The game consoles that are uncommitted today are never enough for video gamers ; their attention is always sharpen on what the next great affair will be . In 2000 , it was thePlayStation 2 . The biz cabinet state of war stir up up as Nintendo unveiled its late cabinet , calledGameCube . But the big news was that the computing equipment software program giantMicrosoftentered the multi - billion dollar game console market with the Xbox .
The console is a dim box seat with a large " X " imprinted into the top . Microsoft ChairmanBill Gateshas said that the Xbox has more king than any console presently on the market .
Microsoft order that its selling for the Xbox has been the expectant drive ever for one of its intersection . In fact , the Xbox ’s marketing budget is the great for any game cabinet in chronicle , easy surpassingSega’s$100 million movement in 1998 .
On composition , the Xbox has more brutish power and speed than any secret plan console on the market . In this variation ofHowStuffWorks , we ’ll take a expression at this machine and see how it compares to the rivalry .
Inside the X
In March 2000 , rumors that Microsoft was developing a game console table were confirmed when Gates pack the wrap off the Xbox demonstration unit . In January 2001 , the demonstration model , a big chrome " X " with a immature - glowing twinkle in the heart , was replaced by a more traditional black box . As analysts predicted , the only part of the demo poser to make it into the final design is the glowing green illumination on top of the box . The sidewinder comptroller pad used with the demo unit was also altered for the last Xbox design .
A sight has been made of the Xbox ’s design , but it takes more than a cool look to deal gamers on a product . Just like a book , it ’s what ’s inside the cover that really count . One advantage that Microsoft has enjoy is that it has been capable to sit back and ascertain what other game console table manufacturers have done . In doing so , Microsoft ’s designer have examine what has work and what has failed in late secret plan console table .
On the inside , the Xbox is pretty similar to aPC . But Microsoft maintains that it is not a personal computer for your living room . There ’s nomouseorkeyboardto go with it . The Xbox does brag :
Other Xbox featuresinclude :
SeeHow Video Game Systems Workfor a detailed comparison of the features of the Xbox , PS2 and GameCube .
The Games
secret plan superiority ultimately decide who win the battle in the video recording game console manufacture . You could design a machine with 10 fourth dimension more power and f number than the Xbox , but , if the games reek , you’re able to leave about sell it . Having better games is what vaulted Sony over Nintendo in the late 1990s .
Like the PS2 , the Xbox uses proprietary 4.7 - GBDVDgames . Microsoft has signed deals with more than 150 video game manufacturer who have committed themselves to developing game for Microsoft ’s Xbox game console . These biz developers includeid Software , Jehovah of the popularQuakeseries , andEidos Interactive , which makes theTomb Raidergames featuring Lara Croft . Other Xbox game manufacturers include Bandai , Capcom , Hudson , Soft , Konami , Midway Home Entertainment , Namco , Sierra Studios , THQ and Ubi Soft . Microsoft , itself a microcomputer biz publisher , is create about 30 per centum of Xbox ’s games .
One of the most impressive qualities of the Xbox is itsrealistic surround . For illustration , eccentric throw off shadows on each other , making for some pretty realistic scenes .
The momentum of the PS2 might be too much for the Xbox to overcome – but then again , in 1995 , no one think that Sony would outstrip Nintendo in popularity .
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