Xbox 360 to sport internal HDMI output?
One can never beat the wonderful thing called ‘anonymous sources’ for spicy rumors, but as long as they provide pictures or at least some sort of acceptable proof, unlike your average 360 modchip manufacturer, we’re loving it. The news this time would be that the Xbox 360 is being modified to support native HDMI output from the machine directly.
The in this kind of news usually quite reliable guys at Xbox-Scene received the image below from a source who would very much like to be kept anonymous, but was trustworthy enough apparently. What we see is a motherboard showing the familiar setup of USB- and Ethernet port to the left, general A/V out to the right, and surprise surprise… an HDMI-port underneath.
Microsoft has been criticised for only supporting analog HD output on its next-gen console, while on the other hand their main competitor Sony has had to break solid promises about their PlayStation 3 supporting 2 HDMI-outputs, reducing it to 1 on the high-end package. And it is well known that Sony’s late launch of the PS3 was partially due to the BluRay drives and the thus required HDCP encryption on the signals sent out to the HDMI port. Microsoft quite probably didn’t want to delay their console for a year because of small subsystems not being feasible yet, and as such took the simple approach of leaving them out. It was generally expected that the upcoming external HD-DVD drive would add HDMI support.
The picture begs 2 main questions, first of all: does an internal HDMI output also mean the HD-DVD drive will become internal? No, our pal Cesar at Xbox PR is very adamant on that there are absolutely no plans to do this. Secondly: would Microsoft be screwing over their existing customers by adding HDMI support now? I see no reason why this would be the case. I’ve had my 360 for about 8 months now, and sorry to say it guys but technology evolves all the time. If the 360 gets a facelift early next year or so to include an HDMI output: so be it, that’s what happens with technology. Are you also complaining to General Motors if they release a new model car the year after you bought yours? Also, I fully expect the HD-DVD add-on to still include HDMI-output, so in that case you could still get the same functionality with a simple expansion. Anyway, just accept the simple facts of life, being that new stuff gets invented all the time, and you wouldn’t like it either if Microsoft just held everything back for 5 years until the next Xbox arrives.
Bottom line as well: it’s just a rumor based on a blurry picture which could very well be photoshopped, and we’ll just have to trust Xbox-Scene’s judgement that the source is even remotely reliable.
Thanks RyKn0w1 for the find!
it could just be a modded 360 with the hdmi output modded in
I’d be surprised at that: it looks completely “in style” with the A/V port, which is a custom designed connector for 360 only. A modder would have no use spending all that time to make it fit in perfectly in color and size.
Apart from the fact that it wouldn’t be functional since it’s impossible to connect it anywhere
So, if this does get released, we get screwed over and have to buy another 360? (Sorry if you already said this in the post, I skim-read long posts.)
Do read the whole post then please
I fail to see the comparison you make with a car being replaced by a new model the next year being relevant.
Fact is, we already paid through the nose for this next-gen console, and we paid a lot. So we’re expected, if we want the best, to pay even more to replace it with an identical model aside from one component?
If you buy a car, you know there’ll be a new one the next year - that’s the way the industry works. This, on the other hand, smacks of profiteering - if they can include it now, they could have included it at the start. I just hope they don’t go down the Sony (and, sadly, Nintendo) route of having ’slimline’ versions and crap like that.
At the very least, if you *are* expected to buy a new 360 for this, then the least they could do is give you a handsome fixed-rate trade in price for your old unit.
Paid through the nose? Wtf? You got the $700 equivalent of a $2000 gaming PC for $400?
And how the hell can it smack of profiteering if the alternative was probably delaying the 360 a year? Which one would you have preferred?
And finally, you’re not expected to do anything. Why in the name of anything holy should they offer trade-in and whatever? You bought a fully functional product that does everything it was claimed to do when you bought it. And a newer version may introduce new features, but especially the HDMI extension which is barely interesting even for owners of modern HD-flatpanels does not constitute any ground-breaking change. It simply gets a new output mode, it will not break compatibility, it will not make your current 360 worthless or anything. It just provides an extra option of connecting a TV, it’s not a frigging new console.
I completely fail to see why you state the car comparison is not valid. The new car is just as functional, it works on the same roads, it uses the same kind of gas, and it takes the same amount of passengers. It’s essentially the same car but probably some minor changes and perhaps more options added as standard. That’s technology baby: evolves all the time. Were you also first in line screaming for a new 360 when the 65nm processor was announced? Yep: the 360 already had a hardware change. All that did was lower manufacturing costs and energy consumption. Or hey, new Philips DVD-drives are also being used now instead of the Toshibas and Hitachis used at first. Should you get a rebate?
Finally, it’s a rumor. I emphasized it in the article and I will emphasize that again.
I know you emphasised it’s a rumour, but for discussion’s sake, let’s take it as true.
Remember when they said “You won’t need a hard disk to play any 360 game” - then along came Football Manager.
Dead Or Alive (if I recall correctly) demands a 60hz output to work, correct?
So, what happens when the first HDMI-only 360 game comes out? I can see it happening (because that sort of thing always does).
And, mate, I live in the UK - I paid closer to $700 for it, (more if you include the fact I bought a couple of games alongside it) seeing as the exchange rate is moronic at the moment. That’s a LOT of money for someone in my earnings bracket, and I saved up for a long time to be able to afford it, because I wanted the best. Not “the best, but it’ll be replaced by a better one in a few months” - the drives thing irritates me enough (because I’ve got the first batch, the louder, more scratch-likely one), but this is even more annoying.
I’m not having a go at you, btw, just the situation in general.
However I *do* still say the car anaolgy is inaccurate. If a car manufacturer brought out a new model with ONE difference, they’d sell bugger-all, and be slated for it, or so I think, at least…
It’s technically impossible: it’s just an output method. That’s exactly what I was emphasizing: it doesn’t change anything except introduce another way to connect your telly.
Uh the official price is 280 pounds afaik, which is roughly equivalent to 420 euro or 420 USD without taxes? Did it get bundled with a bunch of accessories and gamesor so? If so: blame the retailer, not the manufacturer.
Ofcourse it would sell. It would simply replace the older model. We’re talking about a new version of the same car here, not an entirely new car with upgraded engine and everything. I’m trying to get the point through that you’re getting the same car here with a minor upgrade to its standard options pack, which wasn’t available when the car was originally introduced. The previous actual car that Microsoft released was the Xbox, and it also got some facelifts in its lifetime (Duke springs to mind).
According to www.xe.com:
280.00 GBP = 518.058 USD
Add to that two games, at ÂŁ50 or $92 each, and you get a better idea of just how crappily expensive everything in the UK is in comparison to everywhere else, ever.
I always thought 60hz was just an output method too - but they still brought out a game that required it. What’s the difference? (Genuine question - I hold my hand up and admit ignorance in these things to a strong degree)
The US price of $400 is excluding VAT, never forget that.
On DOA4, it’s a fighting game which requires pinpoint frame accuracy in timing blocks and counters, in sharp contrast to shooters or racing games where slight differences in response times do not matter. When playing a fighting game online, it’s a real bitch if both machines render a different amount of frames each second. In DOA4, you have I think 15 frames (0.25 second) to execute a counter. On 50Hz systems this would be 12.5 frames, as such placing one of the users either at an advantage or disadvantage depending on the rounding used. They couldn’t get that working well, so decided to lock the game to 60Hz.
It’s imho a problem that could’ve been solved with more development effort, but not a real problem either because any TV manufactured after 1996 or so supports 60Hz, and you really don’t want to connect a 360 to an older setup.
The other point you’re forgetting in the whole car analogy is that car manufacturers are expected come out with new models each year…
To make the analogy correct, the situation would have to be like one of the car manufacturers releasing a 2006 model (in the later months of 2005), and then adding some feature to the standard package, like a built-in GPS navigation system, a few months later… it’d still be the same model (a 2006), but now anyone who’d bought the first batch of the 2006 cars would be missing out on the free inclusion…
If that kind of behavior were to become commonplace, I think it would tend to bite companies in the butt… as people would soon become hesitant to put their money up for anything when its first released.
Bottom line, I don’t think early supporters of a product should be punished with less features… Game consoles are not something meant to be “upgraded” within a year after release. If people wanted to go that route, they’d have a high-end gaming PC with easily replacable parts.
On a brighter note, anyone with a good replacement plan could probably screw their 360 pretty easily, and wait until the HDMI version were released to return it…
I agree that Microsoft would be much better off including the HDMI in some other way, (i.e. via the HD-DVD drive add-on) if possible.
…I like the DS Lite.
I agree….
Re: Number13
Paid through the nose? I don’t even make that much money and $400 is nothing. It’s called technology. Computer packages at retail stores become updated with something better and cheaper after six months. I’d prefer consoles to become updated with new features. Stop whining, grow up and just get over it. We all take that risk if we’re an early adopter in any industry. Just sell your current 360 when the new one comes out. Someone will buy it, regardless. That’s what people do with Ipods. I’d rather companies to come out with better products each year for me to buy than hold out because someone whines about being an early adopter. Forget the car analogy. Why should the rest of us be punished for your whining and your decision to be an early adopter? We didn’t make you buy it. I hope they do come out with internal HD DVD and HDMI. And I don’t mind paying a premium for it.
When are they gonna market a cable that gives you 720p widescreen on a 480i set?
When you stop touching yourself at night :p
hmmmmm
right after pigs start to fly and there is a report of more snowballs in hell than has ever been seen before.
that picture has been done in someones bedroom, i mean look at the pices of wood in the back ground not very computer lap is it. its all a big fake, mocrosoft would have to be mad (or stupid) to change the configuration of the Xbox360 after 18-24 months.
oops sorry about the spelling error in microsoft
Photoshopped! Nice Rumor, and waste of time.
Just to let everyone know, I originally didn’t like the car analogy, but later realized it’s 100% correct, even more so than the author intended.
Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota (the 3 I have proof of because I own their vehicles) sometimes come out with 2 sets of cars each model year. For example, the 2003 Expedition I bought when it was released came out with an air conditioning unit that only allows for one setting, whereas the ones that came a few months later allowed the passenger to choose as well.
My chevy avalanche has analog Onstar, which becomes obsolete January 2008, at which point I have the “opportunity” to pay over $300 for a digital system (includes 3 years of service). Later 03 avalanches had the digital onstar already built in.
My point is that the author is exactly right, and while I disagree with it and think that it’s wrong for gaming systems to change (I love the fact I’m on the same hardware level as everyone else)…the analogy works.
-Matt
Consoles change, not just to have a better setup, but also to cut costs and production times. If that annoys you then don’t buy one immediatly and wait a year. If you don’t want that than you shouldn’t complain. It’s, like said before, the way technology works. The first batch will have their problems, which will be solved in the second batch and so on. A console isn’t any different than any piece of electronic equipment.
The fact that you don’t want it to change doesn’t change the fact that it will change.
Yeah, but the PS2 didn’t change a year after release, it was four years, which is tolerable.
I don’t think that the HDMI port will be included on the 360.
BUT I do think it will be on the HD-DVD add-on. Especially now it’s out on the street that HD-DVD also is going to support 1080p and the best thing of it all: HD-DVD is superior in images over BetaBluRay!
http://www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/3480
and
http://www.avsforum.com/a...b/showthread.php?t=696857
I bet the HD-DVD add-on will support 1080p also and probably include a HDMI port
The PS2 had changes, no one complained; lots of people didn’t notice. They removed a firewire port , added an IR port, and added a network adapter built in. Revisions like this happen. a HDMI only game wouldn’t happen. The only real advantage HDMI has over Component in this aspect is it can output 1080p60 whereas Component can only output a max of 1080p30. The 360 doesn’t use either of those resolutions so it’s safe to assume it wont matter.
The people complaining about the possible HDMI inclusion probably don’t even have a HDMI compliant TV.
Did they actually USE the firewire port for anything? Just out of interest.
I do have an HDMI compliant TV, btw - which is the only reason I’m so annoyed about this. If it’s true, and they’d made this clear before the console was launched, I would have waited until this to get one. It’s not like I would have missed out on much, seeing as the game release schedule has been sparse at best…
The most known example is Gran Turismo 3, where you could use the firewire port to link up to 6 consoles for multi-player. Also there was an option for using the other ps2’s for extra screens. You could have a setup like the arcade version of ferrari f355 by sega http://emustatus.rainemu....al/timeline/f355c-jpg.jpg
It was also used for timesplitters link up.
I for one am glad they didn’t include it because if they had released it a year ago, I’m sure it would have been reflected in the price and I would’ve spend extra money for HDMI when I use a 35 dollar, 21 inch TV in my dorm that I bought off some grad student.
I don’t see what the big deal is myself. The two main purposes of HDMI are:
(1) To transmit Video and Audio over a single cable.
(2) To allow film distributors to use HDCP.
My sound goes into my 5.1 system anyway, and there are no HDCP protected films out at the moment anyway.
Should MS includea HDMI interace? Yes, it is possible that this will become the standard interface of the future, so of course MS should include it on the 360’s
Will anyone have to go and buy a new 360 because of it? No, what’s the point - it wont’s improve the game playing experience.
I thought the purpose of HDMI was that it was digital, as opposed to component cables, which are analogue.
Analogue can suffer signal degredation, digital can’t.
Aye, but the signal degredation is tiny, its not like you would even notice the difference. (that maybe depends on the TV, but mines quotes the signal degredation between component and HDMI as 1%)
Thing is that Component is a split up signal which is optimal based on possible degradation. Composite is a mess (everything on one cable), RGB is an obvious split but not the most optimal, and Component compensates it best.
Having HDMI is much better.
Most of you have invested in LCD HDTV’s. Even if they are the cheapest kinds, ie sub 1200 dollars, they are labeled “HD ready”, which means they have to include a HDMI port. You can sefely say that all HDTV’s bought after 2005 are HD ready, so look on the back of you HDTV, it will have a hdmi port.
While the difference between hdmi of component might not be as big as you hope for, it still will produce a cleaner, sharper image with better colours.
All of you would want this, you didn’t buy a xbox360 and a hdtv for nothing.
You probably want to use the most advanced technical gaming machines. Else you would have sticked with a 100 dollar ps2 to play games like FF XII or Okami, etc.
In the end it will be better for all of you. At this moment ‘only’ 3-4 million xboxes have been sold. It is better to make the xbox360 more advanced in this stage, instead of waiting 3 years, and having the possibility of 20 million xbox360 owners feeling ‘left out’.
That is my opinion.
You should also know that hdmi has 3 specs, hdmi 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 but maybe one of you will do an article on that when the hdmi port arrives. I’d be happy to read it
am i really missing out with hdmi?, i seen hdtv with hdmi cable and i admit its a sharper picture but component seems to be just as fine on max resolution
did microsoft say if sony go hdmi they go that route and nothing been confirmed yet ??
as long as i dont need it to play games, im fine with it. let the early hd movie adopters have fun spending money on something not proven and bitching about outdated console hardware. as long as i can play the games coming out im fine.
Nintendo also removed the digital AV port from the gamecube not to long ago. Changes happen. I WANT HDMI.
well smjames send you request to microsoft and asked for a swap when it comes because i wouldnt hold me breath !!!
Well, as long as you’re european you have a full year warrenty with your 360. So just trash it if they happen to bring out the HDMI one before your warrenty expires.
Well it does look quite real, its possible ill accept that they could do this. However much it might upset people i think it may be Microsofts only way to include HDMI support. Ill give you all a little lesson on this, since some of you dont have a clue. HDMI support will not come with the HD- DVD add on, ill explain why. If you have seen the pics round the back of the add on unit, you’ll see only 2 usb sockets, nothing else, the reason is simple. The add on is not capable of outputting picture, it acts purely as a readable device only. The signal has to be sent throught the main 360 unit and ouput through the cable socket. This keeps the cost of the add on down, and think about it, if the add on was capable of outputting picture, there would be no need to hook it up to the 360 would there? It could be a stand alone unit. The second truth lies within the socket output on the back of the 360 unit. Its already taking a Digital signal and converting it to Analogue before putting it out through the component cable into your HD tv set. If they were to simply make a HDMI lead for the 360, the Digital signal would be downed to Analogue through the port then upped again to Digital by the HDMI cable before it gets to your TV set. So, you understand the possible problems they face getting a pure Digital signal from the machine, this is why its possible that the image above is real, if they really wanted HDMI they would need a fully Digital port to transmit the signal to the TV set. So, maybe its real after all…….