More info at Xenon Pinball Machine
Posted on 05/03/2005 12:21:11 PM PDT by Born Conservative
Microsoft's next-generation Xbox gaming console would 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.
The console, code-named Xenon, is due to be previewed in an MTV half-hour special later this month.
Mr Gates, Microsoft's chairman and co-founder, was vague on specific features of Xenon but said the company's consoles would be evolving to include improved communications tools for making multiplayer online gaming more convivial.
He told the annual meeting of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers that Xenon's software menu would be similar to that of the company's Media Centre edition of Windows, which is designed for computers meant to be located in the living room.
"If you're used to that menu, when you use this Xenon you'll see a menu a lot like that that lets you get photos, TV, music and all those different things."
Video-game players want to be able to chat with their buddies, know when others are present online, and will want to access their music and photos on their consoles in an interface already familiar to them, Mr Gates said.
At a convention of hardware engineers last week, Mr Gates said the company's investments in Windows Media Centre software had paid off, with more than 1million copies sold since the launch of the operating system's second version in October and a total of 2million since the initial system shipped three years ago.
The Microsoft chairman also drew guffaws when he took a dig at Apple in response to questions about the rave reviews the competitor's newest operating system, Mac OSX "Tiger," received upon release last week.
Bookmark. I'm trying to break my video game addiction, but Gates is making it harder for me.
do XBox gamers use words like "convivial" ?
Only in Australia...
bah...PS3 and Nintendo Revolution will blow Mr. Gates out of the water.
Good luck; video games are more addicting than nicotine and heroin.
I'm getting: relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company
Great, it's a hungry computer that wants friends.
!
:)
Damn, I hear you. Gran Turismo 4 and GTA conspire to consume my free time. Video games have eclipse movies in gross revenue and the next gen consoles will only put more distance between the two.
4 Xboxes + 16 players + Halo2 = party.
XBox Live is mankinds greatest invention.
I finally managed to break the GTA addiction by trading in my PS2 this past weekend, along with GTA: San Andreas. Of course, there is going to be a GTA for the PSP later this summer, so I've got that to look forward to.
You never want to be first out of the gate with a new system. Sega has proved that axiom many times over.
Indeed, there are many who do.
"Enter Xenon" ... ahhhhh, awesome pinball machine ... I have almost all the parts to build one myself...I need a nice lower cabinet (have the backbox w/ glasses).
Black Knight...another masterpiece :)!
Looks like you have some Gottlieb solid state machine to the left there (Force II by chance?) from the Star 80 lineup.
And it also looks like you have a Centaur in the middle :)
Sweet family of pins...add a Stern 9 Ball and the greats of the early days of solid state machines is COMPLETE :)!
Ed
Isn't Nintendo way behind the other two? They seriously miscalculated by not including a DVD player on the console. PS2 is winning because they were better about getting exclusive titles not because it is a better system. Has to be strange for Gates not having the most titles available for his equipment.
Worldwide, the Nintendo and Xbox are about even. The PS2 is ahead because it had 2 years without any real competition to build a fanbase and get titles.
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