Chat with J Allard

[NavNucST3]

Just found this on Majors' site.

J will do a live chat tomorrow afternoon that will be open to anyone that would like to attend. This will be a 60 minute, open forum chat where you can ask J anything. J would like to provide some perspective around the two SKU approach for Xbox 360, and answer as many questions as he can about the Xbox 360 during the hour. This will be a very candid discussion. I am expecting this will be a popular chat. We’ll try and get to as many questions as we can to make sure everyone is heard. One more thing: you’ll need to attend the chat to ask the questions…we won’t be taking questions any other way.
...
Ok, on to the details:

What: Chat with J Allard about the Xbox 360

When: 12p-1p PT on Sunday August 21, 2005

Where: Join tomorrow at 12n PT through this link

Note: You will need a .NET Passport to login. If you’ve got an MSN or Hotmail account, or your already post in the Xbox forums, you’ve got a .NET Passport already and you are good to go..other wise get a free .NET passpord here.
You can find the system requirements here but the chat will work on Mac and Firefox.

It’s important to know that the Xbox execs really value your opinions and insights, as is demonstrated by J wanting to meet with everyone. As J is showing his respect for your opinion by participating in this dialog, I would hope you treat him with the same respect.

Thanks and I’ll see you tomorrow 8/ 21 at 12p PT.

P.S. If you can’t make it, I’ll be sure there is a transcript available.

I hope most will keep it civil. Seems like a pretty decent idea to set the record straight.

 

[Tap In]

Q&A

here:
http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=13427446

note"
need net passport

 

[Tap In]

a couple that are relevant to some discussions here of late

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why even offer the core package, its seems quite useless
A: great question! the thing to remember that while we designed a no compromises game system, a huge percentage of our customers are not like the folks in this chat room (read: hard core gamers). recognize that more than 75% of the folks on xbox have not played halo. by introducing the core system we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market just like with the xbox 360 premium bundle that we are committed to you.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why even offer the core package, its seems quite useless
A: the significance of this message can not be understated. many of the publishing and retail partners want our commitment to grow the market. and as you have heard from us in our press conferences and such we are very committed to growing the market.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Can a USB Memory been used by the xbox 360??(I'm asking this because the 360 has USB ports)
A: at present our design for xbox 360 uses the usb ports in a read-only capacity for playing music and viewing photos. if there are other applications that you guys think are interesting then please give us your feedback.

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why doesn't wifi work out of the box?
A: we worked with game designers and talked to hard core gamers and asked them what their top priorities were and the bulk of our investment went into the silicon to the cpu and the gpu so we would have kick **** games. we had a fixed budget and could not do it all. in the end we had a budget and had to offer wifi as an option but we did decide to add "a" as a standard in addition to b and g. we are also compatible with existing devices already on the makret.


J Allard (Expert):
Q: What is your opinion on HD-DVD?
A: it's going to be interesting to see how and if a high def format for movies plays out. when we designed the the initial xbox many people asked if sacd or dvd audio would be the successor to the cd format for music. as everyone knows the real successor was mp3 and digital distribution with things like napster ipod and msn music. while there is a lot of talk about this in the industry it will be interesting to see what the exact future of this is for movies. of course i think there will be a need for higher capacity optical media for storage applications. we prefer hd-dvd to blu-ray in terms of the flexibility it offers to different applications as well as the infrastructure costs to the market.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Has no-one asked why charge $100 just for Wifi? Or 'will an wireless Ethernet bridge work so I can get Wifi for a third the price MS would charge me?'

 

[Tap In]

Has no-one asked why charge $100 just for Wifi? Or 'will an wireless Ethernet bridge work so I can get Wifi for a third the price MS would charge me?'

from above

we had a budget and had to offer wifi as an option but we did decide to add "a" as a standard in addition to b and g. we are also compatible with existing devices already on the makret.

I know nothing of wireless networking so I don't know if that helps.

 

[Carl B]

I know nothing of wireless networking so I don't know if that helps.

For some reason I can't imagine he means USB Wi-FI adaptors, probably like 'existing routers' or something SO obvious, that no one would think it were anything but WiFi adaptors.

But if so - if they really allow for a means to circumvent that $99 - well, more power to them. And I hope they realize they will not sell a single one.

 

[Bad_Boy]

Q: will the core system come with a memory card? if not, how can u save games?
A: no it does not come with a memory unit. gamers will need an mu or a hard drive to save games with which is consistent with the games industry for the last decade.

if it is so consistent with the gaming industry for the last decade, why are you taking it out?

so let me get this straight, if you buy the 299 version, you cant save a single game so unless you keep your xbox on 24/7 your pretty much out of luck progressing in any game. so your forced to buy a 40 dollar memory card. (i mean come on, even the casual gamers save games)

then you say oh, "mike" down the road is coming over but we only have one controller, so your pretty much forced to get another controller unless your playing a single player game that you wouldnt mind taking turns on the stick. so you cough up another 40 for the controller.

so you just spent 80 bucks to play a 2 player game that you can also save. this is just memory and controller, 20 bucks away from the package where you get all the goodies.

in order to have any remotely fun experience with media and online (or to even try it out for that matter), you probably have to cough up another 20-150 more. (remote, headset, hd--depending on what you buy)

imo, regardless if the core system is aiming at the non-gaming crowd, it sure knows how to screw them in the ass. they should of had one sku at 399 w/ includes all the goodies. i feel bad for the casual gamers who dont get the 400 dollar version, and will have to cough up the money in the long run that they are "saving" in the beginning.

thats just my 2 cents ;x

 

[scooby_dooby]

so let me get this straight, if you buy the 299 version, you cant save a single game so unless you keep your xbox on 24/7 your pretty much out of luck progressing in any game. so your forced to buy a 40 dollar memory card. (i mean come on, even the casual gamers save games)

No for $299 you get a console w/ a controller, just like the n64, ps1, ps2, PS3 etc then you buy a memory card for $40 which is industry standard and people are trained to buy memory cards. So $340 and you are set, you can start buying games.

Basically if you are not interested in live(read: 80% of xbox1 users) and do not have a HDTV(80% of NA population) then the core system is the perfect value. Why do you need a HDD if you aren't going on live? You really don't.

The fact is likle 4/5ths of gamers do not have HDTV, and they do not go on Live, they just want to play games, and now they can for a nice pricepoint of $299.

 

[Bad_Boy]

No for $299 you get a console w/ a controller, just like the n64, ps1, ps2, PS3 etc then you buy a memory card for $40 which is industry standard and people are trained to buy memory cards. So $340 and you are set, you can start buying games.

not sure if you understood what i said. the 299 version has no memory card and no other controller (only 1), so if you want to save a game and play 2 player you HAVE to cough up 80 bucks just for that. tell me how many games you are going to play that are single player and you dont plan on saving at any point of the game.

so thats 380 right there, thats 20 dollars from the premium at 400. so like i said, the regular gamers are pretty much getting ripped off.

no offence at all, but please re-read what i said.



edit:

Basically if you are not interested in live(read: 80% of xbox1 users) and do not have a HDTV(80% of NA population) then the core system is the perfect value. Why do you need a HDD if you aren't going on live? You really don't.

The fact is likle 4/5ths of gamers do not have HDTV, and they do not go on Live, they just want to play games, and now they can for a nice pricepoint of $299.

hdtv or no hdtv, you mine as well pay an extra 20 bucks for other stuff that enables you to do a lot more things.

hd: loading times, saving media (movies, music, pictures), saving games, backwards compatibility(yeah, beleive it or not, some actually like playing their old games, or else nintendo and sony wouldnt have even bothered w/ it for it for their next gen consoles).

headset + remote: even if you your a casual games, pretty much most games are going to be on xbox live so why not pay an extra 20 bucks to have a better media and online experience, especially when live is free on weekends right?

 

[PARANOiA]

not sure if you understood what i said. the 299 version has no memory card and no other controller (only 1), so if you want to save a game and play 2 player you HAVE to cough up 80 bucks just for that. tell me how many games you are going to play that are single player and you dont plan on saving at any point of the game.

so thats 380 right there, thats 20 dollars from the premium at 400. so like i said, the regular gamers are pretty much getting ripped off.

no offence at all, but please re-read what i said.

No offence, but if this is a problem for you, gaming is not a hobby for you. Maybe you're new to gaming, but this has been the situation for every console launch ever. If you want cutting-edge, you pay for it. If you want value, wait 12-24 months.

 

[Bad_Boy]

No offence, but if this is a problem for you, gaming is not a hobby for you. Maybe you're new to gaming, but this has been the situation for every console launch ever. If you want cutting-edge, you pay for it. If you want value, wait 12-24 months.

what are you talking about? have you never saved a game or played 2 player?
im talking about the people who buy the 299 version who are supposedly saving money.

so like i said, you mine as well drop 400 down for the goods which is a great value, instead of gettin ripped off in the long run.

 

[a688]

EDIT:^^^^^ Technically they are saving money as the total cost for the base unit + MU + Second controller is only 380 and not 400. They saved 20 dollars. If they bought the more expensive unit it would cost them 440 - 450 to play a two player game would would mean they would have to spend an additional 60 - 70 dollars over what they will have to pay.

not sure if you understood what i said. the 299 version has no memory card and no other controller (only 1), so if you want to save a game and play 2 player you HAVE to cough up 80 bucks just for that. tell me how many games you are going to play that are single player and you dont plan on saving at any point of the game.

so thats 380 right there, thats 20 dollars from the premium at 400. so like i said, the regular gamers are pretty much getting ripped off.

So gamers (casual and hardcore) have been ripped off since the original playstation? Gamers then had to purchase a second controller seperately to have two players and had to purchase a memory card so they could save their game.

 

[Bad_Boy]

So gamers (casual and hardcore) have been ripped off since the original playstation? Gamers then had to purchase a second controller seperately to have two players and had to purchase a memory card so they could save their game.

im talkin about two sku's. if ms wants to satisfy the customers, dont rip them off. sure they did have to buy memory cards and controllers in the past, but they damn sure didnt have to pay 80 bucks for them.

i dont see why nobody is understanding what im saying. you act like im bashing the xbox360. im just bashing the 299 sku which is praised for saving you money. the 399 version is a GREAT buy, unlike the 299 version. does anybody read?

 

[Sis]

not sure if you understood what i said. the 299 version has no memory card and no other controller (only 1), so if you want to save a game and play 2 player you HAVE to cough up 80 bucks just for that. tell me how many games you are going to play that are single player and you dont plan on saving at any point of the game.

so thats 380 right there, thats 20 dollars from the premium at 400. so like i said, the regular gamers are pretty much getting ripped off.

I wonder if the same outrage hit every single console release for the past 8 years?

I had to buy a memory card when I bought a PS1, a PS2, a Dreamcast and a GameCube. I also had to buy a second controller.

If you, as a consumer, feel the 299 version is a rip-off, then BUY THE MORE EXPENSIVE VERSION.

I am really at a loss as to the outcry I've seen over the past few days. The removal of a standard HDD I get, but complaining about the VERY typical 299 price?

.Sis

EDIT: removed Xbox from list of games I bought a mem card for--I only had to do that recently when I was transferring a few games to another box.

 

[Sis]

im talkin about two sku's. if ms wants to satisfy the customers, dont rip them off. sure they did have to buy memory cards and controllers in the past, but they damn sure didnt have to pay 80 bucks for them.

i dont see why nobody is understanding what im saying. you act like im bashing the xbox360. im just bashing the 299 sku which is praised for saving you money. the 399 version is a GREAT buy, unlike the 299 version. does anybody read?

Good point. MS should offer just a single SKU, then force everyone to buy the accessories. Total price now for the delux version: $500+.

.Sis

 

[Bad_Boy]

If you, as a consumer, feel the 299 version is a rip-off, then BUY THE MORE EXPENSIVE VERSION.

wow you people are obviously not getting me, the more expensive version will really be almost cheaper in the long run.

the sku's are screwed. one would be perfect.
im not tryin to be an ass, im just trying to be logical. sorry if i sound like a jerk.

 

[Sis]

headset + remote: even if you your a casual games, pretty much most games are going to be on xbox live so why not pay an extra 20 bucks to have a better media and online experience, especially when live is free on weekends right?

First, weekends are not free. Only special promotional weekends will be free. Second, only 10% of Xbox users are online. When only 1 out of every 10 consumers will use the headset, it makes sense to bundle it in the premium version and not in the core version.

Of course, I'm getting the 399 version because as you allude to, it is a better deal than the 299 version. But the 299 version is a better deal for those who don't need everything else. A friend of mine doesn't have broadband but wants an Xbox 360. For him, I'd recommend the 299 version. He doesn't need the HD because he doesn't have any Xbox games. Doesn't need the headset, since he ain't online. No need for the media center extender remote. The only complaint I have is that wireless controller should have come standard--it's time has come.

.Sis

 

[Farid]

J Allard (Expert):
Q: Can a USB Memory been used by the xbox 360??(I'm asking this because the 360 has USB ports)
A: at present our design for xbox 360 uses the usb ports in a read-only capacity for playing music and viewing photos. if there are other applications that you guys think are interesting then please give us your feedback.

Read only?
We won't be able to copy game saves on USB drives, it seems.
Datel will probably release an Action reply for that, I guess.

 

[Bad_Boy]

this is basically what i see you guys are saying

380 for the core
-2 controllers (but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers play 2 player)
-memory card (but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers save games)

400 for the premium
-hd(but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers play old games, save games, or go online)
-headset (but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers go online)
-wireless controller
-hd av cables (but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers have nice tv's)
-ethernet cable (but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers go online)
-remote(but this doesnt matter because no casual gamers watch movies)

obviously the core is the best buy for the casual gamers cause that 20 bucks saves you a shit load.

but, you guys are right, so ill stfu. (i know you would love that)

 

[NavNucST3]

No for $299 you get a console w/ a controller, just like the n64, ps1, ps2, PS3 etc then you buy a memory card for $40 which is industry standard and people are trained to buy memory cards. So $340 and you are set, you can start buying games.

Basically if you are not interested in live(read: 80% of xbox1 users) and do not have a HDTV(80% of NA population) then the core system is the perfect value. Why do you need a HDD if you aren't going on live? You really don't.

The fact is likle 4/5ths of gamers do not have HDTV, and they do not go on Live, they just want to play games, and now they can for a nice pricepoint of $299.

The difference being, this generation, everyone will have live by default and a 30-day trial of Gold. Its really easy to not be interested in something you have never tried. The other difference being that at some point, the realization that here in the states one will HAVE to buy a digital set (one could opt for just a decoder box) if they want to keep their OTA signal. Granted the cutoff date will be towards the end of the 360s life (01JAN09) but I would imagine TV mfrs. and movie studios starting to make a push with HD DVD, BD-ROM, xbox 360, and PS3 all coming out this year and next.