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November 17, 2005
Xbox 360 Next Generation Console Wars
Xbox 360: First Strike!
Who will win? Xbox 360, Playstation 3 or the Revolution?
Microsoft's Xbox 360 is positioned well in the upcoming Next Generation Console battle with a gaming entertainment system that is both extremely powerful and easy to develop for. As current gaming systems, particularly the original Xbox, have yet to be pushed to their technological limits in game design, it is the 'ease of development' component of the Xbox 360 rather than the obvious performance increase that will set the 360 apart from it's next generation rivals Sony and Nintendo.
Shorter game development times through the use of Microsoft's XNA language and developer tools give the 360 a decided advantage allowing game companies to co-develop Xbox 360 games along with PC titles. The fact that the new Xbox 360 controller can function both as a console and a PC (gaming) controller is just one example of how Microsoft has addressed game developer issues. John Carmack of ID Software and creator of the fabled DOOM gaming engine has stated that the Xbox 360 has far and away the best development tools. Microsoft, well aware of the complexities of game programming created the XNA Toolkit specifically for cross platform, PC and Xbox 360, game development. Conversely, programmers developing games for Sony's upcoming Playstation 3 have complained that the system is difficult to develop for, leading to the prospect of much longer development times for game projects. Nintendo's new console, the Revolution, uses a radically different gaming controller that may affect development cycles as programmers learn to incorporate its new features.
As in most businesses, time equals money. Getting quality next-generation titles to market in a timely matter with lower comparative costs means higher profits. Providing game developers the tools to accomplish that goal may be the definitive factor in deciding who wins the next generation console wars.
Incredble looking games such as Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham 3 and Quake 4 among the Xbox 360's launch titles leave little doubt that the next generation is here.
Posted by BIGBAER at November 17, 2005 02:01 PM
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