| 11:14 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Guys, the room is moderated now, only ops and Seamus can talk |
| 11:14 AM: | Nitros_MSXbox: | yep |
| 11:14 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | So you guys can help me to curb my incredible nervousness by making me answer a couple questions, then I'll introduce the star of this show, mr Allard! |
| 11:14 AM: | sol_msxbox: | he's going to answer a few questions |
| 11:14 AM: | sol_msxbox: | So, Seamus can you give us a preview of what's going today |
| 11:15 AM: | sol_msxbox: | ? |
| 11:15 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | Well, we're showing what the box looks like to the public for (almost) the first time, and announcing a couple games, and I'm showing somde game demos. |
| 11:15 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Nice red shoes, btw! |
| 11:16 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | Yeah, I have on these bringht red shoes that might actually short out the video equipment. |
| 11:16 AM: | sol_msxbox: | but wouldn't green have matched better ? |
| 11:16 AM: | sol_msxbox: | <g> |
| 11:16 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | Gee, some of the PR people seem to have picked up on that as well. |
| 11:17 AM: | sol_msxbox: | What do you think todays presentation is going to do to help bring the Xbox more into the mainstream? |
| 11:18 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | I think that it makes Xbox REAL for gamers. We have been talking to developers for a long time to ensure that we have *KICK ASS* games... |
| 11:19 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | And now we get to show a real box with real games and for the first time people will get to see what Xbox is from the gamer end. Which is the most important thing! |
| 11:20 AM: | sol_msxbox: | We know you gotta head out now, but before you go, how many hours are you working these days each day? |
| 11:20 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | I'll put it this way... the reason I went to Tokyo 14 times this year was NOT really to visit developers, it was to gain the extra hours by crossing the dateline :) |
| 11:20 AM: | sol_msxbox: | lol :) |
| 11:20 AM: | sol_msxbox: | ok thanks for talking with us |
| 11:22 AM: | Seamus_Xbox: | No problem man, it's all about the games and the gamers. Before J comes on, let me introduce Jeff Henshaw, Xbox program manager! See you guys! Thanks for coming! |
| 11:22 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Hey Jeff, how are you? |
| 11:22 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Thanks Sol! |
| 11:22 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | I'm great...the whole Xbox team is really excited to see the reactions today! |
| 11:23 AM: | sol_msxbox: | We know you've been a regular at msxbox for some time now, so how do you feel about how the Xbox has been preceived thus far? |
| 11:23 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Frankly, its been amazing. Just look at the number of people here today, for example. We know that it is totally up to us to deliver the best gaming experience anywhere. |
| 11:24 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Interacting with the fans here is incredibly cool, too. |
| 11:24 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Before we got any further, can you tell us what it is you do at Microsoft? |
| 11:25 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Sure. I run the Xbox Development Kit (XDK) and core software teams. We deliver the goods so that game developers can rock on the Xbox platform. |
| 11:26 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Sweet, so the developers have phase 1 development kits? |
| 11:27 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | We're constantly delivering tools, support, hardware, software and more to developers. It's a very tight loop between the Xbox team and them. |
| 11:27 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Or have they already moved on to NV20-based ones already? |
| 11:27 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | I'll just say this: Xbox game developers have some of the latest graphics technology on the PLANET! |
| 11:27 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | or off the planet, for that matter... |
| 11:28 AM: | sol_msxbox: | The footage I saw on the widescreen looked totally great |
| 11:28 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Great you liked it. I think that there are going to be a whole lot of people who are blown away by what they see today. It's all about theh games, and games we've got as of now! |
| 11:29 AM: | sol_msxbox: | We can't say what is going to be shown just yet, but soon... |
| 11:30 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | It's a matter of minutes. At 9:15PST, everyone should hit Xbox.com for the live Webcast from CES. |
| 11:31 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Jeff, what is the coolest thing you've seen done with the development kits so far? (despite them being early kits) |
| 11:32 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Probably the most exciting thing I've seen was a studio take their quite-well-evolved engine and most of their character movement (including T&L, physics engine), and move forward to a newer update of the XDK in LESS THAN 10 HOURS. |
| 11:33 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | It blew me away at how successful we were with providing better tools and better support, and a platform that developers love. That kind of progress is unheard of elsewhere. |
| 11:33 AM: | sol_msxbox: | That has to do with the ease and familiarity developers have with DirectX, right? |
| 11:34 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Partly. It also has to do with developers knowing (and loving) the tools we provide, and just as much with us being able to turn around answers to their questions in a matter of minutes. |
| 11:35 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | We basically live to keep developers rockin'. |
| 11:35 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | ...and you'll see some of the early results today. |
| 11:35 AM: | sol_msxbox: | too cool, and the end result becomes kick(er) ass games |
| 11:36 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Kicker-ass isn't even near the goal. We want Xbox games to completely redefine what people perceive as possible with console gaming. |
| 11:36 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Can you give us a ballpark # of kits shipped to developers thus far? |
| 11:37 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | PR usually beats me to a bloody pulp if I start naming names or quoting numbers. But they aren't here right now, so I'll say that it's over 1500. |
| 11:37 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | PR is watching you! :) |
| 11:38 AM: | incabrain_Xbox whips out a hammer. |
| 11:38 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Incarbrain is the Xbox.com webmaster, btw |
| 11:38 AM: | sol_msxbox: | We'll be talking to him next for a bit |
| 11:38 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Can't talk...PR breaking my fingers.... |
| 11:39 AM: | Steve_ArbCom holds fingers down <grin> |
| 11:39 AM: | sol_msxbox: | 1500, that's pretty amazing, if my math is correct and there's probably close to 300 developers, give or take, then that's an avg of 5 per developer |
| 11:40 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | <no comment>, Sol. Your math skills are pretty good, though! |
| 11:40 AM: | Steve_ArbCom tightens Jeffs thumbscrews |
| 11:40 AM: | sol_msxbox: | thanks!, I've got a math problem that I'll ask J later on |
| 11:40 AM: | sol_msxbox: | it has to do with MGS |
| 11:41 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | I hope it doesn't have to do with "How many drinks are too many, J?" He can't answer that one. |
| 11:41 AM: | sol_msxbox: | :) |
| 11:42 AM: | sol_msxbox: | What's the most fun thing you do during the day, Jeff (that question is from Seamus and he says you better have a funny answer) |
| 11:43 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Well, then it is of course talking to game developers! Seriously, getting to talk about them with their ideas and concepts, and then help make them reality...its a damn cool job. |
| 11:43 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Of course the MOST fun thing is having meetigs with Seamus, though. |
| 11:44 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Seamus: good answer! |
| 11:44 AM: | sol_msxbox: | alright, Jeff, thanks for talking with us, we'll now move on to Scott (the Xbox.com webmaster) |
| 11:45 AM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Thanks, Sol. And thanks to each of you who joined us here for this chat! Xbox 2001. Rock on. |
| 11:45 AM: | sol_msxbox: | He Scott, how's it going? |
| 11:45 AM: | sol_msxbox: | He=Hey |
| 11:45 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | oi... a little tired... and bedazzled, but things are going great |
| 11:46 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Vegas is a bizarre place |
| 11:46 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Can you tell us about what it is you do at Microsoft? |
| 11:46 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | erm, well... Let's see. Xbox.com? That's my baby. |
| 11:47 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | I have a team of designers and devs that work their butts off |
| 11:47 AM: | sol_msxbox: | What is your goal with the official Xbox site? |
| 11:48 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | We're the front face on the web for Xbox |
| 11:48 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | We let you guys play the major role in the community |
| 11:49 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Can you explain what users are going to need for the webcast? |
| 11:49 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Webcast time = 9:15 PST |
| 11:49 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Go download Windows Media Player now! |
| 11:49 AM: | sol_msxbox: | So, will it be a live thing, or slightly delayed? |
| 11:50 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Live Baby! And let me say... |
| 11:50 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | I've been nervewracked about it. We've put a lot of hours into making this thing happen |
| 11:51 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | The keynote is just amazing |
| 11:51 AM: | sol_msxbox: | 10 Minutes until J comes on |
| 11:51 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | I watched the demo and... even having seen stuff before... I was drooling. |
| 11:52 AM: | sol_msxbox: | So, can users see images on the official Xbox site (xbox.com) around 10:30 PST? |
| 11:53 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | hrmmmm maybe a little earlier :) |
| 11:53 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Check the home page at 10 |
| 11:54 AM: | sol_msxbox: | even better |
| 11:54 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Hey Sol |
| 11:54 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Did you see who walked in the room? Shhhhh! |
| 11:56 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Why doesn't the xbox.com site change that frequently? |
| 11:56 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Good question. |
| 11:56 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | um... |
| 11:56 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | okay seriously |
| 11:56 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | We've been working on a new rev of the site for 3 months |
| 11:57 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | We hope to launch it in time for Gamestock |
| 11:57 AM: | sol_msxbox: | How is it going to be different? |
| 11:57 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Let's just say, you won't recognize the site by then |
| 11:57 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | And we plan on being a little more active in the Xbox fan community |
| 11:58 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Meaning... we will spend some time with places like MSXbox.com |
| 11:58 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | And... we'll have the focus on the best thing... |
| 11:58 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Games, man! |
| 11:58 AM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Games, games, games! |
| 11:58 AM: | incabrain_Xbox does a little jig. |
| 11:59 AM: | sol_msxbox: | Sounds very cool. |
| 12:00 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Alot of people are wondering what the darkroom is, and more importantly, there's no way of knowing if it's been updated! |
| 12:00 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | oh boy. you HAD to ask... |
| 12:00 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | We took the Darkroom down yesterday. The observant ones might have noticed |
| 12:00 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Why? Well, we weren't doing a great job with it. |
| 12:01 PM: | sol_msxbox: | why? It was so *cough* popular? <g> |
| 12:01 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | LOL |
| 12:01 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Point taken |
| 12:01 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | and that's why we took it down |
| 12:01 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | the reality is it was a project started before I started on the team |
| 12:02 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | and we just didn't have the bandwidth to do it right |
| 12:02 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | so okay, it falls on me to make a collective apology for that one. |
| 12:02 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | But... |
| 12:02 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Just wait til we relaunch |
| 12:02 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | you'll accept my apology then :) |
| 12:03 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Oh! Look what the cat dragged in |
| 12:03 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | The one and only... |
| 12:03 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | the man with one letter for a name... |
| 12:03 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | ***** J ***** |
| 12:03 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Welcome j Allard1 |
| 12:03 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | erm ouch!! |
| 12:03 PM: | J_Allard: | hey guys glad to be here... |
| 12:03 PM: | sol_msxbox: | thanks for your time, Scott |
| 12:04 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | thanks guys! |
| 12:04 PM: | J_Allard: | so wassup sol? |
| 12:04 PM: | sol_msxbox: | First of all, J, thanks for this opportunity |
| 12:04 PM: | Jon_ArbCom: | <crowd goes wild> |
| 12:04 PM: | J_Allard: | not a problem at all - great to hang with gamers |
| 12:04 PM: | J_Allard: | (more fun than being on stage with bill anyhow... ;) |
| 12:05 PM: | sol_msxbox: | I don't know, I hear Bill is a pretty hip guy... |
| 12:05 PM: | J_Allard: | yeah, i thought so too... until i met this guy this morning in the green room... |
| 12:05 PM: | J_Allard: | ...now THAT'S a big guy... |
| 12:05 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Attention : The feed is live on xbox.com and will join the keynote in progress momentarily |
| 12:05 PM: | J_Allard: | ... he'll be joining bill later i heard... |
| 12:06 PM: | sol_msxbox: | hmm, who could this dude be? I guess we'll have to wait patiently... |
| 12:06 PM: | J_Allard: | yeah, like the egm screenshots right? |
| 12:06 PM: | J_Allard: | maybe we can get him to chat if he gets a chance... |
| 12:06 PM: | sol_msxbox: | err, uhmm, which *cough* egm shots? |
| 12:06 PM: | J_Allard: | exactly |
| 12:07 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Alright, lets get down to business then, Can you explain to everyone what it is you do at Microsoft? |
| 12:07 PM: | J_Allard: | you guys are all going to have to forgive my typing today - i'm not on a Microsoft (R) |
| 12:07 PM: | sol_msxbox: | heh |
| 12:07 PM: | J_Allard: | Natural Keyboard(tm) with Intellisense(tm)(R)(c)2001 |
| 12:08 PM: | J_Allard: | i have the best job in the world... |
| 12:08 PM: | J_Allard: | i get to work with all of the game developers out there |
| 12:08 PM: | J_Allard: | doing amazing stuff on xbox. |
| 12:08 PM: | J_Allard: | i basically have 3 responsibilities |
| 12:08 PM: | J_Allard: | 1. to deliver the system software for the xbox, the libraries that developers use to make games |
| 12:09 PM: | J_Allard: | 2. to work with the developers to make sure that they can make the most of the system |
| 12:09 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Keynote Notice : the video feed should come in soon... |
| 12:09 PM: | J_Allard: | 3. to take gaming forward with online |
| 12:09 PM: | J_Allard: | it's a lot of fun |
| 12:10 PM: | sol_msxbox: | How will todays presentation help the Xbox gain a better foothold into the mainstream media? |
| 12:10 PM: | J_Allard: | today is a great milestone for xbox. because ces isn't really a gaming show, |
| 12:10 PM: | J_Allard: | this keynote means that xbox is going to get great visibility with a broader audience |
| 12:11 PM: | J_Allard: | in many ways, all of our big public appearances - game developer conference |
| 12:11 PM: | J_Allard: | tokyo game show, e3 have all been about the gaming community |
| 12:11 PM: | J_Allard: | today we get to give the whole world a glimpse into the future of games and i think |
| 12:11 PM: | J_Allard: | it's going to generate a lot of excitement |
| 12:12 PM: | J_Allard: | on one hand it's hard, because it's been "our little secret" for so long, but it's |
| 12:12 PM: | J_Allard: | so important to the success of the system longterm. it's also going to be fun to commit |
| 12:12 PM: | J_Allard: | to some games (finally) |
| 12:12 PM: | sol_msxbox: | heck, I'm already giddy with excitement |
| 12:13 PM: | sol_msxbox: | So from this point on, could we expect to hear more about games from developers who have at this point been behind "curtains"? |
| 12:13 PM: | J_Allard: | absolutely. |
| 12:13 PM: | J_Allard: | we've always held that xbox is "all about the games" |
| 12:14 PM: | J_Allard: | and now that our partners have had devkits for a while, we can start showing REAL GAMES |
| 12:14 PM: | J_Allard: | today, we're going to start with two REAL GAMES |
| 12:14 PM: | J_Allard: | then, i think you can expect a steady stream between now and E3... |
| 12:15 PM: | sol_msxbox: | We've received quite a bit of feedback from some slightly dissappointed European Xbox fans... What can you tell them about the reasoning behind the decision? |
| 12:15 PM: | J_Allard: | back to having the best job in the world... i of course have already seen a bunch of the stuff - can |
| 12:15 PM: | J_Allard: | can't wait until some of these get done |
| 12:15 PM: | J_Allard: | ah, europe. |
| 12:16 PM: | J_Allard: | i think a lot of people got confused about our announcement on the initial console |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | availbility. we watched the ps2 launch carefully, talked to retailers and gamers, and |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | used that info to help us figure out our "staging strategy" |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | ultimately, we decided the best way to succeed is to do one territory at a time. so we're going to |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | us, japan, then europe |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | all 3 territories are key to our success, and everyone needs to remember that this |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | is a 5-6 year business. we want to make sure we do it RIGHT in all territories - have |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | enough consoles, great support at retail, and most important GREAT GAMES. this |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | staging is the best way to accomplish that. |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | europe is super important, in fact, i'm flying out today to europe |
| 12:17 PM: | J_Allard: | to visit with press and developers and announce today's news, answer questions |
| 12:18 PM: | J_Allard: | and maybe even have a surprise or two |
| 12:18 PM: | sol_msxbox: | So basically, you'd rather have a launch where people know when they can get their hands on the console, rather than having them wait months because of a lack of quantity? |
| 12:18 PM: | J_Allard: | exactly |
| 12:19 PM: | J_Allard: | a lot of people were disappointed this season |
| 12:19 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What can you tell us about the decision to change the Xbox specs, first the increase to 733mhz, then the graphics chip drop to 250 mhz |
| 12:19 PM: | J_Allard: | this is amazing - over 400 gamers up this early in the morning? |
| 12:19 PM: | sol_msxbox: | ? |
| 12:19 PM: | J_Allard: | ...or did they not go to bed? |
| 12:19 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Yeah, nice turnout :) |
| 12:19 PM: | sol_msxbox: | people are missing their saturday morning cartoons |
| 12:19 PM: | J_Allard: | on the spec side, we've made a couple of refinements along the way as we've learned |
| 12:19 PM: | J_Allard: | more |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | in march, we announced that we were going to be 3x the performance of ps2 |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | and we thought that meant a 600mhz cpu and a 300mhz gpu |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | as we worked closely with intel and nvidia, we realized that 733/250 would be |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | a better balance, and allow us to |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | 1. hit our 3x performance goal |
| 12:20 PM: | J_Allard: | 2. hit our ship date and get it out there on 2001 |
| 12:21 PM: | J_Allard: | know this - when xbox ships, it will have the most baddass gpu in the world |
| 12:22 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Why did you guys decide to use this CES show for the unveiling of the Xbox design, rather than Microsoft's own show, Gamestock? |
| 12:22 PM: | J_Allard: | ces gives us huge exposure not just to the gaming media, but consumer media generally |
| 12:23 PM: | J_Allard: | while the first several million xbox's will likely find their way into the hands of the hardcore |
| 12:23 PM: | J_Allard: | gamers (that get up early for webchats), longterm, we're need to make xbox a household name |
| 12:23 PM: | J_Allard: | this is an early step. |
| 12:23 PM: | J_Allard: | besides, we had a great opportunity with our "special guest" today and with bill |
| 12:23 PM: | J_Allard: | hard to pass up |
| 12:24 PM: | J_Allard: | of course there will be new info in upcoming shows |
| 12:25 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Could we call E3 "Microsoft's E3"? |
| 12:25 PM: | J_Allard: | microsoft's e3? i think that xbox is going to be really really big this may |
| 12:25 PM: | J_Allard: | we'll be showing games running on the real hardware and you'll see a lot of our partners |
| 12:25 PM: | J_Allard: | showing stuff off too. |
| 12:25 PM: | J_Allard: | 2001 is going to be an awesome year for gaming though. i'm certain other companies |
| 12:25 PM: | J_Allard: | will be showing some fun stuff too |
| 12:26 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Keynote Announcement:Video is now live |
| 12:26 PM: | J_Allard: | yeah, i'm hearing it in the background. a little distracting... talking about |
| 12:26 PM: | J_Allard: | pc stuff i think. |
| 12:27 PM: | sol_msxbox: | How long do I have to wait before I can begin asking you CES-specific questions (about the revelations and all)? |
| 12:27 PM: | J_Allard: | i promised to keep it zipped until bill takes the wraps off. |
| 12:27 PM: | J_Allard: | he is the boss afterall. :) |
| 12:28 PM: | sol_msxbox: | I think now's a good time to ask that math problem I was having trouble with earlier... |
| 12:28 PM: | sol_msxbox: | 1. MGS + XBOX = MGS__ ? |
| 12:28 PM: | J_Allard: | huh? |
| 12:28 PM: | J_Allard: | MGS + XBOX = WOW! |
| 12:29 PM: | J_Allard: | sorry to speak in code there... sol, you're a SNAKE |
| 12:29 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Solid |
| 12:30 PM: | sol_msxbox: | :) |
| 12:31 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Will there be online games from the get-go? |
| 12:31 PM: | J_Allard: | you know, we're huge fans of online... |
| 12:31 PM: | J_Allard: | and totally committed. we put an ethernet port on every box for that reason. |
| 12:31 PM: | J_Allard: | you're going to see a lot of innovation in this space (and experimentation) |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | you'll see some developers use it like the old playstation link cable |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | you'll see people put together little "lan parties" with inexpensive hubs |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | and gaming in gaming parlors |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | it will be really big in college dorms |
| 12:32 PM: | sol_msxbox: | mmmm, lan parties :) |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | and of course the ultimate is the full internet where all of those different groups |
| 12:32 PM: | J_Allard: | can play together. |
| 12:33 PM: | J_Allard: | the cool thing about the ethernet strategy is that you don't necessarily need to have |
| 12:33 PM: | J_Allard: | it connected to the intenret to get a multiplayer networked experience. you can |
| 12:33 PM: | J_Allard: | do it in these other environments |
| 12:33 PM: | J_Allard: | too |
| 12:33 PM: | sol_msxbox: | So, we're talking full-fledged clan battles in games like Halo |
| 12:33 PM: | J_Allard: | you can smell what xbox is cookin |
| 12:34 PM: | sol_msxbox: | nice teaser! |
| 12:35 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Along those lines, what do you say about controlling games like First-person shooters which normally require a key/mouse combo |
| 12:36 PM: | J_Allard: | we can probably talk more about the controller in a few minutes... |
| 12:36 PM: | J_Allard: | when we talked to gamers about what they want in a console, they said |
| 12:36 PM: | J_Allard: | "awesome controller". |
| 12:36 PM: | J_Allard: | we aksed about kb+m and they told us that they didn't really have much |
| 12:38 PM: | J_Allard: | interest in having 4 keyboards on the couch to play with their friends. |
| 12:38 PM: | J_Allard: | so we designed a rich controller and a good extensibility strategy |
| 12:39 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Hey Guys, Allard has just got thrown out of his Chair by the Rock! |
| 12:40 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Tell The Rock to whup him good! :-) |
| 12:40 PM: | sol_msxbox: | He wants to talk with us about the Xbox and his special guest appearance before he goes on Stage! |
| 12:41 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Hey Rock, how's it going man! |
| 12:41 PM: | The_Rock: | Doing great jabroni! |
| 12:41 PM: | sol_msxbox: | It's really great to have you here. I'm almost afraid you're going to give me the people's elbowq |
| 12:41 PM: | sol_msxbox: | if I don't ask good questions :) |
| 12:42 PM: | Guest00141: | What's up jabroni...ask The Rock some questions before I get out there! |
| 12:42 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Are you much of a gamer? |
| 12:42 PM: | Guest00141: | Yeah definately... |
| 12:42 PM: | Guest00141: | Just bought the PS2.. |
| 12:42 PM: | Guest00141: | favorite of course is Madden 2001 |
| 12:43 PM: | TheRock: | just preordered Xbox directly from Bill....Gates that is! |
| 12:44 PM: | sol_msxbox: | So you'd love to get your hands on a wrestling title for the console, starring you ofcourse? |
| 12:44 PM: | TheRock: | Yeah..definately..because of the detail...the wrestling game that comes out on Xbox.. |
| 12:44 PM: | TheRock: | is gonna put you right there in the ring!.. |
| 12:44 PM: | Guest43372: | you're truly gonna smell what The Rock is cookin'! |
| 12:45 PM: | incabrain_Xbox: | Okay does anyone realize The Rock is SITTING on me? I can barely type! |
| 12:45 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | I'm chatting from Redmond, WA, and I can see The Rock's biceps from here! |
| 12:45 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Rock, mind if we arm wrestle? |
| 12:45 PM: | J_Xbox: | yo rock... wassup my man? |
| 12:45 PM: | ItsTheRock: | Mind if the Rock slaps the taste outta your mouth? |
| 12:46 PM: | J_Xbox: | damn, i think it's time you get on stage.. |
| 12:46 PM: | J_Xbox: | i hear bill callin' |
| 12:46 PM: | sol_msxbox: | oooohh, haven't ate breakfast yet! |
| 12:46 PM: | ItsTheRock: | It's Mr. Gates to you jabroni! |
| 12:46 PM: | J_Xbox: | i guess bill will justj have to wait. |
| 12:47 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What's going on in the WWF? |
| 12:47 PM: | ItsTheRock: | From a company standpoint...we're getting ready for one of the pay per views of the company.. |
| 12:47 PM: | ItsTheRock: | entitled The Royal Rumble where The Rock will be laying the smackdown on all their candyasses! |
| 12:48 PM: | sol_msxbox: | I know you're gonna lay smack down for all of us |
| 12:49 PM: | sol_msxbox: | and come out on top |
| 12:49 PM: | J_Xbox: | wonder what's under the black cloth out there.. |
| 12:49 PM: | ItsTheRock: | how about The Rock lays a smackdown on you for repeating what The Rock just said. |
| 12:49 PM: | sol_msxbox: | please don't :) |
| 12:49 PM: | sol_msxbox: | When will we see the Rock on the Xbox? |
| 12:50 PM: | ItsTheRock: | By the year's end you're gonna see the most electrifying console ever in the Xbox and of course the most elctrifying game EVER.. |
| 12:50 PM: | ItsTheRock: | in what is titled Raw is War by THQ |
| 12:51 PM: | sol_msxbox: | very sweet! another title for us to look forward too |
| 12:51 PM: | J_Xbox: | it's cool to see the rock so pumped on the xbox... as powerful as the xbox is, it's going to be |
| 12:51 PM: | J_Xbox: | hard to really be THE ROCK. nothing compares |
| 12:52 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Yeah, he's sitting right next to me, don't want him to get too pumped up though... |
| 12:52 PM: | J_Xbox: | rock baby, you are looking slick today man. where you shop? |
| 12:52 PM: | ItsTheRock: | Only the finest haberdasheries for The Rock |
| 12:52 PM: | ItsTheRock: | gotta run! watch the show!! |
| 12:53 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Thanks a million rock! |
| 12:53 PM: | J_Xbox: | right on bro. thanks for coming by |
| 12:53 PM: | J_Xbox: | give bill my best |
| 12:54 PM: | sol_msxbox: | J will be back in a jiff, if you want to go out and get a drink, now's the time |
| 12:54 PM: | J_Allard: | man, everyone is pumped abt the box |
| 12:55 PM: | J_Allard: | the rock is so pumped. he's a hardcore gamer. he was telling |
| 12:55 PM: | sol_msxbox: | We've still got alot of questions to go guys |
| 12:55 PM: | J_Allard: | last night about his favorite colecovision games... |
| 12:56 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Alright, J is back. |
| 12:57 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Can you talk about the custom USB ports on the Xbox a bit? |
| 12:57 PM: | J_Allard: | lot of people ask if they'll be able to use standard usb controllers on the box |
| 12:57 PM: | J_Allard: | the answer is no. we'll have a great selection of controllers |
| 12:57 PM: | J_Allard: | available, but they have to be designed for the system so that the experience |
| 12:57 PM: | J_Allard: | is great and peopel don't have to screw around with controller mapping, etc.. |
| 12:58 PM: | J_Allard: | the best games really design around the controllers. |
| 12:58 PM: | J_Allard: | we decided to use usb technically so that controller manufacturers could bring |
| 12:58 PM: | J_Allard: | product to market quicker, but more importantly to have the flexibility and power |
| 12:59 PM: | J_Allard: | of a high-speed digital interface. 12Mbit to the controller dude |
| 12:59 PM: | sol_msxbox: | How much of the XBox technology is going to be shared with the rest of Microsoft products? I would like to see some of the consumer features of the XBox make it back into MS' OS product line. |
| 1:00 PM: | J_Allard: | a lot of what's being shown in the keynote today is how the microsoft |
| 1:00 PM: | J_Allard: | product family in the home all works together. we've learned a lot when |
| 1:00 PM: | J_Allard: | building the xbox and definitely plan to share. of course we did our share |
| 1:00 PM: | J_Allard: | of borrowing too. teams like directx and sidewinder really paved the way for us |
| 1:00 PM: | J_Allard: | to get xbox started |
| 1:01 PM: | sol_msxbox: | How have developers responded about DirectX? |
| 1:01 PM: | J_Allard: | developers love directx. it means they don't have to screw around with learning |
| 1:01 PM: | J_Allard: | yet another api to get their imaginations translated into reality through games |
| 1:02 PM: | J_Allard: | the demos we're going to show today, never could have happened as quickly |
| 1:02 PM: | J_Allard: | hey bill just said "video game"... |
| 1:02 PM: | J_Allard: | crazy? bill who are you calling crazy? he just called me crazy |
| 1:02 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Watching the webcast, we'll comment as Bill talks about it |
| 1:02 PM: | J_Allard: | (we did spend a lot of time with developers) |
| 1:03 PM: | J_Allard: | (the box itself) |
| 1:03 PM: | J_Allard: | (here it comes...) |
| 1:03 PM: | sol_msxbox: | sweet looking console, man! |
| 1:03 PM: | J_Allard: | i feel like a proud daddy |
| 1:03 PM: | J_Allard: | i'm weaping |
| 1:04 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Is it a boy? |
| 1:04 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | <sniffle> ...it's beeaauuutiful. |
| 1:04 PM: | J_Allard: | dude, it's a ROCK |
| 1:04 PM: | J_Allard: | boom! |
| 1:04 PM: | J_Allard: | i hope everyone is able to see the webcast now |
| 1:04 PM: | J_Allard: | bill just unveiled the design of the console and the controller |
| 1:04 PM: | J_Allard: | and is reinforcing that xbox is 100% about gaming |
| 1:05 PM: | J_Allard: | and how important that it was for us to make it instant on, 4 player |
| 1:05 PM: | J_Allard: | and the fact that we put two slots in the controller as well as built-in rumble |
| 1:05 PM: | J_Allard: | it's nice to be able to finally talk about some of this stuff |
| 1:05 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Yeah, real nice |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | bill just announced that hdtv will be supported by xbox |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | and is talking about the harddisk and broadband features |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | now that i can talk about the controller: |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | 2 analog sticks |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | 2 analog triggers |
| 1:06 PM: | J_Allard: | 6 analog buttons on surface |
| 1:07 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What were those 2 little buttons the top? |
| 1:07 PM: | J_Allard: | 8-way dpad |
| 1:07 PM: | J_Allard: | 2 high-speed slots for extensibility |
| 1:07 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Hmm 2 slots? |
| 1:07 PM: | J_Allard: | 12 megabit bandwidth to the system |
| 1:07 PM: | sol_msxbox: | I for a memory card, and the other? |
| 1:07 PM: | J_Allard: | you can think about stuff like memory cards, voice peripherals |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: | because we're fully digital and we have the performance between the system and the controller |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: | we can do full-speed two way voice |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: | seamus just hit the stage with bill and is running a developer reel |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: btw: | bill high-fived him |
| 1:08 PM: | sol_msxbox: | (Tony Hawk 2) |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: | uh, did i forget to mention that there's going to be an exclusive version |
| 1:08 PM: | sol_msxbox: | (In parenthesis are games being shown) |
| 1:08 PM: | J_Allard: | of tony hawk for xbox. exclusive |
| 1:08 PM: | sol_msxbox: | on the big scren |
| 1:09 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Wow, big time! |
| 1:09 PM: | J_Allard: | it will be the first version of thps for next-generation consoles. tony hawk pro skater 2x |
| 1:09 PM: | J_Allard: | i can't reveal all the secrets in the game, but it's going to be hot. activision is |
| 1:09 PM: | sol_msxbox: | (Oddworld) |
| 1:09 PM: | J_Allard: | really pumped |
| 1:09 PM: | sol_msxbox: | (Malice) |
| 1:09 PM: | sol_msxbox: | <Raw is War> |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | yup. malice is confirmed and you're about to see some of the coolest lighting |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | and shadowing you've ever seen |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | did we mention that we're going to have an exclusive wrestling title? |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | RAW IS WAR |
| 1:10 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Yes, Rock was kind enough to mention that |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | not only is the rock pumped, but the whole xbox team is pumped. thq is doing really excited |
| 1:10 PM: | sol_msxbox: | you've answered alot of peoples' wishes with that one |
| 1:10 PM: | J_Allard: | stuff and is going to take the wrestling category to the next level |
| 1:10 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Earlier in the chat, I talked about changing the rules for what you can expect from console gaming. Malice is a great example of that! |
| 1:10 PM: | sol_msxbox: | including mine |
| 1:11 PM: | J_Allard: | we're now talking about oddworld |
| 1:11 PM: | J_Allard: | oddworld has been an amazing success over the last couple of year |
| 1:11 PM: | J_Allard: | now they are bringing it to xbox. and you're about to see on the webcast |
| 1:11 PM: | J_Allard: | a real build of a real game on a real xbox devkit |
| 1:11 PM: | J_Allard: | abe in full 3d |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | some pretty impressive shadowing and detail in the scene, with all of the |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | signature gameplay. |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | "followme" |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | "hello" |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | "followme" |
| 1:12 PM: | J_Allard: | "okay" |
| 1:13 PM: | sol_msxbox: | And this is only running on about 1/5th the hardware |
| 1:13 PM: | J_Allard: | that's right |
| 1:13 PM: | sol_msxbox: | D-A-M-N |
| 1:13 PM: | J_Allard: | seamus has much squeeling around in a wheelchair now... |
| 1:14 PM: | J_Allard: | the world is really really rich and fully interactive. |
| 1:14 PM: | J_Allard: | if you just glance at it, it looks like a cutscene from the last generation game |
| 1:15 PM: | J_Allard: | seamus is about to show bill malice now |
| 1:15 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | Actually, it looks better than cutscenes on any platform I've played before Xbox. |
| 1:15 PM: | J_Allard: | a real build, on a real devkit, another real xbox game |
| 1:15 PM: | J_Allard: | for those of you on the webcast, you need to watch the lighting and shadows |
| 1:15 PM: | J_Allard: | look at the detail in the hammer. that's not texture trickery, but real |
| 1:16 PM: | J_Allard: | geometry. |
| 1:16 PM: | J_Allard: | another fully interactive world. |
| 1:16 PM: | J_Allard: | argonaut has done an amazing job to really bring the character and environment alive |
| 1:17 PM: | J_Allard: | everything in the world is bump-mapped, loads of geometry, amazing lighting |
| 1:17 PM: | sol_msxbox: | That Malice game is the most amazing in-game graphics I've ever seen |
| 1:17 PM: | sol_msxbox: | <---- mouth open |
| 1:17 PM: | J_Allard: | you'll notice the shadows cast against all of the geometry accurately, even the character |
| 1:17 PM: | J_Allard: | herself |
| 1:18 PM: | J_Allard: | malice is sort of a twister fairy tale where you play a girl that grows up |
| 1:18 PM: | J_Allard: | while you're playing and well, can turn into a cat. it's going to be one of the |
| 1:18 PM: | J_Allard: | coolest platform games ever |
| 1:18 PM: | J_Allard: | now, seamus is doing the giant robot skit. basically a giant robot trying to mimick |
| 1:18 PM: | J_Allard: | alice. kind of a spoof on the raven/robot demo, but a little more fun |
| 1:19 PM: | J_Allard: | (seamus is not very good at this game) |
| 1:19 PM: | J_Allard: | the crowd reacted pretty strong to that. lots of whistles |
| 1:20 PM: | Jeff-H_Xbox: | But Seamus not being real good at it shows that its REAL. A Real Game, in Realtime. |
| 1:20 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Totally amazing. |
| 1:20 PM: | J_Allard: | now seamus is into'ing the rock. |
| 1:20 PM: | J_Allard: | the rock is in the house! |
| 1:20 PM: | J_Allard: | badass |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | more whistles |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | the rock and bill don't have a lot in common? |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | nah |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | lots in common |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | top of the industries |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | best selling authors |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | known worldwide for their vast catchphrases |
| 1:21 PM: | J_Allard: | know your role |
| 1:22 PM: | J_Allard: | layeth the smacketh down |
| 1:22 PM: | J_Allard: | you can smell what the rock is cookin |
| 1:22 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Bill Gates's catch phrases: Writing hardcore C to create slick tight code |
| 1:22 PM: | J_Allard: | fascinating |
| 1:22 PM: | J_Allard: | (if you're not following, i'm playing rock and sol's playing bill) |
| 1:23 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Gates Big fan of the Rock |
| 1:23 PM: | J_Allard: | rock is now giving a brief history of windows |
| 1:24 PM: | J_Allard: | "bill gates, you never cease to amaze me" |
| 1:24 PM: | J_Allard: | what the rock is to the wwf, the xbox is to the console industry |
| 1:24 PM: | J_Allard: | "it doesn't matter what you think" |
| 1:25 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What if the rock was running at 1/5th of his power? |
| 1:25 PM: | sol_msxbox: | He'd still kick ass |
| 1:25 PM: | J_Allard: | bill just wrapped up |
| 1:26 PM: | sol_msxbox: | That was great, I hope everyone got a chance to catch that. |
| 1:26 PM: | J_Allard: | ces is now officially started |
| 1:26 PM: | sol_msxbox: | Lets just do some follow up questions with J before we open up the chat |
| 1:26 PM: | sol_msxbox: | then he's gotta jet |
| 1:26 PM: | sol_msxbox: | So the list of games revealed was...? |
| 1:27 PM: | J_Allard: | Malice by Argonaut. a twisted fairy tale platformer that's going to blow minds |
| 1:27 PM: | J_Allard: | Oddworld as you know which is going to bring Abe, Munch and their Odd World to full 3d in a way you've never seen |
| 1:27 PM: | J_Allard: | Tony Hawk 2x, which is going to be an exclusive version designed for Xbox taking the art of skating |
| 1:27 PM: | J_Allard: | to the next level |
| 1:28 PM: | J_Allard: | last but not least... RAW IS WAR... an exclusive wrestling title from THQ taking the Rock and the |
| 1:28 PM: | J_Allard: | rest of the WWF to Xbox |
| 1:28 PM: | J_Allard: | ...and this is just the beginning |
| 1:28 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What was the inspiration behind the design? |
| 1:29 PM: | J_Allard: | what we tried to do in our design was to capture the power of the system and |
| 1:29 PM: | J_Allard: | the mystery of it's potential |
| 1:29 PM: | J_Allard: | a key inspiration was high-end audio systems. |
| 1:29 PM: | J_Allard: | we want the xbox games to be the center of the user's experience, not the system |
| 1:30 PM: | J_Allard: | the system really amplifies the creativity and visions of the game designers |
| 1:30 PM: | J_Allard: | not unlike an audio amplifier. and, it's high-end. |
| 1:30 PM: | sol_msxbox: | very true. |
| 1:30 PM: | sol_msxbox: | What about the controller, it takes alot from previous designs? |
| 1:31 PM: | J_Allard: | with the controller we tried to learn from the best of previous designs |
| 1:31 PM: | J_Allard: | couple with great asthetics, and most importantly have the right features and the |
| 1:31 PM: | J_Allard: | right design. we designed it around comfort and having awesome functionality for the |
| 1:31 PM: | J_Allard: | game designers to work with |
| 1:32 PM: | J_Allard: | when we show it to people, we sayu |
| 1:32 PM: | J_Allard: | "put out your hands like you're playing a game" |
| 1:32 PM: | J_Allard: | then we just drop it in |
| 1:32 PM: | J_Allard: | people think it feels supernatural |
| 1:33 PM: | J_Allard: | you know, designed for marathons |
| 1:33 PM: | sol_msxbox: | We're going to allow 5 readers join in randomly |
| 1:34 PM: | DopeyFish: | *heart just stopped* |
| 1:34 PM: | sol_msxbox: | so If you've received "voice" +v, then chat away |
| 1:34 PM: | J_Allard: | having been an avid gamer for 20 years, and having owned every console |
| 1:34 PM: | J_Allard: | i think it's going to be awesome. (i've also gottent to play a bunch of titles with it. it's good) |
| 1:34 PM: | DopeyFish: | J, well, hrm hello how are you |
| 1:35 PM: | Nitros_MSXbox: | there, all done |
| 1:35 PM: | Travis: | Xbox looks great! |
| 1:35 PM: | J_Allard: | hey dopeyfish. whatcha playing these days |
| 1:37 PM: | J_Allard: | i'm not going to argue with the man. especially after all of the great things |
| 1:37 PM: | DopeyFish: | hehe |
| 1:38 PM: | J_Allard: | he's said about xbox. besides, i promised him a pair of these slick xbox shoes, so i need |
| 1:38 PM: | J_Allard: | to live to deliver on the promise |
| 1:38 PM: | Iceman_Msxbox: | Thanks for coming J. Allard :) |
| 1:38 PM: | DopeyFish: | it's been great reading this interview :) nice to have you! |
| 1:38 PM: | J_Allard: | thanks guys. catch you on the net. next time. |