No Hard drive with X-box Next?

[firstadopter]

http://news.com.com/2100-1043-5164992.html?tag=nefd_hed

Looks like no hard drive for Xbox. I actually think there is a chance of no backwards compatibility too since its using a different CPU, graphics chip, and probably won't have a hard-drive.

[RobertKeenan]

If you ask me, this is very, very bad news.

[firstadopter]

http://new.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=777124&fid=980

Q: What’s happening with the contract with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) that you reported a week ago? How much money is involved?

”It’s a cooperation agreement. The potential isn’t clear, but it’s in the billions of dollars. Microsoft has taken the hard disk out of its Xbox. The only thing left will be a CD; that’s all. At some point, when users want to save their e-mail messages, copy music, or anything like that, the only storage they’ll have is what we give them. It’s worth hundreds of millions to the company, spread over a few years, and we’ll be the main supplier for it; and I hope the sole supplier.

”Meanwhile, development is intense, and requires expenses, although not major ones. We’ll start supply only in 2005.”

[firstadopter]

Looks like it's pretty official to me now.

[TheAngryIntern]

i agree that it is a bad idea, but part of the blame for this must rest on the game developers not taking advantage of the hard drive. I was under the impression that the hard drive would allow larger and faster loads off the disc, or better on the fly loading, but no one seems to be utilizing this. I really don't blame microsoft for deciding to drop it so they can cut costs. But i do feel that if it was actually being used for more than just saving games, then M$ would probably think twice about getting rid of it.

[firstadopter]

I think another major reason is probably the failure rate of hard-drives. HDs are notorious for breaking down at some point in a few years.

[Johnny Postman]

I think another reason for M$ to switch to flash memory is that it's fairly easy to hack an xbox, then just rent/borrow a game and copy it to the hd. Cuts down on games sales, which is where the real money is made.