Make love, not war man!
Software giant Microsoft has surprised the world by reacting kindly to the Xbox being taken online prematurely. In a letter sent to the retail sector in the States, Microsoft made the following statement:
“It's amazing and exciting to see the lengths that gamers will go to in order to take their Xbox games online. The GameSpy arcade efforts are a strong indication that people want online console game experiences. Additionally, these efforts showcase the superiority of Xbox because it was built from the ground up to provide people with the next generation of exciting online game play. The Xbox online experience will enable, natively and in a highly reliable and secure manner, an end-to-end online gaming experience that will go well beyond matchmaking to include things like voice, multiplayer with more that just two players, downloadable content and more.
We think the GameSpy efforts are an interesting science experiment by and for hardcore gamers. The suggested set up requires every player to have a PC located close to their Xbox. It appears to work pretty well for 2 players, but beyond that, it doesn't scale. With the online service and capabilities of Xbox, the experience will be unlimited. In order to engage several players, voice, content download, and online support with no PC required, gamers will have to wait for the Xbox online service. And it will be worth it.
Our online efforts are designed for the ultimate in online console speed, simplicity, community, and content. Right out of the box, Xbox online will be an always-on, fast-action service that provides multiplayer and episodic gaming, and tournaments that appeal to all types of game players.”
The last paragraph in the statement is of particular interest. Episodic download solutions for Xbox gaming have long been rumoured, but these rumors were routinely quashed by Microsoft as they happened.
The Xbox is shaping up into something the world has never seen before. The only problem being that we cannot tell what at this point.
“It's amazing and exciting to see the lengths that gamers will go to in order to take their Xbox games online. The GameSpy arcade efforts are a strong indication that people want online console game experiences. Additionally, these efforts showcase the superiority of Xbox because it was built from the ground up to provide people with the next generation of exciting online game play. The Xbox online experience will enable, natively and in a highly reliable and secure manner, an end-to-end online gaming experience that will go well beyond matchmaking to include things like voice, multiplayer with more that just two players, downloadable content and more.
We think the GameSpy efforts are an interesting science experiment by and for hardcore gamers. The suggested set up requires every player to have a PC located close to their Xbox. It appears to work pretty well for 2 players, but beyond that, it doesn't scale. With the online service and capabilities of Xbox, the experience will be unlimited. In order to engage several players, voice, content download, and online support with no PC required, gamers will have to wait for the Xbox online service. And it will be worth it.
Our online efforts are designed for the ultimate in online console speed, simplicity, community, and content. Right out of the box, Xbox online will be an always-on, fast-action service that provides multiplayer and episodic gaming, and tournaments that appeal to all types of game players.”
The last paragraph in the statement is of particular interest. Episodic download solutions for Xbox gaming have long been rumoured, but these rumors were routinely quashed by Microsoft as they happened.
The Xbox is shaping up into something the world has never seen before. The only problem being that we cannot tell what at this point.
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