Xbox 2 news

[Nostromo]

First, it seems it will be backwards compatible after all. According to Gamespot:

The Xbox 2 will use Virtual PC 7 for backward compatibility for original Xbox games. According to Geek.com's Apple Insider subsection, the reason for the delay of the latest version of Virtual PC 7 is that "Microsoft has given this project exclusively to the Xbox team." Why would they do such a thing? "Because the next Xbox will include an IBM PowerPC 970, and current Xbox game developers are shipped G5 PowerMacs," says Geek.com. While not confirmed by Microsoft, it sounds like a much more plausible scenario than last week's Xbox 2-backward-compatiblity rumor, which had a Silicon Valley startup providing universal emulator middleware for the next-gen console.

Second, according to Gamespot, the Xbox 2 GPU will be ready for Q1 2005:

Citing market sources, IT news Web site DigiTimes reports that ATI is prepared to "roll out" its Xbox 2 GPU, code-named the R500, in the first quarter of next year. According to the report, the R500 will be based on ATI's next-generation R520 desktop graphics processor, and semiconductor foundry TSMC will produce the chip using a 90nm manufacturing process.

Now lets hope IBM will be able to roll out enough CPU's at that time.

[Verto]

What is meant by the first quarter of next year?

[Nostromo]

I assume it means sometime between january and april 2005.

[BustaMike]

Backwards compatibility YES!

Hopefully it will work better than the current PS2 backwards compatibilty. Sure games run, but you can't play more than 2 players because the multi-taps aren't compatible. I was really dissappointed when I couldn't go 4 player Crash Team Racing on the PS2.

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Verto
What is meant by the first quarter of next year?

Take a guess

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by BustaMike
Backwards compatibility YES!

I *MIGHT* get Morrowind finished then!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wooo.. backwards compatibility .

[asleepathewheel]

Very positive news. Makes me actually contemplate getting an x-box2

[Nikolai]

Getting another computer? No thanks, I have enough already.

[Tassadar500]

Super!

[Asher]

Re: Xbox 2 news

Originally posted by nostromo
Now lets hope IBM will be able to roll out enough CPU's at that time.

I've been telling people this for months (or if not a year+), that the reason MS bought the VirtualPC software was obvious. Within a month they announced the purchase of Virtual PC (x86 emulation on PowerPC), and then announced Xbox2 would use PowerPC...wasn't rocket science.

Also, I would be surprised if the CPUs weren't done already. If it's just dual-core PowerPC 970s, that's rather trivial (seeing as dual-core PowerPC 970s minus altivec with a whole ****load of cache is called the "Power4" )

[Verto]

Now the important question: HD-DVD or Blu-Ray?

Sony is pushing Blu-Ray and said it will be used by PS2, which means 60 million people will have Blu Ray players in their homes. They also purchased MGM, which alone owned IIRC ~4,000 titles. 20th Century Fox has just recently announced they will also be pushing Blu-Ray as the successor to DVD.

[Nostromo]

Also, I would be surprised if the CPUs weren't done already. If it's just dual-core PowerPC 970s, that's rather trivial (seeing as dual-core PowerPC 970s minus altivec with a whole ****load of cache is called the "Power4" )

Doesn't IBM have important yield problems for G5s?

[Nostromo]

Now the important question: HD-DVD or Blu-Ray?

Neither one, I think. Plain vanilla DVD.

[Verto]

Originally posted by nostromo


Neither one, I think. Plain vanilla DVD.

There would be little point in coming out when an Xbox2, then, since PS3, using Blu-ray, would boast games that could run circles around anything Microsoft had.

Blu-ray discs could have anywhere from 2x-10x as much storage space as current DVDs; Sony is also working on a lens that would be backwards compatible and read DVDs.