First time Microsoft was planning to get into the game console business, I was surprised. First, I was skeptical that the rumors were true, and when they turned to be true I was skeptical that the console would have any impact on the market. Today, as an Xbox owner myself, I'm glad to say I was wrong. Microsoft was able to leverage their software expertise and deep pockets to rapidly develop a console that didn't just have an impact on the console market, but went from zero to second place in terms of market share.Microsoft started work on the successor to the Xbox in 2002, and they went into the project gunning for the top spot in the console market. Unlike the original Xbox's Intel x86 CPU and nVidia-based graphics core, the hardware that powers the Xbox 360 is custom-made from the ground up to run games, high definition video, and audio.
Before we talk in detail about the way that IBM put together the Xenon CPU, we should first discuss Microsoft's vision for the role that Xenon should play in powering the next generation of games. Thus Part I of this series will be devoted to exploring the types of applications for which the Xbox 360 was designed, with a particular emphasis on 3D gaming and the real-time procedural synthesis of in-game geometry.
What's Need?
- Xbox 360 console
- 20GB Removable Hard Drive
- Wireless Controller
- Headset
- DVD Remote
- Ethernet Cable
- Component AV Cables
- External Power Supply
