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From http://www.gamepro.com

Gates unveils Xbox at CES show 06-JAN-01
"From now on games won't be anything like those that first kicked off the video game revolution," said Bill Gates at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, "At Microsoft we're calling them extreme entertainment."

After orchestrating an impressive showing of PC-based high-tech gear aimed at workstyle and lifestyle, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, punctuated his CES keynote address by unveiling the Xbox to a packed audience at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.

"Extreme" indeed. The sleek-looking unit was dressed in a jet black, with that eerie green Xbox logo prominently pulsating in the middle of the casing. In his presentation, Gates didn't go into much detail about the Xbox, at least nothing most gamers already know.

However, he made it a point to say that the Xbox design was the result of spending major testing time with gamers and in fact 100 different form factors had been tested before this final look. According to him, the system onstage had a built-in hard disc, hard-wired HDTV support, a 100 megabit Ethernet connector, and was broadband I/O capable. No indication was made whether or not consumers will get all these goodies out of the Box when it makes is debut in November 2001.

As it currently stands, the official specs for the Xbox are: 733 MHz CPU, a 250 MHz graphics chip, 64MB of RAM, and 8GB hard drive, and a 2-5x DVD drive. Gates also mentioned that Microsoft's silicon partners Intel and Nvdia, would be supplying the CPU and graphic processor respectively, but that some chips would be so cutting edge that they wouldn't be finalized until just before the Xbox ships. [Atomic Dawg Note: And those murmurs you now imagine you hear from the crowd are the anxious rumblings of those us who are currently suffering through chip shortages which submarined the launch of another prominent next-gen game system: the PS2]

And in reference to the PlayStation 2, unlike Sony's system, the Xbox will have four built-in controller ports; a very good gamer-aware decision. Gates said that controllers would house two expansion ports and have built-in rumble capability.

Then, video testimonials were provided by representatives of companies working on Xbox games including Activision (Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2X), Argonaut (Malice), THQ (WWF Raw Is War), and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. Munch's Oddysee and Malice were put through their paces. For Munch's Oddysee, Abe and the fish-like Munch romped through a huge factory environment, at least until they met up with a duo of heavily-armed Sligs. In Malice, it was hammer time as the main character, Alice, put her multi-purpose flat-headed tool through a series of bug-squishing exercises.

The demos displayed impressive graphic detail with awesome lighting effects and precise character designs. The final effects were even more impressive considering they were apparently being shown with a development unit running only at 1/5 the Xbox's final processing power.

Running on 100 percent of his power, however, was WWF superstar, The Rock, who joined Gates onstage to conclude the keynote. The Rock and The Bill tossed cute catch phrases at each other to wind up the show. "The Rock," sayeth the Rock, "is the most electrifying thing in show business, and the Xbox will be the most electrifying thing in video games!"

Only time, "the Launch," and all you gamers will tell.

Front of the Xbox

Back of the Xbox

Zac Brewer

Michigan

USA

kidrokc12@aol.com

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Page Updated Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:45pm EDT