Xbox uncovered
Published: 15 Nov 2001 12:04 GMT
Since the success of the Atari 2600 of the 1980s, American companies have tried to jump into the video game console market with limited returns. But Microsoft has something 3DO and Phillips never had -- a seemingly bottomless pit of money to develop, market, and support such a device. Microsoft is prepared to come out swinging with what it contends is the most powerful console to ever be released and $500m in marketing cash.
Microsoft confirmed months of suspicion when Bill Gates officially announced the Xbox console via a Web-wide news feed in March 2000. The Xbox was then unveiled in full at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January where the WWF's The Rock joined Bill Gates on stage. At E3 2001 in May Microsoft announced that the console would be launched in the US on 8 November, 2001, for $299. The launch was delayed and the console was released today (Thursday) in the US, with its UK launch to follow in March.
Equal in size to a VCR, the Xbox could go down in history as the largest video game console ever. Its basic rectangular shape is augmented by a large X formed into the top of the console. In the top of the console rests a circular green jewel bestowed with the Xbox logo. The console includes four USB controller ports, a front-loading 5x DVD drive, as well as eject and back buttons on the front.
The back of the console houses a standard audio/video-out port, a digital-out port for HDTV, and a power supply outlet. The Xbox will also include an extensive front end that's being called the Dashboard. The Xbox Dashboard will let you adjust the console's settings and control its operation.
Instead of splitting its user base by offering add-on components at a later date, Microsoft is placing all the hardware it needs for the next five years into the Xbox now. The Xbox will come with an Ethernet port to connect to both DSL and cable broadband connections and an 8GB hard drive that will be supplied by Western Digital. Neither the GameCube nor the PlayStation2 can boast of such inclusions.
Microsoft has stated that the hard drive will be used to rip your own soundtracks for games, to decrease loading times by caching data, and to save game data. In conjunction with the Ethernet port, it will also be used to download new characters, levels, and more.
Although a small minority of those online use broadband connections, the Xbox will not have dial-up capability. It's a bold step on Microsoft's part: it's banking on its theory that many will be securing a broadband connection within the next five years.
Inexpensive DVD add-on
The Xbox will not come with the ability to play DVD movies. However, for $29 you can purchase the DVD Movie Playback Kit, which will unlock the feature in the Xbox hardware. Xbox software will be stored on 4.5GB DVD discs and will be sold in standard DVD cases just like PlayStation2 and GameCube software.
The Intel-developed Xbox CPU is based upon the company's Pentium III line of processors and clocks at 733MHz. While chip architectures vary, making them virtually impossible to compare, the PlayStation2's CPU runs at 294MHz, and the GameCube CPU clocks at 486MHz.
Needless to say, Microsoft's upcoming console can more than compete with the competition where computational operations are concerned. The Xbox will come with 64MB of unified DRAM, compared to just 32MB of the same memory in the PlayStation2 and 43MB of total RAM for the GameCube.
The Xbox's memory can be allocated however the developer sees fit, eliminating the bottlenecks associated with the PlayStation2's limited amount of VRAM.
NVidia's X-Chip
The 250MHz Xbox GPU was initially announced as 300MHz and is developed by nVidia, the company behind the popular GeForce video cards for the PC. Specifically, the Xbox GPU is based upon nVidia's recently released GeForce3 technology and is classified as the NV2a.
Dubbed the X-Chip, the Xbox's graphics processor is capable of a multitude of onboard special effects including full-scene antialiasing, four simultaneous textures per object, fog, environment mapping, pixel and texel shaders, bump mapping and real-time lighting. Despite the X-Chip's ability to display just four textures per object compared to eight for the GameCube, the Xbox's textures should be a marked improvement over those on the PlayStation2, thanks to onboard texture compression at a 6:1 ratio.
The Xbox's unified DRAM should also aid in texture clarity since developers have the freedom to allocate it however they wish. The X-Chip can display graphics at a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.
Microsoft's specifications for the Xbox state that it is capable of displaying 125 million raw polygons per second, but this figure is misleading. The most visually impressive Xbox games shown at E3 looked to be running at around 10 million polygons per second, and some with drastic frame rate problems.
In Microsoft's defence, the games were running on unfinished development kits, but it may have been a better idea to hold back games that weren't running smoothly to maximise a positive response. While most weren't overly displeased with the Xbox's performance at E3, what was shown failed to demonstrate that the Xbox is three times more powerful than its competition, as Microsoft has stated.
One definitive advantage the Xbox has over its competition is producing sound. Despite the fact that Xbox development kits still lack sound hardware, the Xbox will ultimately be capable of in-game Dolby Digital surround sound -- a first for video game consoles.
The Xbox will also be capable of broadcasting 256 simultaneous stereo voices through 64 different channels. Dolby Surround will be a snap for the Xbox, and overall, the auditory experience found in Xbox games should be superior to that of both the PlayStation2 and GameCube.
The Xbox architecture is said to make it easy to develop games for the console, and PC developers have found it to be the same environment they've become accustomed to working with. Microsoft has had somewhat of a spotty history where the Xbox hardware is concerned. Even now, major third-party developers are still waiting for final Xbox development kits. Microsoft had previously stated that completed kits were shipped to developers prior to E3, but the ship date was missed.
The latest kits developers received are fairly complete, and Microsoft will upgrade them with software instead of supplying developers with entirely new units. As mentioned previously, developers have stated that the Xbox beta kits still lack sound hardware. Apparently, developers are still constructing the sound for Xbox games from specifications given to them by Microsoft.
Hybrid controller
The Xbox controller is a hybrid of most controllers that came before it, but it owes a great deal to Sega's Dreamcast controller from a visual perspective. Similar to the console itself, the US Xbox controller is rather large and features a large face with a circular green jewel emblazoned with the Xbox logo.
Force feedback will be included in the Xbox controller and will be powered by two separate motors for varying degrees of response. There are two analogue sticks, and their placement closely mirrors that of the GameCube controller in that the left stick is located above a directional pad and the right stick is below the face buttons. Both analogue sticks may be pushed down and clicked for added functionality, and the thumb dimple on the top of the left analogue stick is slightly larger than that of the right stick.
Microsoft has brought over the eight-way directional pad from its Sidewinder controller for the PC, which could present some problems for fighting games because of its slick surface and stiff action. Menu navigation buttons are located in the centre of the controller for both start and back options.
The face of the Xbox controller has six buttons. The four primary analogue buttons (A, B, X, and Y) are configured in a diamond shape. Just above the diamond configuration are two more analogue buttons -- one black and the other white. On the back of the controller are two analogue trigger buttons, which are nearly identical to those found on the Dreamcast controller, and two slots where memory cards and other peripherals like headsets and microphones may be plugged in.
Based upon our time with the Xbox controller at various trade shows, there are several problems that should be corrected. The most pressing issue is that the face buttons are too close together. It's often difficult to press one button without pressing another.
Also, the black and white buttons located above the diamond configuration are nearly impossible to reach. Video game journalists were quick to point out the controller's shortcomings at E3, and rumours have circulated that it is currently being redesigned.
At the Spring Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft unveiled the Japanese Xbox controller. Its face is significantly smaller than the US version, and it features shorter handles and a drastically altered button configuration. Both versions of the controller feature cords that are more than nine feet in length and analogue buttons with 256 degrees of sensitivity.
All the extras
Xbox Memory Unit
Despite the fact that the Xbox comes with an 8GB hard drive, Microsoft knows that portable data storage is an important asset of a video game console. How else can someone take characters and game saves to a friend's house? Similar to the PlayStation2 memory card, the Xbox Memory Unit will hold 8MB of data. That should be enough to hold saves for well over a dozen games. The Xbox Memory Unit plugs into the top of two expansion slots located on the back of the Xbox controller. Pricing for the Xbox Memory Unit has yet to be announced.
Xbox Advanced/High Definition AV Pack
This combination of S-video and standard AV inputs lets the Xbox connect to virtually any television set. A high-definition AV pack will also be released to take advantage of televisions that support HDTV. The high-definition pack supports 480p, 720p, and 1080i component video signals, analogue audio inputs, and digital receivers. Pricing for either AV Pack has yet to be announced.
The Xbox DVD Playback Kit
As mentioned earlier, the Xbox does not have the ability to play DVD movies out of the box. To enable DVD movie playback, a separate remote must be purchased. A small module plugs into one of the Xbox's four controller ports, and the remote communicates with it. The remote comes with all the functionality you'll need to enjoy DVD movies to the fullest, such as scene selection alternate angles and menu commands. The DVD Movie Playback Kit will retail for $29.
Xbox Headset
Thanks to its Ethernet port, the Xbox has the ability to include voice communication in its online games. Recoton recently announced that it is jointly developing the Xbox Headset with Microsoft for use with online games that use voice recognition. Presumably, the Xbox Headset will let you both send and receive voice transmissions during play. The headset is currently scheduled for release alongside the launch of the Xbox network in the spring of next year. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Third-Party Peripherals
Several companies have already signed on to make Xbox peripherals. Nuby announced in April that it is currently developing Xbox controllers and a yet-to-be-disclosed console interface. InterAct has also announced that it is currently researching and developing Xbox peripherals, including controllers, driving wheels, and arcade sticks. You can also count on InterAct to provide alternate forms of Xbox Memory Units. Pricing and images of third-party Xbox peripherals have yet to be released.
GameSpot UK has a channel devoted to the latest Xbox news, reviews and previews. Check it out here.
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