ITWales.com

XBOX Review

By Carolina Mayorga-Williams

What do itwales.com and the XBOX have in common?

They both share the official release dates (well close enough - 14 th & 15 th March). But we did not want to shadow Microsoft's success. So, one month on, itwales.com checks out just what makes the Xbox tick.













What is the XBOX?

The Xbox is a games console designed by Microsoft the giant software corporation dominating the industry for work-based applications. Although the Xbox is the opposite of what Microsoft represents it has branched out into a totally new area and may soon conquer the gaming industry.

Microsoft - A short history

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975. Currently, it is one of the largest corporations in the world renowned for Windows and office tools. Although they are newcomers in the gaming industry compared with Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft have the capital and the contacts to build on their past success in PC technology in a totally new arena. At present, it seems that Microsoft's goal is to produce the best games console ever with best game play in the industry. Some readers may think that Sony have already achieved this by introducing the CD facility to the PlayStation, but Microsoft have gone one step further by including the Ethernet socket and NVIDIA.

Ethernet: XBOX & the Internet

The Ethernet socket makes the Xbox Internet ready, but online services are not expected to be available until later this year. With the introduction of Broadband, you will be able to contact other Xbox users via the built-in Ethernet socket and create your own community. The Broadband facility will enable users to play games at a high speed replacing the old slow-paced connection that we all love to hate. This fast paced connection is achieved because Broadband is able to download data at an astonishing 512KBps, whereas the average modem runs at an acceptable rate of 56KBps. Users will also be able to download new weapons, characters and levels to create an almost episodic game. Additionally this service will create a community of users no longer confined to playing against the computer or annoying siblings thus increasing the competition. Opportunities such as these mean more of a challenge for gamers, creating the ultimate in game-playing experience. Realistically, this depends on the number of available online titles, and whether users in the UK are willing to upgrade to Broadband and subscribe to such services. This seems almost inevitable as Microsoft has supplied us with a multi-functional console and created a demand that will serve to strengthen the game-playing market.

What is NVIDIA?

NVIDIA is a company that provides both the Visual and Audio capabilities that you experience in the Xbox. The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) create the believable worlds in every game. The 3D images are realistic as they depict surfaces that are a true representation when changes in light sources occur. The result is a surface and texture that is closer to reality than the fantasy that is portrayed. The APU (Audio Processing Unit) otherwise known as the sound system allows the Xbox to be the 1 st console that supports Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in game play. Gamers may also connect their consoles to their own home cinema systems for that ultimate experience especially when using the DVD option.

The XBOX has many good points

  • The DVD facility is front loading unlike the PlayStation and other consoles.

  • There are 4 joy pad ports increasing the game play taking advantage of 4 way split screen game options.

  • Although the Xbox is non-upgradeable it stores up to 8GB, saving all your game playing data and much more. This should satisfy any enthusiast dismissing the need for extra memory cards.

    How does the XBOX square up against its competitors?

      XBOX PS2 Game Cube
    CPU 733MHz 300MHz 485MHz
    Total Memory 64Mb 32Mb 40Mb
    Hard Disk 8Gb 8Mb Memory Card 8Mb
    Broadband enabled Yes Add-on Add-on
    Built in Hard Drive Yes No No
    Dolby surround Yes No No
    DVD playback Add-on Yes No
    Controller ports 4 2 4

    The specifications of the XBOX are quite impressive, but as we all know it is not the hardware that makes the console it is the games. itwales.com reviews just some of the leading titles.

    XBOX Games

    HALO-Combat Evolved

  • Developed: Bungie Studios
  • Price: £44.99
  • Players 1-16
  • Category: Action/Shooter
  • Age: 11+

    Halo was the number 1 launch title in the US and is currently proving popular in the UK. This a sci-fi adventure packed with action providing you with a variety of missions (16 in total) to battle against The Covenant (a group of rogue aliens). In order to do this you have many vehicles and weapons at your disposal. The Gun handling is realistic, it has a bullet counter on view at all times and reloading is quick and easy. Halo is not only visually stunning with its incredible 3D graphics, it is the best game out at the moment. No wonder people are buying the Xbox just to play it.

    Halo has won IGNXBOX Editor's choice 2001 for:

  • Best Action
  • Best Graphics
  • Best Sound
  • Best Story

    DEAD OR ALIVE 3

  • Developed: Tecmo & Team Ninja
  • Price: £44.99
  • Players: 1-4
  • Category: `beat-em-up'
  • Age rating: 11+

    You may be forgiven for thinking that this game was a Tekken clone but it does have some nice features. DOA 3 is another action beat-em-up that started out on the PlayStation in 1996. The 3 rd part in the series includes all the favorite characters plus 3 new fighters. The scenery is destructible and each character has its own game ending. There are multi-tiered levels so the fighting is not confined to one platform. The detail is present even fighters hair and clothes move during fighting sequences. Even though there are many games of this type available at the moment, Dead or Alive 3 is certainly a welcome edition.

    PROJECT GOTHAM

  • Developed: Bizarre Creations
  • Price: £44.99
  • Players: 1-4
  • Category: Sports/Racing
  • Age: No rating

    Project Gotham is not just another racing game - it includes more than 25 stylish cars to choose from and more than 200 racing circuits from London to New York to Tokyo to San Francisco. The game allows for up to 4 players with a split screen that enables you to race head to head.

    This game is also visually stunning as the detail in the cars and the scenery are simply awesome. But let's not forget this game is all about racing, so when you play Project Gotham there is no time for sightseeing. If you are a racer this game will prove addictive but if you are like me just remember practice makes perfect.

    How much?

    US $299 = £210 Japan Y34,800 = £184 UK £299

    Evidently, there seems to be a difference in the price considering the Xbox was launched in Europe last it has the highest retail price. Microsoft claims this is due to shipping costs and taxes but if this were correct wouldn't Japan's price be equal to - if not more than - ours? Microsoft could be forced to cut its prices as recent figures suggest that despite its lowest price it has not proven to be popular in Japan. We are all aware that the Japanese market is harder to convince, especially when contending against Sony and its popular PS2. Perhaps this explains the difference in the price. If Microsoft decides to lower the price this may have a knock on effect in Europe. Who knows?

    The Verdict

    Microsoft have certainly changed the way we think about a console by providing us with a games machine that is internet ready, a DVD player and much more. The result is a home entertainment system with stunning graphics and an amazing sound capability that proves gaming can be taken to the next level.

    Photograph of Microsoft XBox is reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation.




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