Xbox Secrets: The truth about the Xbox 360 "relaunch"

Gamezine -

Microsoft is bringing more to the Xbox 360 than simply a new way to play games; you might be seeing a significant upgrade to the console's graphics thanks to a couple of new initiatives.

According to our insider source, Microsoft has been on working a new internal Xbox 360 engine, which has been nick-named the X-Engine.

[techie]

X-Engine aye?

[StanLee]

What's Remedy's engine called again?

[Troll-Killer]

...is simply called the "Alan Wake Engine", oddly enough. It's Remedy's newest proprietery engine, which incorporates parts of Havoc Physics V.5.1

[StanLee]

Thanks for the info. I know they were working with a mocap studio. Alan Wake's animation was very fluid.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

For six months, since December last year we heard nothing upcoming. I started wondering if this and even next year would be a dissappointing year. At least I had a PS3 and a Wii.... but all of a sudden since E3 there are all these surprising things coming out from MS.

I'm very excited to see what else is coming in the next 1-2 years!

[el zorro]

It will be nice to finally see an engine written specifically for the 360, utilizing its strengths and unique design, which will allow for the creation of noticeably better looking games.

So far all we have seen are essentially multiplatform engines on the 360, while the PS3 has had several engines specifically designed to its strengths.

Even though the 360 generally performs better on most multiplatform games, I guess Microsoft have realized that they are going to need powerful specialized engines if they want to truly show what the console is capable of.

[qOHellReaperOp]

What's Remedy's engine called again?

its called "Alan Wake Engine" lol but they used a rendering program called Umbra

[AAACE5]

"Our source explains that Sony's PlayStation 3 tools (named Edge) have been picking up steam, and are now taking true advantage of the platform's make-up, especially the consoles CPU, Kutaragi-san's infamous Cell. As for the Xbox 360, it was lacking an engine that took advantage of it in the same way; a hole Microsoft hopes to plug with their new X-Engine. We're told that the engine isn't just a new set of special effects; it's actually a whole new way to develop for the system: a new first party engine design."

This could explain why there have been so little new first party games! Hell, some of this stuff could help keep FFXIII under 4 disc!
I am curious to see what comes out of this though, and I think this is saying that the 360 will stick around for a couple more years.

[Captain Tuttle]

Hope it's true...UE3 is getting a bit long in the tooth.

[techie]

You can say that again.

[phosphor112]

Hope it's true...UE3 is getting a bit long in the tooth.

....I said it again..for him...for you >_>... =]

[techie]

Well done

[phosphor112]

And chocolate cake would be awesome right now...mmmmm

[Chicken Chaser]

a new First Party engine to take advantage of the xbox 360 power for devs?

Color Me Impressed Microsoft..you are actually doing the right thing, bravo

[Anon1974]

We know the 360 is a capable system, but I've felt the quality of games has somewhat stagnated overall these past 2 years. A revamped new engine that could push the 360 further than ever before would give me reason to be excited as a 360 owner again. Let's get it rolling!

[n4g-gamer]

It is true, you can see some of these efforts in the new forza 3 game engine. That graphical jump in 2 years is amazing and it was done because of this new dev studio making 360 engines.

[GAM3R]

After 5 years.... well games on this engine will come in 2010
While Sony already started making its own engines in one year example uncharted

We'll have to see if it'll push the 360 as PS3 is being pushed

[hay]

MS have put some solid effort into X360, gained some points in my eyes. Can't wait to see what X-Engine is capable of.

[da720izcumin]

i don't think anyone can deny microsoft's seriousness with the 360....
yes, they rushed the console but we can all concede to its success

[Grown Folks Talk]

I know they'll never do it, but I feel they should have given devs some incentive to NOT use unreal. Look what Remedy did & Ubi with Conviction. There is so much more out there.

[DARK WITNESS]

agree 100%.

After i saw Farcry 2 and looked at gears 2 i know the 360 had a lot more to offer us. I am not saying Farcry 2 was better, but you have to look at all the things being done and the way they are being done. I think Unreal has limited a lot of games on both the 360 and the PS3. I want to see so much more from both and i think this year and next we will really start to see it.

The last few years i think most of the devs that have dared to go inhouse have done well but you could see all the games needed more time to perfect. this year and next we are starting to see the sequels to those games polished and pushing thing forward in leaps.

I really hope this news is true.

and it will be nice to see some games like the next too human etc use it.

[Xi]

Although it's a heavily modified version of UT2.

Sorta like the engine in Cod is a heavily modified id tech 3 engine.

The thing about the unreal engine, is that it's extremely easy to train people on. It's produces decent results, extremely quick and it's inexspensive.

[Grown Folks Talk]

I am aware of that, but it has a heavy dose of their own work.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

Are you sure it is Unreal 2 and not 3? I just the other day saw a news post here about Splinter Cell using some features found in the latest Unreal 3 used for Gears of War 2.

[Xi]

It's unreal 2, they've just done work to the engine to allow for more advanced techniques.

for example, the witcher, uses the same engine as NwN.
so this
http://donttellmetheending....

and

http://metavideogame.files....

are the same engine, even though the latter is pretty much using the engine as a framework.

[Fleet Fox]

2010 will be so big for XBox 360. This sounds great.

[mistajeff]

FINALLY they're getting off the POS unreal 3. this is good news, hopefully it'll mean more true 360 exclusives instead of them pushing everything over to the PC as well.. not holding out for that though.

[MGOelite]

playing catch up with sonys edge i see

[Man_of_the_year]

Pretty much. I think they realized that they need to update some tools to better use the 360's potential. As much as you are trying to Troll, you are right, and this is a positive thing that MS is doing.

I for one am welcoming this with open arms...i wonder how this will effect multi-platform games since 90% already look better on the 360 and perform better...could we be seeing another leap forward for the 360 when sites like LoT do their comparisons?

[The_Beast]

if sony even thought about doing somthing like that....... oh boy would they get bashed... but no this is MS its ok

[Microsoft_Spokesman]

I hope that whatever they make will still work on the current Xbox 360's.

I know I act as Sony fanboy, but I actually love my 360 and hope they make they make their games more powerful as time goes by. Hopefully this new engine, will shut up the developers that "maxed out the 360".

What you opinion? Do you think any new engines, add ons or games would still work properly on the current 360's?

[Man_of_the_year]

Yes. I don't see why updating the engine will have any affect on games being able to play on older models of the 360. The hardware is not changing, just the tool to develope games. It's ment to utilize the existing hardware and push out more from the system since the UNREAL engine is past its prime, its not pushing the 360 in directions that it can go. So with this new engine, it will.

Not sure why anyone disagreed with your question unless it was for the comment "Hopefully this new engine, will shut up the developers that "maxed out the 360"".

[really duh]

"if sony even thought about doing somthing like that"

They have done this for ages but only with first party.

[Shaka2K6]

.

[Kleptic]

well I wouldn't really say 'catching up' with EDGE and Sony...as the only game to utilize most of the stuff now put into EDGE was Killzone 2...so its not like all kinds of PS3 games are already using that tech...

but yeah...Killzone 2 is the benchmark for the Edge took set...and so far nothing on the 360 has come close to that (fanboy bs aside, its a simple fact that killzone 2 is on a technical level outside of any console game yet)...if MS has come up with something that can bring the 360 on par with it...great for MS...will keep things interesting, thats for sure...

[TheColbertinator]

I hope UE3 is scrapped by next year.A new first party engine would help 360 exclusives shine in their own right in terms of graphics

[GiantEnemyCrab]

UE3 has its place and it is a great affordable engine but I totally agree developing an in-house proprietary engine will really help the first party exclusives shine.

[AngryTypingGuy]

Some developers really shine with UE3, like Epic, of course. Others don't seem to know what they're doing.

[SpoonyRedMage]

Make it so it works for RPGs because UE3 evidently doesn't(LO, TLR and ME all had issues).

[Sean Ryno]

Mass Effect.

[SpoonyRedMage]

Yup, that's what ME stands for and ME suffered the same issues as The Last Remnant. Long loading times(elevators) and texture pop-in as well a frame rates drops. They said they've fixed it for the sequel but they shouldn't have to work around it.

[Darkeyes]

Sorry wrong reply

[The Master Chief]

Halo 3's average is 94%

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

A.K.A better than any shooter on the PS3. So is Gears of War and Gears of WAR 2. Halo: Reach will pwn them all in 2010.

[Nathan123]

LMAO Masterchief. 94 at a time of no competition. At a time when people gave it full marks for graphics even though it wasn't even HD (640P LMAO). 94 after the previous one was a huge block buster. 94 when no other FPS had a decent FPS to compare against.

KZ2 scored 92 after having a mediocre first part. 92 after being compared to COD4 and Halo 3.

Launch a Halo without that name attached to it and then see how much it scores.

[All Time Greatness]

Natan123....

Halo 3 was released within a month of COD 4 and they both have a 94% in ratings. Your twisting means NOTHING. Don't you understand?

After all the hype, Killzone completely flopped in sales and couldnt outsocre Halo 3, Gears 1 or 2, Orange Box, Biosohck.

And Halo Reach will kill it even more in sales.

Good day.

[poopface1]

HALO 3 allows 4 player split screen online play with one xbox and one live account. your precious killzone 2, and cod4, and other games dont have splitscreen co-op, let alone 4 player splitscreen all playing online together in co-op or in matchmaking.

[el zorro]

@nathan123

MGS4 was sub-HD as well and that doesn't stop PS3 fanboys from proclaiming it to be some kind of graphical marvel.

The fact is, Halo 3 looks damn good considering what it does. Its large dynamic and open environments and 4 player split screen campaign co-op still haven't been matched by other shooters. It also has great HDR lighting. And we're talking true HDR lighting, not those simplistic blooming effects you see in some other games. You simply do not realize all the stuff Halo 3 has going on under the hood.

[sukru]

Or find a friend that has one.

I'm a 360 owner, but it did not stop me from enjoying MGS4, or Killzone 2. They are great games, and are fun to play.

(I also "endured" Resistance 2. But that's another story).

[PopEmUp]

WTF are you guys doing here Please get yourself a room and have a cat fight, the place is that way --->

on topic, look like this will be a good engine that will sure improve the graphic of future 360 games :)

[gravv]

too many tools maybe?

[maxcer]

umm lol...

yeah because just like on the job site having too many tools to work with will hinder how much you can get done...

[Xi]

By creating dev-kits with the same ram as the 360 they artifically limited what was capable to be produced. Recently MS released the new dev kits which will allow developers to use all of the 360's ram, we're already seeing the improved effects. Mass effect 2 has less pop-in, alan wake, splinter cell and forza 3 all speak for themselves.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

The devs are learning as they develop on the 360. ME was Biowares first "next-gen" game and it shows they learned a lot. I don't think any of that was aided by the X-Engine but still it's showing that the 360's dev tools are really coming into their own.

It was already an easy system to dev for but now it's just getting better.

Really exciting though.

[Xi]

But the boost in ram available.

when developing a game you run compilers on the devkits in the background, limiting the performance to a theoretical ceiling. Since the devkits now have more ram they properly optomize and check for errors, and use the full memory.

[iistuii]

Will never be my choice for multiformats due to the terrible jaggies. AA is a problem for them, im sure after all the years it's been out they could sort out the jaggies on the bloody machine. OK the exclusives are better, but don't blame the 360 for the lack of aa in the ps3 versions of games.

[GEESE]

I play my PC games with 8 x AA and 16 AF at 1680x1050.
I find you girl's fighting over 2 x AA amusing.

[Xi]

and an intel core 2 quad qx6850.

16xmsaa ftw.

[All Time Greatness]

Prototype is better on Xbox 360. Check out Eurogamers comparison #20 just released. Its also better on Red Faction, Ghostbuster and a few more.

[Jide]

D beginning of d 360 domination.

[techie]

Beginning?

[The-Director]

That's good for gamers, i'm happy to hear that.

But the biggest problem for the Xbox 360 platform is still unanswered, the DVD-9, this is the most limiting aspect of the Xbox 360 and no amount of engines and tweaks can solve the simple physic problem : Developers NEED more space.

[Xi]

Better compression algorithms... Or they can use multiple discs...

[el zorro]

The physical capacity of DVD is really not an issue. Most games don't require more.

[iistuii]

You wanna get a bigger screen mate . I'm 1920x1200 with a GTX 295. Still prefer to play alot of stuff on 360. COD4 especially, as the bunny hoppin in pc shooters does my head in.

[really duh]

"You might be seeing a significant upgrade to the console's graphics"

Already seeing that with better engines or upgraded engines, I could only imagine what games will look and perform like with this new in house engine designed for the 360's hardware.

[Darkeyes]

LMAO Xbox Empire. Just because a thing sells well doesn't mean it's the best 'Quality' product. If that was the case, then Wii fit's would be the next best thing to sliced bread.

Yup and that Halo better than every FPS crap again.... Dude it's the M$ mascot like Mario for Nintendo. I ain't saying that Halo sucks in anyway, but play all those games you have mentioned in that list and then compare them (I am sure you haven't played them). Firstly, Halo 3 was released when there was no COD4 or KZ2 around. It hardly had any competition in terms of FPSes and that Halo name means 9 is given as mandatory.

Halo 3 was a good game, but over the years, I have played better FPSes. Yup, I rate COD4 and KZ2 above Halo 3. It's also somewhat unfair cause Halo was released before them.... But IMO (IN MY not everyones) there are better FPSes out there.

Trust me, there are a lot of games out there who haven't sold well but are masterpieces. Take 'Shadow Of The Colossus' for example. The reason The Last Guardian is getting so much attention is cause of SOTC by Ico.... That game didn't sell well yet it's regarded as one of the best works last gen. What do you have to say about them.

As I said, Mario and Halo are Mascots of respective companies and will always sell well.

Sales /= Quality.

[Xi]

I rate Halo 3 above KZ2 and Cod4, and I rate tf2 above halo 3.

But then again I think killzone 2 and cod4 (on consoles) are both designed for audience that never played pc FPS games, where as halo tends to be a steping stone to more competative shooters found on the pc, as well as something that traditional pc players can also pick up play. In general it's the most skillful fps on consoles.

The biggest problem with kz2 is the aiming under water, and the cod 4 (on consoles) is the lock on.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

No. I won't compare them because this article is about a new engine for the Xbox not about Killzone 2. Or even Sony beyond providing good competition to MS so they felt they need to step up their engine tech to compete. This is a good thing and I give Sony props for being at the top of the graphics/tech ladder right now on consoles. They took that from MS and now MS are preparing to fight back. It's a good thing!

[iistuii]

Gotta disagree mate. Halo was and is a great game. When it first came out and you could walk, drive fly, fight with clever AI (still head & shoulders above K2 AI)against enemies which again have great AI Hijack vehicles etc, it has everything even co-op. Its a great game and deserves all the praise. Even the MP is great. Cmon be fair now, the upcoming Halo hopefully will continue to be up there.

[Darkeyes]

@iistuii... When did I say Halo sucked? I just posted my opinion that I liked COD and KZ2 more. Halo was a good game, but I didn't really like the single player campaign. The online was spot on I must say, but still COD has an equivalent online mode. As I bolded the words IN MY OPINION.

It's just that the franchise gets too much hype. For example, the game wasn't even HD (640P), yet it scored perfect scores by many sites on the graphical department... Now just imagine Halo 3 was released somewhere near KZ2... Still I bet most sites would have given it a similar score in graphical department owing to Halo name. Not basing it, but just saying how the Halo name influences scores.

People like Xbox Empire fell that sales=quality, I think Halo is justified, but are stuff like Wii fit's justified?
And if you mean to say that KZ2 selling 2 million till date vs 8 million Halo and hence KZ2 sucks is BS logic.

As I said, IMO I liked KZ2 more mainly cause I usually like having better graphics. Also, the single player experience was the best I have played till date.. again my opinion. You are free to disagree.

[The Master Chief]

"KZ2 selling 2 million till date vs 8 million Halo and hence KZ2 sucks is BS logic."

Killzone 2 hasn't even passed 2 million and Halo 3 has sold 10 million or will be passing it very soon.

Also, Halo 3 is rated higher than Killzone 2. Opinions don't matter.

[Nathan123]

Yup Master Chief, Halo is like Mario for M$. Even toilet paper with Halo name will sell millions. Hell the game wasn't even HD, 640P LMFAO. The game scored 94 on Meta at a time when not a single decent FPs with multi-player was released. KZ2 came out with a crap prequel against the likes of COD4 and Halo 3 and still managed 91 (after all those crap biased Edge reviews).

Bring out Halo now and without the Halo name attached to it and then see how much it score. And Masterchief, KZ2 was 1.76 million a month back, it has crossed 2 million. Yup not Halo sales, but still is regarded as one of the best FPS this gen. Lets see how much ODST scores. The first game it will be compared is with KZ2 and COD:MW2. Will love to see what happens to it.

[All Time Greatness]

Halo 3
Orange Box
Gears of War
Gears 2
Bioshock
COD4

are all higher rated shooters, other games beat it also.

Killzone doesn't even have co-op, no vehicles, no cool weapons, like 1-2 multiplayer modes lol.

And prove Killzone has passed 2 million, I haven't seen anything saying so. If you don't prove it, then it hasn't sold 2 million. you cant prove it because it hasn't sold 2 million rofl, its a flop.

[techie]

You are silly "All Time Greatness"

"And prove Killzone has passed 2 million, I haven't seen anything saying so. If you don't prove it, then it hasn't sold 2 million. you cant prove it because it hasn't sold 2 million rofl, its a flop."

You ask someone to prove it, then in the same paragraph you say they can't prove it because it's not true. Well how about you prove it's not true before you say that. Silly.

What's irrelevant to this post is both how good the games are and how much they sold. What is relevant to this post is their GRAHPICS. This is ALL the article is about - and Killzone 2 blows Halo 3 out of the water. In fact I'd say Halo 3 is one of the worst looking exclusives out there - so Microsoft has a bunch of work to do and hopefully their X-Engine can achieve that.

[el zorro]

Halo 3 is hardly "one of the worst looking exclusives out there". It looks better than Resistance, for example, and really does a lot of great things that some people seem to be unaware of.

It has great HDR lighting, above average textures, big levels, fantastic AI, great physics, 4 player split-screen co-op (Killzone 2 couldn't even manage 2 player split-screen) and is loaded to the gills with features and content.

The fact that it runs at a sub-HD resolution does not stop it from being a great looking game. MGS4 also runs at a sub-HD resolution and that doesn't stop some PS3 fans from proclaiming it one of the best-looking games of all time. Moreover, when I have compared the two games against each other Halo 3 actually looked a bit sharper than MGS4, which is probably down to the Hana scaler in the 360 that does a great job of upscaling 360 games.

[PS360PCROCKS]

No offense darkeyes but graphics aren't always just photo realistic. Halo 3 does not have bad graphics, comparing a game going for realism to a game with blue and red colored soldiers is ludicrous at best. Bungie did what they do best, created a huge world that felt alive, whether or not you liked the graphics is completely a personal opinion. But to say they're bad is idiocy, because their is a lot of technical stuff going on in that game.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

MS had a early jump (combined with a rough start) with the 360. I'm glad they're giving Dev's more room to work with.

[Jide]

Let me rephrase, DOMINATION CONTINUES...okay?

[techie]

Continues?

[ambientFLIER]

okay?

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Wow! This is exciting and great news if true. MS is recognizing the PS3 is stepping up it's graphics/development and they need to respond. Competition is a good thing people!

[vagisil]

but but but teh 360 is maxed.....right droids.....

[Socomer 1979]

Since gears no longer holds graphics crown all M$ has to do is hype something that is completly untrue.
so how will they do it?
Probably a new lighting effect since killzone 2 made neccesary.

History repeats itself as all eager beavers are building dams in the name of xbox360. thats cool, whatever but c'mon. The system is maxed man. But im not lowering my guard just yet because the ps3 also proves its longevity with updates as well.

who's talk and who's walk?
Could they both be? maybe but i wouldnt bet on the 360 because it sounds like a joke.

[really duh]

There are games coming to 360 that blow past gears.

-360 version of Lost Planet 2(only version shown)
-Splinter Cell C
-Mass Effect 2
-Alan Wake
-Operation flash point 2
-Homefront http://screenshots.teamxbox... http://screenshots.teamxbox...

These games use heavily modified or new game engines.

[techie]

This isn't PR from Microsoft - it's an engine for developers to use. If they can prove it with graphics, then they will. If they can't, then bad luck.

[really duh]

I agree with the first part. The X-engine will help devs take advantage of the 360's capabilities Microsoft hired a Multi thread expert a year and a half ago. I always wondered how his acquisition would manifest now I know.

It's not only X-engine but other new multi threaded engines showing promise already like: -LEAD- -MT FRAMEWORK 2.0- (AKA Multi Thread frame work 2.0) and the Alan Wake Engine(real name)

X-engine will help devs Take advantage of the 360's hardware it doesn't even come down to trying to prove anything all it will do is help devs make superior games.

[Socomer 1979]

PSN HAS PSP DUH !

[techie]

What?

[ambientFLIER]

What's a psp?

[zonetrooper5]

Socomer you’re not a developer and I have a feeling you haven't even worked on the 360 let alone know how to code amongst other things. I nor you can't tell whether a console is maxed out and I've seen a ton of comment saying the 360 is maxed out yet Alan Wake, Forza 3, SC:C is showing us that the 360 still has more to go on.

If Microsoft is indeed sharing new tech between its first party devs then I welcome that, good thing Sony provided stiff competition.

[SBERNARDINO909]

its about time

[gravv]

haha talking about scores....

el be pe pawns all

[Obama]

Can it still fry eggs?

[Stryfeno2]

No, not as good as that 2 ton black brick you own...Sorry.

[All Time Greatness]

We'll fry the eggs if you grill the sausages.

http://images.hugi.is/leiki...

Grill Beyond. Play Behind.

[Obama]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

At least mine is real.

[souljah]

at least that 2 ton black brick is smarter than you , ya phackin twat.

[XDF]

Turok 2 was the first game utilizing the extra memory anf the graphics and performance was giving an extra boost...

I think with more Ram available, not to mention a new Graphics engine, I have no doubt X360 games will look and play great until 2015..

[DevastationEve]

"No, this does not mean that Microsoft will be releasing a new Xbox 360 with more memory; the new kit instead makes development a little easier"

it's just so that the devs don't have to compromise the testing of their game's code. it's like that performance boost you get when you upgrade memory in your PC and then do some video editing. your final edits won't be any different, but certains things (like loading clips) won't bring you to the edge of your system's memory as much.

[PS360PCROCKS]

I think it's true. I mean the 360 is a triple core 3.2GHZ processor. It's kind of an odd number to use, considering we have quad and dual cores. Maybe people have been writing code to a dual core format and than trying to place it over all 3 cores? I dunna I know the 360 is a powerful machine though.

[LinuxGuru]

Well it's about friggin' time. Everyone loves proprietary in-house game engines.

[keysy420]

natal will be the 360 downfall they may sell some systems but its a downward start to a end. 2011 reach is their last good ip gear 3 will hopefully help them .

[rydude87]

So what does this mean? Would the games only be able to be played on the new one? If I buy an xbox soon, should I just wait? Does this mean that games would look better on the new xbox? I am confused...

[PS360PCROCKS]

No no no. Ok so the Xbox 360 has 512MB built in memory. Like the ram (memory) in your PC your using right now, the processor uses that to open programs etc. Anyways the problem is that the developers units only HAD 512 MB of memory. Developers write their game code and they use the developer units they receive from Microsoft to test it. BUT since they both only have 512MB, some of that memory had to be used to run the tests on the developers units. So in theory it went like this...

Developers write their game using the full 512MB Ram
They go to run tests and realize that uses 60MB of ram
So 60+512=572MB ram
Well since the developers units only had 512MB of ram it doesn't work.
So instead they downgrade the game to only use 452MB ram
Because 452+60= 512MB

Hope that made sense. the 1GB just gives them the space to fully utilize the 512MB internal memory and run all their overhead tests without downgrading. And the X-engine is just an engine written by Microsoft to fully use the 360's triple core CPU. Don't worry if you own/are looking to buy a 360 it won't be obsolete.

[rydude87]

Thanks PS360WiiRocks.

But if they use the new one to the highest potential, would the old ones not look as good or whatever with the games? You sure that the "old" xboxs will look as good and play the newer games just as well as the "new" xboxs?

I was going to buy a new arcade xbox in a week or so.

[PS360PCROCKS]

I sent you a PM in case you don't come back to this comment. But nah all the xbox 360's are the same units. The launch ones to the ones now all have the same hardware. Retail xbox 360's which we buy have 512MB internal memory. The developers units have 1GB memory, like I said it's used for testing purposes, nothing more.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Another nail for the PS3

[KingKionic]

Hopefully this i true.

[bjornbear]

Which is a very good thing!! Now games will look that much better, which is very important to keep the console fresh - this is good news.

I'd say its a rebranding of sorts, kind of extending the product's life cycle without completely re-inventing it =)

[kaveti6616]

I've been saying this for months. Microsoft needs to push the 360. I see now that they are doing this. More tools, more ram, and a proprietary engine. Good Job. One thing I do think about though, is the PS3's eight SPE. It's disabled, and whenever Sony is asked why they say its for redundancy or optimization. I bet before this gen is over, Sony will send out a firmware update to activate that SPE in order to make the PS3 more powerful

[qOHellReaperOp]

2 are disabled. 1 for the OS and 1 as a back up SPE in case 1 of the other SPEs fail

[kaveti6616]

Yes, but the SPE that is used for the OS is not disabled, it's just not used for gaming. Even if the eighth SPE is just an auxiliary SPE, it's still possible for it to be used as a full-fledged SPE if Sony desires. I think that it's a good idea for Sony to try it when the PS3 nears the 3/4 point of its life cycle.

[qOHellReaperOp]

to see what microsofts answer will be to KZ2...i bet you its Halo:reach and rumor has it that bungie is building a new engine from the ground up...now i just have to wait until 1st screens and gameplay footage =)

[Jazz4108]

I dont think Microsoft is really concerned about Killzone2 my friend.

[qOHellReaperOp]

yea ur right...but i meant on a graphical level, i would like them to steal the Graphics crown from KZ2....well i mean there's games that r coming out on 360 that do look better IMO. but i mean a game that obviously looks better that no ps3 fanboys can deny looks better.

[rydude87]

So our current xbox 360s or the jasper one will be fine? So there is no real need to get the "new" xbox?

[techie]

No. The new Xbox will be out in like 3 years - and it'll be running games at 1080p, at 60fps and with 16xAA.

[Droid Control]

AGAIN!

[DevastationEve]

i just bought halo wars yesterday, i've been into halo only since the 3rd game...but now i'm officially a halo fanboy :)

that game is just awesome! can't wait for whatever comes next.

and i defnitely can't wait to see what's in store for xbox 360 in 2010. stil hasn't let me down :)

[DARK WITNESS]

if you are just getting into the halo Universe then you need to go back and Play Halo CE.

Ok the graphics are not what they use to be, but if you look at some of the detail and think about what other shooters were doing around the same time you will begin to understand why halo has become the force that it is.

all i will say is this, when you play it ( if you play it ) take your time with it, play it on legendary, when you play on some of the big maps explore them like you would a sand box game. after you have play it through the first time, if you can make a second run, try to see how many different ways you can mess around to get through the stages.

last one ( if you got the patience ) take your time and observe the enemy AI, it really does do some amazing things. when you come across the Covenant and the flood scrapping, watch them... you will never see the same outcome twice.

Halo CE for me is still the best, especially for it's single player experience and i am yet to play another FPS with a single player that has impressed me as much. Just my opinion.

[DevastationEve]

yeah you're right, i only played a few minutes of the first game and nothing of the second. i bought halo 3 and have always been a fan ever since. i'm not mlg material, lol, but i do love its multiplayer experience, second to none!

and yes, you NEED to play it on legendary. i won't play halo 3 on anyhing BUT the highest difficulty, the AI truly becomes challenging. very rewarding!

[blizzard_cool]

What's with the older Xbox(s)? How are they gonna use the engine?

[techie]

ALl Xbox 360's have the same hardware...512mb, samge CPU's, same GPU. The engine is made for all Xbox 360's.

[Lawliet]

I'm guessing we gonna see when halo reach?

[starvinbull]

The problem with this new development tool is that it comes at the same time as Natal. How much extra memory does Natal require 20mb, 60mb, 100mb?

If games are to take advantage of Natal then frankly we will will not be seeing gears of war quality games in future. That may not matter if it's purely a casual gamer peripheral but if it truly the next step in console interface then it will in some respects be a step backwards.

Sony's new control method on the other hand simply replaces the input of the controller therefore saving a lot of the memory needed to deal with motion control. I wonder to what extent the tracking of the coloured ball taxes memory and CPU usage but surely to nowhere near the extent of Natal's face and voice recognition as well as body tracking.

[Elginer]

using the wands on the PSE will require some CPU and RAM overhead. Natal has it's own chipset in the camera itself, so the 360 isn't doing all the grunt work.

http://kotaku.com/5297265/

I can't find the video but it's been said in several places that Natal has it's own chipset in the camera itself which does all the work.

[starvinbull]

Natal has its own RAM? Well there's a turn up for the books.

[Elginer]

Me and a buddy of mine were talking about this a few days ago. How the 360 has the horse power for some amazing games, hell seeing FFXIII running on the system proves that but not many devs, even MS's first party have taken the time to build a custom engine pushing the system the way Sony's first party devs do. Look at games like Uncharted or even Heavenly Sword which still looks beautiful. All of those engines were custom made for the PS3 and it shows what the hardware is capable of if you program to it's strengths.

Microsoft needs to do this, If Forza 3 is a first step towards more beautiful games like it, then I'm all for it. Everyone keeps talking about how the 360 GPU is better than the PS3's well let's finally see it. Because titles like Uncharted 2 are showing some amazing potential on the PS3- that title looks amazing!!!

[starvinbull]

You should seriously check out the comparisons between the two version because the 360 version although admittedly pretty advanced for a few week old version has vastly less detail than the PS3 version- at this moment in time.

[starvinbull]

It seems I will have to find the actual links to the comparisons given the 2 disagrees. (yawn)

[starvinbull]

http://img193.imageshack.us...

http://img4.imageshack.us/i...

Please don't disagree with me when i am giving an honest unbiased opinion that is irrefutable.

Who could say that looking at both screenshots leaves the feeling that AS THEY ARE NOW, one looks better than the other.

lol links don't work.

You'll have to take my word for it there's a big difference.