Post Xbox 360 launch experiences and early observations

DCFan2004 · Post by **DCFan2004** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:38 pm

D-Roc wrote:Some of the EBAY auctions I saw the bidding was going up over $1000 US! Man, those people are gonna regret spending that much after the holidays when you'll be able to find one anywhere. I'm still planning on holding out untill the 1st price drop.

Thats nothing, this morning I saw one go for $5600 USD. It was a Premium system, 2 games, an extra wireless controller, and overnight shipping. Some people are very retarded.

toastman · Post by **toastman** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm

Funniest Auction Ever

But people who buy a console at launch just to resell it on ebay are the lowest forms of life possible. You are just taking advantage of people who honestly wanted one. I bet none of these people want to pay $1000 for a 360, but because of people who buy to resell, they must.
Just think, demand is probably twice as high as it should be because half of those people are just assholes who want to sell the system on ebay.

Post by **Specially Cork** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:11 pm

I'm not denying that there aren't amazing differences graphics-wise. But ?300 and queing in line just for better graphics? No thanks.

I would be after the exclusive original content more than anything.

It just makes no sense to me why somebody would wait in anticipation for 360 to be released, be prepared to pay the full original release price, go and queue up outside a store, and then go buy software which is already available on older consoles for less money. Especially if the only major difference is a graphics update.

JuddWack · Post by **JuddWack** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:36 pm

I drove by Bestbuy at about 11:15 and saw a line of atleast 50 people.

I went to Target and was 30 on the list. The manager was nice enough to stop by and told us exactly what they had. 22 premium and 20 core. Of course I wanted a premium so I continued my hunt.

I went to toys r us but I didn't like my chances.

I finally got to Circuit City at about 12:30 and saw 8 people huddled under the awning. One kid told me that he spoke to someone who worked there and the guy said they had 17 units so I stayed and did get my premium. There were about 15 of us who were there overnight. A LOT of people showed up around 6 or 7 am. I heard a few horror stories.

Anyway I got Call of Duty 2. I'm not entirely impressed with it or XBox live so even though I got my system I'm somewhat disappointed. However I havn't really slept in a day and a half so I'm not to sure what is going on.

SadisticSaviorX · Post by **SadisticSaviorX** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:41 pm

i think im going to wait untill Halo 3 comes out....

a new halo would be the only reason for me to buy a new console..

BlackAura · Post by **BlackAura** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:34 pm

Invizix wrote:Actually BoneyCork, the next-gen consoles are extremely powerful, more so than anything we we currently have.

Example is Call of Duty 2. The first image is from the Xbox version

Since when has the Xbox been able to display 1280x960? Not only that, but the Xbox version runs in a higher resolution than the super spangly high-definition Xbox 360 version (which only manages 1280x720)? I don't think so.

The top screenshot is obviously NOT an in-game shot of the Xbox version.

Aside from that... how is that an amazing demonstration of how amazingly fantastic the Xbox 360 is? I see slightly higher polygon models (and not by much), slightly higher resolution textures (again, not by much), a dodgy-looking bloom filter, and the addition of normal maps and gloss maps.

Other than that, it's the same as before. Dodgy looking static lightmaps. Dodgy looking low-res shadow maps with no apparent self-shadowing. Textures that aren't sufficiently high-resolution to prevent them from looking blurry at that resolution. Noticable aliasing on polygon edges (what happened to "the end of jaggies"?). Occasional clumps of trees or grass or bits of fence that still look like cardboard cut outs. Absolutely no usage of normal mapping, or even bump mapping, on any world surface, making everything look flat an lifeless. No anisotropic filtering, so you have a horrible blurry look when looking at a texture close to side-on (see the side of those buildings).

It just looks like a slightly shinier Xbox game to me. And the PC version looks exactly the same.

BoneyCork is pretty much right. There's a graphics update (and not a particularly impressive one in my opinion), but what else is there? There aren't any amazing, totally new games that you can only play with an Xbox 360. In fact, of the launch games, only Amped 3, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Project Gotham Racing 3 are not already available for another system.

Tall Israeli · Post by **Tall Israeli** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:40 pm

BlackAura wrote:
Invizix wrote:Actually BoneyCork, the next-gen consoles are extremely powerful, more so than anything we we currently have.

Example is Call of Duty 2. The first image is from the Xbox version
Since when has the Xbox been able to display 1280x960? Not only that, but the Xbox version runs in a higher resolution than the super spangly high-definition Xbox 360 version (which only manages 1280x720)? I don't think so.

The top screenshot is obviously NOT an in-game shot of the Xbox version.

Aside from that... how is that an amazing demonstration of how amazingly fantastic the Xbox 360 is? I see slightly higher polygon models (and not by much), slightly higher resolution textures (again, not by much), a dodgy-looking bloom filter, and the addition of normal maps and gloss maps.

Other than that, it's the same as before. Dodgy looking static lightmaps. Dodgy looking low-res shadow maps with no apparent self-shadowing. Textures that aren't sufficiently high-resolution to prevent them from looking blurry at that resolution. Noticable aliasing on polygon edges (what happened to "the end of jaggies"?). Occasional clumps of trees or grass or bits of fence that still look like cardboard cut outs. Absolutely no usage of normal mapping, or even bump mapping, on any world surface, making everything look flat an lifeless. No anisotropic filtering, so you have a horrible blurry look when looking at a texture close to side-on (see the side of those buildings).

It just looks like a slightly shinier Xbox game to me. And the PC version looks exactly the same.

BoneyCork is pretty much right. There's a graphics update (and not a particularly impressive one in my opinion), but what else is there? There aren't any amazing, totally new games that you can only play with an Xbox 360. In fact, of the launch games, only Amped 3, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Project Gotham Racing 3 are not already available for another system.

Not to mention COD2 never came out on the Xbox.

SuperMegatron · Post by **SuperMegatron** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:54 pm

JuddWack wrote:I drove by Bestbuy at about 11:15 and saw a line of atleast 50 people.

I went to Target and was 30 on the list. The manager was nice enough to stop by and told us exactly what they had. 22 premium and 20 core. Of course I wanted a premium so I continued my hunt.

I went to toys r us but I didn't like my chances.

I finally got to Circuit City at about 12:30 and saw 8 people huddled under the awning. One kid told me that he spoke to someone who worked there and the guy said they had 17 units so I stayed and did get my premium. There were about 15 of us who were there overnight. A LOT of people showed up around 6 or 7 am. I heard a few horror stories.

Anyway I got Call of Duty 2. I'm not entirely impressed with it or XBox live so even though I got my system I'm somewhat disappointed. However I havn't really slept in a day and a half so I'm not to sure what is going on.

I had virtually the same experience best buy was crazy, target was iffy but circuit city was just right. The guys there made a list and we just sat in our cars until 6 when we formed a line.

Lunchbox · Post by **Lunchbox** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:00 pm

http://www.adjab.com/files/2005/11/xboxstandoff.wmv

atf487 · Post by **atf487** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:10 pm

Lunchbox wrote:http://www.adjab.com/files/2005/11/xboxstandoff.wmv

love that ad. also, check out http://www.smashmyxbox.com

anyway, i think the graphics will get better with time. there was a rumor that the current games were running at only 1/6 of the real power of the system, which could be BS but it could explain the less than stellar graphics.

not just souLLy now · Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:36 am

atf487 wrote:
Lunchbox wrote:anyway, i think the graphics will get better with time. there was a rumor that the current games were running at only 1/6 of the real power of the system, which could be BS but it could explain the less than stellar graphics.

i always laugh when i read stuff like, "only uses 1/4 of the capabilities of the console" what an utterly bizarre statement. tell me how many games have ever used anything like the full capability of the system, why would you need to?

"yeah dave, game's finished, looking good yeah, 'does it use the full console capability?', well no mate it doesn't, 'throw in some random calculations to bump it up?', dude you just saved computer games forever"

butters · Post by **butters** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:59 am

atf487 wrote:
Lunchbox wrote:http://www.adjab.com/files/2005/11/xboxstandoff.wmv
love that ad. also, check out http://www.smashmyxbox.com

anyway, i think the graphics will get better with time. there was a rumor that the current games were running at only 1/6 of the real power of the system, which could be BS but it could explain the less than stellar graphics.

Actually from what I've read to program a game engine that takes full advantage of a multicore console like the Xbox 360 or the PS3 will take longer than the lifespan of the console.

Skynet · Post by **Skynet** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:16 am

4 more months of waiting. Yeah...

On the bright side, hopefully they iron out any bugs and crap and have some decent games that I'm really looking forward too. PD0 would be my game of choice, however.

jessman · Post by **jessman** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:07 am

Really... There's no real reason to buy one unless you wanna waste money on a cold, souless corporation's hellspawn. I'm still pissed that RARE canceled Perfect Dark for the Gamecube. I don't know about you guys, but I think that gaming is repeating itself llike it did in the early 80's. There's nothing new at all, and I'm gonna give up gaming if the Revolution sucks. Sega isn't there for it's fans anymore, and Nintendo's recent CONSOLE attempts have been pathetic. DDR Mario Mix? What CRAP! Mario Baseball was pretty great though. I just wish that Microsoft would give up. Why, oh WHY did Nintendo screw Sony back in the day? I wish that the course of history wouldn't have been changed so that Nintendo and Sega were still on top!

Nyarlathotep · Post by **Nyarlathotep** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:42 am

jessman wrote:I'm still pissed that RARE canceled Perfect Dark for the Gamecube.

Actually Nintendo 'cancelled' it by selling Rare off.

Presumably all the money they were paying them for nothing to show except the mediocre-at-best Starfox Adventures wasn't impressing Nintendo senior management much.

For the money MS paid for them you would expect something pretty damn special to be coming out for the 360.

arrowhead · Post by **arrowhead** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:51 am

Tasty toastman wrote:Funniest Auction Ever

But people who buy a console at launch just to resell it on ebay are the lowest forms of life possible. You are just taking advantage of people who honestly wanted one. I bet none of these people want to pay $1000 for a 360, but because of people who buy to resell, they must.
Just think, demand is probably twice as high as it should be because half of those people are just assholes who want to sell the system on ebay.

How so? If morons are dumb enough to shell out 1500+ dollars just so little johnny wont cry at Christmas sort of deserve to be taken advantage of. When jan/feb roll around there will be 360's sitting on the shelf rotting. I wish I would have remembered to preorder a few to sell on ebay. 4500 dollars for the price of 3 xboxes is one hell of an investment. Are people who buy stocks in companies they think will rise a-holes too? Its an investment man, no more no less. Its not like the 360 will have died by january. Its more like people will have to wait to play an xbox game on a shiny new console when they could just be playing the xbox they already have. I have payed a 360 and I believe the xbox is just as good. Just not as shiny.

Skynet · Post by **Skynet** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:30 am

Hmph, I just read on xbox-scene that it will retail at $649.95 while the core sytem comes in at $499.95. Wtf!? What was it for price for both versions in US? Something like $299 and $399? Even $399 = AU$540.6139

That's complete and utter bullshit!

Lartrak · Post by **Lartrak** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:15 am

arrowhead wrote:
Tasty toastman wrote:Funniest Auction Ever

But people who buy a console at launch just to resell it on ebay are the lowest forms of life possible. You are just taking advantage of people who honestly wanted one. I bet none of these people want to pay $1000 for a 360, but because of people who buy to resell, they must.
Just think, demand is probably twice as high as it should be because half of those people are just assholes who want to sell the system on ebay.
How so? If morons are dumb enough to shell out 1500+ dollars just so little johnny wont cry at Christmas sort of deserve to be taken advantage of. When jan/feb roll around there will be 360's sitting on the shelf rotting. I wish I would have remembered to preorder a few to sell on ebay. 4500 dollars for the price of 3 xboxes is one hell of an investment. Are people who buy stocks in companies they think will rise a-holes too? Its an investment man, no more no less. Its not like the 360 will have died by january. Its more like people will have to wait to play an xbox game on a shiny new console when they could just be playing the xbox they already have. I have payed a 360 and I believe the xbox is just as good. Just not as shiny.

I generally agree. I remember I had a plan to buy Steel Battallion when it came out and just hold onto it for a while (came out at $200, they were at $350 for a while on eBay). Ah well.

Maybe I'll get my chance with the PS3.

Post by **Specially Cork** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:36 am

Skynet wrote:Hmph, I just read on xbox-scene that it will retail at $649.95 while the core sytem comes in at $499.95. Wtf!? What was it for price for both versions in US? Something like $299 and $399? Even $399 = AU$540.6139

That's complete and utter bullcrap!

No it isnt. you cant take a price from one country, convert it to your own currency and expect the same product to be that price. Economies don't work like that.
While lots of things may seem cheaper in the US, don't forget that things like wages and salaries will seem cheaper too, So while it may be very easy for a foreigner to say "wow look how cheaper America is!", for an actual American they are facing the same level of expense.

However, that doesnt changed the fact that you have to wait months for its release. We get it here in the UK in just over a week's time.

toastman · Post by **toastman** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:32 am

arrowhead wrote:
Tasty toastman wrote:Funniest Auction Ever

But people who buy a console at launch just to resell it on ebay are the lowest forms of life possible. You are just taking advantage of people who honestly wanted one. I bet none of these people want to pay $1000 for a 360, but because of people who buy to resell, they must.
Just think, demand is probably twice as high as it should be because half of those people are just assholes who want to sell the system on ebay.
How so? If morons are dumb enough to shell out 1500+ dollars just so little johnny wont cry at Christmas sort of deserve to be taken advantage of. When jan/feb roll around there will be 360's sitting on the shelf rotting. I wish I would have remembered to preorder a few to sell on ebay. 4500 dollars for the price of 3 xboxes is one hell of an investment. Are people who buy stocks in companies they think will rise a-holes too? Its an investment man, no more no less. Its not like the 360 will have died by january. Its more like people will have to wait to play an xbox game on a shiny new console when they could just be playing the xbox they already have. I have payed a 360 and I believe the xbox is just as good. Just not as shiny.

These vultures artificially create the demand. An XBox 360 is not an investment, no matter what you think. It will not appreciate in value over time and only has a shelf life of 5 - 7 years. In 10 years time it will be $50 at Gamestop, but no one will care because they can still play games on it.