Nintendo Revolution News Page June 2004

Microsoft Xenon News Page June 2004

June 28, 2004

"Xenon" Possible Specs

A Microsoft Xenon prototype is rumored to contain a 3.5 GHz PowerPC (Apple) and 500 MHz ATI graphics chip rumored to be 256 MB with a 10 MB frame buffer. To give you an idea of what this is, the Gamecube only had 2 MB and Xbox had only 4 MB of Frame buffer. The new external hard drive released as a peripheral will be plugged into the Xenon by an USB 2.0. The working accelerator is a modified version of Microsoft’s own Direct X 9.1, used to power computer games today. ATI and SYS are closely working together to put together a powerful GPU. ArtX, the developer who made the Gamecube “Flipper” GPU may be apart of this project. They are now owned by ATI. As for the Xbox backwards capability problem since Xbox is using a Windows 2000 operating system instead of Apple, Microsoft is trying to emulate the Xbox games to be playable on Xenon. This is the first time a console manufacture has emulated a console. The Playstation 2 doesn’t emulate the Playstation because there is Playstation hardware within Playstation 2, a chip on the motherboard which acts as a Playstation CPU. Internet sources say Microsoft is aiming for a 2005 release date. Remember how Xbox only had 64MB of RAM. Xenon will have 4 times as much so this problem will be non existent. Xenon will use EDRAM (Embedded Dynamic Random Access Memory) as it’s primary RAM.

As for audio compression rations, Microsoft developed this new audio procession called XMA, probably a lossness audio compression. This is a whole new audio compression that will beat MP3 and WMA in sound quality.

Memory cards will be based on flash memory (little flat memory cards you see with PS2 and Gamecube) and will connect to the console, not the Xenon controller.

The media of choice will be a duel layer DVD with 6.5 Gigabytes storage verses the 4.7 Gigabyte DVD seen in today’s consoles. The Xbox disc drive will be 12x DVD reader.

The OS of Xenon is a Microsoft NT Operating system developed on Power PC. This is so the current Xbox developers don’t have to change their language in order to develop for Xenon. The source code and 3D modelers will be compatible.

June 19, 2004

"Xenon" confirmed to have portable 'external' hard drive

A few Xenon project designers leaked information on the Internet telling Engadget.com the Xenon will have a external hard drive that'll come as a separate accessory. This drive will incorporate MP3/WMA playback to be played with games, which of course could also be used as game save storage. Engadget.com

June 16, 2004

"Xenon" confirmed to be official Microsoft console name

Xbox next name confirmed to be “Xenon” which is very close to the name programmers gave Xbox's only emulator, Xeon. On an Interesting notice, the developers of Xeon can’t do any lawsuit against Microsoft because Xeon is emulating Xbox, and Microsoft isn’t going to let that happen. Xenon is a gas used primary in the flash to make light in a camera. In 1999 the Xbox was said to be the code name and it stuck to be also the official name. Source: GamePro.com