Xbox 360: Under the Hood





Xbox 360 has wowed gamers with its gleaming iridescent case and sleek concave design. But a lot of players don't care so much about its outer appearance; they want to know what makes Microsoft's new hot rod go. Let's take a look.

The engine of the 360 consists of a 3.2GHz processor, built by IBM. Geek speak warning — this processor is reportedly a 3-core unit, each running two threads, meaning the 360 can handle six simultaneous commands. In everyday terms, what does that mean? Simple: Buckle up for some of the best, if not the best multicommand processing ever to come to gaming, PC or console.

Industry leaders ATI are supplying the system's graphics chip, a custom unit that should make the 360's shading and rendering an ultrarealistic tour de force, especially when it comes to the HD applications. Rumor has it that the ATI chip will outrun a lot of today's best PC graphics cards.

Another of 360's major attractions is its included 20GB hard drive. This removable unit should be perfect for collecting massive amounts of game info, not to mention piles of other potential multimedia applications like digital photo and MP3 storage. Keep in mind, even larger hard drive units may become available once the console is released.

But how are you gonna get all those digital files into your 360? It'll be simple with the unit's USB 2.0 ports. The plug-and-play ease that makes USB such a snap on PCs will be alive and well on the 360. Plus, with the ability to connect your Windows XP-based PC directly into the console, the multimedia possibilities are virtually endless.

In addition to all this, there's the 512MB system memory, a DVD drive, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic II sound support, and about a thousand more cool specs. If it's possible, the 360's powerful potential may be even more awe-inspiring than its stunning look, but that's for you to decide this holiday season.

See the Xbox 360 info page

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