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Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The burning question answered

A special thanks to XBTR Member buddah143 for finding this article, which seems to answer the question all current XBOX'ers have been asking, will XBOX360 be backwards compatible?

This excerpt taken from GAMESPOT:

"Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games.

Although future Xbox 360 owners will be able to play the more than 200 Xbox titles expected this year, it's the 360 games that they'll really want. Microsoft expects 25 to 40 Xbox 360 titles to be available during the console's launch window (defined as within three months of the system's release), and developers currently have more than 160 games in the works."

Read the full contents of this article by clicking HERE

Thursday, May 12, 2005


A little of my cut/paste/crop handywork...a closer look at the "Ring of Light" and the front of the XBOX360...enjoy! Posted by Hello

XBOX360 Revealed Posted by Hello

XBOX360 Revealed - Staff Review

One word…AWESOME!

The “XBOX360 Revealed” special on MTV was spectacular to say the least.

Airing on Thursday May 12, 2005 at 9:30PM on MTV, the half hour special gave current XBOX enthusiasts a glimpse of the next generation XBOX gaming solution, as well as a quick rundown of some of the games currently in production for XBOX360.

Here’s a quick summary of some of the games mentioned:

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Need for Speed – Most wanted
Madden NFL ‘06
Gears of war
Ghost Recon III
NBA 2K6
Quake 4
Call of Duty
The Darkness
Saints Row

The game that received the most attention during the broadcast was Perfect Dark Zero, and the broadcast ended with a deathmatch between some of the top player performers in current XBOX standings, like Matt Leto, gamertag “Zyos”. Zyos ultimately ended up coming in second place, however viewers were witness to some thrilling graphics, tremendous clarity, and superfast speed.

It was also clear to see the alliance between XBOX360 and Samsung, as a commercial aired atleast twice during the half hour special promoting the big push for HDTV gaming, while Bungie Studios “Halo” theme music ran in the background.

West Coast Customs also took a step back from “automotive pimping” and pimped out the current XBOX, adding an integrated 15” display and some custom airbrushing. A slick unit, but not enough to steal the limelight from its successor, XBOX360.

Onto the XBOX360 hardware highlights….

Customization was the focus and emphasis of the brief presentation viewers saw on the next generation XBOX console, which features a distinctive “Ring of Light”, interchangeable faceplates, wireless controllers, and a “Live Marketplace” feature in the system software which allows you to personally style your character for gaming. Nice touch! Game downloads and many other features appeared to be available in the lobby feature of the XBOX360, however it looks like we’ll all have to wait a little bit longer to get the details on that.

Overall, I was impressed, however I have to say that in the brief gaming demonstrations I witnessed, I didn’t see a great deal more in the way of exciting gaming and graphics than what I have already seen and played on using current XBOX technology and software. I guess the proof will come when we actually sit down at the next generation console and start hammering out the kills. Until then, we’ll have to rely on reviews, game developers, and hype to hold onto the excitement until Fall, when XBOX360 is due to be released, just in time for the holidays.

--- Iceman183

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Xbox 360: multiple versions planned

From xboxmagonline.com

Microsoft is still planning to ship two different versions of its Xbox 360 console at launch, according to sources close to the company, reports suggest that the high-end version may feature Microsoft'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. 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.

Official XBOX360 Image Leaked....

From xboxmagonline.com

Microsoft's second generation Xbox has been the subject of much speculation over the last few months. But Microsoft has successfully kept the new Xbox all but a mystery - until now. A seemingly official picture of the "Xbox 360" has made its way onto the Web, the image is a render rather than a photo, but sources who have seen the hardware have vouched for its authenticity. Click HERE for the pictures....and tune into MTV tomorrow at 9:30PM for the official unveiling....

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

XBTR Online Forum Maintenance Announcement

*** FYI ***
The XBTR Online Forum will be upgraded within the next 24 hours to ProBoards Version 4. This message board may be unavailable for up to 24 hours during this upgrade.

XBTR

Monday, May 09, 2005

2005 GameRiot Tour

If you’re a true gamer, then GameRiot is the spot for you. We’ve got dozens of competitions raging all day for hot prizes. We’ve also turned up the prize levels by a few thousand notches. Come out and test your skills against the best your town has to offer, and if you’ve really got game.From Rookie right up to the Hardcore, we’ve got cash and prizes to give away at each stop. Check out the featured games to pick your spot.

For more information, checkout the GameRiot website HERE

Saturday, May 07, 2005

Halo 2 Online U.S. Tournament

Halo 2 Tourney - Sponsored by Game Stop

The Halo 2 U.S. Tournament is now underway--good luck!

Enter the Xbox Live™ U.S. Halo® 2 Tournament for your chance to win a Master Chief statue, a personalized championship plaque and sweatshirt, a Samsung Personal Camcorder, and $500!Jump in the Rumble Pit.Register here for the Xbox Live Halo 2 Tournament. Play Rumble Pit. Play it a lot. Kick ass in Rumble Pit!Claw Your Way to the TopThe highest-ranked player (who is also tourney-registered and eligible) in the Rumble Pit will be declared the U.S. Halo 2 Tournament Champion, and will receive:
Master Chief statue
Halo 2 U.S. champion plaque
Halo 2 U.S. champion sweatshirt
Samsung Personal Camcorder
$500 U.S. in cash
$100 GameStop gift card
Kick Some Global ButtThe US Xbox Live Halo 2 Champion will then go on to represent the United States in the upcoming Halo 2 World Championships. P.S. Make sure your contact information is up to date before the end of registration. You won’t get spam from us, but if you didn’t include a phone number, or you gave a bogus email account, then we can’t contact you to tell you if you’ve won! Here’s how to do it:To update your contact information:
From the Xbox Dashboard, select Xbox Live.
Select Account Management.
Select Credit Card.
Enter the last four digits of the credit card number used for your account.
Update your contact information.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Game night: This Friday May 6

XBOX Team Rochester will be online in full force this Friday from 7:00PM to 10:00PM Eastern Time playing Halo 2. If you're interested in playing with us and you're not currently a member of XBTR, please send your gamertag to the team mailbox at xbtr@rochester.rr.com, and we'll send you an invite. Hope to see you there....

Monday, May 02, 2005

Next-Generation Xbox to Be Media Hub

Next-Generation Xbox Will Be More of a Digital Entertainment Hub Than Predecessor, Gates Says

SEATTLE May 2, 2005 — Microsoft Corp.'s next-generation Xbox gaming console will be more of a digital entertainment hub than its predecessor, making it even more of a PC hybrid than ever, Bill Gates told a meeting of business journalists on Monday. Click HERE for more information on this story

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Newsflash:Samsung and Microsoft Announce HDTV Alliance for Next-Gen Xbox

April 28, 2005, New York, NY—Samsung Electronics, a global HDTV leader, and Microsoft® today announced an alliance to elevate gaming to the next level through high-definition technology. Microsoft has chosen Samsung as the exclusive HDTV worldwide marketing partner for the next-generation Xbox® high-definition (HD) gaming platform. The announcement was made today during the Home Entertainment Expo at the New York Hilton. Click HERE for more information....