X-Box hacker interview

[-tkf-]

http://www.icrontic.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=113

If you could change something about the Xbox design-wise, what would
it be?

I would not use a standard PC architecture, and go for a more
integrated, lower-cost design. There is a lot of silicon and power
wasted in the current port of a PC to the Xbox. There are probably no
embedded processor architectures that burn more power or take more
area than an x86. The entire Xbox console is unoptimized for gaming.
For example, the Xbox uses an inferior unified memory architecture
(UMA) because it's "cheaper" (yet they have the most expensive to
manufacture console). They tout its high bandwidth, but they never
mention that the latency is 10x worse than the competition, and that
the available bandwidth is being split among the processor, video and
audio.

 

[CaptainHowdy]

OMG, someone backing up what I said a long time ago, some people are not going to be liking that..

 

[BenSkywalker]

This guy has some serious personal issues with MS it seems, not to mention suffering from 'philisophical engineer syndrome'(who cares if it works better if it isn't "elegant" ).

Mac OS X is like nirvana for me; it combines my favorite OS, NeXTstep, with the best of the vanilla unix world and great hardware. Let me say that again: great hardware. A really elegant, quality machine. And oh--the iPod--it is really compelling.

I think that illustrates his line of thought fairly well.

 

[Qroach]

UMA is hardly inferior. The guy that was interviewed simply doesn't have a clue of what he's talking about from a game development point of view.

 

[-tkf-]

UMA is hardly inferior. The guy that was interviewed simply doesn't have a clue of what he's talking about from a game development point of view.

I think he is spot on, of course i'm only a "stupid" gamer but somehow i don't understand how it's possible to actually develop games that run below 60 hz on the X-Box with it's awesome power!

 

[Mr. Angry Pants]

I guess even geniuses are capable of being biased fanboys.

I think he is spot on, of course i'm only a "stupid" gamer but somehow i don't understand how it's possible to actually develop games that run below 60 hz on the X-Box with it's awesome power!

Which would explain games like Quantum Redshift and Panzer Dragoon that look great and run at a flawless 60 hz (true for QR, presumably true for PD)

 

[-tkf-]

Which would explain games like Quantum Redshift and Panzer Dragoon that look great and run at a flawless 60 hz (true for QR, presumably true for PD)

Nope it explains that the X-Box isn't all powerfull and hardly is 3 times the PS2. And i wouldn't call him a F*nboy only another f*nboy would do that

 

[Magnum PI]

I guess even geniuses are capable of being biased fanboys.

I think he is spot on, of course i'm only a "stupid" gamer but somehow i don't understand how it's possible to actually develop games that run below 60 hz on the X-Box with it's awesome power!

Which would explain games like Quantum Redshift and Panzer Dragoon that look great and run at a flawless 60 hz (true for QR, presumably true for PD)

are you serious ? panzer dragoon isn't out yet, how can you presume of its framerate ? and you talk about fanb*ism...

tkf was only saying there are some games that aren't 60 fps on the xbox and it's true.

 

[Magnum PI]

This guy has some serious personal issues with MS it seems,

pure BS
for you i guess that every people criticizing microsoft and its products has to have "serious personal issues with MS"...

he says that "Microsoft has shown remarkably good will toward me and my work so far; they could easily have made my life miserable.", "Microsoft has been quite cordial about the whole affair, actually. "

it doesn't sound like a guy having "serious personal issues with MS"..

not to mention suffering from 'philisophical engineer syndrome'(who cares if it works better if it isn't "elegant" ).

Mac OS X is like nirvana for me; it combines my favorite OS, NeXTstep, with the best of the vanilla unix world and great hardware. Let me say that again: great hardware. A really elegant, quality machine. And oh--the iPod--it is really compelling.

I think that illustrates his line of thought fairly well.

this just illustrates that this guy appreciates quality software and quality hardware...

are you annoyed so much by the points he made you have to try to decredibilize him... how sad...

could you attack his arguing instead of him ? what's so wrong in what he said ?

 

[Qroach]

Sounds like he saying more than that Magnum.

Nope it explains that the X-Box isn't all powerfull and hardly is 3 times the PS2

Good god, what with some of your people and uninformed comments like this. I thought this argument about UMA being a bad idea went away after EVERYONE saw that it worked perfectly the way is should. Tell us, just how many GAME developers have you seen complaining about the Xbox hardware since it's been released? I can't think of any.

Not only that, it's simply foolish to say the hardware isn't powerful just because some games are running at 30fps. The performance of ANY said game is totally in the hands of the developer and how talented they are. There's too many factors invovled with game development to simply say the hardware isn't powerful. Time, money, and experience being the biggest ones. Not to mention that the MAJORITY of CONSOLE games on the market don't run above 30fps. They don't need to.

 

[Qroach]

mag,

pure BS
for you i guess that every people criticizing microsoft and its products has to have "serious personal issues with MS"... /quote]

Anyone that is talking about Xbox and runs off and starts talking about how good other OS's are is "exactly" that type of person that has "personal issues with MS".

 

[-tkf-]

Sounds like he saying more than that Magnum.

Yeah i'm saying it's a great console just not that great, maybe even shitty considering it's manufacturing price VS the gamecube.

I'm actually curious, i really wish someone would do a technical feature on the X-Box like Ars did with the PS2. I would like to know what weak points it has because from current games it looks like it has them.

A developer said in a EDGE Article that one of the problems was that Nvidia didn't allow full access to the hardware because that would require them to release Specs that it's PC competitors could use as well.

 

[Ozymandis]

are you serious ? panzer dragoon isn't out yet, how can you presume of its framerate ? and you talk about fanb*ism...

I've heard from a major game site that Panzer Dragoon runs at 60 frames per second. Don't know if it's true or not...


Reading that, it's kind of depressing. So many smart people seem to have this grudge against Microsoft for nothing.

 

[marconelly!]

Reading that, it's kind of depressing. So many smart people seem to have this grudge against Microsoft for nothing.

I wouldn't say it's for nothing. It's also sometimes very depressing what those mega corporations (not only Microsoft) are doing...

 

[Mr. Angry Pants]

I guess Nintendo really has gotten off Scott free in the eyes of the gaming public, in spite of the anti-trust cases it was embroiled in in the early 90's.

 

[marconelly!]

Nintendo is so much like Disney in that regard. All sweet and sugar coated... but inside...

 

[Johnny Awesome]

This is a pointless thread.

 

[-tkf-]

I guess Nintendo really has gotten off Scott free in the eyes of the gaming public, in spite of the anti-trust cases it was embroiled in in the early 90's.

SURE! We are all ignoring the fact that they are getting sued.. again in Europe

 

[Mr. Angry Pants]

Good point! Again, such things are irrelevent in the eyes of those who claim that Microsoft will 'ruin' the industry.

 

[CeiserSöze]

SURE! We are all ignoring the fact that they are getting sued.. again in Europe

They're not getting sued again - this particular case has been going on for 7 years now. According to a friend of mine who works at Nintendo's swiss distribution partner NOE changed these questionable distribution practices in 1995 right after they were sued by the EU.