Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming: Pre-E3 Hoopla, PS 3 revealed, and Xbox 360 backwards compatibility

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Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming (Subscribe)

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Pre-E3 Hoopla, PS 3 revealed, and Xbox 360 backwards compatibility

OK, this year's E3 is gonna leave me weak in the knees. More details on the Xbox 360 are blitzing the media channels, and Sony announced a spec-for-spec competitor (if not superior) to our 8.5-pound black box's successor. Nintendo will be out of the gate tomorrow. And, really, it's all about the games.

Halo 3 in 2006? Yeppers. Sony's Killzone 2 a potential Halo killer? The trailer says "yes"; but that's Halo 2; let's see what Halo 3 brings when it launches at the same time as the PlayStation 3 ...

Xbox 360 backwards compatible
More Xbox 360 details
Halo goes platinum, and on the cheap
Halo 3 and PS3 toe-to-toe?
Nintendo Revolution details
PlayStation 3 revealed

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NEWS:
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Xbox 360 backwards compatible
- At today's E3 Microsoft press conference, MS said the Xbox 360 will be "backward-compatible with top-selling Xbox games". What does it mean? Maybe Microsoft will pick which games will run on the Xbox 360. Maybe it'll be like the PS2, where early gen PS1 games don't work. I'm guessing Halo 2 and Doom 3 will run on the new box, so I don't care.
More Xbox 360 details
- Square Enix announced Fantasy XI to the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.
- There will be between 25-40 Xbox 360 games this year (with more than 160 games in development).
- Other new games announcements of note include Blue Dragon (Microsoft Game Studios/Mistwalker Inc.); Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo/Team Ninja); zombie title DEAD RISING (Capcom/Capcom); RPG Lost Odyssey (Microsoft Game Studios, Mistwalker); fantasy actioner NINETY-NINE NIGHTS (Microsoft Game Studios/Q Entertainment/Phantagram Ltd./Tetsuya Mizuguchi); third-person World War II title The Outfit (THQ Inc./Relic Entertainment).
- The Xbox wireless controller will use Microsoft-patented wireless technology, which sounds like it won't be IR. As long as it's not line-of-site, I don't care (my Xbox is hooked up behind me to my projector).
Halo goes platinum, and on the cheap
- Hey, Halo for Xbox has finally gone Platinum Hits, which means an MSRP of $19.99. Circuit City has it on sale this week for $14.99.
Halo 3 and PS3 toe-to-toe?
- Bill Gates is on the cover of this month's Time magazine, and he mentions the 2nd crop of Xbox 360 games in spring 2006 will include Halo 3. Specifically, "It's perfect. The day Sony launches [the new PlayStation], and they walk right into Halo 3." Brilliant!
Nintendo Revolution details
- The press event hasn't been held yet (tomorrow morning), but Nintendo's verified some Revolution details.
- Size: About thickness of 3 standard DVD cases and also slightly longer than a DVD case (though the thing can be place vertically or horizontally).
- Backwards compitable?: Yeppers (playing the current GameCube 8cm discs and new 12cm discs), as well as DVDs.
- Connectivity: Wireless internet-ready out of the box.
PlayStation 3 revealed
- At today's Sony press conference the current console king revealed the PlayStation 3 will be available spring 2006. Point-for-point, the PS3 does seem to trounce the Xbox 360, but I'll offer my opinion in a day or when the dust has settled.
- Processing power will be the equivalent of 2 teraflops of performance.
- The drive'll use Sony's Blu-ray discs, and will also support CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, and DVD+R.
- The PS3 will also have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot, and a compact flash memory slot.
- It will also have a slot for a detachable 2.5-inch hard drive (though no word on whether the hard drive will be standard).
- Support for 1080p -- about the highest high-def around -- and two HD outputs, and can be attached to 2 side-by-side HDTVs for 32:9 "extra-widescreen" (think the Nintendo DS on 'roids).
- Out-of-the-box support for seven bluetooth wireless controllers, and wi-fi connectivity to the PSP.
- 6 USB ports.
- Wireless High-Def IP Camera.
- Supported features will include video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video.
- Check out the full summary and picts at GameSpot.com.

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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.

Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming (Subscribe)

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Pre-E3 Hoopla, PS 3 revealed, and Xbox 360 backwards compatibility

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