Archived from groups: alt.xbox.discussion,alt.games.video.xbox,uk.games.video.xbox,microsoft.public.xbox,rec.games.video.sega (More info?)
with more articles appearing, it seems more and more likely that WebTV
functionality will indeed be included with at least 1 version of
Xbox360
__________________________________________________________
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/605/605867p1.html
Xbox 360 to Include WebTV?
New rumors: two price points, an optional hard drive, and flashy
features.
by David Adams
April 19, 2005 - The rumors around the next-generation Xbox system
swirl
faster and fiercer, which is just to be expected given that we're so
close
to the system's official unveiling next month. The latest scuttlebutt
comes
from GamesIndustry.biz, which cites sources close to Microsoft saying
Xbox
360 will come at two price points, and that the premium version will
may
include Microsoft's WebTV service.
The GamesIndustry story also references gaming blog Kotaku, which
suggests
that the two price points reflect versions of the Xbox 360 with or
without a
hard drive, and that the hard drive will be available as an add-on for
those
who initially go with the less-expensive model. The built-in hard drive
would house WebTV functionality, giving owners access to the web,
streaming
media, email, and instant messaging.
But if it's true that you can save some dough by grabbing a cheaper
Xbox
360, there's still the question of where you'll store game saves and
the
downloadable, purchased content Microsoft is so excited about. The
answer is
likely with Israeli flash memory specialist M-Systems, which confirmed
it is
developing a memory system for the next Xbox. The base-price Xbox 360,
then,
may use flash memory for basic storage, leaving its pricier brother to
handle stored music, game caching, and other big content.
Of course, all of this is thoroughly unconfirmed, perfectly rumor-y,
and
nothing to tattoo onto your forearm just yet. While we're close enough
to
official word to start paying attention to industry chatter, keep those
grains of salt handy until the MTV shindig and E3 next month.
_______________________________
_______________________________
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/news/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=35470&subsectionid=1586
Two versions of Xbox 360 at launch
[20/04/05 12:10]
And the basic incarnation of the console apparently won't be backwards
compatible
The latest word on Xbox 360 is that - as previously reported -
there
will be different versions of the machine available at launch.
As well as the standard console, an additional $100 will bag you
a
hard drive (which is said to fit into a port near the top of the
machine),
WebTV and, intriguingly, backwards compatibility - meaning that the
basic
Xbox 360 won't be able to play current-gen Xbox games.
It's being reported that graphics company nVidia still owns
patents on
some of the original Xbox components, meaning that Microsoft has to pay
royalties in order to implement backwards compatibility in Xbox 360.
The $100 add-on is, in part, supposedly designed to offset the
additional costs of allowing Xbox 360s to play Xbox titles.
As for the WebTV element, this will provide internet and email
access
via your TV, as well as streamed music and video channels.
_______________________________________
_____________________________________
http://www.dvhardware.net/article4601.html
Microsoft to sell Xbox 360 with WebTv for $399?
Posted on Sunday, April 17 2005 @ 03:05:10 CEST by LSDsmurf
Kotaku discovered some more details about Microsoft's next-gen
Xbox
360 which will be presented on May 16. They write that the Xbox 360
would
come in two flavors: a $299 base system version and a $399 version with
some
addons and WebTv.
It is also said that at first 80 percent of all Xbox 360
shipments
will consits out of this $399 version.
_________________________
___________________________________________________________
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/gossip/xbox-2/more-xbox-360-secrets-040275.php
More Xbox 360 Secrets
Filed under Gossip: Xbox 2
As promised in my post about the PSP's innards, here's some more
tidbits
about the Xbox 360.
I'm hearing that rumors of an Xbox 360 removable hard drive that
doubles as
a media player, nicknamed the Xpod, is just that. Apparently, even
Microsoft
hasn't decided if they want to create such a beast. But if they do,
rest
assured that it won't be selling for the $100 upgrade price that will
get
you a hard drive, backwards compatibility and WebTV at launch.
I also found out a little more about the whole backwards compatibility
issue. The reason Msoft is going with two Xbox 360s at launch is
because
they wanted to save money on their new system by removing the hard
drive,
but the box needs a hard drive to guarantee backwards compatibility.
Interestingly enough, nVidia still owns patents on some of the original
guts
of the Xbox, so Msoft would have to pay royalties to the graphics
company to
use backwards compatibility. By moving this functionality to a $100
add-on,
Msoft only has to pay royalties on that smaller amount of cash, instead
of
the full price of a new unit. Clever little buggers aren't they?
On the design side of things, it sounds like the removable hard dive
will be
designed to fit into a port near the top (or left side if you stand it
on
end) of the Xbox 360 and will easily slide in and out of the console.
Stay tuned for more Microsoft state secrets as we near the MTV kick-off
of
the Xbox 360.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php(que)id=117419
LATEST XBOX 2 GOSSIP FOCUSES ON EDITION SPLIT
New rumours on Microsoft's plans to release two versions of Xbox 2 and
suggest the top-end version will include WebTV
11:55 Yay, more Xbox 2 rumours have surfaced on the internet, the
latest
speculation re-igniting the old 'two different versions of the console
to be
released' gossip and suggesting the pricier model will, among other
bonuses,
feature Web TV technology (WebTV allows the likes of internet surfing
on
your television).
According to the latest rumours, the high-end Xbox 2 will retail at
$399 and
as well as coming with WebTV support, will also include a hard drive
and
backwards compatibility to play original Xbox games. Xbox 2 low-end
edition
costs $100 less but comes with none of these features, say the rumours.
It's also being suggested that the model split percentage in the
initial
launch batch of Xbox 2's will be roughly 80/20, with units weighted in
favour of the high-end version.
For now, if you hadn't already sussed, this information is all stamped
'rumour' in very large, red letters, and if you want to go one further
you
can take it all with an equally large pinch of salt.
Microsoft remained unavailable for comment on these reports at the time
of
writing, but if it said anything other than "We do not comment on
internet
speculation and rumour", we'd be looking out the window for a fly past
by a
squadron of porkers.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8108
Xbox 360: multiple versions planned, WebTV to ship on premium edition?
Rob Fahey 15:50 19/04/2005
Two different Xbox 360 bundles to hit retail in time for Christmas
Microsoft's is still planning to ship two different versions of its
Xbox 360
console at launch, according to sources close to the company - while
reports
suggest that the high-end version may feature the firm's WebTV system.
It's long been thought that Microsoft plans to ship two different Xbox
360
bundles, one with a hard drive and one without, and give users the
option of
upgrading the low-end system with a hard drive accessory.
Sources close to the firm have confirmed this week that there's much
talk of
two distinct price points, which seems to indicate that this is still
the
plan for launch - while a report on well-connected gaming blog Kotaku
gives
an indication of how the two different models will be differentiated.
The site reports that the basic edition of Xbox 360 - the version
without
the hard drive - will not have backwards compatibility, while the
"premium"
version with the hard drive will ship with Microsoft's WebTV
functionality
built-in.
WebTV is Microsoft's effort at bringing internet communication and
media
functionality to the living room, and includes basic functionality such
as
web, e-mail and IM access along with the ability to stream music and
video
channels from the 'net or from local PCs.
Integrating the system with Xbox 360 would be a logical move, and a
major
land-grab for Microsoft in this space - which is tipped to become more
important in the coming years as increasing amounts of content are
broadcast
over the Internet as opposed to over traditional TV networks.
A major question mark over the possibility of a the two-tier Xbox
launch,
however, lies with the question of customised content - one of J
Allard's
most vaunted goals for the new system - and how that would tie in with
a
low-end Xbox 360 without a mass storage device.
One part of the answer to that question is the inclusion of a
high-capacity
solid state memory device with the system, which wouldn't be large
enough to
store music or movies in any significant volume - or to act as a cache
for
Xbox games, as the existing Xbox' hard drive does - but would be able
to act
as a cache customised game assets.
Indeed, last year Israeli flash memory specialist M-Systems confirmed
that
it is working on a memory solution for Xbox 2, with CEO Dov Moran
stating
that "when users want to save their e-mail messages, copy music, or
anything
like that, the only storage they'll have is what we give them."
Another part of the answer to that question may come from Kotaku's
sources,
who indicated to the site that around 80 per cent of the systems
produced
for launch would be the "premium" version - suggesting that the
lower-end
model is, more than anything else, a concession to launching a
competitively
priced "games only" system.
Sony is also widely expected to launch multiple versions of the
PlayStation
3 console, which is due to arrive in 2006, with both "home media
server" and
stripped down "basic console" versions believed to be on the cards.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
http://www.totalvideogames.com/pages/articles/index.php?article_id=7565
Xbox360 Features WebTV???
18/04/2005
By: Chris Leyton
Online gaming site suggests two models, with one featuring Microsoft's
TV
Internet/Media player...
Kotaku is today reporting that the Xbox360 will be made available in
two
versions with varying price points; however it's not the PC/Xbox hybrid
that
previous rumours suggested.
Firstly the base Xbox360 will allegedly retail at $299 upon its release
later in the year throughout North America, which lacks a Hard-Drive
and
intriguingly backward compatibility. For $399 however, you'll get the
extras
and Kotaku suggests the incorporation of WebTV - Microsoft's
Internet/Media
Player for TV's.
Naturally we'll have to wait a little longer before this becomes a
reality,
however Kotaku were the first to suggest the format would be labelled
with
the heavily criticised tagline of Xbox360, which appears to be an
almost
certainty for the system; so we'll keep our ears pressed for further
details
on this.
________________________________________________________________________
forum / message board discussion threads about WebTV in Xbox2 /
Xbox360
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22163&highlight=webtv
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=44037&highlight=WebTV
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=43230&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339138&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339184&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339300&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339258&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=338293&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=338000&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=15256
with more articles appearing, it seems more and more likely that WebTV
functionality will indeed be included with at least 1 version of
Xbox360
__________________________________________________________
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/605/605867p1.html
Xbox 360 to Include WebTV?
New rumors: two price points, an optional hard drive, and flashy
features.
by David Adams
April 19, 2005 - The rumors around the next-generation Xbox system
swirl
faster and fiercer, which is just to be expected given that we're so
close
to the system's official unveiling next month. The latest scuttlebutt
comes
from GamesIndustry.biz, which cites sources close to Microsoft saying
Xbox
360 will come at two price points, and that the premium version will
may
include Microsoft's WebTV service.
The GamesIndustry story also references gaming blog Kotaku, which
suggests
that the two price points reflect versions of the Xbox 360 with or
without a
hard drive, and that the hard drive will be available as an add-on for
those
who initially go with the less-expensive model. The built-in hard drive
would house WebTV functionality, giving owners access to the web,
streaming
media, email, and instant messaging.
But if it's true that you can save some dough by grabbing a cheaper
Xbox
360, there's still the question of where you'll store game saves and
the
downloadable, purchased content Microsoft is so excited about. The
answer is
likely with Israeli flash memory specialist M-Systems, which confirmed
it is
developing a memory system for the next Xbox. The base-price Xbox 360,
then,
may use flash memory for basic storage, leaving its pricier brother to
handle stored music, game caching, and other big content.
Of course, all of this is thoroughly unconfirmed, perfectly rumor-y,
and
nothing to tattoo onto your forearm just yet. While we're close enough
to
official word to start paying attention to industry chatter, keep those
grains of salt handy until the MTV shindig and E3 next month.
_______________________________
_______________________________
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/news/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=35470&subsectionid=1586
Two versions of Xbox 360 at launch
[20/04/05 12:10]
And the basic incarnation of the console apparently won't be backwards
compatible
The latest word on Xbox 360 is that - as previously reported -
there
will be different versions of the machine available at launch.
As well as the standard console, an additional $100 will bag you
a
hard drive (which is said to fit into a port near the top of the
machine),
WebTV and, intriguingly, backwards compatibility - meaning that the
basic
Xbox 360 won't be able to play current-gen Xbox games.
It's being reported that graphics company nVidia still owns
patents on
some of the original Xbox components, meaning that Microsoft has to pay
royalties in order to implement backwards compatibility in Xbox 360.
The $100 add-on is, in part, supposedly designed to offset the
additional costs of allowing Xbox 360s to play Xbox titles.
As for the WebTV element, this will provide internet and email
access
via your TV, as well as streamed music and video channels.
_______________________________________
_____________________________________
http://www.dvhardware.net/article4601.html
Microsoft to sell Xbox 360 with WebTv for $399?
Posted on Sunday, April 17 2005 @ 03:05:10 CEST by LSDsmurf
Kotaku discovered some more details about Microsoft's next-gen
Xbox
360 which will be presented on May 16. They write that the Xbox 360
would
come in two flavors: a $299 base system version and a $399 version with
some
addons and WebTv.
It is also said that at first 80 percent of all Xbox 360
shipments
will consits out of this $399 version.
_________________________
___________________________________________________________
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/gossip/xbox-2/more-xbox-360-secrets-040275.php
More Xbox 360 Secrets
Filed under Gossip: Xbox 2
As promised in my post about the PSP's innards, here's some more
tidbits
about the Xbox 360.
I'm hearing that rumors of an Xbox 360 removable hard drive that
doubles as
a media player, nicknamed the Xpod, is just that. Apparently, even
Microsoft
hasn't decided if they want to create such a beast. But if they do,
rest
assured that it won't be selling for the $100 upgrade price that will
get
you a hard drive, backwards compatibility and WebTV at launch.
I also found out a little more about the whole backwards compatibility
issue. The reason Msoft is going with two Xbox 360s at launch is
because
they wanted to save money on their new system by removing the hard
drive,
but the box needs a hard drive to guarantee backwards compatibility.
Interestingly enough, nVidia still owns patents on some of the original
guts
of the Xbox, so Msoft would have to pay royalties to the graphics
company to
use backwards compatibility. By moving this functionality to a $100
add-on,
Msoft only has to pay royalties on that smaller amount of cash, instead
of
the full price of a new unit. Clever little buggers aren't they?
On the design side of things, it sounds like the removable hard dive
will be
designed to fit into a port near the top (or left side if you stand it
on
end) of the Xbox 360 and will easily slide in and out of the console.
Stay tuned for more Microsoft state secrets as we near the MTV kick-off
of
the Xbox 360.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php(que)id=117419
LATEST XBOX 2 GOSSIP FOCUSES ON EDITION SPLIT
New rumours on Microsoft's plans to release two versions of Xbox 2 and
suggest the top-end version will include WebTV
11:55 Yay, more Xbox 2 rumours have surfaced on the internet, the
latest
speculation re-igniting the old 'two different versions of the console
to be
released' gossip and suggesting the pricier model will, among other
bonuses,
feature Web TV technology (WebTV allows the likes of internet surfing
on
your television).
According to the latest rumours, the high-end Xbox 2 will retail at
$399 and
as well as coming with WebTV support, will also include a hard drive
and
backwards compatibility to play original Xbox games. Xbox 2 low-end
edition
costs $100 less but comes with none of these features, say the rumours.
It's also being suggested that the model split percentage in the
initial
launch batch of Xbox 2's will be roughly 80/20, with units weighted in
favour of the high-end version.
For now, if you hadn't already sussed, this information is all stamped
'rumour' in very large, red letters, and if you want to go one further
you
can take it all with an equally large pinch of salt.
Microsoft remained unavailable for comment on these reports at the time
of
writing, but if it said anything other than "We do not comment on
internet
speculation and rumour", we'd be looking out the window for a fly past
by a
squadron of porkers.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8108
Xbox 360: multiple versions planned, WebTV to ship on premium edition?
Rob Fahey 15:50 19/04/2005
Two different Xbox 360 bundles to hit retail in time for Christmas
Microsoft's is still planning to ship two different versions of its
Xbox 360
console at launch, according to sources close to the company - while
reports
suggest that the high-end version may feature the firm's WebTV system.
It's long been thought that Microsoft plans to ship two different Xbox
360
bundles, one with a hard drive and one without, and give users the
option of
upgrading the low-end system with a hard drive accessory.
Sources close to the firm have confirmed this week that there's much
talk of
two distinct price points, which seems to indicate that this is still
the
plan for launch - while a report on well-connected gaming blog Kotaku
gives
an indication of how the two different models will be differentiated.
The site reports that the basic edition of Xbox 360 - the version
without
the hard drive - will not have backwards compatibility, while the
"premium"
version with the hard drive will ship with Microsoft's WebTV
functionality
built-in.
WebTV is Microsoft's effort at bringing internet communication and
media
functionality to the living room, and includes basic functionality such
as
web, e-mail and IM access along with the ability to stream music and
video
channels from the 'net or from local PCs.
Integrating the system with Xbox 360 would be a logical move, and a
major
land-grab for Microsoft in this space - which is tipped to become more
important in the coming years as increasing amounts of content are
broadcast
over the Internet as opposed to over traditional TV networks.
A major question mark over the possibility of a the two-tier Xbox
launch,
however, lies with the question of customised content - one of J
Allard's
most vaunted goals for the new system - and how that would tie in with
a
low-end Xbox 360 without a mass storage device.
One part of the answer to that question is the inclusion of a
high-capacity
solid state memory device with the system, which wouldn't be large
enough to
store music or movies in any significant volume - or to act as a cache
for
Xbox games, as the existing Xbox' hard drive does - but would be able
to act
as a cache customised game assets.
Indeed, last year Israeli flash memory specialist M-Systems confirmed
that
it is working on a memory solution for Xbox 2, with CEO Dov Moran
stating
that "when users want to save their e-mail messages, copy music, or
anything
like that, the only storage they'll have is what we give them."
Another part of the answer to that question may come from Kotaku's
sources,
who indicated to the site that around 80 per cent of the systems
produced
for launch would be the "premium" version - suggesting that the
lower-end
model is, more than anything else, a concession to launching a
competitively
priced "games only" system.
Sony is also widely expected to launch multiple versions of the
PlayStation
3 console, which is due to arrive in 2006, with both "home media
server" and
stripped down "basic console" versions believed to be on the cards.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
http://www.totalvideogames.com/pages/articles/index.php?article_id=7565
Xbox360 Features WebTV???
18/04/2005
By: Chris Leyton
Online gaming site suggests two models, with one featuring Microsoft's
TV
Internet/Media player...
Kotaku is today reporting that the Xbox360 will be made available in
two
versions with varying price points; however it's not the PC/Xbox hybrid
that
previous rumours suggested.
Firstly the base Xbox360 will allegedly retail at $299 upon its release
later in the year throughout North America, which lacks a Hard-Drive
and
intriguingly backward compatibility. For $399 however, you'll get the
extras
and Kotaku suggests the incorporation of WebTV - Microsoft's
Internet/Media
Player for TV's.
Naturally we'll have to wait a little longer before this becomes a
reality,
however Kotaku were the first to suggest the format would be labelled
with
the heavily criticised tagline of Xbox360, which appears to be an
almost
certainty for the system; so we'll keep our ears pressed for further
details
on this.
________________________________________________________________________
forum / message board discussion threads about WebTV in Xbox2 /
Xbox360
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22163&highlight=webtv
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=44037&highlight=WebTV
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=43230&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339138&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339184&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339300&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=339258&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=338293&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=338000&highlight=WebTV
http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=15256
T, Toca2, RSC2, MM3,
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