Rumor: Xbox 360 CPU Not As Powerful as Advertised?

Source: Anandtech

What we heard: Early in the week, Anandtech ran an article titled “Microsoft’s Xbox 360 & Sony’s PlayStation 3 – Examples of Poor CPU Performance” by its eponymous author, Anand Lal Shimpi. The lengthy piece made the claim that both Sony and Microsoft are (shocker) using stats to make their next-gen consoles seem faster than they really are. The article singles out the 360 in particular, saying that “game developers will most likely only be using one of [the 360’s three 3.2Ghz] cores for the majority of their calculations.” That would mean that the console would run much slower than advertised. How slow, you say? “Right now, from what we’ve heard, the real-world performance of the Xenon CPU is about twice that of the 733MHz processor in the first Xbox,” wrote Shimpi.

“Considering that this CPU is supposed to power the Xbox 360 for the next 4-5 years, it’s nothing short of disappointing.” But is it true? Microsoft refused to deny or confirm the story, even though it gave a more thoughtful response that the usual knee-jerk no comment. “The next generation will not be defined by hardware alone, but by a complete, integrated platform,” the company said in a statement. “[The] Xbox 360 will have the hardware, software and services to enable breakthrough gaming and entertainment experiences that will blow consumers away.”

In the wake of the subsequent furor, Anandtech pulled the story late in the week, giving the appearance (at least) of a retraction, although the article can still be read on Google Groups. One thing is certain: As is the case with any new console, it will take developers time to learn how to use the 360’s hardware. And since multicore CPUs are a new, next-gen phenomenon, it is possible some of the first games may, in fact, use just one core. Since the Xbox 360s at E3 were still running off of dev kits, gamers will have to wait until the fall to find out exactly how much the 360 tops its younger brother.

Source: Anandtech

What we heard: Early in the week, Anandtech ran an article titled “Microsoft’s Xbox 360 & Sony’s PlayStation 3 – Examples of Poor CPU Performance” by its eponymous author, Anand Lal Shimpi. The lengthy piece made the claim that both Sony and Microsoft are (shocker) using stats to make their next-gen consoles seem faster than they really are. The article singles out the 360 in particular, saying that “game developers will most likely only be using one of [the 360’s three 3.2Ghz] cores for the majority of their calculations.” That would mean that the console would run much slower than advertised. How slow, you say? “Right now, from what we’ve heard, the real-world performance of the Xenon CPU is about twice that of the 733MHz processor in the first Xbox,” wrote Shimpi.

“Considering that this CPU is supposed to power the Xbox 360 for the next 4-5 years, it’s nothing short of disappointing.” But is it true? Microsoft refused to deny or confirm the story, even though it gave a more thoughtful response that the usual knee-jerk no comment. “The next generation will not be defined by hardware alone, but by a complete, integrated platform,” the company said in a statement. “[The] Xbox 360 will have the hardware, software and services to enable breakthrough gaming and entertainment experiences that will blow consumers away.”

In the wake of the subsequent furor, Anandtech pulled the story late in the week, giving the appearance (at least) of a retraction, although the article can still be read on Google Groups. One thing is certain: As is the case with any new console, it will take developers time to learn how to use the 360’s hardware. And since multicore CPUs are a new, next-gen phenomenon, it is possible some of the first games may, in fact, use just one core. Since the Xbox 360s at E3 were still running off of dev kits, gamers will have to wait until the fall to find out exactly how much the 360 tops its younger brother.