XBox 2 Premiere n MTV??

[Funkatron]

From Reuters:

Microsoft to Unveil Next Xbox on MTV May 12
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote (http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MSFT.O&target=%2fstocks%2fquickinfo%2ffullquote), Profile (http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockOverview.aspx?ticker=MSFT.O&target=%2fstocks%2fquickinfo%2fstockoverview), Research (http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockReports.aspx?ticker=MSFT.O)) on Monday said it would unveil the next generation of its Xbox video game console in a May 12 special on cable music and entertainment channel MTV. The unveiling will be a first, as video game companies usually take the wraps off their new consoles at the industry trade show E3 -- which will be held the following week in Los Angeles.

Microsoft said the special would also air in Japan the morning of May 13 and across Europe that evening. Actor Elijah Wood will host the show.

The special will include footage of next-generation Xbox games and also online play, Microsoft said.

The company has not set a release date for the Xbox successor or even announced a name, but the new hardware is expected to be released later this year.

Market leader Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote (http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=6758.T&target=%2fstocks%2fquickinfo%2ffullquote), Profile (http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockOverview.aspx?ticker=6758.T&target=%2fstocks%2fquickinfo%2fstockoverview), Research (http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockReports.aspx?ticker=6758.T)) has said little about the timetable for its next-generation PlayStation console, but there is speculation it will offer details at E3 next month.

Last week Sony advised it would hold its E3 press conference a few hours before Microsoft's, a break with tradition that some saw as a sign Sony wanted to steal Microsoft's anticipated thunder.

[Zyzzybalubah]

I suppose Microsoft wants the mainstream to know about Xbox 2 right away. And that includes the less-than-hardcore gamers. :)

Not a bad idea, I guess they want to one-up Sony and Nintendo in any information. They're going to have the first system out this generation, so they might as well be the first to show it off. I hope they have some worthy titles to show off to all of us. Not that it matters to me, I'm not buying one for quite awhile, I just got an XBox 1 for my b-day in September and I'm not going to have the money ready for the next generation.

[Shnay]

It's an obvious, but really brilliant, marketing strategy. While the E3 presentation will probably be of much more interest to most on this board, Microsoft will generate lots of interest and recognition among a key group of potential cutsomers before the competition can. I think them getting a jump on Sony in this respect will make a large impact on the US market in the next generation.

[SSJPabs]

I thought Sony was beating Microsoft by three hours?

Anyhow, the thing that interests me most is that they are bypassing E3. I think this is the first step to consolidate power as it goes so strongly against tradition.

[Roman Legion]

MTV? Bleh...

Anyway, as long as MS sticks to demonstrations of actual games, they might gain an ounce more respect from me. We don't need to see any more of those misleading "tech demos rendered on simulated hardware" we saw before the current console generations arrived. :shrug:

Microsoft does have my interest this time around, since it's known that Epic's UE3 will be powering a number of titles for their system. If that can be considered to set the bar at release, we ought to be seeing some graphics and gameplay breakthroughs worth drooling over... yesss...

--Romey

[kiddiesunshine]

Has the original Xbox been pushed to the limit yet?! Consoles are coming out to soon.

[Master Moron]

I thought Sony was beating Microsoft by three hours?


That's at E3, not on MTV.

[Killtacular]

Has the original Xbox been pushed to the limit yet?! Consoles are coming out to soon.
I hope you're kidding. Be glad you're not a PC gamer. You have to change your 'system' practically every 15 months and it is almost always pushed at its limits.

[Zyzzybalubah]

Has the original Xbox been pushed to the limit yet?! Consoles are coming out to soon.
My thoughts exactly. It makes sense for Sony to release the console now (although they're holding off to some point next year) because they've had their system out for about 5 years coming this September or October and have pushed their system to the limit (FFX, Silent Hill 4, many many other games have done it.) PS2 has sold the best but does look dated when it's next to Xbox or Gamecube. Xbox is the best looking system out there (although RE4 on the cube IMO surpassed many other Xbox titles in graphics) Xbox does have Ninja Gaiden and Halo 2 to really show off the system's powers, but for some reason, I just don't think it's enough. I think there should be one more great title in graphics, in epic proportion, and all-out fun for the X-Box. Especially with the ending given in Halo 2.

Conker Live and Uncut may be nice, but it's not a proper goodbye X-Box 1 title (it was an N64 one afterall.)

Oh well, I pray for Xbox 2 to have some good launch titles (rumor has it: Perfect Dark Zero) and hopefully this system, as well as the other have a bit of a longer life span. Then again, the latter may just be wishful thinking.

[BlackCat]

I am not surprised Microsoft has decided to strike a deal with MTV. This could give the Xbox 2 a good push ahead of Sony and Nintendo. While I agree that it's too early for the next-gen consoles to be coming out, I hope they at least focus on not only the graphics but the actual games as well.

[Nimbleness]

Funny, nobody has mentioned the supposed new name yet.

All we can do is pray.

[kiddiesunshine]

See now, about PC games, that USED to be the difference between console and PC, which was part of the reason I could never get into PC games. Remember the first time you played Super Mario 3 on the NES and, after a few madcap sessions, decided to go back to Mario 1 for a nostalgic trip? Remember how amazed you were at how far the graphics and sound had come in only a few short years? Do you recall when you took a look back at Mortal Kombat 1 after playing Mortal Kombat II at the arcade. What a big step that was! Developers used to try so hard to push the limits of consoles back in the day--RAM expansions, bit upgrade peripherals, CD add-ons, graphical enhancers built into game cartridges. I'm sure the list continues. The point is that I haven't seen much in the way of improving the current systems on the market. Everyone seems to want to put out an entirely new product instead.

Now, I think the PS2 has had a good run and is now showing its age...NOW. And how many years has it been out? It's about time for a new PS.

The GCN has been out since, I think 2001 and, whenever I watch my cousin play Resident Evil 4, I'm wowed by the graphics and sound. The graphics easily rival some of the better looking Xbox games out now and the sound is enhanced by Dolby Pro Logic II. More and more GCN games are supporting that sound format now.

The Xbox started out a powerhouse in every aspect--superior graphics (almost all recent releases support HDTV which adds to image quality...duh), sound, seeing as more than half of the Xbox's games support pure Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, be it in cutscenes or even in-game, and technology (custom soundtracks, built-in hard drive, built-in ethernet adapter). Anything graphical added to Xbox games is hardly noticable in my opinion. Dead or Alive Ultimate was supposed to be the most realistic looking fighting game since DOA3. DOA3 looked awesome. Still does. How different is DOAU compared to DOA3? Not much. A few extra strategically placed polygons here, some bump mapping there, add some tweaked breast physics and BAM! New ground has been broken. Nah, nah, that ain't gonna cut it. Ninja Gaiden. Another beautiful game. What else is there on the Xbox to compare it to in order to show developmental progress? The rushed movie adaptation games? The poorly designed games that are born and die in the Wal-Mart bargain bin? The children's games that suffer from the pure lack of consideration on the part of the developer that thinks kids don't care if their games look nice? From that perspective, you might say the graphics have come a long way, but the fact of the matter is that Tecmo proved the Xbox was capable of great graphics years before the release of Ninja Gaiden with Dead or Alive 3.

I think I'm gonna end my rant here. All I'm saying is that these systems, as powerful as they are, don't get the same amount of time to "ripen" as their predecessors.

If I'm wrong.....it would hardly be the first time.