Xbox 360

With the unveiling of the next-generation Xbox on the horizon, doubts that the console will not arrive this year are steadily evaporating. Any lingering uncertainty was further dispelled today when the online edition of Forbes reported that top-flight investment firm Goldman Sachs "expects" the console to arrive in time for the 2005 holiday season.

According to Forbes, Goldman Sachs is predicting that the next-gen Xbox, now increasingly referred to as the Xbox 360, will "be available for retail sale in October or November at a retail price of about $249 to $299." Goldman says it "expects" Microsoft to have shipped around 3 million units by year's end and reiterated its "outperform" rating for Microsoft Corp. stock, which closed at $25.32 today.

Goldman Sachs' predictions were backed up by another high-profile analyst's report. "We expect Microsoft to announce a release date for the next-gen Xbox in the October/November 2005 period," said Boris Markovich of TerraNova Institutional.

In the same report, Goldman Sachs said it does not see the PlayStation 3 appearing on US store shelves until mid-2006. The company predicted that an earlier launch--sometime in the first calendar quarter of 2006--in Japan is likely.

By Curt Feldman

If it not over $300, then Im buying it for sure

Source?

I do believe Curt Feldman is from Gamespot. Good news. ALOT cheaper than I had expected.

Yes, Curt Feldman is from gamespot.

Meh, it's just a prediction, I'll wait a for Microsoft to announce it before saying anything.

I'm glad to see that the price isn't ridiculously overpriced. If it can stay that way then I'll definitely be picking it up at launch.

I don't like the same Xbox 360. It doesnt really make sense the the 2 words dont roll off the tounge like 'Xbox' on its own does. Sounds cheesy too.

they named it 360 because:

Xbox 2 sounds inferior to Playstation 3
and Nintendo's calling their next system REVOLUTION (so far anyway).

360 degrees is one revolution.

AND the whole RING OF LIGHT thing. Which you probably have read about.

I like it sooo far...

Glad to see Microsoft isn't milking this project for all it's worth with an outragous price. If it says in the margine mentioned, I might go pick it up at launch, like Dyers Eve.

ive been waiting for this for a long time

They should just stop with the numbers already. It gets tiresome to say them over and over. This is why I like Nintendo's strat of a new name every time. Revolution? Sounds ok to me.

I don't mind numbers but I agree that it's better to use different names. Microsoft thought of using "Xenon" instead which they may do. I don't think any name has been fully confirmed by Microsoft.

Well, I don't feel like making a new thread for this, but I found this on IGN.

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/607/607001p1.html

The thing I immediatly noticed was it only had one controller port. :3

Haha I really don't think thats it.. And is that even a controller port?

I know the chances of it being the actual thing are slim, but you never know. Anyways that does look like the controller port because its almost the exact one on the Xbox.

Well now that you mention it, I think I did hear Microsoft say they were going to try wireless controllers. But I believe the ports would have to be bigger. Plus the fact I think their going with HD's and I believe I saw memory ports on that O_o...

well, it says its a port for RF controllers. maybe some new concept for controllers is undergoing producsion. something like one little port taht has to be inserted which receives signals from all xbox 360 controllers; meaning one port for 2+ wireless controllers. sounds pretty cool to me, and would be better if it was fact. i don't like the deesign much.

360 would lead them directly back to where they are now, you fool! :mad:

Testament, someone posted that exact same explanation on GameFAQs. Was it you?

I wonder what the first posible price on this thing will be? I'm think somewhere around the field of 1.7 times the price of a standard PSP.

Rumors are speculating that the Xbox 360 without the external harddrive will be $299 and the one with the harddrive will be $399 and that comes with Web TV, Xbox backwards compatibility, Xbox Live, and the rumored Halo 2.5 which apparently will only be Halo 2, hi-def graphics, with more multiplayer maps.

Sorry kids, no extension to the single player.

Now, I have read that Microsoft plans to make out of the total batches of Xbox 360's like 80% with the HD and 20% without.

that is pretty decent considring the price. i never got the xbox, so i might buy this one. with xbox back ward compaitability, i can buy and play all the xbox games. pretty cool. i guess waiting a little while pays off more than some ppl think.

Yeah, that price really isn't all the bad at all in my opinion.

I just saw this on [URL=http://www.ign.com]IGN[/URL].

[quote=IGN]Xbox 360 Update 4.25.05
Leaks, rumors, and everything we've learned about the next Xbox.
by David Clayman

April 25, 2005 - This weekend more information was released concerning the Xbox 360 through [URL=http://www.ourcolony.net]Ourcolony.net[/url] The site hooks visitors with cryptic blurbs of information, images, and some riddles. Gamers are encouraged to register with the site and either join a colony, or create their own. It is heavily emphasized that only players who work together and spread the message will be successful in advancing the game. The site features a leader board that awards points to colonies that sign up more members and answer questions correctly.

Fans of Halo 2 will remember the last 4orty2wo campaign that was based around Ilovebees.com. This URL was released along with the Halo 2 trailer in theaters and led millions of visitors on a wild goose chase. People who followed the game to its completion were given access to events on November 4th, where they were able to play Halo 2 before its release to the general public. 42 Entertainment's web site claims they create large scale "search operas," designed to cause consumers to look for the product.

Like the previous ARG, this one features a timer that counts down to May 12th. This is the date that the Xbox 2 will be revealed to the world on MTV. You can read more about the recently announced event here. The new system will be revealed to the world in less than a month's time, but so much information has already been leaked we decided to sum things up with a feature.

[B]The Controller
The first puzzles on Ourcolony.net were solved to reveal partial images of a white controller. Basically, this piece of hardware is a streamlined version of the Controller S, with the black and white buttons moved to the top of the controller, just above the triggers. Developers have also reported that they are using current Xbox controllers to test software on the Xenon development kits, leading us to believe that both controllers are very similar.


The Game
Shortly following this puzzle a high resolution image of a car appeared on ourcolony.net. The car is a Ferrari 360 Modena, which can be interpreted as further proof of the system's name. It is also a hint pointing towards Project Gotham 3 as a possible launch title for the next generation system. The cover of the original Project Gotham Racing showcased a Ferrari F50 and the sequel featured a red Ferrari Enzo. Also, one version of the car picture that was constructed out of smaller, segmented images has a "3" inserted next to the headlamp.



After the car images appeared, we were presented with what appears to be a partial shot of the next generation Xbox console. Because the item depicted in this image is gray-silver color and includes a honeycomb mesh, early speculation linked these shots to the Xbox 360 development kits which are simply G5 towers. The tower is shown on the right with an orange background.


The Memory
This past weekend an incredibly hard puzzle on ourcolony.net was solved to reveal a small picture which seemingly shows a section of the memory card. There is a 64 clearly printed on the front of the card which leads us to believe that the system does in fact use 64 megabyte, removable memory cards.

This doesn't rule out the other big memory question regarding the Xbox 360, which is the inclusion of a hard drive. In a second leaked image which is apparently not from Ourcolony.net, the top of the system is shown in high detail. It is possible this image displays an attached hard-drive. The thin, rounded slit is most likely an activity light common on PC towers that shows when the hard drive is being accessed. On the side of this component there is also a block of text that says "40 GB", a pretty good indication that this is a 40 gigabyte hard drive attachment.



The Console
Later in the week, another, high resolution picture of the system surfaced on the internet. The exact source of these images is unknown and it is likely that they are not associated with Ourcolony.net. This image shows a complete front shot of console.

While the source of this image is questionable there are a number of factors contributing to its legitimacy. The image corroborates the design ideas we've heard about, with the system looking more like a PC or a TiVo than a gaming console. The system is rumored to have a single button and be able to be placed on its side like the PS2. Previously leaked information states that the system will be a metallic-silver color.

As we've been told the face shows two memory units slots, no controller ports, and a concave profile. Instead of the multiple green swirls shown in previous Microsoft ads, a large green circle appears on the right-hand side. A round-edged sliding disc tray appears above the memory units.

There are still unexplained aspects of the picture. The button next to the memory card slots has a small icon next to it featuring three curved lines. This is a common symbol for a Wi-Fi connection and would be an ideal place to put a reset switch for the wireless controllers. A similar version of the symbol is used on the PSP, Apple Airport, and numerous wireless modems to represent wireless capability. A Wi-Fi connection would enable the transfer of the large amounts of data that would be necessary for both controller functions and voice communication over Xbox Live.


Interestingly, Microsoft products using Bluetooth connectivity often have a small "B" next to their reset buttons, possibly ruling out a connection to that technology being associated with the button. Another interesting note on the system using wireless controllers is that it potentially expands the number of players the system can support at the same time. One of the cool things about EA sports games on the PS2 is that with the Multitap, up to eight people can jump into a game. Without hard linked ports, the player limit is only capped by the amount of transferable data and the software.

The black port to the left of the memory card slots resembles a traditional infrared port which would be used for a remote control. This points towards DVD playback capability out of the box, although the remote could be sold separately. The purpose of the oval on the far right side of the system is also questionable. It appears to be an access hatch and it is possible this is where normal controller ports may reside, wires and all. Of course, none of this information has been confirmed and the final system specs and design remain up in the air.



Using the size of the disc drive as a constant (every DVD drive is the same size) we were able to estimate the size of the Xbox 360 compared to the older system. The black Xbox is approximately 12 and 3/4 inches across and 3 1/2 inches high. The Xbox 360 appears to be about 10 and 1/4 inches across and about 3 and 1/4 inches high on the sides. At the slimest point in the center of the system it only measures about 2 and 1/2 inches high.

We'll have more information on the viral campaign, the future of Xbox hardware, and next generation software as E3 and the MTV announcement loom closer.




Breakdown.
Alright, alot of things to cover, so I'll go in order.

The controller
I really hope that isn't the controller. I wish they would have something very similar to the Controller S. If the information is true, then I would like the controller for the the fact of having the white and black buttons on top of the controller instead of below the buttons. It doesn't seem like there is any start or back button, so it'll be interesting to see how you pause your game, or may'be it is on there and it's just on a weird spot.

The game
All I can say is wow. I loved the Project Gotham series on Xbox, so I'm anxious to see what this one will be like, if this is the real deal. The screenshot on this looks amazing, even though there's a chance that it isn't actual game shot, which it probably isn't. If that happens to be a game shot, then kickas[u][/u]s.

The memory
Alot of speculation on this portion of the console. One thing I hope they do is install a hardrive into the system, or, as a lot of people have been saying, selling one xbox with a hardrive and one without. I also believe that 40 GB of space would be plenty of memory for me, at least. I'm not sure if I like the placement of the memory cards. I liked it better when it was on the controller, kinda like it was on the Dreamcast and Nintendo 64. Hopefully this time around on the memory card you'll actually be able to transfer a game such as KOTOR onto your memory card.

The console
The overall image of the console is "meh". It looks a little too Macintosh for my tastes. But after seeing other pictures where it actually looks like a real image of the console, it doesn't look all that bad.

Whether or not this all either false or real information, we'll just have to sit and wait. May 12 is when this thing is supposed to be unveiled on MTV, or for others who won't be tuning in to see it E3 is only a week away, so keep your eyes peeled...if your interested that is.

Wireless controllers? Only?! I hate wireless controllers. Phooey.

maybe in the final desighn, with the higher priced packege, they might include xbox 1 controller slots or something. that'd be a little helpful.

I don't ever, ever, ever want to have my controller crap out on me, though. Not even if I have an extra one all charged up in reserve. Also, there's just something that feels wrong about not having that cable attatched to the console.

Yeah, I was very impressed with the WaveBird controllers for the Gamecube. But no need to worry, I saw this article on IGN and the believe that there will be a controller adapter where you still can hook up your Controller S.

^^^Isnt this kinda off-topic?

Well I personally will buy the PS3 over the Xbox 360 because the PS2 was obviously better then the original Xbox.

New Pics, Perhaps from the MTV setup?:

Full booth setup:

It appears that there is a webcam EyeToy style device on the right. Also, the rumored 40GB hard drive unit appears to be present on the top of the device.

It seems that the EyeToy style device is not wireless, but has a small cable attached to it. In the brightened image, you can also see another odd something or other in back, which has a square around it.

A closeup on the controller. Notice the center, around the new logo. Look like letters? Coordinates? Perhaps the 360 will use that as a gyroscopic trackball, really bringing meaning to "360"


Image highlights:

Also, the headphone jack for the Communicator is now confrimed as an intergrated feature in the controller.

A sloppy image of the DVD remote:


Highlights:

If you look, you can notice the Windows Media Center Editon - Style green button. Perhaps the unit will function as a go-between, like promised? With this, shows and other media could be stored on the hard drive (when in TiVo style function mode) then sent to a computer. Also, there is another small button underneath this, which I cannot read. If you can, post about it. Also, when looking at the logo, it does not appear to be sunken in like the logo on the controller, so perhaps this does not serve any function besides identification as a Microsoft Xbox 360 product.

I officially love you

Wow, looks really really good. Still can't wait until Thursday when they reveil it.

If it's like

I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING.



The symbols around the logo? I know what they are! THEY ARE NUMBERS FROM ONE TO FOUR, INDICATING WHAT PLAYER YOU ARE!!! That way you can tell since there are no controller ports to reference!

Ah, I didn't get what you were trying to say at first, but now that I see it, freaking awesome.

Gah, it still looks huge. But oh well. It's nice, though I don't like the "new symbol". Awesome anyways, can't wait for thursday.

Who knows, it probably wont be the final design, so they'll probably look at the feedback for it and change things for it.

This Microsoft product reminds me of something Apple would make.

So, since theres only one controller port it substitutes for four playable controllers with only one port? Or can you only play with one controller?

Ah, but the Revolution will be compatible with GAMECUBE games, leading me to believe that it will have GAMECUBE controller ports as well, Uchiha. Besides, it's only one possibility that Revolution's controllers will be wireless only. We shall see.

we will have to wait to this holiday season to see how things go, but all the systems look decent right now, and did anyone see screenshots of Madden 2006 for the PS3 and the XBOX360(amazing!)

Perfect Dark looked awesome. And the design is final according to OurColony.net. Has OurColony been discussed here yet? Sorry, I don't feel like reading the whole thread, and I don't post in the gaming boards much.

Yeah there's tonnes of threads, but this is it:

[url="http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=16vn.jpg"]http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=16vn.jpg[/url]

[url="http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=29vk.jpg"]http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=29vk.jpg[/url]

[url="http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=34fp.jpg"]http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=34fp.jpg[/url]

[url="http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=43db.jpg"]http://img64.echo.cx/my.php?image=43db.jpg[/url]

So no more discussions on what it's called.

From [url="http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=344830"]http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=344830[/url] :

Quote: Okey, so I got the magazine right here. The first details about Xbox 360 and Ghost Recon 3. I got some of the info, and I will keep updating this thread while reading.

First info for you guys:
*It will be released in europe 7 days after USA
*December release in Japan
*Its released in less than six months
*Release games: Perfect Dark Zero, PGR3 and Kameo

More to come. I got the final specs, but I Dont know if its OK to post it here? The magazine is out so.

Oh you guys... the controllers look PERFECT! And so does the console!

**EDIT**
More info:
*10-16 game titles at the release. 40 games after half a year.
*The Xbox Silver thingy is correct, it will be there, and free.
*You will be able to transfer stuff from an ipod.
*You will see TV thru your Xbox.
*It can stand up and lie down.
*When you watch DVD, some stuff in the console will automaticly shut down - so its more quiet.
*You load the batteries on the controllers up via USB-cable on Xbox. You can also use simple batteries.
*The round thingy on the controller = "The ring of light". Its actually a screen, which says if there are any updates on Xbox Live. Downl. content and such. It also says which controllers there are in your hands, which number.
*Rallisport Challenge 3 is rumoured to be on Xbox 360.
*The Darkness from swedish Starbreeze (Riddick).
*Peter Moore confirms Halo 3. Release this year.

I'll wrote Ghost Recon 3-info soon. Now I'll write down Peter Moore and J Allard interview.

Allard says:
*There will be face plates, to change. There will be one in colfiber (+spelling).
*By preventing piracy they will push more and more on Xbox Live.

Peter Moore says:
(strange) *THIS time we will have more than 1 million users. Does that mean that there wont be any transfer of the Xbox 1 users? Or that there wasnt over 1 million on Xbox 1?
*Nothing new about Square, nothing to be announced @ E3. But he will be surprised if there are NO Square-game on Xbox 360.

Going for Ghost Recon 3 now. There is alot of info, and I posted the most important over. I RESERVE myself for missunderstandings, cause I'm not THAT good in danish. Just ask me and I will tell you more about it.

Ghost Recon 3:
Okey, first of all. THIS ONE LOOKS HOT. Hot. HOT. HOT. GR 360 oh man you guys.

Oh man.

*Just some info about the story, bla bla. The PC-version is developed by the Deathrow-developers, so that the Red Storm Ent. cant concentrate on the Xb 360 and Xbox-version.

________

The looks:
*Xbox 360 looks just like the leaked pictures. Its not grey like on Our Colony, its white. But it can be changed.
*The controller seems to have 2 rear buttons and 2 triggers, not sure.
*A, B, C, Y, Back, Start.
*There is a picture of "Burning Sky". Seems like you can shut down the Xbox via the controller, by pushing "X" at that screen.
*The Xbox itself has wireless network thingy installed.
*Webcam in 1280-resolution.
*You can put pictures from a digital camera in it
*It supports, the machine:
16:9
720p
1080i
5.1 Dolby Digital
Custom Soundtracks of course
20 gb of harddrive, can be upgraded
Memory card, at least 64 mb
3 USB Ports
*Morrowind Oblivion will be released this year.
*About NBA 2k6, they saw a demo of it.
"Lebron James jumped up, and when he touched the grand all of the body shook. All the muscles moved realistic, EVERYTHING on the body.
*Nothing special about PGR3.
*Gears of War to be the best looking game, for a long long time.
*Dimitri, Peter Molyneux latest game, COULD be released on Xbox 360. Rumours.
*Call Of Duty 2 on Xbox 360, as we already knew.
*The Ghost Recon 3-article is actually wroten by this TXB-dude who went to Big Blue Box to play Fable. I am really really sorry I dont remember your name.

**THATS IT** I think
I'll read thru it again and see what I've missed. I'll try to answer your questions by reading this article.

Just some final stuff:
*Something Microsoft Vision will be on Xbox 360. You will see TV on your Xbox. AND at the same time Play DVDs AND surf on the internet. At the same time?!?! o_O
While all this you can get invites to games, friend requests, mail. MS is hoping that 50% of the 360-owners will buy Live. Right now, ~8% uses it.
*In the middle of a game, by pushing a button you will get directly to the dashboard.

Oh, and finally and most important: J Allards game of the Xbox 360 is "Fisher Price Nuclear Plant".

Oh, and of course: Thousand thanks to the magnificant (+spelling) danish magazine Gamereactor which I took the info from. They rock, and so does Nexus1000. Mostly because he is pretty. And he has Britney as an avatar. In black hair.

**EDIT again*
The final specs, I guess its OK now cause some of it has already been posted without TXB-guys deleting:

CPU:
3 x IBM Power PC 3.2 ghz

Graphics:
Specially build ATI 500 mhz
10 mb of embedded RAM
512 mb GDDR3 RAM

Polygon capacity:
500 mill/sec

Shade capacity:
48 billions shaderoperations/sec

Harddrive: 20 gb, can be upgraded
12x Dual Layer DVD
Memory Card, 64 mb+

3 USB-ports, 1 back 2 front
2 some kind of ports, dont know what it means

Ethernet-port
Preparded for Wi-fi 802.11
Prepared for webcamera (1280 resolution)

DVD-laser:
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

Streaming:
From Windows XP PC, pics and movies from digital camera which you then cand send via Xbox Live to others.

ALL, read ALL games support:
16:9, 720p, 1080i, 5.1 Dolby Digital, custom soundtracks. Some more stuff I read at the vGamin Press forums.

Excellent stuff Hyp. Thanks for the info.

No problem, I get a lot of this long before the majority of members do here so I might as well share it.

http://www.vgamin.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2

That's where I've been quoting from :cool:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/615/615667p1.html

Here is why it was running at 1/3 power.
http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2420&p=5
[quote]A pair of Apple Powermac G5 systems were actually running the Xbox 360 demos, not the 360 console. The consoles in the kiosks weren't actually running, they were just for show - now you know why all the controllers were wired

Yeah, I read those earlier. I saw an interview with J Allard on IGN and he said producers don't make games look pretty for the soul purpose of E3, they make them for the final game release. If all those trailers were running at 1/3 the power, then wow. But hey, I wouldn't be suprised if he's just saying that for the heck of it.