Microsoft Finalizes the Xbox Specs

At a press conference today in downtown San Francisco, Microsoft released the final specifications for its Xbox video game console. According to Microsoft's specification sheet, at the core of the Xbox will be a 733MHz CPU and a custom-designed 300MHz graphics chip, which has been dubbed X-Chip and is being co-developed by Microsoft and Nvidia. The console will use a unified memory architecture bank to share 64MB between CPU and graphics tasks. This architecture will allow for memory bandwidth of 6.4GB/second, and should help sustain the Xbox's reported polygon performance of 100 million polygons per second. Among other graphics features, the console will support full-scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) and graphics texture compression at a 6:1 ratio. The Xbox's graphics performance should allow for plenty of eye-candy, as the pixel fillrate weighs in at 4.8 gigapixels per second (about four times the current top PC graphics chip from Nvidia), while the particle fillrate should hit 150 million particles per second.

Xbox software will be produced on standard DVD discs with a storage capacity of 4.5GB. The console will come with four controller ports, and one controller will be included with the system. Online play is a key element for the Xbox, which will be made available by either a broadband connection via the console's 10/100 Ethernet port or an optional modem. The Xbox's storage will consist of an 8GB hard drive, as well as an 8MB memory card for smaller saves. The on-board audio capabilities allow for 64 audio channels with full 3D audio, MIDI, and GLS2 support. For those looking to improve picture quality, the console will be compatible with HDTV.

Microsoft did not reveal the Xbox console design or the Xbox controller, but a reel of upcoming Xbox software was shown. No information regarding peripherals was announced. The Xbox will be released in the fall of 2001.