If RE5 and Splinter Cell 4 come out for Xbox 360 only (or even at first) I'll retract my statement

The main thing is there is no must play games for me right now.

That also comes out on PC, so I'll be covered. I have a high end PC that has no problems running games like Half-Life 2, Doom 3, WoW, and The Sims 2 at full graphics.

I agree, I gave up. Especially when I realized that this box has no hdmi port and thus no true hd.

The 360 is most certainly "true HD." I bet you believed Sony when it said the PS2 could render Toy Story quality graphics as well.

I don't know where you got that idea from but, HDMI does not equal HD.

I'm guessing from the Sony hype machine, as they have said the 360 isn't true HD because it doesn't output 1080p. This is funny because that means all but a couple of the TVs Sony has been marketing and selling as HDTVs aren't "true" HD.

I am going to sue Sony their 42' grand wega I purchase didn't come with HDMI. So it isn't "TRUE" HD. DAM THEM

Picked one up yesterday at Costco for $490.

Is it a decent dvd player?

I've been using it as my primary DVD player. My only complaint is that I see light horizontal bands in the upper 1/4 of the screen. It's only visible during a dark scene. This is with a 42" Panasonic HD plasma. I thought it might be my display but I can't duplicate it with my HD TiVo.

Frys had some more by me yesterday. I passed, like many of the recent comments...nothing is must play right now.

You guys are missing out on some incredible DOA4 matches. Tons of fun whether it is socializing while others fight or actually playing the match.

Agreed, all of us who play together are having an absolute blast.

Not true. (Actually it was Bill Gates stating that about the xbox, I believe)

Edited to add:
Actually it wasn't Gates, but Seamus Blackley, head of Microsoft's Xbox division that said it.

"One of the basic premises of the Xbox is to put the power in the hands of the artist," Blackley said, which is why Xbox developers "are achieving a level of visual detail you really get in 'Toy Story.'"

How that got "rumored" into the PS2 thing, I don't know, but it's spread all over the internet.

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-250632.html?legacy=cnet

And you would be correct, sorry I was not trying to threadcrap.

I was simply pointing out that this is not a forward looking machine. No next generation dvd capability, no hdmi output for true hd resolution. I have all the hd via component that I want now from my current XBox.

If they produce a peripheral that will read the next gen dvd's how will the connect it to the xbox 360, via component? That wont do it, hence my comment about hdmi.

I would have like to have had one when they were released but now that I have had time to evaluate the machine on its merits, I will pass.

Very few Xbox games are HD. Most are only 480p. EVERY Xbox 360 game is HD--720p or 1080i native. There is a world of difference between 480p and 720p/1080i.

As for HDMI, there is a rumor that Microsoft may offer an HDMI connector later. From a design standpoint, this is possible because the video output connector on the 360 itself is proprietary (similar to that on the Xbox) such that an HDMI dongle could be attached. I do not know if the hardware in the 360 would allow for that, but I would be surprised if it does not. The fact that MS has confirmed a HD-DVD peripheral indicates to me that indeed may be possible because per DVD consortium rules 720p/1080i cannot be output over component (which is why the 360 doesn't support upscaling current DVDs). Thus, the HD-DVD addon would be useless without HDMI. Alternatively, I suppose the peripheral itself could have its own HDMI connector, but this seems unlikely.

actually if you're on the 1st xbox all dvd movies on it are sent back to 480i. on the 360 everything is upconverted to 480p. i'm betting the connection of the HD drive to the 360 will be on the usb port as it has enough bandwidth to support HD video. now since the 360 is really a computer in a console so to speak output of true HD could happen with some really nifty software code and a new cable. one thing people forget is the 360 is a computer by microsoft, the dashboard is just software. the hardware is in there for full HD output with an HD DVD reading drive. then again what do i care i don't have any HD DVDs yet and i'm still trying to get the rest of the outfits for my doa4 people.

I suspect you are right about the USB connection, but it will have to use for HD-DVD output per DVD consortium rules. I, like, you hope a new cable attachment will be enough but I think the internal hardware will have to be able to handle it. I'm betting it can.

Sony actually DID say the PS2 would produce Toy Story-like graphics. I remember reading about it before I bought a PS2 and before I even knew about the Xbox. See http://money.cnn.com/1999/03/01/life/playstation/ as proof. The full quote from the Nihon newspaper they refer to is as follows:
""The new microprocessor will allow users to handle nearly 50
times more 3-D image data compared with Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s (7964)
Dreamcast game console. It will also let users produce game characters
comparable in image quality to Walt Disney's Toy Story."
http://terror.snm-hgkz.ch/mirrors/ww.../n990228b.html

So, both Sony and MS made Toy Story comparisons then. However, recall that the Xbox came out much later than the PS2, is more powerful, and generally speaking has better graphics. The Xbox comes a lot closer to the "level of visual detail" seen in Toy Story than the PS2 does. It intially had markedly better graphics than the PS2. The PS2 OTOH did not initially impress me compared to the Dreamcast (I own both).

FYI for anyone still looking....

Spotted Premiums & Cores at 2 Kmarts today - 2 premiums / 1 core at one and a single premium at the other.

The difference being the Microsoft (in the form of Bill Gates and Shamus Blackley) claimed Toy Story graphics on the Xbox, while it was a reporter in Japan who claimed Toy Story graphics on the PS2. You will notice that your source article is not actually quoting any at all.

Wow, you guys just refuse to believe Sony said that, huh? The Nihon article does quote from Sony "company officials." While it isn't 100% clear what is a direct quote from them and what is a reported paraphrasing, you can be sure those officials were the source of the information contained in the article, including the Toy Story comparison.

Thanks for trying to get the thread back on topic, too bad it didn't work...

Last week Bestbuy got their shipment on Thursday rather than Wednesday, this week they got it today. I finally broke down and got one today, updating my titles now. COD2 is fun!

I'm playing on my computer monitor. Now if I could remember where I put my switch box.

Did Microsoft announce something about shortages going on through September? One of my employees was telling me about this yesterday, and he's usually pretty up on the latest news.