Xbox360

[Smoke]

For those who don't yet know that is the name of the next Xbox. It's not yet official but that's what everyone "in the know" says it's going to be called.

Here's the reason it won't be called Xbox 2:

The next Xbox will be called Xbox 360. "3" so it doesn't sound inferior to the Playstation 3 and "360" for a full revolution, since Nintendo's system is called the "Revolution". This is almost 100% guaranteed. My source has told us new marketing slogans have already been passed around the game industry with the name "Xbox 360", such as.... "Xbox 360.... the real revolution"

Source: This thread on GAF

And if that's not enough here's what the Xbox E3 press conference initiation says:

If you could look into the future what would you see? Reality reset on entertainment? Human energy amplified? A personalized gaming experience that revolves around you?

Source: Coolest Press Invitation Ever

So what do you think of the name? I give it:

Expect Andersen Cooper to host the presentation. ;)

[EdenMaster]

I don't know that they would use the slogan "The real Revolution". That sounds like it kind of borders on copyright infringement.

Bah. Don't want to sound inferior to PS3? They can't skip a number because they jumped into the console business a gen after Sony did. I still say they should name it Xenon.

[A Black Falcon]

Old news. Mostly. That first quoted paragraph looks very familiar... I'm sure I've read it before (and I don't go to GAF)...

This is one X-Box360 thread here... similar, not quite the same.

http://www.tcforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2651

There are more, such as this techspecs thread.

http://www.tcforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2718

[Smoke]

Okay then what about this: Next Grand Theft Auto to be Xbox360 exclusive!

The game journalists at the Gaming-Age Forums are hinting that MS is going to announce something big, shit your pants big and all signs point to GTA going Xbox360 exclusive.

This thread is where they were doing the hinting.

[A Black Falcon]

Look at my edited post. :)

Hmm... in your post there's

My source has told us new marketing slogans have already been passed around the game industry with the name "Xbox 360", such as.... "Xbox 360.... the real revolution"

versus this article from mid february (that OB1 linked in that first thread)...

The original Xbox was a manly chunk of square black-and-green plastic meant to win over a generation of hardcore male gamers. The Xbox 360° will be about winning over gamers of all persuasions, with a customizable look and a kindler, gentler Circle of Light marketing campaign.

Our Cali source says that the console is a sleek silver device worthy of countertop display, and features an inhaled design that turns the harsh angles of the original Xbox into sweeps and curves. The device will also be able to stand upright or on it’s side, much like the Playstation 2. The side of the 360° is dominated by an oversized, back-lit power button called the ring of light, and the rest of the case can be customized with colorful designer face plates that pop on and off. The 360°s dashboard will also be customizable, making each console a thing totally unique to its owner.

Some of the inner workings of the 360° have also been confirmed. The device will feature high definition audio and video and wireless controllers, and will come in two flavors—one with a hard drive and one without. The biggest shock is that while Microsoft wants to make their 360° backwards compatible, they haven’t yet been able to pull it off.

“They’re working on it,” said our inside source.

"the real revolution" or "circle of light"? :)

[Smoke]

Well the "real revolution" slogan may just be for the industry. It wouldn't really make any sense if Nintendo doesn't call their system the Revolution.

Also check out: Our Colony
It's a ilovebees type marketing stunt by MS. It even has a countdown, probably counting down to the unveiling of Xbox360.

[A Black Falcon]

They certainly got a lot of people interested with that 'ilovebees' thing... I don't know why, but they did...

[Smoke]

So what do you think about the possibility of GTA going Xbox360 exclusive? Even if it's a timed exclusive (almost certainly it would be) it could sell a lot of Xbox360's.

Someone else had this to say:

I don't see any list in this topic, but yes I'm indeed hinting at a big announcement. If it happens, there is a big chance it will be at the TGS as a way to hype the system in japan a few months before release, and of course it's Square related (look at yesterday's topic, it's not a done deal yet). Maybe there is some other big announcement I know nothing about of course.
Phatsaqs: That's another thing MS is trying to get for sure, but I would not call this a *BIG* announcement. Except for fans of the series (great games for sure) of course

And about the look of the console the same person said:

For the main color, I'd say lots of Apple fanatics will say MS stole yet another time from their most beloved company.

Pearl white (like a white Ipod) to be precise. And I think (not sure) bits of gray/silver and xbox green.

Ring of light?





Source: Here

[A Black Falcon]

So what do you think about the possibility of GTA going Xbox360 exclusive? Even if it's a timed exclusive (almost certainly it would be) it could sell a lot of Xbox360's.

Yes, it definitely would. Possible, but doubtful, given the longtime GTA-Sony first (on consoles) connection.

That 'ring of light' stuff goes with the article OB1 linked a couple of months ago... an interesting change from the black X-Box, to say the least.

[Smoke]

The whole thing started with this exchange:

Microsoft will shock the world with one announcement in particular. It will be very big. VERY big. Guaranteed.

Yes. But it won't be at E3

What? That's not what I heard.

Holy shit, they're doing it EARLIER?

*Square Enix drops Sony support

*Final Fantasy XII & Kingdom Hearts 2 heading to Xenon

*GTA Next Xenon exclusive

*Namco and other Jpn devs to support MS

At least one of these things is true.

you know the drill

But trust me, if there's a SINGLE PERSON on this forum not blown away (who is not a joke account or super fanboy) I'll give you a hunded dollars.

Source: GAF

Namco and other Japanese devs supporting MS wouldn't blow anyone away so it has to be one of the following:

*Square Enix drops Sony support

*Final Fantasy XII & Kingdom Hearts 2 heading to Xenon

*GTA Next Xenon exclusive

[Private Hudson]

Pfft.

It's a dumb name. It makes it sound like it's a revamped XBox.

And the only thing that would blow anyone away would be Square Enix dropping support of Sony.

[Smoke]

I would think the next Grand Theft Auto not being on PS3 would blow some people away. Who knows though, maybe MS dropped a few tons of moneyhat on Square-Enix?

[Geno]

Remember when video games were about gameplay and fun factor instead of flashy gimmicks? I miss those days. Those were good days.

[Dark Jaguar]

N64 era: Remember when video games were about gameplay and fun factor instead of flashy gimmicks? I miss those days. Those were good days.

SNES era: Remember when video games were about gameplay and fun factor instead of flashy gimmicks? I miss those days. Those were good days.

NES era: Remember when video games were about gameplay and fun factor instead of flashy gimmicks? I miss those days. Those were good days.

Have you played Atari today era: Ataaari! Yay!

[OB1]

If anything, this is a good thing. Maybe Nintendo is right and people are starting to get sick of the same types of games, or will very soon. If Nintendo really delivers with The Revolution they could be the industry's only hope in the next few years.

[A Black Falcon]

DJ, the past is always better than the present... or so it seems in people's memories...

[Smoke]

It's either that or things really are getting progressively worse.

[Private Hudson]

So, who is this guy, and why does he know these things?

I don't believe any of them. Why on earth would MS drop a ton of money for any of these things now when they haven't in the past? And of course, they managed to drop the money without Sony knowing, or indeed, without Sony making their own offer.

Pfft.

[Smoke]

An "industry insider". :p Actually a lot of people that work for gaming mags post at GAF. Even some game developers.

[Private Hudson]

Pfft.

Don't believe everything you hear.

*posts their whole MSN conversation in this thread*

[Geno]

DJ, the past is always better than the present... or so it seems in people's memories...

It's not so much a subconsciously aware philosophy as it is the fact that I enjoy more old games than I do new ones. :)

[A Black Falcon]

It's either that or things really are getting progressively worse.

People have been saying that for thousands of years, so I doubt that that's the reason. :)

[Dark Jaguar]

Indeed, because if that were the case, people would have stopped saying it by now, having long since lost the faculties of language.

Rather, we seem to have improved a rather large amount.

[Great Rumbler]

Yeah! We now solve all our problems with CIVIL DISCUSSION!

...

Right?

[Geno]

Or with Civil War!

It's different than other wars... in this one, we kill each other... civilly!

Or something.

The only thing civil about that war was how Grant and Lee ended it.

[Dark Jaguar]

I mean more like we cure our diseases with scientifically proven methods that work as opposed to ingesting mercury and "bleeding" people.

Doctorb A: Washington is dying!

Dr B'd: He has too much blood humor! Bleed him!

DA: I'm bleeding him as fast as I can, but he's just getting worse and worse!

DRBish: Well, we've done all we can... Witch Doctor time!

[Great Rumbler]

I mean more like we cure our diseases with scientifically proven methods that work as opposed to ingesting mercury and "bleeding" people.

Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean things, in general, are getting better. I'm just sayin'...

[Smoke]

Pfft.

Don't believe everything you hear.

*posts their whole MSN conversation in this thread*

Don't doubt everything you hear either.

I don't know how to tell it to you other than this: If you're going to find insider information on a message board it's going to be on Gaming-Age. It seems to be the messageboard of choice for both game journalists and developers. They have people posting there who work for a variety of magazines and websites. They have people posting who work for EA and Microsoft and other developers and publishers. It's not like some random ezboard. They do get insider info.

[Smoke]

First full pics of Xbox360 controller? It seems to match everything we've heard so far which is that it's going to be wireless and white. And it seems to match the little pics from Our Colony except that the analog sticks are black on this version. And don't worry the batteries are supposedly rechargable.







Big pic

Source: This thread on GAF but originally posted on TXB.

[Private Hudson]

Looks dumb.

I don't want wireless controllers. Jesus, it was bad enough that they had the detachable parts of the cords.

I'm going to have to buy a new controller every 3 months because people who play the damned thing will lose it.

I hope Sony and Nintendo don't go wireless. Though, I think I'll be disappointed in that hope.

[Smoke]

I don't know about Sony but I'd bet the Revolution's controller will be wireless. The Wavebird was well recieved. Unless there's some technical reason the Rev's controller can't be wireless like it sucks up a lot of power for gyros or something.

[A Black Falcon]

Bad! Wireless? I don't want wireless controllers either. I don't mind the cords and I'd REALLY rather not deal with batteries if I don't have to... especially if it's a rumble controller (which would drain the batteries even faster). I don't have my system plugged in all the time, so it'd be a pain to have to keep charging them somehow... no, I definitely do not want wireless controllers.

On the same note, that's a stupid controller design. I know I've said it many times before, but I greatly prefer six face buttons... and given that X-Box 1 had them, the rumors that this one gets rid of them are very dissapointing.

[Smoke]

Did you notice it's somewhat similar to the SideWinder controller of old? And don't worry about the batteries. Somone who knew about the white color before these were posted was told it's definitly going to be a rechargable battery.

And remember this is probably a prototype, the final design might be different. Personally though aside from the way the four face buttons look I like it. They even turned the awful black and white buttons into shoulder buttons above the triggers.

[A Black Falcon]

The original, non-S X-Box controller is the most like the Sidewinder. Each since gets away from that... the S moved the four of the buttons to stupid places, and now this one removes two of those buttons and adds shoulder buttons to the triggers... I don't like any of those changes. The only good thing they did in the X-Box controller when compared to the Sidewinder was making it dual-analog (inc. analog click)...

"Awful" black and white buttons? Only on the S... they're fine on the original X-Box controller, since they're in the correct 3/6 button positions (like the Genesis 6-button or Sidewinder).

[Smoke]

Sure but then you have to use the awful original Xbox controller that was playtested by gorillas.

[Smoke]

After reading the TXB thread about these pics it seems the main thing they hate is the color. They can't seem to come to grips with the idea of a white console.

Black is so 90's. White is the color of the 00's! :D

[Private Hudson]

I much prefer 4 face buttons, with 4 shoulder buttons. Allows for easier control when you need to hit 3 or more buttons at once. Or even two, if they were at a distance.

But those buttons are really spaced out.

Also the big start button looks lame.

[Smoke]

Actually the start and back buttons are to either side of that big white circle. It's not even for sure that it's a button. It might be where the logo will go like on the original Xbox controllers. Or perhaps it relates to the "circle of light" we heard about before. It could light up to show the controller is on/needs to be recharged. Or maybe it's a button that takes you to Xbox Live. It could be any of those things, none of them, or all of the above.

[Private Hudson]

... shut up!

[A Black Falcon]

The original X-Box controller isn't bad. I didn't use it a LOT, but the little I did use it for I liked it...

What that looks like is a modified Dreamcast controller. The X-Box controller already looked DC-ish, but this is even more so... except with dual-analog and shoulder buttons in addition to the triggers.

I know, it's a matter of taste. My tastes just don't agree with dual shoulder buttons. Or only four face buttons.

[OB1]

You people are crazy for not wanting wireless controllers.

"OMG I'll have to recharge the battery or... *GASP* ... PUT IN NEW ONES EVERY MONTH OR SO!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

And if people are losing your controllers, Hudson, you need to stop letting stupid people play with your consoles.

[A Black Falcon]

I have my consoles in a bag on the floor a lot, and not plugged in... they won't charge that way. It'd be a pain to have to remember to plug them in regularly overnight... and while cordless has some slight advantages, I don't mind the wires. Really. Same for mice... when I got an optical mouse (it was a present) I could have asked for a wireless one, but I specifically asked for one with a wire, because I have no intrest in wireless controllers/gamepads/mice/etc.

I also don't really want a laptop. :) Maybe it'd have its uses once in a long while, but not very often.

[OB1]

Well that sucks for you, because wireless is the future. And I'm betting that the Revolution will be the most wirelesstastic of the next-gen consoles.

[Private Hudson]

What's the advantage of a wireless controller? No tangles? Big deal. :P

Oh, and the original XBox controller was bulky, but it wasn't terrible. I still use my S controller whenever we play Burnout, though.

[A Black Falcon]

The only advantage of a wireless controller is being able to get farther away from the system. Yay.

[Dark Jaguar]

Yes, that is the advantage right there. The reason people get it is so they don't have to be "huddled" around the TV and can sit all over the living room or wherever.

Just one thing, that's not enough for me to spend an ENTIRE :D 10 bucks. Yes, not much money really, but um, that's just how small an advantage that is to me. The GAmecube has really short cords, so you notice there. But, when it comes to the other systems, the cord is just long enough that it doesn't matter. Thing is, the major issue we have when playing games multiplayer is just making sure people aren't blocking the TV, not making sure the cord reaches. As for single player, I sit right in front of my TV like some Japanese kid, so cord or wireless it's all the same to me. All in all, I have no reason at all to get a wireless controller at this moment.

Heck, even if I did have them I'd just end up plugging them into an outlet most of the time anyway :D.

[A Black Falcon]

And the Wavebird has no rumble... not an essential feature I know, but nice if you can get it.

[Smoke]

I like being able to sit more than a few feet from the TV thank you very much.

Here's an older pic of an Xbox360 controller prototype:


You can see the similarities.

[Smoke]

And because some of you don't believe anything unless it's on a videogame website: Gamesarefun.com

[Private Hudson]

I wonder if it will fit in the PS2 controller port, as well.