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Home > Archive > Xbox Live > February 2005 > Xbox 2`360`Next`Xenon set to feature removable hard drive
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Xbox 2`360`Next`Xenon set to feature removable hard drive
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| Doug Jacobs 2005-02-24, 3:42 am |
| In alt.games.video.xbox NEXT BOX <nextbox@xbox2.net> wrote:
quote:
> http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=6980
> Xbox 2 set to feature removable hard drive - reports
Ugh. My experience with removable hard drives hasn't been very
favorable. Had a coworker fry her entire HD because she didn't push it
into the case all the way. 100s of MB of data, went bzzt. Gone.
quote:
> Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console is set to feature a removable hard
> drive bay, according to online reports today, which will allow users to
> upgrade their entry-level systems to include mass storage capabilities.
quote:
> Citing a "reliable source", technology news site Engadget revealed details
> of the removable hard drive, claiming that the unit attaches to the top of
> the console "in a really slick way, almost like the hood scoop on a muscle
> car."
Great, yet another non-flat top console from Microsoft. :p
So you'll be able to buy the non-HD version, then buy a better HD for it,
making it better than the version that comes with a HD? I'm confused...
quote:
> The report tallies with claims from developers working on the system, who
> have told GamesIndustry.biz in the past that Microsoft has disclosed that
> there will be a mass storage device, but that they should not rely on its
> presence for their games.
This makes no sense. Either they can use it, or they can't. If you have
a "high end" and a "low end" unit, eventually someone's going to want to
make a game that will only be playable on the "high end" unit. And if the
only difference between the high end and low end is whether it comes with
a small HD, they might as well just ship them all without HDs, and then
make you buy XBox360/next/Xenon drives like Sony makes you buy memory
cards. They could even offer different sizes - Nintendo does this with
their GameCube memory cards. That way *everyone* will have one, but not
everyone will feel the need to buy the biggest drive out there. (of
course, hackers are going to *love* this setup...)
quote:
> One vital question, however, is whether this hard drive will simply be a
> sealed memory unit (which may actually be a hard drive, or may be a very
> high capacity flash drive) or if it will sport a screen and buttons,
> allowing it to be used as a portable media player.
Flash drive wouldn't be very large, and wouldn't be used like the HD in
the Xbox. It'd essentially be a very large memory card. Microsoft should
have asked Sony and Sega about the whole "memory card that can play
games/media" thing, as their attempts at such a thing was short lived,
expensive, and not very widely supported. Besides, if the
XboxXenonNext360 comes with flash drive, how will I get any media onto it
in the first place? I've already got a network share with music on it, so
unless I can network my Xenonboxn3xt60 and transfer media directly to it,
it seems sort of a waste to me. Besides, don't most people already have
portable MP3 players by now? Not to mention the cost... So it's a game
console AND portable media player. Yeah, that's going to cost $400-500...
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| Doug Jacobs 2005-02-28, 9:44 pm |
| In alt.games.video.xbox Simon Stallwood <bsba11529@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
quote:
> Two versions of one console? Will there be two sets of games as well? This
> all sounds like the Mega CD/Mega 32X road Sega walked down before.
There hasn't been a lot of hard information so far. But rumors indicate
there will be at least 1 version with a HD and 1 version without a HD,
though Microsoft has reportedly told game makers that games cannot depend
on the existance of a HD, it's unclear whether they mean they haven't
decided to include a HD with any of their consoles (as opposed to, say, a
big chunk of flash RAM) or that the same version of the game has to work
on both models.
At any rate, it's been my experience that if you have a "high end" and
"low end" model, eventually someone is going to want to create a game that
requires the high end model (I'm thinking of the N64 with its
memory/rumble package that was required by some late games.) If there is
no difference to the games, then why release two models at all? It's just
going to cause confusion among the consumers.
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