XBOX 360

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 01:30am

Ace Pace wrote:Think what you will, I like GS reviews

Indeed, I don't know what people hate about Gamespot. They are certainly better than IGN and Gamespy and I haven't found any of their reviews that I have found way off base.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-11-24 01:31am

Nephtys wrote:True! And they are honest about the undead monster that is Megaman X... 9? It's up to that ALREADY?

They still MAKE those?!

DarkSilver · Post by **DarkSilver** » 2005-11-24 03:58am

Is it X9?

The entire game premise got silly after X3 I think......

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2005-11-24 05:27am

I liked the X series up to X6. The story died out long before X6 but the gameplay itself was good in 6. However, they had basicly eradicated Sigma (...AGAIN) by the end of the game, destroying his new body before it could even be completed. I'm sure they found some corny way to bring him back in X7, but the games after X6 sucked.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2005-11-24 05:31am

Praxis wrote:I liked the X series up to X6. The story died out long before X6 but the gameplay itself was good in 6. However, they had basicly eradicated Sigma (...AGAIN) by the end of the game, destroying his new body before it could even be completed. I'm sure they found some corny way to bring him back in X7, but the games after X6 sucked.

After X6? Depending on who you ask, the game either hit it's peak in Megaman 2, Megaman 3, or Megaman X3. X5 was atrocious, and had a terrible storyline, poor production value, and the cheesiest space station ever 'Eurasia!'.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-11-24 05:33am

The Megaman Zero Games for the GBA are ecellent and remain so so far (4 is the latest), although they are damn hard especially the first and second

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-11-24 06:33am

The inq Reports on someone else

The triple core IBM CPU used in the Xbox runs at 3.2GHz, the lads reckon. This CPU costs $106 and that represents 20.2 per cent of the bill of materials (BOM) for the console.

Add in the other integrated circuits and the BOM is a staggering $340 per console.

ATI's graphics chip costs $141 including embedded memory from NEC, a Japanese company.

Add in the DVD drive to the Xbox Premium, the RF board, the wireless controller, the cable, the literature and the packaging and the total BOM is $525.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 12:16pm

$141 for the ATI GPU? Not a chance in hell do I believe that.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2005-11-24 12:24pm

What sort of ATI gpu is this?

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-11-24 12:28pm

InnocentBystander wrote:What sort of ATI gpu is this?

Xenos is a next gen DX10 GPU, its unified shaders(no vertex and pixel, just a line of dynamic shaders).

Read more at Beyond3d.com

They have a fairly readable article on it.

Kernel, couldn't some of the cost come from currently low yields?

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 12:30pm

InnocentBystander wrote:What sort of ATI gpu is this?

It's universal 36 pipe unit that shares some technology with the desktop units, but has some original design as well (stuff that will probably end in desktop designs eventually. There is also a 10MB on package cache of eDRAM along with some FP logic.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 12:32pm

Ace Pace wrote: Kernel, couldn't some of the cost come from currently low yields?

Potentially, but the yields would have to be really low for this to be the case and I don't buy it considering how ATI was claiming good yields on this part months ago.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 01:13pm

Microsoft's response to the Xbox hardware issues:

Gamespot wrote:As was the case in the days following the launch of the PSP, reports have begun to surface about problems with the Xbox 360 hardware. Some people complained of games freezing. Some complained of systems overheating. Some complained of hard drives not working. Some complained of disk drives that scratched games.

There is little doubt that some of these things happened. It's a new console launch, after all, and historically problems happen at console launches, especially when there's a shortage of systems and the manufacturer is rushing to deliver them to retail. It's as predictable as people getting robbed for new systems.

So far, all the Xbox 360 units GameSpot staff members have bought at retail since launch have encountered no hardware-related problems. But the people with perfectly working 360s aren't going to be nearly as loud as the people who waited in line all night to blow hundreds of dollars on a bum system. They are understandably livid, and reports (like this one) that conclude with a "sucks to be you" are of little comfort to those affected.

To that end, O'Donnell says help is on the way--or at least will be soon. Gamers with console problems who call 1-800-4MY-XBOX and wind up needing repairs or a replacement 360 will have a prepaid shipping box overnighted to them. She said that typically said gamers will have a fixed or replaced 360 arriving at their door five business days later.

However, O'Donnell stressed to GameSpot that the problems with the system have thus far been very limited. "The most important thing to note here is that the vast majority of Xbox 360 owners are having an outstanding experience with their new systems," she said.

If Microsoft is serious about a five day turnaround for those with issues even with hardware shortages then it sounds like they are taking care of the problem adaquately. Also at this point the problems are looking more and more isolated.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-11-24 01:20pm

Okey, to drag the thread off topic for abit.

Crossplatforming. To me it seems both easier and more complex this generation. On one hand, the CPUs are far more similer then they were last time, on the other hand the GPUs couldn't be any more differant, one is a traditional G70 tweaked for PS3, the other is a unified shader freak.

Either you write crossplatform code that executes well on both GPUs, or you have to rewrite the shaders for better preformance on the Xbox. Which will it be?

Despite the fact Gamespot > Gamespy, I still browse Gamespy for the humour, Fargo cannot be beaten.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-11-24 01:26pm

Ace Pace wrote: Crossplatforming. To me it seems both easier and more complex this generation. On one hand, the CPUs are far more similer then they were last time, on the other hand the GPUs couldn't be any more differant, one is a traditional G70 tweaked for PS3, the other is a unified shader freak.

At a high level though both GPU's are very similar. They both conform to DX9 standards so you can run the same high level code on both. It's only the specific shader code that would need to be rebuilt for ports and considering that the PS2 didn't even have programmable shaders (or even a fixed T&L pipeline) and ports were still maanged to the Xbox, I really don't think the port argument has much weight. Ports are still going to be plentiful and very workable.

Either you write crossplatform code that executes well on both GPUs, or you have to rewrite the shaders for better preformance on the Xbox. Which will it be?

That entirely depends on the effort put into the port and how much custom low-level shader code you have. Remember that both GPU's support custom shader programs with more or less the same format so porting isn't going to be impossible, even if some shader code needs to be rewritten.

Despite the fact Gamespot > Gamespy, I still browse Gamespy for the humour, Fargo cannot be beaten.

They sold a review to Nintendo. As far as I'm concerned humor is the ONLY thing they would be good for at this point.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-11-24 02:19pm

The Kernel wrote:[

They sold a review to Nintendo. As far as I'm concerned humor is the ONLY thing they would be good for at this point.

They what?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-11-24 03:19pm

Ace Pace wrote:
The Kernel wrote:They sold a review to Nintendo. As far as I'm concerned humor is the ONLY thing they would be good for at this point.
They what?

Yeah, it's pretty old news. They basically let Nintendo throw enough money at them for a favourable review.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2005-11-24 03:35pm

Nephtys wrote:
Praxis wrote:I liked the X series up to X6. The story died out long before X6 but the gameplay itself was good in 6. However, they had basicly eradicated Sigma (...AGAIN) by the end of the game, destroying his new body before it could even be completed. I'm sure they found some corny way to bring him back in X7, but the games after X6 sucked.

After X6? Depending on who you ask, the game either hit it's peak in Megaman 2, Megaman 3, or Megaman X3. X5 was atrocious, and had a terrible storyline, poor production value, and the cheesiest space station ever 'Eurasia!'.

Agreed on storyline, however, I actually did like the gameplay. Incredibly stupid story that made less and less sense as it went on, but I liked the game engine and way it played.

Mr. Sinister · Post by **Mr. Sinister** » 2005-11-26 12:54am

SirNitram wrote:Holding out for X-Play. Anyone brave enough to mock the Dynasty Warriors series is pretty honest.

From what I remember, X-Play gave Kameo 4/5, Madden 3/5, Call of Duty 2 5/5, and Condemed 4/5. There should be more detailes at g4tv.com.

Star-Blighter · Post by **Star-Blighter** » 2005-11-27 03:52pm

Mr Bean wrote:All Consoles(Post N64) crash, its just more a fuckup when a console does and much more rare.

I had an N64 for awhile. The fucking thing is a workhorse. I have never had it crash on me until I threw it across a room when a "friend" "borrowed" my car and hit a fence.

It still worked even though my copy of goldeneye was rendered parts by million (since it was in the console when I threw it...).

Anyone remember back in the day when a nintendo could be used as a blunt instrument and still be playable afterwards?

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2005-11-27 03:58pm

Star-Blighter wrote:Anyone remember back in the day when a nintendo could be used as a blunt instrument and still be playable afterwards?

A while ago a games show (Gammo ?) tried to kill an N64. The spilled cola in it, whacked it with a hammer, threw it down some stairs, threw it out a first-floor window, then ran it over with a Mercedes. Repeatedly.

It had a small crack in the outer shell, but worked perfectly.

And I *have* used my DS to beat my cousin.

Grandmaster Jogurt · Post by **Grandmaster Jogurt** » 2005-11-27 05:49pm

Star-Blighter wrote:Anyone remember back in the day when a nintendo could be used as a blunt instrument and still be playable afterwards?

I saw a video a few years ago where some people took a Gamecube, tied a rope to the handle in the back, and then dragged it behind their truck along a dirt road until the handle came off (a little less than two minutes of bouncing). Then they dropped it twice from the roof of a two-story house. They then brought it inside, plugged it in, put a disk in, and it worked.

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » 2005-11-27 06:05pm

my GC has coke spilled IN it, the clock seems to not remember the date when the current is shut off, but other than that, it's working smoothly

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-11-27 06:13pm

Mobius wrote:my GC has coke spilled IN it, the clock seems to not remember the date when the current is shut off, but other than that, it's working smoothly

Nintendo is FAMOUS for having durable consoles. I've seen pictures of consoles that looked like they were taken to war- and they still worked.

Star-Blighter · Post by **Star-Blighter** » 2005-11-27 06:17pm

Grandmaster Jogurt wrote:
Star-Blighter wrote:Anyone remember back in the day when a nintendo could be used as a blunt instrument and still be playable afterwards?
I saw a video a few years ago where some people took a Gamecube, tied a rope to the handle in the back, and then dragged it behind their truck along a dirt road until the handle came off (a little less than two minutes of bouncing). Then they dropped it twice from the roof of a two-story house. They then brought it inside, plugged it in, put a disk in, and it worked.

WOW.

I never owned or actually even played a GC before so I wouldn't know myself, but.

WOW.

GO NINTENDO!!!!