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IBM Details Xbox 360 Chip Specs

By Aaron Dobbins, BetaNews

October 25, 2005, 12:57 PM

IBM will disclose details of the processor it developed for the upcoming Xbox 360 gaming console at a chip conference Tuesday in Silicon Valley. Microsoft switched from Intel's Pentium III, used in the first generation Xbox, to the PowerPC architecture in 2003.

The chip is a customized version of the regular PowerPC chip and will run at a speed of 3.2GHz. The iteration developed for the Xbox 360 includes three cores, and would be able to run up to two simultaneous tasks at the same time, the company said.

Also, a faster bus will speed transmission of data to other components, and a vector-processing unit has been added to handle 128 bits of data - rather than 64 bits for the rest of the chip. The increased speed should make more advanced games possible with higher quality graphics and gameplay.

Sony is also depending on IBM to help co-develop its Cell processor architecture for the PlayStation 3 console, due next spring. However, the chip is quite different from the one used in the Xbox 360.

While the Xbox 360 essentially includes a modified version of the current PowerPC line, the PS3 Cell chip is a completely new processor. Part of the reason for a simpler approach could be the amount of time Microsoft gave IBM to develop the chip.

"Microsoft's aggressive timetable required that IBM take the Xbox 360 chip design from concept to full execution in just 24 months," explained Ilan Spillinger, IBM Distinguished Engineer and director of the IBM Design Center for Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 is slated to hit retail shelves on November 22, several days before the biggest shopping day of the year, known as "Black Friday."

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By jerrico

edited Oct 26, 2005 - 1:07 AM

Ill wait about about a year before I will buy the 360. That should be enough time for them to fine tune their masterpiece.

Score: 0

By drumcat

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 4:01 PM

The hard drive will have emulation software on it -- that will provide backward compatibility. Yes, that means no HD, no back-compat.

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 8:23 AM

There will be downloadable emulation software for some of the old games. All the new games are in high def. All the old games that are in high def would still be in high def im assuming. I dont know what drumcat is talking about.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 11:04 AM

In drumcat's post:

HD = Hard Drive.

Not:

HD = High Def.

Score: 0

By dvferret

edited Oct 27, 2005 - 10:51 AM

yah your right. sorry. lol

Score: 0

By kholdstare

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 2:02 PM

anyone know if it they made it official that it would be backwards compatible with x-box games? cause if its a power pc chip then i don't see this happening

Score: 0

By Kramy

edited Oct 25, 2005 - 3:18 PM

Apple already has an emulator built for OSX that's almost as good as real-time. I wouldn't be surprised if they built such a feature into the XBox 360(if they have the time), and with three 3.2ghz cores, it could probably emulate 3 or 4 Xboxes at once.

Score: 0

By TheNetAvengerSPT

edited Oct 25, 2005 - 9:15 PM

>>Apple already has an emulator built for OSX that's almost as good as real-time.

WTH? You are kiddin right? Apple has an INTEL based version of OSX, but not emulator. If you want an Emulator for the PowerPC CPU, look to Microsoft and its Virtual PC for the Mac, it does the Emulation you must be speaking of.

Secondly, the XBox 360 is built on the NT/Windows architecture (which can run on any CPU, and since the older and newer games all use DirectX(XNA), the emulation won't be quite too hard, even if the hardware wasn't super over kill. As the DirectX would be translating somewhat native GPU calls for the Video, and the only emulation that really would be going on would be the Sound and CPU specific portions of the game, and like you said, a tri-core PowerPC CPU can easily handle this.

But in no way has Apple created emulation for OSX, except for OSX on the Intel CPUs, where they are emulating the PowerPC. Which is exactly BACKWARDS of what the XBOX 360 would be doing.

Score: 0

By Kramy

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 12:45 AM

http://www.betanews.com/...le_Macs_Fast/1121365969

Not really kidding. That quote ">>Apple already has an emulator built for OSX that's almost as good as real-time. is quite accurate according to what you just said.

Rosetta is an "emulator/cross-compiler" for the Intel macs to run PowerPC programs, and the universal binaries they speak of will be made for several years to come, and apparently run natively on both platforms.

So yeah....I guess what I said was backwards and sloppy writing, but at least I wasn't wrong. If the XBox 360 had Virtual PC type emulation, perhaps there really is no chance of it ever emulating at full speed. :P

And it was just a thought I was throwing out - all it means is if you don't mind waiting a second for a game to start, they could in theory have it convert it back and forth. From the sounds of it though MS is pushing them hard and it won't actually have such a feature built-in, but as I said it would be possible if they had more time.

Score: 0

By yohimbe9

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 3:13 PM

a friend at best buy said that some games will have a patch that you can download from MarketPlace.

Score: 0

By drumcat

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 2:00 PM

X360, running OSX 10.4... hmmm

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 2:37 PM

Lol. I think hell will freeze over first.

Score: 0

By citizen420

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 2:50 PM

lol, freeze, i just got a BLUE SCREEN flash back,

Score: 0

By citizen420

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 1:45 PM

i think ill wait for the ps3, sounds better, and it will be better.SONY rules!!!!!!

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 8:25 AM

Yah, and will be twice the price. Im getting the 360

Score: 0

By simluk

edited Oct 27, 2005 - 5:54 AM

I think the difference between prices of xbox 360 and ps3 will vary about 100$ and if we look at spec of ps3 we'll se that hundred dolars are not so much.. Besides there will be more games for this console.

http://www.firingsquad.c...ticle.asp?searchid=8091

I would take ps3 ;)

Score: 0

By Esquire

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 1:44 PM

A modified PowerPC? Then can I run a Mac on it? :P

Score: 0

By TheRecklessWanderer

posted Oct 25, 2005 - 1:29 PM

Come on November 22nd.

Score: 0

By phatoneusa

edited Oct 25, 2005 - 11:59 PM

The PS3 does more then the Xbox 360 it also cooks steak!!!

- PS3 BAR-BQ FANBOY

http://www.ps3grill.com

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 8:27 AM

Thats the real use for the PS3

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 1:57 AM

LOL. Nice link.

Score: 0

By citizen420

posted Oct 26, 2005 - 10:19 AM

lol,nicely made in photoshop

Score: 0

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