[Gllug] Microshite XBox unveiling (Review)

[Steve Goodwin]

> 
> Well yesterday was apparently the XBox unveiling, but I 
> figure it was not,
> or rather hope not, since there weren't many people there at 
> all. Plenty of
> machines to play with and off course, free beer :) They also 
M$ are very good at providing free beer at most functions. At the Game
Developers Conference this year, they provided an open bar for 400+ guests.
Sony had done the same thing the night before - a wiser move, since half the
attendees were too hungover to attend the 9am lectures the following
morning...about XBox :)

> the graphics weren't bad, I might not be able to tell the difference
> between the XBox and a PS1. Speed wasn't much better, 
Graphics are actually superior. It's basically a GeForce 3 inside that box,
and that's one mother of a graphics chip, replete with microcode shading
(vertex & per-pixel if memory serves)! And the games have been using it,
too. Do you know what you saw? Everything I've seen has been significantly
better. That doesn't take into account the texture memory, screen
resolution, anti-aliasing, alpha blending modes by the bucket, storage
space...heck...the PS1 didn't even have a Z-buffer!

If you want speed, then get the PS2. Sony are very big at getting all games
on it to run at 60 fps (it's a hardware thing that makes the PS2 look crap
otherwise). So everyone _aims_ for 60 - but generally has to settle for 30.
Did you notice any hard drive chugging? (the problem should have gone away
by now, but has been a nuisance for ages :(

> although there were
> no complaints about it (coming from someone who plays games 
> twice a year). 
> 
I actually *play* them, less often. But am surrounded by the tech daily.

> The control pads were complicated, unlike the PS1 where you have one
> directional control, you have 3 on the XBox, which did my 
> head in. So half
> the time I was trying to work out which one did what. They had about 3
> different control pads there, one control pad was like a 
> steering wheel and
> you could move one of the sides to simulate the top of a real steering
> wheel. 
Partially true, IMHO. The controller is _CRAP_. No question. Ugly, gludgey
and ergonomically suspect. However, it has enough buttons to be useful -
something the Gamecube doesn't :( Halo is supposed to have a great control
system, though, so that might set me right, but I doubt _anything_ with that
controller will be better than 'quite good'.
> 
> Overall, I'd stick with a PS1, I haven't seen the PS2 yet. 
> 
Well, if you just want games, the PS2 does have the largest install base,
and number of AAA titles but tech-wise is old. I might be tempted to wait
for Gamecube (next year in UK, out now on import), though. Rogue Squadron's
looking good, the software range is getting good, and the US market is
starting very well. [there is bias here, though]

If you want to buy, be careful when looking on the web for comparisons
though, XBox's target audience (and to a lesser extent, PS2) is more likely
to have internet access than the Gamecube's, so the buzz generated is a
little off-center. Oh, and the Dreamcast is a nice little machine, very
cheap, and greatly underrealised (Shenmue II is coming the UK now).

Steev
(who's had an XBox in the office for 6 months, PS2 for 20, and the 4th
Gamecube arrived today! So guess where my loyalties lie :)

> Tushar
> 
> On Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 10:13:00AM +0000, Tushar Joshi wrote:
> > 
> > On the Radio today they mentioned Microshite were unveiling 
> their new
> > XBox today in London. They also had 5 tickets to be given 
> away as a prize.
> > Like anyone would want them. So I called up anyway, and 
> guess what. Yes I
> > won a couple of tickets! I'll let you know how it is, at 
> least there must
> > be free booze :) Maybe even a free XBox, and I might even 
> be able to meet
> > Bill Gates, my hero *swoon* ;o)
> > 
> 
> 
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