As the XBox release date approaches, one thing is certain, that no one at Microsoft has long nails any more. However, the various reported production problems and some last minute difficulties, said to be giving Microsoft a hard time, are commonplace when such a vast project nears completion.
What could possibly tarnish the Xbox's glossy image, created by huge teams of publicists and advertisers? How does a hardware downgrade sound?
According to geeknews.net, leaked memo information, what else, states that XBox's hardware specifications will change as follows:
HDD : The 10 Gb capacity announced will be reduced to 8 Gb of storage space.
XGPU: The graphics chip announced to run at 250 MHz will most probably clock a "mere" 233 MHz
DVD Playback: Will be limited to only 480p
The site also reports an unconfirmed possibility that the ability to alter progressive scan modes (480p, 720p, 1080p) will no longer be supported.
As the launch date approaches Microsoft will have to somehow quietely announce these changes, as well as the necessary price reduction to compensate for this drop of the specs.
Microsoft were the first to point the finger at SONY and enjoy the problems associated with the release of the PlayStation 2. Within a couple of weeks however, Microsoft have announced the XBox's release will be delayed, to November 15th, and a hardware downgrade is suspected, let's see what else will go wrong.