Zune HD Will Play Games [Archive]

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modeps

09-14-2009, 04:54 PM

http://evavhost.com/i/news/zunehd.png

It has been rumored and hoped for, for quite some time but looks like it's finally official. The Zune HD will play games. This is turning into one awesome device. Wired (http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/09/confirmed-zune-hd-will-play-games/):

The Zune HD media player will also be a portable gaming device, with a handful of games available when the sleek gadget launches Tuesday, a Microsoft representative told Wired.com.

At this summer’s E3 videogame conference, Microsoft said only that the upcoming Zune HD would play nice with the Xbox 360. But a series of video ads prematurely released this weekend — then quickly yanked at Microsoft’s request — hinted that Zune HD would be a platform for portable gaming, putting it in direct competition with Apple’s iPhone, Sony’s PSP and the Nintendo DS.

Too bad it doesn't do phone stuff.

gzsfrk

09-14-2009, 05:05 PM

Maybe it's just me, but I actually prefer to keep my phone separate from my portable media player. I like that I'm not locked into any plan and can just keep a throw-away Net10 phone while I keep my Zune for 4 or more years. I can see the advantages of having an all-in-one device like the iPhone, but I also see the downfalls that come with it as well (locked down platform, planned obsolescence, et. al.).

So in short, the lack of phone functionality in the Zune HD isn't a turn-off for me.

blackzc

09-14-2009, 05:09 PM

I want one of these dam bastards.

BabyJesus

09-14-2009, 05:32 PM

I want one of these dam bastards.

Tomorrow.

.......

Sinistar

09-14-2009, 05:40 PM

But will it work with iTunes and the AppStore ;)

LilAbner

09-14-2009, 05:45 PM

While this looks cool, I'll be getting my annual (and free) Zune 120 firmware update.

FTW.

Jotoco

09-14-2009, 06:40 PM

what kind of graphics power does this have?

Rival de iPhone's?

Limech

09-14-2009, 07:00 PM

I like having them separate as well.

My usage of them (in order of importance):
iPhone - 3G internet, apps, games, phone.
Zune HD - music, podcasts, video, (well, and maybe games but wasn't planning on that).

The other benefit of having both: twice the amount of battery power (i.e. entertainment time before running out of juice on both).

Limech

09-14-2009, 07:03 PM

what kind of graphics power does this have?

Rival de iPhone's?

I don't know, but a lot of fuss has been made about nVidia's Tegra chip.

Besides, why get a chip from a gaming video card maker if you're not planning to have it play games? I'm sure there are plenty of alternative HD decoder chips out there.

brandonjclark

09-14-2009, 07:49 PM

ok612YNA_Sc

Check out this vid @ around the 31 second mark and you'll see a racing game. KINDA gives the impression that this thing can play 3d well!

Well, that's my impression. What's yours?

Hagetaka

09-14-2009, 07:56 PM

I want one.

brandonjclark

09-14-2009, 07:58 PM

ok612YNA_Sc

Check out this vid @ around the 31 second mark and you'll see a racing game. KINDA gives the impression that this thing can play 3d well!

Well, that's my impression. What's yours?
Apparently, this is Forza 3 Motosports!

drakkarim

09-14-2009, 09:44 PM

i hate the fact that they're calling it HD, almost as if implying the screen is anything worth writing home about. last i checked its still the low res version as every other competitor.

that aside, doesn't the zune support gaming? why wouldn't this one? i.e. what's the surprise?

i love the gaming on the ipod touch, am definitely curious to see if there'll be anything comparable for this zune.

i'm guessing zune hd 2 will be worth purchasing though.

drakkarim

09-14-2009, 09:47 PM

... i don't really care about the multimedia aspects of either camp though (iTouch/Zune), as long as it plays games (and has a lot of them), has wifi to surf, and is exchange friendly (can't see how it wouldn't be) i will consider it.

speaking of which, perhaps it would be easier to program for than the ipod, using some new C#.netLite or something.... would make a lot of 360 programmers quite interested as well i suspect...

saneman

09-14-2009, 09:58 PM

I've wished for a while that they'd integrate their Zune/Windows Mobile efforts. But aside from that, I now just wish they'd fix that "Marketplac" nonsense.

shadow763

09-15-2009, 12:22 AM

So is owning a Zune instead of an iPhone akin to owning a PS3 instead of a 360?

Major Scud

09-15-2009, 01:16 AM

more like owning a zune is like owning a 360 and owning an ipod is like owning a wii

drakkarim

09-15-2009, 04:37 AM

more like owning a zune is like owning a 360 and owning an ipod is like owning a wii

except the ipod actually delivers on games...

LilAbner

09-15-2009, 04:58 AM

i hate the fact that they're calling it HD,

I haven't seen the screen, but I know you can connect it to HDTVs via HDMI and view video in 720p, which is HD. :)

LilAbner

09-15-2009, 04:59 AM

So is owning a Zune instead of an iPhone akin to owning a PS3 instead of a 360?

Why would you compare a media player to a phone? The better comparison is Zune HD to iPod Touch, or Zune Classic to iPod Classic.

Doctorossi

09-15-2009, 06:33 AM

except the ipod actually delivers on games...

Bingo. This thing, on the other hand, can only "play games" if and when somebody's foolish enough to make some for it.

drakkarim

09-15-2009, 06:34 AM

I haven't seen the screen, but I know you can connect it to HDTVs via HDMI and view video in 720p, which is HD. :)

i realize that, but its not HD (or even SD for that matter) when you're watching it on the unit itself. its deceptive, you can bet a pretty dollar there'll be a lot of pissed off consumers returning the thing once they find out that they can't play HD video on it directly.

drakkarim

09-15-2009, 06:45 AM

Bingo. This thing, on the other hand, can only "play games" if and when somebody's foolish enough to make some for it.

i'm pretty sure there will be plenty of games made, but i'm guessing it'll take a bit longer to 'explode' to the iApps level. This process could be accelerated by the possibility of the graphics chip being better than what's in the iPhone/Touch (haven't looked at the specs), and the programming side being C#.Net friendly.

i'm definitely keeping an eye out on this thing though, just not the first generation (same as any apple product though, first 2 generations tend to be ramp ups and feature hold outs).

gzsfrk

09-15-2009, 08:33 AM

i'm pretty sure there will be plenty of games made, but i'm guessing it'll take a bit longer to 'explode' to the iApps level. This process could be accelerated by the possibility of the graphics chip being better than what's in the iPhone/Touch (haven't looked at the specs), and the programming side being C#.Net friendly.

I don't think the application market for ZuneHD "exploding" has nearly as much to do with the graphical capabilities of the device as it does with the user base thereof. If tons of people buy these and show a propensity to spend money on DLC in the marketplace, then tons of development for the platform will follow.

drakkarim

09-15-2009, 09:14 AM

I don't think the application market for ZuneHD "exploding" has nearly as much to do with the graphical capabilities of the device as it does with the user base thereof. If tons of people buy these and show a propensity to spend money on DLC in the marketplace, then tons of development for the platform will follow.

yes and no :) apple has that mass appeal going for it that developers pretty much could bet on being there for the device. putting out an app for the platform made it likely to have a large potential audience.

basically the apple user base being there was pretty much a safe bet, so developers coding for it was pretty much a certainty as well, i mean i don't think the apple app coders were sitting there thinking "I wonder if people will like this thing enough" (about the devices).

the zune dooesn't have either going for it, and it will be a chicken/egg situation for a while i think. UNLESS the device has noticeably superior graphics capabilities and ease of programming for, in which case developers might jump on it anyway seeing how the upfront cost/effort might not be so great, without waiting for a mass market to exist beforehand.

but i think if the device can't do anything graphically better than the ipod (i'm not talking spitting out 720p onto a tv, but what the device itself can show onscreen), they'll have a hard time with developers.

i don't think i'm saying the above correctly, seem to be going in a circle, i should be a politician.

Venkman

09-15-2009, 09:28 AM

Microsoft has to release their SDK first, which they said they are keeping in house for now. It's almost like the want this device to fail.

it's too bad, because this device looks great.

The Zune team was working on that new software until the last minute! Why can't MS get that shit in order? They have great hardware, now back that thing up with the tools needed and mac support! I'll switch today!

brandonjclark

09-15-2009, 10:33 AM

gzsfrk

09-15-2009, 11:06 AM

Ok, I know this isn't about the games functionality of Zune, but I just downloaded the update, and the new Smart DJ feature is FANTASTIC. Pick an artist, and then it will pick a random mix of similiar music. I know that feature has been done before, but the one in Zune seems to work REALLY well. For example, I picked ABBA as my starting artist, and it started playing a great combination of 70's disco, 80's soft rock, and some other theme-appropriate oldies. It wasn't JUST a bunch of 70's/80's disco--it was smart enough to divert into other similiar, albeit not identical, genres.

Great update, although I was a bit disappointed to see that my old 30 gig Zune doesn't get a facelift with this update. :(

Venkman

09-15-2009, 01:20 PM

SDK in-house? If that's the case, then I agree with you. How the hell is anyone supposed to develop games for it with the software?

Exactly. I think MS has a great product, now if they'd only take the obvious steps to help the device succeed.

They are still confusing things with the Windows mobile marketplace vs Zune marketplace.

Heck, they even use points instead of dollars on the Zune marketplace, don't they?

Why can't they do this right?

blackzc

09-15-2009, 01:22 PM

Bingo. This thing, on the other hand, can only "play games" if and when somebody's foolish enough to make some for it.
The ipods days are numbered. Its played out at this point.

MrE

09-15-2009, 05:13 PM

The ipods days are numbered. Its played out at this point.

Care to explain? Microsoft Zunes have sold roughly 3 million in 3 years. iPod has sold over 220,000,000 in 8 years. Seriously, I'd love to hear your explanation of how the iPods days are numbered?

Orz

09-15-2009, 06:02 PM

Care to explain? Microsoft Zunes have sold roughly 3 million in 3 years. iPod has sold over 220,000,000 in 8 years. Seriously, I'd love to hear your explanation of how the iPods days are numbered?

Soon everyone on the planet will have one. Then the iPod fad will be over... until the next hardware revision.

HarverdGrad

09-15-2009, 06:52 PM

Venkman

09-16-2009, 12:52 PM

SDK in-house? If that's the case, then I agree with you. How the hell is anyone supposed to develop games for it with the software?

They just released Zune HD stuff for XNA. Hope is there.

now if they just let the damn thing work on a mac. Hell, I'd settle for letting it work as a hard drive, so I can manually drag over movies and music.

Samstag

09-17-2009, 05:33 AM

They just released Zune HD stuff for XNA. Hope is there.

now if they just let the damn thing work on a mac. Hell, I'd settle for letting it work as a hard drive, so I can manually drag over movies and music.

I don't think you can do that in Windows either unless there's been an update. That was one of the reasons for getting rid of my old 30 gig Zune.