EGM Xbox2 Interview

[Buktu]

EGM har fået et interview med en Microsoft repræsentant:


Intro: Even though Microsoft Game studios General Manager Shane Kim won't confirm a late 2005 launch for the Xbox successor, he's confident that the console will break boundaries like the company's first entry.

EGM: A built-in hard drive, a broadband Internet connection, progressive scan-these are all great features that target a relatively small audience. Do you think Xbox was ahead of its time?

Shane Kim: I don't think we're ahead of our time, but rather we led the transition into this generation and have been a leader in terms of what's possible from a game stadpoint. We have no regrets in terms of the investments that we've made in any of those areas because they're going to be pervasive parts of the gaming and entertainment experience going forward.

EGM: Will the next console be as ahead of the technological curve as Xbox?

SK: Well, I think we always want to see the underlying hardware be as powerful as possible, see that power in the hands of the creators. But no matter what the hardware looks like, it comes down to the creators.

EGM: EA recently released images of Madden and Need for Speed, saying that visuals of this high quality will be possible on the next-gen consoles. How accurate is EA's assessment?

SK: I haven't [seen the images], but i heard they were very impressive and are pretty good indicators of what's possible. But even without seeing them, I would like to believe that wer're going to be able to exceed that.

EGM: How would you like to see Xbox Live, Microsoft's online gaming hub, grow in the next few years?

SK: We've got a great foundation, and I think there is the ability to make it more accessible to a broader audience, and that comes in lots of different forms, like usability and the kind of content that's available. One things we like to talk about is blurring the lines between single-player and multi-player gaming. I think that's going to be a trend that you're going to see.

EGM: One of the major features of Xbox Live is downloadable content. Now let's say your next system won't have a hard drive, as some are reporting. Is there technology available, whether it be some special memory or flash card, which would allow you to support this feature?

SK: Absolutely. And I think you have to be able to make sure you enable those scenarios, espicially if you're as comitted to downloadable content as we are. The other thing is that you make sure your definition of downloadable content is broad enough, because content doesn't just have to be the large downloads that we're more familiar with today. Things will get smaller and people will be able to buy items in smaller quantities and sizes in the future as well. So that will put less strain on the storage requirements.

EGM: Sony and Nintendo have both stated that they will unveil their next systems in 2005. When will we hear some concrete news about Xbox 2?

SK: Unfortunately, I can't talk about any [specifics] with respect to our next-generation console.

EGM: Well, we had to ask. A lot of industry folk fell that Microsoft is abandoning the Xbox platform after April. Can you tell us what major first-party games you have planned for the second half of 2005?

SK: Gosh, I think Xbox has got a great future. Just because we haven't announced anything beyond Conker, Jade Empire, and Forza [Motorsport] doesn't mean [we're abandoning the Xbox platform].

EGM: So why haven't there been any new game announcements?

SK: Well, we're still pretty far out from those [second-half] titles. You could argue that [the holiday] isn't the right time to announce things for the summer or fall.

EGM: Then you're telling us that there are more first-party titles planned for Xbox other than those three games?

SK: I didn't say that. I'm just saying, you know, that there's lots of good reasons why anybody would consider holding off on announcements. There are definitely cases where you can start talking about titles too early, and it can come back to bite you a little bit. The marketing guys are always trying to figure out when is the right time to start launching the buzz.

EGM: Moving on to Rare, Microsoft spent a lot of money to acquire this developer, but so far, we've seen only one game [Grabbed by the Ghoulies] from the studio. What would you say to the gamer who has lost confidence in
Rare?

SK: I was at Rare last week, so I'm very bullish [about the studio], especially after visiting and seeing it even more closely and talking to the guys there. They didn't lose any of that creativity and expertise overnight just bexause they became part of Microsoft. [Laughs] People should have a lot of faith in [Rare's] future, and i can tell you that from what I've seen and what's in the pipeline, Rare fans should be absolutely excited about what's coming.

EGM: So you just visited Rare-can you tell us how Perfect Dark Zero is looking these days?

SK: I have no idea what you are talking about. [A member of Microsoft's public relations department laughs.]




Blandt andet er vi nu endnu engang blevet bekræftet i at Xbox2 kommer til at indeholde en eller anden form for Mass Storage. Om det så er en HDD eller flash kan man kun gisne om... Selvom Flash memory virker mest sandsynligt som out-of-the-box komponent. Og så måske med en HDD som add-on...
De sigter i hvert fald efter at gøre Downloadable content mindre i størrelse (Måske ikke i form af hvor meget mere gameplay de indeholder, men i form af fil størrelse).

En anden teori kunne jo være, at siden den nu bliver ret Media Center orienteret, at man så får mulighed for at slutte den til sin computer, og anvende Harddisken deri? Selvom det virker som noget af et long shot. Det ville i hvert fald gøre pirat kopiering noget nemmere?