Bad news for early xbox 360 Adopters [Archive]

shadowmoses

Apr 21, 2006, 01:46 PM

Microsoft to upgrade Xbox 360 CPU (http://www.xbox360news.com/Blogs/NewsCom/hqs/blr_3417.aspx)

This to me seems a bit of an odd thing to do, its probably to do with all the probelms they have encountered with the initial 360's....

Apart from this it seems like a good thing, if it drives down costs and possibly would get rid of the 360's power brick it may tempt me to buy one...

ShadoW

SilentPanda

Apr 21, 2006, 01:48 PM

It's not really that big of a deal. The "new" 360 will run cooler and use less power and maybe faster but it's not like any game can require the new CPU.

Abulia

Apr 21, 2006, 01:51 PM

I disagree in so much that it doesn't change anything. I have a 360 and I'm happy with it. What's the "bad news" for me?

Plus, the new versions are going to be out until 2007 -- wait a year to play the 360 and its games just to get the new version? The new version which offers no new features or change the playing experience?

The original Xbox had (at least) FIVE revisions. I had a launch date (v1.0) Xbox and sold it about a month ago for $100. That's several years of gaming goodness with no difference in play from v1.1 -- v1.5 owners.

So I'm not seeing the "bad news."

MacRumorUser

Apr 21, 2006, 01:54 PM

It will not affect current owners. CPU speed will remain the same, just it runs a little cooler. Well whoopedy doo...

2nyRiggz

Apr 21, 2006, 01:55 PM

Hey once my current 360 don't bite the big one i could care less....but nice find though.

Bless

greatdevourer

Apr 21, 2006, 02:34 PM

One possibility with upgrading componants would be to upgrade the graphics circuitry and up the AA to 4x or summat likewise

XNine

Apr 21, 2006, 03:04 PM

The original Xbox had (at least) FIVE revisions. I had a launch date (v1.0) Xbox and sold it about a month ago for $100. That's several years of gaming goodness with no difference in play from v1.1 -- v1.5 owners.

Actually, the last was a 1.6 Version (I had a 1.1 (modded) and a 1.6).

But I do know what you mean. I should be getting my THIRD 360 from MSFT today in the mail. The second one they sent me froze like the first one I got.

So, I'll just keep sending it back as long as I have to.

Abulia

Apr 21, 2006, 03:08 PM

But I do know what you mean. I should be getting my THIRD 360 from MSFT today in the mail. The second one they sent me froze like the first one I got.

So, I'll just keep sending it back as long as I have to.Okay, that officially sucks. :mad:

risc

Apr 21, 2006, 03:46 PM

Bad news, where? IBM make a chip that runs cooler, the second rev of the 360 are quieter and probably cheaper. Anyone remember the fat PS2 and then the skiny one? This stuff happens all the time.

If anything it is good news for current owners your machine has the over heating problem they replace it with one with the new CPU. My 360 runs perfectly btw so can't say I care at all.

Nothing to see here move along.

Dagless

Apr 21, 2006, 04:16 PM

I don't think it's bad news for the early adopters. It's better news for later adopters; but then again, it always is. Cheaper prices, fewer problems.

Plus I suppose it would also be friendlier to electric bills.

Aren't they also releasing a higher capacity HDD? And knocking it down $100? Thats good. I'll give MS a little cheer of support.

... More HDD space because they plan on downloading full games perhaps?

Mord

Apr 21, 2006, 05:17 PM

microsoft will start putting HD-DVD drives in 360's soon thus they are going to need to put a HDMI connection on the 360 that supports HDCP, and while they are at it they will probably support 1080p and that requires more cpu brunt and faster hardware, thus the revision.

Haoshiro

Apr 21, 2006, 05:19 PM

Microsoft has stated HD-DVD would come as a drive-only addon.

Mord

Apr 21, 2006, 07:51 PM

yes for current 360's but 360's manufactured past that date will have the drives built in.

Haoshiro

Apr 21, 2006, 08:03 PM

I haven't heard any news or rumors about that. Where did you hear of it?

It just doesn't seem like something MS would want to do... if not simply for the extra production cost (plus further dividing the userbase).

risc

Apr 22, 2006, 01:26 AM

yes for current 360's but 360's manufactured past that date will have the drives built in.

Peter Moore announced during the Microsoft keynote at CES that they would be releasing an external HD-DVD drive for the 360, they also said back in December they had no plans to replace the internal drive.

If this information has changed since CES I can't seem to see anything about it on line, so link please?

GFLPraxis

Apr 22, 2006, 02:20 AM

ReanimationLP

Apr 22, 2006, 04:42 AM

I'm gonna wait for the 65nm jump to buy mine.

I really dont want to have to send them back and forth. o.O It'd get old real fast.

Plus then I like the less heat/less electrictity, any Marylander would know what I'm talking about. >.< BGE (our electric company) is planning to make the rates go up 70 percent.

Damn Bitchy Grumpy and Evil. -.-

MacRumorUser

Apr 22, 2006, 05:33 AM

I had a problem with 1 360. since getting it returned a-new from M$ I've had no lockups or freezes from my 2 xbox 360's. Even when they've been working for hours at at time.

I can't imagine the Ps3 with it's 7 core cell, Nvidia GPU, 60GB HD & BluRay (after all have you seen the size of standalone bluray players) is not going to have its own share of heat failures. I just hope they are able to provide as good a customer service as M$. In the past when I've had a problem with Sony hardware, they've been very very awkward.

If it offered higher performance and lower power consumption and heat, Microsoft would likely underclock it to the current levels of performance and get even BETTER power consumption while retaining compatability.

Yep probably. Either way there's no way speed is going to increase for users regardless :)

takao

Apr 22, 2006, 07:18 AM

If it offered higher performance and lower power consumption and heat, Microsoft would likely underclock it to the current levels of performance and get even BETTER power consumption while retaining compatability.

yeah that's my guess as well...

i think it's great news for late adopters (as usual) now it's gonna be interesting if they can release a cheap hd-dvd drive ... if it' any close to the rumored 100$ then it's gonna be tough for sony

Haoshiro

Apr 22, 2006, 07:33 AM

Dagless

Apr 22, 2006, 07:42 AM

Perhaps it was already posted here, but I had heard Sony was having problems fitting the PS3 hardware in that case they've been showing off. Evidently there is just not enough space.

Maybe PS3 will come out bigger then Xbox1, heheh.

Way I see it, Sony should drop the Vaio line and make the Playstation line a breed of super computer/console. Right now (or as it's hyped) it's a powerful console that can run Linux. I reckon they should get Windows or another OS installed on the machine and ship it as a superpowered, yet low cost (compared to other PC's) computer. Especially if the thing has case issues.

Haoshiro

Apr 22, 2006, 07:46 AM

You've uncovered their master plot! Merge their console and PC product line into one behemoth and take over both industries at once!

Now they should just team up with Apple and get the systems some actual style... and run Mac OS X (only optimized for excellent OpenGL/etc performance).

combatcolin

Apr 22, 2006, 09:08 AM

Halo 3
Price Cut

Now the Master Cheif may not be back this year but there will be a price cut after the lauch of the Rev and PS3.

The target audience of the 360 maybe in their 20's and 30's, but these people also have Mortgagues.

Which for me is £575 a month.

So, price cut please.

MacRumorUser

Apr 22, 2006, 09:44 AM

The target audience of the 360 maybe in their 20's and 30's, but these people also have Mortgagues.

Which for me is £575 a month.

So, price cut please.

Gees that's a hefty mortgage to take out on an xbox 360 ;)
:D :D

Seriously though, I agree with you. Not so much on hardware, after all they're already losing a ***** load of money per unit sold (this isn't like a VCR or DVD player) so I dont mind paying for the hardware. But the software is just plain ridiculous. We pay 70 - 75 Euro in Ireland for an xbox 360 game. Thats like $85-92 :mad: :mad: :mad:

Unfortunetly I dont see price for games dropping soon as BluRay is more expensive to manufacture and hence will probably retail around the same price point. Maybe then we will have a 10-15 euro drop on each game making multiplatform games appear much cheaper on the 360 and hence more desirable (after all theyre gonna look the same gtaphics wise regardless)...

combatcolin

Apr 22, 2006, 10:32 AM

Well i was really tempted back in December, but lets be brutally honest, i was more intrested in the hardware and not the software.

Which is not good.

At all.

coreybox

Apr 22, 2006, 12:44 PM

Gees that's a hefty mortgage to take out on an xbox 360 ;)
:D :D

Seriously though, I agree with you. Not so much on hardware, after all they're already losing a ***** load of money per unit sold (this isn't like a VCR or DVD player) so I dont mind paying for the hardware. But the software is just plain ridiculous. We pay 70 - 75 Euro in Ireland for an xbox 360 game. Thats like $85-92 :mad: :mad: :mad:

they have to charge that on the games to make up for the money they are losing on the hardware.

MacRumorUser

Apr 22, 2006, 01:38 PM

they have to charge that on the games to make up for the money they are losing on the hardware.

So do you pay $85-92 in the states?

GFLPraxis

Apr 22, 2006, 01:47 PM

Nope, $60.

dmw007

Apr 22, 2006, 01:54 PM

Don't really see this as bad news for current Xbox 360 owners, but as good news for me when I decide to buy one of the new, "upgraded" 360s. :)

greatdevourer

Apr 22, 2006, 02:03 PM

Nope, $60. This is summat I don't understand about the US. All American game sites were all up in arms saying "$60 is such a rip off!", yet we've been paying $60 since forever :mad: It's like with your "oil crisis", where the prices almost reached half of what we pay! :eek: How will you survive!

:rolleyes:

combatcolin

Apr 22, 2006, 02:43 PM

they have to charge that on the games to make up for the money they are losing on the hardware.

Established tactic dating back decades.

Of course there has to be games worth buying 1st.

Project Gotham is a fantastic racer, but im buggered if im paying £280 to play it.

Dagless

Apr 22, 2006, 04:38 PM

This is summat I don't understand about the US. All American game sites were all up in arms saying "$60 is such a rip off!", yet we've been paying $60 since forever :mad: It's like with your "oil crisis", where the prices almost reached half of what we pay! :eek: How will you survive!

:rolleyes:

Exactly! I would HAPPILY fork out $60 for a game.

And they wonder why mainland Europe has a high rate of game pirates. Those guys have it worse I think, during visits to Barcelona, Paris, Benidorm, Alicante and Poland... All the game shops were uber-expensive. In the end I thought "hey! I could get a game cheaper in the airport" where they cost even MORE. I paid £25 for Mario GBA Classic. I cry now.
America have no right to complain about game prices.

MacRumorUser

Apr 22, 2006, 04:52 PM

Exactly! I would HAPPILY fork out $60 for a game.

And they wonder why mainland Europe has a high rate of game pirates. Those guys have it worse I think, during visits to Barcelona, Paris, Benidorm, Alicante and Poland... All the game shops were uber-expensive. In the end I thought "hey! I could get a game cheaper in the airport" where they cost even MORE. I paid £25 for Mario GBA Classic. I cry now.
America have no right to complain about game prices.

Agreed $60 is €48 or £33 - where as we pay €75 or £50 at retail :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

mkrishnan

Apr 22, 2006, 04:56 PM

Seems like this isn't nearly as big an affront to early adopters as the issues surrounding MS' push to emphasizing the hard-disk version of the 360 over the version that lacks that feature....

Winstonp

Apr 22, 2006, 05:09 PM

maybe faster but it's not like any game can require the new CPU.

you wish LOL!

Dagless

Apr 22, 2006, 05:56 PM

Agreed $60 is €48 or £33 - where as we pay €75 or £50 at retail :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I suppose you can cheat it though. I've only seen games cost that much in the high street. All my recent games purchases (DS games, given up on consoles for now) have set me back around £20-25 / $35-44. Which isn't too bad. I saw F-Zero GX second hand for £5.99 which really shocked me. Then again I bought F-Xero X for £7.99!

Haoshiro

Apr 22, 2006, 06:59 PM

Agreed $60 is €48 or £33 - where as we pay €75 or £50 at retail :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I wonder how much economy reflects this as well. Just like average wages where I am are low so housing is cheap. While in other areas wages are high as are living expenses.

Regardless though, I think it's easily understandable (and warranted) that a person get upset at raised prices. Retail games here in the US have been $50 for a long time, going up to $60 is a 20% increase.

So going from $50 to $60 feels to us like going up to €90 or £60 would feel to you.

Import/Export almost assuredly factors in to higher prices as well (on all sides).

Dagless

Apr 22, 2006, 08:13 PM

I dunno, wages are very low in parts of Poland, and in Nowa Sakz (can't remember name 100%) I remember seeing a Sony MZ-R91 minidisc player for the equivalent of £300. In the UK it was £250.
Some things just don't make any sense.

Counterfit

Apr 22, 2006, 09:46 PM

It's like with your "oil crisis", where the prices almost reached half of what we pay! :eek: How will you survive!
Half the cost of gas in most European countries (especially the UK) is made up of taxes. You have elected gov't officials right? Bitch to them, not to us. :p

GFLPraxis

Apr 23, 2006, 01:54 AM

Haoshiro

Apr 24, 2006, 06:21 AM

Counterfit makes a great point though, Taxes! I don't know the figures but as I recall many other countries have absolutely HORRIBLE taxation... iirc. USA gets taxed again and again but in general the rates seem much worse.

If the government is taxing at oppressive levels then that would explain a lot of the high prices. With tax a $60 game here is about $65 = €52.5/£36.3

Dagless

Apr 24, 2006, 06:26 AM

A mate said we should "use capitalism against them" (word for word quote), collectively as a nation we stop buying games or getting imports as 'gifts', forcing them to lower their prices. Alas. There will always be 1 :p

MacRumorUser

Apr 24, 2006, 07:10 AM

Well Ireland has one of the fastest and healthiest economy's at the moment. However all that growth is only really reflected in and around major cities like Dublin. Where I am in Kerry, we have some of the lowest average wages in Europe.

I'm just hoping that more games are region free so I can continue to import them from the states and save a bit of money...

A mate said we should "use capitalism against them" (word for word quote), collectively as a nation we stop buying games or getting imports as 'gifts', forcing them to lower their prices. Alas. There will always be 1 :p

Bless. That you isnt it Jimmi, you just got to collect em all ;)

Unfortunetly collective protests dont ever really work in the UK or Ireland. Look at France, they seem to have it sewn when it comes to mass public demonstation and changing government positions, in the UK & Ireland people will shout for changes but wont get off their arses for it.

turbopants

Apr 24, 2006, 10:48 AM

I don't think $60 is too much for a game nowdays. Not if you tried it out, or have researched it well. It is disappointing when you spend that money and the game stinks, but I used to buy SNES and Genesis games for $50 some 16 years ago. It was a little more money back then. :D

MacRumorUser

Apr 24, 2006, 11:35 AM

sam10685

Apr 24, 2006, 01:21 PM

Apart from this it seems like a good thing, if it drives down costs and possibly would get rid of the 360's power brick it may tempt me to buy one...

as much as i dislike mico$oft, i think i might think about it too if all that happens.

Abulia

Apr 24, 2006, 03:34 PM

yes for current 360's but 360's manufactured past that date will have the drives built in.Nope, not yet. MS has stated they won't do this and the HD-DVD will strictly be an add-on. Besides, this will drive the price of the 360 up further, and that's the last thing MS wants to do; price is a competitive advantage for them vs the PS3.

Rumor came out today that the HD-DVD add-on will be announced at E3 and will be in the $120 USD price range.

Other rumors are an additional external hard drive (for more storage) and potential change to the Xbox Live Gold service: Gold becomes free but now includes advertisements in the dashboard. Paying for Live now "opts out" of advertising. This one sounds fishy to me.

Speaking of fishy, trading in Gamerscore points for Marketplace points. I seriously think this rumor is hogwash. Considering some games are so absurdly easy to get points from, this seems like it's ripe for abuse.

And the PS3 counter for the 360 with worldwide marketing push...?

Gears of War with a $110 (premium) and $90 (core) price reduction.

Abulia

Apr 24, 2006, 03:37 PM

Oh, one last rumor that came out today(ish) is the availability of a MAME emulator and 1,000's of games via the Marketplace. This is (apparently) to counter the Revolution service. This one also seems a bit fishy, but based off of the success of Xbox Live Arcade, may have some merit.

We'll see. *shrug*

takao

Apr 24, 2006, 03:53 PM

Other rumors are an additional external hard drive (for more storage) and potential change to the Xbox Live Gold service: Gold becomes free but now includes advertisements in the dashboard. Paying for Live now "opts out" of advertising. This one sounds fishy to me.

well that sounds like a good idea to me, as much as i don't like ads.. i would save myself 5 bucks and look at a banner during using the menu
as long as it doesn't interfere with the game of course

Speaking of fishy, trading in Gamerscore points for Marketplace points. I seriously think this rumor is hogwash. Considering some games are so absurdly easy to get points from, this seems like it's ripe for abuse.

not gonna happen.. after all it would be too easy to simply borrow games from friends etc. ...

And the PS3 counter for the 360 with worldwide marketing push...?

Gears of War with a $110 (premium) and $90 (core) price reduction.

is gears of war enough to counter the ps3 launch ? ... somehow i'm sceptical of that .. i'm not even sure if halo 3 could do that

on the other side i guess a 100 bucks price drop will move a lot more consoles (for both packs)

they _have to_ increase demand ... at least around here

Abulia

Apr 24, 2006, 04:02 PM

Well, not "counter" in as "to stop," but "counter" as in "steal some of their thunder." :D

Many analysts are speculating that the original Xbox could see a price cut soon to offset the PS2 price reduction. Again, to steal some of Sony's thunder and to clear out their existing inventory levels of Xboxes to "push up" 360 demand. A $99 Xbox is a pretty sweet deal!

GFLPraxis

Apr 24, 2006, 04:10 PM

I dunno...the XBox and the 360 are both taking losses for Microsoft, I would imagine Microsoft might want to recover some by letting the XBox dip into profitable territory.

takao

Apr 24, 2006, 04:45 PM

Well, not "counter" in as "to stop," but "counter" as in "steal some of their thunder." :D

at least that's what they want ;) i'm no fan of the ps3 by far but sony simply is the launch king... no matter how bad the games are at the beginning it will sell ... a lot

Many analysts are speculating that the original Xbox could see a price cut soon to offset the PS2 price reduction. Again, to steal some of Sony's thunder and to clear out their existing inventory levels of Xboxes to "push up" 360 demand. A $99 Xbox is a pretty sweet deal!

i think that might be true.. after all Microsoft pretty sure wants all that shelf space for the 360 alone
such a price drop would make even more sense over here where the ps2 didn't drop in price (thanks to singstar and buzz success sony doesn't see any need) ... and after all they are still behind the gamecube ;)

that aside i think the amount of games on the 360 in which i'm interested just increased a lot:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/702/702656p1.html
looks like they moved it over from the original xbox since last august when i played the quite fun alpha at the GC

Dagless

Apr 24, 2006, 05:27 PM

they _have to_ increase demand ... at least around here

Exactly, and before the launch of an arguably more powerful, digital-output, next gen disc using super computer. The way I see it is the 360 is the DC and the PS3 is the PS2. It could crush it with the right moves on Sony's side and the wrong move on MS's side. The 360 just isn't selling well around my place too. None of my mates were excited by it, only 1 person bought it on impulse. And we're gamers! Personally I think they should have waited a year and done a Nintendo/Apple style uber-secret pre-launch. Perhaps.