Early in the year 2000 the Software giant Microsoft confirmed its plans to enter the $20 billion market of the video game console industry with a new product code name X-box. Since then, the gaming community has been striving to get more in depth information about the giant’s new toy.  The X-box is a direct hit against current game industries leaders - Sony, Nintendo, and Sega – especially with Microsoft’s reputation of making things big.  It has been said that the Microsoft’s product is the results of years of research in the gamming industry focusing mainly in the success and failure of future competitors: Sony, Sega, and Nintendo.  In any case, the popularity of Microsoft has surely made the X-box, one of the most anticipated consoled in game industry history.  On November 8^th the X-box will be released to the general public with an attractive price tag of $300; a great list of hardware specs; and backed by a great name, over 150 video game makers and an astonishing $500 million marketing campaign.  

            Although Microsoft reassures the X-box is only a video game console, the hardware specs released by the company can be easily compared to those of a computer developed early in the year 2000. Furthermore, the underground computer community has already described ways in which gamers could possible convert their X-box units into a fully functional UNIX box. In any case, the X-box list of specs makes it, at first glance, the most powerful console in the market.  Please check our hardware section for an unofficial list of the X-box components gathered from piecing together different rumors on the internet and from carefully researching Microsoft’s statements on the console.  Also visit our specifications section to see a comparison with other popular video game consoles.