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xbox to have 480p AND 720p output!!!! (2 Viewers)

Grady Hollums

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Next Generation Magazine Life Cycle 2 Vol.3 #8 08/01:
"The Xbox is the only videogame system to support HDTV and Progressive Scan (480p and 720p!) for both gaming and DVD applications. So for your $299 (and a little more for the remote package) you get one of the most capable DVD payers on Earth, and since your xbox has four controller ports, you won't have to keep swapping between the remote and the game controller..."
Well, what do you think?
I was planning on selling my preordered xbox and my PS2 for the Panasonic RP91 DVD player, because my gaming days are comming to an end, but I will not be able to buy a HDTV for another 2.5-3 years from now, so should I just keep the Xbox and wait to see what the technology for progressive technology to settle down over the next few years and then buy a DVD player then (with my HDTV)? Or should I go ahead and sell my PS2 and the Xbox(when it comes out) and buy the Pannny RP91 that has Progressive output plus the shrinking for 16x9 TVs?
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Pete_S

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So for your $299 (and a little more for the remote package) you get one of the most capable DVD players on Earth...
This sounds eerily similar to what we heard before the PS2 came out, and we all know how that turned out. Yeah, I know it didn't include some of the rumored DVD playback features, but in a lot of cases it seems to perform about as well as the sub-$200 DVD player you can pick up at Walmart, if not worse. Microsoft can throw specs at us all it wants, but that doesn't mean this DVD player will actually work the way we'll all expect it to.
 

Dave F

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All of the talk about the PS2 DVD features was speculation - nothing came from official sources, unlike the DVD playback info for the XBOX. In addition, DVD decoding is done through an Nvidia chipset, which is very well established on the PC side, so I have no worries.
As a slight tangent, did anyone else notice the huge change in attitudes in the latest Next Gen? Gamecube receives quite a bit of skepticism, and the XBOX is suddenly in a much more favorable light.
Check out these quotes:
Gamecube:
Luigi's Mansion: "Unless a dose of adrenaline is administered soon, Luigi's Mansion may sell a million copies, but get by more on marketing than merit."
Super Smash Bros: "Nothing revolutionary here in terms of gameplay, but Super Smash Bros. should attract its share of button mashers."
Pikmin: "We found it to be tedious to complete the first few objectives"
XBOX
Blood Wake: "This could be the killer, sleeper title that may make XBOX your next box."
Project Gotham:"...may become one of those rare titles that gains the ultimate respect of the hardcore... It's precisely this kind of broad appeal that XBOX will need more of in the next year."
And finally, "In XBOX, Microsoft has made a broadband, high-definition, 5.1 surround-sound box for a narrowband, low-res, stereo world."
Obviously there are also positive things said about Gamecube, and negative things about the XBOX, but this is the first time since E3 that Gamecube has been disparaged and XBOX has been praised to this level.
Interesting. But no matter what happens, it's going to be hellish waiting for Dead to Rights! :)
-Dave
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MikeAlletto

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Since the actual number of folks that can take advantage of HD and progressive output is so small that this means absolutely nothing. Who is really going to go out and spend 2-5 grand on a tv when there is hardly no HD tv programming and just to play games?
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Michael Alletto
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Grady Hollums

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Mike:
It is called, attempting to be "future proof". (well as much as possible)
And it is a person like me that will use the Xbox to play games and watch movies in Progressive Scan 480p and 720p. I personally do not have a HDTV currently, but I plan on buying one within the next two years and the cost of HDTVs will only decrease in time. So, why not watch the best quality viewed movies and have the best quality viewed games too?
The system still plays with nonHDTVs, it is not like they decided to only play on HDTVs! Come on... It is not hard to realized that the future of TV is in progressive Scan and Microsoft is just positioning itself to be able to take advantage of it when it becomes more affordable to the average person. (and in the mean time people that can experience excellent quality with HDTVs will get even a better experience!
This is not a system war, it is the best quality for the best price.
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In Him,
GH
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Andre F

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Grady,
Good luck playing your PC games in your living room. I like the HD and DD coming in the X-Box, but show me some games. Until that time I'm just not that interested. The proof may come a year after all new systems are out and we start to see second generation titles.
-Andre F
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-= Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape! =-
 

Dave F

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I wasn't aware that Blood Wake, Project Gotham, and Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut were PC games.

By the way, which console has add-ons of a hard drive, modem, broadband adapter, and LCD monitor? That sounds an awful lot like a PC to me.

-Dave

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- Dave

http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollection.asp?alias=bickle
 

Aaron Copeland

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You know, originally I had been planning on buying a Gamecube on launch day possibly a XBOX later down the line. But I've just about decided to switch my purchase order. Nintendo had better have big surprises in store for Spaceworld because their launch line-up looks weak. Just not the type of games I'm looking for.
Plus, with the XBOX having a built in HD, it will be able to do things with games that the other consoles won't...also, 720p and 5.1 surround are just nearly too much to resist.
Aaron
 

Adam Nixon

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Feb 21, 1999
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Look, none of the accessories or system specs really matter in a console war. The average "consumer" doesn't care what the specs are on any system -- it's the games. Most console gamers won't even spend money on an A/V system to take full advantage of a console's cababilites. Sony has the largest user installed base and a flurry of third generation titles that appear to take advantage of the PS2's hardware capabilites. Nintendo's GameCube stole the show at E3, with Star Wars:Rogue Leader getting a load of positive press. Nintendo also has an advantage with some of the best game franchises in history, which will be available solely on the GameCube.
As for the X-Box, it's a raw beast as far as system power goes, but it will also have the most hurdles of any system to overcome -- despite being the best machine on paper. For starters, it's price out the door is listing at $299. This wouldn't be as big of a problem if the Gamecube wasn't coming out a few days earlier for $199, with Sony most certainly dropping the PS2's $299 price to handle the competition. I can't see consumers shelling out an extra $100 for a system that doesn't have a single marquee franchise associated with it. Munch's Odyssey looks great, getting DOA3 was a major coup, but many of the XBox's titles are enhanced PS2 ports and to date the system has yet to capture the full attention of Japanese developers (who, unfortunately, tend to be biased against American consoles). Even the buzz on Halo is diminishing with each showing of the title.
With all of these obstacles, it's an uphill battle for Microsoft. It would be great to see a system that advanced succeed, but without a true "killer ap" like MGS2, Zelda, or GT3 they've got a hard sell to the public.
[Edited last by Adam Nixon on July 15, 2001 at 04:15 PM]
 

Aaron Copeland

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Adam,
I agree completely. MS is definitely in for an uphill battle and being the new guy to the market doesn't help things. But I really like the way a lot of the games are looking so far...especially games like Project Ego and Marrowmind...so 720p, 5.1 ability, and the HD are just icing on the cake (but, damn, that's a lot of icing!).
Who knows, maybe Nintendo will reveal a couple of killer titles at Spaceworld, but as of right now, it's kind of hard to get excited about games like Luigi's Mansion where you go around vacuuming up ghosts.
Aaron
 

Adam Nixon

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Project Ego (if that ends up as the final title) looks to be the kind of title Xbox needs -- something totally unique, and EXCLUSIVE to the system. I took a look at some screenshots (which look AMAZING, to say the least) and I can't believe that's a modified version of the Black and White engine powering that game. The BW engine is powerful, no doubt, but they must have altered the hell out of that thing to make it look that next-gen.
I believe that a market can support three consoles, provided that each machine is able to bring different content to the table. As far as Gamecube goes, we all know that eventually a new Zelda, Mario, and Perfect Dark are already in development. Nintendo has the best first-party development of ANY manufacturer, and the only place to play those titles is on the Gamecube. I can't say I was entirely thrilled by the lack of N64 software, but I wouldn't have traded the experiences of Goldeneye, Zelda, or Super Mario 64 for any other system. Of course, I sincerely hope that sucking up "ghosts" isn't the only novelty the "Big N" has in store for launch -- I'll just have to save my cash for Rogue Leader and Wave Race:Blue Storm.
The tougher challenge for me is deciding between an Xbox and a PS2. Xbox outmuscles everthing the PS2 has, but I still haven't seen enough titles yet that really make me want to preorder -- although Unreal Championship could be a lot of living room multiplayer fun. In the coming months, PS2 will see the release of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X (which will NOT be available on Xbox, Square is releasing FF:XI on multiple platforms because it's an online game). I'm also a little concerened that companies like EA could take the "easy" route and just port their PS2 library without utilizing the Xbox hardware. I give Microsoft credit though, they've done practically everything they can to ensure success with the development community -- from easy development tools to enormous power you'd think every publisher would be lined up to create for this thing. They've gotten all of the major Japanese publishers interested, but not too many have pledged total committment yet.
It seems like gamers go through these debates every five years or so when consoles are introduced. Perhaps after the dust settles in a year we'll all be better off with a little more clarity.
 

David Proud

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I am going to buy one just for these reasons.
1 - Hidef output of games
2 - Realtime dolby digital decoding. I mean how many sound cards let you use the digital out and use the dacs in your surround sound receiver do do the 5 channel positioning? NONE
3 - LAN PORT built in. Grab the box, take it to a friends house, hook it up to a hub and play games. Get online and play games with only highspeed connected players.
Simply for these reasons I believe the Xbox will be a huge for the hardcore gamer and technical enthusiest.
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Dean Cooper

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Well ones thing is for sure, Im taking that thursday and friday off :) I can't wait.
The fact that it can output HD is really exciting, I think that people will spend the bucks just to play their games in HD...seriously. Guys are paying over a k just for the latest hopped up video cards why wouldnt they spend a bit more and get the HD set too.
Dean
 

Adam Nixon

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NOBODY in the PC community shells out $1K for a video card.
Top-end Geforce 3s retail for $399, which isn't cheap but it isn't a grand. Besides, the console market isn't the same as the PC market. Most console gamers are content with a 19-inch mono TV; the hardcore PC gamers are the ones obsessed with system specs and tweakable performance.
Xbox might output in HD, but that does NOT mean that all games will be in HD. In fact, only a select few developers are even considering it, with nothing announced officially. Most titles will be in standard resolution just like every other system, although there will be a progressive scan option (which is also available with GameCube, and an upcoming option for PS2)
Same thing for digital sound. No game announced for Xbox yet even takes advantage of its 64 simultaneous 3D sound capabilities, let alone 5.1. All of this stuff is marketing hype so far, and MS has yet to deliver.
It doesn't matter how great the hardware is if there aren't great games to play, and MS has yet to show us anything unique yet. When they show us something on the lines of FFX or MGS2, then I'll gladly part with the cash. Developers just aren't flocking to the machine yet, which will hurt it in the long run. I surely won't shell out $299 just because MS boasts about HD without any viable results.
[Edited last by Adam Nixon on July 19, 2001 at 01:16 AM]
 

Grady Hollums

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Adam:
To each his own. I find Halo and Blood Wake to be unique games and the two currently that I am looking out for at launch. Yes, the Hard drive is nothing with out the games, but I also see the xbox as a DVD player for my HT. It just allows Xbox to be used in a wider range of abilities (i.e. progressive scan, 5.1 etc...)
Whether the developers take advantage of theses abilities now, it is a matter of time for them to tap them out of the xbox over time.
PS2 had to wait for their second round of games before they even had 5.1 in FMV scenes.
Time will tell, and I will enjoy waiting for the games, by playing 480p and 720p movies.
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In Him,
GH
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Theater

[Edited last by Grady Hollums on July 19, 2001 at 07:24 AM]
 

Jerry Gracia

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NASCAR HEAT on XBOX will feature 5.1 sound during game play.
But just because its 5.1 doesn't mean anything...we've heard bad 5.1 sound on DVD before. We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
From IGN.com:
Even your ears will get a special treat with full Dolby Digital 5.1 support, something that will definitely up the realism when you hear your competitor come rumbling up on your tail at a million miles an hour.
Here's the link:
Link Removed
In the home video game console market, specs never meant anything. GAMES are what sell a video game system.
So far, XBOX doesn't bring anything significant to the table for me to jump on it yet.
Although NASCAR HEAT in 5.1 sounds mighty tempting.
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Marc Alexander

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How many of you have TVs that support 720p? Mine only supports 1080i. As far as I know, 720p's biggest support (in 7" CRTs that is) Panasonic dropped it in the last line. I was always under the impression the Xbox would support 1080i, not 720p. Maybe I was misled by this spec sheet RAVISENTCineMaster DVD
[edited] oops, the link no longer shows the Xbox DVD player specs. Does anyone else know where this document dissappeared to?
[Edited last by Marc Alexander on July 19, 2001 at 02:13 PM]
[Edited last by Marc Alexander on July 19, 2001 at 02:15 PM]
 

Dave F

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When they show us something on the lines of FFX or MGS2, then I'll gladly part with the cash.

That's an awful lot to ask of a console that isn't even released yet. Heck the PS2 is almost a year old (Happy B-Day, PS2!), and those games aren't even out yet (not including the FFX import).

-Dave

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- Dave

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