This of course led to a discussion on X-Box 2. There are no "official" plans for an X-Box 2, but Microsoft is of course continually re-assessing the situation. As such there are no concrete plans from any manufacturing concerning X-Box 2. When information does come out, it will be from Microsoft and not a 3rd party like NVIDIA or ATI. In other words, X-Box 2 is more rumor than reality now. Sony is very much in the lead with the PS-2, and they have introduced very early specs for the PS-3 which is slated for a 2005 introduction. These specs show a very capable product utilizing the Supercell processor, but with such a specification and open ended architecture, Sony could easily raise the bar when competing products are announced. Microsoft has a very daunting task to produce something to compete, and Microsoft does not want to expose its hand until Sony is firmly committed to the design and specs of the PS-3. -1
Microsoft is taking its own sweet time in choosing a partner, and doing so at an early date would only hurt its chances at producing a competitive product. This also keeps AMD and Intel in the running as a future partner, as both have very promising future products to base the CPU off of. The big question for Microsoft is exactly how much CPU power the X-Box 2 will need? The current X-Box has a 700 MHz Pentium !!! derivative, and that is not exactly a vector processing powerhouse. The PS-3 is all about vector processing, but seemingly not so much about graphics, so this could be an area where Microsoft may have an edge. -2
We will not hear anything from Microsoft this year, and of course announcing anything in 2005 would be too late. From this we can infer that Microsoft will probably make an X-Box 2 announcement in early 2004. Another reason for Microsoft not wanting to announce X-Box 2 early is that it wants to keep excitement about the current X-Box at a fever pitch, and not dilute it by announcing specs on future products. NVIDIA has worked very closely with Microsoft, and they fully expect to work with Microsoft again.
The current X-Box still has a lot of headroom left in it, and future titles will help to expose that headroom. The Halo series will again come to the fore in the next few months with the introduction of Halo 2. Now that developers are comfortable with programming for the X-Box, more graphically intense titles will be hitting the shelves very shortly. Halo 2 will feature some very impressive graphics by uncovering the advanced bump mapping capabilities of the X-Box GPU, as well as increased lighting complexity. The next generation of games will keep enthusiasts quite happy with the X-Box. -3
This is a very natural progression for consoles, as the initial games are typically not as impressive graphically as those that come several years after. We have seen this with the PS-1 and now the PS-2, and the X-Box will be no different. Developers will find ways to introduce advanced rendering functions that were initially absent, and this helps to give that particular console a longer life as well as greater perceived value.
