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Derek_00
03-19-2002, 03:38 PM
i was wondering when Xbox will oficially go online im from Canada so if anyone knows when it will please let me know

THanks alot
Derek

l Maximus l
03-19-2002, 03:54 PM
The beginning of the Summer is the official start date. Could be as soon as late Spring :) I can't wait, either!!!

LynxFX
03-19-2002, 03:59 PM
Not sure if that includes Canada. I've heard that it includes North America but then I heard also that it is just the U.S. The official announcement hasn't been made though so we don't even know if it will be a subscription based system or *praying* free.

Jon27
03-19-2002, 06:28 PM
theyve said in the april eddition of OMX that it will launch with the yanks

JADE8704
03-19-2002, 06:30 PM
let me get this straight...so when the xbox online begins...we don't need to hook it up to our computers like we do for gamespy? and we won't need a hub anymore???:D

jschelm
03-19-2002, 06:33 PM
I am not sure that you will need your computer to be a "tunnel" I would doubt that, but you will probably still need a hub so that you can share your broadband connection. Otherwise you would have to repeatedly swap cables which would be a pain.

Dre
03-19-2002, 06:33 PM
you'll still need a cable going into your xbox from your modem. so unless you are getting a broadband connection for only your xbox you will need a hub or 2 NIC setup thru the comp.

jschelm
03-19-2002, 06:36 PM
How do you guys think the XBox is gonna handle addressing? Does it have the ability for dynamic addressing or did Microsoft devise something new just for it. To hook it up with two NICs will require some sort of assigned IP address, so that may not be an option for getting the box online with the MS service.

Snoopy7548
03-19-2002, 06:39 PM
is it gonna cost money? also, when it goes online, anyone know if gamespy will still be compatible with all the games, cause if it is, im gonna use that instead of payin money.

Dre
03-19-2002, 06:42 PM
Originally posted by jschelm
How do you guys think the XBox is gonna handle addressing? Does it have the ability for dynamic addressing or did Microsoft devise something new just for it. To hook it up with two NICs will require some sort of assigned IP address, so that may not be an option for getting the box online with the MS service.

I believe it uses the standard protocols for ethernet and tcp/ip. I don't know why MS would have devised something else for it.. it would complicate alot of things. But it is MS...

JADE8704
03-19-2002, 06:45 PM
the only difference is, snoopy, is that on gamespy, only certain xbox games will be available for online-play...but when u buy it from microsoft(probably $10 a month), all the games with multi-play can be played w/o gamespy :)

jschelm
03-19-2002, 06:47 PM
Originally posted by JADE8704
the only difference is, snoopy, is that on gamespy, only certain xbox games will be available for online-play...but when u buy it from microsoft(probably $10 a month), all the games with multi-play can be played w/o gamespy :)

That is how I take it too...The games that support LAN games will be able to be played via gamespy, but the games that are "Internet Ready" probably won't.

Snoopy7548
03-19-2002, 06:57 PM
oh, but i dont wanna pay money, why cant we just get it for free, its not like we'll be using microsofts bandwidth, it'll be the same exact thing as playing online games on the pc, youre using your own internet, not someone elses. like playing counter strike, all you do is connect to a server that someone is running, so we can just do that, like the people who run the servers would be the only people to pay a monthly fee, cause they could run it from microsoft or somethin, i dont know, i just hope it doesnt cost any money.

jschelm
03-19-2002, 07:03 PM
Originally posted by Snoopy7548
oh, but i dont wanna pay money, why cant we just get it for free, its not like we'll be using microsofts bandwidth, it'll be the same exact thing as playing online games on the pc, youre using your own internet, not someone elses. like playing counter strike, all you do is connect to a server that someone is running, so we can just do that, like the people who run the servers would be the only people to pay a monthly fee, cause they could run it from microsoft or somethin, i dont know, i just hope it doesnt cost any money.

I agree it is gonna suck to have to pay, but from what I hear Microsoft IS going to have all of the servers that way you only have to depend on your downstream bandwidth and they will supply all the upstream that the game requires. If I had the choice between free laggy games and 10/month flawless play. I think I would have to bite the bullet and pay.

Snoopy7548
03-19-2002, 07:07 PM
i dont, there are PLENTY of fast servers on counter-strike, and other online games. i HARDLY ever got a ping above 80, most of the time i got around 60-70, and thats not laggy at all, it actually played very smooth. and with the xbox, there will be a lot of people that will host some games, and they will probly have fast connections.

l Maximus l
03-19-2002, 07:12 PM
Originally posted by JADE8704
let me get this straight...so when the xbox online begins...we don't need to hook it up to our computers like we do for gamespy? and we won't need a hub anymore???:D

No, we won't need a HUB at all. All you do is plug your Broadband modem directly into the back of your XBox :) Pretty cool, huh? Once you place a game that is dedicated to on-line, you will be launched on-line immediately! It's going to be sweet!

But, having a HUB is nice if you decide you want to play a System Link compatible game and you want to hook up more than one XBox. You will need a HUB if you want to hook up 3 or 4, however, if you only have two XBoxes to hook up, a simple Crossover is all you need :)

jschelm
03-19-2002, 07:14 PM
Originally posted by Maximus


No, we won't need a HUB at all. All you do is plug your Broadband modem directly into the back of your XBox :) Pretty cool, huh? Once you place a game that is dedicated to on-line, you will be launched on-line immediately! It's going to be sweet!

But, having a HUB is nice if you decide you want to play a System Link compatible game and you want to hook up more than one XBox. You will need a HUB if you want to hook up 3 or 4, however, if you only have two XBoxes to hook up, a simple Crossover is all you need :)

Just don't forget what was said earlier...that is if you want to dedicate your broadband just to your XBox.

jimmy_page
03-19-2002, 07:47 PM
would somebody be so kind as to tell me what all is needed to play online this summer? i don't own a pc or know anything about them. thanks alot.

Snoopy7548
03-19-2002, 07:49 PM
u dont own a pc and dont know anything about them? how are u on these forums?:confused: :confused:

jimmy_page
03-19-2002, 08:50 PM
Originally posted by Snoopy7548
u dont own a pc and dont know anything about them? how are u on these forums?:confused: :confused:

i have webtv... and it sucks

jschelm
03-19-2002, 08:53 PM
Originally posted by jimmy_page


i have webtv... and it sucks

You will need at the least - a broadband connection, meaning DSL or cable modem and a cable to connect it to your xbox (if you are going to dedicate your broadband connection to your xbox only). The broadband connection is going to cost you close to $40 a month and then you may have to pay whatever MS wants to charge.

Hope this helps

jimmy_page
03-20-2002, 01:37 PM
how much will a cable modem and connecter cost? i live WAY out in the sticks, so i guess dsl is out of the question.

LynxFX
03-20-2002, 02:48 PM
Do you get cable there? Like tv cable? If you don't get that you're completely SOL. Now if you do then call up your cable company and ask them if they offer cable internet service. If they don't then you are SOL again and will have to wait until it is available.

jimmy_page
03-20-2002, 03:40 PM
no, i don't get cable tv out here. i live 20 miles away from town. so does this mean there's absolutely no way to play online from here?

LynxFX
03-20-2002, 03:44 PM
The only way would be to invest in a Direct TV system and get their Direct PC addon. Now you are talking big bucks and you will still end up with latency issues with a satellite system.

With the right equipment you could convert your lan connection to work with your 56k modem but then it still would be lag heaven and not even playable.

Sorry.

l Maximus l
03-20-2002, 03:52 PM
Jimmy...it sounds like you need to move closer to town :D

jimmy_page
03-20-2002, 04:16 PM
man, this is BAD news. i was REALLY looking forward to playing online this summer. too bad none of my friends have broadband connection. i'm gonna go shoot myself now...joke
thanks for the help guys

Derek_00
03-21-2002, 07:04 PM
my computer and xbox are on two different floors of my house and i still want to use the internet on my pc for regular use, is this a problem ?

jschelm
03-21-2002, 07:12 PM
Originally posted by Derek_00
my computer and xbox are on two different floors of my house and i still want to use the internet on my pc for regular use, is this a problem ?

Nah, the big question is how good are you at fishing wires. It is really easy to wire up a couple of wall plates and run some cat-5 cable through the floor, it will just take some time. Also, you don't have to worry too much about signal degredation with long runs of cat-5 cable. I have done some well over 200' that didn't cause any issues at all. Also, if you don't really care about the looks and it wouldn't be in the way too bad you can just get a really long patch cable and run it down the stairs.

Derek_00
03-21-2002, 07:24 PM
is this cat 5 cable expensive ?

can i go on the internet on my pc while my brother plays xbox online ?

jschelm
03-21-2002, 07:27 PM
Originally posted by Derek_00
is this cat 5 cable expensive ?

can i go on the internet on my pc while my brother plays xbox online ?

No, and probably. The cabling isn't too bad and as long as your ISP is giving you enough bandwidth then you shouldn't have any problems surfing the web while he is playing online. If you aren't getting enough bandwidth then you will have to pick one or the other.

Derek_00
03-21-2002, 07:31 PM
whats bandwidth and get i get more ?

Calve
03-21-2002, 08:15 PM
Hey, Does anyone know if Xbox Online can be accessed through satelite??? If you know anything about this please tell me....Thanx

:)

LynxFX
03-22-2002, 02:13 PM
Calve,

Yes and no. If your sat system uses standard RJ45 which I believe it should then you can connect but there are latency issues which brings you lag. Plus some Sat internet services only use the satelite for downloading and they use your phone line for upload. This would cause problems and probably not make your system playable.

I've never used a consumer satelite system personally so I don't know for sure. I've used government satelite systems out in the field before which worked great but we also could give ourselves the full bandwidth available.