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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,136
Microsoft and IBM announced today that IBM technology will power "future Xbox products and services". Details are scarce, but according to the press release, "the new Xbox technologies will be based on the latest in IBM's family of state-of-the-art processors."

Microsoft's Xbox currently utilizes an Intel processor, suggesting that the future Xbox may break backward compatibility with the current crop of machines. Unless, of course, Microsoft introduces some sort of emulation layer.

Current Nintendo GameCubes utilize the IBM PowerPC processor, while the next-generation Sony Playstation is also rumored to use IBM-based technology (Cell)
 

arn

macrumors god
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,794
This is very interesting.

I thought that part of the big development boon for XBox was "it's just another PC" sort of design.

arn
 

Foxer

macrumors 65816
Feb 22, 2003
1,274
30
Washington, DC
Is there an estimated street date for Xbox2? The current is 2 years old, and if they're still trying to decide what processor goes in the next one, that would seem to me that it will be awhile before release.
 

iGav

macrumors G3
Mar 9, 2002
9,025
1
abit risky if it's not backward compatible though isn't it.... that's why the PS2 has been such a huge success because earlier investments haven't been made redundant by upgraded hardware.

Either way Xbox2 Vs PS3 is going to be a monster of a battle! Damn do I wish I was in games design and dev. $$$$$$$$ :eek: :p :p
 

MorganX

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2003
853
0
Midwest
Originally posted by arn
This is very interesting.

I thought that part of the big development boon for XBox was "it's just another PC" sort of design.

arn

I think that writing to DirectX API's is supposed to make developing for PCs and XBox easier. Allegedly much of it can be ported without modification.

It will be interesting if they go with a PPC CPU. MS has experience with Windows NT on PPC. It really would be interesting if they moved DirectX to PPC.
 

arn

macrumors god
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,794
Originally posted by DreaminDirector
Would the xbox using IBM chips make it easier to port to the mac when games finally come out for the xbox2? Or vise versa?

No, not necessarily. It's more about the APIs than the processor.

That being said.... depending on the processor used (if it were a true PowerPC derivative), then emulation would be far more possible than before. But even so, I don't think there are any PC Xbox emulators presently... likely due to legal reasons.

arn
 

MorganX

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2003
853
0
Midwest
Originally posted by stoid
Another Windows copying Macs ideas I think. Apple goes to IBM and makes the G5, so Microsoft follows suit, goes to IBM and gets XBox 2.

::Chuckle:: Without IBM, Microsoft would not be 1/25th of the company it is today. IBM indirectly funded development of Windows for years through the "I can't believe they agreed to it" licensing of DOS.

I must be getting old. Seems like such a long time ago, long enough for people to forget anyway.
 

Macurious

macrumors newbie
Jan 6, 2003
11
0
Interesting thought

If I'm not mistaken, there is a hack for the Xbox that lets people run it like you would a PC. You can even install any OS you want and there is even a custom OS for loading ROMs from any game system. Wouldn't it be funny if after this switch it would be possible to run Panther on the XBox? :)
 

flyfish29

macrumors 68020
Feb 4, 2003
2,175
4
New HAMpshire
Originally posted by iGAV
abit risky if it's not backward compatible though isn't it.... that's why the PS2 has been such a huge success because earlier investments haven't been made redundant by upgraded hardware.

Either way Xbox2 Vs PS3 is going to be a monster of a battle! Damn do I wish I was in games design and dev. $$$$$$$$ :eek: :p :p

On the surface I thoght it was great to be able to play my old games on PS2 and loved that my hardware would work on it as well, but really, are that many people playing their old PS1 games using a PS2? I did for a while, but that was only because there were so few games out on the ps2 initially...I would hope this time they have many more games out on the new platform before it is released...ps3 and Xbox 2 due in 2006 I think.
 

mrsebastian

macrumors 6502a
Nov 26, 2002
744
0
sunny san diego
that would be pretty cool to run osx on a hacked xbox or ps3. running your favorite os on there would certainly help them become the ultimate entertainment center, especially if they add dvr like some of the rumor mills have mentioned.
 

Macco

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2003
164
0
So even Microsoft admits that PPC processors have something to them? Any idea why they would choose to use IBM processors?
 

flyfish29

macrumors 68020
Feb 4, 2003
2,175
4
New HAMpshire
Re: Interesting thought

Originally posted by Macurious
If I'm not mistaken, there is a hack for the Xbox that lets people run it like you would a PC. You can even install any OS you want and there is even a custom OS for loading ROMs from any game system. Wouldn't it be funny if after this switch it would be possible to run Panther on the XBox? :)

M$ always has a reason for doing something...and it is very clear now...they don't want anyone to take their machine which cost them $4-500 to make and turn it into a Windows or Linux computer so if they change the chip soneone can...unless they can run unix or OSX. This is the real reason they changed it!
 

acj

macrumors 6502
Feb 3, 2003
345
0
I would think it would be easy to emulate an older technology even if the difference was PPC to X86. They'll have to offer backwords compatability.
 

macshark

macrumors member
Oct 8, 2003
96
0
First, I think Nintendo uses the IBM 750 processor in the Game Cube, not the 440.

It would be interesting to see if Microsoft picks the next version of the PPC970 (90nm) or a next gen or modified version of the 750 series. In either case, the processor is likely to have AltiVec capability (if any licensing issues concerning Apple/Motorola are taken care of) which will make AltiVec the de-facto standard vector processing technology for future 3D games. Interestingly, this will also make it much easier for game vendors to port their games to Apple platforms in the future.

One more high volume PowerPCcustomer will pretty much secure the future of the PowerPC architecture as it will generate sufficient profits for IBM to invest into future PowerPC R&D.
 

Tulse

macrumors regular
Nov 3, 2003
220
0
Any idea why they would choose to use IBM processors?

It would be ironic, but I wonder if it might have anything to do with AltiVec support...
 

mrsebastian

macrumors 6502a
Nov 26, 2002
744
0
sunny san diego
Originally posted by flyfish29
On the surface I thoght it was great to be able to play my old games on PS2 and loved that my hardware would work on it as well, but really, are that many people playing their old PS1 games using a PS2? I did for a while, but that was only because there were so few games out on the ps2 initially...I would hope this time they have many more games out on the new platform before it is released...ps3 and Xbox 2 due in 2006 I think.

i totally agree, the old games fall by the wayside pretty quick. i'd rather be able to hack my xbox2 or ps3 with my favorite os, to run some sort of emulator and play all kinds of old games. how cool would that be?! you could play adventure on atari one minute, then play mario brothers on nintendo, and on and on.
 

MorganX

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2003
853
0
Midwest
Originally posted by Macco
So even Microsoft admits that PPC processors have something to them? Any idea why they would choose to use IBM processors?

Cost. Cost is everything in the console business until software sales recover the losses all consoles experience during their early years.
 
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