Next Xbox MUST be top of game.

[Jojo Juey]

The success of the Xbox so far has been completely due to its hardware superiority, and the superiority of multiplayer via Xbox Live. Xbox relies on its technological lead over Sony to be competitive with the PS2. For the next-generation Xbox to compete with the PS3 it MUST continue this lead. Sony has the advantage in game devel. and were their console the most powerful as well, they would own the market. Rumors of PS3 using Blu-Ray and Microsoft opting not to are disquieting. Microsoft needs to play to their strength.

[LynxFX]

The next gen won't come down to hardware specs, it will be down to the games. Both consoles will have enough power to produce equally amazing graphics (unlike this past gen where the PS2's looked like crap out of the gate).

[FB-Gollum]

The success of the Xbox so far has been completely due to its hardware superiority, and the superiority of multiplayer via Xbox Live. Xbox relies on its technological lead over Sony to be competitive with the PS2. For the next-generation Xbox to compete with the PS3 it MUST continue this lead. Sony has the advantage in game devel. and were their console the most powerful as well, they would own the market. Rumors of PS3 using Blu-Ray and Microsoft opting not to are disquieting. Microsoft needs to play to their strength.

Wrong. A big part of PS2's success had to do with the hangover from PS1 in the burnable games dept. It was easy to get pirated games for PS2 and lots of people bought it for the reason that they wouldn't have to spend money on software. It took a lot longer for stuff like that to happen for Xbox. If Sony moves to Blu-Ray it wil be bad for them possibly.

[m4oH]

Okay sorry to be such off topic but Gollum: don't you have to have a modchip something of the sort to play burned games. PM w/ answer please.

[CRAYMAN]

Okay sorry to be such off topic but Gollum: don't you have to have a modchip something of the sort to play burned games. PM w/ answer please.

yes.

Wrong. A big part of PS2's success had to do with the hangover from PS1 in the burnable games dept. It was easy to get pirated games for PS2 and lots of people bought it for the reason that they wouldn't have to spend money on software. It took a lot longer for stuff like that to happen for Xbox. If Sony moves to Blu-Ray it wil be bad for them possibly.

You're saying that the PS2 benefits from pirating?.?.?

[Xer0Mercy]

M$ wants to make more of a profit this time around, and they know that BluRay will be incredibly expensive when it first comes out. I'm not so sure everyone realizes this, so they'll saying M$ is screwing over Xbox 2. I don't think so necessarily.

I've heard rumors of BluRay and HD-DVD players costing over $500 when they first come out. Just for the players. Do you guys really want to pay that much for a video game console? I'm sure the majority will say no.

[TOTTEN]

M$ wants to make more of a profit this time around, and they know that BluRay will be incredibly expensive when it first comes out. I'm not so sure everyone realizes this, so they'll saying M$ is screwing over Xbox 2. I don't think so necessarily.

I've heard rumors of BluRay and HD-DVD players costing over $500 when they first come out. Just for the players. Do you guys really want to pay that much for a video game console? I'm sure the majority will say no.

Yeah I sure wouldnt want to pay that much for a console. I remember reading somewhere that the next gen consoles wont even use the current amount of space on a normal dvd(I probly read it here).

[mattgame]

Oh okay. Because when I hear that the PS3 will have more under the hood the xbox 2, I get a little woozy. Blu Ray sounds good but if MS says they don't need it then cool.

[FB-Gollum]

You're saying that the PS2 benefits from pirating?.?.?

Nope. I'm saying they sell more hardware because of easy pirating from casual gamers who don't want to invest in a library of games. So actually yeah, in a way they do benefit. But it's a double edged sword.

[CRAYMAN]

Nope. I'm saying they sell more hardware because of easy pirating from casual gamers who don't want to invest in a library of games. So actually yeah, in a way they do benefit. But it's a double edged sword.

Casual gamers, with FEW exceptions DON'T pirate.

[Variation-XBA]

Wrong. A big part of PS2's success had to do with the hangover from PS1 in the burnable games dept. It was easy to get pirated games for PS2 and lots of people bought it for the reason that they wouldn't have to spend money on software. It took a lot longer for stuff like that to happen for Xbox. If Sony moves to Blu-Ray it wil be bad for them possibly.

No, you are wrong actually.
You really think PS2 sold THAT much better cause people wanted to play their burned ps1 games? Most companies LOST money on systems. So your theory states that companies should just make systems completly open, games copyable easily, and known to the public, hell, put a game copier inside the machine so you never have to buy your games.

Also note that PS2 sold better cause sony only reports the RAW sales data, and dont account for the fact that 50% of early generation PS2's broke and had to be repurchased/replaced.

Ever heard of Dreamcast? That's what happens. Nuff said.

[AlphaRaptor]

I hardly see the PS2 having any advantage in the games department...

@Variation: I agree

[Xer0Mercy]

I remember reading somewhere that the next gen consoles wont even use the current amount of space on a normal dvd(I probly read it here).

Now that's not what I heard. I heard that GTA: SA filled up completely a DVD9 disc. Of course I could be wrong on this, and I don't even have a source for that statement. But if it is true, and that game fills up a DVD9 disc, how many discs will the same game but higher quality graphics take up?

Now I'm not sure if this is how video games work, but this is what I'm assuming:

I'll use the analogy of movies on DVD. The producers of the DVD put the movie on the DVD at the highest quality possible while still being within the constraints of DVD9. This means that the quality of the footage is being reduced to fit on that single DVD9 disc. I know that size constraints aren't the only issue with DVD9's and quality, but I do think this is how it works. So basically what I'm getting at is Xbox 2 titles will be higher quality graphics, so won't the games take up more space on the DVD9? Although it hasn't been officially stated, Xbox 2 is said to not support BluRay or HD-DVD, which will lead to the conclusion that games will take up several DVD9's.

I suppose if all of this is the case, M$ could do what the Dreamcast did and spread games out over several discs (keep in mind the DC used cd's, not dvd's). Hopefully this is not the road that M$ will travel, but I'd much rather have higher quality graphics than reduced quality and make it fit on a single DVD9. I guess I'll just have to get used to switching discs out.I know I sure don't want to swap out discs left and right when I'm playing a game, but I'll suffer through it.

Hopefully someone who knows for sure what they're talking about will prove this post to be incorrect. I hope I'm wrong about some of this.

[Spaztic]

Just a FYI
Their is not Xbox game that has filled up a entire DVD9! The biggest that I know of was roughtly 6gig. Without explaining programming I don't see not having hd-dvd a huge problem.

And btw you no longer need modchips to play burnable games. There are now exploits....

[Huckleberry]

games are it. and i don't know if you've noticed, but the quantity of quality games for xbox has been growing like crazy. as many people on this site have noted, april is a bank buster for the system. developers are getting their arms around the capabilities now, and have seen MS do everything it could to make this system the best available.

in fact, it was just the tip of the iceberg. so many of the top developers did nothing on the xbox. but they saw everything that's transpired over the past 3 years and are now joining up with MS for exclusive content. lots of people. i don't have the list in front of me, but it seems that every time i get a new game informer magazine, someone else joins the exclusive team. MS knows a bit about world domination, just like sony. they did the right things to get their foot in the door. this next iteration won't just be about making a name for the xbox, though. now it's about submission of the other players. i'm not saying they'll put sony down like old yeller. but you can bet the installed user base numbers are going to look a lot different.

i just don't see sony being able to have such a stranglehold on the quality games this time around. and MS's collaboration w/mtv, the "rumor" that halo 3 will release the same day as ps3...those kinds of things say they're gonna be taking names this time around. and if the user base increases 2 or 4 or 6 fold, well, you can be sure the game developers will be taking note of that, too. 10 million is always better than 5 million is always better than 3 million, etc.

[SamSmith]

Oh okay. Because when I hear that the PS3 will have more under the hood the xbox 2, I get a little woozy. Blu Ray sounds good but if MS says they don't need it then cool.

ive heard those rumours too, but it now looks like they are not true since the rumours about the graphics capabilities and about the X2s 3, 3ghz processors!!

[LynxFX]

The factor of having or not having Blu-ray or HD-DVD has little to do with the storage space and gameplay. It has everything to do with being able to play the next gen of prerecorded movies in High Def and anchoring your console as a media/entertainment hub. Both MS and Sony have expressed high interest in wanting to go that direction. From the looks of it, MS dropped that plan, and Sony is sticking to it. Sony does have a lot more invested in an optical HD format but MS has stock in both HD formats (Blu-ray and HD-DVD) so it is odd that they would pass up the opportunity. Only reason I could think of was cost. Sony being part of the manufacturing process of Blu-ray will pay little more than what a standard DVD drive would cost so it most likely won't cut into their bottom line. MS doesn't have that luxury as they have to go through the normal hardware channels.

Without knowing the writ in stone hard specs of either console I still believe both will have equally amazing graphics so the console of choice will come down to games and features.

[Whisper]

for me to buy it, it must be:

- a significant stride over the first xbox
- not make me buy a different subscription to xbox live
- not be released in different formats (no HD, HD included - not good strategy)
- come out before PS3
- backwards compatible
- forced to buy in bundles when I don't want to

[Variation-XBA]

for me to buy it, it must be:
- not be released in different formats (no HD, HD included - not good strategy)
- backwards compatible
- forced to buy in bundles when I don't want to

Looks like you arn't getting an XB2 then.

[Shadow20002]

PS3 with Blu-RAY = around 400 US
Xbox with DVD9 = around 300 US