More Xbox2 No HD Rumours

[Jack]

Big save files generally = sloppy coding.

Good point. If any of you have a USB memory card for the GameCube, try zipping a file taken off the card. You'll be surprised at how much space is saved by zipping.

[kerraig UK]

I thought that bit I think he means he has lots of save files, for each level or whatever.

yep, thats what i meant. I can go to any level or point of both games cos i used a seperate save file each time. I've replayed certain parts of PoP 4 or 5 times, and i've lost count of how many times i've done 'the party' on hitman 2.

[Cyhwuhx]

.::: What we need are 'memory HD cards'. And I think that's what the XBX2 is getting.

[df0]

The largest Xbox 2 Flash Card will be 2 GB. It will take you a while to fill this thing up, even if you save game content on 'em (if that is possible that is).

[Alex W.]

That doesn't mean much. Big save files generally = sloppy coding. On PC & Xbox there isn't much incentive to keep the files small.

IIRC, Retro Studios reduced save times for Metroid Prime's PAL/NTSC-J release at the cost of making the files five times larger, so having quick saves could be a factor, too.

[Sabreman]

The Xbox has memory cards though

It doesn't have XBox 2 memory cards though, does it?

I'm just being silly.

[Sprite Machine]

IIRC, Retro Studios reduced save times for Metroid Prime's PAL/NTSC-J release at the cost of making the files five times larger..

PAL Prime's save file is 1 block in size - the smallest I've ever seen.

[dismembo]

.::: What we need are 'memory HD cards'. And I think that's what the XBX2 is getting.

That is what I took the article to be saying. They are developing a solid state hard drive aren't they?

[Apollo]

IIRC, Retro Studios reduced save times for Metroid Prime's PAL/NTSC-J release at the cost of making the files five times larger, so having quick saves could be a factor, too.

Metroid Prime has virtually no-state and therefore has an extremely small save file. I didn't read the article, but maybe they were referring to textures, etc. stored on the disc; Not compressing these would make the game load faster at the cost of space.

[dizogg]

I don't understand why some save files are so massive. Take Kotor for instance. Surely all it needs to know is a a few 100 1s and 0s and a coordinate for your position?

[Beertiger]

I don't understand why some save files are so massive. Take Kotor for instance. Surely all it needs to know is a a few 100 1s and 0s and a coordinate for your position?

think about all the variables man!

[Sng]

I'm wondering what's more important to MS about the HDD - Lowering production costs or enabling the console to be much smaller, physically.

Both I guess. Both would sure heighten appeal, in different ways.

[Burai]

The issue Microsoft is facing is that their original business plan was completely wrong.

They thought people would happily drop Sony and go with them because they offered the biggest, bestest, most powerful machine and that people would happily pay extra for the privalage.

The way it's turned out is that this just isn't the case. People have gone for the machine that has the correct mix of price-tag, games they want and with flashy hardware extras a distant concern for most consumers.

With Xbox, Microsoft set out to create a console with unique features that captured the minds of developers and consumers alike. But developers haven't made use of the hard drive and consumers just don't give a toss about what it can do (mainly because it's not doing much).

Therefore, it would make sense for Microsoft to leave it out next time around. Microsoft are in this to make money and we've had it good during the water-testing phase. Next time out expect their offering to be far more pared down.

[Hitcher]

It's been confimed now -

No Hard Drive in Xbox 2 Confirmed *updated*

>> From teamxbox.com:

In an interview with Globe, M-Systems President and CEO Dov Moran confirmed what gamers have been speculating for months. Xbox 2 won't have a hard disc. When asked about its technology development agreement with Microsoft Corporation, Mr Moran said:

”It’s a cooperation agreement. The potential isn’t clear, but it’s in the billions of dollars. Microsoft has taken the hard disk out of its Xbox. The only thing left will be a CD; that’s all. At some point, when users want to save their e-mail messages, copy music, or anything like that, the only storage they’ll have is what we give them. It’s worth hundreds of millions to the company, spread over a few years, and we’ll be the main supplier for it; and I hope the sole supplier.

More on teamxbox.com.

Thanks to BiCx for the news.

Update from gamespot.com:

When contacted by GameSpot, Xbox group product manager David Hufford said Moran was "talking way over his head." He continued, "Mr. Moran is aimlessly speculating, and we never comment on speculation. We've made no such announcements about future Xbox products and services. And we don't intend to for quite a while. Until we do, we suggest people take guesswork for what it is."

However, if Moran's statements are true, the Xbox Next will likely not be backwards compatible, since it would be almost impossible for it to emulate how some games dump data onto the Xbox's hard drive.

[Sprite Machine]

Microsoft has taken the hard disk out of its Xbox. The only thing left will be a CD; that’s all.

Microsoft: Gettin' with the times.

[Sng]

Yeah, a CD?

A CD drive would be bad enough, but just a CD? Jeez!

[Sprite Machine]

The Xbox2. Yesterday.

[squirtle]

that's my hand!

[Ktw]

that's my hand!

You a part of Xbox Next then?

[squirtle]

You a part of Xbox Next then?

I've been typing one handed (no puns please) for about a week now. I wondered where the other one had crawled off to. God I hate M$! Stealing my hand for their next gen console. Well, it's not cricket, is it?

[Rygal - Reader of Threads]

Miscrsoft's planned XBox2 memory cardss, yesterday.

[Daley]

I've been typing one handed (no puns please) for about a week now. I wondered where the other one had crawled off to. God I hate M$! Stealing my hand for their next gen console. Well, it's not cricket, is it?

No. A cricket game would never sell well enough, especially overseas.