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Shadow20002
04-27-2004, 05:31 PM
A visitor of aChinese BBS revealed information that, he thinks, mirrors some architecture peculiarities of the Microsoft’s Xbox 2 console in addition to the date when the world’s largest software maker is expected to release the official details of the console.

Microsoft is expected to formally announce the Xbox 2 (the “Xenon”) on the 2nd of June 2004. The firm may adjust some parameters but will not change the overall structure of the console, the China-based web-site GZeasy.com believes.

Microsoft will use IBM’s POWER 64-bit processors in the Xbox 2. The 65nm chips were reportedly taped-out recently and are now evaluated by engineers at Microsoft and IBM, though, the architecture of those microprocessors still remains to be investigated.

As everybody knows, there is a lot going on with multi-core, multi-threaded designs at IBM. Apparently, Microsoft also wants to jump on that bandwagon, some sources indicate. The Redmond, Washington-based firm wants to incorporate IBM’s POWER 976 architecture into the CPUs for Xbox 2 console to allow truly high-performance processing. POWER 976 is expected to be a dual-core processor able to handle two threads at once. What may seem a pretty hard to believe is that Microsoft wants more than 1 such chip to power its forthcoming console, according to the scheme published there are three of such chips.

The whole Xbox 2 CPU system will be capable of processing a number of threads simultaneously; because of its RISC nature, the new architecture is a big-endian system, a term that describes the order in which a sequence of bytes are stored in computer memory. Traditional x86 architectures use the little-endian approach, it was initially noted.

The graphics processor of the Xbox 2 is to be developed by ATI Technologies, the I/O controller is to be developed by Silicon Integration Systems Corporation.

Ninja
04-27-2004, 05:39 PM
You tell it's BS by the part where it says 64mb minimum capacity.

Unreal
04-27-2004, 09:57 PM
You tell it's BS by the part where it says 64mb minimum capacity.
Look at the chart on the far right. It states that the the memory is 256mb. You have the 64mb from the memory units section.

Caesar SYN
04-27-2004, 10:02 PM
"Threads" I havent heard that since toying with mainframes...

the ability to run two threads at once will greatly increases performnace... basically a dual processor in one..

mattgame
04-27-2004, 10:42 PM
I am computer illiterate so bear with me. From what that says will there be a hard drive?

Highlite23
04-27-2004, 11:34 PM
It's hard to see but it reads as follows:

"(4) Hard Drive (Built in undecided)
20-80 GB Capacity"

PS> Please remember this is speculation.

thegamepeddler
04-30-2004, 10:35 AM
Aside from the fact that anyone could whip up a diagram like this at will, the whole layout doesn't look all that credible.

Variation-XBA
04-30-2004, 11:57 AM
Until it's from the horses mouth..pass..

TheWheelMan
04-30-2004, 12:29 PM
All im hoping for is a kickass system and the ability to trade in my xbox for 100 or more dollars off the price of the xbox 2 :D

TheWheelMan
04-30-2004, 12:31 PM
O and maybe have the system incorporating this flash memory ive been hearing sooo much good things about :cheers:

Brutus
04-30-2004, 02:39 PM
I'd say that for a game like HALO 2 to be made with that kind of graphical "Umph", they'll definitely need the hard drive because the minimum IN Game Gigabyte's needed would have to be at least 5 gigabytes.
This is just my speculation, and you have the right to disagree.
But if you do, I'll have no choice but to dispose of your body...

BunnyRabbit
04-30-2004, 03:52 PM
Wow.. I sure hope Xbox2 is affordable =(

Because im gonna be dying to get it before waiting for anysort of price drops.. =P

lotec16
04-30-2004, 05:21 PM
I'd say that for a game like HALO 2 to be made with that kind of graphical "Umph", they'll definitely need the hard drive because the minimum IN Game Gigabyte's needed would have to be at least 5 gigabytes.
This is just my speculation, and you have the right to disagree.
But if you do, I'll have no choice but to dispose of your body...


Textures are low rez because it's a console, most of those 5 gig are probley on the dvd, the hard drive probley doens't do much, it does do some, but it's not like the whole friggin' game is running off it.

Unreal
04-30-2004, 08:04 PM
All im hoping for is a kickass system and the ability to trade in my xbox for 100 or more dollars off the price of the xbox 2 :D
I am hoping that as well. Because that means its backwards compatible :D