Re: X Box/Leopard/Ace

["milkman_ohk" <david.paterson@xxxxxxx>]

Just spotted this thread :-)

> As the machine is basically a PC, I don't see why it _couldn't_ be
used for
> HA purposes, though I doubt any developers are working on it, as
the Xbox is
> aimed at the gaming market.
> There have been various supposed leaks from Microshaft about the
> 'Homestation' which may be released this year/early next year -
which is
> basically an XBox but with added functionality to act as a home
> entertainment 'hub' - ie tivo/dvd/gaming etc - so perhaps then you
will see
> HA stuff developed for this platform.

The XBox might look like a PC superficially, but there are quite a
few differences.  One of the main ones is that there's no operating
system - it effectively runs a specially optimised version of DirectX
8 straight on the metal.

This doesn't mean you probably couldn't persuade it to run something
else, but there's not a huge amount of RAM, and just getting the code
loaded could present a challenge.  The unified memory architecture
could also make things difficult, as there's really no support for
virtual memory.

Have a look at NVidia's NForce stuff :-

http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=nforce

to get an idea of the graphics and audio capabilities.

We're developing for XBox, Gamecube and PS2, and I have to say that
XBox is the most powerful of the 3, as well as being easiest to
develop for.  The Gamecube will probably sell more though, since it's
cheaper (just as well we've got all 3 covered :-)

David P.