AfterDawn: News

Microsoft still confident that Xbox 360 will dominate

Microsoft is still confident that the Xbox 360 console will dominate the market for next generation gaming consoles, despite experts pointing out Sony's hardware advantage. At a Q&A session last Thursday, Bill Gates likened the upcoming console war to an actual car race. "Our view is basically we've got a Ferrari, they've got a Ferrari," he said. "Our Ferrari is leaving the starting line substantially before their Ferrari is, and in most races that's a very nice thing."

Indeed the Xbox 360 console does have the timing advantage, set to go on sale in the United States, Europe and Japan at the end of the year. Sony's Playstation 3 console however will not be available until Spring 2006. Gates pointed out to Analysts that the launch of the last Xbox console happened after the PS2 and resulted with sales suffering. "We tried it the other way last time," Gates said.



Some over at Microsoft also dismiss the claim that the PS3's hardware is better. "They're going to be a little faster in a few areas, we're going to be a little faster in a few areas," said Robbie Bach, the Microsoft senior vice president who heads up the Xbox. "The net result from a hardware perspective is going to be kind of a toss-up."

One more weapon Microsoft claims to have is better support for developers. They call their easy developer tools the "secret sauce". The escalating cost of developing games for consoles has long been a problem for developers. Around 15 games will be available for the Xbox 360 when it is launched, and by the end of the year that figure will have reached 25 to 40 titles. Overall, 160 games are in development for the console according to Bach.

Source:
News.com

Written by: James Delahunty @ 31 Jul 2005 19:14

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• 14 comments

• malcdogg

  I have no doubt that the Xbox 360 will be an awsome machine as will the PS3. But I don't buy consoles for the power, brand, or any of that. It's all about the games, baby! So let's hope that Microsoft fetches some better games for the Xbox 360, because to be honest, most of the games the 1st Xbox has always seemed so.......generic, to me. Nothing that ever really compelled me to buy an Xbox. But if Xbox can get a game that I just HAVE to play, then of course i'll buy one. It's not about having a Ferrari too Mr. Gates, it's also about making sure you don't try to race it on watered down fuel (generic type games).

  31.7.2005 21:07 #1

• rjr20001

  good ponit but what about HALO?did the whole world and his sister not want to play that?the whole link up feature of that and other games is awsome.a lot of games were generic but the multi format games like soul calibre did look nicer on the xbox not to mention doom3 which ps2 owners just cant get.

  1.8.2005 11:00 #2

• manufan

  Yeah and what about fable the most original game ever. Anyway back to the matter at hand both consoles are obviously going to be awesome and probably us lowly gamers we wont notice much difference in speeds, floating points and all that other techno-babble what we will really notice are the games and as we all know they sell consoles (halo anyone?).

  1.8.2005 13:09 #3

• nonoitall

  I agree, the games will be the deciding factor for most. Halo never really struck me as a must-buy (just glorified 007 if you ask me), and since that was the only game for Xbox that I liked that wasn't made for other systems, I decided not to buy one. If Microsoft can pull some good games out of its hat this time though, maybe I'll go with it. Definitely setting money aside for the PS3 first though.

  1.8.2005 14:09 #4

• SamuriHL

  I don't know. I held off on buying an XBox for quite a while. I got a PS2 the day they came out and have loved it ever since. However, I got an XBox from my wife for Xmas last year and I gotta say, it's a very fine piece of hardware. Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, NFS U2, and a few other games truly rock on the XBox. Yes, NFS U2 is available on other consoles, but, IMO, it looks and feels the best on XBox. I'm excited for the XBox 360 launch, but, I absolutely agree with everyone here, the GAMES are what's going to make or break the consoles. And with games like Tiger Woods 2006, the new NFS game(looks HOT), and some of the others in the works, including a Perfect Dark game, I'd say they've got a fairly good line up coming. This months before the PS3...It means they have a shot at the crown. Sony, however, won't take that lying down. All this means is that us gamers win in the end. And THAT is a wonderful thing. :)

  1.8.2005 14:43 #5

• rwd05

  I've just bought an xecutor mod chip, and ive downloaded software that says it can burn x box games. I have no experience with this crap so i was hopin one of you guys could help me out step by step? I've read somewhere about creating an image file, i dont even know how to do that. And the instructions that the software left me with tells me that i need to load the dashboard to it by a blank cd, How do i do this? it also tells me some crap about hookin up my x box to a router and pc, does anyone know why i have to do that and how?

  1.8.2005 15:01 #6

• spidrbone

  uhhh lol look around the answeres too most of your questions like that are on the forums man stick with the subject at hand, anyways i think the xbox 360 is gonna rock ,also i think ps3 will too. personaly im glad theyre coming at different times so that i can save up for one and not have to buy 2 consoles right at the same time. i mean sheeesh thats alot of effin money lol
  

  1.8.2005 15:14 #7

• 7Phoenix

  THe Real Issue with microsoft Xbox its that doesn't have a huge variety of POPULAR games like PS2. I mean, the only games that i would like to play from Xbox are Halo and Fable and maybe Perfect Dark and Conker. On the other hand, with the ps2 i have Final Fantasy, GTA, (tough there's the Xbox version i like better the ps2 version) Metal Gear Solid, Tekken, and a lot of more games. Tough the Gamecube isn't a great console, i bough it 'cuz ITS CHEAP, and it have at least 10 games that i like. IF the new Xbox 360 get its hands on better game lisences then itll beat the crap out of ps2.

  1.8.2005 16:17 #8

• punx777

  i didnt used to think so, putting ps3 and 360 beside eachother looked rediculous
  Quote:Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation Meeting in Tokyo, company president Ken Kutaragi meandered along to continue with his solemn warnings that the PlayStation 3 will not be a cheap console, even going so far as to say that "…the PS3 can't be offered at a price that's targeted towards households.WHO ON EARTH ARE THEY GOING TO SELL IT TO!!!!
  
  later in that artical he also said that he plans for this system to last 10 years. how long did ps2, xbox, psx last, 3-4 years? they plan on squeezing another 6-7 just because it plays blu-ray? yeah you go ahead and sell those expensive bastards to NOT HOUSEHOLDS and see which system we are playing

  1.8.2005 18:44 #9

• nonoitall

  My guess is the PS3 will probably sell in the $400-$500 ballpark, or maybe slightly lower. It's a lot of money for a console, but considering that the console is probably about ten times more powerful than your average computer, I don't think it's unreasonable. Xbox 360 will probably be priced lower, as it won't be quite as advanced, but for hardcore gamers, the gameplay is a more deciding factor than the price in all but extreme cases. The games will decide...

  2.8.2005 09:32 #10

• need_for2

  ps3 is going to dominate, no two ways about it!!!
  
  ********************its sony!!!!!!!!!!!***************

  2.8.2005 15:54 #11

• punx777

  *********its sony***************
  sony, the same people who created ARccOS. the protection found on resident evil 2.it took about uklightning less then a day to release a protected sectors list that bypassed the protection
  
  
  

  2.8.2005 18:22 #12

• nonoitall

  Microsoft is no better. Remember that little DRM thingy?

  2.8.2005 21:44 #13

• CHADSR

  Hey 7Phoenix,
  Yes you do have a point but i do have some news for you and everyone else.FInal fantasy is on the 360 and on xbox live and will be coming out on launch day!Square enix the makers of final fantasy are going to be going multi-system or possibly tell sony to kiss their ass and jump on board with microsoft because sony pissed them off by making the slim-line ps2.CAn anyone imagine how much fun FF will be to play on xbox live?They are making fable 2,jade empire 2,halo 3 and they have they exclusive rights for marvel mmorpgs/rpgs which will be alot of fun.We can all say that each and every one of the next gen systems will have that one game that we all want to play and who wouldn't want to play mario,metroid,zelda,and super smash bros for the revolution.

  18.8.2005 05:21 #14