- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
acually the next xbox might not be backwards compatable
(my source- xboxaddict.com)
No Backwards Compatibility For Next Xbox?
Posted by: Charles on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004
Type: Rumor
Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz
Sources close to Microsoft’s senior Xbox executives have confirmed that the company does not intend to make its next-generation console, which is set to be launched by late 2005, backwards compatible with existing Xbox software.
Speculation about the backwards compatibility functionality has been rife since it emerged that Xbox 2 - codenamed Xenon - will have radically different hardware to the original system, with a non-x86 processor, no hard drive and an ATI, rather than NVIDIA, graphics chipset, all of which would make running Xbox titles on the platform very difficult.
It was widely believed, however, that Microsoft had retained a team of hardware emulation experts to work on the problem - although concerns over the viability of such an endeavour were voiced by some experts, especially regarding the company’s ability to emulate the functions of the graphics unit in the Xbox without violating NVIDIA’s intellectual property rights.
GamesIndustry.biz has now learned that Microsoft does not plan to provide any backwards compatibility in the next-generation Xenon platform - and indeed, that senior executives at the company don’t believe backwards compatibility to be an important feature for consoles.
According to a source close to the project, internal Microsoft figures suggest that only 10 per cent of PlayStation 2 purchasers were interested in the console’s ability to play titles developed for the original PlayStation.
Although this still represents some seven million consumers on a global basis - which is around half of Microsoft’s entire installed base for Xbox - the company apparently believes that allowing consumers to play existing Xbox titles on the next-generation hardware would not be a significant deciding factor for Xenon purchasers.
However, a report into the videogames industry published today by Wedbrush Morgan Securities senior vice president Michael Pachter disagrees with this conclusion - arguing that failing to provide backward compatibility could have the effect of alienating Microsoft’s existing Xbox installed base.
"In the event that Xbox Next is not backward compatible, we think that the device will be very slow to grow its footprint," the report warns, while elsewhere it suggests that such a move could damage the company’s long-term prospects for the console.
"We do expect Microsoft to launch its console first, perhaps as early as 2005," says Pachter. "Should it choose to do so without backward compatibility or significant third-party software support, we expect to see its first-mover advantage evaporate."
MICROSOFT SAYS TO XBA ....
"Recent stories in the press about future Xbox products are nothing more than pulp fiction. Microsoft hasn’t made any announcements regarding the next generation, so it’s far too early to speculate about specifics, including backward compatibility. In fact, this media conjecture is irresponsible. The credibility of any publication willing to compromise fact in favor of a catchy headline must be questioned. Xbox fans are smart enough to distinguish truth from sensational reporting. "
ign.com
Xbox Next Details Appear?
Microsoft remains mute on the most detailed Xbox 2 specs yet.
June 23, 2004 - The Internet once again baffled Xbox executives, Xbox fans, and just about everyone else today with reiterated details on the successor to Microsoft's Xbox. A purportedly leaked white paper appeared on the Web showing off potential specs for Xbox Next (aka Xenon) -- specs that include a single IMB chip containing three 3.5 Ghz cores, a processor that shares 256 megabytes of unified memory with a 500 Mhz custom ATI graphics chip, and a peak triangle rate of 500 million triangles per second. If you remember the details IGN reported on after E3 in May, these are nearly exactly the same.
The document, which has not been acknowledged by Microsoft officials, and which purportedly details the specifications of Xbox's successor, appeared on several Web pages this morning. It is allegedly from Peter Isensee of Microsoft's Xbox Advanced Technology Group.
The document doesn't answer two key issues. On the hard drive, which previously has been reported as being replaced with Flash RAM, the document reads "Xenon console is designed around a larger world view of storage than Xbox was. Games will have access to a variety of storage devices, including connected devices (memory units, USB storage) and remote devices (networked PCs, Xbox Live). At the time of this writing, the decision to include a built-in hard disk in every Xenon console has not been made. If a hard disk is not included in every console, it will certainly be available as an integrated add-on component."
With regard to backward compatibility, it also discusses the issue rather than confirms any specific decision. "People often ask if Xenon can be backward compatible with Xbox. Although the architecture of the two consoles is quite different, Xenon has the processing power to emulate Xbox. Whether Xenon will be backward compatible involves a variety of factors, not the least of which is the massive development and testing effort required to allow Xbox games run on Xenon."
The white paper, however, does feature dozens of details on the machine's capabilities, including high-definition output up to 1080i, VGA output (also confirmed for Nintendo Revolution), and the existing XACT Xbox audio development API, while not answering what the system's multichannel audio capabilities are. The Xenon controller will feature an additional couple of shoulder buttons to the existing Xbox controller, and will remove the black and white buttons from the S Controller. The Xenon will also support standard USB 2.0 ports as peripheral interfaces for potential ability to "host storage devices, cameras, microphones, and other devices."
Is the document true or false? This much can be said: The details revealed here certainly match the diagram that appeared in May, so it appears to be real enough. But as many readers and expert programmers have pointed out, any one with some coding knowledge could have written it. Again, Microsoft official would not comment on it.
Check the full specs here.
-- Douglass C. Perry