Well here it is peeps, taken in its entirety from teamxbox:
The Xbox 360 package
Even though Microsoft opened up their vault on the Xbox 360 earlier this evening on MTV, there are still a few important details that remain uncertain. For one, we don’t know the actual pricing of the console, the release date (tentatively set for holiday 2005), or what the final launch package will include, but we did manage to get a “loose†idea based on a mock-up of the Xbox 360 box, which displayed the following items:
Xbox 360 console
Hard Drive (20GB)
Wireless Controller
Media Remote (possibly a limited time promotional pack-in)
Xbox Live
Headset (wired)
Ethernet Cable
There will be only one package available to consumers at launch, not the two versions previously rumored (one with a hard drive, one without). The Xbox 360 is white in color, with a brushed metal DVD tray, and other metal and chrome accents on the sides of the console. The unit is approximately 11 ¼†tall (and 3†wide) when standing upright, although it can be placed flat like the original Xbox, and it is “stacking friendlyâ€. The included 20GB hard drive is removable and upgradeable. This means if you have a ton of content downloads or Xbox Live Arcade games on your HD, it is simple to pop it out and take to a friend’s house for use in their Xbox 360. The console will also still work without the HD inserted.
The front of the Xbox 360 includes an IR port for communication with wireless controllers and universal remotes, two Memory Unit Slots (MUs will begin at a size of 64MB), a Connect button that will synch wireless controllers, the power button surrounded by the “Ring of Light†(more on that later), and two covered USB 2.0 ports (a third USB 2.0 port is located on the back of the console). The reason for moving the MU slots from the controller is two fold: to free up room on the controller to accommodate wireless, and for faster transfer speeds of larger files.
The back of the Xbox 360 features a built-in Ethernet port for out-of-the-box Xbox Live access, a video output port, and a USB 2.0 port to connect additional controllers, digital cameras, and MP3 players. The final type of video cable to be included is not yet determined, although a combination of component/composite, and RGB is expected in order to accommodate both HD and traditional TVs. The original Xbox video cables will not be compatible with the Xbox 360.
The USB camera will not be available at launch, but will be coming sometime later in 2005 or early 2006. The features of the camera, including voice chat, are working on the Xbox 360, however Microsoft still plans to release the product sometime after launch once more software is available to take advantage of it.
Being that the Xbox 360 primarily uses a wireless controller (wired controllers will also be available for spaghetti lovers), the Connect button will prove quite useful. This will allow multiple wireless controllers to be synched with the Xbox 360 console so there is no interference with currently used frequencies. For example, you can take your wireless controller over to a friend’s house, simply press the Connect button and immediately be synched up and ready to play.
The “Ring of Light†that surrounds the power button is a consistent theme throughout the Xbox 360 experience and is prominent in the System Guide, on the Xbox 360 controller, and on the console itself. It is broken into four sections, each that can display a different color in order to communicate information to the player. This can be something as simple as easily outlining which player a specific controller is designated for, to relaying system alerts like low battery power or incoming messages. Say you have 3 friends over, all logged in playing Perfect Dark Zero online. A game invite comes in for player 2, and so the Ring of Light will flash a designated color in player 2’s quadrant on the console AND on only his/her controller to notify them of the impending invite. The Ring of Light is fully programmable, so ultimately it will be up to the Xbox 360 game developers to explore new possibilities to make use of the feature.
The Wireless Controller
The Xbox 360 will be the very first console to launch with a wireless controller, and from the feel of the prototype model, it will be lighter, smaller, and smoother than the current generation Xbox controller. The primary layout remains the same, aside from the fact that both the White and Black buttons (since renamed to left/right “bumper†buttons) have been moved to the front of the controller, right above the left and right triggers. The Start and Back buttons are moved toward the middle of the controller on either side of the Xbox Guide button. This button allows immediate access to Xbox Gamer Guide and/or Xbox System Guide when playing game, watching a movie, etc. The Xbox Guide button also allows you to turn on or off the Xbox 360 without needing to touch the console power button. Couch potatoes rejoice! The feel of the prototype was extremely balanced, impressive, and the final model will support the rumble feature with one high frequency and one low frequency motor just like in the controller S. The Xbox 360 will support up to 4 wireless controllers at one time and additional wired controllers can be used via the USB 2.0 ports as previously noted.
There will be two options to power the Xbox 360 wireless controller: traditional AA batteries or rechargeable AA batteries. A charge port on the top of the controller allows you to plug a cord directly into a USB port on the console to recharge the batteries, or a separately sold recharge kit will also be available.
The bottom of the controller also features expansion jacks and an audio jack to plug in your Xbox Live headset. Wireless headsets will be supported and available after launch, but the pack-in headset will be wired. Current Live headsets and cellular phone headsets will also work, although the new Xbox 360 headsets will already include volume and mute controls because there is no way to use a current-gen Xbox Live Communicator.
The Media Remote
Although the Xbox 360 will support universal remotes, the official Media Remote will allow you to take advantage of more robust features like streaming music or video from a Windows Media Center PC. The Media Remote can also obviously be used for DVD movies, accessing the Xbox System Guide, navigating Xbox Live, and even possibly as a controller for simple Xbox Live Arcade games.
A Touch of Personalization
Microsoft is allowing the entire Xbox 360 experience to be personalized, right down to the console’s face plate. Customized face plates will be available and are a breeze to snap on and off just like what we’ve seen with cell phones. Expect both Microsoft and third-parties to distribute a number of special face plates right at launch. Our personal favorite was the wood grain that reminded us of The Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon’s Vacation fame.
What it Won’t Do
Two of the most recent rumors that have been crushed include WebTV and TiVo/PVR functionality. While the Xbox 360 can stream recorded video from a Windows Media Center PC, it does not have the functionality to act as a server like a PVR does. Being that the majority of Xbox owners move their console from room to room, having PVR functionality just didn’t make sense. Likewise, most game consoles haven’t proven successful in providing viable Internet browsing functionality, so Microsoft chose to nix any type of WebTV features. And no, it will not include a DVD burner, so please stop with the rumors!
Backward compatibility with the current generation Xbox has not yet been determined. We hear that Microsoft is trying hard to include the feature, but only time will tell if things work out. We don’t expect any new details on backward compatibility until well after this year’s E3.
The 3 Major Focuses of the Xbox 360:
Always a High-Definition Experience - All of the Xbox 360 games will support a minimum of 16:9 widescreen format, 720p and 1080i HD resolutions from the get-go. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a fancy HDTV yet, the Xbox 360 will play just fine on a traditional television. That being said, the lucky folks that do own an HDTV will be able to experience the “HD Era†right out of the box with every single Xbox 360 game. Dolby Digital 5.1 is also supported across all games to complete the fully immersive gaming experience.
Always Connected – The Xbox 360 will come complete with a “Silver†version of the Xbox Live service, allowing gamers to create their own profile, Gamertag, voice chat and messaging, access to the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live Arcade, and more. This also means that ALL games will support a unified Friends list, voice chat, game invites, etc.
Always Personalized - From the Xbox 360 face plate to the Xbox System Guide, nearly every aspect of the console will be customizable.
The Xbox 360 System Guide and Gamer Guide
There are two main interfaces you’ll see on the Xbox 360 on a regular basis. When playing a game or watching a DVD, pressing the Xbox Guide Button on either the console, controller, or remote will bring up the on-screen Xbox Gamer Guide. This fills up just about half of the screen (vertically) and shows relevant information such as the most recent system message, game invites, or access to the main System Guide. Pressing the Xbox Guide Button again, will throw you right back into the game or movie; quick and easy.
The System Guide is the main user interface to access the Xbox 360’s full feature set and is broken up into major categories, called blades, that include such headings as: home, games, media, and system. This permits easy navigation of things like your Gamer Profile, the latest Xbox Live news, access to the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live Message Center, and all media housed on the hard drive or available on a Windows Media Center PC.
To keep with the theme of “personalization†the System and Gamer Guides can be customized with different looks and skins, although we didn’t get a chance to see any yet.
Being that the Xbox 360 is “always connected†you’ll be able to receive messages at any time no matter what you’re doing on the console. That way you can still receive game invites if you're watching a DVD or listening to music. Messages are more robust than that on the current version of Xbox Live, detailing specific information like whether it is a game invite, a friend invite, a system message, and so on. You can also choose to not be disturbed with on-screen information and instead receive messages only via the “Ring of Lightâ€.
Xbox Live
You’ve heard us mention the phrase “always connected†several times already, but Microsoft is really pounding the concept home by including a “Silver†version of Xbox Live free with every Xbox 360 console. So what exactly is the difference between a Silver and Gold account? Essentially, you can have access to nearly all of Xbox Live’s online goodness, minus online play, with an out-of-the-box Silver account. Being that only a small portion of Xbox Live subscribers play on a regular basis online, the free Silver account is a fantastic way to reach casual gamers and mainstream consumers. The Silver account will provide features like setting up a Gamertag and most related Gamer Profile functions, Friends List, voice and text messaging, access to downloadable content via the Xbox Live Marketplace, and more. Xbox Live Gold accounts not only get full online play functionality, but will get enhanced matchmaking options as well. Periodic, free “Gold Weekends†are also planned to allow Silver account users to experience the joy of online play.
The good news is that you will not need separate Xbox Live accounts between your Xbox and the Xbox 360 as your profile and Gamertag are interchangeable. This also means that those purchasing or renewing an Xbox Live subscription close to the release of the Xbox 360 will automatically receive upgraded Gold accounts when purchasing the new console.
The Friends List on the Xbox 360 will not only show other 360 gamers, but your friends playing the original Xbox as well. Here’s the kicker, you can send messages between the two consoles too. It will be nice to rub it in the faces of your friends that don’t have an Xbox 360 by sending invites to games like Ghost Recon 3 and Perfect Dark Zero, right?
It is also worth noting that a Recent Players list has also been added to Xbox Live. This will allow you to search via most recent games, date, and so on, in case you want to find a particular gamer that you liked playing with online.
The Xbox 360 package
Even though Microsoft opened up their vault on the Xbox 360 earlier this evening on MTV, there are still a few important details that remain uncertain. For one, we don’t know the actual pricing of the console, the release date (tentatively set for holiday 2005), or what the final launch package will include, but we did manage to get a “loose†idea based on a mock-up of the Xbox 360 box, which displayed the following items:
Xbox 360 console
Hard Drive (20GB)
Wireless Controller
Media Remote (possibly a limited time promotional pack-in)
Xbox Live
Headset (wired)
Ethernet Cable
There will be only one package available to consumers at launch, not the two versions previously rumored (one with a hard drive, one without). The Xbox 360 is white in color, with a brushed metal DVD tray, and other metal and chrome accents on the sides of the console. The unit is approximately 11 ¼†tall (and 3†wide) when standing upright, although it can be placed flat like the original Xbox, and it is “stacking friendlyâ€. The included 20GB hard drive is removable and upgradeable. This means if you have a ton of content downloads or Xbox Live Arcade games on your HD, it is simple to pop it out and take to a friend’s house for use in their Xbox 360. The console will also still work without the HD inserted.
The front of the Xbox 360 includes an IR port for communication with wireless controllers and universal remotes, two Memory Unit Slots (MUs will begin at a size of 64MB), a Connect button that will synch wireless controllers, the power button surrounded by the “Ring of Light†(more on that later), and two covered USB 2.0 ports (a third USB 2.0 port is located on the back of the console). The reason for moving the MU slots from the controller is two fold: to free up room on the controller to accommodate wireless, and for faster transfer speeds of larger files.
The back of the Xbox 360 features a built-in Ethernet port for out-of-the-box Xbox Live access, a video output port, and a USB 2.0 port to connect additional controllers, digital cameras, and MP3 players. The final type of video cable to be included is not yet determined, although a combination of component/composite, and RGB is expected in order to accommodate both HD and traditional TVs. The original Xbox video cables will not be compatible with the Xbox 360.
The USB camera will not be available at launch, but will be coming sometime later in 2005 or early 2006. The features of the camera, including voice chat, are working on the Xbox 360, however Microsoft still plans to release the product sometime after launch once more software is available to take advantage of it.
Being that the Xbox 360 primarily uses a wireless controller (wired controllers will also be available for spaghetti lovers), the Connect button will prove quite useful. This will allow multiple wireless controllers to be synched with the Xbox 360 console so there is no interference with currently used frequencies. For example, you can take your wireless controller over to a friend’s house, simply press the Connect button and immediately be synched up and ready to play.
The “Ring of Light†that surrounds the power button is a consistent theme throughout the Xbox 360 experience and is prominent in the System Guide, on the Xbox 360 controller, and on the console itself. It is broken into four sections, each that can display a different color in order to communicate information to the player. This can be something as simple as easily outlining which player a specific controller is designated for, to relaying system alerts like low battery power or incoming messages. Say you have 3 friends over, all logged in playing Perfect Dark Zero online. A game invite comes in for player 2, and so the Ring of Light will flash a designated color in player 2’s quadrant on the console AND on only his/her controller to notify them of the impending invite. The Ring of Light is fully programmable, so ultimately it will be up to the Xbox 360 game developers to explore new possibilities to make use of the feature.
The Wireless Controller
The Xbox 360 will be the very first console to launch with a wireless controller, and from the feel of the prototype model, it will be lighter, smaller, and smoother than the current generation Xbox controller. The primary layout remains the same, aside from the fact that both the White and Black buttons (since renamed to left/right “bumper†buttons) have been moved to the front of the controller, right above the left and right triggers. The Start and Back buttons are moved toward the middle of the controller on either side of the Xbox Guide button. This button allows immediate access to Xbox Gamer Guide and/or Xbox System Guide when playing game, watching a movie, etc. The Xbox Guide button also allows you to turn on or off the Xbox 360 without needing to touch the console power button. Couch potatoes rejoice! The feel of the prototype was extremely balanced, impressive, and the final model will support the rumble feature with one high frequency and one low frequency motor just like in the controller S. The Xbox 360 will support up to 4 wireless controllers at one time and additional wired controllers can be used via the USB 2.0 ports as previously noted.
There will be two options to power the Xbox 360 wireless controller: traditional AA batteries or rechargeable AA batteries. A charge port on the top of the controller allows you to plug a cord directly into a USB port on the console to recharge the batteries, or a separately sold recharge kit will also be available.
The bottom of the controller also features expansion jacks and an audio jack to plug in your Xbox Live headset. Wireless headsets will be supported and available after launch, but the pack-in headset will be wired. Current Live headsets and cellular phone headsets will also work, although the new Xbox 360 headsets will already include volume and mute controls because there is no way to use a current-gen Xbox Live Communicator.
The Media Remote
Although the Xbox 360 will support universal remotes, the official Media Remote will allow you to take advantage of more robust features like streaming music or video from a Windows Media Center PC. The Media Remote can also obviously be used for DVD movies, accessing the Xbox System Guide, navigating Xbox Live, and even possibly as a controller for simple Xbox Live Arcade games.
A Touch of Personalization
Microsoft is allowing the entire Xbox 360 experience to be personalized, right down to the console’s face plate. Customized face plates will be available and are a breeze to snap on and off just like what we’ve seen with cell phones. Expect both Microsoft and third-parties to distribute a number of special face plates right at launch. Our personal favorite was the wood grain that reminded us of The Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon’s Vacation fame.
What it Won’t Do
Two of the most recent rumors that have been crushed include WebTV and TiVo/PVR functionality. While the Xbox 360 can stream recorded video from a Windows Media Center PC, it does not have the functionality to act as a server like a PVR does. Being that the majority of Xbox owners move their console from room to room, having PVR functionality just didn’t make sense. Likewise, most game consoles haven’t proven successful in providing viable Internet browsing functionality, so Microsoft chose to nix any type of WebTV features. And no, it will not include a DVD burner, so please stop with the rumors!
Backward compatibility with the current generation Xbox has not yet been determined. We hear that Microsoft is trying hard to include the feature, but only time will tell if things work out. We don’t expect any new details on backward compatibility until well after this year’s E3.
The 3 Major Focuses of the Xbox 360:
Always a High-Definition Experience - All of the Xbox 360 games will support a minimum of 16:9 widescreen format, 720p and 1080i HD resolutions from the get-go. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a fancy HDTV yet, the Xbox 360 will play just fine on a traditional television. That being said, the lucky folks that do own an HDTV will be able to experience the “HD Era†right out of the box with every single Xbox 360 game. Dolby Digital 5.1 is also supported across all games to complete the fully immersive gaming experience.
Always Connected – The Xbox 360 will come complete with a “Silver†version of the Xbox Live service, allowing gamers to create their own profile, Gamertag, voice chat and messaging, access to the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live Arcade, and more. This also means that ALL games will support a unified Friends list, voice chat, game invites, etc.
Always Personalized - From the Xbox 360 face plate to the Xbox System Guide, nearly every aspect of the console will be customizable.
The Xbox 360 System Guide and Gamer Guide
There are two main interfaces you’ll see on the Xbox 360 on a regular basis. When playing a game or watching a DVD, pressing the Xbox Guide Button on either the console, controller, or remote will bring up the on-screen Xbox Gamer Guide. This fills up just about half of the screen (vertically) and shows relevant information such as the most recent system message, game invites, or access to the main System Guide. Pressing the Xbox Guide Button again, will throw you right back into the game or movie; quick and easy.
The System Guide is the main user interface to access the Xbox 360’s full feature set and is broken up into major categories, called blades, that include such headings as: home, games, media, and system. This permits easy navigation of things like your Gamer Profile, the latest Xbox Live news, access to the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live Message Center, and all media housed on the hard drive or available on a Windows Media Center PC.
To keep with the theme of “personalization†the System and Gamer Guides can be customized with different looks and skins, although we didn’t get a chance to see any yet.
Being that the Xbox 360 is “always connected†you’ll be able to receive messages at any time no matter what you’re doing on the console. That way you can still receive game invites if you're watching a DVD or listening to music. Messages are more robust than that on the current version of Xbox Live, detailing specific information like whether it is a game invite, a friend invite, a system message, and so on. You can also choose to not be disturbed with on-screen information and instead receive messages only via the “Ring of Lightâ€.
Xbox Live
You’ve heard us mention the phrase “always connected†several times already, but Microsoft is really pounding the concept home by including a “Silver†version of Xbox Live free with every Xbox 360 console. So what exactly is the difference between a Silver and Gold account? Essentially, you can have access to nearly all of Xbox Live’s online goodness, minus online play, with an out-of-the-box Silver account. Being that only a small portion of Xbox Live subscribers play on a regular basis online, the free Silver account is a fantastic way to reach casual gamers and mainstream consumers. The Silver account will provide features like setting up a Gamertag and most related Gamer Profile functions, Friends List, voice and text messaging, access to downloadable content via the Xbox Live Marketplace, and more. Xbox Live Gold accounts not only get full online play functionality, but will get enhanced matchmaking options as well. Periodic, free “Gold Weekends†are also planned to allow Silver account users to experience the joy of online play.
The good news is that you will not need separate Xbox Live accounts between your Xbox and the Xbox 360 as your profile and Gamertag are interchangeable. This also means that those purchasing or renewing an Xbox Live subscription close to the release of the Xbox 360 will automatically receive upgraded Gold accounts when purchasing the new console.
The Friends List on the Xbox 360 will not only show other 360 gamers, but your friends playing the original Xbox as well. Here’s the kicker, you can send messages between the two consoles too. It will be nice to rub it in the faces of your friends that don’t have an Xbox 360 by sending invites to games like Ghost Recon 3 and Perfect Dark Zero, right?
It is also worth noting that a Recent Players list has also been added to Xbox Live. This will allow you to search via most recent games, date, and so on, in case you want to find a particular gamer that you liked playing with online.
