Microsoft Xbox
The Xbox was Microsoft's first game console, released on November 15, 2001. It was Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, after having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing.
Hardware
Microsoft built the Xbox around industry-standard PC hardware, unlike the traditionally proprietary design of nearly all other gaming consoles.
The inclusion of the hard disk not only serves as a disk cache for faster game loading times, it also allows users to download new content for their games from Xbox Live and copy music from standard Audio CDs so players can replace the soundtrack of Xbox games.
Although the Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel using APIs based largely on DirectX, it incorporates restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. The Xbox does not use Windows CE due to Microsoft internal politics at the time, as well as limited support in Windows CE for DirectX.
The Xbox itself is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries. Mostly, this is due to a large tray-loading DVD-ROM drive and the standard-size 3.5" hard drive. Despite managing to be smaller and lighter than similar commodity PCs, the Xbox has found itself a target of mild derision, as gamers poke fun at it for things like a warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" to a small child or pet. While some elements of the Xbox's design, like breakaway cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being yanked from the shelf, take the size into account, it has undoubtedly hurt the system's sales to the space-conscious Japanese.
Another common complaint about the system was that the original game controller design was seen as too large for some people. For the Japanese Xbox launch, a smaller controller was introduced, a design which was subsequently released in other markets as the "Controller S", which eventually replaced the original design. Currently, all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", and the original version of the controller (also known as "The Duke") is no longer sold.
Detailed specifications
CPU: 733 MHz Intel Pentium III processor, with a 133 MHz Front Side Bus
Graphics Processor: 250 MHz custom chip named the NV2A, developed by Microsoft and nVIDIA (based off of the GeForce 3 but with 2 vertex shaders to the GeForce 3's single vertex shader)
Total Memory: 64 MB DDR SDRAM running at 200 MHz, supplied by Micron
Memory Bandwidth: 6.4 GB/s
Polygon Performance: 125 million flat-shaded polys/second
(Microsoft figure. Some critics assert that the Xbox's polygon-per-second number is exaggerated by unrealistic testing conditions.)
Sustained Polygon Performance: 100+ M/s (transformed and lit polygons per second)
Micropolygons/particles per second: 125 M/s
Particle Performance: 125 M/s
Simultaneous Textures: 4
Pixel Fill Rate - No Texture: 4.0 G/s (anti-aliased)
Pixel Fill Rate - 1 Texture: 4.0 G/s anti-aliased
Compressed Textures: Yes (6:1)
Full Scene Anti-Alias: Yes
Micro Polygon Support: Yes
Storage Medium: 2-5x DVD, 8 gigabyte hard disk, optional 8 MB memory card
I/O: 2-5x DVD, 8 GB/10 GB hard disk, 8 MB memory card
Audio Channels: 64 3D channels (up to 256 stereo voices)
3D Audio Support: Yes
MIDI DLS2 Support: Yes
AC3 (Dolby Digital) Encoded Game Audio: Yes (via TOSLINK)
Broadband Enabled: Yes (10/100base-T ethernet)
DVD Movie Playback: Yes (separate DVD Playback Kit/Remote required)
Maximum Resolution (2x32bpp frame buffers +Z): 1920(vert.)x1080(horiz)
Note: NTSC (Non-HD) TV's have less than 500 horizontal lines. PAL TV's have less than 600 horizontal lines.
HDTV Support: Yes, 480p/720p/1080i (see game boxes for supported resolutions).
Controller Ports: 4 proprietary USB-based ports
Weight: 3.86 kg
Dimensions: 324 × 265 × 90 mm (12.8 × 10.4 × 3.5 inches)
Networking
Ethernet (Xbox Live) Cable: A Cat 5 cable for connecting the Xbox to a broadband modem or router (note that there is no "official" Xbox Live cable; any PC ethernet cable can be used)
Xbox Wireless Adapter: a wireless bridge which converts data running through an ethernet cable to a wireless (802.11b or 802.11g) signal to connect to a wireless LAN. While the official Wireless Adapter guarantees compatibility with the Xbox, almost any wireless bridge can be used.
Xbox Live Starter Kit: A subscription and installation pack for the Xbox Live service, as well as a headset (with monaural earpiece and microphone) that connects to a control box that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. The headset can in fact be replaced with most standard earpiece-and-microphone headsets; headset specialist Plantronics produce various officially-licensed headsets, including a special-edition headset for Halo 2.
System Link Cable: A Cat 5 crossover cable for connecting together two to four consoles, for up to 16 total players. This functionality is similar to Sega's DirectLink for Sega Saturn.
XBConnect.org
XBConnect is software that runs on your PC and will let you play Microsoft Xbox games and Sony Playstation (PSP) games with players from around the world. Imagine plugging your Xbox or PSP into a LAN that went around the planet. Load up Halo, Halo 2, Rainbow Six 3 or any other compatible game and you can play with people all over the world. Thats what it does for you. You dont have to pay for expensive online gaming services anymore. Gone are the days of being stuck with career modes. If you got a PC, broad band internet and a game console, then all you need is XBConnect.
