Analyst on rumored 60 GB Xbox 360: 20 GB no longer sufficient
The Xbox 360’s hard drive is often a point of discontent for both gamers and developers alike. A recent rumor that a 60 GB SKU is coming finally has industry analyst Michael Pachter toss in his two cents, saying that the 20GB hard drive “is no longer sufficient.” Check out the full article for the rest of the story.
The latest rumor that’s putting Xbox 360 gamers into a tizzy is the arrival of a 60 GB Xbox 360 SKU. While this isn’t official yet (and Microsoft refuses to comment on it), it has industry analyst Michael Pachter toss in his two cents about the matter.
The Xbox 360’s hard drive has always been a point of discontent for gamers and developers alike. Core owners are deprived of some games that require a hard drive, and Arcade and Pro SKU owners often feel that the space isn’t enough.
With that, Pachter’s words may echo the sentiments for a lot of gamers out there. According to him, not only is the 20 GB hard drive no longer sufficient, but the rumored 60 GB isn’t enough either:
I think the console [manufacturers] all misjudged the quantity of downloadable content and the opportunity to actually download meaningful content, and so what sounded like a good idea in 2003 or 2004 in the design stage with the 20GB hard drive on the 360 was just not sufficient. Frankly, the surprise to me is that the new SKU is [purportedly] 60GB.
I mean, I would think they’d introduce a 200GB or 500GB and eliminate the 20GB and make the 120GB the standard cheapie one. I think that more is better, although I don’t think most people will fill up their hard drive; but I think that as you feel you’re getting close you start to be less likely to download content.
He goes on to compare the Xbox 360 to the PlayStation 3, saying that the Xbox 360 should attempt to compete with the PlayStation 3’s edge as being a media center as well as a video game platform:
These guys are doing a great job getting people to download levels and casual games, and even though those files are relatively small I think Microsoft would like Xbox 360 to turn into a whole media center and allow you to use your 360 as a DVR.
[…] If they can turn an Internet device into more of a media device I think it gives it some competitive advantage over the PS3. And they have to respond to PS3 because that very much is becoming a media device with their winning the Blu-ray [vs. HD DVD] battle.”
If you want to talk to fellow gamers about the rumored upcoming 60 GB SKU (and pitch in your two cents with Pachter’s) you can comment here. You can also visit our forums where some gamers have already given their own speculations on the matter.