How Microsoft Can Make Their Next Xbox Better

randomwiz - 161 days 4 hours ago

I'm sure they learned their lesson. They WILL make it more reliable.

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Natsu X FairyTail - 161 days 4 hours ago

let's hope they do because if they dont the outrage will be BIG!

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Syronicus - 161 days 4 hours ago

I certainly hope they do. I want to be there at launch to pick up the next Xbox but have to admit that after 5 of these 360's I am a bit sceptical. It's never fun to have a defunct console.

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cereal_killa - 161 days 4 hours ago

Lets hope they did randomwiz but I think you'll find that M$ might be in that "Why fix something no one is complaining about because they still buy anything we put out" attitude. I really hope they put allot of time in R&D before releasing the next Xbox system and allot less time worrying about when Sony or Nintendo is releasing there's, being the 1st one out to the market doesn't always mean it's the right thing to do.

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dericb11 - 161 days 4 hours ago

Add Blu-ray and make hard drives a standard. So make a PS3 basically.
Why do so many people say they don't want the system if they want everything that is made of. Get a PS3 and save yourself the complaints.

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Raiinstorm81 - 161 days 3 hours ago

Thats number 1, charge for extra features but just let people play games online free. Actually reliability IS number 1.

On another note unless the economy changes, 2010 wont be the year of a new Xbox. I know die hard xbox gamers who are not ready to go plop down another 400 or so bucks on a new console. Im sure the die hard xbox fanboys will disagree but if the PS3 is expensive at 400 then we are not ready for a new console launch. Especially a year after the launch of NATAL. If NATAL is a t best 100 dollars, then a year later new console time at 400 bucks i doubt it.

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NOOBKILLA - 161 days 3 hours ago

Well since I am a graphics whore, I would love to see the next Xbox have at least 6 gigs of RAM and a powerful video card to enable games to be developed at a native 1920 x 1080p.

The up-scaled stuff now is "just ok" but I think graphically, games would be taking to the next level just with that. Just imagine what Gears of War 3 would look like at native 1920 x 1080p!!!!!

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Raf1k1 - 161 days 3 hours ago

Isn't full 1080p a little too wide? Wouldn't that mean you'd have black bars at the top and bottom of the TV?

I'd prefer to have 1080p where the image fills the screen TBH.

edit: seems I was wrong lol. Someone mentioned the difference between 1080p and Full HD before and the image seemed much wider than 1080p. I guess I got confused.

edit2: does anyone know what the actual resolutions are for 1080p and Full 1080p? I'm a little confused about the whole thing :S
edit3: well maybe not 1080p since we all know that one lol

edit4: ThanatosDMC I agree with you but what's that vid got to do with it?

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Serg - 161 days 3 hours ago

30 million people basicly told them rushing out a console is alright, fix it 10 times and we will still love you MS...

This is the exact reason why I will never buy a 360, it's like bending over your customer values and let MS in for a ride.

As long as people support such a sorry excuse of hardware manufacturing, they see no reason to fix it, why do you think it took them 3 years to take on the RROD (Not including the other flaws the hardware has)? (To my knowledge it still isn't fixed) They don't care, people buy the 360 regardles. Many people even own two 360s just to have a bridge system until the other one is back from repairs.

And now we have people who just can't figure out why people hate MS so much. Google Windows 95, 98, ME and see for yourself where the hate train took off, took a stop at XP, then took off again with Vista and the 360.

That said I wouldn't buy something as simple as a toaster for 20 euros with 33% failure rate, even if it would have a 5 year warranty, let alone a console for 300 euros (Who would want the arcade?).

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ThanatosDMC - 161 days 3 hours ago

I agree. I wish my Bluray movies fill the whole screen. I hate the black bars. Zoom and whatever other function clips the movie though, which sucks.

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

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Blogs4Fanboyzz - 161 days 3 hours ago

but i know people who have...some thorough testing should be done first me thinks.

second, i dont want sh!tty motion controls to take priority ove the more hardcore games! and thats something i dont want sony to do either.

imo, if microsoft come to the market first with a console thats powerful, caters for the hardcore and has motion support like the wii.

then i think it will be a bloodbath! and microsoft will dominate the next-gen with a console like that. but so could sony if they had the same thing....next-gen, i truely believe it will be all about getting to the market first.

oh by the way, i just paid for another year of live today no problem. i have a ps3 which i play on-line. the psn is good for something thats free without a doubt! but it aint as good as live! i aint interested in fanboy flamewar thats took place in the thread thats hovering at the top of the page.

i paid 33 euros for 12months on ebay(roughly $33 or £28), and it is well worth the money. if you disagree, or think that the psn is better or equal, thats upto you. coz imo it aint upto the standard of live, and is probably tens of millions of dollars in investment, and a couple of years behind.

still, the psn does exactly what is says on the tin, and is solid for a free service!!

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darkride66 - 161 days 3 hours ago

I really like my 360. I like the interface, I liked the controllers (despite the D-pad issues). I liked achievements and still like them more than trophies. But after 4 consoles I had no choice but to switch. There was no sense in supporting a system that I can't play, no reason to buy a library of games if you don't know if you'll be able to play them a week later.

I sat with my pre-ordered copy of Halo 3 (Halo being one of my favorite console franchises), stuck with it for a month waiting for another console to come back from Microsoft, and to add insult to injury Microsoft made me fight to get my money back when the extended the warranty but didn't think I deserved to get my $340 I spent on repairs back. I wonder how many others they just tried to keep that money, like they did with me. The hours lost on the phone with them, the months without a console, the mounting frustration. That'll change a man's gaming habits, let me tell you.

And it's left me gun shy for the next console. I'm an early adopter, I bought all 3 of the last systems day one when they were released. That's not going to happen with Microsoft ever again.

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edgeofblade - 161 days 3 hours ago

I'm a forgiving gamer. I'll let Microsoft replace my 360 as many times as they care to. And the second they stop... they lose me.

But if they screw up on another generation, they will have a hard time getting me back.

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Serg - 161 days 3 hours ago

Uhm, to the guys who don't know what 1080p is...

1080p or FullHD is a pixel resolution, namely 1920x1080. What you are talking about is aspect ratio. The former standard was 4:3 and movies were 16:9, means the movies were wider than the screen that's why it had black stripes on top and bottom. Todays LCD and Plasma TVs have an aspect ratio of 16:9, black stripes vanished. But people started to miss those stripes, they were an indicator for movies or something, think of something stupid here (yes people are stupid). Now the movie industry switched gears to 2.39:1 to bring back the "beloved" black stripes.

It has absolutely nothing to do with 1080p, BluRay, anything. It is just the silly mainstream crowd complaining about stupid things.

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Chrisny85 - 161 days 2 hours ago

they can ask sony to manufacture it =o lol jkjk

dual graphics so we can maintain 100 fps with aa

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cereal_killa - 161 days 2 hours ago

Wow edge I can't believe that someone would continue to support a company just because they fix it for free how is this going to teach M$ anything this just tells them that they're enough stupid people out there that will still buy our crap just because we'll fix it. We the gamers must stop allowing this sort of crap to happen this should have been slammed on to M$ 3yrs ago and they should have been taught a lesson. I laugh my A$$ off at all these fanboys I see on here who will doing anything for M$/Sony no matter what just to claim they have the best system and when I see people close there eye or turn the other way just because the company fixes something that should never been as bad in the 1st place just kills me. I had RROD once and if I get it again I'm done with there consoles fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me!!!

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stewgart - 161 days 2 hours ago

why are people critisizing darkride for stating fact and his opinion? He even said that the 360 would be his main console. You kids need to grow up and stop pretending you enjoy paying for live and you accept unreliable hardware just because it is from your beloved company. You just can't accept an honset and perfectly valid discussion without accusing someone of being a fanboy.

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Megatron08 - 161 days 1 hour ago

1st off there has been no news at all about when the next xbox will be out.

At one point MS did say around 2011/2012. With all the revamps coming to XBL and Natal I doubt that is still their target date.

There be no way around a standard HDD for the next systems. I think putting games on flash memory sticks be the way to go next gen. You cant damage them (unless you try) and it allow devs to only pay for as much storage as they need. Plus the price has really come down on these and will more so in the next few years. Plus you wont have the issues with load times you have with blu ray or even dvds. Other that MS just needs to keep doin what they are doing

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IdleLeeSiuLung - 161 days ago

The way I see, MS pledged to fix any console afflicted with RROD for 3 years. They have done right by my book. That is an attempt to fix a problem and just imagine how much this is costing MS. Nobody in their right mind considers this a proper business model.

How can Xbox be better next? I'm expecting the usual, more horsepower overall and perhaps blu-ray (or equivalent large capacity format). However, I want to see something new and unique. Natal is a first step towards this, but what else revolutionary can they bring to the table?

Otherwise, it is just the same games with better graphics. A sleeker and faster dashboard would be welcome, but the current one is pretty darn good.

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locos85 - 160 days 23 hours ago

So you went through 5 xbox 360's and you are still willing to give Microsoft money on day 1?

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likedamaster - 160 days 20 hours ago

Enjoy.

http://www.extremetech.com/...

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Syronicus - 160 days 9 hours ago

No, I did not buy 5 360's, that would be stupid. I had an in-store warranty that I used to trade the bad ones in and get a new one every time.

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SaiyanFury - 160 days 9 hours ago

There are 3 key factors to address. First is the reliability. They can't rush a console with reliability issues out to beat the competition. A 30%+ failure rate is unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination. The other is pay-to-access online. It doesn't work when your direct competition offers the same features for free. Sure, the PS Network doesn't have cross game chat, but save that feature, Sony's PSN is free. No other money is needed to play games online. The third is a mandatory hard drive. Many developers love the PS3 because every system has a mandatory HDD. You can argue Sony for the various models and bundles, but every model has a generic HDD that can be replaced by a larger model for cheap. With the 360, you need to buy their HDD bundles for inflated prices and it's just not good for the consumer. My own fourth point is that the next system needs wireless connectivity needs to be included in the box. Shyte, even the Wii has wireless connectivity, as well as the DS and PSP. It's a cheap function that MS charges 100 dollars for with the current console. Some people might agree, but all said is true. I love my 360 for it's games that cannot be had anywhere else, but those features keep me from updating it.

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KionicWarlord222 - 161 days 4 hours ago

Or they could just make it like the first xbox.

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Syronicus - 161 days 4 hours ago

As long as they don't use the same folks that made that cord that started the original Xbox on fire. Just stay away from that and they would have a hit.

Make it as reliable as the first Xbox but make it scream like the 360 or better. Man that would be a great deal.

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Natsu X FairyTail - 161 days 4 hours ago

agreed with all of you guys.

taking more time is always better.

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Blowstuffup - 161 days 3 hours ago

The games and online are outstanding. The reliability was the only thing that kept me from getting one when they first came out. The one that I have lit up with those nifty red lights this past week. I redid the thermal paste & heatsinks, and slapped it into a modded case for maximum cooling and we're good to go now, but it's sad that I even had to do this. I'll probably wait at least 2 years after their next version comes out to see what complaints rise to the surface...

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Raf1k1 - 161 days 3 hours ago

that and a better D-pad maybe?

I love the 360 controller but a lot of people don't seem too keen on the D-pad. I've also got this problem where when I'm playing a racing game, the car keeps slowly moving to the left (or was it right?). The manager at my local Game store has the same problem with hers. Something to do with the analogue stick I think.

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Serg - 161 days 1 hour ago

You mean HVD? Holographic Versatile Disc? I don't know why you think MS would discard BluRay, I assume it's because BluRay is associated with Sony a lot.

Well, too bad Sony has it's hands on HVD as well.

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Mike134nl - 161 days 3 hours ago

only if they buy the ps3 brand ~_^

Gues they will need to use a number higher than 4 for their next box

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ThanatosDMC - 161 days 3 hours ago

A stripped PS3 inside a different container and call it xbox360next?

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TerminalGamer - 161 days 4 hours ago

Glad to hear you agreed with it - and the 360s problems are always good for a laugh. A maniacal laugh. Seriously, it has problems.

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Hellsvacancy - 161 days 4 hours ago

Makin Xbl free will also make it that bit harder 4 the competition

Im happy wid me Ps3 no need 4me 2 jump ship - its just bit of a shame 2 all those gamers out there that hav been let down by there console of choice due 2 POOR hardware

I honestly DONT c Ms makin the same mistakes again i hated it when i was a kid and my Ps1 exploded (not literally) i think that was around the time i started smokin pot

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Soda Popinsky - 161 days 3 hours ago

Will you also write a "How Sony Can Make Their Next PS3 Better" article? Just curious.

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AhemZasan - 161 days 1 hour ago

There you go again with your "fair and balanced" nonsense. You disgust me!

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Nelson M - 160 days 6 hours ago

Please Dont Get Rid of The RRoD
That's the Best Thing About The Xbox 3 Dollar's 60

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Soda Popinsky - 161 days 3 hours ago

That's as retarded as placing a multiplat game in a PS3.

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Etseix - 161 days 2 hours ago

^^^^^
same as think that multiplats can take more adventage of a console than its own exclusives =/

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Soda Popinsky - 161 days 2 hours ago

And that's as retarded as you in a spelling contest.

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darkride66 - 161 days ago

So far, according to Metacritic this year, 70% of muliplatform games released in 2009 either scored higher on the PS3 or tied the 360.

Huh. So either you're wrong about your assessment of where the PS3 stands in terms of multiconsole releases, or hundreds of professional reviewers are.

Let's see....professional forum troll or professional game reviewers....Whose opinion is probably more correct....?

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dustgavin - 160 days 23 hours ago

Forget the AC. The 360 already has enough add-ons. Just place it between a couple bags of ice.

Some decent 1st party games also couldn't hurt.

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Soda Popinsky - 160 days 22 hours ago

No sense of humour or PS3 fanboy? Judging by your comments they seem to go hand in hand.

Aren't you going to play your little "I own both consoles so I'm not a fanboy" card? I know you'd love to. Why do you even care if you own both consoles? Why do you even own a 360 when all you do is defend the PS3? You can't even handle innocent jokes like the one I pulled without getting your panties in a bunch lol! Lying sack of sh!t.

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Murderdolls - 160 days 19 hours ago

"So far, according to Metacritic this year, 70% of muliplatform games released in 2009 either scored higher on the PS3 or tied the 360."

Take a look at how many people review each version the 360 always has double or more the numbers of reviewers which lowers the overall score.

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darkride66 - 160 days 18 hours ago

It only lowers the review scores if those reviews are bad.

Nice try though. I little math challenged, but I encourage you to attempt to bring out the brain matter a little more.

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Murderdolls - 160 days 18 hours ago

You remind me of my youngest brother so it's difficult for me to read what you write. Sorry about that.

I'll help you out a bit here.

http://www.metacritic.com/s...

15 reviews for 360 - 60%
10 reviews for PS3 - 67%

Now if they would only allow sites that reviewed both versions to add their score then 360 would always (let me add it again for emphasis) ALWAYS come out on top.

I remember when I was 10 and liked World Industries skateboards. I quickly found out it was a terrible brand but darn those cute cartoon characters!

Edit: Ouch you're 35? How does it feel to get torn apart by someone half your age?

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Murderdolls - 160 days 19 hours ago

No he meant free online that's actually good.

And games worth playing.

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dustgavin - 160 days 23 hours ago

Seems you can't since you have commented in here about 3 times.

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TerminalGamer - 160 days 22 hours ago

"With news that Microsoft may be releasing a new Xbox in 2010/2011..."

Since when is that news? Since Pachter speculated about it? It barely passes as a rumor.

Nice to see another garbage blog in the same league as badassgamerblog and hiphopgamershow. Can't get enough of them, can we?

_____________________________ _______________________________ ___

I'm sorry, I thought the "may" indicated that it was indeed just a rumor and that it is still "news" because there is speculation from within Microsoft about it.

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AhemZasan - 161 days 1 hour ago

If your avatar makes me hungry does that mean I'm gay? I passed the fingernail test but this one's really got me stymied.

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commodore64 - 161 days 1 hour ago

Dude, you been living under a rock?
The ps3 can already do that!

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

Seems strange that sony didn't hype this excellent feature.

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--joshua-- - 161 days ago

is that a PS3 had to me modded and transformed for it to grill, and with the 360 all one has to do is plug it in to fry an egg...although obama did set himself up with that one

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

;)

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commodore64 - 161 days ago

wait what?

That feature is not standard on ps3?
No wonder it's in third place then.

If it had the cooking function as standard, it would surely outsell the wii, right?

;)

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darkride66 - 161 days ago

Even though he's well aware that the PS3 has been adopted by consumers much faster than his "precious" 360.
So, what are we at now...about 23 million PS3's sold in 2 1/2 years vs 19 million 360's sold at this point?
Clearly the consumers have spoken and they're snatching up PS3's way faster then they ever bought 360's..and not by a little bit either. By millions. All you have to do is check the investor relations sites for each company for the official numbers to see it's true.

But you keep saying the PS3's somehow a failure. If you repeat it long enough you might even convince yourself.

By the way, how's Open Zone?

Edit: Humorless? Me? The funny thing to me is your constant perpetuation of the console wars. I could care less what place the 360/Wii/or PS3 are in. Doesn't impact my enjoyment of the games I play in the slightest. It's your fixation on such things, while you blatantly ignore other facts that I find funny. And the crack about you posting in the Open Zone? Wasn't that funny? I thought it was hilarious. Tell you what, you stop lying in the forums and behave yourself, stop making up nonsense to perpetuate your narrow view of the gaming world, stop harassing other members for simply voicing their opinions and I'll leave you alone. Deal?

Why don't you just go make a third, forth, fifth account to take out your hatred of Sony on other gamers who just want to talk videogames. I'm sure the mods won't catch em all.

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commodore64 - 161 days ago

Jesus darkie, lighten up.
Why so angry?

Is it because the ps3 is in third place and probably will remain there until 2015 and beyond?

Sheesh.
Do you always have to be such a humourless fanboy?

Go play your PS3 and gnash those teeth.
Maybe grill a steak or two.
Just keep away from me with your bitterness.

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Obama - 161 days ago

haha u can see the steak isn't actually cooked, and that ps3 is modded so the point is moot. On the other hand the 360 can really fry eggs.

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

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commodore64 - 161 days ago

what the steak isn't cooked?

Blame the developers!

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--joshua-- - 160 days 23 hours ago

Third-Party steaks do always cook better on the 360, right fellas?
Bada-Bing I'm here all night.

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Soda Popinsky - 160 days 22 hours ago

Obama and darkride66 need to look up Sarcasm for dummies.

Btw, darkride66 sounds a lot like a certain ultimolu/Juuken...

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commodore64 - 160 days 15 hours ago

@ Soda

No way dude!

Ultimolu has class and style.
She's an upfront ps3 fan and honest about her opinion.
What you see is what you get with her.
Where darkride has slippery spin, she has backbone and fire!
Sure, she has a melt down now and then, but that's what makes n4g interesting.

Darkride is just a common Sony Salesman, pretending to be a gamer.
Ultimolu is so much cooler.

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darkride66 - 160 days 4 hours ago

Take the bloody hint.
I remember when you used to have a point and weren't afraid to back it up. I look forward to when that Commodore is willing to debate gaming issues again instead of the schoolyard tauting that makes up most of your posts now.

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KionicWarlord222 - 160 days 22 hours ago

Well sony didn't design the first xbox and it was twice as more reliable then the ps2.

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AhemZasan - 160 days 4 hours ago

In order for the original Xbox to be "twice as more reliable" the PS2 would have to at least be a little bit "more reliable" in the first place, thus making the Xbox less reliable and therefore not "twice as more reliable". If the PS2 were not at least a little "more reliable" then it would be zero "more reliable" and the Xbox would thus be two times zero "more reliable" making it also zero "more reliable" indicating an equal level of "more reliable" between the two systems. Oh wait, maybe that's what you meant, an equivalent level of reliability between the PS2 and original Xbox. I can buy that, but it's still flame bait.

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TerminalGamer - 160 days 7 hours ago

Hey, I love the 360, I simply want the new xbox to be even better!

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