Xbox 360 retail Q&As for HDD & backwards comp. Leake

[Aquanox]

Xbox 360 Hard Drive

An anonymous tipster filled us in on what Microsoft’s been telling retail employees about the Xbox 360 hard drive and backwards compatibility on one of its online training sites recently. Read below for mostly stock questions and answers that we’ve already become familiar with, but there were also a few notable quotes included for you 360 watchers out there. For instance, the hard drive will come (I’m assuming pre-installed) with “an array of content including music tracks, skins, gamer pictures, videos, and more.” In addition, even though it states that they’re focused first on the top-selling Xbox 1 titles for backwards compatibility, they are also planning to make every original Xbox game run on Xbox 360. Whether that’s realistic or not is a good question, but I, for one, would like to see my Burnout Revenge demo disc work on the 360 as soon as possible. Obscure (but not imported?) game owners, rejoice!

The Hard Drive Accessory

Q: Why are you now charging for the hard drive?
A: We want to expand the Xbox experience to different audiences. By offering choice to consumers we allow consumers the flexibility to enter the immersive, high definition world of Xbox 360 gaming and build toward the complete Xbox 360 entertainment experience. Xbox 360 Hard Drive is a 20-gigabyte detachable hard drive that allows gamers to easily transport their saved games, downloadable content including music, downloaded trailers, levels demos and community created content from Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition, Xbox 360 is built for the future and can evolve to expand into new multimedia entertainment scenarios.

Q: What exactly comes on the hard drive?
A: The hard drive will include an array of content including music tracks, skins, gamer pictures, videos, and more.

Q: Are you going to release a 40 gigabyte drive in the future?
A: We’re not announcing any larger hard drives today. That said, Xbox 360 is built for the future and can evolve to expand into new multimedia entertainment scenarios. With all of the great downloadable content that will be available on Xbox Live, we want to leave room for the gamers to ultimately decide.

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/1253605482758026.JPG?0.19065196463538459
Xbox 360 Games and Backwards Compatibility

Q: What’s the Xbox 360 games lineup?
A: We’re not announcing our games lineup yet, but we expect to have between 25-40 games at retail this calendar year. There are 160 Xbox 360 games in development right now from leading companies like Electronic Arts, Activision, Microsoft Game Studios, etc.

Q: Is Xbox 360 backward compatible?
A: Yes. Our plan and our goal is to make every original Xbox game run on Xbox 360. We’ve focused first, naturally, on the top-selling titles.

Q: Do you need a hard drive for backward compatibility?
A: Yes. Xbox 360 comes standard with a 20GB hard drive which will enable gamers to play original Xbox games, and we’ll also have a hard drive peripheral for gamers who initially choose to purchase an Xbox 360 Core System.

Q: So if I buy the Core System, I won’t have backward compatibility capabilities?
A: Core System is about choice. If all you want to do is play Xbox 360 games, sign on to Xbox Live using a memory unit and enjoy Xbox 360’s media capabilities, then maybe the Xbox 360 Core System is the right choice for you. If you don’t want to download lots of Xbox Live content yet and don’t want to play original Xbox games yet, buy the Xbox 360 Core System and add the hard drive accessory when you’re ready.

Q: What do you mean by “top-selling Xbox games”? Why can’t you make all games backward compatible?
A: There are hundreds and hundreds of Xbox games on the market. Clearly, we want to make sure that out of the gate, the most popular games - the top sellers - are at the top of our priority list. It’s our goal to make all titles backward compatible.

Source: Joystiq (http://xbox360.joystiq.com/entry/1234000750056831)

[Steroyd]

why did he say the Hard Drive will come standard?
Then later he talks about the core version being about the "consumers choice"??

Well whatever that encoded message is the rest is sort of good news, but what if you have no internet and and your favourite Xbox never made it in the "top sellers list", urgh!!

Hopefully MS make everything clear at TGS, i'll be annoyed if they hold back important information for the X05 summit.

[themann4200]

he said it will be standard on the Xbox 360. when they say Xbox 360, they're referring to the $400 package.

the $300 package is referred to the Xbox 360 Core Package.

I've noticed this in several articles, and I really hate it. It's like they're deliberately trying to deceive you. By saying the Xbox 360 comes standard with a 20gb hard drive, they're only talking about the premium package. I think they're being disloyal, and I'm starting to really dislike Microsoft. I'm pretty much converted to PlayStation.

[siren]

he said it will be standard on the Xbox 360. when they say Xbox 360, they're referring to the $400 package.

the $300 package is referred to the Xbox 360 Core Package.

I've noticed this in several articles, and I really hate it. It's like they're deliberately trying to deceive you. By saying the Xbox 360 comes standard with a 20gb hard drive, they're only talking about the premium package. I think they're being disloyal, and I'm starting to really dislike Microsoft. I'm pretty much converted to PlayStation.

Converted to PS3? You are being dishonest yourself.

One of your very first posts you said "Can't wait for PS3". Nothing about the Xbox360.

You sig only contains PS2 games. Don't see any Xbox games there.

[homer]

Yo siren GTA is also on xbox :lol:

[Lefein]

It's all in the marketing. They will refer to the $400 package as the actual system in order to diminish the percieved value of the "core" package. This will make you feel like you have a lesser system until you upgrade it with a drive later on. All documentation from here on will refer to the $400 package as the 360.

It's all marketing psychology. Welcome to Microsoft.

[Boogie Woogie]

Marketing Psychology ? Well i don't like that . MS probably gonna make all games backwards compatible in the year 2060 , might as well sell all your old Xbox games fellas :lol: Like "themann4200" said , it's all deception conerning the HDD . I wonder how long we have to wait for any upgrades like a 40 or 60GB HDD .

[unr3stricted]

why did he say the Hard Drive will come standard?
Then later he talks about the core version being about the "consumers choice"??

Well whatever that encoded message is the rest is sort of good news, but what if you have no internet and and your favourite Xbox never made it in the "top sellers list", urgh!!

Hopefully MS make everything clear at TGS, i'll be annoyed if they hold back important information for the X05 summit.

Because it IS standard. There are just two standards.

[Steroyd]

why did he say the Hard Drive will come standard?
Then later he talks about the core version being about the "consumers choice"??

Well whatever that encoded message is the rest is sort of good news, but what if you have no internet and and your favourite Xbox never made it in the "top sellers list", urgh!!

Hopefully MS make everything clear at TGS, i'll be annoyed if they hold back important information for the X05 summit.

Because it IS standard. There are just two standards.

but that doesn't make sense to me, and it might not make sense to joe.

Is the HDD standard with Xbox 360?
Yes

Then what the heck is the core package then?
Well we want the consumers to have a choice and get a HDD later

I still don't get it, because they could go the same way as the PS2, O.K MS would never drop HDD support, but splitting the consumers into 2 groups is a bad idea IMO.

Note: I made up those Q & A's, and it's my interpretation of what the MS camp are saying. (to me)

[unr3stricted]

why did he say the Hard Drive will come standard?
Then later he talks about the core version being about the "consumers choice"??

Well whatever that encoded message is the rest is sort of good news, but what if you have no internet and and your favourite Xbox never made it in the "top sellers list", urgh!!

Hopefully MS make everything clear at TGS, i'll be annoyed if they hold back important information for the X05 summit.

Because it IS standard. There are just two standards.

but that doesn't make sense to me, and it might not make sense to joe.

Is the HDD standard with Xbox 360?
Yes

Then what the heck is the core package then?
Well we want the consumers to have a choice and get a HDD later

I still don't get it, because they could go the same way as the PS2, O.K MS would never drop HDD support, but splitting the consumers into 2 groups is a bad idea IMO.

Note: I made up those Q & A's, and it's my interpretation of what the MS camp are saying. (to me)

They aren't splitting the consumers into two groups, its only one group. A group without HDDs. Well, thats how the games are built anyways. As long as everyone knows from the start(devs) there will be no problems with people having/not having a HDD. Anyone that is hardcore enough to play an MMORPG would get the HDD in the first place, so it doesn't matter.

[Boogie Woogie]

Well then i guess Phil Harrison was right to say that the two SKU's will cause confusion amoungst gamers . It's already confusing a few hardcore gamers on this forum , what about casual gamers ? :lol::lol:

[Steroyd]

but that's the thing Unrestricted, are there enough hardcore gamers out there that would get enough HDD's?

I mean there's 2 million out of 20 million Hardcore enough gamers who would subscribe to XBL, and if MS can magically make that number rise to around 75% of Xbox 360 owners who have a HDD somehow than fair enough, but right now it looks like MS could get a way lower than expected number of Xbox 360 owners to actually have a HDD.

We've got to take into consideration, well according to specific people B/C doesn't matter neither does your Console turning into a computer (so would a Console attacthed to a Computer be any different?), online wouldn't be a must for most people. So with all those features as options would the premium package be as attractive as MS wants it to be?

[unr3stricted]

but that's the thing Unrestricted, are there enough hardcore gamers out there that would get enough HDD's?

I mean there's 2 million out of 20 million Hardcore enough gamers who would subscribe to XBL, and if MS can magically make that number rise to around 75% of Xbox 360 owners who have a HDD somehow than fair enough, but right now it looks like MS could get a way lower than expected number of Xbox 360 owners to actually have a HDD.

We've got to take into consideration, well according to specific people B/C doesn't matter neither does your Console turning into a computer (so would a Console attacthed to a Computer be any different?), online wouldn't be a must for most people. So with all those features as options would the premium package be as attractive as MS wants it to be?

Microsoft can have as many people with HDD as they want. All they have to do is lower the production of the Core model, and if there is a demand, people will buy the bundled version. Microsoft has direct control over how many people have HDDs, and so far, it seems like they aren't worried. If they aren't worried, I'm guessing the majority of systems available will be the Premium Bundled versions.

[Steroyd]

I don't know, we've got to remember by then the PS3 will be in the market, so it might not go the way MS want, IF Sony keep the prices at a competitive to the Premium bundle, and MS are pushing people to the premium bundle, then why not spend that little extra monies and buy the PS3.

It's going to be a ping pong battle between Xbox 360 "core" PS3 and Xbox 360 "premium" and that could get ugly.

[themann4200]

he said it will be standard on the Xbox 360. when they say Xbox 360, they're referring to the $400 package.

the $300 package is referred to the Xbox 360 Core Package.

I've noticed this in several articles, and I really hate it. It's like they're deliberately trying to deceive you. By saying the Xbox 360 comes standard with a 20gb hard drive, they're only talking about the premium package. I think they're being disloyal, and I'm starting to really dislike Microsoft. I'm pretty much converted to PlayStation.

Converted to PS3? You are being dishonest yourself.

One of your very first posts you said "Can't wait for PS3". Nothing about the Xbox360.

You sig only contains PS2 games. Don't see any Xbox games there.

that's my marketing psychology i learned from microsoft :shock: :wink:

actually i used to be a huge ps fan, then started to get drawn into the xbox because all my friends have live, but lately i've been really put off by the 360 and microsoft, and am basically all pro ps again. we'll see how my feelings change for the 360 as time goes on and we get closer to a launch and eventually the launch.

[DarkChild]

he said it will be standard on the Xbox 360. when they say Xbox 360, they're referring to the $400 package.

the $300 package is referred to the Xbox 360 Core Package.

I've noticed this in several articles, and I really hate it. It's like they're deliberately trying to deceive you. By saying the Xbox 360 comes standard with a 20gb hard drive, they're only talking about the premium package. I think they're being disloyal, and I'm starting to really dislike Microsoft. I'm pretty much converted to PlayStation.

Converted to PS3? You are being dishonest yourself.

One of your very first posts you said "Can't wait for PS3". Nothing about the Xbox360.

You sig only contains PS2 games. Don't see any Xbox games there.

funny you should talk! come on siren you might say you support sony also but let's be for real. yeah you may say you're buying a ps3 but we all know what you feel on the subject.

[Steroyd]

Yeah when you read Sirens posts, it seems that he's pschitzophrenic about the PS3 vs. Xbox 360 situation, but hey if he's worked for MS he could probably afford both consoles with all of their launch line-up games :lol:

[luxurys]

http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/n ... 0000020735 (http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/news/article.jsp?sectionId=1006&articleId=2007091315537593096&releaseId=2005138888000000020735)

[Ultima X]

Yoinkness