Xbox 360 HD-DVD dated, 1080p promised

By Tom Bramwell Published 20 September, 2006

Plus, new XBLA titles, dates.

The Xbox 360 HD-DVD player will be released on 17th November in Japan and cost 19,800 yen (EUR 133 / GBP 89).

The drive, which Microsoft maintains will be used to play movies only, will also come bundled with a Universal Media Remote.

Meanwhile, the company's autumn software update for the Xbox 360 dashboard will allow the console to output movie and game content in 1080p resolution. 720p games will be able to upscale to 1080p, although there will be no HDMI output.

Speaking in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Game Show this week, Microsoft also unveiled new titles for Xbox Live Arcade from Konami and Namco Bandai, showed off game trailers and offered release dates for titles including Dead or Alive Xtreme 2.

DOAX2, in development at Tecmo's Team Ninja studio, will be released on 22nd November in Japan following a 15th November US release - although European gamers were told simply to expect it "soon".

Trailers for several titles were shown, while recently announced Tri-Ace RPG Infinite Undiscovery and Namco Bandai's Trusty Bell were offered as examples of Japanese developers getting behind the next-generation format.

The first fruits of Microsoft's collaboration with Hironobu Sakaguchi and his Mistwalker studio will become apparent this year too, with Blue Dragon set for Japanese release on 7th December.

Lost Odyssey, Mistwalker's other title, remains in development, although Sakaguchi showed off both titles during Microsoft's Japanese event, and said playable demos of both would feature at the Tokyo Game Show on Friday.

Konami and Namco Bandai continue to offer their support to the 360 platform, specifically Xbox Live Arcade, with a number of new titles from each promised.

Konami will bring Contra, Gyruss, Track & Field, Rush'n Attack and Japan-exclusive Yie Ar Kung Fu to the service (the latter in 2007), while Namco Bandai has pledged Dig Dug, New Rally-X and Ms. Pac-Man.

Microsoft also plans to put on a Pac-Man World Championship in early 2007 to celebrate the game's August release on Xbox Live Arcade. At the event in New York City, the top ten worldwide players will be brought together to compete.

Finally, Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani, now a lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University, spoke eloquently on the appeal of XNA Game Studio Express, which he said were "attractive and effective because they create a development environment that matches the skill level and area of expertise, widening the entry of future developers into game development".

Microsoft then announced that Tokyo University, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Ritsumeikan University and Osaka Electro-Communication University have joined the ranks of institutions supporting XNA as an educational tool.

Yesterday Microsoft said that it would release content including playable demos and trailers to Xbox Live Marketplace between 20th and 29th September to coincide with TGS and its own X06 event in Barcelona, the first elements of which should appear today.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (164) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Tejstar #1 5 years ago

    At last, now MS is true high-def!

    ;)

  • RickHard #2 5 years ago

    Wow ! 1080p output ! So it seems that x360 will be able to handle full hd as well :-) Too bad for sony's marketing campaign...

  • Foxclose #3 5 years ago

    If Xbox 360 can output to 1080p, then I am sure the PS3 certainly can.

  • easy_lee #4 5 years ago

    Yay! More old tosh confirmed for XBLA, how can we not be happy now that we know Gyruss is on the way ? *sigh*

  • login_name #5 5 years ago

    *Waits for all the two-faced posts about how 1080p now pwns*

    Good news for 360 owners, might be a worth while purchase after all.

  • Steroyd #6 5 years ago

    Oh so NOW 1080p is revelant MS?

    you know at this rate there ARE going to be HD-DVD based games.

    /wonders if this will reach 200 comments.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 09:40

  • Aretak #7 5 years ago

    I think you'll need to raise your standard of trolling to get it that far. :-)

  • JediMasterMalik #8 5 years ago

    It's not real 1080p as far as the article is concerned, it says it'll scale 720p to 1080p.

  • Darkedge #9 5 years ago

    "Oh so NOW 1080p is revelant MS?

    you know at this rate there ARE going to be HD-DVD based games."

    Nope just like Sony it'll be upscaled for the 10 TVs in the UK that can actually run 1080p (10 sold, not models that is..)

    Marketing - pointless for consumers but it certainly does stick it to those wankers at Sony.


  • zoidberg #10 5 years ago

    1080p is still irrelevant. like someone said... marketing is involved and nothing else.

    i went hunting last week and barely found a GOOD 720p TV set, but NO 1080p... sure 480p and 720i (yeah, that's wierd) and even some 1080i but NO 1080p.

    who's gonna use it at 1080p?

  • kangarootoo #11 5 years ago

    "It's not real 1080p as far as the article is concerned, it says it'll scale 720p to 1080p."

    The article said it was able to do this, but that doesn't mean that is the limit of its capabilities does it.

    Although for context, I agree with this comment.

    "Which is that it's a vacuous bullet point on a retail box."

  • IMO #12 5 years ago

    It was said a long time ago by an MS exec that the console could easily do 1080p, it's just that this was not a requirement because they thought that 720p was sufficient.

  • linkster #13 5 years ago

    £89??? I thought it was supposed to be around £200.

  • bivith #14 5 years ago

    Most if not all HD-DVD movies are encoded in 1080p. So now the 360 can play them at their native resolution.

  • bivith #15 5 years ago

    "£89??? I thought it was supposed to be around £200."

    £89 is the jap price after currency conversion.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 09:57

  • jonsaan #16 5 years ago

    Who cares! I play games on my 360. Couldn't give a stuff about films. That's what SKY+ is for.

  • Sid-Nice #17 5 years ago

    19,800 yen = $168 = £150 in the electronic goods currency transfer rate.

  • alpha-0ne #18 5 years ago

    "yellowtruck
    20-Sep-06 09:49:32 Welcome to the half assed world of Microsoft. External X360 HD-DVD for movies only lol! "

    the cages are rattling, small point i bought my 360 a year ago and have been enjoying it, the blue ray albatros has meant a delay from spring 2006 to march 2007 in europe... and guess what less than 5% of europe have HDTV's...

    i may buy the hd-dvd addon if i see watching movies as a benefit to ME, i have a choice..

    I beleiev it is still the case that 1080p has little reevance to gaming heck the hdtv i will be buying the end of the year will be 1080i

    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 10:01

  • tonynibbles #19 5 years ago

    So all that crock from Microsoft about how 1080p is ridiculous and 'cant be played on most HDTVs'... was just that - utter bullshit.

    Good to see they've done it though.

  • darkmistx #20 5 years ago

    Yep, we pay the inflated prices, so the Japs can get it for half the price.

    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 10:04

  • Eighthours #21 5 years ago

    Can someone just answer me this: when you play a DVD movie on the 360 with your dash set to 720p, it doesn't currently upscale to 720p, right?

  • alpha-0ne #22 5 years ago

    "Can someone just answer me this: when you play a DVD movie on the 360 with your dash set to 720p, it doesn't currently upscale to 720p, right? "

    Technically it is not allowed to over compoent, buy it does over VGA at present..

  • Eighthours #23 5 years ago

    Can someone just answer me this: when you play a DVD movie on the 360 with your dash set to 720p, it doesn't currently upscale to 720p, right?

    Oh so NOW 1080p is revelant MS?

    From Joystiq: "First off, Kim clarified that, while the software patch would upscale all content to resolutions as high as 1080p, Microsoft themselves had no plans to produce gaming content taking advantage of this ability. He was similarly convinced that very few other developers would see the value in producing 1080p games, with the singular exception of Sony's first-party studios, eager to validate the value of the capability. "

    So no, they don't see it as particularly valuable. Just giving the option, presumably as a PS3 "spoiler", to say "Look, our console can do this too."

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #24 5 years ago

    With regard to the £200 price claim, the story we had said the thing would be out in November, and would be bundled with two HD-DVD movies for that price. Here's the relevant paragraph:

    "Retail sources have indicated to GamesIndustry.biz that Microsoft is currently planning to price the standalone HD-DVD drive at GBP 199 (293 Euro), and to package it with two HD-DVD movies. The sources also suggested that Microsoft will bundle the Premium console and next-generation movie player together for under GBP 400 (589 Euro) – and that the price could even be as low as GBP 375 (552 Euros)."

    Mind you, I'd be surprised if it got as high as £200 now though if they're saying 19,800 yen.

  • Eighthours #25 5 years ago

    Technically it is not allowed to over compoent, buy it does over VGA at present.

    Not allowed to? How so?

  • alpha-0ne #26 5 years ago

    Eighthours , your right its just a 'its there' update for hd-dvd and the 1000 people worldwide that actually own a 1008p tv, every single hd-dvd produced so far is encoded in 1080p so this will be backwards compatible with those

    but its not a bog isue for most, even though sony would say it is 'true hd' ;-)

    re; technically you are not allowed too...

    Part of the dvd spec states that you cannot upscale dvd content over non digital connections higher than 768p?? look at all the dvd upscaler they require a dvi or hdmi connection to upscale, i have both and couldnt see any dofference between a 768p imahes over compenent and and upscaled 1080i image
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 10:12

  • Darren #27 5 years ago

    Yeah VGA displays DVDs at the resolution you're using so if you're using 1360x768 then it'll play at that resolution. With component video, regardless of whether you have the display set to 720p or 1080i, DVDs will only play at 576p (720x576).

  • Darren #28 5 years ago

    About DVD players not being able to upscale via component video... my Samsung HD-DVD850 upscaling player plays DVDs at 720p and 1080i as I've tested it by checking the resolution using the Info button on my Samsung's TV's remote which shows 1280x720 50Hz for 720p and 1920x1080 50Hz for 1080i.

    I'm now using HDMI though as it gives a better picture and I needed component video for my 360.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 10:15

  • Yossarian #29 5 years ago

    nobody cares about 1080p. it'll probably be used for XBLA games

  • SCiARA #30 5 years ago

    [link url=http://www.247electrical.co.uk/epages/twentyfourseven.sto refront/EN/Product/SAMLE40F71BX?STS=247&source=PRICERUNNER
    ]    http://ww w.247electrical.co.uk/epages/tw...[/link]

    Shouldn’t be too long before this drops in price

  • JediMasterMalik #31 5 years ago

    Hey I posted that. :p

  • Roachdog #32 5 years ago

    @ Zoidberg

    If you want 1080 output, check out the new Panasonic Viera range. Some of the best plasmas currently on the market, and very reasonably priced.....

  • zoidberg #33 5 years ago

    thanks Roach. I'll look into it. I hope there's a display somewhere, 'cause I've seen some crappy TVs lately.

    I walk into a store, and they'll all be playing the same thing and you can clearly see which one looks "off", both colour-wise and contrast-wise, especially since you can see the difference.

    when spending 2000 or more on a HD-TV I'll be really picky with quality; no matter what xbox360/ps3/future-HD-console I plug into it.

  • oreillymj #34 5 years ago

    What you need to remember about HDTV Plasma & LCD is that each set has a native fixed resolution (i.e. no. of pixels) that an image has to be scaled to fill.

    If you send a 720p image to a set with 1080 capability, the chances are that it will do upscaling for you.

    Whether the scaling is done on a console or DVD layer or within the TV itself is really a moot point. The only possible difference will be down to who has the bettter scaling alogorithm/silicon.
    I'd leave the upscaling to the TV and not be using any CPU cycles on the console. The end result in terms of 720p coded games will be the same. The image has to be stretched.

    1080p coded games are a different matter.

  • Les #35 5 years ago

    "the cages are rattling, small point i bought my 360 a year ago and have been enjoying it"

    I understand that it's not beneficial for Sony to lag too much behind the 360 introduction. But in itself, I don't see why the early release of 360 is a good thing. Maybe the marketing people got to you. Personally, I do not need next gen gaming. Eventually I will, because new games will not be released on the old platforms anymore. So I've bought my GC and PS2 5 years ago and enjoy them still. Big deal.

    "and guess what less than 5% of europe have HDTV's... "

    Yeah, but they are the target audience for the PS3 launch. If they all want a PS3 (which of course they don't) Sony will reach it's sales target easily.
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 10:36

  • Gurgeh #36 5 years ago

    "So all that crock from Microsoft about how 1080p is ridiculous and 'cant be played on most HDTVs'... was just that - utter bullshit. "

    Nope it's still true, 99% or more of HDTVs cant play 1080p - even most of the ones that claim they can, can't.

    This is just a marketing move, taking away a PS3 "unique" feature.

  • stx #37 5 years ago

    :(
    Yie Ar Kung Fu is really the only one I'd want from Konami.

    Maybe Track & Field if I can get it working with my arcade stick. Otherwise, booo.

  • drumbaby #38 5 years ago

    Abooouuuttt TURN!

  • Darren #39 5 years ago

    The reason that Microsoft have announced 1080p for the 360 is simply because HD-DVD movies will display at true 1080p and so it would have been silly releasing an HD-DVD drive addon that couldn't play them at their best quality even if few people can actually use it anyway.

    Having said that the Xbox 360 still lacks HDMI which would have given the best image quality, although how much better is down to personal opinion.

  • mattigan #40 5 years ago

    Will this update allow upscaling of DVD content to 720p then?

    Also, does anyone here know if the player will be region locked, or if the Xbox takes care of that side of things, as I may be in Tokyo around that time. And while I won't pay £200 for a HD-DVD drive, £90 is within the impulse buy range for me.

  • Steroyd #41 5 years ago

    Doubt the HD-DVD drive wil be £92 MS gives Japan the special treatment by selling stuff uber cheap over there, expect the usual £150-£200 United Kingdom Shaft.

  • Hench #42 5 years ago

    Couldn't microsoft just add a HDMI port on the console on later models?

    Similar to the way that Sony removed the iLink port from the front of the PS2 on later models

  • Garulon #43 5 years ago

    "I'd leave the upscaling to the TV and not be using any CPU cycles on the console."

    It's done in hardware on the RAMDACS on the GPU. There's no CPU/GPU cycle cost other than drawing to the higher resolution (=fillrate) which is going to happen anyway.

    "although how much better is down to personal opinion."

    Sony have said the image quality between HDMI and component was indistinguishable.

    Anyway, for the tiny tiny tiny fraction of tellies that can eat 1080p over VGA or component, and the tiny tiny tiny fraction of 1080 60FPS 360 games (Um, Dead or Alive 4 _maybe_) this is great!

    More importantly it takes a sledgehammer to the nuts of Sony's marketing campaign. Haw haw haw!
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 10:59

  • kangarootoo #44 5 years ago

    @zoidberg

    "I walk into a store, and they'll all be playing the same thing and you can clearly see which one looks "off", both colour-wise and contrast-wise, especially since you can see the difference."

    I would be wary of judging a set purely by how it appears in a store. When I got my TV (Samsung LE32R41BDX) I was a bit shocked by the colour and contrast as it just looked garish and saturated. A quick search on avforums.com using "LE32R41BDX xbox360 component" brough me a bunch of user recommended settings. 10 mins of tweaking later and it looked great.

    http://www.avforums.com< /a> is a good place to start if you are thinking about getting an HDTV. There are very knowledgeable posters on there and they have a lot of coverage.

  • Garulon #45 5 years ago

    "Will this update allow upscaling of DVD content to 720p then? "

    Yes. Even without the HD-DVD. The 360 Core becomes a cheapish upscaling DVD player.

    "Also, does anyone here know if the player will be region locked"

    HD-DVD (unlike BluRay) doesn't have region locking.

  • penhalion #46 5 years ago

    This bloody thing had better not come in at 200 quid when it get's here otherwise I'm gonna be pissed. that would be over a 100% markup!

  • mattigan #47 5 years ago

    avforums.com is a very good site, and I would recomend anyone to go there before making a big AV purchase, they certainly saved me some heartache, and cash!!!

  • Pooley #48 5 years ago

    So you've bought your Xbox 360 Premium pack for £280, and now you're paying an extra £200 or so to add nextgen HD-DVD. Total price £480.

    Makes the PS3 look cheap at £425 (ish).

    I can't believe people aren't moaning about the price...

    How will the Xbox 360 output 1080p without DVI/HDMI connectors and still keep the movie industry happy about content protection? Still some unanswered questions methinks.

  • king_skins #49 5 years ago

    I can't believe people aren't moaning about the price...

    Maybe that because it hasn't been officially announced yet?

  • JediMasterMalik #50 5 years ago

    The price here will be at least 150 me thinks.

    They are only selling to Japan so cheaply because the market will not buy so many of them, even in the US and EU few people are going to get this. If in Japan stock is very high, couldn't they move the stock to the US or Europe if their stock runs out, and charge more?

    Bah, I am rambling...

  • Garulon #51 5 years ago

    "So you've bought your Xbox 360 Premium pack for £280, and now you're paying an extra £200 or so to add nextgen HD-DVD. Total price £480. "

    What if it's ~£100? Then total price is £380, which makes the PS3 look expensive at £425 (ish). Plus once you've got the PS3 open you still have to run out to the shops to buy your component or HDMI cable, as even the posh one just comes with shitty composite. :( Add anything up to sixty quid for that, OK?

  • Steroyd #52 5 years ago

    and you havn't even bought a game yet.

    Or that extra controller.

    or that 250Gb Serial Sata Laptop Hard Drive replacement.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 11:30

  • Pooley #53 5 years ago

    @ king_skins

    Nah, I meant the total cost of 360 plus HD-DVD, not just the HD-DVD add-on.

    Let's hope the add-on HD-DVD runs quietly, as having the Xbox 360 whirring away whilst you're trying to watch a movie is going to be a distraction. Didn't they say that they would do "something" to the Xbox to make it quieter whilst doing this?

  • drumbaby #54 5 years ago

    "More importantly it takes a sledgehammer to the nuts of Sony's marketing campaign. Haw haw haw! "

    How? By totally justifying Sony's vision by Msoft rescinding via patches and add ons? Well, that's a pretty harmless sledgehammer they've got there. Fisher Price tools FTW :)

    Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

  • Dizzy #55 5 years ago

    >Didn't they say that they would do "something" to the Xbox to make it quieter whilst doing this?

    360 already runs silent while in DVD mode... the big question is will it be able to do that in HD-DVD mode? They might need the power of the CPUs to handle HD-DVD.

  • Pooley #56 5 years ago

    @ Garulon

    Hopefully it will be well priced.

    With MSoft backing HD-DVD it'll be interesting to see how BluRay and HD-DVD successes/failures are affected by consoles. Who would have thought that the next high def format for movies would be so affected by the games industry.

    I'm not concerned about the lack of a HDMI or component cable. I've always had to buy extra cables for my consoles in the past, so it's something I'm prepared to do. Although it is nice that MSoft bundle one in with the Premium pack. But then you've kinda had to pay for that anyway by buying the premium pack as the Core just comes with a SD composite/SCART...

  • KillahSouljah #57 5 years ago

    1080p is only for Movies whereas 1080p on PlAYSTATION 3 is for Movies and Games. Nice one Sony, always thinking ahead.

    Wasn't there alot of XBOX 360 users saying whats the point of 1080p on the PLAYSTATION 3 and now your getting it on the HD-DVD add-on for only movies its seems like a good thing now.

    When the pot calls the kettle black.

  • Kengro #58 5 years ago

    1080P will also work on games.
    And i don't think the port in the back of 360 is limited to 720P

  • Garulon #59 5 years ago

    "1080p is only for Movies whereas 1080p on PlAYSTATION 3 is for Movies and Games. Nice one Sony, always thinking ahead. "

    Nope, the 360 will do both games and movies.

    "Wasn't there alot of XBOX 360 users saying whats the point of 1080p on the PLAYSTATION 3"

    It's STILL a bit pointless unless you have a 1080p telly and one or more 60FPS 1080p games, but it's a marketing advantage Sony have been crowing about for a while now and it's gone. Gone!

  • mattigan #60 5 years ago

    I think what MS is saying is "well since the entire world keeps whining about how great 1080p is, even though you can't actually watch it on 99% of displays currently available, here you go, you can have it if itsTHAT important to you."

    Well that, and "Up yours Sony!"

  • neil_likes_bums #61 5 years ago

    ^ to the trolls

    Why do people tie their ego so deeply into a particular brand of console? It has been going on for years. Just play games and have fun, stop the moaning and cock waving.

    It is good news indeed. Though I'm sure the vast majority of people won't have 1080p tvs for a while so kinda not important right now.

  • Garulon #62 5 years ago

    "1080P will also work on games.
    And i don't think the port in the back of 360 is limited to 720P"

    I would hope not as then I'd start to wonder where my telly's getting it's 1080i signal from :)

    I think the port's digital, and I also think there'll be a HDMI announcement soon enough.

  • Hughes. #63 5 years ago

    So yesterday, 1080p is useless and to be totally dismissed as a gaming irrelevence, now its on 360 it's fantastic news.

    The mind of the desperate Sony-hater owner is a sick and twisted place.

  • spongebob #64 5 years ago

    You can always trust MS to turn their boat. I wonder what made them think that 1080p was worthwhile afterall?

    Xbox 360 starts to feel a whole lot like a PC. You need to upgrade it all the time.

    ps. Just because 1080p TVs are more expensive and more hard to come by now doesn't mean that they stay like that. It's not called NEXT GENERATION for nothing. If you want last generation, you stick to your standard telly and PS2/GC/Xbox.

  • Garulon #65 5 years ago

    "So yesterday, 1080p is useless and to be totally dismissed as a gaming irrelevence, now its on 360 it's fantastic news. "

    It's still to be totally dismissed as a gaming irrelevence, but it's one LESS bullet point Sony can use to flog their bloated train-wreck and con people out of hundred of pounds. Which is great news for all gamers, right?

    "You can always trust MS to turn their boat. I wonder what made them think that 1080p was worthwhile afterall? "

    My guess? Sony banging on about it :)

  • TripleSeven #66 5 years ago

    1080p - upscaled.

    (So much for 720p is perfectly fine, Sony is nuts - 360, a rushed out console, anyone? Buy one now and countless add ons tomorrow - for a half-assed solution. Still, the crowd cheers - nice people ;) )

  • mattigan #67 5 years ago

    "The mind of the desperate Sony-hater owner is a sick and twisted place."

    It's not desperation, it great sport! It's like watching Jodie Marsh on Celeb BB, you have to keep watching just to see what the dopey bint will do next to destroy her carreer!

    Marvellous stuff!

  • captainrentboy #68 5 years ago

    1080p - upscaled.

    (So much for 720p is perfectly fine, Sony is nuts - 360, a rushed out console, anyone? Buy one now and countless add ons tomorrow - for a half-assed solution. Still, the crowd cheers - nice people ;) )

    Buying countless add-ons?I count one coming soon,and if the people don't want it then they don't have to buy it :/ It is after all an add-on for the minority,the movie buffs out there.
    Anyway the one thing i'm glad about with this update is that the 360 will now upscale your existing dvd collection,good news for me,as I have no intention of moving onto hd-dvd/blu-ray for a good while yet.

  • Hughes. #69 5 years ago

    "it's one LESS bullet point Sony can use to flog their bloated train-wreck and con people out of hundred of pounds. Which is great news for all gamers, right? "

    Yeah, what a great day for gaming it will be when there is no competition and half finished consoles get released that leave early adopters needing to buy a string of add-on devices to keep their consoles up to spec. I can't wait for the cries of happiness when people who forked out for this add-on find out about the next upgrade of the built-in version.

    As if that isn't enough Sega 32X style rapid obsolescence, many Sony-haters I've read here want 360 to be dead and gone withing 2 years to force Sony to rush again and drive them out of the market. WooHoo! 3 year lifespans for consoles, all with the safety net of backwards compatibility for at least half a dozen games from the old console you now have to bin!

    I'm just reading the great forum posts about the many people who are now on their 3rd and 4th broken 360s less than a year after the console's launch.

    I can see why 360 owners need to keep making themselves believe they have a wondermachine that will be untouchable. It takes quite an effort of positive thinking to maintain the joyous positivity I've seen in these comments threads towards the slew of over-priced PS2 ports and XBox tart-ups that have formed the majority of the 360s line-up up until the last month or so. The only real way to make the 360 look good has been to make out the competition is utterly flawed and evil and must be destroyed.

    So the reality is, that every anti-PS3 post is an attempt to displace disappointment with the lack of a real next-gen. No wonder you guys all went so crazy when the EU PS3 release was delayed!

  • Hughes. #70 5 years ago

    @Wonga

    I respect your consistency on the subject.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 13:06

  • KillahSouljah #71 5 years ago

    upgrade, upgrade, upgrade, Microsoft take a leaf out of Sony's book, and keep to an all on one system, no big fat crappy add-ons that not everyones going to buy.

  • Garulon #72 5 years ago

    "Yeah, what a great day for gaming it will be when there is no competition and half finished consoles get released that leave early adopters needing to buy a string of add-on devices to keep their consoles up to spec. "

    What do I _need_ to buy?

  • Xerx3s #73 5 years ago

    Nice for the 0.001% of the ppl that has such a TV, but still utterly pointless imo. Although, I can understand MS's 'Kick em while they are down' strategy.

    Some ppl in this thread really crack me up. No really. :\

  • Hughes. #74 5 years ago

    @Garulon

    GBA Micros are only £40 in game at the moment!

    Or is that not what you meant?

    Any joy sneaking the 360 into work btw? I guess not, or you wouldn't be posting here.

  • SCiARA #75 5 years ago

    Hughes. pointless rant really, saying all negative sony posts are from people who are not happy with 360 can also be said about negative 360 posts and sony fanboys not wanting to realise there getting no choice what so ever...

    KillahSouljah. we are talking about an HD DVD drive to watch HD DVD's - its one "Up-grade" for people like me who love there movies. Theres nothing wrong with having a choice.

  • Garulon #76 5 years ago

    "GBA Micros are only £40 in game at the moment!

    Or is that not what you meant?"

    I have a DS, so nope :) I meant what do I _need_ to buy and plug into the 360 to "keep it up to spec"? I mean I only need to buy the HD DVD drive if I want to watch HD DVDs (which I mostly don't); I thought I might need to buy it to upscale DVDs to 1080 but Nice Uncle Microsoft is doing that for free.

    "Any joy sneaking the 360 into work btw? I guess not, or you wouldn't be posting here. "

    The wife'd kill me if I took her Texas Hold 'em/UNO/Burnout away :(

  • oceanmotion #77 5 years ago

    @KillahSouljah

    Or how about give people choice. I don't give a damn about HD DVD or Blu-Ray. Thnaks MS, saved me £100 or so.

  • SCiARA #78 5 years ago

    anyhoo

    I read earlier that HD DVD's will be region free? does this mean i can import a Jap HD DVD drive to play any HD DVD on my PAL 360?

    Only reason is that PLAYUSA.COM have advised of region coding on there HD DVD's

  • captainrentboy #79 5 years ago

    Why do you all keep saying that Microsoft are releasing things that we all need to buy,like these things are actually necessary to keep the 360 up and running,I don't need to buy the hd-dvd add on,(Especially as i'm getting the capability to upscale dvds free of charge) and I'm not going to buy the hd-dvd add on anytime soon,and choosing to do that isn't going to affect how I play games on my xbox 360 GAMES console.
    Now the day Microsoft say ''Yes you're going to need the hd-dvd drive to play our latest titles'' is the day i'll moan about what they've done,and agree with you lot that they have mightily taken the piss.

  • SCiARA #80 5 years ago

    captainrentboy. would you though? or would you be happier knowing that you didnt have to pay for it from day 1 and not really get any use out of it?

  • captainrentboy #81 5 years ago

    SCiARA I see what you mean,but I think I still would be quite miffed if MS went back on their original word so much as to say ''Yes you do NEED an hd-dvd drive for this generation of gaming after all,here buy this for £200 and then you can carry on playing our latest releases''
    But then again I really can't see that happening anyway so I'm not too concerned.

  • Netfreak #82 5 years ago

    The great Sony troll is back (KillahSouljah). Now he's pissed because Sony don't have "TRUE HD" bragging rights! Waaaaaaaaa

  • Merefield #83 5 years ago

    OK lets not get ahead of ourselves

    "games in 1080p on XBOX 360"

    Seems perfectly possible XBOX 360 might be able to do 1080p res. Fine.

    BUT

    1080p represents 2.25 x the number of pixels on 720p, which more than likely corresponsd to AT LEAST a lower frame rate of less than half, possibly EVEN LESS if memory limits become an issue.

    on the upside a nicely rendered 720p image is great and your eyes can't resolve the additional resolution of a 1080p image from a certain distance given a certain screen size anyhow.

    It is perfectly possible that a game on XBOX 360 at 720p will have a higher framerate than an equivalent game on PS3 running at 1080p, regardless if the latter is more powerful.
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 13:48

  • SCiARA #84 5 years ago

    captainrentboy, you hit the nail on the head there - MS will never force you to get it if they start releasing hd dvd games it will be a minority, besides, who's to say that there not working on new compression techniques?

    Still want to know about the region locking side of it all though?
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 13:53

  • Pooley #85 5 years ago

    I wonder which company will create the first "HD-DVD only" game for the Xbox 360. That'll be a popular move. Not.

    With all that extra capacity surely someone will do this? Anyone know of any upcoming titles that may need this?

    Maybe by that time the Xbox 360 will have built-in HD-DVD drives anyway. Xbox 360.1?

    Sometimes, too many choices are bad for you...

  • mattigan #86 5 years ago

    1080p is a complete waste of time if your screen is smaller than 42 inch, and even thats a bit too small to really notice a difference compared to 720p.

    And thats on an Xbox, PS3 or any other player for that matter.

    But at least you have the option not to.

  • Pooley #87 5 years ago

    "Xbox 360.1" - sorry, should have said...

    Xbox 360 Premium (Service Pack 1)

  • socool83 #88 5 years ago

    Ho ho, you foolish hypocrites make me laugh. You find any justification that 1080p doesn't matter when Sony announce it, but OH! look who's decided its important now! You fools crack me up. Face it losers, even if it takes 200 upgrades, they will try to make the 360 offer what the PS3 will as standard.

  • KillahSouljah #89 5 years ago

    If Microsoft ever release a XBOX 360 system with a built-in HD-DVD drive that can play movies aswell as games then that would be a bullet to the heart for those who have already purchased the original XBOX 360.

    Say people buy the HD-DVD add-on this year and next year Blu-ray becomes industry standard, then that would've have been a waste of money if studios wont be releasing movies on HD-DVD.

    Say Blu-ray lost PLAYSTATION 3 can still use the format for games, whereas Micorsoft cant.

    All in all it doesnt seem that great that Microsofts given you choice, it looks more like confusing the consumer.

    All In One - PLAYSTATION 3
    - Blu-ray Disc Player (Games, Movies)
    - Wi-Fi enabled
    - HDMI connector
    - 60GB HDD
    - Memory Card Reader

    vs

    Add-ons - XBOX 360
    - HD-DVD Player (Movies) with Power Brick = 2 Power Bricks for one system.
    - Wi-Fi Adaptor (sticking out of the back of the HD-DVD player)
    - HDMI Adaptor (they'll be stupid if they dont) (wait a sec not enough USB ports)
    - 40GB (extra)
    - Memory Card Reader (still not enough USB ports)

    Wait for it... Now here comes the Crybaby Gamer Wags swinging their controllers.

  • KillahSouljah #90 5 years ago

    "Ho ho, you foolish hypocrites make me laugh. You find any justification that 1080p doesn't matter when Sony announce it, but OH! look who's decided its important now!"

    So true, you XBOX fanboys are just as bad as Sony Fanboys.

    Like.No.Other - Sony.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 14:44

  • Xerx3s #91 5 years ago

    socool83: Lol? Unless your reading something totally different, most ppl here say nice that they decided to do it but still pointless.

  • SCiARA #92 5 years ago

    So your whole point is on an If that is never likely to happen?

  • Calgon #93 5 years ago

    Wonga Id agree with that and even being a non Nintendo fan Ive actually brought that up in Wiis defense(both MS and Sony will lose out if users with standard sets are better catered for on Wii). It's good that its supported for those who can use it but this will be very few for a long long time, I just hope 1080p doesnt become the main focus for MS and Sony Devs now because most of us would appreciate more effects, AA, textures and higher poly counts that we can enjoy even on a decent standard set from the get go, rather than spending silly money on a new TV.

  • KillahSouljah #94 5 years ago

    Like.No.Other - Sony

    Copy.Others - Microsoft
    - PlayStation - Xbox
    - iPod - Zune
    - Mac OS - Windows asta la Vista

  • socool83 #95 5 years ago

    I'm afraid it does to an extent

  • socool83 #96 5 years ago

    At the very least this proves that (nintendo withstanding) Sony are the leaders in technology and ideas and MS just copy and follow others.

  • SCiARA #97 5 years ago

    "Copy.Others - Microsoft
    - PlayStation - Xbox
    - iPod - Zune
    - Mac OS - Windows asta la Vista"

    you really are making yourself out to be a dumb arse, Playstation wasn’t the 1st games console, ipod wasn’t the 1st portable music device (I believe Sony also sell an ipod wannabe) and Mac OS?? Come on

  • cooper #98 5 years ago

    so it's not just about consoles anymore. fanboys now feel the urge to defend the whole Microsoft corporation (or Sony, or whatever).

  • Calgon #99 5 years ago

    KillahSouljah

    Ever thought that for the majorty of the mass market the 360 already offers everything they want? The PS3 is still more expensive so its not like those features are a nice free extra from the lovable Sony(you are paying for it and youve had to wait over a year extra for it too... which is another thing you arent accounting for) and by the time PS3 hits Europe we could find that even with a HD DVD(for the few that were even bothered about the HD DVD/Blue-ray deal) there could be price cut for both the 360 premium and the HD DVD drive(which would null your "better value" arguement).

    Who says Blue-ray will ever become standard or even HD DVD for that matter? I doubt it will be any clearer next year to be honest(you think a few thousand more units one way or the other is going to settle it? how many do you expect to be sold by next year out of interest?). They're gonna take alot more to become standard than you are suggeting, most people are happy with DVD for now so its too early and we have digital distribution and Sky HD to think about too.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 15:22

  • bluebird #100 5 years ago

    I think the magic word here is upscale. This can mean two things:

    1- You run the existing game in 1080p resolution instead of 720p. This would be great, we would get the same game rendered in higher res,

    2- You take the existing 720p, and scale it up to 1080p, like is done now with 1080i on the Xbox360. This would mean no improvement at all, apart from being slightly smoother (a bit like anti-aliasing) if done well. The game would still render at 720p and then be stretched out to 1080p. A bit like when you play a low res game at MAME and filter-stretch it to say 1280x1024 on the PC.

    I own an Xbox 360 and hope I'm wrong, but knowing MS marketing, I suspect the 2nd is the case. Clever though... this way MS can always claim 1080p output, and not be lying.

  • Calgon #101 5 years ago

    Looking at KillahSouljah and socool83 it's clear that Sony fanboys are the most blinded, ignorrant and delluded fanboys of them all. Of course they know Sony have done nothing but copy and lie since they entered the games industry deep down, its obvious some of the comments thrown Sony's way(and rightfully so) have caused them great pain.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 15:20

  • Merefield #102 5 years ago

    "1- You run the existing game in 1080p resolution instead of 720p. This would be great, we would get the same game rendered in higher res, "

    No, not great if running < half the framerate, e.g. 10fps instead of 30fps!

    Not great at all!

  • Calgon #103 5 years ago

    Well I doubt youd want either of those options on an "existing" game because the games were never made to run at that resolution. The second option is the only likely one for that reason, future games could be made with 1080p in mind though.

  • SCiARA #104 5 years ago

    I would also guess that the "Sony fanboys" are averaging a lot younger than your standard gamer

  • captainrentboy #105 5 years ago

    killahsouljah,how would it confuse the consumer?The one thing Microsoft are offerring that the PS3 isn't is CHOICE.If a potential 360 owner has absolutely no interest in playing hd-dvds or connecting their xbox live up wirelessly, I'd have thought they'd be happy that they could spend up to £150 less on a console that isn't forcing these functions on them.
    Now the one thing they do have to do is make sure that these extra bits and bobs don't bump up its price over that of the PS3's,because then it doesn't look quite as good.
    And if Microsoft do release an all in one console somewhere down the line for around,i'm guessing,£400,it's no ''bullet in the heart'' for me as I'd have had a next gen console for over a year and for a lot less than what that new one would be costing.
    Why can't the Sony lovers see that it'll only become an issue for us 360 owners IF they ever released games on hd-dvd.

  • Merefield #106 5 years ago

    "future games could be made with 1080p in mind though."

    yes with fewer textures, lower poly count and fewer objects to offset the higher res and maintain framerate.

    I'd keep the 720p and the object detail - overall would look far better.

    1080p will cripple 3D games on XBOX 360.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 15:25

  • Garulon #107 5 years ago

    "I read earlier that HD DVD's will be region free? does this mean i can import a Jap HD DVD drive to play any HD DVD on my PAL 360? "

    All HD DVD players and discs are currently region free. There's a HD DVD working group "looking" at region encoding, but that's a few years off and far too late for it to go into the 360's HD DVD player.

    "If Microsoft ever release a XBOX 360 system with a built-in HD-DVD drive that can play movies aswell as games then that would be a bullet to the heart for those who have already purchased the original XBOX 360. "

    What about if HD DVD takes off (which it very well might) and Sony switch to HD DVD as the mass storage device in the PS3? What would that be a bullet in?

    "I own an Xbox 360 and hope I'm wrong, but knowing MS marketing, I suspect the 2nd is the case. Clever though... this way MS can always claim 1080p output, and not be lying."

    Almost certainly the vast vast majority of 360 games will be 720p upscaled or downscaled to your target resolution - JUST LIKE the Playstation 3. Games that are 1080i and 60Hz (like I _think_ Dead or Alive 4, and probably quite a few Arcade titles) will be 1080p/60-native.

  • Calgon #108 5 years ago

    Merefield Id agree with that and thats the point some have said about the PS3 games that will support it(including the MS fella who had a point that was taken out of context), its just common sense really but of course it was all nonesense to PS3 fans. :/

    720p cant be used by alot of casual gamers either but atleast its within reach of alot more of them. The more I think about it, the less of an issue I see Nintendos 480p position too(in the long run of course, most of the complaints have been from hardcore and tech freaks which are usually the early adopters).
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 15:36

  • SCiARA #109 5 years ago

    cheers Garulon, so if the UK price is more than 150 it looks like i might be importing one from Japan then and, as i understand it, will be able to play american HD DVD's.

  • Garulon #110 5 years ago

    Cool - I'm fairly certain 360 accessories aren't region locked, so there shouldn't be any problem. I'm probably going to sit out HD DVD for a bit, as the upscaling built into the console has made me very, VERY happy :)

  • Netfreak #111 5 years ago


    If Microsoft ever release a XBOX 360 system with a built-in HD-DVD drive that can play movies aswell as games then that would be a bullet to the heart for those who have already purchased the original XBOX 360.

    Say people buy the HD-DVD add-on this year and next year Blu-ray becomes industry standard, then that would've have been a waste of money if studios wont be releasing movies on HD-DVD.

    Say Blu-ray lost PLAYSTATION 3 can still use the format for games, whereas Micorsoft cant.

    All in all it doesnt seem that great that Microsofts given you choice, it looks more like confusing the consumer.


    And now the Sony Whore is trying to make so many excuses to diss MS.

    I wonder how much Sony paid you to say such rubbish.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 15:43

  • TripleSeven #112 5 years ago

    Nice one, Hughes.

    I can't wait to see the 'Choice People' change their slogan once they're forced to buy an HD-DVD drive for games. I hope it happens, just to see that ;)

    Talking about choice. Microsoft had no choice but to offer 'choice' once they decided to rush the 360's release. They also offer the choice to buy a 360 now (which is able to burn down your living room, scratch your disks and make an awful lot of noise - but not to play Oblivion and Dead Rising properly every now and then) or later. Or not at all.

  • Ainudil #113 5 years ago

    Andre Vrignaud, director of Technical Strategy for Xbox Live, made comments to this effect in his blog on Ozmandias.com. According to Vrignaud:

    "There's been a lot of interest in the PS3 due to its stated 1080p output for both games and movies. What's interesting is that a lot of folks don't realize how meaningless 1080p actually is in this generation."

  • SCiARA #114 5 years ago

    and your point is?

  • KillahSouljah #115 5 years ago

    PLAYSTATION 3 users are paying for an all in one package where XBOX 360 users are paying aload of add-ons.

  • Pooley #116 5 years ago

    "There's been a lot of interest in the PS3 due to its stated 1080p output for both games and movies. What's interesting is that a lot of folks don't realize how meaningless 1080p actually is in this generation."

    I don't understand how he justifies that comment. 1080p capable HDTV's are available, they're coming down in price, and the base size of these are gonna be 42" which isn't a lot bigger, in real estate terms, than a current 32" flatscreen CRT TV. Europe, and especially the UK, is well behind where the US currently are with HDTV.

    Are people really saying that a game running at 720p is gonna look the same as the 1080p version? By the time the next gen consoles have both matured, 1080p HDTV's should be a much more standard option. Providing HD-DVD and/or BluRay are a success of course...

  • Ainudil #117 5 years ago

    SCiara, my point is hypocrisy.

  • SCiARA #118 5 years ago

    their giving 1080p support for free, its not an admission to be all and end all

    how old are you KillahSouljah?
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 16:22

  • KillahSouljah #119 5 years ago

    We're getting value for money in a nice all in one package. whereas 360 users will have add a bunch of fat add-ons to compete witht eh PLAYSTATION 3.

    I see a nice dinner table at IKEA for your 360 and add ons.

    I got my reasons to love the PLAYSTATION 3 you got Microsoft paying you mooney to love the 360.

    XBOX 360 will follow DREAMCASTS path.

    PlayStation beat Sega Saturn, N64

    PlayStation 2 killed Dreamcast, beat Xbox, Gamecube

    PLAYSTATION 3 will kill Xbox 360, beat Wii.

    I've actually got nothing against Wii, i think Nintendo's a good company, rather then copying other companys like Microsoft they come up with innovative product.

    I'm a Sony, Apple Fanyboy and what!

    I respect Nintendo!

    I despise copycat Microsoft!

  • KillahSouljah #120 5 years ago

    All i can say is when the pot calls the ketle black.

    I'll amit i prefer Sony over Microsoft, call me a Sony fanboy, i got my reasons why Sony PLAYSTATION 3 is better than XBOX 360.

    XBOX 360 belongs with PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube.

  • Garulon #121 5 years ago

    "PLAYSTATION 3 users are paying for an all in one package where XBOX 360 users are paying aload of add-ons. "

    I'm sure you'll keep repeating that to yourself as you fork out god knows how much money for the OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION 3 av cable to plug into your HDTV, as Sony just provide composite in their £425 box.

    "Are people really saying that a game running at 720p is gonna look the same as the 1080p version? "

    Well, a game has an internal resolution to render to - either 720 lines or 1080 lines. For a 720p game on a 1080p telly you have two options - either the console scales it up to a 1080p signal or the telly does. Either way, the PQ is the same.

    Now a 1080 game at 60 FPS - that's where it gets interesting, as that's the native PQ of 1080P/60. Unfortunately actually pumping out this PQ natively takes so many resources unless the game is pretty basic you can't do it.

    Did you know Soul Calibur could do 720p on the XBox? That's because it's two blokes in a room, and the same is pretty much true for both the PS3/360 and 1080p.

  • SCiARA #122 5 years ago

    So Sony didn’t copy MS Achievements with their "entitlements"....

  • KillahSouljah #123 5 years ago

    It's funny seeing all 360 fanboy saying now 'well this, but this, 360 this, we can that.'

  • Garulon #124 5 years ago

    "It's funny seeing all 360 fanboy saying now 'well this, but this, 360 this, we can that.' "

    I think you need to spend less time playing games and more time learning to think.

  • SCiARA #125 5 years ago

    Its funny reading a dumb arse like you

  • spongebob #126 5 years ago

    Andre Vrignaud, director of Technical Strategy for Xbox Live, made comments to this effect in his blog on Ozmandias.com. According to Vrignaud:

    "There's been a lot of interest in the PS3 due to its stated 1080p output for both games and movies. What's interesting is that a lot of folks don't realize how meaningless 1080p actually is in this generation."

    What's even more interesting is the fact that if Sony's roadmap for PS3 is laid like PS2's (about 10 years of activity and support), there will be more than just a little meaning to 1080p. And even if there wasn't, no one really knows for sure. Not even the director of Technical Strategy for Xbox Live. Everybody at MS and Sony would love to see the future, but I don't think either one has employees (even directors) who can predict what's going to happen in three, five or ten years.

  • Ainudil #127 5 years ago

    Of course spongebob. Personally I don't see anything negative in this announcement. I own a 360 and anything that beefs it up is positive.

    Just bringing perspective and depth into the announcement.

    You have to had noticed that only a month ago Microsoft dismissed 1080p. Now they support it.

  • SCiARA #128 5 years ago

    And i'm sure Andre Vrignaud still stands by what he said - the point is its a free download their adding to bump up the numbers, the view of one man and his blog does not equate to the views of a company
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 16:42

  • AcidSnake #129 5 years ago

    As asked earlier, how old are you Killersouljah?

    I think the chances of X360 going the way of the dreamcast are nigh impossible...

    And let's not pretend that Sony aren't copycats...
    Plus in your nice Vs summaries you left out PSP Vs. DS

    Not to bash Sony though, I really hope the PS3 succeeds...just that they stop being so smug and lower the damn price

  • SCiARA #130 5 years ago

    it would be disastrous if (a biiiig if) Sony fail completely with the PS3, personally, I’d like to see them all do well - like within a million sales. Keeps them on their toes.

  • AcidSnake #131 5 years ago

    Sounds like boot camp

  • MasterThief #132 5 years ago

    Pooley said:

    "So you've bought your Xbox 360 Premium pack for £280, and now you're paying an extra £200 or so to add nextgen HD-DVD. Total price £480.

    Makes the PS3 look cheap at £425 (ish).

    I can't believe people aren't moaning about the price..."

    IF, you own a HDTV, are a gamer, and want a cheap Blu-Ray player, then the PS3 represents tremendous value. Nobody ever said otherwise. The problem is, what if you DON'T own a HDTV? Or what if you DON'T want Blu-Ray? Or what if both cases apply to you? Then £425 as a minimum price is too much. It's a rip-off. And therein lies the difference with the 360. If you have no interest in online gaming, HDTV, HD-DVD, etc, then you can pay as little as £199.99 for the console. HOWEVER, IF you are that HDTV-owning, HD-DVD0-watching technophile, then you'll pay for what you get. A lot. £400+ is not a requirement, if you wish to buy an Xbox 360 standard. The rest then, is up to YOU.

  • Gurgeh #133 5 years ago

    "I don't understand how he justifies that comment. 1080p capable HDTV's are available"

    1080p capable does not always mean what you think. For example the Sony Qualia 004 is a "1080p front-projector", unfortunately it doesn't accept a 1080p input signal. Other displays accept a 1080p signal but don't display it at 1080p.

    BTW you can get 1080p films on regular DVD-ROMs using WMV-HD but you can't view them in regular DVD players. Some widescreen LCDs and 17" or higher computer monitors are capable of displaying 1080p.

    [link url=http://www.microsoft.com /windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hdvideo/contentshowcase. aspx
    ]http://ww w.microsoft.com/windows/windows...[/link]
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 17:42

  • Netfreak #134 5 years ago


    I'll amit i prefer Sony over Microsoft, call me a Sony fanboy, i got my reasons


    Yeah, $ony paid you to be their whore. Loser. Ignorant. Arrogant. Its great that you have the reputation of a crybaby while keep denying the obvious truth. Waaaaaaaaa...

  • Xerx3s #135 5 years ago

    At the very least this proves that (nintendo withstanding) Sony are the leaders in technology and ideas and MS just copy and follow others.

    Yeh, you really hit the nail on the head there. 0_o

    I can't wait to see the 'Choice People' change their slogan once they're forced to buy an HD-DVD drive for games. I hope it happens, just to see that ;)

    Really? That would make you what? The saddest person on the planet?

    I despise copycat Microsoft!

    Ah, but when ninty and especially sony copy stuff from ms, then it's oke, isn't it. -_-

    Really, I took you off ignore to see what all the fuss was about, worst mistake ever. I will always regret those lost 5 sec's.

    I think you need to spend less time playing games and more time learning to think.

    With the ammount of spam that he produces, I doubt that he plays that many games at all.

    And wtf do ppl want companies to fail? Less companies = less competition = higher price of the next incarnation of your beloved console. That includes all of them.

    /wanders off

  • Vic #136 5 years ago

    MS's 'me too' approach is getting slightly embarrasing. Its less financially taxing to consumers to offer a number of features as standard in a console, rather than a series of extras that work out more expensive. The key is to deciding the right number of features to include. The fact that MS sees it as necessary to include HD-DVD, 1080p and possibly HDMI, shows that they realise they made a mistake in not future-proofing their console, and are now trying to make up for it. However, £200 for a HD-DVD drive that wont incorporate games is ridiculous.

    Such was MS's rush to get 360 out early, that it forgot to think long-term from the consumers perspective. Does anyone really believe that HDMI and 1080p-compatible HDTV's wont become far more prevalent in the next 6 years? The 360 fanboys on this site seem to be thinking exclusively about the hear and now. A bit like MS in its eagerness to get 360 to the market...

  • sanchez_thedude #137 5 years ago

    I find it strange nobody has spotted that component cannot output 1080P, only HDMI can. So if this is complete balls!

  • ilmaestro #138 5 years ago

    If I can be a bit nitpicky for a second here, it's 'tri-Ace' not 'Tri-Ace'.

  • Lex_Luthor #139 5 years ago

    LOLZ, it's the official backpeddling thread! :D

    "The problem is, what if you DON'T own a HDTV? Or what if you DON'T want Blu-Ray? Or what if both cases apply to you? Then £425 as a minimum price is too much."

    If you don't want those, then 350 quid is the minimum price actually. GYFR.

  • sanchez_thedude #140 5 years ago

    My Sega Saturn was £400 in 1995! Yes I know it failed, but 11 years of inflation!

    £400 for a good games machine and Blu-ray is a bargin for me.

  • MasterThief #141 5 years ago

    Okay, I made an error. £350 is the lowest price. Still £150 higher than the Core Xbox 360 though. And why, when the technical difference between the two is negligible, at best? Yep, you guessed it. The Blu-Ray drive!
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 19:42

  • MasterThief #142 5 years ago

    "Yes I know it failed"

    And the nail gets met on its head.

    :)

  • Lex_Luthor #143 5 years ago

    "Still £150 higher than the Core Xbox 360 though."

    Technically it's a 70 quid price difference, as the 350 quid PS3 does everything the Premium 360 does, so comparing it to the core model is pointless.

  • Calgon #144 5 years ago

    Haha history lesson time just for a laugh:

    Last gen -

    Xbox - had a HDD Standard, an online service which they pushed the importance of from the start, 5.1 audio and supported progressive scan(720p) in more games.


    PS2 - Had an optional add on that even Sony never supported(a key difference), gave the impression that online wasnt important(tried to make it look like their online service was more successfull all the same in the end) and dissmissed the extra features Xbox had.


    Next-gen

    360 - Offered 2 versions of the console to consumers, Pushed the point about HD(720p) from the start, launched worldwide, evolved the Live service(with hints of movies and music on their new marketplace scheme from the start), said HD DVD was not needed for games just because they are HD(look at the PC space damnit) right now but would think about an add-on for movie playback.

    Now this is where Sony start to take MS seriously you can see this by the ways in which they reacted:

    SONY's first reactions to the 360:

    * "2 versions of the console is stupid hahaha! It will just confuse gamers... please dont buy it!"

    * "We have a hard drive as standard dont you know!... ahem! I do gamers will appreciate this innovation!"

    * "Next-gen is what we say it is and starts when we say it does bitches! MS copied us, HD starts at 1080p... all our games will have 1080p @ 120fps its the only way. May aswell wait for ours now since its out soon too... please dont buy the 360! :( "

    * "We will launch world wide too"

    * "We think online is important and are going to offer things never seen in the console space before ahem PS3 Live.. *cue list ripped from MS's outline of the new live at previous event*

    * "MS keeps copying us :("

    Sony now:

    * "Its out real soon we swear this time... please dont buy the 360! :("

    * "We are giving you lucky people a choice of two consoles now... cool huh?"

    * "Oh yea about the HDMI thing though... only one of them has it and neither of them come with the cable but 1080p is the real next gen still"

    * "MS keeps copying us :(... oh and please dont buy the 360"

    MS now:

    * "We will release the add-on for HD DVD movies with a 1080p dashboard update which will allow the resolution support for movies and games"

    Sony now:

    * "Oh noooes they copied us again see, see?"


    I wont include the Zune service as IIRC its not officially anounced on the 360 yet is it?

    But Bollocks is the word Sony!
    Edited by 2 at 20/09/06 @ 20:08

  • The_Programmer #145 5 years ago

    "Still £150 higher than the Core Xbox 360 though."

    Technically it's a 70 quid price difference, as the 350 quid PS3 does everything the Premium 360 does, so comparing it to the core model is pointless. "

    I'm sorry but £199.99 is the amount the cheapest Xbox360 costs. In the UK Sony wasn't even going to sell the cheapest PS3 anyway.

    It's all academic anyway as you won't be able to buy the PS3 until March next year just in time for Microsoft to reduce the price of the Xbox360 making the PS3 even worse value for money.

  • Xerx3s #146 5 years ago

    My Sega Saturn was £400 in 1995! Yes I know it failed, but 11 years of inflation!
    £400 for a good games machine and Blu-ray is a bargin for me.

    Oh god, not the saturn! I remember it dropping by 50% in price when I bought that thing.

    That was one overpriced pos.

  • Scimarad #147 5 years ago

    Microsoft seem to be doing all they can to weaken their position - All this crap just makes it look like they are desperately trying to equal the Playstation 3 rather than just emphasising the 360s good points.

    It really is making them look desperate when they didn't need to be...

  • KillahSouljah #148 5 years ago

    Classic video: Microsoft and Bill Gates gets booed to death at Apple MacWorld Conference.

    Why do people hate Microsoft and Bill Gates so bad?

  • Calgon #149 5 years ago

    Scimarad: All what crap? we are talking about a HD DVD drive add-on(which we knew last year) and a dashboard update(which isnt anything out of the ordinary).

    Nobody is making a fuss about this except the Sony fanboys because its taken away one of the only boasts of the PS3 over 360. MS didnt want to get caught up in the format war so this was the safest option perhaps toshiba pushed for it too.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 20:20

  • Mind_Open #150 5 years ago

    1080p is completely irrelevant for the actual market because only a minority of people have a HD TV and even these, not all of then bought it with the intention to play games. And in the litle world of the HDTV buyers just a even smaller group have money to buy a proper HD with 1080p. And yes you can buy the smallers ones, but we all know that to see any diference between 1080i and 1080p we have to spend a large money because just above 40"Tvs it is that you will see some upgrade. So i cant see all the entusiasm around PS3 because of the 1080p support, and now the 360, but is ok, at least sony will stop the talking about true next-gen (i hope) because they are not the only ones anymore, and bring us some proper games.

    Sorry for the spelling.

    I wanna become a Wii60 guy.

  • KillahSouljah #151 5 years ago

    Classic video: Microsoft and Bill Gates gets booed to death at Apple MacWorld Conference.

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9IY&mode=r elated&search=
    ]http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9...[/link]

    Why do people hate Microsoft and Bill Gates so bad?
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/06 @ 20:30

  • Penguinzoot #152 5 years ago

    Calgon - loved the history lesson! :D

  • disco.citizen #153 5 years ago

    just in case anyones interested

    [link url=htt p://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5364238.stm
    ]http://ne ws.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/53...[/link]

    can we get back to the games now?

  • zoidberg #154 5 years ago

    thanks to the people who referred me to the avforums.com.

  • cyber_nicco #155 5 years ago

    Jeez. Only the cynics at EG could bash MS for supplying a free update that adds functionality.

    I'm not talking about all of you (us?), by the way... :p

  • cyber_nicco #156 5 years ago

    okay, one more thing...

    Microsoft the 360 primarily as a games machine (well, and maybe a whole living room trojan horse sort of thingie - for the paranoid out there...) We've all known for some time now that Sony included Blu-Ray in the 3 largely to further that format, gain future licensing money for Sony, etc. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with that - they're a business, after all....

    So, now Microsoft wants to add HD-DVD player as an optional (TOTALLY optional) component for those who want it, and in the process they add a software patch to support 1080p for those that want to watch their movies at full-def. Maybe it is unecessary, but for those that want to watch hi-def movies on big teevees, it might be an important option to have.

    All these exagerations about what MS said, and how awful they are now to do this, I think are a bit insincere (or misguided, at least).

  • cyber_nicco #157 5 years ago

    "I wonder which company will create the first "HD-DVD only" game for the Xbox 360. That'll be a popular move. Not.

    With all that extra capacity surely someone will do this? Anyone know of any upcoming titles that may need this? "

    My Dearest Pooley,

    If you do show some self-restraint, I think you run the risk of looking a tad silly with some of your comments. All games are licensed by Microsoft, and controlled through copy protection, etc. If a publisher decided to go "renegade" and found a way to use the HD-DVD (and it might be enirely impossible due to a number of ways it could be implemented), they would only be able to be played on "hacked" 360s - a small group indeed.

    Of course, I could be completely wrong...

  • KillahSouljah #158 5 years ago

    Microsoft rushed out to spoil Sony's Domminence.

    Idiots. Bad mistake. Watch.

  • thinktank #159 5 years ago

    the only good point to this is that its stops sony irresponsibly flouting 1080p to the uneducated (or more relivantly to this site, the trolls)

    1080p's advantages over 720p is only noticeable on high end 42" HD-TV.

    The price on these tvs may fall but the shear size will limit there numbers, the majority of tv's sizes in the UK fall between 28" and 32". Unless the general size of peoples house change i don't see that changing.

    A game running at 1080p resolution will seriously limit frame rate especially as game worlds get larger with much more things happening on screan at once.

    I feel sorry for the average joe who may be swayed by the 1080p bullet point on the side of the box having no idea they have just payed for feature they may never be able to use.

    "True next gen starts with the Playstation 3"

    *cough*

    - You do have have to buy the £425 SKU
    - You do have to buy the HDMI cable
    - You do have to buy a 1080p enable game, erm they will be wildly supported honest! oh and there deisgn won't contrained either, super honest!
    - You will need a 1080p 42" HD-TV, oh and a top noch one is best ;)
    - You may need a bigger house also.

    *cough*

    A few bullet points i suspect wont appear on the side of a PS3 box.

    Lets hope MS don't go down this route.
    Edited by 1 at 21/09/06 @ 00:32

  • gamesport #160 5 years ago

    "Classic video: Microsoft and Bill Gates gets booed to death at Apple MacWorld Conference. http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9... "

    KillahSouljah, you are so anti-M$. You are cluelessly stuck in 1997(hence the '97 vid)

    Just in case you have been locked up all this time, let me be the first to break the news to you: Apple is letting people install windows on Macs. [link url=http://www.nwprogressive.org /weblog/2006/04/apple-announces-new-software-to-let.html [/url]
    ]http://ww w.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2006...[/link]
    Apple is actually working with M$ on a 64bit version of Vista, for 64bit Macs. Get up to speed, its kind of embarrasing http://www.macwindows.com/
    Edited by 3 at 21/09/06 @ 07:09

  • willetts345 #161 5 years ago

    yay i have a 1080p telly its immense oooooooooooh groovylicious !!!! p.s im not rich i jus dont waste money on silly things like food or healthcare:D

  • willetts345 #162 5 years ago

    ohh and btw calgon loved the history lesson i genuinly chuckled will u marry me :p ;):D

  • Pooley #163 5 years ago

    @cyber_nicco

    Show restraint? I find this jacket and the padded cell I have very restraining.

    Haven't MSoft already said that games via the HD-DVD would be possible?

    Got nothing against MSoft, just I find that there are several unanswered questions about the HD-DVD add-on that we'll just need to wait and find out about.

    - 1080p via component, possible but not recommended for quality (D/A then A/D conversion to display on your HDTV)
    - 1080p with no DVI/HDMI (currently) therefore how will copy protection work and how will the big movie companies react to this
    - noise, especially if the 360 is working hard to output 1080p

    I think the 1080p output and copy protection issues will be explained further. Noise is the one I'm worried about. Three of us were playing Rockstar Table Tennis on a mates 360 last night, and ALL of us couldn't believe the noise the 360 was making. No wonder there's so much crowd noise in the game...

  • Vic #164 5 years ago

    From Guardian Technology:

    Predictably, it seems there are no plans to release games that run in 1080p. Instead, the software update will allow DVD movies to be scaled up to 1080p and will also handle HD DVD releases. Sony, of course, has made much out of PS3's status as the only console capable of coping with 'True HD'. Although limited numbers of first-party games will attempt to exploit the resolution, most PS3 titles will stick with 720p/1080i.


    Seems like a PR opportunity ahead of TGS more than anything.

  • Bates #165 5 years ago

    LMFAO!!!

    "1080P doesn't matter!" "1080P is all hype, just ask this scientician we hired to prove it!"

    What a bunch of two faced backpeddling twats! lolololololoololollololol!!!

    :D

  • gelf #166 5 years ago

    I highly doubt any HD_DVD games will be made. I dont think it would be viable and neither do MS I think.

    Just look at past console add ons and how poorly supported they where, they would be stupid to attempt it.

  • mike_mcmuffin #167 5 years ago

    2005: Sony announce meaningless-in practical-terms 1080p support.
    2006: Microsoft announce meaningless-in-practical-terms 1080p support.

    2005: Sony bet the house on Blu-Ray, to be integrated into every single PS3 built.
    2006: Microsoft announce/release a HD-DVD add-on, minus the requisite HDMI support to make it somewhat relevant.

    I guess leaders really don't react after all.