GDC’05: Xbox2/Xenon Blown Open News
Chris Leyton
09/03/2005
As we suspected details on Microsoft’s new box have become available along with the evolution of Xbox Live!...
Despite previously insisting that Xbox2 wouldnât feature at the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft has been shedding information on its new format at the event as TVG previously predicted earlier in the year.
With J Allard, Microsoft Corporate Vice President XNA Chief Architect, heralding that Xbox2 will usher in the âHigh Definitionâ age for videogames.
âIn the HD Era the platform is bigger than the processor,â Allard said. âNew technology and emerging consumer forces will come together to enable the rock stars of game development to shake up the old establishment and redefine entertainment as we know it.â
Outlining the future interface and design behind Xbox2/Xenon and Xbox Live!, Allard talked about the following features:
Gamer Cards
Gamer Cards allow gamers to quickly and easily discover Xbox Live! information for another gamer. They facilitate further evolution in allowing gamers of similar skill, style, interests and lifestyles to come together.
Marketplace
The Marketplace is described as a one-stop shop for gamers to purchase episodic gaming content, such as new maps, levels, weapons, vehicles, community-created content and story progression. Gamers can browse easily through the content, searching by game, genre and a number of other means.
Micro-Transactions
Facilitates developers and the community to charge as little as they like for content that theyâve created and published on the Marketplace; i.e. gamers charging $0.99 for a fully decked out vehicle in the latest racing title.
Custom Playlists
The guide instantly hooks players up with their music library, allowing gamers to listen to exactly what they want to while playing Xbox2/Xenon titles.
Itâs claimed that Xbox Live! support and features such as Custom Playlist are enabled at a hardware level, allowing game developers to concentrate solely on the game design process.
The methodology behind Xbox2/Xenon was outlined across the following criteria, which has been designed to allow developers to embrace the system and remove all restrictions.
- A well-balanced system, which is capable of more than 1 teraflop of targeted computer performance.
- A multi-core architecture co=-developed with IBM, which provides developers with the freedom for the HD-era.
- A custom-designed GPU from ATI Technologies, which will usher in the HD-era and next-gen entertainment applications.
At the same time GameSpy posted brief details on likely specification behind Xbox2/Xenon, and whilst thereâs little surprise, one or two features may stand out.
As widely expected a multi-core architecture will drive the Xbox2/Xenon, powered by three 3.0 GHz PowerPC chips. Each core is capable of two instructions per cycle, with an L1 cache of 32KB for data and 32KB for instructions, with the three coreâs share 1MB of L2 cache.
The GPU is claimed to be a generation beyond the ATI X800, with a clock-speed of 500 MHz and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Developers are currently utilising an alpha GPU, with final technology expected by the summer, which is claimed to be the most powerful on the market today.
The Xbox2/Xenon will feature 256MB RAM, which may not set the gaming world alight, but given its optimised design makes any comparisons to the PC market absolutely pointless.
As widely suspected, Microsoft have decided to shun the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD standards, opting for dual-layer DVD-9 discs. The media is essentially the same as the current Xbox, although discs can now store up to 7GB of data.
Support for Memory Units will feature in the Xbox2/Xenon, with claims that a variety of options will be available ranging from 64MB to 1GB. 8MB is reserved for system use, leaving the remainder for user data.
Confirming the suspicions, itâs suggested that the Xbox2/Xenon will offer a HDD as an optional purchase; although the final specification has yet to be decided.
Most surprisingly is the confirmation of a USB 2.0 camera, capable of 1.2 megapixel shots and VGA video. The camera is essential for Xbox Live!, although itâs not yet known whether this will support EyeToy like motion-sensitive gameplay.
So the future for Microsoft and the Xbox2/Xenon is slowly beginning to come into light, and whilst thereâs little of anything substantially new, the convergence of hardware and software into the HD Era outlines an attractive proposition from the Seattle giant.
Weâll have more information soon.