Archive for April, 2005

There have long been rumors that Microsoft will sell two different versions of the Xbox 2, suggesting that one will have a hard drive that the other doesn’t. Now some of the speculation has reached even further:

The basic edition will not have backwards compatibility while the advanced version will. The premium version with the hard drive will have WebTV functionality built-in, including web, e-mail, IM, and streaming audio and video.

More in the article linked below.

Link: gameindustry.biz

According to IGN, they’re getting a sneak peek of the Xbox 2 in Japan on May 13th. Their event will last for quite a bit longer than the 1/2 hour MTV show, so they’re hoping for some good info.

Link: IGN – Xbox 2 Preview

Well, it official non-official confirmation. I guess. Ah, just read the link.

Link: Digital Media Experience

Oh, and you might be wondering about all this Xbox 2 news recently. Well, it’s HD, and it’s console gaming, and it’s interesting. ‘Nuff said.

Goldman Sachs thinks that Microsoft may sell 3 million Xbox 2′s this year (at least so says this News.com article). It’s just speculation right now as to when the Xbox 2 will be released, but October and November dates are being bandied about. So lets say it’s November 1st. That gives about 9 weeks to sell 3 million boxes. That’s about 330,000 boxes a week. Sony did more than that in their first week of selling the PSP, but I doubt they’re going to be able to keep up that momentum. We’ll have to see.

Goldman Sachs also predict that the console would cost between $250 and $300, a traditional price for a new console. Some people were speculating that it might be more, but not Goldman Sachs. They also think that Microsoft will continue to make the Xbox, much like Sony continued selling the PSOne after the PS2 came out.

Goldman Sachs also thinks the PS3 won’t come out until mid-2006. Nothing new there.

Link: News.com – 3 million units of Xbox 2 this year?

There are rumors going around that Microsoft and Pepsi are planning to give away an Xbox 2 every ten minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine weeks straight. Some kind of under-the-cap promotion like Pepsi did with iTunes and Apple.

I have a feeling that, if true, this is going to sell a lot of Pepsi. I personally don’t drink Pepsi, but I’ll be tempted…

Link: engadget – Massive Xbox 360 Giveaway