Xbox 2 Architecture Unveiled?

If this is true,  WOW!

by Anton Shilov
04/26/2004 | 09:47 AM

A visitor of aChinese BBS revealed information that, he thinks, mirrors some architecture peculiarities of the Microsoft’s Xbox 2 console in addition to the date when the world’s largest software maker is expected to release the official details of the console.

Microsoft is expected to formally announce the Xbox 2 (the “Xenon”) on the 2nd of  June 2004. The firm may adjust some parameters but will not change the overall structure of the console, the China-based web-site GZeasy.com believes.

Microsoft will use IBM’s POWER 64-bit processors in the Xbox 2. The 65nm chips were reportedly taped-out recently and are now evaluated by engineers at Microsoft and IBM, though, the architecture of those microprocessors still remains to be investigated.

As everybody knows, there is a lot going on with multi-core, multi-threaded designs at IBM. Apparently, Microsoft also wants to jump on that bandwagon, some sources indicate. The Redmond, Washington-based firm wants to incorporate IBM’s POWER 976 architecture into the CPUs for Xbox 2 console to allow truly high-performance processing. POWER 976 is expected to be a dual-core processor able to handle two threads at once. What may seem a pretty hard to believe is that Microsoft wants more than 1 such chip to power its forthcoming console, according to the scheme published there are three of such chips.

The whole Xbox 2 CPU system will be capable of processing a number of threads simultaneously; because of its RISC nature, the new architecture is a big-endian system, a term that describes the order in which a sequence of bytes are stored in computer memory. Traditional x86 architectures use the little-endian approach, it was initially noted.

The graphics processor of the Xbox 2 is to be developed by ATI Technologies, the I/O controller is to be developed by Silicon Integration Systems Corporation.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20040426094105.html

Not true.

indeed, the source is too sketchy for me to believe.  A Chinese bbs?  What do Asians know abot gaming?

I want confirmation, before I believe any of it. However it those specs are somewhat true, XBOX2 will be a monster.

aye, monster expensive

Well mm, you know MS. They\'ll spend as much as it\'s takes to create the ultimate console. Certainly does not mean it will be better than PS3. In all honesty I feel that the Hardware for next gen will not be the important factor here. What I do feel is key are the development tools. Both MS and Sony’s hardware is going to be powerful enough, but it will be the libraries and ease of use that will give developers access to tap the Powerhouses. So the question here is how good XNA actually is, and what does SONY have in store for there faithful developers.

I dont want to read and crap about how the Xbox looks! I want to see a pic. of what it looks like.  Wont believe it till I see it.

I dont want to read and crap about how the Xbox looks! I want to see a pic. of what it looks like.

:sconf: :boom: :nut: :iono: :banghead: :cursin:

Hmm IGN seems to have taken notice at this news:

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/509/509465p1.html