Chip, just so you know the current Xbox is not sold to make a profit from, neither was the PS2 console. The consoles are sold as loss leaders, and they get their money back through game sales. When the Xbox was launched it actually cost about $450 to build each one, so each one was <b>costing</b> Microsoft about $150 to make. The Sony PS2 was also sold as a loss leader.
If you think the Xbox is a failed system, you really don't know what your talking about. Microsoft never expected to win this round of console wars, the Xbox was just their step in the front door. The Xbox 2 should be where things really start to change, and Microsoft has announced a new software development called XNA, which basically gives game developing companies the tools to make games, focusing more on the actual game aspect, and less on the technical side.
XNA is specifically for Xbox 2, Xenon, whatever you want to call it (no official name has been announced yet), Microsoft is hoping this will allow game developers to take full advantage of the Xbox 2 hardware from day 1, as opposed to using a small percentage of the systems hardware due to most console systems big learning curve to develop games on.
I know I probably just sound like some Xbox nerd, especially with this lame username I have, but Microsoft has been getting excellent developer friendships through the Xbox, the most obvious one would be Ubisoft, that has made some extremely brilliant looking games such as Splinter Cell 1 and 2, Rainbow Six 3, and soon Rainbow Six 3:black arrow.
Microsoft is also having great success with their online network Xbox Live, despite the network being strictly broadband only. It allows you to talk live with people your playing against, or you can join a voice chat room with some buddies, you also have the same username for all games, and the network has just been upgraded to allow future games to incorporate online clans, tournaments, personal online storage, and you can soon even be able to communicate with MSN messenger users right through your Xbox....all pretty interesting stuff, and best of all it's all pretty brain dead easy to use.
I've always been about gaming quality, I loved the PS1 when it was popular, but when I got the PS2 most games were boring to me. An interesting thing to know is that the PS2 is not the original PS2 hardware it was supposed to be, Sony had some crazy plan to make a PS 1.5 that would be released between the PS1 and the PS2, this idea was scrapped, but they kept most of the PS 1.5 hardware because their only real competition was the failing Sega company, and Nintendo which seems to be on a similar fate as Sega.
I bought an Xbox because the games have always been better in my opinion, and I can't stand the PS2 controller, it's horrible for first person shooter games! I just hope Microsoft doesn't screw up with the Xbox 2, rumors are flying that they are going to scrap the hard drive, which is my favorite thing about the system.
Who knows, still got a while before it's released, but this 3 core thing sounds pretty cool, as well as the partnership with ATI for their graphics cards. I won't even care if it doesn't read Xbox 1 games, as long as the Xbox 2 games are worth the price of entry is all that matters to me.
Enter Sig "Here"
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