Yeah but the point is not about the physical number of days but whether you feel you have gotten the most out of your investment already from your first XBOX.
I do like some of the stuff they have announced today and am actually leaning towards the XBOX 2 now... although we'll see if Sony has another ace up it's sleeve to sway me back to their camp. Either way I'm not going to get a new system this winter and by next year the Xbox 2 will have dropped in price.

Exactly. As I explained above, the games I've checked in 16x9 didn't really offer anything special on the sides and simply didn't look good enough wide to warrant being squeezed down. I don't expect that to change much, I know plenty of people still playing games on 17" TVs with sound through the TV speaker. The number here are a bit skewed because first and foremost this is a DVD/HT forum, so there's a much greater number of people with good equipment than a large portion of the gaming world.

But who likes to see console lifespans lengthened? If Sony wants to putz around a sixth year messing with the PS3 hardware, then they deserve whatever the competition serves up, be it Nintendo or MS.

If the Xbox 2 can offer all games in HD then I'm all for it being released. I'd like to see HD-DVD out right now as well instead of only enjoying the smattering of HD content out there now.

Your naked eye comment, when looking at it from the HD perspective is totally incorrect. Amped 2 looks ok in SD and amazing in HD. I rest my case.

Widescreen HD TVs are around $900 right now and coming down in price constantly.

I like to see them lengthened as I don't care much about graphics and don't like having to shell out $200-300 for a new console to play the new games more than every 5 or 6 years.

As for Sony putzing around, look what they did to the saturn by putzing around an extra year before putting out the PS2.

If the PS3 comes out and blows the X-box 2 out of the water powerwise, MS is out of the console business after next gen in all likelihood. Especially since Sony already kills MS and Nintendo on third party support.

I bought my Xbox for $300 on day 1. Yeah I'd say it definitely. I owned all 3 of the next gen consoles and it's the only one I actually I can say I got my investment out of. Yeah. I sold my PS2 last Christmas after hardly using it and my poor GCN I haven't owned a game for it in months and months, in fact I should probably sell it too now that I think about it. I have about 8 Xbox games right now and play Halo 2 almost every night on XBL.

Bring on Xbox 2 with full HD on every game

Ahh, but there is the catch-22. Will people still eat up PS2 games when XboxNext and Revolution are sitting on the shelf? Third party support for both is likely to be greater while the PS2 languishes on the shelf, therefore evening the playing field when PS3 comes out.

Exactly. This is what I am most excited about. Anamorphic & HD on every game. HD is the norm. Everyone else is just behind the times.

The gamer stats & 'creds' sounds cool as well.

Camera? I'll pass.

The Saturn? You mean DC?

I currently own an Xbox and a Gamecube, and I don't own any "HD" setups for either of them.

Reading this makes me concerned that console gaming is going the way of PC gaming, where I need to upgrade all my stuff in order to play the games. That's why I don't play PC games anymore. I'm probably overacting, but it seems like if games are going to have to support HD to play on Xbox 2, that for non-HD people, the games are essentially ports....

I hope I'm just reading too much into this.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...rosoft_xbox_dc

Microsoft Gives First Key Details on New Xbox

1 hour, 1 minute ago Technology - Reuters


By Ben Berkowitz

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) on Wednesday gave some of the first key details on the next generation of its Xbox (news - web sites) video game system, which will include an emphasis on high-definition content, an integrated media browser and "microtransactions" for in-game purchases.

In a speech at the Game Developers Conference here, J Allard, the Microsoft executive overseeing the software development tools for the new Xbox, said the new streamlined interface would help draw more users to the platform.

"We've got to create a consistent experience so that consumers can enter our worlds much more easily," he told a packed convention center audience. "If we want to get to 10 or 20 million subscribers we've got to create some consistency."

Microsoft is expected to release the new Xbox in time for the 2005 holidays, but the company has kept mum so far on both timing and the name of the new device.

Among the features Allard demonstrated was an on-screen "Gamer Card" that gives information other players can see on a gamer's location, achievements in various games, time playing specific games and level of skill.

Other features include a custom music player and a "store" where players could make small purchases, for pennies or a few dollars, of new characters, parts for virtual racing cars and the like.

The theme of Allard's speech was the "HD Era," which he described as a time when all games are in high-definition, players are constantly connected through mobile phones, instant messaging and the Internet and gamers can personalize their environments to suit their tastes.

"The HD consumer needs more than a hi-definition Super Bowl," Allard said. "The opportunity is real and now, but make no mistake we have the power to blow it."


Chris

I'm dead opposite. I held off on buying one, and picked one up at $199 for KOTOR, and it's the only console I don't think I got my money's worth on.

Game lineup's just not my cup of tea.

To be fair, I was dissappointed with all 3 consoles this gen, but the x-box by far had the least games I've enjoyed.

Oops, yep.

Though a similar fate happend to the saturn. Rushed to market to beat Playstation 1. PS1 blew it away and it tanked

The vast majority of gamers only have PS2s, so they obviously don't care about MS and Nintendo's offers. Just look at how many more PS2s have been sold, compared to GCs and X-boxes.

I don't think X-box 2 will change that. Nintendo is planning on launching at the time of PS3, so that's not an issue.

Optional hard drive?WTF is up with that??
Why isn't the system going to have the hard drive included like the first XBOX?Or did i misinterpret the article?

Um, it's been common knowledge for some time now.

I think this is relatively brilliant strategy.

MS is simply dividing the market and dominating theirs. The Xbox has been the most innovative console ever. Custom soundtracks, hard drive support, and Xbox Live are probably the three best things to happen to videogames since the NES/SNES era.

This console is targeting a specific demographic: early adopters and males 18-34. This is the demographic who has accepted HDTV the fastest, and it's the same demographic who buys consoles on launch.

With the promise of full HD support, I know that I'm drooling. I'll be lined up with all the other nerds on launch day. As an adult, I love the concept of the gamer card: give me some friendlier, more fair competition than the immature punks I'm constantly getting on Halo2.

Xbox Live is a great community concept. With online play the future of gaming, I think that MS has the inside track to dominate the market.

My guess would be that PS3 will be another unimaginitive offering. They will play it safe and cater to the 10-15 year olds playing on 20" tvs. I don't want that. I want the ultimate graphics and sound, and I want it on my HDTV.

Nintendo will continue to cater to the 5-12 year olds and have a goofy controller (a gyroscope?!) that won't be good for FPS or sports games. Hard core gamers (myself included) will pick it up, and otherwise they will be dominated again.

MS, bring it on. I can't wait for the new console.

Wow what an underwhelming article. If anything it will inspire me to wait for the PS3. Certain things like the HD being optional really makes me question what the real cost of getting the full use out of the Xbox 2 will be. Things like better HD support is going to be pretty much the standard for all next gen consoles and not a real big deal. Better Xbox live! Great, I'm sure the cost of it won't go up either.

The above comment about Nintendo is classic as well. Nintendo caters to real gamers as much as any company. Sorry they try and make their games enjoyable for everyone. Unless the definition of Hardcore Gamer is someone that plays Halo. In that case yeah Xbox is the way to go.

Got to agree with you here mostly. Would 3rd party developers rather make games for the PS2 that has an installed base of one hundred-million-billion or would they spend more money on games for an unproven system with higher game development costs? I think the PS2 will easily be able to hold it's own for a year as the 3rd parties aren't going any where. Another factor is cost with some companies estimating that next-gen games will end up costing $60 and up due to development costs. Compare the $300 Xbox with it's $60 games with the $100-150 competition with bargain games and the decision is a little less clear.

As for Revolution, Iwata-san even recently stated that they may not have much 3rd party support for it which is fine with Nintendo fans anyway since they generally only buy the console for 1st party games.

Still I am glad MS has the cojones to fire the first shot in the next gen war. Competition is good for us gamers.

Some people are speculating that the optional hard drive will in fact be a detachable "ipod killer" type device that serves 3 purposes:
1) save games/updates/mods
2) game cache
3) easy way to upload custom soundtracks

Not at all. The PS3 should do most everything the X-box 2 does (maybe not custom soundtracks). It will probably play blu-ray movies, etc.

Sony is the brand name in gaming now, they'll cater to everyone. Kids, casual gamers without HD, and older gamers with hometheaters.

So will it be backwards compatible?

They speculate that MS wants to release by the 2005 holiday season... was this common knowledge before? That seems like an awfully short turnaround time, considering that it's only 9 or so months away... are there even that many development teams that have the hardware to work on? Or are the launch titles going to be even thinner than usual (and let's be honest, they NEED at least Halo 2.5 ready by then)?

I don't think backwards compatibility has been decided on yet. Last I heard it didn't seem likely (unless it was a software option).

Yes. MS has been shooting for that for a good year.

Specs are nice and all, but I'm more interested in quality games. I need to see those before I get excited.

You can have your "Blinx 3: the High-Def Timesweeper" if you want it. HD doesn't make a bad game good.