E3: MICROSOFT (XBOX360 and more)

[PDorr3]

To keep the number of topics to a minimum, any of your opinions or comments about Microsoft Xbox360 here!
A number of useful things to post here:
The latest unveilings, your opinions, and helpful links.
Use this topic as an up to date news source, post any new information here!

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

Might as well start.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/614/614680p1.html

[PDorr3]

Might as well start.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/614/614680p1.html

You know I really could not believe my eyes when I sae FFXI will be on xbox....I never saw that coming in a million years, so far this is my BIGGEST shocker of E3 so far...voice chat in FFXI....oh boy I can only imagine!

Anyway I am not buying the xbox version as I recently deleted my ps2 account for the game after a year and a half of play, I am done with the game for sure.

This means we will possible see many more square enix games on the xbox's in the future? @_@

[Anthony1]

I was going to do a seperate post on this, but it's a good idea to put everything in one thread otherwise this forum will get overwhelmed with e3 crap.

What is your guess for the price and release date?


As far as I'm aware, neither have been revealed yet, although it's very possible that it will be announced Tuesday or Wednesday.


My guess for the price is $299.99. It just makes the most sense to me. You go over that amount and I think it's just too damn high, and I just don't see how they could get under that amount. Although if by some chance the price isn't $299.99, then I would guess the next most likely amount would be $249.99, rather than $349.99.


As for the exact release date, I'm going to guess November 17th 2005. This allows them to release the system prior to Thanksgiving. And I'm going to guess that they will have a strategically planned shortage, so that a couple of days before Thanksgiving you won't be able to buy one anywhere, they will be all sold out, and all the retailers will say that they are "hoping" for more units for Black Friday. And then on Black Friday all the retailers will have more units, and there will be another strategically planned shortage right around December 1st, making it seem like you can't get anymore before Xmas, and then around December 7th or so, a buch more will show up. But all the shortages will be faked shortages just to create a extra hype factor. I'm guessing that in the days leading up to Xmas you will be able to go to any Target or Wal-Mart or Best Buy and be able to buy one if you want.


So my guess is


$299.99 November 17th, 2005

[goatdan]

As much as I've always been a champion of "let's wait and see," at this point I am starting to think that Microsoft really doesn't know what to do...

The fact that the Xbox is being discontinued and this thing won't have reverse compatibility is something that third party developers and consumers are going to hate. Why bring out an Xbox game if no one can play it any more? It just doesn't make sense. Third party developers are going to hate it, because it limits the audience their games can reach.

As for the new console, if the price point is above $199.00, I don't see people jumping into it right away -- which leaves the door open for the PS2 and the GameCube to pick up a lot of customers this holiday season. If the Revolution is backwards compatible, and Zelda rocks the socks off consumers like it should, then Nintendo may actually be slotting itself into a head-to-head race with Sony for the next round. With everything I have seen and heard about the Xbox, other than the Neon feature which is awesome, but is not a system seller beyond about 25 people (which I am probably included in that group... I LOVE my NUON!).

There just hasn't been anything that has seemed right about this. The only way they can compete with this model is a drastically low console price - and as I stated above, anything over $199 in my opinion is suicidal.

As much as I can barely believe I'm saying this, the Revolution looks like it is the most promising of the current round of consoles.

[LiquidX01]

The fact that the Xbox is being discontinued and this thing won't have reverse compatibility is something that third party developers and consumers are going to hate.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=9644&filter=

It was also mentioned at the MS E3 press conference.

[SoulBlazer]

So it IS backwards compatiable!

YES! :D

Now all THREE new systems are going to be able to run my old games!

Not only does that help with the limited space I have in the apartment, it also gives me more incentive to buy the new systems, and I can save a little money by trading in my old ones when the time comes. :-P

EDIT: Wait a second, what do they mean by only 'top selling games'? WTF? @_@

[Cryomancer]

That's says limited backwards. Which means it'll play Halo but not Shenmue II, ect.

[buttasuperb]

That shit better play SFAC (It probably won't)

[PDorr3]

I can tell you right now, if it costs more than $300, and the games are $60+, and I see no noteworthy games to pickup at launch (with the supposedly 40 or so titles that will be available in the first 3 weeks), I am not buying this at launch then.

[Lothars]

Well so far the xbox 360 is definitly the worst, i have to say it's really gonna hurt them this generation, I honestly don't see any positives at the moment with going with the new xbox,

but I am very impressed with the revelation and the ps3(other than the controller)

Well should be an interesting next generation.

[goatdan]

The fact that the Xbox is being discontinued and this thing won't have reverse compatibility is something that third party developers and consumers are going to hate.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=9644&filter=

It was also mentioned at the MS E3 press conference.

So... who determines which Xbox games are "top selling." If it is only backwards compatible with a small percentage of the library, that's really dumb. Will upcoming Xbox releases have the ability to work on it?

There are too many questions with that. I still don't think it sounds good...

[buttasuperb]

Well so far the xbox 360 is definitly the worst, i have to say it's really gonna hurt them this generation, I honestly don't see any positives at the moment with going with the new xbox.

To me, so far it's the best.

PS3 is nothing but the same old boring sequels.

Nintendo, well I've been meh on Nintendo's consoles since SNES. I don't expect this to be any different. Maybe Mario will spray Gatorade this time around.

Xbox360 will provide the best online gaming, which is what I care about, and will actually put out some quality 2D games I'd imagine. And it'll probably be modded to hell and back at some point, which is good.

[Drexel923]

I watched the conference and the system looks nice. Not sure if I'd buy it on launch though. I like some of the added features to Live, but at the same time it just seems like its too much. I'm more of a single player game guy who likes to play online occasionally, and this just seems like all this connectivity is going to be shoved down my throat. I hope the customizable aspects they are bragging about lets you turn off some features.

I do like how they are offering a free online service (which only becomes a pay for service if you upgrade), or at least thats the way they made it sound. Does anyone know the real deal with this?

As far as the games go, there really wasn't much that got me excited. Most of the stuff they showed at the conference, that will be ready for launch, were franchises I either didn't like before, or games that I knew were coming...nothing too surprising.

The graphics look nice, but once again, we never know what is realtime in game footage or just cut scenes (for the most part). Also, I don't have an HD TV and most likely won't anytime soon...I know that said that games will still look great on standard TVs, but I'd like to see some more examples of comparisons first.

[Griking]

EDIT: Wait a second, what do they mean by only 'top selling games'? WTF? @_@

Well, unless the 360 has a hard drive I'd say that any Xbox or Xbox Live game that uses the hard drive won't be compatible.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

EDIT: Wait a second, what do they mean by only 'top selling games'? WTF? @_@

Well, unless the 360 has a hard drive I'd say that any Xbox or Xbox Live game that uses the hard drive won't be compatible.

Every game uses the hard drive though..

[Goblin]

This is the system announcement that I've been waiting for the most. As one of the largest companies out there I was anxious to see if MS was going to throw us any curves. I am excited to see backwards compatibility (even if it is only limited), for as much has been said about switching graphic chip suppliers, and the different processor architecture I would have been really surprised if it wasn't included.

The included silver tier Live is a big selling point. I had xbox live for the 2 month trial, and while I enjoyed playing it I just didn't need another monthly fee. (too many things in life have montly fees: cable, cell phones, satellite radio, etc... *end OT rant*) Plus I figured there would be many months I wouldn't use it enough. By including it they would be able to justify a higher console price. I have no problem with them having a higher paid tier, if they want to sell content and people want to buy that's fine. It's actually a smart business model: give them a taste and leave them wanting more. The key is that the silver tier has to have enough functionality that people don't see themselves forced into the higher package. I know I would say the hell with it, but if I could get 80% of my gaming enjoyment with the basic, I don't think I'd have a problem tossing some money out for added content as needed to suplement.

I don't think they (or any of the others) have shown all their cards yet. I'm expecting something else and potentially earth shatering come August just in time to get the PR machine running so that the xbox stays in the press and on everyones minds until launch.

[Goblin]

EDIT: Wait a second, what do they mean by only 'top selling games'? WTF? @_@

Well, unless the 360 has a hard drive I'd say that any Xbox or Xbox Live game that uses the hard drive won't be compatible.

Every game uses the hard drive though..

Hasn't it been announced that the systems has a 20GB HD? I would think they would support all live enabled titles and the platinum sellers. Just my thought.

[squidblatt]

So... who determines which Xbox games are "top selling." If it is only backwards compatible with a small percentage of the library, that's really dumb. Will upcoming Xbox releases have the ability to work on it?

There are too many questions with that. I still don't think it sounds good...

My feelings exactly. Until I learn more about backwards compatibility, I won't even consider a 360. If it turns out to be limited to just the bestsellers, I'm just gonna get a new Xbox and leave the 360 alone. I couldn't possibly care less about online gaming.

[Mac-Abre]

EDIT: Wait a second, what do they mean by only 'top selling games'? WTF?

I'd like to think that it is their way of saying that all games aren't going to play to avoid any negative connotations that the PS2 had with PS1, or maybe they don't have anything set in stone yet.

Bill has said that Halo 3 is going to release the same day as the PS 3. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a double whammy with a price drop. I want all of the new systems, but I'll wait until they are more reasonable.








Who am I kidding... I'm going to buy all of them like I do every year. LOL

[Slipdeath]

Hmm...on ebgames.com and gamestop.com the games are listed for $60.00 each, I hope that's not official.

[Griking]

Just out of curiosity, isn't the technology behind the 360 different than that of the Xbox? If so then how is it going to be backwards compatible at all? Aren't the graphics chips completely different?

[Cthulhu]

About backwards compatibility... They probably mean "the 360 is backwards compatible with most games," rather than "only games that sold well." Remember, Sony didn't want to say that the PS2 was "backwards compatible" for a while either, as there are games that don't work properly on it. There's no reason for them to selectively make certain games not work (this game didn't sell enough, let's leave it out), but emulating the Xbox on the new hardware will necessitate that some games just won't work.

The 360 is considerably faster than the original Xbox, but the difference is nowhere near as big as, say, the PS1 and the PS2. Or the PS2 and the PS3. That's what they get for rushing to be the first next-gen system this time around.

[sabre2922]

I think both the Xbox360 and the PS3 will be great systems with almost equal graphical power.
That being said I have decided to pick up an Xbox 360 as soon as possible :D

My third PS2 (one year old and kept clean looks new) just fried and died :angry: so Im not too happy with sony right now.

[hydr0x]

Just out of curiosity, isn't the technology behind the 360 different than that of the Xbox? If so then how is it going to be backwards compatible at all? Aren't the graphics chips completely different?

YOU are very smart Sir :)

absolutely right, and i read today that they'll actually use software emulation for it, yes, you read right, the 360 has enough power to emulate the Xbox, that's crazy if you ask me.... while power is good news, the emulation itself is bad news, i don't see how anyone would prefer Xbox emulation of only a selected number of games over having the real Xbox still connected to your TV

[Zubiac666]

[, the 360 has enough power to emulate the Xbox, that's crazy if you ask me....

why?
the gamecube has also enough power to emulate the N64.
I think it's just normal ,that a console which has 10-12times(according to MS x_x ) more power , can emulate it's predecessor.

anyways....this "only a couple of xbox games will be playable"-feature is really a letdown.

[PS2Hawk]

The Conference really helped me make one decision, I am definitely 100% sure NOT getting an Xbox 360. The Conference over all sucked, 85 percent were teh sports games from EA.

No Bungie for Halo....

ONly games that will be backward compatible are the ones that sold 10 of millions of copies, and I can honestly say ONLY Halo 2 sold 6.5 million copies.

BTW: Good Luck getting 1 billion Xbox 360 customers...baaahahaha

[Gamereviewgod]

Did anyone else find the idea of the spectator mode absurd? Hey, sure I'll enter a tournament for a shot an a million bucks, but there's no way I'm going to sit back and watch someone else play a game when I can be playing my own.

Microsoft did a lot wrong. I think they're pushing HD and online way too hard. Not enough HDTV's are out there and not everyone either

a: Enjoys online gaming
b: has broadband

They're way too focused on making the machine an all-in-one thing instead of focusing on making it a game machine first.

[hydr0x]

Did anyone else find the idea of the spectator mode absurd? Hey, sure I'll enter a tournament for a shot an a million bucks, but there's no way I'm going to sit back and watch someone else play a game when I can be playing my own.

do you have ANY idea how many people are using spectator mode in Counter-Strike, that clearly shows people want it

[PDorr3]

I have a quick question about basckwards compatibility for the 360, if it is "partialy" backwards compatible with only top selling xbox games, does this mean it can only play platinum hits? O_O inform me...

[Gamereviewgod]

"partialy" backwards compatible with only top selling xbox games, does this mean it can only play platinum hits? Wha... inform me...

They didn't say. When they made the announcement, it was funny. He said backwards compatible, the crowd roared, then quietly tossed out "with the top games" so people wouldn't catch it.

[ddockery]

They didn't say, because they don't know. It'll be compatible with as many as they are able to pull off. If they get the big guns that will take care of a lot of others as well though. I imagine it's similar to NES emulators not working with all cart mappers - if that makes any sense.

[Richter]

Did anyone else find the idea of the spectator mode absurd? Hey, sure I'll enter a tournament for a shot an a million bucks, but there's no way I'm going to sit back and watch someone else play a game when I can be playing my own.DoA Ultimate does it. When you're waiting for your turn to play, you're watching others play

[racecar]

...i think the first batch of x-box360 will have issue's...same with the ps3..so i'll wait for the price to drop and the market(diehard) to test out the durability befor buying my...i learned from the pstwo(overheat) and the psp(the dreaded dead pixels)
;)

[racecar]

...i think the first batch of x-box360 will have issue's...same with the ps3..so i'll wait for the price to drop and the market(diehard) to test out the durability befor buying my...i learned from the pstwo(overheat) and the psp(the dreaded dead pixels)
;)

[racecar]

...i think the first batch of x-box360 will have issue's...same with the ps3..so i'll wait for the price to drop and the market(diehard) to test out the durability befor buying my...i learned from the pstwo(overheat) and the psp(the dreaded dead pixels)
;)

[Famidrive-16]

Whoa, they talked to Cliffy on G4 and he said he was working with Howard Phillips. :eek 2:

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I watched the Microsoft press conference on G4 this morning and I truly have to say that the Xbox 360 looks weak and outdated compared to what I saw on the PS3. I tought it was a bad idea for Microsoft to try and rush out their next console, but hoo boy.. Me thinks Nintendo and Sony have nothing to worry about.

[PDorr3]

I watched the Microsoft press conference on G4 this morning and I truly have to say that the Xbox 360 looks weak and outdated compared to what I saw on the PS3. I tought it was a bad idea for Microsoft to try and rush out their next console, but hoo boy.. Me thinks Nintendo and Sony have nothing to worry about.

I do agree compared to what the PS3 is pushing it bypasses the 360 by far, and the staged conference didnt really impress me.

But do not forget that xbox has amassed a fairly large fanbase here in the us, mainly thanks to halo.

[howdoin]

Latest news :

http://channels.lockergnome.com/game/archives/20050517_jeff_minters_llamasoft_on_the_xbox_360.ph tml

JEFF MINTER is providing it's latest VLM for the Microsoft machine.

It sure does not make up for the cancellation of Unity or me wanting a new Tempest to play on my Next Gen but hey! it's a beginning.

[Anthony1]

After seeing the footage of "supposed" PS3 games for the first time, I actually started to feel sad for Microsoft and Bill Gates and the guys. The fact that their dream is going to be totally shattered.

But then I found out that all of the PS3 stuff was pre-rendered, and that it really isn't going to launch in spring of 2006 (actually October 2006), and that the price will be at the very lowest $399.99 and could even be higher.

After finding out all of that, I'm thinking that things aren't so bleak for Microsoft after all.

Ghost Recon 3 looks pretty damn amazing, and the key factor is that it's actually a real freaking game. More than I can say for Killzone 2 and all the other totally unfreaking-believable PS3 games that may or may not actually be real.


We all remember before the PS2 came out, Sony was promising the world with the PS2, and the game demo's that it showed back then were way better than what we ulimately ended up with. So, I'm going to "curb my enthusiasm" for all the PS3 stuff, and all the prerendered tech demo stuff of what their games will supposedly look like.

Sure I know that Microsoft had some prerendered stuff as well, "Gears of War" cough, cough, but at least they showed some actual "REAL" games.

However, I must admit that the driving game from Sega that was shown on G4 looked like a regular XBOX game with a few special effects added on top. That didn't look very good at all.

[Ed Oscuro]

What's that about 1996, Anthony? Ya lost me there...

The XBox emulating its own games...well, games that use the standard toolkit and libraries should all work with no hitches. Some XBox titles have been programmed closer to the hardware than others, so I'm expecting some of them not to work as well under emulation. Well, we'll see. Pretty good guess that a lot of the Team Ninja stuff should work fine, as Microsoft will want to force compatibility there one way or another.

As for the spectator mode and such, getting more features is a good thing, so don't go rushing about talking about it having deficiencies as a gaming machine. The PC, whether you're thinking about it or not, is a competitor of sorts to the 360, and so the 360 will need to have nifty (if bloated, heh) software apps to serve as adequate replacements for many of the tools that PC gamers take for granted. Even then, it'll still be sub-par in that regard, but this helps close the gap.

Makes you wonder which Microsoft will abandon first - their console, or the PC. Good guess would be that they're trying to get away from the open architecture of the PC and into their own systems.

[le geek]

Latest news :

http://channels.lockergnome.com/game/archives/20050517_jeff_minters_llamasoft_on_the_xbox_360.ph tml

JEFF MINTER is providing it's latest VLM for the Microsoft machine.

It sure does not make up for the cancellation of Unity or me wanting a new Tempest to play on my Next Gen but hey! it's a beginning.

My name is Ben and... I am a Llamasoft fanboy. This sounds pretty cool!

[hydr0x]

Makes you wonder which Microsoft will abandon first - their console, or the PC. Good guess would be that they're trying to get away from the open architecture of the PC and into their own systems.

they already abandoned PC as far as gaming goes, sure, they produce games, but they stopped all their peripherals, Sidewinder and so on a few years ago, despite being the leader in that segment @_@

[PS2Hawk]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8996


YOUR current xbox games won't work on xbox 360!!

[nate1749]

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ontech/0,15704,1063256-1,00.html

According to this article posted less than an hour ago "most" xbox 1 games will work on xbox 2.

It's a long article, I would check out the last page for Nintendo. I think they are severly being overlooked. If their console price is cheap, I think sony & microsoft might run into some unexpected trouble.

[The_EniGma]

More news


Xbox 360 retail price could be higher than expected
>> From TheRegister.co.uk:
[QUOTE-]
Goldman Sachs expects the Home and Entertainment division of Microsoft to break even at the end of fiscal 2007. The research outfit said that this "will depend on competitive pricing by Sony, but we feel this is probably about right, resulting in the elimination of about a 5% drag on overall Microsoft earnings."
Goldman Sachs expects Microsoft will move approximately 3 million Xbox 360 units in the December quarter, "with demand exceeding supply". Goldman noted that the console could be sold at a retail price that is more than it had expected.
"With the worldwide availability in the December quarter, likely strong initial demand, and the added cost of the hard drive [estimated at $30], we might see a higher initial price."
[/QUOTE-]

Read the whole article on TheRegister.co.uk.
On a similar note, GamesIndustry.biz reported Sony hinted at a retail price "less than 50,000 yen" (~465USD or ~368EUR) for the PS3 in Japan. And the Playstation3 might launch first outside Japan - would be a fist time for Sony.

[drwily008]

The Conference really helped me make one decision, I am definitely 100% sure NOT getting an Xbox 360. The Conference over all sucked, 85 percent were teh sports games from EA.

No Bungie for Halo....

ONly games that will be backward compatible are the ones that sold 10 of millions of copies, and I can honestly say ONLY Halo 2 sold 6.5 million copies.

BTW: Good Luck getting 1 billion Xbox 360 customers...baaahahaha

What are talking about? I watched all three conferences and theirs was by FAR the best.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE...It will be 99% compatible. Don't read into things so much! They just have to watch their own asses in case NAMCO Museum or MIDWAYS greatest hits doesn't work. It is very hard to emulate emulation.

[Ed Oscuro]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8996


YOUR current xbox games won't work on xbox 360!!
Heh, I'll grace this with a reply.

My best guess is that Microsoft will use some sort of dynamic recompilation technology. It's unfamiliar and exotic to most users, but some NES emus on Linux run it. It seems bizzare to me, especially given that dynamic recompilation usually is used only when you're recompiling code from a much less processor intensive machine...still, the 360 might be able to pull it off.

Call it "emulation," if you will, because that's what it is.

[Oobgarm]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8996


YOUR current xbox games won't work on xbox 360!!
Heh, I'll grace this with a reply.

My best guess is that Microsoft will use some sort of dynamic recompilation technology. It's unfamiliar and exotic to most users, but some NES emus on Linux run it. It seems bizzare to me, especially given that dynamic recompilation usually is used only when you're recompiling code from a much less processor intensive machine...still, the 360 might be able to pull it off.

Call it "emulation," if you will, because that's what it is.

Actually, I read that in the new vg.biz newsletter-they are using recompilation technology to run older games.

[ddockery]

Yes, dynamic recomplation makes TONS of sense here, and if they can pull it off I'll be very impressed. If not, I won't really care, because I don't plaj on getting rid of my original XBOX anyway. Backwards compatibility is a comvenience, but not a factor in what I buy.

[swlovinist]

I am really interested in getting a new system, but so far the Revolution has peaked my interest the most. My concern is two things, price and compatability. I think MS is going to turn of the general public with this half compatable thing. First of all retail people are going to state it is compatable, when in reality it is only compatable with "some". Being in game retail for almost four years I learned two things: The general public is for the most part is kind of stupid when it comes to the functionality of game systems. Anything over $300 is a tough sell. Microsoft better not only have games that play and look alot better than the current generation, for that is what people are going to have to see in order of buying yet another game console. I truly believe one of the next gaming systems is going to loose it butt.

[nate1749]

Backwards compatibility is a comvenience, but not a factor in what I buy.

I agree, I liked how ps2 plays ps1 (and how ps3 will be supportive of all), but I never use it (I still use my original ps).

Now this is just my guess here, but... Backwards compatibility seems to be more important in the kids sector of games. Parents don't want to feel like they just wasted $$$ on buying their kid games the past few years for a system and now it's obsolete. Telling parents it can play all their old games too makes them feel like they aren't wasting their cash so much.

No teenage kid is going to stray away from a system because it can't play Madden 2004 on his new xbox - he'll have 2006 so what will he care.

Nate

[PDorr3]

Hell I will be getting this regardless since it comes out around my birthday, so I will have plenty of money to get one. I cant wait to play elder scrolls oblivion! I loved morrowind..

[Anthony1]

am I the only one that's suprised that we didn't get an actual release date and price during this e3?

I mean, November isn't that far away. You would think that the retailers would want to know the actual MSRP and the actual date of release.


6 months from today the XBOX 360 could be available, so I would have figured that they would want the price to be known, so that gamers could be aware of the cost and start saving towards getting one. If everybody knows that it's $299.99, then they can start saving their pennies now. If they find out it's $349.99 or more then they can get a summer job or something.

Anybody care to speculate when they will reveal the price and date?


I'm guessing Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 as the official release date. That would be the 4th anniversary of the XBOX 1.

I'm guessing $299.99 as the price, but for some reason I have this strange feeling that Microsoft could try to get really bold and actually come out at $249.99. I'm very much hoping that they don't price over $300. That would be a very bad move on their part.

Probably the smartest thing for them to do would be to price it at $249.99, but to actually do a "force bundle" with it. All retailers would require that a second controller be purchased (or some other peripheral in the same price range) and that 3 games from a list of 20 be purchased.

It's not a very good idea for consumers, because I like to have freedom of choice, if I only want to buy one game at launch and no extra controller, I would like to do that, but if they drop the price $50 and force a bundle, it might not be that bad, because I'm sure there are going to be 3 games that I'm going to really want. At some point I'm going to need to get an extra controller, and I know I'm going to need High Def component cables, actually, it would be sweet if Microsoft put them inside the actual XBOX 360 box, considering they keep calling this the "HD Era".

Ok, fine, it's the HD Era. But give me a free freaking HD cable then!!


By the way, is there a pic anywhere of the back of the XBOX, that actually shows the plugs that it has on the back of it?

[Slipdeath]

It's funny how a Microsoft console is being developed on Mac computers. Funny how things work out isn't it?

[PS2Hawk]

plus they will fill it up with shooters

[DCVision]

There is no 2 ways about it... Unless they pull a 3DO on us and release the system for $600+ , I'm sold!

Ghost Recon 3, New Live GOLD, Neon 360 Music Syntehsizer, 20GB HD, etc. etc.... I'm in love!

My guess is either mid-november or December 1st 2005.
Price range? $279.99 - $299.99 (as everyone else stated, anything above that and it starts to punch people in the pockets a little too hard these days)..... at highest I could not see them going OVER the $329.99 mark.... and I can actually see it releasing for $329... and I could easily seeing myself plopping it down day 1.

I'm not big on XBOX (don't even have one) and I can't really say I care about MS at all...but I'm sold so far on the X360 and I can't really change that - regardless of who is making it , etc. etc. Take into the fact that I've been playing a buddies XBOX with Ghost Recon 2 Live for an insane amount of time .... I'm hooked! :)

The last console I was truly this excited about was the Jaguar (and because it was released from Atari). The last system I was really deep into was the Dreamcast (after the fact).... I can see it now... I'm going to be such a X360 junkie!!!