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As you probably already know, the most impressive aspect of
the XBOX is its hardware capabilities. The specs are below, after a little babble.
The Microsoft Console that’s coming out next year is a
revolutionary gaming machine. Its 733MHz processor and 32Mb custom nVidia
GeForce2 video card can handle Twice as much operations per second than the
Playstation II.
Microsoft is a company traditionally known to leave
competitors in the dust. X-box is no difference: a 8 Giga Byte hard drive (8000
Mb) outdates the 8 Mb memory cards of the Sony, Sega and Nintendo systems. Many
might think that Microsoft doesn’t have any experience when it comes to games,
but it’s been responsible for many amazing PC games such as Age of Empires.
This time round, the big softee shows its muscle in making the most powerful,
most sophisticated, and most amazing Gaming super computer ever. Here are the
exact specifications along with some X Box links.
Main Specs
DirectX API game development tools
Intel Pentium III 733MHz processor
technology with Streaming SIMD Extensions
300MHz custom-designed X-Chip, developed
by Microsoft and nVidia
64 MB of RAM (unified memory architecture)
Custom 3-D audio processor
8GB hard drive
5X DVD drive with movie playback
Four game controller ports
Expansion port
Proprietary A/V connector
10/100 MBps Ethernet
Broadband enabled
Modem enabled (optional)
Key Performance Measures
6.4GB/sec Memory Bandwidth
150 million micropolygons/particles per
second
150 million transformed and lit polygons
per second
100 million polygons per second sustained
performance (shading, texturing)
4 simultaneous textures
Compressed textures available at 6:1
compression
Full-scene anti-aliasing
DVD movie playback
1920x1080 maximum resolution
HDTV support
Special Audio Features
256 Audio channels
3-D Audio support
Midi/DLS2 support
AC3 encoded game audio
What this all basically means is that you can have a brand-spankingly
good time with just $300 in the bank (alright+$50 for each game). OK, fine, I'll
explain a bit more.
Processor
While an Intel Pentium III 733MHz is not exactly the
highest-end processor available, it is still amazingly powerful. Also, is is
worth noting that the XBOX CPU is optimized for games, and so runs
better. Also, the XBOX does not have all the bottlenecks of the PC. For example,
which PC game says on the back: Minimum Requirements: 733MHz PIII CPU, 64MB
Unified RAM, no Windows, no backgroud apps, top-of-the line 3D video card, etc.
etc.? Exactly, no game says that. Games for the PC are designed for the lowest
possible denominator, and they also have to account for a myriad of things that
can go wrong. On the XBOX, however, everything is uniform.
Graphics Card
Ah, here's where the Mighty King of Graphic Cards, nVidia,
comes into play. Currently, the best graphic cards for games are those built
around the new GeForce 3 from nVidia. Think of this graphic card as the GeForce
4.....
"Unified" memory???
While most might know what RAM is,
many won't know what the "unified" is doing there. It basically means
that developers can assign any amounts of RAM to any task, based on their games.
This feature is not seen on the PS2, where all the RAM is already set apart. For
example, on the XBOX, a developer might pump more power into the graphics engine
in an FPS, but put less emphasis on 3D in a strategy game. Catch my drift? No?
Well, ok, here's what IGN says: "The Xbox will have 64 MB of shared
memory, which means that developers can delegate exactly how much memory will go
towards RAM and VRAM, solving a problem that plagues systems like the PS2. With
only 4 MB of VRAM available on the Sony system, developers have a constant limit
of how much they can use." Note that everyone disses the PS2, even
though it's not all that bad.....:-)
Controller
The XBOX has been criticized heavily for its controller,
and I sure as hell would like to know why. I mean, people say Microsoft has
copied the Dreamcast and the GameCube. So? It's put the best of the GameCube
(coming out, Nintendo), the Dreamcast (Out, Sega) and its own Sidewinder range
of joysticks to make "The Best of the Best, of the Best, Sir!". No,
but seriously, I sure as hell like it. (see the "pics" section
for..well....pics.
Broadband/Modem Enabled --> Ethernet Port
The XBOX is the 1st console to come
integrated with an Ethernet port, which means you can a) connect it to a
network, and play over the network and b) access high-speed cable/DSL
connections. A modem connection is also expected, but not recommended, as most
XBOX games are pretty high-graphics so they won't bode well with slow
connections
HDTV Support
OK, I'm not gonna explain HDTV here, 'cause that'll take too long. Suffice it to
say HDTV, or High Definition TV, has extremely good-quality animation (films as
well) and, well, if you have an HDTV (Plasma, high-end projectors) you can get
the most out of your XBOX. For an HDTV tutorial, see this page from CNet.
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