Xbox

A video game console system produced by the Microsoft Corporation. The original Xbox was designed to support single-player and multi-player gaming using handheld-controllers, along with Compact Disc (CD) games. The original Xbox also supported an Ethernet controller to connect to home networks and the Internet for extended multi-player activities. The Xbox was the first game console including an Ethernet port, and with this feature, users could link two Xboxes directly simply by using a crossover Ethernet cable (generally sold as a System Link Cable).

The Xbox has been a prime target for crackers looking for a low-cost computer. With minor hardware modifications, this nice device can be turned into a moderately powerful computer running the Linux operating system software.

In November 2005, the Xbox 360 was released and cost about $300. It lets users play games interactively and take music, photos, and videos from their PCs.

Another interesting feature of the Xbox 360 is that it supports high-definition television, known as HDTV. HDTV is capable of displaying 720 lines, whereas traditional televisions display only 480 lines. The implication is that information on a PC monitor will be displayed with the same high visual quality on a bigger HDTV screen connected to the Xbox 360. Presently, HDTV adoption is relatively low in the consumer marketplace because of its high price and a limited number of digital broadcasts, but U.S. regulators have ruled that TV stations must move to digital broadcasting by 2007.

In the fast-paced world of technology, after media headlines appeared announcing that the Xbox 360 was on its way, competitors began to peddle their high-tech wares. For example, the Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s Revolution and the PlayStation 3 began making headlines in May 2005. The Revolution is marketed as being the tiniest of the next-generation consoles—approximately the size of three stacked DVD cases. It will have wireless Internet access and be compatible with Nintendo consoles and games going back to 1983. The PlayStation 3, or PS3, as it will be called, will display high-definition games using a Cell processor, which is marketed as being ten times more powerful than processors found in current Personal Computers.

See Also: Computer; Ethernet; Internet; Linux; Network; Operating System Software; Wireless.