Some of the things in that article are downright fascinating.
That Sound Chamber for example. Very cool.
betting on a new technology that few can afford carries inherent risks. Thats why Microsoft has the Dream Killer. Its where we break designers hearts, says principal design manager John Snavely, one of the leads on the redesign of the Xbox software interface. Hidden away in a side room, the Dream Killer is a reminder to all engineers and designers that many gamers dont have the latest technology, even if theyre happy to shell out on a new console. Its a TV we shouldve thrown away a long time ago. Its awful. We put a lot of time into making sure our content looks good on the Dream Killer, Snavely says.
”Why can't you put your entire Atari 2600 catalogue into your ColecoVision?,"[...]
Expansion Module #1 makes the ColecoVision compatible with the industry-leading Atari 2600, with some exceptions. Functionally, this gave the ColecoVision the largest software library of any console of its day. The expansion module prompted legal action from Atari, but Atari was unable to stop sales of the module because the 2600 could be reproduced with off the shelf parts. Coleco also designed and sold the Gemini game system, which was a clone of the 2600, but with combined joystick/paddle controllers.
The dream killer is hilarious
This is actually really interesting. I've done CD/MP3/Flac sound quality comparisons in a room like this at the University. It's the coolest thing and it's 100% true that you can hear your own pulse. Freaky.In the former document archives of a Seattle-based insurance firm lurks the quietest room in the world. The human ear can hear down to zero decibels. Here, the sound of silence has been measured down to negative 20. Welcome to the world of quiet, whispers Gopal Gopal, a diminutive, middle-aged psychoacoustician working for Microsofts Devices division. As he closes the door, Gopals voice changes. Im suddenly aware of the blood flow in my head. My ears ring and I swallow hard, as if rapidly descending from altitude. Hes standing beside me, but Gopals voice is struggling to pass through the air.
To get this quiet, youve got to go to extreme lengths. The entire room, which was designed by Gopal, is cut off from the rest of Microsofts Building 87 and suspended on 63 giant springs. An air gap surrounds it and the walls are so thick that were a jumbo jet to take off outside the door, the sound inside the chamber would barely be louder than someone speaking. Its a floating chamber, Gopal says, bobbing on the spot and directing my gaze towards the floor. Beneath our feet is a see-through mesh of steel cables, the same kind used to snare fighter jets landing on aircraft carriers. I look down, peering at the cones of sound-absorbing foam that continue into the gloom. The lights and sprinklers are also designed to ensure as little noise is reflected as possible.This room alone Microsofts Redmond campus has more than 20 chambers with varying degrees of quietness cost more than $1.5 million (£1.2m).
Its here, in his temple of silence, that Gopal measures the noise made by computer fans. Theres no such thing as a fan sound. There are different kinds of fan noises, he says, smiling and moving his hands through the unpleasantly silent air for emphasis. Power supplies make humming sounds. LEDs make humming sounds. When youre playing a game and the fan heats up, it makes sounds. It is when we get quieter that we begin to hear those things. To measure sound, he continues, you need to take readings in absolute silence. A room like this offers an absolutely controlled environment. Any time a sound is made, its reflected by the surfaces around you. This cuts out the internal reflections, so our measurements are pure. With an incredibly accurate measurement, you can make incredibly small adjustments.
Hey look, a reasonable post talking about the article.
Need to lock the other one.
This is actually really interesting. I've done CD/MP3/Flac sound quality comparisons in a room like this at the University. It's the coolest thing and it's 100% true that you can hear your own pulse. Freaky.
I just wish they would've mentioned something about the noise level because so far I've seen zero reports about how loud this thing is.
could it be that the people who work at Xbox are proud of their new product? I mean it must of been a shitty time to have people shit on Xbox One before it came out and throughout the years.
I hope so too, especially since I plan to use it as a UHD Bluray player. But the small size combined with the power makes me worried...The X1 still astonishes me how quiet it is. I'm hoping it retains that level of near silence.
The X1 still astonishes me how quiet it is. I'm hoping it retains that level of near silence.
”There's no such thing as a fan sound. There are different kinds of fan noises," he says, smiling and moving his hands through the unpleasantly silent air for emphasis. ”Power supplies make humming sounds. LEDs make humming sounds. When you're playing a game and the fan heats up, it makes sounds. It is when we get quieter that we begin to hear those things."
This is actually really interesting. I've done CD/MP3/Flac sound quality comparisons in a room like this at the University. It's the coolest thing and it's 100% true that you can hear your own pulse. Freaky.
I just wish they would've mentioned something about the noise level because so far I've seen zero reports about how loud this thing is.
I hope so too. However if it's like PS4 Pro then unpatched games will be virtually silent and One X supported games might be a bit loud.
Aisha Tyler crying after a game demo presentation at Ubisofts E3 presser levels of unusual.
But ok, rev up the sales engine.
After Xbox One and Xbox One S, my expectations are a bit high. For a device that is one the majority of my waking hour on a daily basis, it's putting in lots of work and is pleasant to have in the room. Not like my small 360, when I'm trying to watch a DVD movie and it sounded like someone was trying to land a jet in my room.
Yeah the 360 was insanely loud when running the games from disc. And the PS4, some apparently have silent PS4s but I'm certainly not one of them, mine is almost at the same level as the 360. And Xbox One X is smaller than both... And we haven't heard a single word about it's noise from MS or the press. Makes me worried... But this article at least makes it sound like they know they did it right with the XB1, they've set the bar themselves for where they need to be this time.After Xbox One and Xbox One S, my expectations are a bit high. For a device that is on the majority of my waking hour on a daily basis, it's putting in lots of work and is pleasant to have in the room. Not like my small 360, when I'm trying to watch a DVD movie and it sounded like someone was trying to land a jet in my room.
I'd feel more welcoming about all this hype if it was an actual new-generation of hardware, not just a mid-gen upgrade to a system that in all fairness is not exactly setting the world on fire.
The only real advancement the One X is touting over the S is improved visuals/performance, a benefit offset by a significant cost increase.
It just doesn't seem to me that is going to be enough to shift the status-quo, rather it strikes me as an over-engineered solution to a problem that's not the main factor holding back Xbox in the marketplace.
Well that's just as dishonest, its certainly more than an update, the tech being used and the engineering involved is quite impressive.I know they are supposed to hype up the system prior to release but jeez.....knock it down a bunch. This is an updated console, not Schindler's list or Ann Frank's diary....what's up with the feels...lmao
The X1 still astonishes me how quiet it is. I'm hoping it retains that level of near silence.
That's why Microsoft has the Dream Killer. ”It's where we break designers' hearts," says principal design manager John Snavely, one of the leads on the redesign of the Xbox software interface. Hidden away in a side room, the Dream Killer is a reminder to all engineers and designers that many gamers don't have the latest technology, even if they're happy to shell out on a new console. ”It's a TV we should've thrown away a long time ago. It's awful. We put a lot of time into making sure our content looks good on the Dream Killer," Snavely says.
”The original Xbox was the DirectX Box," Penello says, referring to the DirectX software introduced with Windows 95. The idea behind DirectX was to make PC gaming continuous: buy a game and, within reason, you should be able to play it forever. Penello has worked at Microsoft for 17 years and in the games industry for 23. A broad-shouldered man whose voice fills any space, he is all firm handshakes and retro-gaming references. ”I was Atari versus Intellivision," he jokes. Console gaming has always struggled with the burden of its past. A vinyl record bought 30 years ago can be ripped to another format and enjoyed today. On a PC, the copy of Worms 2 you bought in 1997 still works on Windows 10 today. In console gaming? Not so much. ”Consoles were more bespoke than PCs," Penello explains. ”Why can't I make Ms. Pac-Man run on my Pac-Man arcade board? Well, they're two different boards. Atari was an arcade company. Nintendo was an arcade company."
Caught between the technical difficulty of backwards compatibility and financial necessity to launch new hardware every few years, console manufacturers have forced people to ditch old software in order to play the latest games. ”Console gaming is the only form of entertainment that doesn't let you do that," says Kevin Gammill, group program manager at Xbox. Gammill, spiky haired and wide eyed, often finishes Penello's sentences, and vice versa. ”Why can't you put your entire Atari 2600 catalogue into your ColecoVision?," Gammill asks. ”The delivery mechanism has changed, people have moved to digital. Knowing that digital thing you just purchased will carry forward with you is important. That's a new paradigm we didn't have in 2001."
They said it wasnt as quiet as the S.
Have we had any reports on how audible the X is yet? not seen anything mentioned but I know there have been retail units out in the wild running demo's
They said it in a interview that it wont be as quiet. Itll be quiet, but not S quiet.
Panello said it's louder than a X1S during stressful games, but otherwise the same.This is actually really interesting. I've done CD/MP3/Flac sound quality comparisons in a room like this at the University. It's the coolest thing and it's 100% true that you can hear your own pulse. Freaky.
I just wish they would've mentioned something about the noise level because so far I've seen zero reports about how loud this thing is.
Some of the things in that article are downright fascinating.
That Sound Chamber for example. Very cool.
This article is really funny. What is especially astonishing is how it manages to get the most obscure things wrong in such a laser-guided way. For example, there are tons of examples for systems that aren't backwards compatible. Even in recent history. So what does the article come up with?
Well, let's consult Wikipedia.
It's just such a weird, obscure little detail to get wrong. Or maybe that Microsoft engineer wants to tell us that cross-play against the will of a platform holder should be okay, who knows.
There's been a slew of these articles today it seems. Verge had one too not too long ago.
Fascinating how much painstaking attnetion goes into the design process. Would be great to see one for Nintendo and Sony.
To be fair, I can never hear my S unless right up close, and even then its just a faint 'whir'