So CNN's Game Over column was
updated today and it's very, very interesting. Microsoft is looking into, but not yet confirming, the idea of releasing a system that would combine an Xbox2 and a fully functional Windows Longhorn PC after the XB2 release. The skinny, from CNN:
One slide describes the unit, which would require a PC monitor or high definition television, as being backward compatible with current and next-generation Xbox titles. It would also play PC games and include a fully functional version of Windows, CD burner, DVD player (with remote control), built-in access to Xbox Live and a hard drive. Control-wise, the system would come with both a keyboard and mouse and a standard Xbox controller. The price point this particular study tested was $599.
At $600, that sounds like a hell of a deal, especially considering MS's drivers for the graphics hardware would likely let it run current PC games very well. Some people have worried about upgrades, but I don't think that would be a problem as MS could release some spec parts (for too much money, I'm sure) that would upgrade the PC-gaming capabilities without interfering with Xbox gaming.
One problem: Digital Rights Management (DRM). Everyone's in a mess about this tech called Paladium that's going to be in the next Windows that will promise "secure computing." Knowing that MS was an early adopter in music DRM technology is really kind of unnerving when it comes to buying a media center from them - who knows if the damned thing will let you play your music? So long as it's truly a fully-functional PC, I see no problem with loading up Winamp and tweaking the bundled remote to function with it at the same time.
Either way, sounds like a damn sweet deal to me - a backwards compatible XB2 and media center for $600? Sign me up.
