Naw, just hard to crack. For once, someone realizes that the security will be broken eventually. That someone is Chris Satchell, on the Xbox 360 development team. They’re building a lot of security features into the Xbox 360, down to the silicon level. I don’t know if that means that they spray-painted “please don’t crack me” on the chip, or what. But I guess it means the security is in the hardware. But Mr. Satchell is wise enough to realize that the system will eventually be broken, saying “I’m sure sooner or later someone will work out how to circumvent security. But the way we have done the design doesn’t mean that it will work on somebody else’s machine.” Got that? Even if someone does crack the Xbox 360, it might just be that particular Xbox 360 that gets cracked. You’d have to do it all over again for the next one. Hmmm. Makes me wonder how that would work.

BBC - Microsoft aims for hack-proof 360

I’m currently working on getting the feeds for this site working better. Please tell me if you have any problems.

The PS3’s RSX graphics chip will be programmed using NVIDIA’s CG shading language. And it will support Shader Model 3.0, kinda. Shader Model 3.0 is really a DirectX thing, so to say that the RSX chip, which will not use DirectX, is compliant would be wrong. But the RSX will support those kind of features, so that’s why the chip is “kinda” Shader Model 3.0.

Sony didn’t want to go for HLSL simply because the Vole itself invented this standard and that stuck in the Japanese firm’s craw. The answer was Nvidia’s CG. The Vole and its DirectX team wants to make everyone loves HLSL whether you like it or not but you can still bend some rules if you are Sony. If you are the Vole you kind of can afford to be bossy and to make people go the way you want them to go but Sony is tough cake.

RSX will enjoy specific version of SM 3.0 adjusted for this core and it will be highly programmable and will let you create some cool effects on Playstation 3.

the INQUIRER - PS3’s RSX is sort of Shader Model 3.0

It looks like the Tokyo Game Show next week will have a few more Xbox 360 titles on display than PS3 ones. So far only Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4 and Koei’s Ni-Oh have been announced as PS3 games the show. The show takes place September 16-18 and will show off the several Xbox 360 games. Ridge Racer 6 will be playable, and so will World Air Force and Kameo: Elements of Power.

Gamespot - First playable next-gen games confirmed for Tokyo Game Show
1UP.COM - Next-Gen Hits Tokyo Game Show

EA’s VP of New Technology Kazuyuki Hashimoto admitted that EA currently knows nothing about the Nintendo Revolution. Mr. Hashimoto knew quite a lot about both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 from EA’s development efforts with those platforms.

Developers take at least a year or two to develop a top-selling game, and EA’s lack of any specific Revolution knowledge speaks of a release date well into 2007. Nintendo has previously said that they will not be lagging behind the others consoles by much, but if this is the case, they better get a move on!

Ferrago - No Revolution for EA

Perhaps we’ll find out more at the Tokyo Game Show, but for now the details are sketchy.

The Shin Megami Tensei series of games, mainly on the PS2, will get a version for the PS3. At least according to Weekly Famitsu. Currently the game is going by the tentative name “Shin Megami Tensei”.

PS3 IGN - Shin Megami Tensei - Main Page

Devil May Cry gets to version 4 when it’s released on the PS3. The release date is over a year away, which will cause some chomping at the bit, I’m sure. The teaser trailer from E3 doesn’t show much at all, actually, with most of it being monochromatic and in a small window. We’ll just have to wait for futher demos for some better imagery.

PS3 IGN - Devil May Cry 4 - Main Page

Developers finally have final Xbox 360 dev kits less than three months before the console release. (I think it’s safe to assume it’ll launch before Dec. 6th.)

Cliff Bleszinski, Lead Designer at Epic Games, has updated his developer blog revealing that the final version of the Xbox 360 XeDK (Xenon Development Kit) has arrived. This means that developers now finally have the same silicon found in the retail Xbox 360 consoles that will be available to consumers this Fall.

Developers will continue to receive software updates but now they are working with final hardware, which means they can obtain final benchmarks to fully optimize their code and take advantage of the Xbox 360’s three symmetrical cores (each running at 3.2 GHz) and custom ATI graphics chip.

We also hope to see Xbox 360 games running on final hardware soon, probably at the Tokyo Game Show and definitely at the X05 show in early October.

team XBOX - Final Xbox 360 Xenon Development Kits Arrive

[Update 9sep05: Ageia has withdrawn these comments]

The PhysX library by Ageia is one of the technologies that Sony has licensed for use by PS3 developers. Here’s an interesting note from the PhysX library developers:

Although the PhysX libraries accelerate a host of technologies, from physical object interactions to fluid-based particle effects like water and smoke, only the PlayStation 3 and a PhysX PC will have the horsepower to process all of the technology’s features, Ageia executives said. The Xbox 360 will not be able to process the fluid-based technology, because of the limitations of its architecture.

It looks like those SPE’s the Cell contains will come in really handy for all sorts of particle effects in PS3 games. Although I don’t think Xbox 360 gamers will miss out much if they just miss out on fluid-based technology. It’s implied that it’s just the fluid-based stuff that the Xbox 360 can’t handle, though I wonder if that’s the only thing.

ExtremeTech - BFG To Manufacture Ageia PhysX Cards

the INQUIRER doesn’t provide any references or links, so take this with a grain of sodium chloride. (Plus they claim that the Xbox 360 will ship with a DVD+RW drive, which is not true. It ships with a 12x DVD-ROM.)

Their claim is that the Blu-ray drive in the PS3 will cost upwards of $100 at launch. Assuming this is true, it’s quite a steep price for a single PS3 component. They also have to stick in 512MB of high-speed RAM and the Cell processor. Plus a bunch of other little things. Altogether, the PS3 has a bunch of hardware in there and it looks like Mr. Kutaragi’s warnings of a high price should be heeded.

the INQUIRER - Playstation 3 Blu Ray drive will cost Sony $100+

In an interview about the two SKU’s Microsoft will ship for the Xbox 360, Scott Henson is asked about the lack of HD cables in the Core system. The question and answer are here:

In the HD Era, the Xbox 360 (Core system) comes with a standard AV cable!? Shouldn’t both SKUs come with the Xbox 360 Component HD-AV Cable that has both composite and component video cables plus stereo audio and optical sound connectors? Isn’t this just going to slow down the eventual transition to the HD-era as Xbox 360 is pushing to introduce?

Scott Henson: We want the high definition gaming experience to be available to anyone that wants it – no matter the capabilities of their TV set at home – standard definition or high definition.

For us, high-definition gaming is much more than the resolution of the graphics and fidelity of the audio. We think HD gaming experiences are always connected and always personalized. The AV cable that comes with the Xbox 360 Core System is for our customers who don’t have an HDTV yet. Games on Xbox 360 are optimized for HD, which also makes them look spectacular in standard definition, and you don’t need a component cable for that. Ultimately, it’s about offering our customers choice.

Mr. Henson thinks that HD means “always connected and always personalized”. What the? What’s that got to do with HD? And he also says that since Xbox 360 games are optimized for HD, that fact makes the games look spectacular in SD. I’m wracking my brains trying to think of a way this may be true, and my brain isn’t being very forthcoming.

Aside: Mr. Henson also have a strange concept of what an HDD is. He says that the HDD “will ultimately be used for more than storage”. It’s amazing to hear that the HDD will be able to do stuff besides store content. Just amazing!

team XBOX - The SKU Interview