Report: Xbox 360 "Falcon" to Feature 65nm CPU, 90nm GPU

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Upcoming Xbox 360 hardware to have cooler IBM CPU, but not the revised ATI GPU

The Mercury News’ Dean Takahashi reports that the first Xbox 360 CPUs manufactured on the 65nm process are now on ships in the Pacific bound for North America. Should the consoles, which are made in China, arrive soon, then they could be on retail shelves sometime this fall.

Last month, Takahashi reported that the 65nm Xbox 360 chips would come in a revised hardware version that Microsoft has coded “Falcon.” The new chips are not only smaller and roughly 50 percent cheaper to produce than their 90nm counterpart, but they are also cooler – and presumably less prone to the Red Ring of Death defect.

Those expecting the 65nm die shrink to affect the two main chips inside the Xbox 360 will be disappointed to learn that only the console’s main processor will be the manufactured on the new process.

“Falcon is the name for the board that houses the 65-nanometer microprocessor from IBM,” wrote Takahashi. “The board does not include a 65-nanometer version of the ATI graphics chip for the Xbox 360. That version of the graphics chip is coming later.”

The new 65nm chip from IBM will work with both the current 90nm and the future 65nm iteration of the 65nm ATI GPU, according to Takahashi.

Oddly enough, it appears as though the main culprit behind the Xbox 360 reliability woes may be linked to the ATI GPU rather than the IBM CPU. As part of a recent fix to all 90nm-based consoles, Microsoft has been adding additional cooling measures into the Xbox 360. Found first in a repaired European Xbox 360 was a new heatsink with a heatpipe that leads to a secondary “daughter” heatsink helps to further cool the GPU.

The latest Xbox 360 Premium consoles with the HDMI-enabled “Zephyr” motherboard also features the extra heatsinks, providing further evidence that an overheating GPU is the main cause behind the Red Ring of Death.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8586

Wii Sales Surpass Xbox 360 Lifetime Shipments

Nintendo's Wii has met incredible success due to multiple factors that brewed a perfect storm, according to Ted Pollak, president of EE Fund Management. "The revolutionary controller was obviously an important part of the buzz surrounding the Wii," he said. Another important factor in Wii's success is power of the Nintendo game characters.

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Wii worldwide sales are making history. According to VG Chartz, Wii sales passed up lifetime Xbox 360 sales in less than a year. That makes the Wii the fastest-selling console in the chronicles of video games.

VG Chartz's assessment is based on sample data from retailers all over the world. That data shows the Wii sold 10.57 million consoles as of August 23. By comparison, the Xbox 360 has sold 10.51 million units by that date. The figures look close until you consider that the Wii was launched one year later than the Xbox 360.

The accomplishment is a double honor, marking the first time since 1994 the same company has been the leader in the home console and handheld markets. Nintendo is repeating history, then, as its Super NES and Gameboy dominated their respective markets in 1994.

What's Behind Wii Success?

The Nintendo Wii has met incredible success due to multiple factors that brewed a perfect storm, according to Ted Pollak, president of San Francisco-based EE Fund Management, a video game industry focused investment partnership. Pollak has been following the sector for 20 years and is also senior game industry analyst at Jon Peddie Research.

"The revolutionary controller was obviously an important part of the buzz surrounding the Wii -- being the first worldwide-recognized gaming input device to utilize accelerometers," he said. "Beyond the buzz, the controller has delivered being an effective and fun input device."

Another important factor in Wii's success is the "evergreen franchise" power of the Nintendo game character intellectual property. Many fans would purchase almost any machine Nintendo manufactured just so they can play the games with Mario and Zelda, Pollak explained. Of course, the Wii's low price didn't hurt its chances in the marketplace, either.

The Many Wii Factors

Not all of the elements contributing to the perfect storm are so obvious, though. Some subtle factors are also at play, such as slower-than-anticipated adoption of HD televisions by console gamers. Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 offer high-resolution graphics. While both of these machines will work with a regular TV, gamers cannot experience the high-res graphics without an HD television.

"Assuming an HD television costs $350, this effectively increased the 'real cost' of the systems to around $700 for the 360 and $850 for the PS3," Pollak said. "The high-res consoles in my opinion are incredible values even with the cost of the HD TV, but there are tens of millions of console gamers who I believe simply can't afford that price level. The Wii was built for a standard-definition television."

The Wii also has a wide appeal. The games and the act of playing games on the Wii appeal to females, nongamers, and seniors -- significantly expanding the potential market for this console, according to Pollak. What's more, Pollak said he believes all the analyst predictions about a two-horse race between Sony and Microsoft gave Wii the underdog advantage.

http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Wii-Sales-Pass-Total-Xbox-360-Shipments/story.xhtml?story_id=13000ER5PL3K

Manhunt 2 Receives "M" Rating, Release Set for Halloween

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Rockstar Games gets Manhunt 2 green lighted for release

Rockstar Games’ much maligned horror title Manhunt 2 appears to be on track for a release this Halloween.

Manhunt 2 was originally slated for release on the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP on July 10 but was temporarily suspended from release following ESRB rating the game AO for adults only. Rockstar Games was left with few options as it is Nintendo and Sony’s policy to not allow AO content on its systems. (Microsoft also carries the same policy, though there is no Manhunt 2 planned for the Xbox 360.)

Publisher Take 2 Interactive and developer Rockstar Games last week announced that it had submitted a modified version of Manhunt 2 to the ESRB, who has now rated the title "M" for Mature for ages 17 and older. The new rating is now acceptable by Sony and Nintendo, which paves the way for the game’s upcoming release this fall.

"Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games. "We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

Halo3 Gameplay

Halo 3 - GC 2007 New Map Gameplay Pt. 1

Posted Aug 24, 2007

Stalk your enemies through the claustrophobic tunnels and across the barren dunes in this new multiplayer map.

Halo 3 - GC 2007 New Map Gameplay Pt. 2

Posted Aug 24, 2007

More footage of the new desert map shown at this year's Leipzig Games Convention.

Gabe Newell: DirectX 10 for Vista was a mistake

According to an online survey by Valve Software, only one in fifty players who access download service Steam has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and Windows Vista installed. In an interview with heise online, Gabe Newell, president of Valve Software, said that Microsoft made a terrible mistake releasing DirectX 10 for Vista only and excluding Windows XP. He said this decision affected the whole industry as so far only a very small percentage of players can use DirectX 10.

When developing cross-platform games which are also released fo Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, developers look for the smallest common denominator. And since neither Microsoft's nor Sony's new consoles support Shader Model 4.0 for DirectX 10, only few games use it, he said.

In addition, Newell bemoaned the increasing lack of input device diversity in PC gaming culture. He would like to see controllers like the Wiimote or the Guitar Hero guitar, but since DirectX support for devices like these had increasingly been reduced over the last few years, developers didn't dare implement these expensive innovations.

The Half-Life 2 Orange Box, which will be released for PC and Xbox 360 on 12. October, uses DirectX 10 functionality only for accelerating some mimics. Visually, however, it was virtually impossible to differentiate between the versions. The PS3 edition is being developed by an EA studio and is scheduled for release two to three weeks later.

The game will already be available from download service Steam on 10. October. Newell said the later release date for the retail editions was requested by the retailers. Retailers also didn't want different versions, resulting in the release of a complete package containing Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress. Even before the release date, Valve will announce additional bundles for Steam so that existing Half-Life 2 users don't have to buy a second copy of the game.

The source engine was expanded for Episode 2. A special alpha blend mode generates smoother anti-aliasing edges. In addition, the demo version exhibits new distortion effects and soft shadows. The Orange Box console versions will also apply the new engine features, including high dynamic range rendering and multi core support, to the main game. The PC main game was not revised. Half-Life 2 runs at a resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.