Speculation XBox2 may use G5-based chipset?

mdnky

mdnky

[Bobs/Prog/Design:~] mod%
Staff member
Mod
Anyone see this article on yahoo or anywhere else? Microsoft announced they would be using chips from IBM in the next XBox console...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=569&ncid=738&e=2&u=/nm/20031103/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_dc



Wired News is reporting it to be a PowerPC chip:

http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,61065,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1


IBM Press Release
According to Bernie Meyerson, IBM Fellow and chief technologist for IBM's Technology Group, the new Xbox technologies will be based on the latest in IBM's family of state-of-the-art processors.
Click to expand...
http://www.ibm.com/news/us/2003/11/031.html
 
hold your horses! there is plenty of time for another company ( say intell) to offer a lower price before the next Xbox comes out
 
... If that comes out, I want one of those Xboxes.


I'll just buy it with no games, format it, install some version of Linux and voilà I'll have resolved all the server problems. I hope they will keep the pricing like now: If you buy an Xbox but no games, you are making loss for M$.
 
IBM has announced an agreement to make the chipset that will drive the next generation of Microsoft's XBox. While it is still a long way off, there is already some speculation that the next XBox may use a variant of IBM's PowerPC processor already used on the Apple PowerMac G5 and IBM Opteron systems.

Press Release:
http://w3-3.ibm.com/technology/news/2003/1103-xbox-press.html

One of the more 'speculative' articles:
http://arstechnica.com/archive/news/1067882060.html

ZDNet:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5101146.html

Reuters:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=1&u=/nm/20031103/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_dc

EE Times:
http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20031103S0060
 
Supposedly it's going to be IBM PowerPc based. That would break that wintel alliance that has been going on since the dawn of time. Triumph!
 
Sogni said:
Eh? Make MS lose money??? Ok that all of a sudden got my intrest peaked! :D
Click to expand...

Erm, IIRC MS loses money on every XBox sold already anyhow.

BTW - Isn't the GameCube powered by a PPC?…
 
Gamecube is G3 based IIRC

also, MS will lose more money if you dont buy an Xbox rather than if you did :p
 
If it's true that they will be running on a PPC chip, then they will have to port Windows to PPC. XBox uses a version of Windows as the OS.

Or, they may use VPC to emulate the X86 architecture but they would have to put a lot of effort into making it faster.
 
Yes, cybergoober. Right in both cases. ;-)
I don't think this will have anything to do with any 'Wintel' breakup. Sure, it's kind of unexpected that MS does this (skip intel, I mean...), but anything like "Now we'll see Windows XP on Macs" is certainly way off. Microsoft has to pull all registers if they want to win against the other players in the game console market. They've learned something, is all.
 
The game cube uses a IBM "G3" and the next Sony Console is supposed to be using a PPC architecture of some sort. As for the XBOX. It doesn't uses Windows, it is said to use a stripped down version of the Windows 2000 Kernel, which of course is in ROM/NVRAM not actually on the HDD. Who knows. with some solder and the right ROM chip, you could see OSX on an XBOX :p
 
"If it's true that they will be running on a PPC chip, then they will have to port Windows to PPC"

The PowerPC chip that is the basis for the G5 already supports Windows 2003 Server 64-bit edition, so this has already been done.
 
symphonix said:
"If it's true that they will be running on a PPC chip, then they will have to port Windows to PPC"

The PowerPC chip that is the basis for the G5 already supports Windows 2003 Server 64-bit edition, so this has already been done.
Click to expand...

Really??? :confused:
Do you have a link?
 
I second that, but others speculate that they might use the Cell processor which will be used in the Playstation3. But if IBM allowed Microsoft that right, Sony would be livid. I personally doubt they'd use either Cell or a G5.

BTW, I wonder what it'd be like if Apple got into this market....that would be awsome...maybe..
 
XBOX2 is supposed to use a derivitive of the Power5, the Father to PPC 980.
As for apple in the console market. No. M$ makes a loss on every console, and then hopes they make it back in game sales.
I for one would prefer apple didnt enter the console market. While their games would no doubt have the best graphics out there, It doesnt have the oomph that MS, Sony or Nintendo do, to persuade game makers. And it cant just up and buy companies MS style to force them to make games.

Personally, i think a Cube-style TV unit (use itunes, iphoto, dvds, etc via airport/rendevouz, with 5.1 & digital TV out) would be cool. when im not a poor student, i'm gonna build it! :D
 
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