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Bill Gates has treated gaming fans around the world to a sneak preview of the slimmed down next generation version of the Xbox, dubbed the ‘360’ and designed to take gaming to the next level. The Microsoft boss believes the sleeker design combined with a 20GB hard drive has the power to revolutionise home entertainment, while seeing off the competitive threat posed by Sony and Nintendo. To meet the challenge, Gates has poured over $1 billion (£545m) into creating the new 360 console which is expected to launch in North America, Europe and Japan by mid-December. Observers say the investment is crucial if Microsoft is to catch its rivals, given poor sales of the current Xbox in Japan - just 1.7m - and an overall loss at the company’s home and entertainment division last year of $1.2bn. Sony already reports sales of PlayStation 2 in the region of 80 million, comfortably making it global leader of an industry worth £6 billion. Now however the Redmond-based company appears to have learnt from past mistakes, with most analysts predicting Xbox 360 will be sold for a lesser price than its 2001 predecessor, which debuted at £299. Likewise, the new sleek design of 360 seems to have silenced Microsoft critics, which pointed out that the original Xbox was a bulky, logo-centric machine that tested the sturdiest of computer desks. With some of the past pitfalls corrected, Bill Gates is this week trumpeting the next generation capabilities of Xbox 360, which can play videogames, DVDs, CDs and connect to the internet. For these features alone, the console is being hailed as an ‘entertainment hub’ that will appeal to a wide spectrum of audiences, not just hardcore gamers. Robbie Bach, chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft, said the console would “ignite new levels of creativity, community and competition.” “With the first generation of Xbox, our ambition was to change the way people think about video games,” Bach said, on the day of the sneak preview. “Starting today with Xbox 360, our ambition is to transform the way people play games and have fun.” Switching on a 360 immediately conveys the wide range of capabilities available, as a dashboard interface pops-up to show options for home, media and games downloads that can be transferred directly onto high-definition televisions. All of the next generation models will be sold with the 20-gigabyte hard drive as standard that can be removed, upgraded and interchanged with other 360 consoles. It is not yet known however if current Xbox games will run on the new model. Users can also see whether their friends or fellow gamers are online; talk to them direct with video and voice messaging while at the same time, having the freedom – if not a spare hand - to make an online purchase. Other users will prefer to create and listen to their own soundtrack, as they play online to their favourite game. It is expected that all users will navigate through the options using wireless controllers, though exactly how this technology will communicate with the console has not yet been disclosed. In addition, another listed selling point is the feature of clip-on attachments – effectively allowing users to personalise their console by dressing it with different faces. Yet the most common endorsement of 360 seems to centre upon the silver-white “chill” colour of the console that was decided upon after Microsoft vetted more than 30 different shades. With tremendous online acceptance of the concave design of the console and amid reports that Japanese consumers found the “chill” tone the best, the clip-on faces for 360 are yet to prove themselves as unique selling points. “Our goal in the last generation was to be in the game,” Gates said this month. “We came out of this round a strong number two. What we’ve got, at some significant cost, was the right to play again with great credibility.” May 17, 2005 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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