Upgrading your xbox

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

The only reason I do not play on PC is I do not want to spend time and
money for the latest hardware and most efficient combination to play a
new game.

So I chose consoles and I happened to buy an xbox that I love.

Now, in this endgadget interview these guys are saying xbox360 will
have a HD-DVD drive in future. Maybe they will let us change other
hardware too. I just hope they don't take this approach. Give us an
HD-DVD right now or I will buy a Sony at a similar price that gives me
BlueRay. When I play online I like the feeling that the other guy has
the exact same thing and so does not have any advantage over me (except
maybe some network connection speed which I have no complaints about)

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000597043723/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

DNA wrote:
> The only reason I do not play on PC is I do not want to spend time and
> money for the latest hardware and most efficient combination to play a
> new game.
>
> So I chose consoles and I happened to buy an xbox that I love.
>
> Now, in this endgadget interview these guys are saying xbox360 will
> have a HD-DVD drive in future. Maybe they will let us change other
> hardware too. I just hope they don't take this approach. Give us an
> HD-DVD right now or I will buy a Sony at a similar price that gives me
> BlueRay. When I play online I like the feeling that the other guy has
> the exact same thing and so does not have any advantage over me (except
> maybe some network connection speed which I have no complaints about)
>
> http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000597043723/

I agree. Microsoft should spend their hardward budget on the Xbox-360
on attempting to thwart chipping, like they did with the Xbox 1.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

>When I play online I like the feeling that the other guy has
> the exact same thing and so does not have any advantage over me (except
> maybe some network connection speed which I have no complaints about)

What kind of advantage could another gamer have, other than better skills?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Doug Jacobs" wrote
> Imagine all the people who bought the first gen.
> product, only to find out later that they'll have to buy a new console in
> order to play the later games that rely on the newer hardware SKUs...

This seems likely, judging by what MS did with Word and Excel in the 90s. If
you received a file from someone with a new version, you couldn't open it in
the older version.

> Of course, this could be a move by Microsoft to boost their console
> hardware sales... How many times are you willing to buy Xbox360? Twice?
> Three times? And then Microsoft could dictate that games will only work
> on the latest model or newer. So a game in 2007 won't work on Xbox360
> ver. 2005 or 2006. And of course, there might be problems playing a 2005
> game on a 2006 Xbox360, so you better buy them all, and hold onto them!
> Whee!
> (no, I don't think Microsoft would be *this* stupid...at least, let's hope
> they aren't!)

This probably won't happen ... at first. Again, Word and Excel initially had
backward compatiblity - newer versions could open older files - but as newer
and newer versions came out, the older files got pretty screwy. Which of
course was the whole idea, to force everyone buy an upgrade.

Dan in Philly

 

[robin]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Dan in Philly" <djr8@aol.com> wrote in message
news:428dd44a$1_4@alt.athenanews.com...
>
> "Doug Jacobs" wrote
>> Imagine all the people who bought the first gen.
>> product, only to find out later that they'll have to buy
>> a new console in
>> order to play the later games that rely on the newer
>> hardware SKUs...
>
> This seems likely, judging by what MS did with Word and
> Excel in the 90s. If you received a file from someone with
> a new version, you couldn't open it in the older version.
>

What about people who bought a Media Center 2004 PC and then
six months later media center 2005 came out and they
expected tehm to pay $130 to upgrade it.


>> Of course, this could be a move by Microsoft to boost
>> their console
>> hardware sales... How many times are you willing to buy
>> Xbox360? Twice?
>> Three times? And then Microsoft could dictate that games
>> will only work
>> on the latest model or newer. So a game in 2007 won't
>> work on Xbox360
>> ver. 2005 or 2006. And of course, there might be
>> problems playing a 2005
>> game on a 2006 Xbox360, so you better buy them all, and
>> hold onto them!
>> Whee!
>> (no, I don't think Microsoft would be *this* stupid...at
>> least, let's hope
>> they aren't!)
>
> This probably won't happen ... at first. Again, Word and
> Excel initially had backward compatiblity - newer versions
> could open older files - but as newer and newer versions
> came out, the older files got pretty screwy. Which of
> course was the whole idea, to force everyone buy an
> upgrade.
>
> Dan in Philly
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

Robin <robinandtami@nospam.com> wrote:

> What about people who bought a Media Center 2004 PC and then
> six months later media center 2005 came out and they
> expected tehm to pay $130 to upgrade it.

Sounds like business as usual for Microsoft...

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
news:118sp8uaedi1645@corp.supernews.com...
> Robin <robinandtami@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>> What about people who bought a Media Center 2004 PC and then
>> six months later media center 2005 came out and they
>> expected tehm to pay $130 to upgrade it.
>
> Sounds like business as usual for Microsoft...

Yes, it's like when I bought a car and then they brought out a new model.

For some strange reason, the dealer wouldn't let me upgrade for free.

 

[robin]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Dr Gordon Crowbar" <Justin@c.com> wrote in message
news:SIudnQiUy9wm9A3fRVnyrw@pipex.net...
>
> "Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
> news:118sp8uaedi1645@corp.supernews.com...
>> Robin <robinandtami@nospam.com> wrote:
>>
>>> What about people who bought a Media Center 2004 PC and
>>> then
>>> six months later media center 2005 came out and they
>>> expected tehm to pay $130 to upgrade it.
>>
>> Sounds like business as usual for Microsoft...
>
> Yes, it's like when I bought a car and then they brought
> out a new model.
>
> For some strange reason, the dealer wouldn't let me
> upgrade for free.
>

That would only be strange if it were a quite common
practice for car dealers to do that, and even that same car
dealer had done so in the past. If you want to go with that
completely inane analogy; then shouldn't MS let you
"trade-in" your old MCE, at a pro-rated rate, towards the
upgrade?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

Dr Gordon Crowbar <Justin@c.com> wrote:

> Yes, it's like when I bought a car and then they brought out a new model.

> For some strange reason, the dealer wouldn't let me upgrade for free.

But you could still get your car serviced, right? And you could still
drive your car on the existing streets and stuff, right?

When Microsoft upgrades Office, its documents won't work with previous
versions (even if you tell the newer version to "save-as" in the older
formats. And even the older documents don't work 100% with the newer
version.

Going back to your car analogy, imagine having to buy a new car simply
because the roads won't support older cars, or that you'll have to use
different cars to drive on different roads - assuming the older roads are
still being maintained (ie. "supported.")

Of course, the software=car analogy breaks down once you start talking
about open-source. Otherwise Open Office would be the equivelant of a
car that looks like a Mini Cooper on the outside, with more room than a
12-passenger SUV on the inside, has more power than a GM Pick Up, gets
500 miles to the gallon, and handles any Microsoft road with ease (which is
more than what you can say about Microsoft's own cars!) Oh yeah, and is
free for personal use, though the corporate customers only pay 1/1000th
what it costs to use Microsoft's products.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

On Mon, 23 May 2005 22:17:15 -0000, Doug Jacobs
<djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote:
>Of course, the software=car analogy breaks down once you start talking
>about open-source. Otherwise Open Office would be the equivelant of a
>car that looks like a Mini Cooper on the outside, with more room than a
>12-passenger SUV on the inside, has more power than a GM Pick Up, gets
>500 miles to the gallon, and handles any Microsoft road with ease (which is
>more than what you can say about Microsoft's own cars!) Oh yeah, and is
>free for personal use, though the corporate customers only pay 1/1000th
>what it costs to use Microsoft's products.

And it would have an engine you'd have to rebuild from scratch every
time you wanted to go to the supermarket.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Robin" <robinandtami@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:HSrke.1171$Is4.952@attbi_s21...
>
> "Dr Gordon Crowbar" <Justin@c.com> wrote in message
> news:SIudnQiUy9wm9A3fRVnyrw@pipex.net...
>>
>> "Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
>> news:118sp8uaedi1645@corp.supernews.com...
>>> Robin <robinandtami@nospam.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> What about people who bought a Media Center 2004 PC and then
>>>> six months later media center 2005 came out and they
>>>> expected tehm to pay $130 to upgrade it.
>>>
>>> Sounds like business as usual for Microsoft...
>>
>> Yes, it's like when I bought a car and then they brought out a new model.
>>
>> For some strange reason, the dealer wouldn't let me upgrade for free.
>>
>
> That would only be strange if it were a quite common practice for car
> dealers to do that, and even that same car dealer had done so in the past.
> If you want to go with that completely inane analogy; then shouldn't MS
> let you "trade-in" your old MCE, at a pro-rated rate, towards the upgrade?

Remember, the dealers aren't the manufacturer, so you will always be able to
sell second hand, on ebay for example, just not to the manufacturer.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

"Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
news:1194ljbcnfvoh55@corp.supernews.com...
> Dr Gordon Crowbar <Justin@c.com> wrote:
>
>> Yes, it's like when I bought a car and then they brought out a new model.
>
>> For some strange reason, the dealer wouldn't let me upgrade for free.
>
> But you could still get your car serviced, right? And you could still
> drive your car on the existing streets and stuff, right?
>
> When Microsoft upgrades Office, its documents won't work with previous
> versions (even if you tell the newer version to "save-as" in the older
> formats. And even the older documents don't work 100% with the newer
> version.
>
> Going back to your car analogy, imagine having to buy a new car simply
> because the roads won't support older cars, or that you'll have to use
> different cars to drive on different roads - assuming the older roads are
> still being maintained (ie. "supported.")
>
> Of course, the software=car analogy breaks down once you start talking
> about open-source. Otherwise Open Office would be the equivelant of a
> car that looks like a Mini Cooper on the outside, with more room than a
> 12-passenger SUV on the inside, has more power than a GM Pick Up, gets
> 500 miles to the gallon, and handles any Microsoft road with ease (which
> is
> more than what you can say about Microsoft's own cars!) Oh yeah, and is
> free for personal use, though the corporate customers only pay 1/1000th
> what it costs to use Microsoft's products.

The analogy only covers the issue of the upgrade cost itself, not every
single vehicle related comparison you care to make.
If people buy into software, they do it knowing the capabilities and costs.

PC computers were never a mature technology until recently, so constant
upgrades of the O/S and applications were a given.

And remember, I can't play VHS tapes on my DVD, and vice-versa, but they're
both made by the same manufacturer.

You are mostly wrong about the Office file format BTW. Office 97/2000/XP are
mostly backwards and forwards compatible apart from where new features have
been implemented.