Xbox2 release date?

[Ty]

XBox 2 release date leak? From the Register/Spong so grain of salt.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/20/xbox2_release_date/

 

[Dave Baumann]

I think that has already been posted a day or so ago from an Inq report. This one sounds a little more amusing - it looks like an MS exec had a little slip and had to backtrack somewhat:

Seattle Post[/url]]But for a moment last week, it almost seemed as if the company had made an announcement about one of the more closely guarded Xbox secrets -- the timing of the next console's release -- at a Seattle Rotary Club luncheon, of all places. It happened when Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith was addressing the group. (See more on the actual topic of his speech here.) An item in today's Microsoft Notebook explains what Smith said about the next Xbox, both from the podium and when I asked him about it afterward. The item also includes some previous comments on the subject from Xbox executive Peter Moore:

"Certainly we're very excited about what we believe the year has to offer," Smith told the group. "Technologically, our developers are focused on a number of products you'll see come to market, ranging from search technologies online and on your desktop to things you'll see as we get to the next holiday season with the next generation of Xbox and holiday devices." ...

Afterward, however, Smith said his words shouldn't be taken as conveying anything about the timing of the next Xbox, one way or the other. "I did not mean to imply anything about when it comes out," he said. "I was just talking about all the energy that's going into working on it."

 

[Inane_Dork]

Seattle Post[/url]]"I did not mean to imply anything about when it comes out," he said. "I was just talking about all the energy that's going into working on it."

The energy going into it. I have to remember that one.

 

[Acert93]

If the Xenon leaked specs are accurate, I think it will be safe to say that Xenon is one of the worse kept secrets ever!

On another note, boy, Xenon sure has a lot of buzz considering the Xbox got whipped more than 4:1 units sold by Sony's PS2. Considering how well Xbox has done in the states, I wonder if Sony will wait until Fall 2006 to release the PS3 in the states, or instead do a Spring world wide launch. That is, of course, if Xenon ships in 2005

 

[jvd]

If the Xenon leaked specs are accurate, I think it will be safe to say that Xenon is one of the worse kept secrets ever!

On another note, boy, Xenon sure has a lot of buzz considering the Xbox got whipped more than 4:1 units sold by Sony's PS2. Considering how well Xbox has done in the states, I wonder if Sony will wait until Fall 2006 to release the PS3 in the states, or instead do a Spring world wide launch. That is, of course, if Xenon ships in 2005

longer sony waits the bigger the hole it has to climb out of


Remember PS3 has sold 0 units .

They wont be the market leader once they launch it . If ms launches first and like your saying a year early then ms will be the market leader of the next gen systems for at least that year if not longer as the ps3 would have to catch up .

More unit sales for the xenon means more developer support which means more units sold , which means more dev support .

None of which sony wants

 

[Acert93]

I am not disagreeing. I think Xenon is going to be another excellent design by MS (even better than the Xbox imo in that it has a better conception and focus) but is also going to be a more cost effective solution longterm. With a lot of US momentum, developer interest and support, XNA, and proving they are serious about the console market I expect the Xenon to do better than the Xbox. There were a lot of unknowns when MS released the Xbox--a lot of those are answered now. MS is no longer an unknown, but now has an install base of fans who enjoy their system.

Obviously Microsoft has some hurdles. One major one being more quality 1st party titles. I think they may have 1 more, maybe 2, "killer" Halo releases. (Imo Halo has a lot of room to evolve, and even if it does not the quality is very high and refining what players want making it bigger, faster, better looking, etc... is not always a bad thing...) But they cannot ride the "Halo effect" forever. And to appeal to more gamers they need to offer more than Halo. Obviously more 3rd party support and getting some big name exclusives, especially from Japanese developers, would help.

I think the Xenon looks VERY promising, but MS has some big hurdles. And release early means nothing if they pull a Sega DC.

If the PS3 is significantly more powerful than the Xenon and Sony is able to (a) make MS look bad for having such a short product life cycle with the Xbox and (b) make consumers feel the forth coming PS3 is a better value and will have better games, I think it could be bad for MS.

There are no guarantees. We may very well see Xenon gain a lot of momentum in the US. With a lot of movement going on with Sports Exclusives and consolidation and partnerships I think a lot of Sony, MS, and Nintendo's success will hinge on 3rd party support and being able to get 2 or 3 killer apps out first--all the time convincing gamers their console is the best value and the "cool" thing to own.

Launching early is no guarantee for sucess. But the DC was crashed because of the wake of horrid Sega launches (32X, Sega CD, GameGear, Nomad, and a strong SS start that fizzled out) caught up with Sega and had hurt consumer confidence because they were coming out with machines too often that flopped with marginal support and also the promises from Sony that the PS2 would be night-and-day better. (Btw, I like the DC as a game console, just being honest). Obviously MS is not in this position, and if they can somehow get backwards compatibility to work then I think they would be in a good position.

BUT, there is a lot that can happen between now and 2007/2008. Sony may surpise us all--the PS3 may be able to perform 500 GFLOPs or 1 TFLOP. MS may ship with 256MB of ~22GB/s RAM and Sony with 512MB of ~50GB/s RAM. The R500 may be a good all around chip back lack some performance (as was rumored of the R400) and the NV50 may be totally dedicated to Pixel shading and be two or three times faster than the 6800GT in PS and use the CELL for Vertex Shading (and thus an insane geometry performance). HD DVD may die a quick death without having any exclusives against BR higher tech and Sony exclusives and wide support.

If the PS3 ships with 2x the CPU performance and 1.5 to 2x the GPU performance, and 2x the memory of the Xenon--all with BR and wide industry support--then I think the PS3 will really be a tough competitor to gain much ground on especially if they keep developer support. While the better specs wont necessarily better looking games, it wont hurt. Yes, ports will be important and yes MS has XNA, but PS3 exclusives and 1st party software will exploit the PS3 which will help.

MS and Sony have a lot to lose and a lot to gain. Ultimately marketing and developer support will have more to say about the success of the system than the specs. Maybe B3D should start a marketing and developer support discussion forum We can all argue who has the better marketing (break down ads, commercials, display units, consumer and developer shows, etc...) and who has more developers and who has the better developers Ok, bad idea...

 

[Wunderchu]

I am not disagreeing. I think Xenon is going to be another excellent design by MS (even better than the Xbox imo in that it has a better conception and focus) but is also going to be a more cost effective solution longterm. With a lot of US momentum, developer interest and support, XNA, and proving they are serious about the console market I expect the Xenon to do better than the Xbox. There were a lot of unknowns when MS released the Xbox--a lot of those are answered now. MS is no longer an unknown, but now has an install base of fans who enjoy their system.

Obviously Microsoft has some hurdles. One major one being more quality 1st party titles. I think they may have 1 more, maybe 2, "killer" Halo releases. (Imo Halo has a lot of room to evolve, and even if it does not the quality is very high and refining what players want making it bigger, faster, better looking, etc... is not always a bad thing...) But they cannot ride the "Halo effect" forever. And to appeal to more gamers they need to offer more than Halo. Obviously more 3rd party support and getting some big name exclusives, especially from Japanese developers, would help.

I think the Xenon looks VERY promising, but MS has some big hurdles. And release early means nothing if they pull a Sega DC.

If the PS3 is significantly more powerful than the Xenon and Sony is able to (a) make MS look bad for having such a short product life cycle with the Xbox and (b) make consumers feel the forth coming PS3 is a better value and will have better games, I think it could be bad for MS.

There are no guarantees. We may very well see Xenon gain a lot of momentum in the US. With a lot of movement going on with Sports Exclusives and consolidation and partnerships I think a lot of Sony, MS, and Nintendo's success will hinge on 3rd party support and being able to get 2 or 3 killer apps out first--all the time convincing gamers their console is the best value and the "cool" thing to own.

Launching early is no guarantee for sucess. But the DC was crashed because of the wake of horrid Sega launches (32X, Sega CD, GameGear, Nomad, and a strong SS start that fizzled out) caught up with Sega and had hurt consumer confidence because they were coming out with machines too often that flopped with marginal support and also the promises from Sony that the PS2 would be night-and-day better. (Btw, I like the DC as a game console, just being honest). Obviously MS is not in this position, and if they can somehow get backwards compatibility to work then I think they would be in a good position.

BUT, there is a lot that can happen between now and 2007/2008. Sony may surpise us all--the PS3 may be able to perform 500 GFLOPs or 1 TFLOP. MS may ship with 256MB of ~22GB/s RAM and Sony with 512MB of ~50GB/s RAM. The R500 may be a good all around chip back lack some performance (as was rumored of the R400) and the NV50 may be totally dedicated to Pixel shading and be two or three times faster than the 6800GT in PS and use the CELL for Vertex Shading (and thus an insane geometry performance). HD DVD may die a quick death without having any exclusives against BR higher tech and Sony exclusives and wide support.

If the PS3 ships with 2x the CPU performance and 1.5 to 2x the GPU performance, and 2x the memory of the Xenon--all with BR and wide industry support--then I think the PS3 will really be a tough competitor to gain much ground on especially if they keep developer support. While the better specs wont necessarily better looking games, it wont hurt. Yes, ports will be important and yes MS has XNA, but PS3 exclusives and 1st party software will exploit the PS3 which will help.

MS and Sony have a lot to lose and a lot to gain. Ultimately marketing and developer support will have more to say about the success of the system than the specs. Maybe B3D should start a marketing and developer support discussion forum We can all argue who has the better marketing (break down ads, commercials, display units, consumer and developer shows, etc...) and who has more developers and who has the better developers Ok, bad idea...

nice, well rounded post
IMO there are a lot of non-biased 8) ideas which make a lot of sense in your post, and I agree with this post basically 100%

 

[rabidrabbit]

longer sony waits the bigger the hole it has to climb out of


Remember PS3 has sold 0 units .

They wont be the market leader once they launch it . If ms launches first and like your saying a year early then ms will be the market leader of the next gen systems for at least that year if not longer as the ps3 would have to catch up .

More unit sales for the xenon means more developer support which means more units sold , which means more dev support .

None of which sony wants

Sony could (and probaply will) be the market leader still, even if they'd shipped 0 units of PS3 when xbox2 launches. They might even keep their market leader position for a year after xbox2, even if PS3 still had not launched.

Remember, they'd stil have the PS2 and PSP. It would be a huge surprise if xbox 2 would manage to catch up with just the PS2 sales.

PS2 (and PSP) would still be a competitor to xbox2, when you look at it in the markets point of view, even if they were technologically different generations.

Being a market leader for next gen systems while a competitor has not released their next gen system really is not significant at all, apart for funboi boasting. It's good for silly sales number comparisons (Front Page News!!! xbox2 sold 10 000 units at launch, while PS3 sold just one (a fake PS3 at eBay) xbox2 is the wiener and market leader! PS3 and Sony are d00mEd!!!!!!

 

[AlNom]

If the PS3 ships with 2x the CPU performance and 1.5 to 2x the GPU performance, and 2x the memory of the Xenon--all with BR and wide industry support--then I think the PS3 will really be a tough competitor to gain much ground on especially if they keep developer support.

I don't believe you. That's just crazy talk!

 

[Qroach]

Keep in mind it's the lowest common denominator that tends to sell thw most each generation. I've always thought it was the games that sway teh casual gamers towards a purchase. IF MS can do better with 3rd party support, then I expect them to sell more units than they did this generation in each territory.

 

[London Geezer]

longer sony waits the bigger the hole it has to climb out of


Remember PS3 has sold 0 units .

They wont be the market leader once they launch it . If ms launches first and like your saying a year early then ms will be the market leader of the next gen systems for at least that year if not longer as the ps3 would have to catch up .

More unit sales for the xenon means more developer support which means more units sold , which means more dev support .

None of which sony wants

So has Xbox2.
Besides, Sony did it this time around, with all the bitchiness surrounding the "pain in the ass" PS2, I'm wodering how they will handle the market when they have the most powerful console for the first time since they entered the business.
PC2 had a "big hole" to come out from when it got released, with around 10 million DCs sold... Don't see them sweating over it.

 

[PC-Engine]

If Xenon launches with a Halo level game, then MS will be able to sell around 5 million units in the first year.

 

[AlNom]

Perfect Dark?

 

[Acert93]

I don't believe you. That's just crazy talk!

It could happen

I do not think all of that will happen... maybe none of it. I am just pointing out that nothing is guaranteed for Xenon. MS is not the only one making moves and being aggressive--Sony does not want to lose market share, they want to gain it.

If Sony feels a squeeze from Xenon or gets a lot of developer pressure they could make some moves within their current design. While the R500 sounds amazing the NV50 will be competitive. The R500 taped out recently, the NV50 for PS3 wont have working silicone until the end of this year. This means Sony/nVidia have a bit of time to really put out a killer product. My comments about R500/NV50 were hypothetical, but the point is there is no reason to assume that the R500 is going to be better, let alone significantly better, than the NV50.

Actually, from some of the discussions of the patents here it sounds like they may end up being very similar. Since the Xenon CPUs can take over some vertex shading, could we end up seeing games use the CPU for Vertex Shading and then dedicating all the Unified Shader units to Pixel Shading? This sounds a lot like the the CELL doing vertex shading and the NV50 doing PS and rasterizing.

The question becomes: Will having PS only units (not unified PS/VS units which could cut down on effeciency and/or silicone realestate), having PS dedicated units (and therefor dedicated to that task), and having an extra 8-12 months of silicone development and possibly a smaller process give NV/Sony a big lead? Since Sony will be closer in time to a architecture shrink I would think they would have a chance to make a very large GPU with low yeilds if they knew they would shortly shrink the design down to say 65nm. If the Xenon is out a year ahead, that would mean at least a year longer before a shrink meaning I would think they would have less wiggle room on a low yeild/large GPU. Sony is in the position to possibly release a much more powerful GPU... personally I think they will be quite similar in performance because I think the R500 was probably very forward looking. I think what will be the big difference is any special features they have and how well integrated into the system they are. BUT Sony could really pull out a whopper here... 1.5x-2x the performance is probably stretching it, but I think my point is valid. Sony could surpise in the GPU.

Simiarly, one year can make a big difference in the memory area. All of the new consoles will be bandwidth/memory hungry. With being a year behind I could see Sony increasing their system memory 50%-100% over the Xenon. Now their Rambus memory may be too expensive to do this, but it is possible.

CELL having more GFLOPs is a given I think. I think in this area I think Sony has to convince developers that that power is accessible and that having more processing power than the Xenon is vital, and not just icing on the cake. And the bigger challenge will be proving to consumers that this extra CPU power results in better games. Oh wait, I was suposed to be optimistic here... ok, I think the CELL will be more powerful, and maybe significantly more powerful. But effeciency, accessability are two questions I have and if it is doing a lot of vertex shading that is taking power away from general processing. Opps, there I go again... lets just say a lot of GFLOPs is a good marcheting technique

I think the BR point is pretty self explainitory. I do not think HD DVD will die a quick death but if BR can be price competitive I am not sure a 12 month headstart for HD DVD will be enough without any exclusive support.

Obviously the goal of the consoles is to be be cost effective down the road. They usually sell a couple million units their first year and are lucky to have 10-15million in their first two years. The console install base really kicks off then because there is usually a price drop and the game library begins to flourish and 2nd generation games really start to shine. So if Sony feels an Xenon squeeze at E3 I would not doubt they could make some moves. And who knows, they may have already made some decisions that guarantee their system will be by far the most powerful next gen.

Just trying to paint both sides of the picture. I am still most excited about the Xenon (what we know about the GPU/CPU sounds like Flipper/Gekko on steroids to the nth degree), but I do not think some of the few turnoffs PS3 had (specifically graphics) will be overcome. The only area I see being an area of concern for Sony is 3rd party support. If Xenon is a dream to develop for and Sony's machine is hard to get at I think some developers will look first to Xenon because it is built to cross platform with 2 install bases. Xenon wont be hurt if it is the lowest common denominator because designing for it would mean 2 platforms (Xenon and PC) and then a developer could port to Revolution as it will have a similar setup (ATI + IBM) and Sony. But Sony is the market leader, the known brand, and will have killer HW. It is their market to lose and I expect them to fight hard with the post powerful HW behind them.

/end of aimless rambling.

If Xenon launches with a Halo level game, then MS will be able to sell around 5 million units in the first year.

Considering Halo 2 has sold 6.4M units I think that could be possible if everything happened just right. With a next gen Madden, new Halo, and a few other great apps I could see it selling maybe a little more than that in the first 12 months, especially if it is backwards compatible. If HD DVD makes a big splash and Xenon has it people may get a Xenon for that very reason--a HD DVD player that can also play games and possibly be a TiVo and browser the internet is a great deal. But 5M would be a great start. But they really would need to win the Hype war.

 

[Acert93]

Perfect Dark?

Yeah, now we are talking! Although Rare is slow, I do not think they are as slow as they have been recently. I think PD and another title (the Kameo title?) would almost be givens. They spent $300 for a reason! If the pop in an updated version of Halo 2 as a packin ontop of a grear release, or even a MP sampler / demo of what Halo 3 (which would release when the PS3 does in 2006) then watch out!

I personally hope this gen we get some pack in games--even small updates to old games. Even some basic games like cards, tetris, etc... would be nice. Or a demo disc. I love demo disks

 

[JasonLD]

I think most significant factor in next generation console is not whether who will have most powerful console, but rather go down to HDDVD vs. Blu-Ray. Even though Xbox2 will be released at least 6 month before PS3, if Sony doesn't make significant mistakes, I think PS3 will be able to catch up with Xbox2 with no problem. But No.1 console might be decided with which console has standard high definition movie format.

 

[jvd]

So has Xbox2.
Besides, Sony did it this time around, with all the bitchiness surrounding the "pain in the ass" PS2, I'm wodering how they will handle the market when they have the most powerful console for the first time since they entered the business.
PC2 had a "big hole" to come out from when it got released, with around 10 million DCs sold... Don't see them sweating over it.

Dont quote me out of context .

I was talking about if sony launches after the xenon . The xenon will certianly sell units . Esp if there is a year between launches .

If its 2007/2008 that sony launches like someone claims above then ms will have a very large sales lead and sony will be stuck half way in a generation while it may be the most powerfully system they will have 2or 3 years being hte most powerfully with the xenon 2 launching then.


This hole is also alot diffrent than the dreamcast hole .


Microsoft isn't almost broke , microsoft hasn't lost all respect from the devs .

 

[Acert93]

If its 2007/2008 that sony launches like someone claims above then....

I did not say it would launch in 2007/2008. I said a "there is a lot that can happen between now and 2007/2008". You are reading your own thoughts into what I was saying PS3 is not launching "now" or in "2007/2008" So I think your own comment to someone else applies:

Dont quote me out of context .

Ahhh I am just giving you a hard time I think your optimism of Xenon is well placed... just not the Sony negativity. I can understand how hard to can be on a board with people on all sides of the fence, but it is more fun being positive!

The 2007/2008 comment is about how there is a lot of time for things to change from NOW and THEN and to go back and forth--including MS getting a lead with Xenon and then losing it to Sony after PS3 comes out. One of the things that could change is Sony may surpise us with some beefy specs, but I am not sure how that turned into a 2007/2008 release. The battle wont be won at launch or because of a headstart. Reading through my posts you will see that my focus is not on the launch of either console. You seem very focused on the Xenon early launch and Sony losing market share. The fact is good starts are nice but not vital. The key is how the consoles perform when:

1.) They drop down to the $200 price range and
2.) How many quality games come out.

The first gen of games is usually a wash and the 2nd year is usually only marginally better. It is the beginning of the 3rd and 4th years that are most vital. In Sony's case, with a 2006 launch, how they do in 2007 and 2008 will be more relevant than how they do in 2006.

I think it is pretty well expected that Sony will release in 2006 and most likely a Spring Launch in Japan and a US/Euro Launch in late Fall. This is why I said:

having an extra 8-12 months of silicone development ... If the Xenon is out a year ahead...

Also, consider the fact that Sony has an entire extra year to work on software for the PS3. With PS2 slowing down I am sure a lot of developers will be spending 2005 getting ready for late 2006 and early 2007 game releases. The headstart MS gets with Xenon means nothing if it has poor software releases and Sony slams a homerun with more powerful HW and a large software launch of quality titles.

MS has Rare and is most likely angling a Halo 3 launch for 2006 to counter the PS3. I think they will be fine, but releasing early is not a guarantee of anything. Actually an early release with poor software could hurt MS more than help. XNA may help, but how many quality titles will be ready between the Xenon launch and the PS3 launch.

Remember, I am not anti-MS. I like the Xbox and I like Windows (/me ducks from tomatoes). I started off on DOS and switched to Windows with 3.0. I remember Plug-and-Pray (hehe) and all the other wonderful things MS has done for PCs (feel free to disagree). DX alone really made 3D gaming a reality on the PC and has resulted in strong IHVs like nVidia and ATi who have produced out of this world products that are now trickling down to consumer level products. I also think MS has a GREAT plan for Xenon and the design rocks. I also think MS stuck Rare in a corner to dedicate time on Xenon and will probably have a great launch. I also like what MS is doing with XNA. MS makes plent of mistakes, but I think they are a good company and I think their next gen console is going to be great. Actually, right now Xenon is my 1st choice for next gen console. That may change, but as of right now I think MS is providing a product and is attractiving developers who make games more akin to my tastes.

But that does not mean I have to dis on Sony or be negative. If I say something against MS or for Sony it is because I see the merits in it. Right now I would have to say I overall agree with Xenon optimism and think that Xenon will gain market share. I also expect the next gen of consoles to gain penetration also if they are realistic and do not aim too high on convergence. If Xenon PC can do browsing, email, word processing, can use a standard USB Mouse, KB, and Printer, I then play Xenon games (NOT PC) I think a lot of people who cannot afford a top of the line PC would get one. I have a brother who cringes at the cost of a high end PC because "It would be a $1000 word processor". But he also wants to play games, but cannot shell out $1000 for gaming. A $300-$400 device would be great for him. And throw on a simple to use interface to match the slimmed down design purpose and I think the market could grow a bit. And once you throw in the MP3 media center, HD movies, TiVo, etc... you really have devices that will cater to a lot of people outside of gaming--gaming would just be a perk to them.

I think this is what MS and Sony are fighting over... but I think the real battle for this turf will be in 2010-2012. Just my opinion.

 

[London Geezer]

If its 2007/2008 that sony launches like someone claims above then....

I did not say it would launch in 2007/2008. I said a "there is a lot that can happen between now and 2007/2008". You are reading your own thoughts into what I was saying PS3 is not launching "now" or in "2007/2008" So I think your own comment to someone else applies:

Dont quote me out of context .

Ahhh I am just giving you a hard time I think your optimism of Xenon is well placed... just not the Sony negativity. I can understand how hard to can be on a board with people on all sides of the fence, but it is more fun being positive!

The 2007/2008 comment is about how there is a lot of time for things to change from NOW and THEN and to go back and forth--including MS getting a lead with Xenon and then losing it to Sony after PS3 comes out. One of the things that could change is Sony may surpise us with some beefy specs, but I am not sure how that turned into a 2007/2008 release. The battle wont be won at launch or because of a headstart. Reading through my posts you will see that my focus is not on the launch of either console. You seem very focused on the Xenon early launch and Sony losing market share. The fact is good starts are nice but not vital. The key is how the consoles perform when:

1.) They drop down to the $200 price range and
2.) How many quality games come out.

The first gen of games is usually a wash and the 2nd year is usually only marginally better. It is the beginning of the 3rd and 4th years that are most vital. In Sony's case, with a 2006 launch, how they do in 2007 and 2008 will be more relevant than how they do in 2006.

I think it is pretty well expected that Sony will release in 2006 and most likely a Spring Launch in Japan and a US/Euro Launch in late Fall. This is why I said:

having an extra 8-12 months of silicone development ... If the Xenon is out a year ahead...

Also, consider the fact that Sony has an entire extra year to work on software for the PS3. With PS2 slowing down I am sure a lot of developers will be spending 2005 getting ready for late 2006 and early 2007 game releases. The headstart MS gets with Xenon means nothing if it has poor software releases and Sony slams a homerun with more powerful HW and a large software launch of quality titles.

MS has Rare and is most likely angling a Halo 3 launch for 2006 to counter the PS3. I think they will be fine, but releasing early is not a guarantee of anything. Actually an early release with poor software could hurt MS more than help. XNA may help, but how many quality titles will be ready between the Xenon launch and the PS3 launch.

Remember, I am not anti-MS. I like the Xbox and I like Windows (/me ducks from tomatoes). I started off on DOS and switched to Windows with 3.0. I remember Plug-and-Pray (hehe) and all the other wonderful things MS has done for PCs (feel free to disagree). DX alone really made 3D gaming a reality on the PC and has resulted in strong IHVs like nVidia and ATi who have produced out of this world products that are now trickling down to consumer level products. I also think MS has a GREAT plan for Xenon and the design rocks. I also think MS stuck Rare in a corner to dedicate time on Xenon and will probably have a great launch. I also like what MS is doing with XNA. MS makes plent of mistakes, but I think they are a good company and I think their next gen console is going to be great. Actually, right now Xenon is my 1st choice for next gen console. That may change, but as of right now I think MS is providing a product and is attractiving developers who make games more akin to my tastes.

But that does not mean I have to dis on Sony or be negative. If I say something against MS or for Sony it is because I see the merits in it. Right now I would have to say I overall agree with Xenon optimism and think that Xenon will gain market share. I also expect the next gen of consoles to gain penetration also if they are realistic and do not aim too high on convergence. If Xenon PC can do browsing, email, word processing, can use a standard USB Mouse, KB, and Printer, I then play Xenon games (NOT PC) I think a lot of people who cannot afford a top of the line PC would get one. I have a brother who cringes at the cost of a high end PC because "It would be a $1000 word processor". But he also wants to play games, but cannot shell out $1000 for gaming. A $300-$400 device would be great for him. And throw on a simple to use interface to match the slimmed down design purpose and I think the market could grow a bit. And once you throw in the MP3 media center, HD movies, TiVo, etc... you really have devices that will cater to a lot of people outside of gaming--gaming would just be a perk to them.

I think this is what MS and Sony are fighting over... but I think the real battle for this turf will be in 2010-2012. Just my opinion.

Jvd was replying to me, matey...

 

[Acert93]

Jvd was replying to me, matey...

Doh! I thought the 2007/2008 comment was pulled out of my post. I know the "Don't misquote me" was not directed at me, but I was using it as tongue in cheek.

Sorry JVD if the 2007/2008 release comment was quoting someone else.