina! Jūsų laukia prizai ir siurprizai, išdaigos ir žaidimai.
Nepasididžiuok ir prisijunk prie mūsų!!!
VASARIO 13d. FOX viešbutyje,
118 school street,
Wolverhampton,
WV3 0NR
nuo 19 iki 24val. Kaina Ł4
širdis, atvyksta su daina! Jūsų laukia prizai ir siurprizai, išdaigos ir žaidimai.
Nepasididžiuok ir prisijunk prie mūsų!!!
VASARIO 13d. FOX viešbutyje,
118 school street,
Wolverhampton,
WV3 0NR
nuo 19 iki 24val. Kaina Ł4
Ben - PS2 Addict! wrote:
> I think xbox will be good but not good enough. PS2 will win me thinks with gc
> coming second.
Firstly, u must remember that a majority (95%) of games buyers are so-called "casual gamers" who will buy games based on what their mates have, hype, and how nice the graphics look.
Now, PS2 will clearly come first. It will have been out 4 over a year by the time the other consoles come out, and will also have covered 2 xmas periods. Add to that the "cool" of the original PSX, and Sony cannot fail.
As for the other 2...
Xbox has a huge marketting budget. It will have so much hype it'll sell in droves. Meanwhile the GC has little publicity, so not many people will know about it, and those that do will be detered by Ninty's "kiddie" image.
Whether that image is deserved is irrelevant... all that matters is that it DOES exist!
In fact, every industry analyst predicts Xbox coming out ontop of the GC, and I don't blame them.
Sonic
> I think xbox will be good but not good enough. PS2 will win me thinks with gc
> coming second.
Firstly, u must remember that a majority (95%) of games buyers are so-called "casual gamers" who will buy games based on what their mates have, hype, and how nice the graphics look.
Now, PS2 will clearly come first. It will have been out 4 over a year by the time the other consoles come out, and will also have covered 2 xmas periods. Add to that the "cool" of the original PSX, and Sony cannot fail.
As for the other 2...
Xbox has a huge marketting budget. It will have so much hype it'll sell in droves. Meanwhile the GC has little publicity, so not many people will know about it, and those that do will be detered by Ninty's "kiddie" image.
Whether that image is deserved is irrelevant... all that matters is that it DOES exist!
In fact, every industry analyst predicts Xbox coming out ontop of the GC, and I don't blame them.
Sonic
All I care about is the games, and seeing that my 3 favourite games - Crazy Taxi 1&2, Jet Radio & the Shenmue series - will all be on Xbox (Crazy Taxi Next, Jet Set Radio Future, Shenmue 2,3,4?), it's Xbox all the way for me.
What is 480p 720p and 1080pi?
Darren Gladstone?
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/rstories/0,3040,e7111368,00.html
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/rstories/0,3040,e7111368,00.html
Microsoft's Xbox, which launches in the UK on 14 March 2002 at Ł299 is something of a Trojan horse. The company has conquered the desktop and now seems intent on sneaking a PC into your living room. Of course, this black behemoth of a system looks and acts just like a video game machine -- and a state-of-the-art one at that. But with built-in support for high-speed networking, a 8GB hard drive, DVD playback capabilities and display support for HDTVs, the Xbox does more than just play games.
With a front-loading disc tray, two buttons and four controller ports adorning the face, the monstrous case will look at home among any other home-theatre components you may have. Inside this 3.6kg box you'll find the power of a PC and the heart of a video game console. Still, as nice as all that processing power is, what really matter are the on-screen results.
Video enthusiasts will appreciate that the Xbox works not only with standard 4:3 TVs but with HDTVs as well. If you have an HD-ready set, you can set the Xbox to output 480p, 720p, and 1080i signals in either normal or wide-screen aspect ratios for your games. Stepping up from 480p to 1080i on Dead or Alive 3, we found that jagged lines were virtually wiped clean in 1080i. A nice complement to this visual horsepower is the fact that the Xbox can decode 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and deliver 256 simultaneous voice channels -- previously unheard of in a game system. All of this adds up to some of the richest, most realistic experiences we've seen in video games.
However, to get the most out of the system, you will have to spend some extra cash on optional accessories. The Xbox ships with composite video cables and RCA audio outputs like every other game console. But for improved audio and video performance, you'll need the Advanced AV Pack which has an S-Video connector as well as optical digital audio jacks. The High Definition AV Pack offers component video connectors plus the optical digital audio jacks. And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs out of the box, you'll need to pay extra for the Xbox's DVD Movie Playback Kit. Note to videophones: even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.
Although Microsoft makes you pay to unlock some features, it does include some PC-like ones that can't be found in competing systems. First, there's a built-in Ethernet adapter for broadband multiplayer gaming, regardless of whether you're using cable, DSL or an office LAN. Online gaming won't be available until early next year, but we were able to link a pair of Xboxes via the office LAN to play the game Halo.
The console also comes with a built-in 8GB hard drive, so you don't need to buy expensive memory cards to save your game progress. The hard drive also opens up some other possibilities. For starters, games load quickly because they can cache levels on the speedy hard drive rather than having to read all of the game's information from the disc. Another fringe benefit is the ability to drop audio CDs into the unit and copy songs to the hard drive. You can then use the console to play your music rather than fumbling for your CDs. Unfortunately, you can't install whole game discs. I would rather stay with the PS2 as you don’t have to buy so many things. This is a miss for me how about you???
With a front-loading disc tray, two buttons and four controller ports adorning the face, the monstrous case will look at home among any other home-theatre components you may have. Inside this 3.6kg box you'll find the power of a PC and the heart of a video game console. Still, as nice as all that processing power is, what really matter are the on-screen results.
Video enthusiasts will appreciate that the Xbox works not only with standard 4:3 TVs but with HDTVs as well. If you have an HD-ready set, you can set the Xbox to output 480p, 720p, and 1080i signals in either normal or wide-screen aspect ratios for your games. Stepping up from 480p to 1080i on Dead or Alive 3, we found that jagged lines were virtually wiped clean in 1080i. A nice complement to this visual horsepower is the fact that the Xbox can decode 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and deliver 256 simultaneous voice channels -- previously unheard of in a game system. All of this adds up to some of the richest, most realistic experiences we've seen in video games.
However, to get the most out of the system, you will have to spend some extra cash on optional accessories. The Xbox ships with composite video cables and RCA audio outputs like every other game console. But for improved audio and video performance, you'll need the Advanced AV Pack which has an S-Video connector as well as optical digital audio jacks. The High Definition AV Pack offers component video connectors plus the optical digital audio jacks. And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs out of the box, you'll need to pay extra for the Xbox's DVD Movie Playback Kit. Note to videophones: even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.
Although Microsoft makes you pay to unlock some features, it does include some PC-like ones that can't be found in competing systems. First, there's a built-in Ethernet adapter for broadband multiplayer gaming, regardless of whether you're using cable, DSL or an office LAN. Online gaming won't be available until early next year, but we were able to link a pair of Xboxes via the office LAN to play the game Halo.
The console also comes with a built-in 8GB hard drive, so you don't need to buy expensive memory cards to save your game progress. The hard drive also opens up some other possibilities. For starters, games load quickly because they can cache levels on the speedy hard drive rather than having to read all of the game's information from the disc. Another fringe benefit is the ability to drop audio CDs into the unit and copy songs to the hard drive. You can then use the console to play your music rather than fumbling for your CDs. Unfortunately, you can't install whole game discs. I would rather stay with the PS2 as you don’t have to buy so many things. This is a miss for me how about you???