DZNUTZ
04-23-2002, 12:52 PM
It's Alive! Alive!
New details on the Xbox online service, Xbox Live.
April 22, 2002 - While the lion's share of information and details on Microsoft's online service for Xbox will come in the form of an announcement at E3, IGN has learned several new tidbits about the plan, that can now officially be referred to as Xbox Live.
The name is intended to cover everything that Microsoft plans on doing with the service, which could very well include applications beyond online console gaming. Several answers to our Xbox Live questions were provided by Xbox Product Manager, David Hufford. We present the short form interview below.
Some of the key details we now know about Xbox Live include:
Match-making service to find other online players
Instantly switching games in real time
No keyboard and mouse whatsoever
Applications for Xbox Live go beyond gaming
The match-making service is seen as a crucial element in getting gamers to get online and get playing as soon as possible. This is as significant as getting users onto the service quickly and easily.
Being able to switch from one game, in this example football, to another, say a first person shooter, while playing online should be a surprise bonus. It seems that you will be able to play a game that's not in your console by jumping to a game that your buddy is playing with the push of a button. This suggests several things about the online service, but nothing we could confirm at the time of publish. Will gamers actually be logging onto a remote server for Xbox Live games? Will we be downloading the online components for Xbox Live games onto our hard drives from the game disc? We'll be digging for these answers before, during and after E3.
With no futher delay, here are the questions and answers that we do have for you at this time.
IGN: So, Xbox Live eh? That sounds familiar.
David Hufford: Xbox Live is the name. You know we've placed our bet on broadband by the stuff we've placed in the machine. We're building a service and the name stands for all of the things that we plan to build into this killer universe where we think gamers are just going to marinate themselves. Right now we're designing the ultimate place where social experiences and places where you can find your friends is super easy. Every game that you're gonna play is voice-enabled so that if you buy an Xbox Live game you know voice is going to work because it's a mandate. There are going to be other things on the service that will work across every single game. You know how AOL is a cool place online where when your buddies get online, you know they're there and its easy to find them and chat with them? You're going to see a similar kind of integration on this service.
IGN: Are games going to be branded as Xbox Live titles?
DH: We'll have a logo so people will be able to identify Xbox Live games as such. But, the logo is not ready to roll yet.
IGN: Is voice going to be the main way to communicate on Xbox Live?
DH: We went out and talked to 2,000 gamers and they basically said we want to throw out the keyboard and mouse and slap on a headset and talk to my buddies. If I'm in San Francisco I want to talk to my buddy in New York whom I haven't seen in ages because I want to trash-talk and I want to have fun doing that. Of course games are at the heart of what they want. Over time we'll start announcing the games that are coming out for Xbox Live.
IGN: Are these the same 2,000 gamers you all talked to before the launch of Xbox that told you what they wanted in terms of the controller and design of the system?
DH: Nope. It's a new crop of people. In fact many of the people we talked to bought Xbox so they've been out there in the market. One thing you find out is that the guys that bought Xbox first are the early adopters of technology. A lot of them already have broadband, much higher than your average Joe. Those are the guys we're going to be targeting with the service.
The Voice Communicator
IGN: Are we going to see a keyboard and mouse?
DH: Hell no!
IGN: Is Microsoft going to be doing anything special to compel people to get broadband so they can enjoy all of this Xbox goodness?
DH: Some of those details have yet to be worked out. We're gonna unveil that stuff as we move through the next few months. We'll unveil some information at E3 and then as we move into the fall, we'll unveil a lot more information. Along the way there'll be a consumer beta program to get consumers online and helping us test out the service and servers and gameplay.
IGN: Has the pricing been determined yet?
DH: No. We're looking at a lot of different things. People love to look at the cable model and charge them a certain dollar amount, people buy the games, and every single one of those games works beautifully across the service. That's one model we're looking at, but there might be an early adopter model too. We might seek to drive adoption for the things we're going to do in voice. So we're looking at a ton of ideas to drive the first 100,000 people to the service. I will say that it's going to be a steady rollout. This thing is going to take some time to build but we're building it for the long haul. We're investing a lot into the infrastructure of this service so that it can be scaled over time.
IGN: What are the bare minimum features we can expect upon launch?
DH: Match-making for sure. That's what everybody wants first and foremost. They want to be able to find somebody 24/7/365. We've always made it no secret that voice is important and we're going to make sure that coming out of the gate, every game has voice-enabled gameplay. We want to make it easy to find your friends online. That's something that everybody loves and it has to work across every game. So if I'm playing NFL Fever 2003 and my buddy is playing Unreal Championship, I get notified "Hey, your best buddy is playing Unreal. Do you want to jump over there?" "Yeah, go" I can make that choice because I know you're there.
IGN: How will you be able to hop over there if you don't have that game in your system?
DH: Um, uh. Those are some of the finer details we'll unveil as we go along here. But those are the features people should think about when they think about Xbox Live. We're not interested in what you can do with a 56k modem, that's for the minor league players. Five years from now the world is going to be all over broadband and that's when the fun starts.
IGN: The Voice Communicator is a new piece of hardware. Any grand plans to get those into homes by way of a bundle or anything like that?
DH: We're looking at all of those kinds of options. The business model side of this is new for everybody. How do you drive customers? How do you make it a good business for everybody in the eco-system? All of those things are what we're looking at. Nothing is fully baked so I can't give you a definitive answer just yet?
IGN: The final and most important question is, when are you going to launch Xbox Live?
DH: We're going to talk more about that at E3. We're excited to share a good part of the rollout plan at E3.
IGN: The last we heard it was supposed to be a summer launch.
DH:. Well, we'll see, we'll see.
-- Aaron Boulding
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/357/357821p1.html
ahh man...this is gonna be the greatest thing since sliced bread
New details on the Xbox online service, Xbox Live.
April 22, 2002 - While the lion's share of information and details on Microsoft's online service for Xbox will come in the form of an announcement at E3, IGN has learned several new tidbits about the plan, that can now officially be referred to as Xbox Live.
The name is intended to cover everything that Microsoft plans on doing with the service, which could very well include applications beyond online console gaming. Several answers to our Xbox Live questions were provided by Xbox Product Manager, David Hufford. We present the short form interview below.
Some of the key details we now know about Xbox Live include:
Match-making service to find other online players
Instantly switching games in real time
No keyboard and mouse whatsoever
Applications for Xbox Live go beyond gaming
The match-making service is seen as a crucial element in getting gamers to get online and get playing as soon as possible. This is as significant as getting users onto the service quickly and easily.
Being able to switch from one game, in this example football, to another, say a first person shooter, while playing online should be a surprise bonus. It seems that you will be able to play a game that's not in your console by jumping to a game that your buddy is playing with the push of a button. This suggests several things about the online service, but nothing we could confirm at the time of publish. Will gamers actually be logging onto a remote server for Xbox Live games? Will we be downloading the online components for Xbox Live games onto our hard drives from the game disc? We'll be digging for these answers before, during and after E3.
With no futher delay, here are the questions and answers that we do have for you at this time.
IGN: So, Xbox Live eh? That sounds familiar.
David Hufford: Xbox Live is the name. You know we've placed our bet on broadband by the stuff we've placed in the machine. We're building a service and the name stands for all of the things that we plan to build into this killer universe where we think gamers are just going to marinate themselves. Right now we're designing the ultimate place where social experiences and places where you can find your friends is super easy. Every game that you're gonna play is voice-enabled so that if you buy an Xbox Live game you know voice is going to work because it's a mandate. There are going to be other things on the service that will work across every single game. You know how AOL is a cool place online where when your buddies get online, you know they're there and its easy to find them and chat with them? You're going to see a similar kind of integration on this service.
IGN: Are games going to be branded as Xbox Live titles?
DH: We'll have a logo so people will be able to identify Xbox Live games as such. But, the logo is not ready to roll yet.
IGN: Is voice going to be the main way to communicate on Xbox Live?
DH: We went out and talked to 2,000 gamers and they basically said we want to throw out the keyboard and mouse and slap on a headset and talk to my buddies. If I'm in San Francisco I want to talk to my buddy in New York whom I haven't seen in ages because I want to trash-talk and I want to have fun doing that. Of course games are at the heart of what they want. Over time we'll start announcing the games that are coming out for Xbox Live.
IGN: Are these the same 2,000 gamers you all talked to before the launch of Xbox that told you what they wanted in terms of the controller and design of the system?
DH: Nope. It's a new crop of people. In fact many of the people we talked to bought Xbox so they've been out there in the market. One thing you find out is that the guys that bought Xbox first are the early adopters of technology. A lot of them already have broadband, much higher than your average Joe. Those are the guys we're going to be targeting with the service.
The Voice Communicator
IGN: Are we going to see a keyboard and mouse?
DH: Hell no!
IGN: Is Microsoft going to be doing anything special to compel people to get broadband so they can enjoy all of this Xbox goodness?
DH: Some of those details have yet to be worked out. We're gonna unveil that stuff as we move through the next few months. We'll unveil some information at E3 and then as we move into the fall, we'll unveil a lot more information. Along the way there'll be a consumer beta program to get consumers online and helping us test out the service and servers and gameplay.
IGN: Has the pricing been determined yet?
DH: No. We're looking at a lot of different things. People love to look at the cable model and charge them a certain dollar amount, people buy the games, and every single one of those games works beautifully across the service. That's one model we're looking at, but there might be an early adopter model too. We might seek to drive adoption for the things we're going to do in voice. So we're looking at a ton of ideas to drive the first 100,000 people to the service. I will say that it's going to be a steady rollout. This thing is going to take some time to build but we're building it for the long haul. We're investing a lot into the infrastructure of this service so that it can be scaled over time.
IGN: What are the bare minimum features we can expect upon launch?
DH: Match-making for sure. That's what everybody wants first and foremost. They want to be able to find somebody 24/7/365. We've always made it no secret that voice is important and we're going to make sure that coming out of the gate, every game has voice-enabled gameplay. We want to make it easy to find your friends online. That's something that everybody loves and it has to work across every game. So if I'm playing NFL Fever 2003 and my buddy is playing Unreal Championship, I get notified "Hey, your best buddy is playing Unreal. Do you want to jump over there?" "Yeah, go" I can make that choice because I know you're there.
IGN: How will you be able to hop over there if you don't have that game in your system?
DH: Um, uh. Those are some of the finer details we'll unveil as we go along here. But those are the features people should think about when they think about Xbox Live. We're not interested in what you can do with a 56k modem, that's for the minor league players. Five years from now the world is going to be all over broadband and that's when the fun starts.
IGN: The Voice Communicator is a new piece of hardware. Any grand plans to get those into homes by way of a bundle or anything like that?
DH: We're looking at all of those kinds of options. The business model side of this is new for everybody. How do you drive customers? How do you make it a good business for everybody in the eco-system? All of those things are what we're looking at. Nothing is fully baked so I can't give you a definitive answer just yet?
IGN: The final and most important question is, when are you going to launch Xbox Live?
DH: We're going to talk more about that at E3. We're excited to share a good part of the rollout plan at E3.
IGN: The last we heard it was supposed to be a summer launch.
DH:. Well, we'll see, we'll see.
-- Aaron Boulding
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/357/357821p1.html
ahh man...this is gonna be the greatest thing since sliced bread