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Xbox Console (First-Generation) FAQ

Last Updated: December 14th, 2005
Most Frequently Asked Xbox Questions
  • What is the Xbox?
  • How much does the Xbox cost?
  • Can I surf the internet with the Xbox?
General Xbox Questions
  • Do Xbox games work on my PC?
  • Is there an official Xbox website?
  • Where is the online Xbox community?
  • Does Xbox have an official magazine?
  • What is the Xbox Dashboard?
  • Will Microsoft make a handheld console?
  • When will Xbox 2 come out?
  • What OS does the Xbox use?
Hardware Questions
  • What are the specs?
  • Can the Xbox play DVD movies?
  • What is the hard-drive used for?
  • What is the purpose of the ethernet port on the Xbox?
  • What GPU does the Xbox use?
  • What is the Xbox memory card?
  • Where is the a/v output on the Xbox?
  • Can the Xbox handle my high-definition TV?
  • Can I get a VGA adapter the Xbox?
  • Can I get third-party manufactured peripherals?
  • Is the controller comfortable?
  • Can I really rip my own music to the hard drive?
  • What about the Xbox Audio?
Xbox Games Questions
  • Can I play the Xbox online?

What is the Xbox?

Xbox is a next-generation gaming console from Microsoft. It includes parts from Intel (CPU), Nvidia (GPU, MCP-X), and various hard-drive makers. The Xbox is not only powerful, but it also contains a built-in broadband and networking support as well as a hard-drive. The Xbox is truly the wave of the future in terms of videogaming.

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How much does the Xbox cost?

The Xbox video game system currently retails at $149.99 USD and at 99.00 in Europe.

The retail Xbox package includes: 1 Xbox Console Unit, 1 Xbox Controller, 1 AC Adapter, 1 RCA output cables, 1 Manual, 1 Demo Disc.

Some bundle packages include an extra xbox controller and/or game(s). See your local Xbox retailer for bundle details.

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Can I surf the internet with the Xbox?

The Xbox is a dedicated videogame console. Since its primary focus in on games, don't expect to be able to surf the internet. There are currently no plans for a keyboard or mouse for the Xbox. The reason the Xbox comes with a built-in ethernet port is for online gaming.

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Do Xbox games work on my PC?

No. Xbox games are written to be played only on Xbox hardware. Currently, there is no way that Xbox games can be played on a PC. Xbox games, like other console games, have most of its data stored on the actual game disc, whereas PC games tend to require most of the game data to be installed onto the PC's hard-drive.

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Is there an official Xbox website?

The Official Xbox site can be accessed by going to www.xbox.com. The Official Xbox Site has information on Xbox hardware, games, and important news in the Xbox world. It is a great place to go if you're looking for general Xbox information.

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Where is the online Xbox community?

The online Xbox community has been growing by leaps and bounds ever since the console was first announced. Teamxbox hosts a popular Forum and Online Chat, both of which are full of Xbox fans ready to talk.

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Does Xbox have an official magazine?

There is an Official Xbox Magazine (OXM for short) that is devoted entirely to covering Microsoft's console. The editors' pride themselves at being non-biased when reviewing games, but articles are an entirely different matter. To learn more or subscribe to the OXM, go OXM Online.

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What is the Xbox Dashboard?

The Xbox Dashboard appears when you turn on your Xbox console without a disc in the disc tray. The dashboard will let you adjust system settings, including audio, video, language and memory management. It also lets you save and transfer games and create soundtracks. To see the dashboard in motion, go here: Xbox Dashboard, or to see still high-resolutions images, head here: Xbox Dashboard Screenshots.

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Will Microsoft make a handheld console?

There have been rumors of Microsoft talking about creating a handheld gaming device in the future, but nothing concrete.

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When will Xbox 2 come out?

Microsoft has announced xbox 2, a release date has not been published.

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What OS does the Xbox use?

Xbox uses a stripped down Windows 2000 kernel (500k size) for the operating system of the Xbox.

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What are the specs?

SPECS XBOX PlayStation 2 GameCube
CPU 733 MHz 300 MHz 485 MHz
Graphics Processor 233 MHz custom-designed X-Chip, developed by Microsoft and nVidia 150 MHz Sony GS 162 MHz ATI
RAM 64 MB 32 MB 43 MB
Memory Bandwidth 6.4 GB/sec 3.2 GB/sec 2.6 GB/sec
Polygon Performance 125 M/sec 66 M/sec 6-12 M/sec (real world)
Simultaneous Textures 4 1 8
Pixel Fill Rate - No Texture 4.0 G/Sec 2.4 G/sec ???
Pixel Fill Rate - 1 Textures 4.0 G/Sec 1.2 G/Sec ???
Pixel Fill Rate - 2 Textures 4.8 G/Sec 0.6 G/Sec ???
Compressed Textures Yes (6:1) No Yes (6:1)
Storage Medium 2-5x DVD, 8 GB hard disk, 8 MB memory card 4x DVD, 8 MB memory card 1.5GB disc, MB memory card
I/O Game controller x4, Ethernet (10/100) Game controller x2, USB Game controller x4, High-speed serial port x2, High-speed serial parallel port
Audio Channels 256 48 64
3D Audio Support Yes (64 3D channels) No Yes
MIDI/DLS2 Support Yes Yes ???
Hardware Audio Filtering & EQ Yes No ???
Broadband Enabled Yes Optional purchase Optional purchase
DVD Movie Playback Remote control accessory required Yes No
HDTV Support Yes Yes No
HDTV Game Support Yes No Yes
Maximum resolution 1920 x 1080 1280 x 1024 ???
US Launch Date Nov. 15, 2001 Fall 2000 Nov. 18, 2001


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Can the Xbox play DVD movies?

The Xbox console can play DVD movies only if you purchase the DVD Movie Playback Kit which has a suggested retail price of $29.99. The kit includes the required infrared receiver and a remote control designed for DVD playback.

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What is the hard-drive used for?

Microsoft decided to put an 8 gigabyte hard-drive into every Xbox for several reasons. A built-in hard-drive allows for a near endless amount of game save blocks so, if you don't have the need to transfer your saved games, you shouldn't need to buy a memory card... ever.

The hard-drive will also allow for games to load up almost instantaneously because it gives developers the option of streaming game data off the speedy drive. The hard-drive also allows you to save ripped music files so you can play them in the background during games that support the feature.

Finally, the hard-drive makes it possible for games to be updated with new levels, characters, missions, etc. after they are released. In short, the built-in hard-drive allows the Xbox to be a truly next-generation console by extending the

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What is the purpose of the ethernet port on the Xbox?

The built-in Ethernet port the Xbox has serves one purpose: multi-player gaming, whether it be online or offline. For example, with a game like Halo, you can connect up to 4 Xboxes together to create a gaming network or, what PC gamers call it, a "lan". With this lan, up to sixteen players can play in various multiplayer gaming modes. Many other Xbox games include, or will include, the ability to network Xboxes together for multiplayer gaming.

The other purpose of the Ethernet port is for online gaming, on Xbox LIVE. Since the Xbox does not have support for analog internet connections (28.8, 56k modems), you have to have a broadband connection (cable, dsl, isdn, etc.) if you want to play Xbox games online.

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What GPU does the Xbox use?

The 233 MHz Xbox Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) was initially announced as 300MHz and is developed by Nvidia, the company behind the popular GeForce video cards for the PC. The Xbox GPU is based upon Nvidia's recently released GeForce 3 technology and is classified as the NV2A by Xbox Officials. It is the most powerful graphics chip in any console to date.

Also referred to as the "X-Chip", the Xbox's graphics processor is capable of a multitude of onboard special effects including full-scene antialiasing, four simultaneous textures per object, fog, environment mapping, pixel and texel shaders, bump mapping, and real-time lighting. The X-Chip can display four textures per object has an onboard texture compression at a 6:1 ratio. The Xbox's unified DRAM should also aid in texture clarity since developers have the freedom to allocate it however they wish. The X-Chip can display graphics at a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.

Microsoft has stated that it the Xbox is capable of displaying 125 million raw polygons per second, but in real-game conditions, reaching over 30 million polygons per second would be weclomed.

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What is the Xbox memory card?

The memory card will allow you to transfer saved games between Xboxes. If you don't plan on transferring files from your Xbox onto other Xboxes, then the built-in hard-drive, which acts as a giant memory card, will do just fine. The memory card plugs into the back of the Xbox Controller when in use.

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Where is the a/v output on the Xbox?

To make thinks simple, Microsoft has developed the Xbox with one, all-purpose A/V output port on the back of the console which their custom Audio-Video (AV) Packs plug into. The retail Xbox console comes with the the Standard AV Pack, which outputs regular composite (RCA) signals to almost all modern TVs.

Standard AV Pack
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The Advanced AV Pack is like the Standard AV Pack, except that it outputs S-video and allows you to connect to a digital or surround sound audio receiver. The Advanced AV Pack comes with the necessary S-Video and standard component (RCA) Audio cabling, but not the optical audio cable required to connect to a digital or surround sound audio receiver. In general, utilizing the S-video input on your TV will yield clearer game graphics and DVD playback on your TV than using regular composite (RCA) cables would. The Advanced AV Pack retails for $19.99.

Advanced AV Pack
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S-Video Cable
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The High Definition (HD) Pack is the last, most advanced pack, made available by Microsoft for the Xbox at a price of $19.99. The HD Pack allows you to connect the Xbox to an HDTV or a modern TV that has component inputs. Component vido connections are transmit brightness, black and white, and color signals separately for even better video quality than S-video. The HD Pack a comes with the necessary component cabling and standard composite (RCA) audio cables, but you must purchase the optical audio cable seperately if you want to to output to a digital or surround sound audio receiver. The HD Pack supports 480p, 720p and 1080i component video signals for game play (NTSC only for DVD playback).

High Definition (HD) Pack
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Component Cables
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Can the Xbox handle my high-definition TV?

Xbox was designed with high-definition TV support specifically in mind. Xbox supports HDTV and TV resolutions up to 1920x1080 with the purchase of the High Definition AV Pack. The High Definition AV Pack supports HDTV RGB video and your choice of RCA Audio or Digital Audio over optical cable.

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Can I get a VGA adapter the Xbox?

Microsoft currently has no first party plans for a VGA Adapter for the Xbox, however there are third party products available at video game retailers.

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Can I get third-party manufactured peripherals?

Yes, many different companies produce licensed peripherals for the xbox, such as Interact, Mad Catz, Radica, Nyko, Thrustmaster, and Pelican. They are available at most video game retailers.

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Is the controller comfortable?

Microsoft made every effort to ensure a comfortable and ergonomic gaming experience with the Xbox controller. The Xbox controller fits nicely into most teenage or adult hands and is lighter than it looks. It has two analog sticks, one D-pad, six face buttons, two rear analog triggers, select and start buttons, and two built-in motors. There is a second controller called the s-controller availble which is smaller than the original xbox controller. Both are available at most video game retailers.

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Can I really rip my own music to the hard drive?

Yes. Microsoft has demonstrated this capability with Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding. Players will be able to rip, or transfer, their music from retail CD's onto the Xbox hard-drive with ease and play their custom music tracks during games that support the feature. Without a game in the drive, the Xbox can act as a multimedia CD player or WMA Player.

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What about the Xbox Audio?

The Xbox video game system features a theater-quality audio experience, the best ever heard in a video game console. It has 64 simultaneous audio channels, 3D positional audio, and Dolby AC3 audio encoding. It also supports Dolby Digital. Microsoft has recently announced a set of 5.1 speakers branded for xbox, made by Spherix.

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Can I play the Xbox online?

In 2002, Microsoft launched their online gaming service, Xbox LIVE. This service allows gamers to sign up for a service, and by plugging into their home broadband connection, play online with gamers all over the world. A year long Xbox LIVE subscription costs $49.99 USD and comes with a headset and installation disc. You can purchase xbox LIVE at most video game retailers. Xbox LIVE has more than 500,000 subscribers.

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