The latest rumor. (Remember, the X-Box 2 is supposed to have an IBM processor of the type used in Mac G5s and developers working on X-Box 2 games supposedly are doing that on said Mac G5s...)
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/25/...08839.html
Quote:RUMOR #5: The Xbox 2 will use Virtual PC 7 for backwards compatibility for original Xbox games.
Source: Self-explanatory site Geek.com.
The official story: Microsoft reps said they would "track down" the source of the rumor, but had not as of press time.
What we heard: According to Geek.com's Apple Insider subsection, the reason for the delay of the latest version of Virtual PC 7 is that "Microsoft has given this project exclusively to the Xbox team." Why would they do such a thing? "Because the next Xbox will include an IBM PowerPC 970, and current Xbox game developers are shipped G5 PowerMacs," says Geek.com. While not confirmed by Microsoft, it sounds like a much more plausible scenario than last week's Xbox 2-backwards-compatiblity rumor, which had a Silicon Valley startup providing universal emulator middleware for the next-gen console.
Sounds like they have realized that backwards compatibility is a big issue and that dropping it would be a horrible idea after Sony has pretty much said that PS3 will almost certainly have it. The question then is how they'd deal with the sizable technical issues (totally different hardware!). An emulator is clearly the way to go... so why not use the one that they (presumably) own?
That doesn't sound plausible at all! Virtual PC is designed to emulate Windows on a Macintosh. Retooling it for the XBox for emulation on the XBox 2 would be an undertaking of such epic proportions as to make "handing over" the project a bad idea. Not only that, why would the VPC7 crew need to wait until the XBox team was "done with" it? I mean, even if they did decide to tweak with VPC7 for their own needs, it's not like anything they did would be incorporated into the final version of VPC7. They might as well just be working on their own seperate build, and in fact, there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case, and that's if they WERE going to do this.
Sorry, this whole rumor, and it's very flimsy "proof" (oh no, VPC7 is delayed? It MUST be this!) is just not going to cut it.
Now on the other hand, MS deciding to make the system backwards compatible isn't that far fetched. It's this rumor that's a stretch.
Not having backwards-compatibility would be a huge hit to MS, they almost have to have it if they ever want to top Sony.
Yeah, I was really confused when I first heard this story. Why would Virtual PC be needed for XBox 2 development? I always knew it would be a bad thing when Microsoft bought Virtual PC from Connectix.
I can't imagine the XB2 being able to emulate XB software.
But the fact is that the X-Box 2 is running a CPU that right now runs Macintoshes. And I'd take the rumor of X-Box 2 development on Macs to too long lasting to just be a rumor... and if that's true, hardware emulation of past X-Box games could be pretty tough... hence the past statements of no backwards compatibility, I imagine.
Man I really want to get rid of my XB once I get an XB2.
I wonder how big it will be..
<img src="http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~djc46/xboxnext.jpg">
Wow... Isn't that the super fantastic gigantic carrier that moves the space shuttle from it's SUPER MASSIVE hanger that is so massive you will DIE FROM FEAR if you accidently comprehend it's size, to the launch platform, moving about an inch an hour or so?
Yeah, that might be able to move an XBox2.
Hmm.. I wonder what launch games the XBox 2 will have for it..
I'm guessing they'll update Halo 2, and perhaps even the next Perfect Dark (though, that would mean that Rare would require a schedule..). Backwards compatability is a must so you can play something on it while you wait for bigger and better games..
I know I bought my PS2 and had a blast when friends came over (Tekken Tag, TimeSplitters and SSX were great multiplayer games), and sure Summoner was a great RPG, but after I was done with that I would just go back to playing my PSX games on it until the next big game was released. FFIX was played almost entirely on my PS2..
An update to Halo 2? Like, Halo 2.5 or something?
Private Hudson Wrote:Hmm.. I wonder what launch games the XBox 2 will have for it..
I'm guessing they'll update Halo 2, and perhaps even the next Perfect Dark (though, that would mean that Rare would require a schedule..). Backwards compatability is a must so you can play something on it while you wait for bigger and better games..
I know I bought my PS2 and had a blast when friends came over (Tekken Tag, TimeSplitters and SSX were great multiplayer games), and sure Summoner was a great RPG, but after I was done with that I would just go back to playing my PSX games on it until the next big game was released. FFIX was played almost entirely on my PS2..
FFIX was one of the few backwards compat Psx games I played on my Ps2.
PS1 games aren't MADE to be backwards compatible with the PS2. That's called FORWARDS compatibility anyway. No, the PS2 system was made to play all PS1 games without any need for them to be designed for the PS2. Only a few games were outright incompatible, about 10 or so.
Dark Jaguar Wrote:PS1 games aren't MADE to be backwards compatible with the PS2. That's called FORWARDS compatibility anyway. No, the PS2 system was made to play all PS1 games without any need for them to be designed for the PS2. Only a few games were outright incompatible, about 10 or so.
Quit freaking out , I just meant I played that PSone game on the Ps2 because of its Backward compatibility.
I think Final fantasy tactics was incompatible?
Nope.
Just the sucky games are on that list :D.
And please speak more clearly. Really, grammar is everything.
FFIX was designed, I believe, only to take advantage of the PS2's texture smoothing capabilities in an ever so slightly more noticable way. Other than that, I don't think there was much in it, really..
It wasn't designed to "take advantage" of anything. It was designed ONLY as a PS1 game, with nothing in mind for the PS2.
However, the PS2 has features that can be applied TO PS1 games. Fast loading for example loads the game faster than it would have loaded on a PS1. Texture smoothing, as you would imagine, smoothes textures. Games don't have to be designed for these features at all. You just need to turn them on in the PS2 menu before putting the PS1 game in the system (each and every time too, the system won't save these settings). Texture smoothing has NO effect on 2D games by the way. FF8, FF9, Metal Gear Solid, Xenogears, and Final Fantasy Tactics, just to name a few (even with hand drawn sprites, they get smoothed since they are applied as textures in those last two games I mentioned), all look GREAT with this applied. FF7, having VERY few textures beyond color shading :D, has a negligable effect with texture smoothing. Fast Loading is good for ALMOST any game you can think of. There ARE a few however that glitch when you use these modes. Metal Gear Solid for example will fail to load a number of textures when you use fast loading. I've been able to see through things that should have been solid thanks to that glitch. Since MGS has fast loading anyway, it's best to leave it off. Chrono Cross has skippy FMVs when it's enabled. Castlevania: SOTN doesn't load at all when fast loading is on. The PS2 will load any of these games perfectly when no special modes are on, but with them on, it's another story.
Anyway, the only game I have that actually has problems on the PS2 is Legend of Legaia. Even with all modes off, the battle sequences suffer some noticable slowdown. It's the game that makes me keep my PS1 around.
Oh yes, fast loading is GREAT for the various Final Fantasy collections to make up for the added load times (namely FF5, FF6, and CT. FF4, and Final Fantasy Origins have no noticable load times and thus aren't helped by fast loading).
I remember Enix saying that Dragon Quest 7 was delayed to take advantage of the PS2, but from what I could tell it didn't really look that different when you turned on smooth textures.
FF7 messed up on me several times when I had fast load times activated.
Dark Jaguar Wrote:It wasn't designed to "take advantage" of anything. It was designed ONLY as a PS1 game, with nothing in mind for the PS2.
However, the PS2 has features that can be applied TO PS1 games. Fast loading for example loads the game faster than it would have loaded on a PS1. Texture smoothing, as you would imagine, smoothes textures. Games don't have to be designed for these features at all. You just need to turn them on in the PS2 menu before putting the PS1 game in the system (each and every time too, the system won't save these settings).
Blah blah blah, I'm well aware of the texture smoothing and faster loading that the PS2 hardware can give PSX games, however FFIX was designed to take advantage of this, more so than most games.
At least, it was according to the magazine I read it in a long time ago. I'm not sure how true it is, though, as the difference is still negligable.
It's possible the textures were made with the smoothing thing in mind so as to prevent any details from getting blurred.