Xbox 360 and HD TV...
So the 360 has launched on time, and without too much fuss. The PS3 seems to be as far off as it ever was and MS have a clear field ahead for the next round of console wars.
The 360 seems to be a bit of a radiator - one site estimating the CPU gives off 100W. That's going to cause lots of people problems - though probably not in chilly blighty. Top tip: don't box one into a small space - those vents are there for a reason this time! Looking at grabs of people reporting crashes it seems that it is quite susceptible to heat - with the crashes showing all the same signs as a heatstroked PC GFX card. I am sure that new fab processes will cure all the ills in time, and early adopters get what they pay for - V1.
So assuming these are just little problems, what's the platform like? HD is the buzz TLA (two letter acronymn!) that MS are pushing. Now I have hit 30 my eyes definitely aren't what they once were, and HD entralls me less. Certainly a nice screen with progressive scan impresses, but the HD component is less important. The games I have seen look like PC games on a decent PC. Which means they look nice, but are they really that much nicer the the old Xbox? Yes - but only if you have £800+ worth of TV.
This Christmas is going to be expensive for lots of people.
HD TVs themselves are not quite ready for the mainstream. Looking around Dixons, the Samsung seems to be the "one" at the moment. Its 200 quid cheaper, has the (vital for 360) HDMI socket, and looks better than the rest.
TV's have actually been HD compliant for ages. My CRT sony boasts 1400 lines or so, and upscales everything to fit - most 100Hz tvs are if you read the small print. The big problem with driving this trend is the standards. On this front the 360 helps - its a proper HD compliant device. Unfortunately the broadcast standards seem as far off as they ever did. No standards, means no tuner, means no programs. Most annoying for any early adopters is they will need a box to comply with the standards. HD ready my arse.
So back to the 360. HD maybe making the headlines, but the real news is under the covers as I see it. MS have created a money system - MS points to buy stuff online. This goes back to my earlier Sony vs Apple debate. MS have a real portal there, from day one - and its a commerce portal.
I expect that in a year most Xbox 360 titles will be available for "instant play". Suddenly that 20 gig HD is going to look small.
The other big news is the standard USB ports. This time you will be able to plug a standard USB keyboard and mouse in. Finally a proper email/webbrowsing home pc - something XBox never became. I feel sure that this time MS will take that pie too.
The 360 marks a real shift in MS away from their windows dependency. Windows is alive and kicking, and few really believe it will be removed from the desktop anytime soon, but as an ever fattening cash cow it may have run its distance.
The 360 is actually MS's dream platform. A totally controlled box that they can charge what they like to whom they like. PCs have unnecessary "other vendors" that cut into their margins. In consoles MS only has competition from Sony - a company that likes the same business model.
The speed of the 360's release is a concern to me. Consoles previously had golden eras where the developers knew everything about them, had built all the libraries and could ship high quality product that really push the machine to its limits. Examples of this are the Gran Turismo series on the PS. When I first saw GT1 I thought it was a PS2 demo.
Microsoft look like they may want to upset this balance, by continually upgrading the hardware. The 360 already doesn't ship with a next gen DVD. Your shiny 360 might be rendered worthless within 2 years of buying it. Already the HDless version is being muttered about.
The danger for MS, then, is the 360 market becomes fragmented with a vast array of different versions of the same console. I suspect that MS will do this, and the consumers will end up buying more than one 360 at some point. This will engender the usual bad feelings towards MS, but by which point they will have already won the race. Much in the same way Wince was not considered a good enough option, until they had finally crushed palm into oblivion by using PC manufacturers to swap the market with shonky machines.
If I were Sony, I'd take a long, hard look at the 360 and revise their plans. They need the portal, they need the content all ready from day one, since MS will be well established by that point.
My hope is a wild card like Apple produces a console. Apple are one of the few companies to really get in MS's hair. They simply understand design better than MS, and that ultimately wins sales. Mac mini with a super high end GFX card anyone?
The 360 seems to be a bit of a radiator - one site estimating the CPU gives off 100W. That's going to cause lots of people problems - though probably not in chilly blighty. Top tip: don't box one into a small space - those vents are there for a reason this time! Looking at grabs of people reporting crashes it seems that it is quite susceptible to heat - with the crashes showing all the same signs as a heatstroked PC GFX card. I am sure that new fab processes will cure all the ills in time, and early adopters get what they pay for - V1.
So assuming these are just little problems, what's the platform like? HD is the buzz TLA (two letter acronymn!) that MS are pushing. Now I have hit 30 my eyes definitely aren't what they once were, and HD entralls me less. Certainly a nice screen with progressive scan impresses, but the HD component is less important. The games I have seen look like PC games on a decent PC. Which means they look nice, but are they really that much nicer the the old Xbox? Yes - but only if you have £800+ worth of TV.
This Christmas is going to be expensive for lots of people.
HD TVs themselves are not quite ready for the mainstream. Looking around Dixons, the Samsung seems to be the "one" at the moment. Its 200 quid cheaper, has the (vital for 360) HDMI socket, and looks better than the rest.
TV's have actually been HD compliant for ages. My CRT sony boasts 1400 lines or so, and upscales everything to fit - most 100Hz tvs are if you read the small print. The big problem with driving this trend is the standards. On this front the 360 helps - its a proper HD compliant device. Unfortunately the broadcast standards seem as far off as they ever did. No standards, means no tuner, means no programs. Most annoying for any early adopters is they will need a box to comply with the standards. HD ready my arse.
So back to the 360. HD maybe making the headlines, but the real news is under the covers as I see it. MS have created a money system - MS points to buy stuff online. This goes back to my earlier Sony vs Apple debate. MS have a real portal there, from day one - and its a commerce portal.
I expect that in a year most Xbox 360 titles will be available for "instant play". Suddenly that 20 gig HD is going to look small.
The other big news is the standard USB ports. This time you will be able to plug a standard USB keyboard and mouse in. Finally a proper email/webbrowsing home pc - something XBox never became. I feel sure that this time MS will take that pie too.
The 360 marks a real shift in MS away from their windows dependency. Windows is alive and kicking, and few really believe it will be removed from the desktop anytime soon, but as an ever fattening cash cow it may have run its distance.
The 360 is actually MS's dream platform. A totally controlled box that they can charge what they like to whom they like. PCs have unnecessary "other vendors" that cut into their margins. In consoles MS only has competition from Sony - a company that likes the same business model.
The speed of the 360's release is a concern to me. Consoles previously had golden eras where the developers knew everything about them, had built all the libraries and could ship high quality product that really push the machine to its limits. Examples of this are the Gran Turismo series on the PS. When I first saw GT1 I thought it was a PS2 demo.
Microsoft look like they may want to upset this balance, by continually upgrading the hardware. The 360 already doesn't ship with a next gen DVD. Your shiny 360 might be rendered worthless within 2 years of buying it. Already the HDless version is being muttered about.
The danger for MS, then, is the 360 market becomes fragmented with a vast array of different versions of the same console. I suspect that MS will do this, and the consumers will end up buying more than one 360 at some point. This will engender the usual bad feelings towards MS, but by which point they will have already won the race. Much in the same way Wince was not considered a good enough option, until they had finally crushed palm into oblivion by using PC manufacturers to swap the market with shonky machines.
If I were Sony, I'd take a long, hard look at the 360 and revise their plans. They need the portal, they need the content all ready from day one, since MS will be well established by that point.
My hope is a wild card like Apple produces a console. Apple are one of the few companies to really get in MS's hair. They simply understand design better than MS, and that ultimately wins sales. Mac mini with a super high end GFX card anyone?
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