Infamous Bill Gates Burger Xbox Advert | where did it come from?

You've probably seen these infamous piece of advertisement before. To advertise the launch of the upcoming Xbox in Japan, we have a visibly edited Bill Gates holding a Japanese controller S in one hand and a big American burger in the other. The metaphorical genius of symbolising the west and east coming together thanks to our old friend Bill. But have you ever wondered where this image came from? Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

Original Xbox Backwards Compatability | It's finally here

Original Xbox compatibility is finally here, meaning every generation of Xbox can now be played on the Xbox One.

The Original Xbox is undoubtedly my favourite console. It's the peak of western AAA output and still in an era when Japan still dominated the gaming landscape. While the first selection of backwards compatible games are a little lacking for me, the commitment and quality of the emulation is an exciting prospect.

Popping in one of the selected 13 games will prompt a download of the game file working exactly the same way as Xbox 360 emulation. Once done, you will be greeted with nostalgia overload as you see the original Xbox boot up screen in 1080p glory.

I say 1080p but the resolution is actually 960p which isn't a problem really as it doesn't mess with the games original aspect ratio. You won't notice a difference anyway as the games have cleaned up rather nicely. I've always felt the original Xbox has always aged well due to developers respecting the consoles limitations (unlike 7th gen) while still having the graphical fidelity to create believable worlds.

Not all games are available to purchase on the store which does signal some slight concerns when it comes to licensing. Cult classics like the PGR series still haven't made its way to Xbox 360 and most likely never will. Highly requested titles like Jet Set Radio a Future for example will have to overcome music licences if it's to ever see a release.

Doom and gloom aside, this is very exciting for Xbox fans. Microsoft has done a phenomenal job of emulation on such underpowered CPU's which has always  led me to believe that Xbox 360 emulation was impossible. Original Xbox emulation was always going to be possible, but I never would have thought Microsoft would have much interest going that far back.

This is the part where I would start to write a list of titles I would like to see, but I'm just too engrossed in Knights of the Old Republic. 

Japan and Xbox | How the Japanese percieved the original Xbox

When the Xbox was first announced many people couldn't believe it. Microsoft making a games console? No way! But alas it was true and shock turned to interest, that is in the west anyhow. Despite the Xbox not being all that successful in Japan, it is interesting to look back at what Japanese developers thought of the Xbox.



Initially any Japanese success for the Xbox highly doubted, but when Konami out of no-where pledged support for the Xbox it finally gave the machine a fighting chance in Japan. Next a huge blow to Playstation's exclusivity was the announcement of Metal Gear X on Xbox. Hideo Kojima was adamant on the Xbox version having improved graphics but downplayed the Xbox as not being a major graphical upgrade compared to the PS2.




Core Magazine notes how Tecmo are going to be releasing a new version of DOA2 on the Xbox (later known as DOA3) that will also add to it's growing Japanese portfolio. Tecmo was a strong backer throughout Xbox's life with Dead or Alive 3 being a solid launch title to show off the graphical capabilities of the Xbox and Ninja Gaiden receiving critical acclaim.




During the turn of the century, it was clear SquareSoft was becoming more interesting in online gaming. With Square releasing more PC titles and the Xbox being easy to port for in addition to its online capabilities, Square looked to be a strong supporter of the Xbox. Unfortunately SquareSoft never released any titles on the Xbox. Vice President of Square Enix Keiji Honda later noted  “I have two concerns about Xbox. My first concern is that it is being designed and marketed by Microsoft, and my second concern is that it will be compatible with Windows.”. However in the Eurogamer article Square insisted on having the game be cross compatible with PC and Xbox players. Regardless, relationships between the two companies broke down and FFXI finally released but on PS2 and PC instead.




One of the earliest comments made was back on the 6th of April 2001 where Sprong reported that Capcom vice-president Yoshiki Okamoto said how the Xbox had a "very tiny opportunity" in becoming a successful console in Japan. What makes this comment slightly contradictory is the fact that Capcom strongly backed the Xbox initially with exclusive titles like Ominusha 2 and Group S Challenge. Even more bizarrely the article notes how months prior to this statement he was noted as being a firm backer of the Xbox. Maybe he's just indecisive?




It doesn't stop there. Nintendo's head of Public Relations Yasuhiro Minagawa was baffled by Microsofts indecisive strategy leading him to question how serious they actually are. Yasuhiro ended by theorising how Microsoft are simply copying Sony's Playstation business model thanks to the under reliance of first party output and over reliance on making deals with third parties instead.


As the launch date arrived, Lehman Brothers analyist Yukie Saito was reported saying how the lack of strong launch titles may prevent the Xbox in convincing Japanese gamers to buy it. The same article notes how Amazon of Japan had sold out in a day with the popular games being JSRF, PGR and DOA3.

While

Links:

• http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-13-why-xbox-failed-in-japan

WayBackMachine Links:

• http://www.coremagazine.com/columns/17.php3?2
• http://xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/news-archive-17-2-2002.php
• www.spong.com/framehead.asp?go=news&mode=full&prid=1367

Japanese Halo CE | Alterations made for Japan

The infamous Halo CE changed gaming as we know it, and I don't need to explain the monumental changes it made to gaming. In Japan though? Not so much... You see, Japan and FPS games don't typically get along. It's a genre which has thrived well in the west, but struggled to make any kind of impact in the east. Nevertheless Microsoft felt the critical impact of Halo during its US and European launch and took their chances in Japan.

The first notable change is the box art of the game. The iconic cover art we all know and love is gone and is instead replaced with a less visually impressive design. I'm unable to find the reasoning behind such a change but it is a strange one. A strong emphasis on Master Chief is clear with what seems to be a close up shot of the holographic Halo ring being the background. It does emit a strong sci-fi vibe but st the cost of stripping away the iconic Halo imagery. To be honest, it does feel like a very low budget and shoddily put together cover.

Fries was told he couldn't release Halo the way it was in Japan because Japanese players wouldn't be able to deal with the dual sticks. “So we ended up having to make a bunch of modifications for Japanese players and dumb the game down, make an easier version.”

What features was Fries talking about?

Well Microsoft's Corporation Program Manager Tagera explained during an interview that play test sessions were set up for Halo to record feedback from Japanese gamers. With Bungie's oversight, feedback was consistently aimed towards it's difficulty being too hard. Minor adjustments were made to the checkpoint system to make it easier for Japanese gamers but not too much as Tagera didn't want to meddle with the games balance.


Further changes made from these play sessions were the localisation of Japanese voice acting and text; with subtle changes in the text to make gestures more understandable for Japanese audiences. No subtitles were included however, Tagera decided to go against subtitles due to the games heavy action focus. With voice acting, Japanese audiences can listen to the story without being taking their eyes away from the action.

Finally there is discussion on the games difficulty. Due to the poor localisation provided by Google, I'm not entirely sure whether Tagera is stating their were changes in the difficulty on Easy mode for the Japanese release, or just explaining how Easy mode works. So take the information as you will:

"Apart from checking the parameters, if you select the difficulty you select first as a beginner, the hardness of the enemy's armor will change. It collapses relatively easily. The number and appearance points appearing with it will also change. In that sense, I think that it will not die so easily if you start the game in beginner mode."

When the game finally released on the 25th of April the decision was to bundle the game with a guide book. Tagera explains how they weren't able to make too many drastic changes due to Bungies strict rules. Therefore a guidebook would be a great way of helping Japanese gamers to Halo without having to forgo changes to the games code.


Links:

• http://www.ebay.com/itm/HALO-Survival-Game-Guide-Japan-XBox-Book-EB955-/361237042554
  
• http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020508/halo.htm
  
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rUODlNffWmU  17.10

Original Xbox Games on Xbox One | What we know so far

Regardless of what you think of Xbox today, one thing you can't deny is their sheer commitment to backwards compatibility. It's the one major trump Xbox has over the PS4 as Sony shows clear disinterest in their past machines.

Compatibility shall be releasing Autumn this year. Here are some things you should know:

Xbox Controller S | a brief history and retrospective

As Microsoft began development of the original Xbox they wanted to make sure they captured the then lucrative Japanese market. Ideally the original Duke controller; which was designed with western hands in mind, wasn't going to cut it for the Japanese market. These first arised when Seamus Blackley first demoed the Duke controller in Japan, where he was able to demonstrate it's adequate size by being able to balance it on his knee. However when a Japanese TV host tried to replicate the same test, it simply fell on the floor with him replying "no". Communication with Japanese developers saw continuous complaints about the size of the controller, so much so Blackley made a spread sheet of the complaints which he comically states "is when things get serious". At this point a new controller had to me made for Japan and done so in time for it's debut release.

Development duties for the new controller would be handed to Stratos, a product design and development studio who had previously worked with Microsoft in creating force feedback triggers for their PC Sidewinder controls. While commercially the controller would be called the "Controller S", during development the controller adopted the name

Xbox Magazines | a look through the different magazines dedicated to Xbox

The excitement of Microsofts first console meant it was inevitable that there would be a number of magazines dedicated to the machine. Future Publishing took publishing duties for the official magazine as well as 3 out of the 4 magazines available. With a fanbase established with the Xbox, the Xbox 360 did see the inclusion of some new magazines but for this time round however, we'll stick to the OG Xbox.

Xbox's Japanese Situation | Xbox in 2003 is eerily similar to Xbox in 2017

It's no secret Xbox has always struggled in Japan with it struggling to muster up the same types of sales as its Japanese rivals. The Xbox did admirably and Microsoft really tried with the Xbox 360, but now the Xbox One has hit a new low with a severe lack of Japanese titles coupled with laughably low sales figures.

What's astounding is that the situation Xbox was facing back in 2003 is scarily similar to the troubles Xbox has in 2017. Here's an interesting article by Games Industry Biz that highlighted the cancellation of a much anticipated Japanese Xbox exclusive:

Microsoft Japan has cancelled Xbox MMORPG True Fantasy Live Online, citing quality and development progress concerns, although Microsoft US has since

Daytona Live | The mysteriously announced Daytona game scheduled for Xbox

Finally. after over 15 years Sega decides to make a third entry into the beloved Daytona franchise. However at some point near the Dreamcast's demise, there were talks about a third game hitting the arcades and the 6th generation of consoles. So I was digging through old websites on the Way Back Machine and I came across a particular article on GamesAsaylum that caught my eye. The report was from 14th of October 2002 with the following details about an upcoming Daytona title:

Daytoooona

Yu Suzuki and his band of merry men are working away on Daytona Live (that's a working title, working title fans) - an Xbox Live compatible instalment of the popular arcade racing series. Although the game

Xbox Keyboard Adapter | The rare official keyboard adapter for Phantasy Star Online 2

With the first Phantasy Star Online releasing on Dreamcast with full mouse and keyboard support, Sega found new challenges in bringing the sequel onto subsiquent consoles after the fall of the Dreamcast. The first Phantasy Star Online played a huge role in popularising the Dreamcast's online services and text chat was popular in the community thanks to the inclusion of keyboard support.

The design itself is very basic

Despite Microsoft heavily pushing its online capabilities in addition to talking up its broadband capabilities, Microsoft consistently insisted the console had no need for keyboard support thanks to the packed in headset. Then general manager J Allard expressed in an interview back on the 5th of February 2001 with GamesDomain how

Halo CE Previews | What did people think of gaming's best FPS?

We all know the story, Halo CE came out and became a world-wide success and spawned one of the most beloved franchise in gaming. But before it's release, what did websites think of it? Well for a bit of fun I'm gonna use the WayBackMachine to dig through some old and forgotten previews to get a sense of what expectations were at the time. Here we go!

European Xbox Production | The short lived Hungarian manufacturing plant

As the Xbox approached ever closer to it's European launch date, Microsoft saw a great opportunity to shift manufacturing the Xbox to a European plant in Hungary. From the 29th of November, the Hungarian plant was fully operational and ready for it's development of Xbox systems. The plant was over 10,000 square meters and operated 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, producing a very impressive 15,000 consoles a day at a rate of 2 consoles a minute. Before expansion and production began, the plant was already boasting an impressive 2.6 consoles a minute and 600 boxes an hour. It felt like a proud occasion as it would be the first video games console factory ever located in Europe, alongside providing 2,000 employment opportunities within Hungary. As the first Xbox's rolled off of production, the Hungarian Government was there to watch.

Future Classics | Wreckless: Yakuza Missions

It's a shame that Halo took a lot of thunder away from a lot of games during the Xbox's launch window, albeit understandably. Wreckless: Yakuza Missions was one such title and even though it missed the US launch window, it did make it as a launch title here in Europe. Let me tell you, having Halo and Wreckless as the two titles for my shiny new Xbox was pretty damn great.