Console and Console Gaming DiscussionIf you have something on your mind regarding the many consoles available, hand held devices or any the great games available for them, then you should use this section to chat about them.
The console can be switched on and off wirelessly using the Media
Remote control or the wireless game controller.
You will definitely need a hard disk to play Xbox 1 games.
Wherever you are - whether it's a game, film or piece of music - you can pull up the Guide (remember it from GDC?), which is a bit like a universal Start Menu, that allows you to look for friends, adjust playback and options, and even sort through people you've played against recently - listing them by reputation or what-have-you.
The pages of the Xbox 360 user interface are called "blades".
The Live blade is the default if you have a Live account, and shows you your gamer-card including a selected image (or photograph), your gamer tag, the number of games you've played, your Gamer score (more on that in a second), your achievements and your reputation.
More on Gamer score - each Xbox 360 game gives out certain points based on accomplishments, and as well as being able to view a list of your individual achievements ("Finished level 10," etc) you are also given a total based on this. Xbox 1 games will not contribute to these stats.
The Game blade allows you to manage stuff like save-games, as well as accessing demos and trailers (standard and high-definition versions).
The System blade offers greater control over your individual settings. You can specify, for example, that you prefer to invert the right analogue stick camera control and this will then be picked up on in any game you play.
Likewise, the System blade allows greater control over family settings. Microsoft thinks this is very important, and will therefore allow all manner of controls at a system or individual profile level. You can choose to allow specific people or the whole system access to certain games, DVDs (based on ratings - apparently "99 per cent" of DVDs now supply that information direct to the console), and areas of Live. Online, you can opt to ban certain friends, voice messaging, video messaging (if the camera is available), downloadable or just control online play.
If you yank the hard disk off the top of the Xbox 360 when it's in the middle of doing something, it will not corrupt it beyond repair or damage the File Allocation Table or anything like that - the hard disk uses a "transaction model" so that if you interrupt a transfer the data simply isn't present and the space is presumably reallocated when you next save data to it.
The "ring of light" around the power button highlights which wireless controller is being used, highlighting player one's activity in the top-left quadrant. When the console is laid on its side, it senses this and starts using the top-left quadrant as you see it with the console laid flat. What's more, the ring of light motif is spread throughout the Xbox 360 interface, so you can see which player pulled up the "Guide" page as you're watching a film or playing a game.
Cross-platform development between Windows and Xbox is being actively pursued - in the future, Microsoft hopes that people will be able to play games against each other using either platform.
Xbox Live
Transferring your Xbox Live account to Xbox 360 will be part of the initial set-up procedure when you first plug in your console, and existing users have "Gold" membership.
People buying the Xbox 360 £279.99 package - the higher-end one - get a 30-day free trial of Gold membership on Xbox Live. Actual pricing has yet to be announced - although some would beg to differ.
Your "reputation" stat is based on your activities online. Rather like an eBay rating, people who have encountered you can rate you positively or negatively, and this is reflected in your reputation.
Xbox Live will allow you to play in various Zones - there will be causal, pro, family, and underground (where "anything goes") and perhaps more - and these will allow you to go for whatever kind of experience you like.
Marketplace is also accessible through the Live blade. As you know, this is where you can download premium content and, in the future, content created by users and sold to other users via a micro-payment system. Marketplace does not require you to insert individual game discs to see content available for those games.
Multimedia
DVDs can be played even if you don't have the remote control, unlike Xbox 1.
DVDs will play back in progressive-scan, with the Xbox 360 up-sampling to prog-scan in the case of DVDs that don't support it.
When ripping music to the hard drive, album information is now stored on the HDD, with a huge amount there by default and more available from an online source - presumably something like CDDB, which will be familiar to people who rip their own CDs already.
The Jeff Minter-created visualisation tool for music accepts input from all control pads and the video camera, allowing you to create various effects on-screen.
iPods are detected by default, as are PSPs, and by our watch it took about 2 or 3 seconds for the Xbox 360 to notice they were there. With an iPod plugged in you can play music direct through the Dashboard software, with visualisations, or you can play a slideshow of photographs.
For now, you can play music and access photographs on the PSP, but you can't do video yet.
Interestingly, you can actually have that slideshow draw photographs from another external device, so - as in our demo - you could play music from an iPod while using a slideshow of photos from a PlayStation Portable simultaneously.
All of these devices will be supported by default, and any firmware updates that are necessary - Microsoft is hoping for very few - can be made available via Live.
You can also plug in a laptop or PC (or not plug it in - if you're using wireless networking) and play content direct from that. This is through Windows Media Player Extender, the software for which is pre-installed on the Xbox 360.
Official Peripherals
RGB video output will only be possible if you purchase the £17.99 cable separately - regardless of whether you paid £209.99 or £279.99 for your Xbox 360 console.
Video cables from Xbox 1 will not work with Xbox 360.
The wireless networking adapter plugs into the USB 2.0 port on the back of the console and is "like a small pack of cigarettes" in terms of size.
The camera is a separate peripheral that will plug into one of the USB 2.0 slots and will be released next year - date TBC.
While the Media Remote will be bundled with Xbox 360's £279.99 offering, this will apparently only be for a limited time based on available units. We'll get more details on that when we can.
You can plug in a keyboard but this is for text input only - including in massively-multiplayer games. You can't use it to play games and that was a design choice.
If a third-party peripheral manufacturer or publisher wanted to let more than four players play on one game, Microsoft would be happy to help them create a peripheral to do that.
Offline Content
Microsoft also plans to have kiosks available - presumably in game stores and other public locations - where you can download content. Whether this will be to the detachable hard disk itself or a memory card is a detail that wasn't clarified.
CPU Math Performance: 9 Billion Dot Product Operations per Second
System Memory Bandwidth: 22.4GB/s, 256GB/s to EDRAM
Memory Architecture: Unified Memory Architecture
Shaders: 48-way Parallel Floating Point Dynamically-Scheduled, 48 billion Operations/s
Video Memory: 512MB UMA (Shared with CPU)
Fill Rate (pixels): 16 Gigasamples/s using 4X MSAA
Fill Rate (triangles): 500 Million/s
Resolution: 480p, 480i, 720p, 1080i
Digital Media Formats: DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
Game Media Format: Dual-Layer DVD-ROM
Other I/O Connectors: 3 USB 2.0, 2 Memory Slots, Ethernet Port (RJ45)
Controller Ports: Supports up to 4 Controllers
Plug and Play Storage: 20GB Removable Hard Drive
Standard AV Output Connectors: n/a
Integrated Communications: 802.11 A/B/G Wi-Fi ready, adapter not included
Processor Core Spec: 3 Cores, 2 hardware threads per core
Marketing Performance Measurement: 1 TFLOP
Processor Clock Speed: 3.2GHz
L2 Cache: 1MB
Processor: Custom IBM Power PC CPU
Built-in Features: Backward Compatible with Xbox (limited), Stands Vertically or Horizontally, Interchangeable Face Plates, Xbox Live Service, Media Centre Extender
Memory Bandwidth: 22.4GB/s main memory bandwidth, 256GB/s to eDRAM, 21.6GB/s FSB
Surround Sound: Multi channel Output (software driven)
Sampling Frequency: 48KHz 16-bit
Xbox 360 Pricing
Core Version – US $299 GBP £209 EUR 299
Xbox 360 console
Wired controller
Detachable faceplate
Xbox Live Silver membership
Standard AV cables
Premium Edition US $399 GBP £279 EUR 399
Xbox 360 console
20GB detachable hard drive
Wireless controller
Wireless Xbox Live headset
High-definition AV cables
Ethernet cable
Xbox 360 Media Remote Control (limited time)
Detachable faceplate
Xbox Live Silver membership
Both the basic and premium systems come with built-in Ethernet ports and can play DVDs, CDs, MP3s and digital content from other devices including cameras.
Accessories US
Faceplate $19.99
Hard Drive 20 GB $99.99
64 MB Memory Unit $39.99
Wireless Networking Adapter $99.99
Wireless Controller $49.99Play and Charge Kit $19.99
Rechargeable Battery Pack $11.99
Controller $39.99
Headset $19.99
Universal Media Remote $29.99
Component HD AV Cable $39.99
S-Video AV Cable $29.99
VGA HD AV Cable $39.99
Accessories GB
Faceplate 14.99 GBP
Hard Drive 69.99 GBP
Memory Unit 64 MB 22.99 GBP
Wireless Networking Adapter 59.99 GBP
Wireless Controller 32.99 GBP
Play and Charge Kit 14.99 GBP
Rechargeable Battery Pack 9.99 GBP
Controller 24.99 GBP
Headset 14.99 GBP
Universal Media Remote 19.99 GBP
Component HD AV Cable 19.99 GBP
SCART AV Cable 17.99 GBP
VGA HD AV Cable 19.99 GBP
Accessories Europe
Faceplate 19.99 Euros
Hard Drive (20 GB) 99.99 Euros
Memory Unit (64 MB) 34.99 Euros
Wireless Networking Adapter 79.99 Euros
Wireless Controller 44.99 Euros
Play and Charge Kit 19.99 Euros
Rechargeable Battery Pack 14.99 Euros
Controller 34.99 Euros
Headset 19.99 Euros
Universal Media Remote 29.99 Euros
Component HD AV Cable 29.99 Euros
SCART AV Cable 24.99 Euros
VGA HD AV Cable 29.99 Euros
Games
No official price has been given to the games but websites and retailers are stating the following as most likely for a standard game.
$59.99
£45.99
EUR 63.99
Release Date
Currently the official release date is “Holiday 2005”, but everyone is pointing to a November release date, just in time for thanksgiving in the USA and to send the retail world into a flurry just before the Christmas period.
Combination High-Definition Component and Standard A/V Cable
20GB Hard Drive
Ethernet Cable
Headset
Bonus Media
Remote
Xbox Live Silver
Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
Perfect Dark Zero Limited Edition (game)
Dead or Alive 4 (game)
Kameo: Elements of Power (game)
Project Gotham Racing 3 (game)
Extra Wireless Controller
Play & Charge Kit (for extra controller)
Extra Rechargeable Battery Pack
Price - $699.92
Xbox 360 Core Bundle
Xbox 360 Core System ($299.00)
Xbox 360 Game Console
Wired Controller
Composite A/V Cable
Xbox Live Silver
Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition
Dead or Alive 4
Kameo: Elements of Power
Project Gotham Racing 3
Extra Wired Controller
Memory Unit (required to save games without hard-drive)
This bundle does not include the hard drive needed to play games created for the original Xbox
Price - $299
UK Bundles
I have not seen any bundles anywhere yet like the two above, all the websites I have checked only list the two system bundles, see above for those two.
Announced Games
Announced Games – Please note, all these are not launch titles
[eM] -eNCHANT arM-
1XR
2 Days to Vegas
A-Train X
Alan Wake
Amped 3
APB
Battle Angel
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Blue Dragon
Burnout Revenge
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 3 (working title)
CellFactor
Chrome Hounds
College Hoops 2K6
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Dark Sector
The Darkness
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive Code: Cronus
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2
Dead Rising
Def Jam 3 (working title)
Demonik
Dirty Harry (working title)
Dog Tag
Dynasty Warriors 5
E-D-F X (working title)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Elveon
Every Party
Fable 2 (working title)
Far East of Eden Ziria - Tales from Distant Jipang
Fear & Respect
FIFA 06
Final Fantasy XI
Football Manager 2006
Frame City Killer
Full Auto
Gears of War
The Godfather
Gun
Halo 3
Huxley
Kameo: Elements of Power
King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 (working title)
whos going to get a f**king xbox360 anyway?
microsoft said they hope to sell 1 billion units. that statement alone means its impossible for me to bring myself to buy one.
whos going to get a f**king xbox360 anyway?
microsoft said they hope to sell 1 billion units. that statement alone means its impossible for me to bring myself to buy one.
<-- xbox and ps2 owner.
I agree with the 1 billion statement, no way they will sell that many, but good on them for having a big goal.
As for who would buy one, I'd imagine a lot of people will. Microsoft seem to actually be getting things right this time, as the new Live and dashboard systems look great and some of the games lined up look very promising. Throw in the backing of some great 3rd party developers you have a winning combo.
Great info here but I've just a few questions as I'm about to pre-order a 360 but am getting slightly paranoid.
If I get the £280 system, will I need to buy some kind of adaptor so that the cables will work with my TV? Currently with my xbox, the red yellow and white cables plug into the side of my TV but from the picture I've seen on play.com, it seems the package comes with 6 cables
Also if I don't want to keep buying AA batteries I'll need to buy a play and charge kit right? £12.99 isn't bad for a rechargable battery and cable but just checking
whos going to get a f**king xbox360 anyway?
microsoft said they hope to sell 1 billion units. that statement alone means its impossible for me to bring myself to buy one.
<-- xbox and ps2 owner.
why would something daft like that stop you buying it?
do you just prefer the ps3 line up better?
Great info here but I've just a few questions as I'm about to pre-order a 360 but am getting slightly paranoid.
If I get the £280 system, will I need to buy some kind of adaptor so that the cables will work with my TV? Currently with my xbox, the red yellow and white cables plug into the side of my TV but from the picture I've seen on play.com, it seems the package comes with 6 cables
Also if I don't want to keep buying AA batteries I'll need to buy a play and charge kit right? £12.99 isn't bad for a rechargable battery and cable but just checking
thanks.
The £280 kit includes cables to connect to scart and HD tv ( if your lucky enough to have one ) and also a six way normal cable for your normal tv.
Quote:
1. What resolutions does the Xbox 360 support?
The Xbox 360 supports all worldwide variations (NTSC, PAL) of composite video, all component video resolutions (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) and VGA resolutions (from VGA 640x480 at 50 Hz and 60 Hz, passing through 1024x768 at 50 and 60 Hz, to 1920x1080 at both 50 and 60 Hz)
2. Do I need a HDTV capable TV to play Xbox 360?
No, you don’t need a HDTV capable or a HDTV compatible TV to play the Xbox 360.
3. Will the Xbox 360 work on a regular analog TV?
Yes, the Xbox 360 will work fine on a traditional analog televisions with 4:3 aspect ratio.
4. I live in Europe. Will the Xbox 360 support SCART and PAL resolutions?
Yes, the Xbox 360 will support SCART, Euro connector, and also PAL resolutions.
5. What audio and video connections does the Xbox 360 have?
The Xbox 360 has a proprietary A/V connector like the Xbox and a cable adapts this signal to a standard A/V format such as composite, component, S-video, VGA/stereo, and surround sound.
6. What video connections will the Xbox 360 support right out of the box?
The Xbox 360 will support composite and component video out of the box in North America. The Xbox 360 Core system only supports composite video right out the box while the Xbox 360 Premium edition includes the Component HDAV Cable that has both component and composite video cables in addition to stereo and optical surround sound audio.
Quote:
Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable:
1. What is the price of the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable?
The Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable costs $39.99 in the U.S., €24.99 in continental Europe and £19.99 in the UK.
2. Can I use the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable with a PC monitor?
Yes, you can use the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable with your PC monitor, whether this is a CRT (tube) or a LCD type monitor.
3. When using the VGA cable, if I have a LCD monitor, how can I hook it up with white and red audio? I have only two small speakers.
The Xbox 360 VGA cable is not just an only-video cable. In fact, it comes with two audio options; standard red and white connectors for stereo audio and also with an optical audio cable for those with surround sound equipment.
4. My HDTV has in addition to component video connectors a VGA input, can I use the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable?
Yes, you can use the Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable in any display that has a D-SUB 15 VGA input.
Back a Page
with regard to the controller.
Quote:
I am disappointed about the Xbox 360 wireless controller with the AA battery pack. I don't want to pay more for AA batteries. Is there any way that I can rechargeable or like a laptop rechargeable battery?
Yes, you can charge Xbox 360 wireless controllers in many ways. One way is to connect the Xbox 360 wireless controller to the Xbox 360 video game system using the Play & Charge kit, which connects to either one of the two USB ports found in the front of the console, or the ports found on the back. Of course, you’ll need rechargeable AA batteries.
It has been also rumored that Microsoft will sell some charge accessories for you to charge the Xbox 360 wireless controllers.
Well i see Forge has done an great job in informing you what the upcomming Xbox 360 has and does . Heres some photos of the 360 and just a few facts i got e-mail from Xbox so i just post but im sure Forge has covered it allready .
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Xbox 360 Console (Includes: Xbox 360, 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, ethernet cable, HD AV cable and headset)
Other products by Microsoft
Our Price: £279.99
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PEGI Minimum Age: 3
Available for delivery to the UK and most countries in Europe. See Delivery Restrictions.
Features
Includes a hard drive to save games, download new content and play key original Xbox games
Xbox Live ready
Includes a Wireless Controller
Includes a Component HD AV Cable which is optimized for high-definition as well as standard TVs
Enjoy your movies with progressive scan DVD playback
Stream your music and digital photos from a wide range of portable music players and digital cameras
Connect to your Windows XP or Windows Media Center PC.
Avg. Customer Review:
Number of Reviews: 18
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Customers who bought this item also bought:
Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360); Video Game ~ Microsoft
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Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360); Video Game ~ Microsoft
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Reviews Amazon.co.uk Review
The Xbox 360 is Microsoft's successor to the Xbox console, and is the first "next generation" games console to hit the market. It has three powerful core processors which pump out 720p/1080i output (translation: graphics look great), 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio (translation: it's sort of like the cinema), anti-aliasing for smooth textures (translation: characters look less like chimps and more like people), full surround sound and DVD playback right out of the box.
A multi media experience
Xbox 360, shown with levitating wireless controller
In comparison to the Darth Vader inspired design of the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 a thing of (near) wondrous beauty.
In addition to playing games and movies, the Xbox 360 can stream music and video from a wide variety of electronic devices, including iPods and the Sony PSP.
Get Live
The Xbox 360 offers an online gaming experience via Xbox Live. This allows you to play multi-player Xbox 360 games on the internet via your broadband connection. The service also lets you download--and save on the console's hard drive--new missions, characters and vehicles for your favourite games. You can also shout real-time abuse at your opponents using the Xbox 360 headset
Choose the package that's right for you
The Xbox 360 comes in two different packages: the deluxe package includes a wireless controller, 20GB hard drive, and a number of other accessories. Alternatively, the Core System bundle has a standard wired controller and no hard drive.
Which option is right for you will depend largely on your gaming needs--are you a fan of downloadable content? Do controller wires upset the feng shui of your living room? There are pros and cons for each option: for instance, if you do plump for the Core System you will have to buy a separate memory unit if you want to save your games. Likewise, if you opt for the deluxe version you will need a steady supply of AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack to power the wireless controller.
The Xbox 360 is only backwards compatible with a limited number of original Xbox titles, and a hard drive is required for this function.
Product Description
The Xbox 360 comes fully loaded for the ultimate gaming experience, with components and accessories that would cost over £100 if sold separately.
Included in the pack:
Xbox 360 console:
Sexy styling that packs a punch -- three powerful core processors are poised to pump out 720p/1080i output, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound and DVD playback right out of the box.
Xbox 360 hard drive (20 GB):
The detachable hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace.
Xbox 360 wireless controller:
Hassle-free high-performance precision wireless gaming features the Xbox Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music and games libraries. The controller has a range of 30 feet and battery life of up to 30 hours of life on two AA batteries.
Xbox 360 faceplate:
The removable Faceplate comes in stylish white and can be swapped out with custom faceplates to reflect gamers’ personalities or room decor.
Xbox 360 headset:
This lets gamers form strategies with team-mates or trade banter with opponents while playing games on Xbox Live.
Xbox 360 component HD-AV cable:
This connects gamers to the world of Xbox 360 games and graphics through high-definition and standard-definition connections.
Xbox Live silver membership:
With this, gamers can chat with friends online, send and receive voice and text messages, and access new content from Xbox Live Marketplace such as trailers, demos and casual games from Xbox Live Arcade.
A bonus Media Remote
Included for a limited time, the integrated control centre lets consumers play DVDs, movies and music, as well as access their Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC’s controls with a single remote.
About the Xbox
The Xbox 360 console will be the first next-gen console released and will fuse powerful hardware, software, and services to provide a dramatic leap forward in high-definition gaming and entertainment experiences.
The key technical specifications of the Xbox 360 console are unlikely to make much sense to any but the most technical. But if a custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU with three symmetrical 3.2GHz cores, a 500MHz custom ATI Graphics Processor with 10MB of embedded DRAM and unified memory architecture of 512MB GDDR3 RAM and 700MHz DDR doesn’t mean anything to you just consider this: with specs like that the Xbox 360 is already more powerful than a £2,000+ state-of-the art PC.
The Xbox 360 will also have three USB slots and both HD digital and standard audio visual outputs, which can pump out games in widescreen at 720p and 1080i resolution, complete with anti-aliasing functionality. This will result in much higher resolution games than ever seen before: the beginning of the HD (high definition) era.
Sorry for just copying it but i did get sent this by Xbox and i think it is very useful and might help clear things up for people .
Sadly ...i dont i like my ps2 but i seem to be playing my xbox so much more,dont get me wrong ps3 will probly be great but i dont want to get a console if i wont play it as much as the xbox 360.
Ive played on the 360. Played on Kameo, Call of Duty 2 and King Kong at my local Game, Dixons and Gamestation (i go round in circles, visiting 1 store after i get kicked out of the other)
And WOW! just WOW!
The best graphics ive ever seen, and not a single slowdown. And it looks so awsome on a HD TV. looks truley 3D.
Why anybody would not get 1, especially for only 280 pounds, its a steal!
Ive played on the 360. Played on Kameo, Call of Duty 2 and King Kong at my local Game, Dixons and Gamestation (i go round in circles, visiting 1 store after i get kicked out of the other)
And WOW! just WOW!
The best graphics ive ever seen, and not a single slowdown. And it looks so awsome on a HD TV. looks truley 3D.
Why anybody would not get 1, especially for only 280 pounds, its a steal!
You jocker hahaha good method tho!! . Well i just seen a Clip of the new Xbox on TV now, and i for the first time i am unsure if this will totally over run the PS3, iv allways had faith in Sony and PS3 but for the first time i am starting to re-think this :S.
Xbox 360: What We Know
Re: Xbox 360
.
. Well i just seen a Clip of the new Xbox on TV now, and i for the first time i am unsure if this will totally over run the PS3, iv allways had faith in Sony and PS3 but for the first time i am starting to re-think this :S.
Linear Mode
