mrpayroll

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=5435

Rob Fahey 15:55 11/11/2004
Could Xbox Next and Windows Media Edition have a joyful union in Autumn 2006?

The next-generation Xbox console may come in three different versions, according to a report today which claims that the firm plans to launch versions with and without a hard drive in 2005, and a fully functional PC / Xbox 2 combination in 2006.

Technology website The Inquirer reports that an NDA'd presentation given by Microsoft to analysts and market researchers in the UK pointed to the existence of three hardware versions, with two of them launching next autumn.

Xbox Next and Xbox Next HD would largely be functionally identical, but the latter of the pair features a hard drive and offers increased functionality as a result - which could be anything from Xbox backward compatibility (which the basic model could not offer due to the lack of a hard drive) to media jukebox functions or TIVO-style video recording.

In itself, that's not an entirely unlikely scenario, and indeed, Sony is expected to offer two different models of PlayStation 3 as well - one a basic "games only" device, and another with a hard drive and extended media centre functionality.

Indeed, Microsoft has already told developers not to rely on the presence of a hard drive for their games, but has curiously failed to rule out the possibility that a drive could be present. Theories for this range from an internal debate at Microsoft about the cost to benefit ratio of the hard drive, through to the remote possibility of the hard drive being sold as an optional extra - on balance, the idea of two versions of Xbox 2, with and without hard drive, seems eminently more reasonable.

The third version of the Xbox being touted by today's reports, however, is a rather more unexpected beast - titled Xbox Next PC, it combines the Xbox 2 with an entry-level PC which would run a media-focused verison of Windows, run standard PC software and games, and include a CD burner, wireless keyboard and mouse.

This system would not launch until Autumn 2006, and aside from the question about whether it really exists at all or not (a similar system which integrated PC functionality into the Xbox was widely reported on about three years ago, but never saw the light of day and may have simply been an elaborate hoax), there's also a major question mark over how such a system would work - since the Xbox 2 is based on PowerPC G5 processors, which won't run the Windows operating system, let alone PC games.

It's possible that a version of Microsoft's VirtualPC software, which allows Apple Macintosh users to run Windows operating systems under emulation on their PowerPC based systems, could be used to provide at least basic functionality - or PC hardware could be built into the console alongside the existing Xbox hardware, driving costs up but providing much better performance and reliability.

Either way, the possibility of multiple versions of Xbox Next will certainly make Bill Gates' keynote speech at CES in early January, where he's expected to publicly unveil the console, even more interesting.


Chris

Obey The D

on the hard drive.

PixyJunket

to media centers/all-in-one crap.

darkside

If they aren't going to put the HD in all of them they shouldn't bother with it at all.

Most people will opt for the cheaper version of the Xbox2 and that will make games that require the HD poor sellers. Therefore publishers just won't design games to use it for anything, but game saves.

Get Me Coffee

True...but if you have a game say like...HALO3....people are going to get that HD....so now they are IN

PixyJunket

Well.. how do you think they'll handle Live Content w/o a hard drive? I could see games having optional features like soundtracks and all that not everyone will use.. but I think it would be a shame if new content (via Live or demo CDs) was restricted to HD owners.. that is, if this report holds true.

CreatureX

This is a good idea IMO. The vast majority of Xbox owners don't even have Xbox Live, so it makes sense for Xbox 2 not to make the HD manditory. This would cut cost and those of us who don't play online can buy a lower priced Xbox 2. Good move MS!

raven56706

... oh man

Trelach24

Any system which does not include a hard drive from now on will not be in my house!

Gideon68

HD for backwards compatibility.

DamingR

This sounds like a hoax to me.

The main reason not to include a HD would be to curb pirating, which makes sense, based on the rampant piracy on the current system.

I could see a version with a Tivo type deal and HD-DVD with WMA9, but not one system w/ a HD and one w/o.

After all, a 20GB HD would suffice, and the cost on those units is not great enough to make a difference in the cost of production vs. a flash drive, which has been mentioned several times.

Plus, consumer confusion -- it's too difficult to explain to people. I mean, PEOPLE STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND WIDESCREEN AND FULLSCREEN!!!!!

jeffdsmith

Not going to happen knowing Microsofts track record.

MS still insists that people do not want tabbed browsing built into Internet Explorer. This is BS and MS knows it. The reason IE doesn't have tabbed browsing is because MS believes, as they have have stated, that the end consumer would be unable to comprehend how to operate it. ie: The users are stupid.

Now contrast a simple little feature as that with offering multiple versions of a consoles hardware. The average consumer is going to be confused to which one to get. Further more: Jimmy gets an xbox2-lite for xmas because he wanted one. 3 months later Jimmy is enraged because he can't download those LIVE updates, hes told his xbox2 isn't good enough...

I digress. If this were to take place, market demand would likely phase out all but one choice, but lets look at the positives for MS.

If they did do this, they could successfully advertise a truely awesome system on TV saying that the Xbox2 could do this and that, etc. (The Xbox PC version) Then advertise a really low price at the end as long as they had a little "*" next to the price explaining it was for the lite edition.

MS has used marketing confusion to sell products in the past, hell the original xbox was advertised as having online play deceptively over a year before it offered real support.

So while the idea offers some marketing sense, it still screams of market confusion, something MS is more afraid of then my dog is of a bath.

2cents.

Gallant Pig

I'm not sure I trust a website that ends in .biz

Josh H

Probably not going to happen, but I love the idea of at least keeping the set top box/pc/console machine as a seperate option and offering a gaming only version with or without a hard drive (don't give a shit personally).

I have stand alone components for all my home theater and computing needs, thus I just want my consoles to simply play games and be as cheap as possible consequently.

Link_182

I completely hate the idea of more than one version. Colsole gaming has long had one stronghold over PC gaming. Every console from a company is the same and no one has a console that plays games that someone else's doesn't. This is gonna create a whole "my X-Box is better than yours" debate everywhere. Plus I'm sure certain games are gonna have features only available on the "better" version. Can't we just stick to the traditional way where every console is the same?

milo bloom

My wife and I were planning an Xbox for Christmas, but now I'm not sure if we should wait. How close is the Xbox 2, whatever configuration comes about?


Jeffdsmith: sorry to prove your point, but what is tabbed browsing? I've probably used it, I just don't recognize the term.

thanks

jeffdsmith

Oh, it's not proving my point, you probably have not been exposed to it. Tabbed browsing is available in browsers such as netscape,opera, firefox, etc.. (www.getfirefox.com)

The abstract discription: It allows multiple web pages to be loaded within one browser "window". A window being what you see in your task bar at the bottom of the screen.

Check this site out:
http://www.nidelven-it.no/articles/i...n_to_firefox_2

This allows the user (you) to perform work/play on the internet in a much more organized and faster manner.

mrpayroll

This is an excellent multi-tabbed browser

http://www.avantbrowser.com/

Chris

Verbal Gorilla

My friend, you have yet to experience XBMC! Or do you just mean to retail and/or Microsoft media centers/all-in-one crap?

Verbal Gorilla

So does Mozilla!! Have you been reading up on recent open source trends? The current climate is feature-less, simple to use product. Tabbed browsing is not the default method of browsing on firefox!

jeffdsmith

I'm sorry, that is not fully correct. For starters Firefox, at its core install, with no extensions does support tabbed browsing.

This "climate" you refer to is one in which the open source community adopted long ago, that is a "climate" of making products light, simple to use, and easily improved through end user enhancements.

This is most easily accomplished in firefox through "features" known as enhancements. They do not come preloaded with the browser, but are easily added by clicking a few links for those users that want to utilize them.

Essentially it allows the end user to pick what features there browser has. Consequently it allows the user to decide what level of resources they want to dedicate to a particular program. This contrasts sharply with most proprietary type of programs like MS's IE, where you are forced to take the whole package, and nothing but the package.


Lets get back on topic however...

Gideon68

Supposed to release next fall.

Josh H

To clarify, I would like to see there be a gaming only version, and a "set top box/media center version" with the gaming functions being identical between the two. This goes for Sony as well as MS.

The only difference would be the added, non-gaming crap in the media center version, like dvd playing/burning, Tivo, pc functions etc.

That way everyone has a choice of whether they want to pay for that extra crap or not, without having their gaming options effected by their decision.

I just don't want to get stuck paying for all that extra crap that I either already have in superior stand alone components or simply have no use for period.

Get Me Coffee

After X-Mas I'm sure we'll hear alot more of Xbox2!

sentineles

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasnt the original xbox supposed to be a console based PC gaming platform. I thought the original plan was for it to play PC games. If so I put little faith in the possibility of the third Xbox2 designed to compete with mouse and keyboard. I do not use Live yet but I love the HD and would find it hard to buy another console w/o one. From a pure cost point of view, this would really strain MS to create 2 or 3 different types of Xbox2 b/c it would be difficult to forecast sales and mass production would become more expensive. Not that cost constraints could ever stop MS. Keep the HD b/c it is one of the best things about Xbox. My thoughts are that if HDTV(this is supposed to be the year for HDTV) has not gone mainstream by the projected launch of next-gen, the best differentiation would be pure HD vs. regular with potential for HD. You have to wonder how much better a system designed purely to exploit HD technology would perform. Backward capability is a big + b/c that increases your launch library of games.