Auto-Reply
Member
15 years ago I was 15 years younger than I am now, it boggles the mind!
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
JasonUresti
Member
That failure was inevitable, given how long ago the Xbox project was started. Back with the original Xbox and the start of the 360 it seemed perhaps like an attainable goal, dominate the living room through a big black box game console, but then phones, tablets, smart tvs, and small and cheap streaming boxes emerged and that goal was suddenly far out of reach and no longer realistic.
At this point going back to just games was the only reasonable decision to make, and to try and leverage the Xbox brand name across as much of Microsoft's products and services as possible. In the next few years I think we will see Xbox cease to mean Microsoft's game console, and come to mean Microsoft gaming across all their platforms, including any future consoles.
SkylineRKR
Member
Sometimes I just want to rebuy one. Mainly for Gunvalkyrie, PD:Orta, NG: Black and Otogi 2. Those games won't ever be playable anywhere else I think.
Alx
Member
If it was the only reasonable decision to make, why didn't anybody make it ? There's no such things as a console that does "just games" any more, they all include a web browser, netflix, music and video on demand and all other kinds of services.
justsomeguy
Member
Wonderful console - imported one from the States.
That controller, though.
This book is a great read.
That controller, though.
This book is a great read.
SuperAngelo64
Banned
This thread coincides with the fact that tonight was 'shitty movie night' with me and my friends.
The movie was Hackers.
The scenes where they're all jizzing over Acid Burn's laptop I was like "yeah, and now our phones are better than that."
Looking at the Xbox specs reminded me of how far we've come, shit is crazy.
The movie was Hackers.
The scenes where they're all jizzing over Acid Burn's laptop I was like "yeah, and now our phones are better than that."
Looking at the Xbox specs reminded me of how far we've come, shit is crazy.
IncognitoPanda
Member
Hah, this might very well be true. I still loved the hell out of it though, something just felt right, even with my tiny hands at that time.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I agree completely. The roadmap for the Xbox project did not map onto the reality of the market in the late 2000s and 2010s.
That's why I cut individuals like Don Mattrick some slack. I think old Xbox plans were entrenched into the corporate culture at Microsoft and they eventually met head on with a market reality those old plans could never anticipate... so to blame the people in charge, when things when bad, is only part of the story.
TsunamiOfSwagger
Member
It truly was. I have big hands, but that thing was uncomfortable. They completely flipped it around with the 360 pad though.
IncognitoPanda
Member
I loved it mostly for:
Halo 1-2
Fable
JSRF
Ninja Gaiden
KOTOR
DOA3
And let's not forget:
AMPED!!! Best snowboarding games I ever played.
I can't find the link anymore, but an article from around 2001 detailed why Microsoft made the Xbox, they basically were under the impression that living room computing was going to threaten their Windows empire, when in reality it was mobile that was that threat. How they missed that is insane to me, but they're probably feeling the sting now that Apple caught that first and are having the most profitable quarters of any company in history.
The best thing they gained out of this was the brand, because they're sure as fuck aren't going to make anything worthwhile from just gaming.
I remember playing it at a preview event in Covent Garden, London. Since I was interested in the GCN, a small discrete purple box, the in your face image they were pushing at this event was rather off putting, not to mention that controller. The Duke, more like the Puke amirite? #OfficialNintendoMagazineZinger
First game I played at the event (maybe even only) was Halo. Wasn't used to duel analogue controls since GoldenEye was the last FPS I had played so I ended up walking around with my gun pointed at the floor. So yeah, Nintendo bias mixed with an image I didn't like mixed with an awful first experience of what was dubbed the must play game of the system didn't leave a good impression.
First game I played at the event (maybe even only) was Halo. Wasn't used to duel analogue controls since GoldenEye was the last FPS I had played so I ended up walking around with my gun pointed at the floor. So yeah, Nintendo bias mixed with an image I didn't like mixed with an awful first experience of what was dubbed the must play game of the system didn't leave a good impression.
Alx
Member
Not that insane actually. Imagine being in 2000 and telling people playing Counter-Strike or Quake that the future of entertainment would be playing Angry Birds or Minecraft on small phone screens or underpowered tablets...
It's easy to say it was obvious after you've witnessed the rise of smartphones and social networking, but it wasn't that obvious 15 years ago.
Maybe, but their ambitions were a whole lot higher than just gaming. It wasn't a stretch to understand that people wanted to read their emails, browse the internet and listen to music on the go as opposed to just being tethered to the living room instead of the computer room.
They should have cast their net wider instead of dumping billions into the Xbox and getting meager returns even 15 years later.
Wonderful console - imported one from the States.
That controller, though.
This book is a great read.
We need a sequel focused on Xbox One
Terbinator
Member
Of course as it was equipped for 4 players out of the box. I don't think I ever owned a second DS2 for my PS2 after having it since 200 and finally getting rid in 2007.
This is the part I don't agree with. The branding just isn't bro to me and my experience of what would now be 2000-05 bros just didn't play Xbox. Out of my year at school only 3 people including myself owned Xboxs.
I was thinking late 90s and late 90s Sega, actually, along with The Matrix.
Again, I'm still not seeing this side to it - but perhaps this is something to do with a difference in how it was marketed in the US and UK. It was marketed quite classy (the baby -> death ad), if not Sony-esque, and aggressively in the UK. The box art looks great (I had a black one and crystal) and Monster, Ed Hardy t-shirts etc didn't really make it "big" here until after 2007, I would say. Pimp My Ride was popular, obviously, but even then I'm talking like 2004.
Cultivated it? Probably. Aimed to grow it with the branding? Not at all. The bro-gamer demographic (what ever that even is) was just a natural expansion of gaming as already mentioned in this thread. MS just enabled that with the 360 being the 1st to have a reliable and solid online infrastructure ad also the 1st to market with it last gen.
lifeexpectancy
Member
This. There are several OG xboxes still in use by various members of my family that have been in their household since the day it launched nearly 15 years ago. Sure wish the newer consoles were that reliable. I seriously don't think the XB1/PS4 will be, and I know from personal experience the 360 and PS3 weren't.
It's not like they're THAT advanced over the OG xbox either. It had a hard drive and similar components, just less powerful ones in smaller amounts. Why then is it so reliable whereas these ones aren't? Disgraceful. I'd gladly pay another $100-200 when newer consoles come out if they came with a 10-year guarantee.
Alx
Member
They did. They also spent billions on things like tablet PCs, Zune, smartphones or Courier. Not all of them were a success and many mistakes were made, but you can't accuse them of betting on a single horse. Only it's the Xbox horse that was the more successful.
justsomeguy
Member
justsomeguy
Member
Oh god yes - I wonder if it'll ever happen now that the principals have left Microsoft.
Amazing console, made a major change to console online gaming, and the idea of an eco system launching your games rather than games being your sole way to interact with your system.
HDD, broadband only, OS management of music waaay ahead of its time.Both Xbox and 360 were great contributions to gaming.
HDD, broadband only, OS management of music waaay ahead of its time.Both Xbox and 360 were great contributions to gaming.
Alx
Member
I liked the design too, but it would have failed. It was designed as a peripheral communicating with your computer, not a standalone product. From what I remember reading, Bill Gates killed the project when he learnt you couldn't read your e-mail on that thing. Definitely flawed concept.
Surface Pro 3, now you're talking
As a matter of fact when mentioning tablet PCs I was mentioning those huge PCs with stylus and touch interface they started producing around 2000. Those were clearly for the professional market and had good ideas (strap, protections, handwriting support) but it didn't take off. I think the UI wasn't that great anyway.
The iPad succeeded instead with much more limited performances, but now that tablets can be powerful enough the original concept is coming back, with devices like Surface Pro.
MS pushed for a lot of exclusives that they published in the 4 years of Xbox's life. And they had a first-party NFL game, man.
I was about to turn 20 when Xbox was announced. :O
Final Verdict
Member
Wait, was the GPU on the OG Xbox really that good? 140gflops?
That's like 1/10th of the xbone's GPU!
That's like 1/10th of the xbone's GPU!
Nowhere near. It's like 5.8 GFLOPS.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
was this GDC?
Oh man this was a good segment.
Final Verdict
Member
That makes more sense!
But why does the OP article say 140 gflop processor?
Probably the same reason PS3's GPU was said to be 1.8 TFLOPS: Nvidia.
Agreed.
PS2 was my console of choice during the 6th gen but the Xbox brand has caused console gaming to change in many ways.
Heck, I would go as far as saying that this current gen of gaming would be VERY different if the Xbox brand didn't exist. Present day console gaming wouldn't have so many online features -- many of which were made standard due to the Xbox brand.
Heck, I would go as far as saying that this current gen of gaming would be VERY different if the Xbox brand didn't exist. Present day console gaming wouldn't have so many online features -- many of which were made standard due to the Xbox brand.
aygomyownroad
Member
I still have love for that big ass controller. And my Crystal Xbox is still one of the greatest and most awesome consoles I own!
Brofist. Still have my Crystal Xbox as well. See through consoles and handhelds are sexy as. Shame no one makes them limited edition like that anymore, its usually white...
You know what's even more amazing? 720p games in 2015.
EASTC0AST_GH05T
Member
it is disgusting.
That's the one! Maybe i'll have to find that and see how it eventually turned out
BjornTheBear
Banned
8 Giga bytes HD memory? That's the same WiiU's Basic Set has today... Ouch.
Great console and one of the most fun systems to hack. Lots of different vectors for getting into the system and modding it once you were there:
Plus there was a huge homebrew scene as well. Xbox Linux, various homebrew apps, custom game content, and XBMC (which has now become a widely used media center solution).
- MechAssault/Splinteer Cell game save buffer overflow
- Hard drive IDE unlock hot swap
- Various mod chips
- TSOP flashing (with bonus bank toggling feature to switch between modded OS and stock!)
- Font and audio exploits
Plus there was a huge homebrew scene as well. Xbox Linux, various homebrew apps, custom game content, and XBMC (which has now become a widely used media center solution).