The Console Wars: 06.12.2005 | Xbox 360, Playstation 3 PS3, Revolution

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Huxley Xbox 360 screenshots

Image Source: themanroom.com

"Huxley" Xbox 360 screens

"The obvious marriage of massive multiplayer online environments and endless blasting in first person shooters should buck the 50% divorce rate and lead to a long lasting genre relationship on next-generation consoles. So what if the story revolving around two opposing human races fighting over an energy source is as original as a Vanilla Ice song. Take up to 100 soldiers and throw them into a FPS battle and I'm willing to bet not one of the combatants will care if there's a story at all. We're already Huxley fans and the game is still well over a year from release."

¶ D.Vader // 6/18/2005 03:25:00 PM // PermaLink //

Friday, June 17, 2005

Interview with J. Allard MS CorpVP on Xbox 360

Image Source: computerandvideogames.com

INTERVIEW: J ALLARD ON XBOX 360

"Microsoft's corporate vice president and driving force behind Xbox 360 discusses the company's next-gen initiative

Microsoft corporate vice president J Allard is currently responsible for driving the Washington, Redmond giant's Xbox 360 "into the HD Era by creating experiences that are always connected, always personalized and always in high definition," states his company biog. Allard was also a founding member of the Xbox platform project and additionally as chief XNA architect oversees Microsoft's XNA initiative -"an ecosystem of interchangeable, interoperable software tools and technologies from Microsoft, middleware and game development companies."

We caught up with Allard during this year's E3 to chat about Xbox 360 and how next-gen will change the face of gaming..."

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 03:32:00 PM // PermaLink //

The Official Perfect Dark Zero Site is launched

Microsoft Game Studios® launches official Perfect Dark Zero™ Web site!

Rare today officially de-classified extensive intelligence data regarding one of the most highly-anticipated Xbox 360™ launch titles, Perfect Dark Zero.

Perfect Dark Zero chronicles the adventures of the first lady of bounty hunting, Joanna Dark. The mission of this website is to give you a direct communication uplink to the game’s creators plus all the tools and tips needed to forge Joanna Dark into the perfect agent! Return often for the latest briefings from the creators of Perfect Dark Zero. Decode the secrets of Joanna Dark’s world, secure information on the game's cutting-edge online features, obtain game help, and infiltrate the forums to share your thoughts about the game that will be the grid’s hottest fusion of action, stealth, and adventure!

Microsoft Launched the official PDZ site some time this week, possibly today. There is not much posted yet exept a few screenshots, wallpapers, forums, and some Perfect Dark history.

Perfectdarkzero.com

¶ Blunt // 6/17/2005 02:56:00 PM // PermaLink //

Monster Madness Screenshot & Info - Xbox 360

Image Source: ign.com

Monster Madness Announced; Xbox 360 Screenshot

"Artificial Studios (recently purchased by Epic Games) today announced the development of Monster Madness, 'a four-player cooperative online-enabled action game for the PC and Xbox 360.' The following are clips from the fact sheet:

4-Player Cooperative Online Action
Mix local & online players as you try to survive the Monster's invasion. Each player character has unique items and affects how the story plays out.

3D Top-Down Shooting
Aim in any direction, including up and down. Hordes of Monsters attack you from all sides, but you can also utilize quick dodge-moves to avoid them!

Killer Graphics
Running on the Reality Engine, Monster Madness takes full advantage of the most advanced Shader Model 3.0 capabilities, including High Dynamic Range Rendering and fully dynamically lit & shadowed worlds.

Advanced Physics
Monster Madness is designed specifically for the Ageia NovodeX Physics platform, including use of the PhysX PPU. Interact with the environments physics to give yourself an advantage, such as creating barrides or throwing large objects."

This game should be released early 2006.

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 02:18:00 PM // PermaLink //

Halo 3 Rumormill - Xbox 360

UNCONFIRMED RUMOR: Halo 3 Details!

"Originally Posted by Shaedon
So I've got a friend who is the uncle with someone working at the offices of Bungie. He refused to tell me what department the guy's in, but apparently he was hired earlier this year and is working on their next project for the Xbox 360. This project is Halo 3.

My friend is not a huge fan of the series (he's a PC FPS player, although he has played both games), but he was made privy to some interesting things through his nephew. Of course, I can't confirm if they're valid or not because I'm just taking his word at face value. I will, however, let you guys take a gander at what he told me.

1) It will have a darker and more gritty story than the previous games.

2) They're attempting to maintain an online cooperative component for the campaign supporting more than two players at once.

3) It has a lot of cinematics planned for it. The opening scenes apparently occur thousands of years before the timeline of the original Halo: Combat Evolved's story.

4) It will have a multiplayer mode which pits players against bots in scenarios that are directly connected to the story of the game.

5) They're attempting to implement both a map editor and a movie maker, which would allow players to send and receive their maps/movies through Xbox Live. This would apparently be on a separate disc, and they have an entire team working just on these two projects.

6) Zanzibar, Sidewinder and Hang Em High are said to return to the multiplayer mode, completely reworked. Zanzibar will be mangled and torn apart as though after the battle, the sky will be dark red. Sidewinder will have four legs instead of just two, with bases at each end. Hang Em High will have a massive tree at its center and the structure will be deteriorated.

7) They want to support more than fifty players on Xbox Live for certain maps."

This originally appeared on the teamxbox forums. This is a reprint of the original post. I don't think there is any big surprises here.

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 09:15:00 AM // PermaLink //

360 Faceplates to make a spash!!

Faceplate by: xxghostsxx

360 Faceplates to make a splash!!!

By: Bryan Randal

I just wanted to share this beautiful faceplate design with everyone. I am sure all the 360 fans will love it.

Related Links:
The 360 Faceplate pool, designers are really going crazy with this thing!

¶ Blunt // 6/17/2005 08:58:00 AM // PermaLink //

More Revolution Controller Pics

Image Source: engadget.com

Image Source: 4colorrebellion.com

More Revolution Controller Pics

By: Richard Allen

I think the first photo we have posted here are more likely to be real. The top image looks like a total PhotoShop job. It appears to be a modified GameCube controller that has been photoshoped. The blog it came from states this comes from an" insider". Evidently it's someone who developed the original Neo Geo. It's hard to say though, the bottom pic is supposedly the Nintendo ON controller. There is even a site out there for Nintendo ON now (www.nintendoon.co.uk).

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 07:17:00 AM // PermaLink //

Killer Instinct III in the Works for Xbox 360?

Image Source: klov.com

Killer Instinct III in the Works for Xbox 360?

"A new, supposed leaked, list floating around the 'Net shows an extensive roster of Xbox 360 games rumored to be in the works. To the surprise of many readers, a few, never-before mentioned titles appear on the list with one of them being the most notorious: Killer Instinct III. "

Image Source: teamxbox.com

This was originally a Nintendo exclusive for the Super NES and the Nintendo 64. This comes as no surprise since MS has purchased Rare, which developed the game for the earlier Nintendo platforms. Since Rare has been purchased by Microsoft their titles have been lackluster. Rare is known for titles such as: "Donkey Kong 64", "Banjo-Kazooie", "GoldenEye 007" and "Perfect Dark".

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 07:01:00 AM // PermaLink //

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland - Xbox 360

Image Source: teamxbox.com

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland First Look (Xbox 360)

"Tony Hawk was huge before videogames, but I don’t even think Mr. 900 would discount the fact that Neversoft and Activision have elevated his career to new heights. As birdboy gets older, his image and likeness for merchandising gets stronger; not a bad thing in anyone’s eyes, especially pro athletes that rely heavily on their bodies to make tha’ cha-ching. The Pro Skater franchise created a videogame frenzy a few years back with the help of Hawk’s endorsement, Neversoft’s development, and Activision’s implementation."

It amazes me how they can recreate this franchise and keep it fresh. Way to go Tony.

¶ D.Vader // 6/17/2005 06:56:00 AM // PermaLink //

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Super Mario 128 headed to Revolution

By: Richard Allen

In an interview with Wired Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed Mario 128 for the Nintendo revolution. Originally this game was being developed as a launch title for the GameCube, but beyond the original prototype images (above and link below) the game was never completed and disappeared from the Nintendo landscape. The Mario 128 prototype was reportedly to be a puzzle game. Now this game is being developed as a true followup to ever popular blockbuster, Super Mario 64. Shigeru confirms that this installment will have unique gameplay mechanics. At this point there is little news to go on since Nintendo is being very tight lipped about this title.

¶ D.Vader // 6/16/2005 12:39:00 PM // PermaLink //

Rumor Mill: The Revolution Helmet

By: Bryan Randal

Well let the rumors start flying. There is some information floating around the web about a Revolution Helmet or the "ON" helmet. This could be the revolutionary controller that Nintendo speaks of or just a hoax. I am giving this some credit for a couple reasons. If you look at the images you will see the tail end of the word "Revolution" now if you look at the video from IGN linked below you will see something interesting. The "Nintendo ON" logo in the video looks the same as the letters "ON" in revolution. Confused yet?? Well they look the same, I'm not saying that the video is legit but it has ties to the pictures. My theory is that this video is quite old, a initial pitch video maybe. The images are the final version and the helmet design has strong ties to the Revolution console. Only time will tell if this is fact of fiction.

Related Links:
Nintendo "ON" Helmet Video
Link to some pics (slow link)

¶ Blunt // 6/16/2005 11:03:00 AM // PermaLink //

Metal Gear Solid 4 Playstation 3 Exclusive

By: Richard Allen

Hideo Kojimo told Famitu magazine that the next installment in the Metal Gear saga will be a Playstation 3 exclusive. Even though previously Kojimo expressed the PS3 maybe a bit much for some developers, his loyalty for the Sony platform made this an easy decision.

“Metal Gear Solid 4 is only scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3 at the current time. Of course we could port it to other consoles, but doing so would require additional staff and research and development costs. If I were to make games for the Xbox 360 or the Revolution, I'd rather create original titles that match each console's audience, instead of the Metal Gear Solid series.”
-- Hideo Kojimo

It doesn't sound like he has discounted the possibility of other Metal Gear titles for Xbox 360 or Revolution.

Related Links:
PlayStation 3 Scoops Exclusive Rights to Metal Gear 4
Metal Gear on Xbox 360 and Revolution?

¶ D.Vader // 6/16/2005 10:14:00 AM // PermaLink //

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Matsushita To Release Blu-ray DVD Drive For PCs

"Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. is set to release new DVD drives for personal computers in compliance with the Blu-ray format, a move that will mark a rupture in negotiations to unify the two competing next-generation DVD formats, informed sources said Friday.

Matsushita will begin commercial production of the drives in fiscal 2006 and may supply them to PC makers of the Blu-ray group such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., they said.

Known for its Panasonic brand of consumer electronics, Matsushita has so far produced such drives only for display at trade fairs and other reference purposes as talks have been under way to unify the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats so as to avoid confusion among users.

But as the two sides have remained wide apart, Toshiba Corp., leader of the HD-DVD format group, plans to release a DVD player of the format at the end of this year.

Sony Corp., which leads the Blu-ray group along with Matsushita, plans to adopt the DVD technology for its PlayStation 3 game console.

While Matsushita has already released home-use DVD players of the Blu-ray format, it plans to put successor machines on the market in fiscal 2006. "

¶ D.Vader // 6/15/2005 04:21:00 PM // PermaLink //

Sanyo allies with Blu-ray Group - PS3

Sanyo rocks alliance with Blu-ray Group - PS3

"The battle of the next-generation DVD format continues. Sanyo Electric has joined the Sony-lead Blu-ray Group to develop high-definition DVD discs, though the company has not strayed from Toshiba's HD-DVD camp.

Sanyo is said to have joined the Blu-ray Group in April, but also plans to have an HD-DVD player at retail later this year.

Sony and Toshiba are in a fight to create the de facto next-generation DVD standard. Sony will include Blu-ray technology in the next-generation console Playstation 3, and is betting on its inclusion to drive the format into more living rooms than HD-DVD."

¶ D.Vader // 6/15/2005 11:35:00 AM // PermaLink //

Microsoft Pledges Xbox 360 to Dominate Japan

Xbox 360 will 'win' in Japan, MS pledges

"Microsoft will ship its next-generation Xbox 360 console in Japan before the year is out, the company has re-iterated, and it expects to trounce the competition.

Speaking to reporters in Asia, Microsoft Japan's Xbox boss, Yoshihiro Maruyama, said the 360 will 'enter the Japanese market around December'.

Microsoft said as much when it formally unveiled the 360 last month. The Japanese launch will come just over a month after the console debuts in the US and Europe in the late October/early November timeframe.

Japan has proved a tough nut for Microsoft's console division to crack. Japanese gamers prefer different kinds of games to those favoured in the West, a fact not helped perhaps by the first Xbox's PC heritage. In a bid to get the product right for Japanese consumers, Microsoft was forced to delay the console's introduction, from December 2001 to February 2002. Hints that it was pondering such a move surfaced way back in March 2001.

It did little good, in any case, and Microsoft went on to take the axe to its Japanese Xbox workforce in March 2003, before going on to announce a strategic rethink of the Japanese market the following July. Xbox has yet to dent Sony or Nintendo's sales in the country, however.

This time round, Microsoft has recruited Maruyama, who's a former executive with Square Enix, the Japanese games developer behind the hugely popular Final Fantasy series. And he promised things will be different with the 360: "This time, as well as launching first, we have focused on designing the machine and the games for the Japanese market. We expect to win," he added, bullishly."

¶ D.Vader // 6/15/2005 10:34:00 AM // PermaLink //

MS Launching Music Service Xbox 360 to be Hub

Microsoft music biz bolstered by Bach
"Ballmer backs Xbox boss in attempt to boost music business.

Characterizing the move as a shot across the bow toward Apple and its user-friendly iPod MP3 player and iTunes digital music store, the Wall Street Journal today is reporting that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will soon put Xbox boss Robbie Bach in charge of the company's digital music business.

The appointment, not yet officially announced, will see the 16-year Microsoft veteran on a 'mission to make Microsoft's new Xbox a hub for handling digital music.'

Already, the company touts the Xbox as the centerpiece of a home network that facilitates the storage and showing of digital photographs. On the music front, however, Microsoft has substantially less street cred than Apple--with the Xbox's abilities to facilitate the downloading, storage, and repurposing of music as something of an afterthought--with little to no traction among consumers of the device.

The upcoming move is designed to give Microsoft's agenda in the digital music space more visibility and greater standing.

Citing only "people familiar with the matter," the Journal says Bach is "expected to be given the authority to push for a range of changes, such as setting up a team focused solely on digital music, reorganizing product groups, or acquiring companies." The iPod continues to grow its already dominant 80 percent share of the digital music-player market."

¶ D.Vader // 6/15/2005 06:24:00 AM // PermaLink //

Brett Lovelady & ASTRO on Designing the Xbox 360

Image Source: biz.gamedaily.com

ASTRO on Designing the Xbox 360

"When the first images of the Xbox 360 were leaked prior to its official unveiling, the feedback was mostly positive. That's good news for Brett Lovelady, whose ASTRO Studios was tasked with designing the first of the next-gen consoles. We spoke with Brett about the design approach, appealing to Japanese consumers and more.

"We wanted to shed some of the dark, black, science fiction heritage of console history to appeal to a broader digital entertainment audience"
-- Lovelady"

Full Interview with Brett Lovelady, Founder and President of ASTRO Studios.

¶ D.Vader // 6/15/2005 06:18:00 AM // PermaLink //

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Xbox 360 in time for Christmas world wide

By: Richard Allen

According to reports at Computer and Video Games, the Xbox 360 December launch in Japan was confirmed by Yoshihiro Maruyama, general manager of Xbox Japan.

This seems to coiside with what we have been hearing for the release schedule. Novemeber for US and the European and Japanese markets should follow suit just weeks after

Related Links:
XBOX 360 LAUNCH IN DECEMBER [Japan]
Microsoft Deutschland: Xbox 360 will be available in time for Christmas

¶ D.Vader // 6/14/2005 03:40:00 PM // PermaLink //

PlayStation 3: New Killzone 3 Art

Image Source: ign.com

PlayStation 3: New Killzone 3 Art
"So the PlayStation 3 game will be Killzone 3 then?

Just before Killzone launched on PlayStation 2 we spoke candidly with some of the developers at Guerilla. They told us that work on Killzone 2 was already underway and that it would not be a PlayStation 3 title. They would not, however, confirm Killzone 2 for either PS2 or PSP release.

That bit of information seemed to be contradicted by the 2005 Sony E3 press conference, which depicted a now controversial video of Killzone PS3. One thing to note from the video was that it was not ever referred to as Killzone 2.

Just recently, Jeux-France updated with artwork from 'Killzone 3' (the art in question is at least labeled as such). This artwork depicts scenes specifically highlighted during the Killzone PS3 video demonstration.

Given the available information, we expect that the still unofficial Killzone 2 is in development for either PSP or PS2 and that Killzone for PS3 will in fact be Killzone 3, or at least the third in the series."

Related Link:
IGN Killzone 3 Art & Screenshots

¶ D.Vader // 6/14/2005 03:29:00 PM // PermaLink //

ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified

ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified

Ever since the announcement that ATI were working with Microsoft on "Future XBox technologies" the rumour mill has been working overtime as to the graphics behind it. Some of the messages since the announcement of the XBOX 360, the eventual console ATI's work will appear in, have not necessarily been reflective of the actual operation and even a little contradictory from representatives directly from ATI.

With strict NDA's and designs being built for two different competitive consoles, very tight controls of what could be talked about had to be implemented within ATI, and the XBOX group operated very much within their own silo; it wasn't until Microsoft lifted the NDA's that ATI could even speak of it on a wider internal basis, let along externally, and even then there is a lot of information to gather.

Overall it looks as though Xenos represents some highly interesting design choices on many fronts and clearly seems as though ATI have attempted to come up with a very different architecture to at the very least target the needs of the XBOX 360 console platform. It will be very interesting to see the performance and quality of graphics it is able to produce once developers have had decent access to development kits based on the final hardware, however we suspect that it won't be until the second generation of XBOX 360 titles before we see developers being able to seriously scratch the surface of understanding the processing capabilities of Xenos and the XBOX 360 as a whole.

About ten times more information in this article than any other I have read on the 360. If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty check it out. I mean seriously like 10 pages of information on how the entire system works....these guys really did their homework.

Full Story: ATI Xenos
Source: beyond3d.com

¶ Blunt // 6/14/2005 09:09:00 AM // PermaLink //

Monday, June 13, 2005

Metal of Honor Airborne coming to PS3?

Metal of Honor Airborne for PS3?

"An EA tipster sends word that not only is Electronic Arts’ LA studio staying put in sunny Los Angeles, it’s got a brand spankin’ new project to sink its teeth into.

The yet to be announced Metal of Honor Airborne is being developed for the Playstation 3 and is set to come out in time for the new console’s launch next year.

I don’t know diddly about the game itself, but I’m uber-intrigued by its non-colon conjested name. Here’s hoping that we’ll all be playing a World War II shooter as members of the 101st Screaming Eagles, 82nd Airborne or the British Red Devils in a year’s time."

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 05:04:00 PM // PermaLink //

Nintendo Revolution Controller Images - Is this the real McCoy?

Image Source: gizmondo.com

Nintendo Revolution Controller Images - Is this the real McCoy?

By: Richard Allen

Some photos are floating around the internets about Nintendo's very secretive Revolution controller. At first glance this controller does contain the features Nintendo has been speaking of: Gyroscope (didn't we have enough of that with R.O.B.?), Haptic Tactile Touch Screen and the Squeeze buttons on the back. One glaring ommission is a lack of a D-Pad and a secondary Analog stick. I supppose the touch pad could suffice for those functions, but I am thinking these images are fakes.

Source: Nintendo Revolution - The Controller

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 04:53:00 PM // PermaLink //

Old School Classic Video Game Commercials

Image Source: fileplanet.com

Old School Classic Video Game Commercials

By: Richard Allen

FilePlanet is has got a compliation of a bunch of classic videogame commericals. You will see the likes of Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PC, etc. A nice bit of nostalgia for the older gamers out there.

Note: GameSpy or FilePlanet ID is required (Free).

Link: Classic Video Game Commercials

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 03:50:00 PM // PermaLink //

Steve Jobs talkin' trash on the Cell Processor (PS3)

Apple boss attacks Cell processor

"Apple boss rejected Cell processor over poor performance.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, has reportedly rejected using Sony's Cell processor because it offered poor performance when compared to its competitors.

Jobs met with Ken Kutaragi, SCE president, last year to discuss using the Cell chip in Apple hardware, but reportedly knocked back the Cell chip after being left disappointed by its performance. Jobs felt that PowerPC processor, as used in the Xbox 360, would offer better performance than the Cell.

This news spreads further doubt over the power of the PlayStation 3 which is to use the Cell Processor. The Xbox 360 is to contain a triple core PowerPC processor. This comes after earlier news claiming that the ATI graphics chip in the Xbox 360 will outperform NVIDIA's RSX inside the PlayStation 3."

The thing I do not understand is why Apple moved from the PowerPC. Apple states it's due to speed, but all 3 nextgen consoles will support the PowerPC technology. At this point 3.2Ghz processors aren't the fastest in the bunch, but it's certainly no slouch. I would assume this is a humble beginning for this new stage in the PowerPC's life.

By next Christmas, I bet the console market would have delivered more PowerPC chips to the marketplace then Apple ever did.

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 02:56:00 PM // PermaLink //

GarageGames to support Xbox 360

Image Source: garagegames.com

GarageGames to support Xbox 360

"US developer aquires BraveTree Productions as part of new expansion plans

Oregon-based developer GarageGames Studios has announced plans to develop games for Microsoft's next-gen Xbox 360 console, acquiring BraveTree Productions as part of a new expansion.

Mark Frohnmayer has been promoted to the role of president at the studio, which is best known for its Torque development platform.

'With the expanded opportunities like Xbox 360 it was natural to want to include the BraveTree team,' said Frohnmayer.

'This allows us to work together to support our mutual passion for making fun games - benefiting both of us with increased creative collaboration as well as putting more energy and investment directly into games.'

Joe Maruschak, formerly of BraveTree and now creative director for GarageGames, added: 'Getting to focus just on creating games without the distractions of running an indie studio fulfills our original purpose in founding BraveTree.

'The way GarageGames is structured will give us the opportunity to contribute to the success of the games and technology.'

GarageGames' previous titles include ThinkTanks and Marble Blast, both already available via the Xbox Live Arcade download service in the US. The service is launching in Europe this week."

Related Links:
www.garagegames.com

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 01:51:00 PM // PermaLink //

Nintendo Programmer Leaks Revolution Specifications?

Image Source: nintendo.com

Nintendo Programmer Leaks Revolution Specifications?

By: Richard Allen

According to a Nintendo blog, Nintendo Centrium, an alleged "Nintendo programmer" has leaked the much sought after specs for the next generation Nintendo. According to reports this programmer was contracted by Nintendo to work on a DS game and the company has a 12 month contract with Nintendo. Some how the programmer came accross this information and emailed it to the blog owner.

Specs:

Dual (2x) G5 1.8GHZ CPUS (Not 2X Core)
Uses copper Technology for less heat
512K L2 Cache
1200 MHZ Front Side Bus (Note: Xbox 360’s FSB 1000 MHz)
600MHz GPU with 12MB Embedded 1T SRAM – 2x Pipes 4x T read?
128MB 1T SRAM MAIN MEMORY 600 MHz (L3 Cache to CPU and GPU)
256MB 400MHZ NEC Design Embedded DRAM
Embedded 16-BIT HD 7.1 Digital sound chip
Dedicated sound bandwidth with zero affect on CPU
6GB HD Dual Layer Panasonic Discs
3:1 balance ratio between CPU and RAM
1:1 balance ratio between GPU and RAM

Now this is rumor at this point. Also don't get dual CPUs mixed up with multiple cores. Dual CPU's do give more processing power, but it's generally not double. You loose some processing power with the latency between the CPUs. Also as reported earlier, the Revolution will not support any Hi-Def standards at this time.

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 09:33:00 AM // PermaLink //

Halo 2 on Xbox 360

Image Source: www.myxbox.at

Halo 2 on XBox at TotalVideoGames.com | News: Halo 2 on Xbox 360

"Microsoft leading on THE top-selling Xbox title to test Xbox 360 backwards compatibility...

The ever resourceful Larry Hryb, Xbox Live Director of Programming (aka MajorNelson), today described a recent playtest of Halo 2 running backwards compatible on the Xbox 360 as “really cool”.

Specifics were kept closely guarded, although Hryb did lay claim to becoming the first person to do a “corpse-hump” on the 360. The game was played in split-screen, with Hryb describing the experience as “...you couldn’t tell the difference” despite still undergoing a variety of tweaks to optimise performance.

Despite the claims, doubt and confusion still continues to encircle the state of Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, as Microsoft refuse to elaborate on the definition of “top-selling” and exactly what games constitute this in the first place.

We’ll have more information soon."

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 09:32:00 AM // PermaLink //

Pioneer and Mitsubishi developed write-once Blu-ray disc

EETimes.com - Blu-ray disk enters next-gen DVD race

"A day after the announcement of a HD DVD-R disk format, Pioneer Corp. and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co. Ltd. jointly announced development of write-once disk for the Blu-ray Disc format.

The partners said they intend to propose the disk as the BD-R format to the Blu-ray Disc Association.

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media was one of the developers of the HD DVD-R disk. It developed a separate organic die to be used in the BD format disk, a company spokesman said.

Pioneer, which led development of the write-once DVD format, said it also intends to take the lead in developing a write-once disk for the BD format. Pioneer and Mitsubishi Chemical Media have been collaborating on disk development since last autumn as the drive and media makers.

The BD disk has a recording layer on its reflective layer. The recording layer was formed by spin coating the organic die. The layer is covered with a 0.1-mm-thick cover file. The single-layer disk has a capacity of 25 Gbytes. Disk jitter is 6 percent, and the reflection rate is 40 percent, which is almost the same level of BD-ROM disk, according to Mitsubishi Chemical Media.

The partner will present more detail at the ISOM/ODS '05 show in Hawaii next month. "

¶ D.Vader // 6/13/2005 09:29:00 AM // PermaLink //

Watch Out Blu-Ray & HD-DVD 30GB Card for less then $1!

Image Source: trustedreviews.com

30GB for 50p [$0.90]

"Holographic expert Optware is set to shake up the next gen storage device market with a 30GB card media it claims can be produced for around 50p (about $0.90).

The Holographic Versatile Card (HVC) is designed to be the same size as a credit card (for user’s convenience) and can hold 30GB of data. In theory this could provide a great low cost alternative to Blu-ray and HD DVD, but there’s a snag. Normally, users pay a premium on the media (think games for consoles, printer cartridges for printers), here the opposite is true.

For while 30GB cartridges cost pence, the card reader is likely to be priced at over £1,000 (about $1,800) with the writer in excess of £5,000 (about $9,000) when the technology debuts at the end of 2006. You’ll be able to buy a heck of a lot of Blu-ray and HD DVD media for that…

This is a shame really as Optware says the technology (which records in both longitudinal or lateral directions) is immensely scaleable, with 30GB cards able to be shrunk to the size of flash memory. Perhaps we are looking at the future of solid state MP3 players in maybe three years time?

But until that heady era, it looks like the future of HVC will be as an enterprise back-up solution where media is chewed through like a cow eating grass. "

Image Source: optware.co.jp

Now this looks like it's way off just due to the pricing of the readers. With any high tech endevour most cost issues can be resolved with economies of scale. From what the company is saying not only is the capacity high, but transfer rates are high as well. This maybe the next storage format if prices on the readers and writers come down.