Well, someone has snapped a photo of an Xbox next to an Xbox 360.

On the right is the Xbox, on the left the 360. Well…not much smaller is it? And since the hard drive for the newer one attaches to what would be the top of it in this picture, it will be the same size.

So some of you are probably thinking “So? You won’t have the first one to deal with anymore.” WRONG! It seems the 360 is only backwards compatiable with SOME of the games from the Xbox. So to be able to play your entire collection of games, you will still need to keep the first system around. Oh joy. More space taken up!

E3 is rocking the video game world this week with announcment galore! The console wars are back, and badder than ever.

Microsoft – Nothing new here, we already know all about the Xbox 360, so you may move along. The only update being that it is backwards compatiable to Xbox 1. Thank goodness. Expected release by end of 2005.

Nintendo – The Revolution is here, and boy is the name appropiate. While the Playstation 2 was the first backwards compatiable system, the Revolution is moving the bar higher. Using emulation and downloadable content, you will be able to download 20 years of Nintendo games and play them all from the Revolution. The NES, the SNES, the N64 and the system will accept Gamecube discs. Wireless controllers and Wifi enabled. Yowza! Expected release sometime in 2006.

Sony – The mama of all the systems, the Playstation 3 was unveiled. Wireless controllers (but boy is that controller ugly), Wifi eneabled, backwards compatiable with Playstation and Playstation 2. 256MB system RAM 3.2GHz, and 256MB GDDR VRAM at 700MHz, 6 USB ports and a 3.2 GHz Cell Processor rated 2.18 teraflops. (non-geek speek “Holy damn!”) Expected release in early 2006.

So, yay, lots and lots of gaming goodness, but now, reality begins to set in. How much are these suckers going to run? The only rumored price so far is around $465 for the PS3. Um…I’m sorry, but I do not need to take out small home loans to buy my gaming systems. While all these new features are wonderful, I do not plan on shelling out that much money on systems. That is just insane. What mother is going to tell little Johhny “Oh of course you can have the new Playstation, we don’t need groceries this week!” That is just insane.

So while I am excited, I am also way cautious of what all these new sytems are going to cost.

The lid is off, the details are out, and the Xbox 360 appears to rock my socks….with one exception. …still no word if it is backward compatiable! What the…?! Oh well, let’s look at some of the spiffy features:

Memory:512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3 RAM

This is going to make a HUGE difference in load times and size of levels. I am blown away by this amount of RAM in a game system.

Storage:
Detachable and upgradeable 20GB hard drive
12x dual-layer DVD-ROM
Memory Unit support starting at 64 MB

Well it would appear they are thinking ahead. The hard drive being swappable is great, and the memory units START at 64 MB. Nifty, so obviouslly they have thought ahead to games requiring larger save spaces. Nice to see them thinking ahead.

Input/Output:
Support for up to four wireless game controllers
Three USB 2.0 ports

Wireless controllers out of the box, faboo! Thats the way to go! I am tired of these wires running everywhere. Three USB ports though has me wondering what they have planned.

Online (broadband only):
Xbox Live out of the box
Built-in Ethernet port
Wi-Fi ready: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g

Nice! You can use ethernet wire or wifi right out of the box. .11a support though? Wonder why they bothered with that. Nice to have options though.

Lots more interesting features, make sure to click on the links above!

Now sources are saying that Nintendo MIGHT debut the Revolution at E3. Fraid of missing the hoop-la are we?

I admit I have a Game Cube, but of all my systems, it gets played the least. The controller looks like something Willy Wonka would have dreamt up with all it’s vividly colored buttons. So if Nintendo is going to want to play in the new herd of systems, they are going to have to step it up. The console wars have already had one big fatality with Sega and the Dreamcast (which I actually liked, and still play), could Nintendo be next?

Here it is boys and girls….the Xbox 360 (or Xbox 2 if you prefer)

It sure as heck is a lot nicer looking than the old Xbox

The 360 didn’t have to do much to be more attractive, that’s for sure. All the stats aren’t out yet, but first thing I notice on the 360…where are the controller ports? The rumors have been circulating like crazy that it would have wireless controllers from day one. Wow if true.
I am sick and tired of fighting with all the cords for my different controllers. Now one has to wonder though, will they be battery operated or rechargable? Either way, can’t wait for this one.

And at E3, Sony is supposed to unveil the Playstation 3, but looks like no joy on the Nintendo Revolution for awhile yet.

All X-Box owners need to read this immediately! Go to Xbox.com, select your country and look for the large recall notice

If you are playing Halo 2 online, please remember something….teamwork. If you are playing Big Team Battle on Waterworks…cover the Wraith while it moves the boxes. It’s doing a job that helps everyone. Don’t run off while a Ghost is shooting it up….help it take out the Banshee…watch out for the rocket launchers…it is there doing a job…help it!

Gee….can you tell I got a bit pissed last night?

There was a reason I went back and did a review of Halo 2 the other day. I felt if I was going to talk about the online community in online gaming, I should first talk about one of the online games this world of players occurs in. So in short? WOW! He connected two entries! HUZZAH!?

I love playing games online. While a computers gaming AI can be a challenge, nothing beats taking on other humans just for their unpredictable natures. Each person plays the game differently, so no two games are exactly the same, and I love that. However, there always has to be the idiots out there who run all good experiences.

So I thought it would be fun to talk about the different types of players out there in the online gaming world. What follows is a list of the different?.?personalities? you can meet online. And please note that A)these people can show up in ANY online game, but the majority of my experience comes from Playstation 2?s SOCOM II and X-Box?s Halo 2 and B)I normally avoid harsh language in my posts, but this one kind of requires it. My apologies in advance.

The Captain This is the person who ALWAYS knows EXACTLY what needs to be done, and by golly you had better listen to him! Never mind the fact we have all played the game also, we all know the objective, we all knows the routes to the goal, but he is going to tell you how you are doing it wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

The Gun Nut He has a favorite weapon, he knows where it is, the second the round starts he will call out “Dibs on the XXXXXXXXX gun!”  Ok, fine, most of the time I don’t care, I’m versatile and willing to play other positions. However, I do NOT want to hear you whining about “HEY! What asshole took my XXXXXXXXX gun? I called dibs!” Um..buddy?  This is a fight, get over it and fight!

There was one particular game I am thinking of in Halo 2 on the map Coagulation. There was a kid playing who was OBSESSED with his “Duelies!” He wanted two of the pistols at all times. Every time he died and respawned, his first words were “No one touch my Duelies! I’m coming back for my Duelies!” If they had disappeared for whatever reason we were treated “Where are my Duelies?!? I need my Duelies!” Over and over and over and over.  I had some place for the Duelies to go.

The Back Seat Player “Oh why did you go do that! I can’t believe you did that! Man you are an idiot!?” Gee, thanks for the commentary. A great example of this was in a SOCOM II match. I was the last Seal vs the last Terrorist on the map Ruins. Now in SOCOM, the ?dead? players can switch their camera to watch what you are doing. I was fighting in very tight quarters and I *did* have Claymore?s planted to help defend. I got trapped, it was a pure gun battle and I never set off the Claymore?s.

I was immediately treated to one teammate *screaming* at me how “retarded” I was, that I must be an imbecile! “You had Claymore?s! Why in the hell didn?t you use them?!?!?!?!?” my reply “Maybe because they were facing in a direction that would have killed me also?” The rest of my team was understanding, this guy was not. He still felt the need to “educate” me by screaming at me. Yeah, that always does the trick. It always helps folks if you actually pay attention to your own game. I mean. for you to see what was happening meant you were dead now didn’t it?  Yeah?  Let me take your “advice.”

The Immature Insulter Oh these guys are the class clown let me tell ya in 2nd grade.

“Man, what are you? Retarded?” – This one doesn?t even need a comment

“Damn f*****!” Yes, because he just killed you that means you are able to determine his sexuality?  it’s so obvious! *ONLY* a homosexual could have killed you! Makes perfect sense!

“Damn N*****!” – I can’t bring myself to type that one. It is a racial slur and it is never called for under ANY circumstance!

“Yeah? Well I slept with your mom!?” Oh yeah, that one makes PERFECT sense.

The Team Killer For some reason they think its funny to kill their own teammates. Most games will give you away to get rid of them, but sometimes it takes awhile. In the interim though he keeps killing you and ruining your fun. Why anyone finds this enjoyable is beyond me.

It all boils down to this, just because you are ?anonymous? in online gaming doesn?t mean you should ditch civility. Would any of the things listed above look like they would be acceptable out in public or say in an office setting? No. So why should they be acceptable in a place like a video game where you come to relax? It?s simple, there is no reason.

Whatever you do though, please do not allow this article to turn you off from even trying online gaming. Even for all the fools, it is still a ton of fun!

I will admit, I was a VERY late joiner into the world of Halo , but when I finally sat down and played it, I kicked myself for not doing so earlier. With the announcement of Halo 2 it seemed like my life would be complete. Sadly it ALMOST made it to greatness, but a few odd decisions by Bungie kept it from quite getting there.

Let me say first that the graphics are all top-notch and impressive as all get out. The AI seems bumped up a bit from Halo 1 and offers more of a challenge. Switching back and forth between master Chief and the Arbiter was a little awkward at first, but I eventually got into the idea. Sadly though, that seems to be the end of the positive improvements.

The dual gun system, while a cool idea, is strangely executed. I can understand not being able to throw grenades while I have two guns, but melee attack makes me drop the left gun? Huh? If you are going to give me two guns, why take one away so easily and in such a silly fashion?

While several new guns and vehicles are added, they seem to be there just to say they are there. Sure, some of them are a bit nifty such as the SMG auto pistol, however the Brute Gun, for the most part, is a waste of space. And a second version of the Plasma Rifle with a different overheat ratio? Yeah, that was worth the programming time.

I would have to say the biggest let down though?.we were promised Earth and yet only got a small taste of it. The Earth city levels are quite fun, but all too quickly we are whisked off to another Halo. From here on out it just feels too much like the first game with familiar landscapes, same old ring going over our head, Cortana still talking to us and so on. This just makes the game feel like ?Well, here we are again.?. Sure, a sequel should follow somewhat in the originals footsteps, copying this much makes you feel more like you are playing an expansion of the first game instead of a true follow up.

Speaking of the eventual sequel, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. You watch the cinema, which are all gorgeous by the way, and expect to launch into another battle, and instead you see credits. Not a good feeling.

Where the game does shine though is in the online portion. This alone is worth the entire price of admission. Multiple game styles, a fantastic matching system to keep you with players in your same skill range, smooth texturing and on and on and on. This is truly one of the most enjoyable online gaming experiences around. True, some of the vehicle fights can be a tad unbalanced (Banshee Vs. Wraith comes to mind?pity the Wraith), but overall it is a well balanced experience.

Overall I would have to say 4 out 5 stars. It would have reached 5 if it had been longer, stronger ending and been a bit more different from the original.

If you play either Halo or Halo 2 then you HAVE to go see this site. Man that had me laughing