paintballer
In Runtime
- Messages
- 317
Anyone know anything about XBOX 2?
Xbox 2
- Thread starter paintballer
- Start date
- Status
dethangel
Daemon Poster
- Messages
- 934
i know that it is going to have an ATI graphic chipset instead of Nvidia, supposedly going to be running off of an IBM chip much like the G5 (or maybe it will be on a pentium 5?) neways, bigger hard drive, faster processor, tivo like functions, higher resolution outputs, blah blah blah standard upgrades are all that have been announced so far
9homersimpson9
Baseband Member
- Messages
- 55
look around im sure u will find someone who knows more.
theSpear said:
Xenon, actually.
It is announced to run an ATI graphics chipset and some derivative of a PowerPC chip from IBM. It is going to be all properietary hardware, meaning that Linux cant make its way onto the second xBox iteration, as it could on the first because of its uses of all PC style components (proc, graphics card, hard drive, etc.).
NavySEAL55
Solid State Member
- Messages
- 12
I hear that you just send your current X-Box to Microsoft and they'll upgrade the video card, the HD, the processor, and slap on a 2 below the X-Box Jewel. I'm not kidding either! seriously.
dethangel
Daemon Poster
- Messages
- 934
who told you that? because i doubt that very seriously, they would be advertising it, and xbox 2 is a totally different system, based off of another companies video chipset and processor, so theyd basically be replacing everything except for the cd-rom and controller ports, lol neways, where did you hear this? i would like to see some info
What IGN.com KNows about XBOX2
What IGN.com knows about XBOX 2's Processor and Graphics Card......
Fact: An IBM-developed CPU will be the main processor for the Xbox's successor.
What this means: A number of things, actually. First off, this means any ties will Intel related to the Xbox have been severed. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Why? Because that means that x86 is out the door. That in turn means that standard backwards compatibility is out of the question. Additionally, Microsoft's gaming API will have to adapt to a new type of architecture. More specifically, a PowerPC architecture. Yes, sources within Microsoft have confirmed that the main CPU for the Xbox 2 will be a PowerPC variant. While we shouldn't expect along the lines of 64-bit computing, it's likely that the CPU will be a variant of the PowerPC 970, the chip used in Apple's G5.
We mentioned yesterday that the Xbox 2 would not have backwards compatibility. This isn't entirely true, though the use of non-x86 chip would imply it. See, a while back, Microsoft acquired a little company known as Connectix. The company was known for its Virtual PC software which allowed users to use PC software on their Macs. But that's only part of the story. Connectix also developed the Connectix Virtual Game Station, a PSone emulator for the Mac. See where this is going?
It's likely that Microsoft will use Connectix's technology to emulate Xbox games on the new consoles. Great, right? Sure, but emulating this current generation of games is sure to take its toll on the hardware. This could lead to games that don't run as well as others (if the Xbox 2 hardware isn't up to speed). Additionally, it's hard to say if Live-enabled games will function online through emulation.
It would be a terrible move on Microsoft's part to not include some sort of backwards compatibility, especially since the PS2 already does, and the PS3 is confirmed to. We know not everyone plays PSone games on their PS2s, but the audience is still larger than you'd think. Why do you think PSone games are still in production?
Why would Microsoft switch from an Intel chip to a PowerPC chip? Not that the performance seen in the latest G5s hurts, but we're gonna guess that hacking has a lot to do with it. The Xbox is a hacker's dream console. Because it uses off-the-shelf PC parts, with only a few proprietary connectors, it was no problem for a few clever individuals to figure out how to make their Xbox a glorified Linux box/PC. By using a PowerPC chip, it will become much more difficult for users to do such a thing. Security is Microsoft's Achilles heel in both the PC and console market. It looks like it's doing everything in its power to change that.
Fact: The Xbox 2 will use an ATI graphics chip.
What this means: Again, a lot. As most of you may or may not know, Nvidia is the supplier for the current Xbox graphics chip. And at the time of the deal, Nvidia was the market leader for PC graphics cards. Along with the use of an Intel chip, the Xbox seemed to be a console made in heaven, utilizing parts from all of the top hardware companies. But over time, things change.
First there was the falling out between Nvidia and Microsoft. See, the console market is very sensitive to price fluctuations as we've no doubt seen in the last several months. The Xbox, which originally retailed for $299, later dropped to $199, which then dropped again to the current $179 price point. Of course, dropping the price of the console means that either Microsoft will lose more money per console. That is unless Microsoft can pay cheaper prices for the parts.
Inevitably, Microsoft wanted to pay less for the Nvidia chips than the two companies had agreed on. Nvidia wasn't hearing it. Eventually the situation got a little messier than it should have. Did this have anything to do with ATI's contract win? It seems likely, though Microsoft insists that ATI's "technical vision fits perfectly with the future direction of Xbox."
But there are definitely other reasons ATI won the contract. For example, right now, ATI is the current market leader for PC graphics cards. Its cards are fast and reliable, and if you paid any attention to the Half-Life 2 benchmark fiasco, you'll know that Nvidia cards require a little extra work on the programming side. The specific reasons are beyond the scope of this article, but just think of it this way: If Nvidia cards can either do things really well, or really not well, than ATI is in the middle. While this is a very, very generalized analogy, it should give you a basic idea.
Because ATI is on top of its game right now - and with good reason - it's no surprise that it won the contract. Sure, Nvidia cards and ATI cards render graphics a little differently, but it's nothing to cry over. The fact that a high-profile game like Half-Life 2 runs substantially better on ATI hardware can't hurt. (Though in Nvidia's favor, games running on the Quake engine - and perhaps the Doom 3 engine - typically run better on Nvidia cards.) Also, if you keep up with PC hardware, you'll know that the top-of-the-line Nvidia cards are huge in size and run extremely hot - not a good thing for a console. Whether this has anything to with ATI's win, we don't know. We just thought we'd throw it out there.
What IGN.com knows about XBOX 2's Processor and Graphics Card......
Fact: An IBM-developed CPU will be the main processor for the Xbox's successor.
What this means: A number of things, actually. First off, this means any ties will Intel related to the Xbox have been severed. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Why? Because that means that x86 is out the door. That in turn means that standard backwards compatibility is out of the question. Additionally, Microsoft's gaming API will have to adapt to a new type of architecture. More specifically, a PowerPC architecture. Yes, sources within Microsoft have confirmed that the main CPU for the Xbox 2 will be a PowerPC variant. While we shouldn't expect along the lines of 64-bit computing, it's likely that the CPU will be a variant of the PowerPC 970, the chip used in Apple's G5.
We mentioned yesterday that the Xbox 2 would not have backwards compatibility. This isn't entirely true, though the use of non-x86 chip would imply it. See, a while back, Microsoft acquired a little company known as Connectix. The company was known for its Virtual PC software which allowed users to use PC software on their Macs. But that's only part of the story. Connectix also developed the Connectix Virtual Game Station, a PSone emulator for the Mac. See where this is going?
It's likely that Microsoft will use Connectix's technology to emulate Xbox games on the new consoles. Great, right? Sure, but emulating this current generation of games is sure to take its toll on the hardware. This could lead to games that don't run as well as others (if the Xbox 2 hardware isn't up to speed). Additionally, it's hard to say if Live-enabled games will function online through emulation.
It would be a terrible move on Microsoft's part to not include some sort of backwards compatibility, especially since the PS2 already does, and the PS3 is confirmed to. We know not everyone plays PSone games on their PS2s, but the audience is still larger than you'd think. Why do you think PSone games are still in production?
Why would Microsoft switch from an Intel chip to a PowerPC chip? Not that the performance seen in the latest G5s hurts, but we're gonna guess that hacking has a lot to do with it. The Xbox is a hacker's dream console. Because it uses off-the-shelf PC parts, with only a few proprietary connectors, it was no problem for a few clever individuals to figure out how to make their Xbox a glorified Linux box/PC. By using a PowerPC chip, it will become much more difficult for users to do such a thing. Security is Microsoft's Achilles heel in both the PC and console market. It looks like it's doing everything in its power to change that.
Fact: The Xbox 2 will use an ATI graphics chip.
What this means: Again, a lot. As most of you may or may not know, Nvidia is the supplier for the current Xbox graphics chip. And at the time of the deal, Nvidia was the market leader for PC graphics cards. Along with the use of an Intel chip, the Xbox seemed to be a console made in heaven, utilizing parts from all of the top hardware companies. But over time, things change.
First there was the falling out between Nvidia and Microsoft. See, the console market is very sensitive to price fluctuations as we've no doubt seen in the last several months. The Xbox, which originally retailed for $299, later dropped to $199, which then dropped again to the current $179 price point. Of course, dropping the price of the console means that either Microsoft will lose more money per console. That is unless Microsoft can pay cheaper prices for the parts.
Inevitably, Microsoft wanted to pay less for the Nvidia chips than the two companies had agreed on. Nvidia wasn't hearing it. Eventually the situation got a little messier than it should have. Did this have anything to do with ATI's contract win? It seems likely, though Microsoft insists that ATI's "technical vision fits perfectly with the future direction of Xbox."
But there are definitely other reasons ATI won the contract. For example, right now, ATI is the current market leader for PC graphics cards. Its cards are fast and reliable, and if you paid any attention to the Half-Life 2 benchmark fiasco, you'll know that Nvidia cards require a little extra work on the programming side. The specific reasons are beyond the scope of this article, but just think of it this way: If Nvidia cards can either do things really well, or really not well, than ATI is in the middle. While this is a very, very generalized analogy, it should give you a basic idea.
Because ATI is on top of its game right now - and with good reason - it's no surprise that it won the contract. Sure, Nvidia cards and ATI cards render graphics a little differently, but it's nothing to cry over. The fact that a high-profile game like Half-Life 2 runs substantially better on ATI hardware can't hurt. (Though in Nvidia's favor, games running on the Quake engine - and perhaps the Doom 3 engine - typically run better on Nvidia cards.) Also, if you keep up with PC hardware, you'll know that the top-of-the-line Nvidia cards are huge in size and run extremely hot - not a good thing for a console. Whether this has anything to with ATI's win, we don't know. We just thought we'd throw it out there.
- Status
Similar threads
