Microsoft Officially Unveils the Xbox 360 -- Page 2

by Vicious Sid
May 12, 2005 00:00 AM PST

Finally, we come to the brains of the Xbox 360: three symmetrical IBM PowerPC processor cores running at 3.2 Ghz each (each core being roughly eight times the power of the Xbox's lone 733 Mhz processor). This adds further muscle to the Herculean Xbox 360, and will allow programmers to load games with performance-draining features like high-end character physics (for realistic movements and "ragdoll" death animations) and detailed particle effects (explosions will look unbelievably realistic).

This brute processing power will also provide a further boost to polygon counts so characters and environments will feature still more detail. It's simply staggering. There's no doubt that the Xbox 360 is an unprecedented achievement in the video games industry; even after adjusting for processing "inflation," no hardware company has ever released a gaming console remotely as powerful as the Xbox 360. It's simply ridiculous.

The Nuts and Bolts
As far as we know, Xbox 360 games will ship on standard and dual-layer DVDs, unlike Sony's PS3, which will use high-density Blu-Ray DVDs. This is an interesting technological compromise on Microsoft's part. In the long run, this could make the Xbox 360 a bit more vulnerable to software piracy, as standard DVD burners are commonplace (Blu-Ray burners don't even exist...yet). But here's one last-minute rumor: Variety is reporting that Microsoft "is expected to announce this week that HD DVD (a competitor to Sony's Blu-ray format) will be a non-exclusive component of the upcoming Xbox 360."

That's potentially big news, and Microsoft's only comment is that "Microsoft does not comment on rumor and speculation." One thing we do know, however, is that the Xbox 360 will support DVD playback right out of the box (you won't have to buy a separate remote control). It also supports progressive scan for smoother, sharper video playback. And yes, it does include an integrated hard drive--it's 20 GB, and it's detachable and upgradeable.

The unit itself is decked out with a sleek chrome look, a far cry from the clunky plastic hell that was the original Xbox. It also features a customizable, removable faceplate. The unit's size is roughly a quarter to a third smaller than the existing Xbox--welcome news to players weary of lugging that bulky behemoth to Halo parties. And like the PS2, users can stand the unit either horizontally or vertically (on its side, tower-style). The internal cooling system is also more advanced, and can adjust its fan speed (decreasing the noise) when the unit is being used for DVD playback.

The controllers are wireless, and aside from an Xbox Live-enabled toggle button (placed dead-center on the controller) and re-positioned White and Black buttons (they're shoulder buttons now), Microsoft made very few changes from the Xbox's now-standard Controller S, and it's about the same in size. Players will also have the option of using wired controllers, via the unit's USB ports. And as an added bonus, PC players will be able to use the Xbox 360 controllers, too.