Timewaster's Guide Archive

Games => Video Games => Topic started by: Spriggan on September 24, 2005, 12:44:35 AM

Title: Xbox 360
Post by: Spriggan on September 24, 2005, 12:44:35 AM
Surprised we don't have a thread just for it.

I guess Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve, recently said that the 360, unless running on the optimized Duel processor code, only runs about as fast as a 1.7GHz P3. Ouch.  No wonder some game designers were complaining about developing for it.

One of the problems for the average designer is that they develop for multiple systems and as they become more and more different processor wise it becomes harder and more expensive to effectively code for it.

Also there are some leaked revolution specs (so don't take them as fact) that says that Nintendo's new system is actually as powerful as the 360.  If that's true, and I doubt we'll know for many months, it could hurt Microsoft in Japan.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Entsuropi on September 24, 2005, 09:43:22 AM
The xbox 360 is very powerful if developers program right. What that will probably mean is Class A games will be awesome, but low budget ones will be terrible.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Spriggan on September 24, 2005, 07:50:11 PM
yep, but the multi-threaded  processor is very hard to program for so I wouldn't be surprised to see more "these look like the original Xbox" games the 360 games for the first year or two.  SONY's in the same predicament with the Cell too.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Faster Master St. Pastor on November 21, 2005, 08:37:34 PM
Personally I think that Xbox360 will crush the Revolution and battle for market supremacy with the Playstation for awhile. Revolution looks like it would be great, one thing though, Gamecube totally bombed. Something went horribly unbeatably WRONG. My opinion is that the cell shading for Wind Waker angered to many fans and it went downhill from there. That coupled with the almost overnight popularity of Halo, well that pretty much speaks for itself.

Back on subject. I think that three symmetrical cores was a good idea, I've played it. It was awesome. I will buy one.

On a side note: one more day until it comes out. YAY! :)

I am going to stop talking before I look too much like an idiot
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Archon on November 21, 2005, 09:03:12 PM
I disagree. I think that Revolution will do well in spite of Gamecube's flop. For one thing, I think that they are doing a much better job of marketing to adults, rather than kids, which was one of the major flaws I noted with Gamecube. One thing that should help Revolution amazingly is the fact that it will be able to emulate SNES and NES games. I think, and I have found many people who agree with me, that the older games are the best games ever made. Think about all of the games that spawned so many sequels and spinoffs in later systems. Just to highlight, you have Zelda, Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid. All of these were great games for NES and SNES, but a lot of the hardware for NES is either worn, or didn't work well in the first place. Therefore, the potential to play these games on a reliable system should play a large part in making the Revolution successful.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Entsuropi on November 21, 2005, 09:55:14 PM
Also, the DS did, and is doing, really well. I think that the DS will go a long way to rejuvinating Nintendo.

I'm not grabbing a next-gen next, probably wait til mid next year, for a nice solid selection of games to play. But then again I might save the money for the PC. The PC will always be my first gaming machine, I suspect.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Archon on November 21, 2005, 09:59:54 PM
Yeah, the DS is doing really well, but then again Nintendo has been pretty much unchallenged in the portable gaming department since Game Gear. I don't predict that that will be changing too soon.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Faster Master St. Pastor on November 21, 2005, 10:01:02 PM
Good point. However, there are still some things I would like to mention. The Xbox360 not only has a strong following thanks to Xbox, but it has a far superior (in sheer numbers of subscription) online system, Xbox Live. A subscription which comes free for the Xbox360. Not only that but, like the Revolution and Playstation, it is backwards compatible with the Xbox, i.e. you can play Halo 2 on your Xbox with someone who is using an Xbox360. I am not aware of this feature on either of the other systems.

Also, the Xbox360 has a number of old arcade 'hits' available through the Xbox Arcade. For a list go here: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2005/1014-nextgeneration.htm?MSID=99b90e6a3f074a8d94c32c0c7b273ee6. While there may not be as many it still has some, keep in mind this list will grow.

I do think that the Revolution will pose a threat to Microsoft but even if Xbox begins to become unpopular you can bet that Microsoft will do something. Something that is likely to be a viral marketing campaign. Plus Microsoft's CEO is the richest man in the world and, as show with the original Xbox, he is more than willing to spend as much money as it takes to make the Xbox profitable and mainstream. I highly doubt Nintendo will do this.

You may think me a Microsoft fan boy for the above mentioned but hey, Ocarina of Time is still my favorite game. It's just that I like the way that Xbox and Xbox360 are built (by Built I do not mean look) more than that of the Gamecube and Revolution. N64 still rocks, even if it is dead in Nintendo's corporate view.

Cheerio!
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Entsuropi on November 21, 2005, 10:29:29 PM
The PSP! It looks like a sexy toy for spies! :D
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on November 22, 2005, 12:43:44 AM
I loved my XBOX and XBOX Live before my console mysteriously stopped working.  I'm really debating picking up the 360.  On one hand, I like PC games more than console games.   On the other, I'm getting tired of updating my PC to play new games.

I'm torn.

The 360 is the only next-gen console I'm interested in though.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Faster Master St. Pastor on November 22, 2005, 01:22:11 AM
Something might be wrong with your power cable. Microsoft issued a warning about them, and will replace for free minus shipping and handling of course (I think).
It all depends on when you bought yours, the older ones (launch and later for about year) have a problem with they DVD drive. Yours most likely has a problem with the drive if it has three holes on the carriage when you try to put in a game (the part where the laser reads and two inch wide holes in front and to the right and left of the reader part). Also some of them have just died and the only thing to do then is to take them to an electronics store and have them refurbish it. I think you need your receipt.

Interesting side note, the Xbox is bullet proof. This guy was playing so much that his roommate got pissed of and shot his Xbox with a 9mm caliber handgun. It turned off, but worked just fine afterwards. Now you know what to grab if someone comes after you with a gun, plus you can hit them with it, assuming you can lift that hulking behemoth.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Spriggan on November 22, 2005, 01:26:45 AM
Quote
The PSP! It looks like a sexy toy for spies! :D


The DS!  The toy sexy spies actually use! :D
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on November 22, 2005, 01:30:29 AM
Quote
Something might be wrong with your power cable. Microsoft issued a warning about them, and will replace for free minus shipping and handling of course (I think).
It all depends on when you bought yours, the older ones (launch and later for about year) have a problem with they DVD drive. Yours most likely has a problem with the drive if it has three holes on the carriage when you try to put in a game (the part where the laser reads and two inch wide holes in front and to the right and left of the reader part). Also some of them have just died and the only thing to do then is to take them to an electronics store and have them refurbish it. I think you need your receipt.

Interesting side note, the Xbox is bullet proof. This guy was playing so much that his roommate got pissed of and shot his Xbox with a 9mm caliber handgun. It turned off, but worked just fine afterwards. Now you know what to grab if someone comes after you with a gun, plus you can hit them with it, assuming you can lift that hulking behemoth.



Nope, it wasn't the power cable.  My system shut down literally the day the power cable announcement was made.  My model was fine.  I even bought a new power cable to see if that was the issue.  It wasn't.  One day I turned it off and I was never able to turn it back on again.

Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Faster Master St. Pastor on November 22, 2005, 01:35:36 AM
Sad and slightly ironic.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Spriggan on November 22, 2005, 01:36:39 AM
Ya that happened with EUOL's roommate's Xbox too.

I have no interest in the 360 mostly because I don't own an Xbox and I'm one of those old-school gamers that only believes in having one console.  Not because I think one is better then the other, but because it's insanely expensive and a waste of money to have multiple.

I also think it's too early for next gen systems, when the PS2 was announced I had mine pre-paid for 8 months in advance but I just don't see much to be excited about when it comes to this next round of consoles with the exception of the Revolution.  But I've been playing video games for so long now I agree with Nintendo's statement that "It's not how much power you have but what you do with it", pretty realistic graphics don't impress me as much as they use to, I want new ways to play games instead of the same stuff that's been out there for the past 10 years.
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Faster Master St. Pastor on November 22, 2005, 01:38:33 AM
EUOL getting violent latley? Or was this a while ago?
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Parker on November 22, 2005, 03:53:57 PM
I'm going to have to agree with Spriggan.  I'm not really excited by the 360 launch, and the upcoming PS3 also doesn't give me goosebumps.  The revolution is the only one I'm really excited to see, because I think it could actually DO something--take gaming in a new direction.  Right now, the other consoles seem so enmeshed in what you could call the "Madden syndrome."  Releasing something new every year just to be new and look a bit better.  I've never been into that, but I realize a lot of gamers are.  That's why those games sell so well.  I'm sure the 360'll do just fine, as will the PS3.  I think Nintendo sees the writing on the wall, and is trying to break into new territory.  They can't compete by Sony and Microsoft's rules--continually upping the graphics ante--and so they're trying to rewrite them.  I hope it works.

Then again, since I haven't played a game other than World of Warcraft for almost a year (with the exception of my DS, which I use when away from home), who am I to talk?
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: cyan10101 on November 26, 2005, 11:59:41 PM
i am waiting on getting a new system, if i will get a new system this upcoming year.  There is too much hype for the xbox360, after seeing the people waiting in line for it on the news.  I think i might get the playstation, just because it has some games i would like to try.  But i usually wait to see what each has to offer, like a lot of other gamers.  I also think that microsoft is creating more of this hype by not putting enough of the consoles on the shelves.  I know that lots of kids this christmas will be happy, but disappointed when they find out their mom or grandparents got them the core system only to save some cash or because they didn't know there were two different versions of the system.  
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on January 01, 2006, 07:02:52 PM
Boo-yah! Got the last Premium edition at my not-so-local Wal-Mart and have been enjoying Call of Duty 2 in High Definition all afternoon.

Awesome.

Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Entsuropi on January 06, 2006, 12:05:56 AM
Where does Dr P live?
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on January 06, 2006, 09:37:53 AM
The place where my ninja monkeys are converging to steal me an XBox 360.

"I spent too much time get acquainted with my Xbox 360. I also spend a lot of time mentioning that I have one around people who don't."
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on January 06, 2006, 11:21:10 PM
Quote
Where does Dr P live?



St. Louis, Missouri, Entropy.

So, come and get it if you can.  The defensive grid has been activated...
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Entsuropi on January 07, 2006, 12:11:42 AM
Activating Chronosphere teleportation....