Some up and coming video gaming stuffs;
of Revoluion, PS3, XBox2 and Zelda
Nintendo Revolution (expected in 2006) expected consumer price range: $200 – $300
graphics chip set from ATI code-named “Hollywood,”
a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named “Broadway,”
able to run games originally made for the GameCube.
will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in.
Sources: http://www.nintendo.com
Playstation3 (expected in 2006) expected consumer price range: $300 – $500
Some up and coming video gaming stuffs;
of Revoluion, PS3, XBox2 and Zelda
Nintendo Revolution (expected in 2006) expected consumer price range: $200 – $300
graphics chip set from ATI code-named “Hollywood,”
a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named “Broadway,”
able to run games originally made for the GameCube.
will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in.
Sources: http://www.nintendo.com
Playstation3 (expected in 2006) expected consumer price range: $300 – $500
CPU: Cell Processor will have a 64-bit IBM Power processor and eight “synergistic processing
units” capable of handling separate computing tasks (a 4.6 GHz clock speed for the processor.)
(rumor?) RamBus Technologies FlexIO, formerly codenamed Redwood. Running at a maximum of 8GHz data rate
able to run games originally made for PS2
Sources: cube.ign.com , btconnect.com
Xbox2 aka Xenon/360 (expected late 2005) expected consumer price range: $350 to $400.
CPU: three 3.0 GHz PowerPC cores. Each core is capable of two instructions per cycle and has an L1 cache with 32 KB for data and 32 KB for instructions. The three cores share 1 MB of L2 cache.
Alpha 2 developer kits currently have two cores instead of three.
GPU: Xenon’s GPU is a generation beyond the ATI X800. Its clock speed is 500 MHz and it supports Shader 3.0. Developers are currently working with an alpha 2 GPU. Beta GPU units are expected by May and the final GPU is slated for a summer release. The final GPU will be more powerful than anything on the market today;
in game terms, it would handle a game like Half-Life 2 with ease.
RAM: will have 256 MB of system RAM. Keep in mind that this number should not be equated to typical PC RAM. (rumor) RAM may be upped to 512 MB.
Optical Drive: dual-layer DVD-9 discs. While the media is the same as that of the current Xbox,
the usable space on each disc is up to 7 GB. The drive is slated to run at 12X.
Memory Cards: will use 64 MB to 1,024 MB memory cards. 8 MB is reserved for system use, leaving a 56 MB to 1,016 MB for user data.
Hard Drive: optional. 2 GB of the drive will be used as game cache. The final drive size is still being determined.
will have a USB 2.0 camera. It’s capable of 1.2 megapixel still shots and VGA video. Photos can be used in-game and for gamer profiles. The camera can also be used for video chat. It’s unknown if the Xenon camera will allow for EyeToy-like gameplay. Developers are currently using a simulated camera driver.
does not have an audio chip in the traditional sense. Decompression is handled by hardware, while the rest of the chores are handled by software. DirectSound3D has been dropped in favor of X3DAudio.
Developers are being instructed to plan their games for high-definition. The baseline is 720p at 1280×720 for gameplay and video clips, 16:9 aspect ratio, 5.1 Surround Sound, and anti-aliasing. These features are the current minimum requirement.
All Xenon games can be played using custom soundtracks. Owners can also play their own music directly. Supported formats are MP3 and WMA. Files can be encoded up to 320Kbps CBR or VBR stereo. The system is branded a Music Player Service.
For gameplay movies, Xenon uses Xenon Motion Video (XMV). XMV is based on Windows Media 9 and uses the mandatory codec for HD-DVD. The goal for video is 720p running at 30 frames per second with 5.1 Surround Sound.
Whether the games are single player or multiplayer, all Xenon titles tie into a new gamer profile feature. Think of it as a universal profile for each gamer that uses the system; the gamer profiles are the player’s single identity across all Xenon games. Similar to how a single Windows XP machine can be set up for multiple users, each Xenon system will house profiles for every gamer it serves. This feature is fantastic for households with multiple gamers, since each player’s settings can be saved in his or her profile and selected when the system boots.
It has not been determined if it will be backwards compatible with XBox1 games
(rumor) will ship with wireless game controllers.
Sources: gamespy.com
Other stuffs
new Zelda trailer available here;
zelda.com
click on Legend of Zelda (tentative title)
ps please note that I did not site all of the sources for the material contained herein, and I take no responsibility towards the validity or accuracy of said material.
