Xbox Packaging: Useless? (1 Viewer)

[Chris Beveridge]

Having looked over a good portion of the current releases from the initial line-up of Xbox games, I'm starting to wonder if the people making up the packaging really know how to market their materials.

On no game yet have I seen it list DD 5.1 as a spec. You get the DD logo, but that's it. Fusion Frenzy is not 5.1, but Halo is. Why isn't that being pushed? Or at least listed? It's definitely a selling point for me.

Reviews in magazines are also currently pretty bad about this. Barely a mention of the 5.1 for Halo, every review I've seen of Silent Hill 2 doesn't even mention it beyond "cool sound" and supposedly SSX Tricky has DTS on it as well.

Granted, 5.1 is relatively new for the gaming market and not everyone is going to have it. I'd expect more of the professional game reviewers to be properly set up, but I'd also expect that the packaging would reflect obvious selling points for the (older?) gaming audience that these kinds of games attract.

Or am I alone in this?

 

[Jerry Gracia]

I agree.

I've been into video games for a while.

It's really disappointing that many game reviews barely mention the audio in a game if at all!

And when they do they use terms like "3D audio".

I have NASCAR THUNDER 2002 on PS2. I've read a few reviews mention that the graphics on the XBOX version are only slightly better than the PS2 version...but they fail to mention the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the XBOX version. On PS2, its only in Dolby Surround Pro-Logic.

If I could be sure that the Dolby 5.1 sound on the XBOX version is much better, well, that just might be an XBOX seller to me...but...

 

[Bergan Peters]

The majority of gamers are playing on a 19-27 inch tv, with the sound coming out of the television.

 

[Chris Beveridge]

The majority of gamers are playing on a 19-27 inch tv, with the sound coming out of the television.

The same can be said about the 20 million or so DVD owners in general. Yet DVD packaging often clearly lists what kind of audio format and video format the show is presented in.

 

[David_Li]

It would be interesting to see how much Home Audio/theater product sales have risen since the increased popularity of dvd. Personally speaking I wasn't interested in home theater at all until dvd came about. At the time I wasn't that keen on spending thousands on laserdiscs and was very hesitant when it came to buying a system just for VHS. Now I have a new hobby to blow tons of cash on =).

 

[Jason Handy]

I'm in the same boat, David. I reached critical mass when I got the Fight Club DVD in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. On my 19" Magnavox, I think I had a picture that was 4" high, like a band across my TV. That was it - I marched right into my local Sears and got me one of them new-fangled H-Dee-Tee-Vees
And I'm loving every minute of it.
Jason

 

[Dave F]

Widescreen support specs are also conspicuously absent.

-Dave

 

[NickSo]

Well, it probably is in dolby digital, but its dolby digital 2.0 rather than 5.1... Kinda misleading, but thats just how it is.. :frowning:

 

[Ryan Peter]

Nick, what game are you talking about?

 

[Michael Hudson]

I think the key that Universal uses for its movies she be on all media. It is easy to read understand and good for Joe Six Pack and Media Bob alike.

 

[Camp]

Off topic but another interesting Xbox game packaging glitch:

Several copies of Oddworld have "Not For Resale" printed on the box. Obviously, this has confused many a gamer who wondered if he got a demo version of the game. Turns out Microsoft printed these box inserts for retail bundles and they somehow found their way into regular distribution.

If you own a copy that has the "Not For Resale" printing you can call Microsoft and they'll send you a "real" copy of the game. In effect, you get two copies of Oddworld.

 

[BrianB]

Turns out Microsoft printed these box inserts for retail bundles and they somehow found their way into regular distribution.

Funny.
Microsoft denying pushing bundles on retailers, yet have specific inserts all nice & printed for certain retailers? Hrmmmm.