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[midnightguy]

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=341477

thickjohnson wrote:

I work in Silicon Valley where the X360 HW is being designed. As a result, I lot of us in the biz know bits and pieces about the new XBox. Here is a great summary released by local analyst here in the bay area. Not that the X360 will have embedded flash.........

MSFT XBOX2 Update:



There is no Hard Drive in the XBOX2.
Needed memory will be supplied with a customized embedded FLASH Disk solution.
M-systems (FLSH) is the primary supplier.
Infineon is a second source and there is a third source (I’m working on getting that supplier name)
The HDD in the XBOX1 was never utilized by the Software Developers as MSFT had anticipated. MSFT is counting on the continually cost reductions for the semiconductor storage solution vs. the relatively fixed price but density increase of HDD solutions. The real density need for the gaming solutions is a few GB not 20 to 40GB.
If there is a need for higher density storage, we believe the solution would be to utilize the 10/100 ethernet port to connect to an existing home computer.


MSFT will release orders for XBOX2 builds to suppliers in June:



Estimated build schedule is:
400K Aug
700K Sept
750K Oct
1M Nov
1M Dec
Estimated forecast for 2006 is 10M units.
Flextronics and Wistron are EMS.
The graphics memory has doubled from 256MB to 512MB / system. Hynix is in at $9, Samsung is holding at $12 for the 512MB GDDR3 components.
Samsung would rather have Hynix utilize its capacity to deliver 80M units next year, not compete on the lower margin GDDR3, and hope the DDR2 general market improves.

hmmm, at least it does say the memory has doubled from 256 to 512. that's nice. but then again who knows if this is legit or not.

 

[explodet]

I work in Silicon Valley where the X360 HW is being designed.

I had a VERY hard time getting past that sentence.

 

[Wario64]

tell me where exactly in the silicon valley and i'll extract some more info from him, once i find a hacksaw and a wet towel

 

[Ryudo]

If there is a need for higher density storage, we believe the solution would be to utilize the 10/100 ethernet port to connect to an existing home computer.

WTF...... Why would they use a shitty 100mbs technology for hdd transfers(max of 13MB per second) when USB 2 or Firewire provide over 400Mbs ?

 

[Mrbob]

I wish E3 was here.....

 

[Rhindle]

I had a VERY hard time getting past that sentence.

Why? The Microsoft office in Mountain View CA is in fact doing most of the design work. This info looks legit to me.

Edit: Oh, I guess you were referring to the fact that working in the general vicinity is not exactly an obvious conduit of inside information. I'm a bit thick this evening.

 

[aaaaa0]

WTF...... Why would they use a shitty 100mbs technology for hdd transfers(max of 13MB per second) when USB 2 or Firewire provide over 400Mbs ?

Cause if you have broadband, you probably already have a PC, which already has a network card, and a hard disk.

 

[chespace]

Every fucking day, I swear...

 

[sonycowboy]

Estimated build schedule is:
400K Aug
700K Sept
750K Oct
1M Nov
1M Dec
Estimated forecast for 2006 is 10M units..

They expect to ship 3.85M units worldwide, which is quite alot.
And, by the end of 2006, they expect to have produced 13.85M units? That is incredibly aggressive, I'd have to say.

Seems like they are looking to flood the market as that's more systems than have ever come out in the first year for any console. That would seem to indicate EXTREME CONFIDENCE if this rumor has any truth to it.

 

[Ryudo]

Cause if you have broadband, you probably already have a PC, which already has a network card, and a hard disk.

Yeah and that same fucking PC has USB ports and no doubt firewire which is 4 times as fast.

 

[sonycowboy]

Yeah and that same fucking PC has USB ports and no doubt firewire which is 4 times as fast.

But will your console be within 8 feet of your PC? Doubtful. And, they could for the same cost as 10/100, they could have Gigabit ethernet as both are pennies nowadays to integrate onto the motherboard. I wonder if there will also be wireless networking built-in?

 

[mr2mike]

"There is no Hard Drive in the XBOX2.
Needed memory will be supplied with a customized embedded FLASH Disk solution."

...

"The real density need for the gaming solutions is a few GB not 20 to 40GB."

you know, there's a picture of it with a 40 GB hard Drive stuck in it's side I think that's the end of this supposed info.

 

[PhatSaqs]

"There is no Hard Drive in the XBOX2.
Needed memory will be supplied with a customized embedded FLASH Disk solution."

...

"The real density need for the gaming solutions is a few GB not 20 to 40GB."

you know, there's a picture of it with a 40 GB hard Drive stuck in it's side I think that's the end of this supposed info.

Umm. Read what he says. Keyword in the first quoted sentence is IN.

 

[Ryudo]

But will your console be within 8 feet of your PC? Doubtful. And, they could for the same cost as 10/100, they could have Gigabit ethernet as both are pennies nowadays to integrate onto the motherboard. I wonder if there will also be wireless networking built-in?

Ever heard of cable, you know like the CAT5 network one...... but a USB one ? They easily go 5M or more with the USB 2.0 spec.

Gigabit ethernet is a viable alternative but its not in enough homes or devices and its not back compatable with existing cables, DSL/Cable modems built on the 10/100 mbs spec.

Wireless networking sounds great, but again its speed sucks at a current consumer level.

 

[ChrisReid]

USB 2 is similar to gigabit ethernet in this case. It's just not ubiquitous enough. Who has 50 foot USB2 cables lying around (if the practical limit is only 5 meters, that's an even bigger problem)? Everyone has the ethernet cables and/or 802.11g routers now. And the point is that software developers never utilized this feature in the first place, so it doesn't really matter. In the rare instance that multiple gigs is required, it can be dumped onto a PC and transferred.

 

[sonycowboy]

Ever heard of cable, you know like the CAT5 network one...... but a USB one ? They easily go 5M or more with the USB 2.0 spec.

Do you know how much those are going for? Cat 5e is dirt cheap.

Gigabit ethernet is a viable alternative but its not in enough homes or devices and its not back compatable with existing cables, DSL/Cable modems built on the 10/100 mbs spec.

Do you know what you're talking about? The wiring is COMPLETELY backwards compatible and it's not that much more expensive. It's the same damn thing, but the wires are essentially just wound tighter and have a higher level of testing to insure signal quality.

Wireless networking sounds great, but again its speed sucks at a current consumer level.

Huh? 802.11g is 54Mbs, which is half of the spec listed above. And pretty much every wireless card or hub shipping is of the (g) variant.

 

[Ryudo]

USB 2 is similar to gigabit ethernet in this case. It's just not ubiquitous enough. Who has 50 foot USB2 cables lying around (if the practical limit is only 5 meters, that's an even bigger problem)? Everyone has the ethernet cables and/or 802.11g routers now. And the point is that software developers never utilized this feature in the first place, so it doesn't really matter. In the rare instance that multiple gigs is required, it can be dumped onto a PC and transferred.

I can assure you everyone doesnt have CAT5 laying around nor do they own wireless routers. The same cant be said for USB 2 ports though, they are on every PC since 2002.

5 meters is plenty, and whats more it doesnt require a switch or hub (who still uses them lol). Software devs currently utilize USB for everything from memory sticks to portable music players. Its a wicked technology and it should be used.

 

[sonycowboy]

I can assure you everyone doesnt have CAT5 laying around nor do they own wireless routers. The same cant be said for USB 2 ports though, they are on every PC since 2002.

:lol

Every PC since 97 has an ethernet slot on it, that doesn't matter much unless you've got the cable, genius. And as I said, ethernet cables are dirt cheap.

5 meters is plenty, and whats more it doesnt require a switch or hub (who still uses them lol). Software devs currently utilize USB for everything from memory sticks to portable music players. Its a wicked technology and it should be used.

My PS2 is NOWHERE NEAR my PC and 5M would not do. Oh, and how do you expect to connect your console online if you don't have ethernet of some kind? ( The rest of your little comment, actually all of your comments show you're not actually too clear on what you're saying.)

 

[Ryudo]

Do you know how much those are going for? Cat 5e is dirt cheap.



Do you know what you're talking about? The wiring is COMPLETELY backwards compatible and it's not that much more expensive. It's the same damn thing, but the wires are essentially just wound tighter and have a higher level of testing to insure signal quality.



Huh? 802.11g is 54Mbs, which is half of the spec listed above. And pretty much every wireless card or hub shipping is of the (g) variant.

USB cables are quite cheap, i am paying less than $1 a metre.

CAT5 is not capable of running gigabit, you need CAT5e or CAT6 cables.

54mbs is shit, especially when you have 480mbs available with no need for a hub.

 

[Nerevar]

I can assure you everyone doesnt have CAT5 laying around nor do they own wireless routers. The same cant be said for USB 2 ports though, they are on every PC since 2002.

5 meters is plenty, and whats more it doesnt require a switch or hub (who still uses them lol). Software devs currently utilize USB for everything from memory sticks to portable music players. Its a wicked technology and it should be used.

if you're trying to make some argument that USB is more ubiquitous than Cat5 ethernet, you really don't have any clue what you're talking about.

EDIT: I can personally guarantee you that wiring up your console to your PC is going to be much easier and simpler for the average user using CAT5 ethernet cables rather than USB, especially given the uses MS probably has planned for the tech.

 

[Ryudo]

:lol

Every PC since 97 has an ethernet slot on it, that doesn't matter much unless you've got the cable, genius. And as I said, ethernet cables are dirt cheap.

Wrong. Not every PC has an ethernet port onboard. But thats not the point here.

My PS2 is NOWHERE NEAR my PC and 5M would not do. Oh, and how do you expect to connect your console online if you don't have ethernet of some kind? ( The rest of your little comment, actually all of your comments show you're not actually too clear on what you're saying.)

Mine is, its like 2 metres away. I am quite clear on what i am saying, its the fact that USB is better than ethernet for reading and writing to HDD's.

 

[Ryudo]

if you're trying to make some argument that USB is more ubiquitous than Cat5 ethernet, you really don't have any clue what you're talking about.

EDIT: I can personally guarantee you that wiring up your console to your PC is going to be much easier and simpler for the average user using CAT5 ethernet cables rather than USB, especially given the uses MS probably has planned for the tech.

I am trying to make the argument (which is factually correct i might add) that USB is better than ethernet.

As for the easier solution, wouldnt that be USB. Since all you need to do is plug one cable in and have windows auto detect your console ?

 

[jetsetmario]

Did everyone else just miss the fact that this quote came from someone who goes by the name thickjohnson? I mean, really now...

 

[Nerevar]

I am trying to make the argument (which is factually correct i might add) that USB is better than ethernet.

By saying this:

5 meters is plenty, and whats more it doesnt require a switch or hub (who still uses them lol).

I can guarantee you (again) that this is the exception, not the rule. My computer is in another room (my office), which would require me to either put new holes in my wall (which I can't do as I'm in an apartment, not my own home), or move my computer closer to my console and TV (impossible) to use a USB connection. I already run a 50-meter cord to my xbox to play on live, it's much more convenient for me to use it. And because you pretty much have to have a hub/router to get on xbox live anyway, I think it's safe for MS to assume power users who want to hook up to their PC will have one.

Besides, I think the idea is that if this is used it will only be for things like streaming custom soundtracks, which require relatively low bandwidth. IMO, any sort of connection between PC and console is dumb though, so I guess my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Ryudo]

By saying this:


I can guarantee you (again) that this is the exception, not the rule. My computer is in another room (my office), which would require me to either put new holes in my wall (which I can't do as I'm in an apartment, not my own home), or move my computer closer to my console and TV (impossible) to use a USB connection. I already run a 50-meter cord to my xbox to play on live, it's much more convenient for me to use it. And because you pretty much have to have a hub/router to get on xbox live anyway, I think it's safe for MS to assume power users who want to hook up to their PC will have one.

Besides, I think the idea is that if this is used it will only be for things like streaming custom soundtracks, which require relatively low bandwidth. IMO, any sort of connection between PC and console is dumb though, so I guess my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

You are definately right, if the console already has broadband then its got ethernet But that wasnt my point, i find myself trying to justify myself to someone like cowboy when i really shouldnt bother.

The whole issue was storage, what better way than to use usb and a removable hdd ? I should have just left it at that.

 

[sol5377]

I think you guys missed his statement about there being a built-in 1gig+ flash drive in every Xbox 360 rather than a HD.... at least that's how I read it.

 

[Striek]

An analyst with all this 'up-to-date info' still calling it XBOX2? :lol

Really I don't believe it, it skips between stating 'facts' and 'guesses'.

Also whats with using the stock ticker for MS and M-Systems but not for Samsung and Hynix etc. An bad attempt to sound professional IMO.

Oh well, just a couple weeks now.

 

[shpankey]

all this talk of using CAT5 or USB cables is stupid. consider the xbox 360 is pushing wireless everything, you now think they want you to get some long ass cables running through our houses?

oh yeah wireless, cept for wires.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

all this talk of using CAT5 or USB cables is stupid. consider the xbox 360 is pushing wireless everything, you now think they want you to get some long ass cables running through our houses?

oh yeah wireless, cept for wires.

:lol I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Stinkles]

There should be a special developer rolleyes GIF, which could have ended this fake thread immediately.

 

[Chittagong]

Analisis indeed.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Analisis indeed.

Indeed.

 

[bud]

Why are you even posting this...?

 

[kaching]

But wait! don't miss out on the thread predicting MS's D00M. NO prelaunch speculation is complete without DARK PROPHECY.

The yin to the apologist's yang.

 

[CrimsonSkies]

The PS3 is 1000 times more powerful. Sorry no Xbox 360 thread is complete without the PS3 Hype.