Here are the most frequent questions:

Why are will all original Xbox games not play on the 360?
The architecture (i.e. hardware components) of the 360 are drastically different than the original Xbox. To allow games to play on the new system, an emulator must actually be created (or tweaked) to account for the differences.

Are their benefits to playing Xbox games on the 360?
Yes. Every original Xbox game will be playable in high definition. The 360 has the ability to upscale the games to 720p and 1080i.

Is a hard drive needed for backward compatibility?
Yes. It does not matter if a hard drive came bundled with your 360 or if you purchased it at a later date, but one must be present for backward compatibility.

What games from the original Xbox will play on the Xbox 360?

• AirForce Delta Storm
• Alias™
• Aliens versus Predator™ Extinction
• All-Star Baseball™ 2003
• Amped®: Freestyle Snowboarding
• Army Men®: Sarge’s War™
• Atari® Anthology™
• ATV: Quad Power Racing 2™
• Baldur’s Gate™: Dark Alliance™ II
• Barbarian
• Barbie™ Horse Adventures™ Wild Horse Rescue™
• Batman Begins™
• Battle Engine Aquila
• Battlestar Galactica™
• BMX XXX™
• Brute Force™
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer™: Chaos Bleeds
• Cabela’s® Dangerous Hunts™
• Cabela’s® Outdoor Adventures™ 06
• Cabela’s® Deer Hunt™ 2005 Season
• Cabela’s® Deer Hunt™ 2004 Season
• Call of Cthulhu®: Dark Corners of the Earth™
• Call of Duty™: Finest Hour™
• Casino
• Chicago Enforcer
• Circus Maximus
• Close Combat: First to Fight
• Colin McRae Rally 4
• Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers™
• Commandos 2: Men of Courage™
• Conflict: Desert Storm
• Constantine™
• Crash Twinsanity™
• Crash Nitro Kart™**
• Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon™
• Dark Angel
• Darkwatch™
• Dead or Alive® 3
• Deathrow
• Digimon® Rumble Arena®
• Dinotopia**
• Drake™
• Egg Mania™: Eggstreme Madness
• ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
• Euro 2004
• F1 2001
• Fable®
• Fable®: The Lost Chapters™
• Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin’ da Rules
• FIFA Soccer 2003
• FIFA Soccer 2004
• FIFA STREET
• Fight Night 2004
• Fight Night Round 2
• Ford Mustang
• Ford vs. Chevy
• Forza Motorsport™
• Frogger Beyond™
• Futurama™
• Fuzion Frenzy®
• Genma Onimusha
• Goblin Commander™: Unleash the Horde
• Grand Theft Auto 3
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas™
• Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
• Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
• Half-Life® 2
• Halo®
• Halo® 2
• Halo® 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™
• He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
• Hitman: Contracts™
• House of the Dead 3
• IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
• IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005™
• Jade Empire™
• James Bond 007™: NightFire™
• Judge Dredd®: Dredd vs. Death™
• Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
• Kabuki™ Warriors
• Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer
• kill.switch
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events™
• LOONS—The Fight for Fame
• Manhunt
• Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX™ 2
• Max Payne
• Max Payne® 2
• Medal of Honor European Assault™
• Medal of Honor™ Frontline
• Medal of Honor™ Rising Sun
• Mega Man® Anniversary Collection
• Metal Arms™: Glitch in the System
• MicroMachines
• Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
• Monster Garage™
• Mortal Kombat®: Deception™
• MTV Music Generator™ 3
• Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
• MX World Tour™: Featuring Jamie Little
• Namco Museum™
• NBA LIVE 2004
• Need For Speed™ Underground 2
• NFL Blitz 2002
• NFL Blitz 2003
• NFL Blitz 2004
• NHL® 2004
• NHL Hitz™ 2003
• Ninja Gaiden®
• Ninja Gaiden® Black
• Outlaw Golf 2
• Outlaw Volleyball
• Pariah™
• Phantom Crash™
• Pinball Hall of Fame™
• Pitfall®: The Lost Expedition™
• Predator Concrete Jungle™
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™
• Pro Evolution Soccer 5
• Pro Race Driver™
• Pump It Up™: Exceed
• Pure Pinball
• Puyo Pop Fever**
• Quantum Redshift®
• Rayman Arena
• Raze’s Hell™
• Red Dead Revolver
• Red Faction® II
• RedCard™ 2003
• Robotech: Battlecry
• Rocky™ Legends
• Rogue Ops
• Samurai Jack
• Samurai Warriors™
• Scooby Doo!™ Night of 100 Frights
• Scrapland
• SEGA GT™ 2002
• Shadow The Hedgehog™
• Shamu’s Deep Sea Adventures
• ShellShock: Nam ‘67™
• Sneakers™
• Sniper Elite
• Soccer Slam
• Sonic Heroes™
• Sonic Mega Collection™ Plus
• Speed Kings™
• Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy™
• Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
• SpongeBob SquarePants™: Battle for Bikini Bottom
• SpyHunter® 2
• Spyro™ A Hero’s Tail
• SSX 3
• Stake™
• Star Trek: Shattered Universe
• Star Wars®: Episode III Revenge of the Sith™
• Star Wars® Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™
• Star Wars: Starfighter™ Special Edition
• Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™
• Star Wars® Knights of the Old Republic® II: The Sith Lords™
• Street Racing Syndicate™
• Stubbs the Zombie™ in Rebel without a Pulse™
• Super Bubble Pop
• Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe
• SX Superstar™
• Tecmo Classic Arcade
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™
• Test Drive®: Eve of Destruction
• Tetris Worlds™
• The Great Escape
• The Hulk™
• The Incredible Hulk™: Ultimate Destruction
• The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
• The Lord of the Rings™: The Return of the King™
• The Simpsons™ Hit and Run™
• The Simpsons™ Road Rage
• The Terminator™ Dawn of Fate
• The Thing™
• Thief: Deadly Shadows™
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3
• Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater™ 4
• Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
• Tork™: Prehistoric Punk™
• Toxic Grind
• Ty The Tasmanian Tiger™
• Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 2: Bush Rescue™
• Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 3: Night of the Quinkan
• Urban Freestyle Soccer
• Vexx™
• Volvo: Drive for Life
• World Series® Baseball 2K3
• Worms 4 Mayhem
• Worms™ Forts: Under Siege
• WWE™ Raw™ 2
• XIII
• Yourself!Fitness™

{...}

Link to Complete Article

Liddell again reiterated a warning that launch volumes may be low but that the company was focusing on maintaining a steady flow of the console into retail lines.

To reach this $55 billion sales prediction for the global video game industry, the market would have to grow at an average rate of 16.5% from its 2004 level of $25.4 billion. PWC defines the video game industry to include software, subscriptions and advertising, while excluding hardware and accessories.

Asia-Pacific will see substantial growth of 18% annual growth to raise its video game sales to $23.1 billion in 2009. The United States will see annual growth of 12.9% to reach PWC’s $15.1 billion prediction for the market. EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) will see the largest growth with an annual average of19.1% to increase its 2004 total of $6.0 billion to $14.3 billion in 2009.

While the market is growing, the pieces of the industry are beginning to shift. The PC game market will decrease from $771 million in 2004 to $655 million in 2009, and that is with the strong support from Latin America which is still seeing moderate growth. Console mobiles are showing substantial growth prior to the next-gen fixed console launch and will continue to remain strong. Outside of the more standard game market, mobile games on cellphones will see significant growth thanks to new innovations, with the U.S. along growing from $281 million in 2004 to $2.1 billion in 2009.

The 50 page full report can be purchased from PWC for $95.

==================
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Lawmakers believe laws of this nature will protect children from experiencing the “interactive nature of video game violence”. They point to studies that link violence in video games to violence and hostile actions in teenagers and preteens. There are numerous independent studies dispelling this connection as being no stronger than other forms of entertainment/media and even the positive effects of video games.

Even if the studies cited by lawmakers are correct and their intentions are genuine, laws of this nature will have little impact on minors’ access to mature and adult rated games for a number of reasons.

First, the laws leave the games covered by the ban up to interpretation. Many groups have already claimed that games that “depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel” could even include boxing, football and hockey sports games. Without a clear definition, law enforcement could adequately not enforce the law.

Second, police unions and groups across the county have already said that they have better things to do than run sting operations to catch stores selling violent video games to minors. Ask any 14 year old if they can buy a pack of cigarettes as proof of how well those bans have been enforced.

Finally, studies have shown that most video games are actually purchased by the adults in the household for their children (at the child’s request). This means that children will still have access to these games, and it is up to parents, not the government, to monitor what their children are playing.

In addition, Midway has agreed to provide 25,146 in additional shares to key employees as retention incentives. Pitbull employees who will receive retention incentives as part of the acquisition were named as Pete Brace, Ian Copeland, Gavin Freyberg, Jonathan Kay, Daren Kelly, Mark Leadbeater, Ben Marsh, Chris McClure, Stewart Neal, Mark Wilkinson, and Chris Wood.

Midway has worked closely with Pitbull on redesigning its L.A. Rush franchise (Xbox) (PS2), and the publisher stated in their announcement that Pitbull was working on several next generation projects for Midway.

“This acquisition brings to Autodesk a highly talented group of individuals, a wealth of technologies and a great set of products,” said Carl Bass, COO of Autodesk. “Alias’ technology spans several of our most important markets and augments the synergy between our design and media businesses. Our design customers are demanding more powerful visualization, animation and publishing capabilities. Our media and entertainment customers are increasingly using the data created by our design applications for broadcast, film and games projects. By combining the technology and talents of our two companies, we will be better able to continue delivering solutions that address our customers’ complex needs.”

Autodesk has said that it will continue to develop and release the Alias product lines, which generated $83 million in revenue in the 12 months prior to June 30, 2005. For those interested in more details on the product effects of the acquisition, please visit the page Autodesk setup for customers of the products.

• Autodesk and Alias Fact Sheet
• Autodesk to acquire Alias FAQ
• Autodesk to acquire Alias PowerPoint presentation

Enter Costco. Costco has announced (edit: link to Google Cache of page, as Costco has removed the page) a Xbox 360 bundle that will sell for $479.99 (for Costco members) and includes the Xbox 360 premium package, a bonus wireless controller, a play-and-charge kit for the controller and Project Gotham Racing 3. Non-members can pick up the system from Costco for an extra 5%, but at that price, you would do better just getting a membership to allow access to other items.

With most other Xbox 360 bundles being more than $600 (e.g. $699 from GameStop, which is now sold out), Costco is clearly targeting the more mainstream market.

The report projects that the Xbox 360 will lead console sales with 19.6 million units sold through the end of 2008, with the PlayStation 3 selling 15.5 million units and the Revolution selling 5 million units. While the early launch accounts for much of this early lead by Microsoft, the overall projection shows a definite shakeup of the gaming industry from the current generation.

The PS3 will move into the yearly sales lead in 2009 with 8.5 million units for the year and will lead the overall console cycle – by a relatively small amount. The model assumes this next console cycle will run through 2011, so expect your Xbox 3 and PS4 in time for the holidays in 2012 (and no, you can’t preorder yet).

Software sales are expected to rise significantly with an overall 43% increase by 2008 from both increased units and higher average prices. Publishers and console makers will also begin to see substantial revenue from in-game advertising and online downloads, as sales from these will rise from less than 250 million in 2005 to $1.3 billion in 2008. For those interested in investing in publishers, the report suggests being careful because of market volatility over the next 12 months, but Piper Jaffray reiterated its Outperform rating on several publishers including Activision, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive and THQ.

Microsoft has planned rollout to target the three largest gaming regions at the end of this year, with launches in North America on November 22nd, Europe on December 2nd and Japan on December 10th. This announcement adds mainland China to the list of countries expecting the 360 in 2006, which includes, Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

This new effort formalizes much of the work of the Game Master, Game Producer (GMGP) community. The GMGP was made up of roughly 1,000 of Korea’s 15,000 game operators that provided assistance to one another. With its new backing and government support, KAGO should reach a large portion of the industry.

Online games are a large part of the Korean game industry and will be a specific focus of the new group.

Best Buy began taking pre-orders for Halo 3 today for $59.99 and sets the launch date for May 15th, 2006. Microsoft will not confirm this date, and previous comments from Microsoft on Halo 3’s release placed it on the date of the PS3 launch. Recent rumors on Halo 3 have placed the games release closer to the of the Halo movie.

This also contradicts the EB Games pre-order page with a release date of June 30th, 2006.

Did Best Buy jump the gun and release the product page, as we have all seen retailers do in the past? We will have to wait and see. If this May 2006 date holds true for the release, perhaps gamers will see a fourth version released to coincide with the movie.

As the terms of almost all online retails’ pre-orders allows them to shift the delivery dates to match publisher release dates, it is likely that retailers are simply trying to lock in sales, but we can all hope.

While most MMORPG titles charge users a monthly subscription to play and access new content, Guild Was sells for $39.99 to $49.99 with no monthly maintainence fee – more inline with standard game sales. Publisher NCsoft is targeting the wider game market with a business model that more consumers are used to for other games.

On top of a more standard purchase model, Guild Wars is a load of fun. It is the first release from ArenaNet, which is made up of ex-Blizzard employees that worked on Diablo, WarCraft and Battle.net. The upcoming localized releases of the title in Japan and Taiwan should see player levels increase even further.

No clear cost model has emerged for the massively-multiplayer games, but it is encouraging to see major publishers/developers trying new things.

The primary topics around the next-generation of gaming consoles has been the supposed high price of the PS3 and Microsoft’s move to segment its offering. Nintendo has definitely changed that discussion and reshaped the race for the next-gen.

Developers believe that it will be increasingly difficult to adapt the standard controller configuration to this new controller. This may limit cross platform games, and that may be both a good and a bad thing. This controller, assuming we do not see something similar for the Xbox 360 or PS3, will allow for games that are unique to the Revolution. If this happens, Nintendo will have successfully differentiated itself from Microsoft and Sony, but it may make it more difficult from a cost perspective on game developers.

The new controller style opens the ability to bring many casual style games directly into the console market, such as fishing games, pet care games, etc. It also offers the ability for developers to re-examine ways to control current game types (e.g. baseball comes to mind). Only a few developers have embraced Sony’s EyeToy, but it has been widely successful with consumers.

One of the key benefits of the new controller is the ability to remove the strict hand control requirement seen in the micro-movements of many games. This “motion centric” device allows for non-hardcore gamers to play the same games without having the superior hand control of the more experienced players. Its modular design also allows for add-ons that give traditional players the feel they are used to with other controllers.

The report splits the digital distribution model into digital download and streaming (i.e. Games on Demand services which are generally subscription based).

Many in the industry view current digital distribution as primarily focused on PC gaming, but 11 percent of core download sales in 2004 came from Microsoft’s premium content downloads through Xbox Live. As Xbox Live is only used by a fraction of total console users, this must mean an extremely high penetration of digital sales to the Xbox Live user base.

Microsoft released Halo 2 in two editions. The first was a standard Xbox game in the standard Xbox case. The second edition was a special edition release that included the game, a bonus DVD with behind-the-scene footage, art galleries and commentary on the game. This second edition came in a metallic case.

Reports say that G&M approached Microsoft in 2002 to produce metal game cases for upcoming titles, and the two companies signed NDAs and exchanged information. The suit claims that Microsoft contacted G&M in 2003 when it was looking for a company to produce metal packaging for Halo 2. The suit goes on to claim that Microsoft sent G&M’s proposals to a potential rival named Viva, who was not part of the original NDA. Reports expand on the story to claim that G&M’s proprietary technology was used in the Halo 2 cases that Viva produced.

The full list is not currently available and will likely change before release, but we have scoured our sources to bring you a near complete list of Playstation 3 Games (to be available in Japan) {sorted by publisher}:

1. Arc System Works
• BB (tentative name), next-generation fighting game tool
2. Artdink
• Bipedal Movement Simulation, Simulation
• Aquanote no Kyujitsu: Inner Mind Adventure, Inner Mind adventure
3. Astroll
• Seikan (tentative name), survival
4. Atari
• Alone in the Dark sequel, action adventure
• Stuntman (working title), driving action
• Driver 5 (working title), driving action
5. Athena
• Pro Mahjong Final (tentative name), mahjong
6. Atlus
• Shin Megami Tensei series, RPG
7. Bandai
• Anime related project, TBA
• Mobile Suit Gundam (tentative name), action
• Unnamed robot action game, action
8. Banpresto
• Super Robot series, TBA
9. Capcom
• Unnamed action game, action
• Devil May Cry 4, stylish action
• Biohazard 5, survival horror
10. Cavia
• Unnamed action RPG, action RPG
11. CyberFront
• Simulation game A, growth simulation
• Simulation game B, management simulation
• Unnamed puzzle game, puzzle action
12. D3 Publisher
• Dark Sector, shooting action
• Unnamed fighting action game, fighting action
13. Datam Polystar
• Unnamed adventure game, adventure
14. Digital Gain
• Naxat Plan (tentative name), adventure
15. Dorasu
• Slotter Mania series, Pachinko
16. Eidos
• Unnamed action game, action
17. Electronic Arts
• Fight Night (tentative name), sports
18. Enterbrain
• Derby Stallion (tentative name), breeding
19. Entertainment Software Publishing
• Unnamed action game, action
• Ertain
• TBA, action
20. From Software
• Armored Core 4, 3D mech action
• Dark RPG (tentative name), RPG
• Black Blade (tentative name), action
21. Genki
• Japanese sword fighting series, action
• Racing game series, racing game
22. Global A. Entertainment
• Comical history action, action
• Comical history stimulation, simulation
23. GoodNavigate
• Mystery adventure game, adventure
24. Gust
• Unnamed role playing game, RPG
25. Hackberry
• Pachinko Jikki simulation series, Pachinko
26. Hamster
• Management simulation, simulation
27. Hudson
• Unnamed RPG, RPG
• Bomberman, action
• Rengoku: The End of the Century, sci-fi action RPG
28. Idea Factory
• Shin Ten Makai VI (tentative name), Simulation RPG
29. Interchannel
• Unnamed love adventure game, adventure
30. Irem Software Engineering
• Action-adventure game, action adventure
31. Koei
• Blade Storm: Hundred Years War, action
• Fatal Inertia, racing
• Ni-Oh, action
• Mahjong Taikai (tentative name), table
32. Konami
• Gradius series, shooting
• Unnamed soccer game, soccer
• Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball series, sports
• Unnamed action game, action
• Unnamed role playing game, RPG
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, tactical espionage action
33. MTO
• ActiveDogs (tentative name), action sports
34. Magnolia
• Value 2000 Igo, table
• Value 2000 Shougi, table
• Saikyou Ginsei Shougi 7, table
• Saikyou Ginsei Igo 7, table
35. Mainichi Communications
• Shougi World Champion Gekisashi (tentative name), table
36. Marionette
• War simulation game, simulation
37. Marvelous Interactive
• Unnamed action game, action
38. Mediaworks
• Unnamed adventure game, adventure
39. Michaelsoft
• Project D, RPG
40. Namco
• Unnamed RPG, RPG
• Unnamed fighting game, fighting
• Unnamed shooting game, shooting
• Unnamed sports game, sports
41. Nippon-ichi Software
• Makai Wars (tentative name), RPG
42. Now Production
• Unnamed action game, action
43. Ongakukan
• Train Simulator Online (tentative name), train simulation
44. SNK Playmore
• King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 3 (tentative name), 3D fighting
45. Sega
• Fifth Phantom Saga, action shooting
• Sonic the Hedgehog, action
46. Sony Computer Entertainment
• Angel Rings (tentative name), RPG
• Gran Turismo 5, racing
• Genji 2 (tentative name), action
• The Eye of Judgment (tentative name), TBA
• Minna no Golf 5 (tentative name), sports
• Monster Carnival (tentative name), action RPG
47. Spike
• Way of the Samurai 3 (tentative name), action adventure
48. Square Enix
• Final Fantasy series, TBA
49. Success
• Unnamed RPG, RPG
• Hitsuji Mura (tentative name), simulation
50. Sun Denshi
• Unnamed simulation game, simulation
51. Sunrise Interactive
• Sunrise Eiyuutan series, 3D simulation RPG
• Shinseiki GPX Cyber Formula series, 3D racing
52. Taito
• Extreme (tentative name), action
• Project Psychic (tentative name), action
53. Takuyo Kyougyou
• AKARI Project (tentative name), simulation
• MASTER Project (tentative name), action RPG
54. Tecmo
• Unnamed action game, action
• Unnamed action-adventure game, action
55. Ubisoft
• Assassin (working title), action adventure
• Brothers in Arms 3 (tentative name), FPS
56. Warashi
• Mahjong Oh, Mahjong
57. Yamasa Entertainment
• Yamasa Digi World DX (tentative name), Pachinko
58. Yuke’s
• Pro wrestling game, pro wrestling

*Please help us keep this list up to date by letting us know of new additions and changes.

Not all of the AC adapters in question may be defective but as we are not able to identify which are defective, we are voluntarily recalling all to make sure all customers are safe,” said Nanako Kato, a spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment in Tokyo.

In the U.S., Sony has received reports of 38 adapters overheating, with 19 cases of adapters melting. The company also mentioned four reports of minor property damage, two reports of minor burns and one report of a minor shock.

PS2 owners should visit Sony’s website for exact details on adapters being recalled and for procedures for returning them. Our understanding of the effected adapters included in the recall includes:

In North America, 960,000 adapters shipped with SCPH-70011 or SCPH-70012 PlayStation 2 consoles. The adapters should contain date codes between “2004.08″ and “2004.12″ and have serial numbers beginning with “F3″.

In Japan, approximately 60,000 adapters shipped with SCPH-70000CB model consoles, and the adapters carry the model code “HP-AT048H03″ with manufacturing dates between “2004.08″ and “2004.12″.

In Europe, 2.3 million adapters shipped with SCPH-70002, SCPH-70003 and SCPH-70004 model consoles. The adapters carry the model code “HP-AT048H03″ with manufacturing dates between “2004.08″ and “2004.12″.

Early on in the development of the 360, Microsoft appears to have questioned the need for backwards compatibility. Analysts tell stories of a “senior Xbox execs” privately saying that backwards compatibility was unimportant. This conclusion was reached by research showing that PS2 owners almost never played PS1 games. While this holds true for the first Playstation editions, Microsoft gamers are in a different position: 1) Many Xbox titles see continued play after years on the market thanks to Xbox Live and Gamespy networking 2) The PS2 has been on the market for many more years than the Xbox 1, thus dating PS1 titles more than Xbox 1 titles.

Since the initial news on the 360 and responses of the community, Microsoft has worked diligently to backwards compatibility to the Xbox 360. The fundamental hardware shifts and advances have not made this easy, but Microsoft is committed to this feature. Recent developments include:

• Finalized emulation of the Intel CPU on the 360
• Developed a dedicated team for engineering and testing compatibility patches for Xbox 1 games
• Licensed (for likely large fee) the rights to emulate the NVIDIA GdForce chipset on the 360’s ATI graphics set
  Confirmed backwards compatibility for a limited number of titles already.

Additional questions that are still being asked by gamers include:

• How many preloaded “emulation profiles” will be available at release and for what titles?
• How will gamers without a high speed connection access new emulation profiles?
• Given the system’s ROM, would someone with a high speed connection but without a hard drive be able to download an emulation profile and play a title? The hard drive requirement for backwards compatibility currently announced may be a worst case scenario.
• What happens if a gamer tries to run a game not approved for backwards compatibility on the Xbox 360?

Analysts had predicted the company could see loses as great as $40 million this quarter as a result of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC-DVD, Xbox, PS2) being pulled from store shelves. The “Hot Coffee” scandal no doubt had a negative impact on sales, but the increased news coverage was likely a plus for marketing the game to new audiences, and future titles will likely benefit from increased media coverage.

The company is on target to end the year with $1.22 to $1.27 billion in net sales and $0.85 and $0.90 diluted net income per share for the 2005 fiscal year, which ends October 31st.

Interesting game news from Take-Two included:

• A planned Q3 2006 of “a sequel of a Rockstar brand”
• The Warriors (PS2, Xbox) will ship before October 31st.
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP) will ship before October 31st.
• The release of Civilization IV has been moved up a few weeks and will also ship pre-Halloween
• The company will have six Xbox 360 games ready “at or near launch” including NBA 2K6, NHL 2K6, College Hoops 2K6, Top Spin 2, Amped 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
• “A title based on a new brand for the Xbox 360 is planned for the second quarter” of its 2006 fiscal year
• The company’s 2006 fiscal year will see “extensions of the Grand Theft Auto franchise” on unidentified platforms, according to the earnings report.