I have a bunch of somewhat game related Xbox and Microsoft news.
It looks like they might not include a hard drive in Xbox2. The Xbox Linux project and the number of people cracking their Xbox was enough to make them reconsider the HD. They might replace it with a gig of flash RAM and have the same performace. If they do this it would probably kill the Tivo like PVR media player functions that were rumored.
Next Xbox to skip hard drive?
They dastardly lawyers at Xbox Live changed the Terms of Service agreement. I suggest reading the fine print.
Change to Xbox Live Terms of Servicee Announcment
I just don't see why people would want to spend over $200 on a wireless cyber wristwatch.
Smart Watch: A Product That Has Gotten Out of Hand
It looks like the Xbox2 controller might not have the Black and White buttons. That is a good idea if you ask me but it might make Capcom style fighting games harder to play.
Xbox 2 Controller Loses Buttons
It looks like there might be a major update to Windows XP this fall after WinXP Service Pack 2 comes out. Windows Longhorn will not be out until 2006 to 2009 so I bet that MS will want to have a new OS product to sell in the meantime. It is not like they have a monopoly on the OS market or anything. Here is hoping that it does not suck as bad as Windows ME.
Microsoft Plans WinXP "Reloaded"
As long as there is enough space for save games and crap.. or mods and whatever else game developers come up with. I hate memory cards =)
i loathe the current location of the b&w buttons. put the buttons somewhere where i dont have to re-adjust my entire hand. hell, ms should just full out copy the ps2 controller.
Well the existence of six buttons made Capcom style fighting joysticks pretty cool. What I hated about the Black and White buttons on the Xbox S Controller ( http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/jake_review_xbox_controller_s.php ) is how they were recessed and hard to press.
Flash memory is no different when a system is looking at it than a hdd is, under linux a gig of flash would be recognized as hda0 most likley which is exactly what my hdd looks like to my system. The other crucial flaw is that they will probably forget to take out the ide pins and allow people to just stick hdd's in themselves.
Well I bet that Microsoft has kept an eye on the potential Xbox2 hackers. If they go with a DRM Flash memory system they might make it to hard for hackers to mess with. Besides it is going to run a PowerPC chip so it would have to be some form of Yellow Dog Linux if it were possible to install. Microsoft has done lots of new DRM research between the Xbox and the Xbox2.
The Black and White buttons sucked because every version of the controller put them somewhere worst than the last. The problem is the placement, not the resulting fact that there are these two buttons that no one uses. MS should have taken the hint from the Playstation controller and had 4 shoulder buttons. 2 of them could have been triggers like the current xbox controller and 2 of them buttons. Removing buttons is a bad idea. Look no further than the Gamecube for proof. Multiplatform ports on Gamecube are a pain since it has the least buttons on its controller than any other current generation system. OK, I'll stop ranting but this just bugs me. Typical 'research' nonsense.
I have a friend who works at the company that designed the original XBox controller, and he admits that it was the worst design contract they ever did - way too big and hard to hold.