E3 06: Takahashi uncloaks 360, reveals Microsoft handheld plans

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted May 8, 2006 2:00 am PT

Tech writer delivers second book on Microsoft's efforts to slay console giants Sony and Nintendo; follow-up to Opening the Xbox is released today; two-chapter excerpt inside.

The dirt flies in Dean Takahashi's follow-up tome chronicling the efforts of software giant Microsoft to build on its success with the Xbox. The Xbox 360 Uncloaked: The Real Story Behind Microsoft's Next-Generation Video Game Console goes on sale today, and apart from it being an encyclopedic timeline of the building out and launching of the Xbox 360, there's a fair amount cheeky storytelling, much of it confirming previous speculation and much of it introducing previously unspoken anecdotes.

Takahashi is a staff writer at the San Jose Mercury News, with prior stints at Red Herring and The Wall Street Journal.

Most prominent among the speculation confirmed is the telling of Robbie Bach tasking J Allard with creating a gaming handheld to compliment the Xbox 360 home console. While the handheld initiative was later scuttled, Takahashi makes clear that the steps Microsoft took toward portable gaming were real.

Takahashi writes: Microsoft needed a game machine that was small. Bach assigned J Allard to take on this "next big thing." Doing so would make a huge statement that Microsoft was going to ship this iPod killer and that it would do it with the same precision planning that it had done with the Xbox 360. Allard would run the platform, handling the hardware, software, and services for the handheld. Bryan Lee, meanwhile, would become the chief financial officer for the entire Entertainment and Devices Group and run the handheld's business side. Peter Moore would take charge of the Xbox 360 and Windows games businesses, effectively replacing Bach in his old job.

Another anecdote concerns Allard losing a bet with Newsweek game and tech writer N'Gai Croal, wherein J would have to wear a dreadlocks wig for the entire month of May, 2006 (including on stage during the Microsoft press briefing at E3) based around J's disbelief that Sony could sell 10 million PlayStation Portables as quickly as it sold that number of PlayStation 2s--which it did, handily.

GameSpot has excerpted two chapters from the book--the first concerns the challenges the company faced in holding to its promise of a worldwide launch of the console (a promise which morphed into a three-territory release in Japan, the US, and Europe), and the second describes the Xbox 360 launch event held in the Mojave desert, outside Palmdale, California.

The book is available online today from publisher Spiderworks and will be available from Amazon.com in a few weeks.

75 Comments

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 11:26 pm PT

    sounds impressive

  • comthitnuong

    Posted May 31, 2006 11:37 am PT

    microsoft doesnt need a handheld

  • DevJin

    Posted May 15, 2006 10:15 pm PT

    rubbish.

  • LordGamer0001

    Posted May 14, 2006 7:28 pm PT

    so microsoft handheld, yes? no?

  • Oni

    Posted May 12, 2006 10:10 am PT

    Xbox portable. Dunno if that will ever happen .. but who knows nowadays!

  • Mindphaser

    Posted May 10, 2006 7:33 pm PT

    The first Xbox book was awesome, everyone should read it, this one will be too.

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted May 10, 2006 4:52 pm PT

    oh ya jase_n_bone... u have 2 awards, and a level 5, u spend more time here then u think... so i wouldnt make fun

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted May 10, 2006 4:48 pm PT

    HAHAHAHAHA lets call it the XBox mini, or the XPod... or the XSphear.... but the catch is it weighs a tonne and you cant reach any of the buttons... but hey at least half of the time it crashes i mean, shuts its self down even if you weren't ready for it!!!!

  • enoslives7

    Posted May 10, 2006 10:25 am PT

    Microsoft should stick to software. The PSP will own any piece of crap microsoft puts out.....

  • Diego17

    Posted May 9, 2006 8:51 pm PT

    thats a bad move

    nintendo would kill them

    they should just focus on making the Xbox 360 a must have
    before they decide to enter another market
    (especially entering a market that has the Nintendo DS in it)

  • WestSideAzn

    Posted May 9, 2006 8:02 pm PT

    Hmm... is getting the book really worth it?

  • MiX3R

    Posted May 8, 2006 5:07 pm PT

    OMG I plan to say once and for all..i will buy both the PS3 and Xbox360(wich i own currently). then i can play all titles. Why the complaining. And if you "cannot afford it posts" just get a job and some money..

  • jase_n_bone

    Posted May 8, 2006 4:00 pm PT

    dont you losers have anything better to do than moan about
    microsoft and sony all day. its sad beacause some of you are
    40 years old!!. why dont you guys try worrying about sumthing else
    like losing your virginity.

  • johnathan111

    Posted May 8, 2006 3:44 pm PT

    i wanna wear a wig for fun i mean

  • comthitnuong

    Posted May 8, 2006 3:35 pm PT

    ummm thats great

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted May 8, 2006 2:59 pm PT

    Uh.......yeah......sure........whatever

  • DevJin

    Posted May 8, 2006 2:57 pm PT

    rubbish.

  • MASTERCHIEFUSMA

    Posted May 8, 2006 2:01 pm PT

    i like the sound of a Mircosoft Handheld, if they do it right it should be good, and there better be some Halo 3 info tomorrow!

  • josh_b

    Posted May 8, 2006 1:40 pm PT

    You people should really step back and look at yourselves... your argueing over a game console!! Nothing that important to get this mad about.

    Does it really matter which console is better? No it doesn't, All 3 systems are going to have great games. You Fangirls need to grow up and get a life outside of videogames.... and Yes i said Fangirls cause only a GIRL would argue about something so trivial.

    Both systems are almost identical in many aspects and both have their pro's and con's. Just play the games anst stop bickering about which is better Stop trying to find things to throw in each other's face and just play the damn games and have fun.

  • smollett13

    Posted May 8, 2006 1:40 pm PT

    Will it be a real engineering book detailing the tasks and problems the engineers/programmers overcame to build the thing? Or is it some gay tattle tale "he said she said" book?
    Cap'n Smollett

  • smarb001

    Posted May 8, 2006 1:05 pm PT

    My Aunt works at Microsoft at New York!!! Yay im last

  • smarb001

    Posted May 8, 2006 12:59 pm PT

    You're kidding right?

  • Tfk-Centurion

    Posted May 8, 2006 12:58 pm PT

    lol

  • HeyzeusNYC

    Posted May 8, 2006 12:36 pm PT

    W/e I dont care I own a XBOX 360 and plan on getting the ps3 along with The revolution.. Honestly I'm looking foward more for the REvolution... Also J Allard is gay... its gonna be funnier cuz its a gay dude wearing a wig... Along with that J allard is a lil punk B***H That wants to put people down.. He's like Bill Gates Mini Me..lmao

  • sabru8

    Posted May 8, 2006 11:43 am PT

    cool

  • Sonicplys

    Posted May 8, 2006 11:35 am PT

    Micro$oft and $ony need to stop worshiping $$$$ and think about gamers like Nintendo. Greed will be the downfall for the Xflop 360 and the GayStation 3.

  • SnowFarmer

    Posted May 8, 2006 11:30 am PT

    While the handheld initiative was later scuttled
    I think those of you think MS will have a handheld any time soon need to break out the Websters' and find out what scuttled means.

    Moving on, J Allard won't wear a wig because he is not a man of his word. You have to turn in you honesty and personal honor when you take the job of MS PR flack.

  • DevJin

    Posted May 8, 2006 11:22 am PT

    i Pod killer my ass, want to make a handheld now?? Greddy!! Just make sure that your window doesn't have any blue screen of dead or hang instead, want to make a hendheld, huh ... puihh ... that ori xbox eat my dvd, scratch it, that 360 scratch and burn my dvd becuse of that overheathing problem, just make sure your previous product run really well first, before begin any of new project, money $ucker!! it's just keeping greedy on every day. bill gates .... moore .... allard .... Crap.

  • axes03

    Posted May 8, 2006 11:16 am PT

    i hope the handheld will have two sticks, so we can finally play a good shooter on a handheld. im so pissed on my psp's one stick layout. the ds came close with metroid but its still annoying. ( DREAMING about a HALO match in the bus or study hall !!!)

  • Link1515

    Posted May 8, 2006 10:53 am PT

    Yeah dmce042004, because Microsoft doesn't know how to attract people to their conference. So they resort to girls.

  • drangel_jam

    Posted May 8, 2006 10:06 am PT

    y should i buy?

  • anamnawshad

    Posted May 8, 2006 9:58 am PT

    PS-2 has loads of problems compared to 360! Even the most recent PS-2s has problem! PS-3 will have problems too. I'm glad that my Xbox never f***d up in it's 2+ years of service

  • LiveByMeDieByMe

    Posted May 8, 2006 9:51 am PT

    I had dreadlocks once... I miss them :-( Had to get rid of them cuz they were too hard to take care of because if you can't get all the water out after showering they start to mold after a while, and it took me 2 hours to get the water out using a hair dryer on high

  • Shtinky

    Posted May 8, 2006 9:28 am PT

    Do it jay! wear that wig

  • Magikdragon

    Posted May 8, 2006 9:24 am PT

    HAHAHAHA i hope he wears a Wig, come on Allard Be e Man! Be e man!
    and, come on people the 360 doesnt have as many glitches as the PS2 had in launch ( or in its entire "life" ), i still remember buying my PS2 ( two years after launch by the way ) and having to return it 'cause it didnt read any discs.
    On the other hand i NEVER had any problems with a Nintendo Console ( Amazing uh ? ).

  • decebal

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:58 am PT

    No he won't wear a wig.

    He's not a man of his word. I don't belive 1 word that dude says. He always makes big statements to apear confident...

    I own a 360... but that guy is a looser.
    The Sony and Nintendo guys are much pleasant.

  • shockwave04

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:58 am PT

    This does'nt intrest me at all.

  • Manifest_78

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:52 am PT

    I'm not trying to be nasty or anything like that but I got my system at launch and I had no problems short of the "save glitch" with DOA4 and that was a software issue. It sucks when you purchase anything for any price and it doesn't do what it's supposed to. On that note no system has had a perfect launch with no faulty parts...welcome to the world of mass production.

    I also think it's childish to claim a system can be better by taking someone's word for it. I "know" my 360 is great to me cuz I played it and nothing MS, Sony or Nintendo reps or fans can say or do to to change that. I plan on getting a PS3 and Wii and don't consider myself to be a fanboy due to the fact that I hold no alliance to no company (though I think it's foolish to be a fan of a corporation). But we all have to admit that certain things are true; Microsoft needs more variety in it's games to become dominant, Sony has be over exaggerating what their systems can do since the PSX , and for the maturing gamer Nintendo doesn't have much to offer besides the occasional title and innovation.

    Also the next-gen started when the 360 dropped. I've been playing games for a while, becoming more jaded as the years passed, bought mine with my own money and I am thoroughly impressed. Claiming something is better and haven't seen or played it with your own eyes and hands is foolish. The PS3 or Wii might take the spot when released but untill then the 360 is giving next-gen value to gamers now.

  • minerl99

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:39 am PT

    I'll likely get a PS3 as well as the 360 I own and I'd expect the quality to be about the same with some different exclusive games.

    As for some of the quality comments below, here is some food for thought.

    1 - At a 3% defect rate (considered standard) you'd have 90,000 defective 360's by now with 3 million being sold. At over 500 per week, I don't doubt I'd see some posts from unhappy campers. I've seen quite a few posts on defects, but when you think about 90,000 defective anything's, you'll realize Sony will have many posters saying the same thing about the PS3. I don't think the quality is that bad, nor will it be any different with the PS3.

    With the Blu-Ray it could actually be worse. I sure hope not, but that's a brand new technology by itself.

    2. With 50% of the 360 owners being connected via Live, many are getting updates or patches to fix glitches. The same will hold true for the PS3. If game developers believe they have this safety net, they'll ship just a wee bit earlier and patch later. That could make this Generation a problem for the 50% or so, that aren't connected via Live for patches...

    I've had probably 50 patches for games, Live, etc. Many of them, I don't even know what they were for... I just click OK and it downloads. That may help or hurt the PS3, since Xbox users were more typically connected because of the original Xbox Live service.

    3. Since the 360 drives scratch disks that slip out of the tray, when opening/closing... I wonder how many who put their 360's upright have more problems than those how lay them flat.... I think it looked cool in marketing ads, but I would advise against it. Sony is doing the same thing. Gravity is not your friend in these situations.

    Anyway, my 360 lays flat and I've never moved it once, since I originally fired it up and it gets plenty of air. I'd recommend being gentle with the PS3 as well. It can't hurt your chances of not being one of the 90,000.

  • roadifer

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:37 am PT

    Like Allard would wear a dreadlocksk wig. He wants Microsoft to succeed first, not honor some stupid bet with a writer.

  • takeo_miyazaki

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:25 am PT

    lmao! so hope he will fo allard go allard go!

    is it just me or is it everything he says is undeciferable lol

  • miiiguel

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:16 am PT

    I wish I was a "looser" like Allard... .

  • ZERO-UNIT

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:15 am PT

    i'd like to hear more about this handheld, knowing microsoft is making it i'm sure there will be a huge emphasis on multi-media, it would be cool if it was open architecture

  • Cork2

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:09 am PT

    i had my 360 since launch and i haven't had any problems with it. my brother bought a playstation 2 (one of those small thin ones) last month and after playing on the ps2 for over 30 days it started making weird noises and we had to return it. It isn't just the 360 even old systems still seem to run into problems. I am sure that the ps3 and Wii will have glitches also.

  • Flimsyfishy

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:07 am PT

    hahaha, and this years console winner is... Nintendo??? well, Nintendo systems don't have many glitches at launch. it's all up in the air. the x-box 360 might be the winner this generation because of the year jump they have on the ps3 and the Wii. that really helped out 5 years ago with the PS2. The winning one now is the 360, just because it can be played right now. We'll find out by october of next year which system is dominant.

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted May 8, 2006 8:07 am PT

    wow finally Allard is officially a loser... not really news though, we all knew it...

  • warhawk256

    Posted May 8, 2006 7:54 am PT

    I've had my 360 for just over 2 weeks now, and just yesterday the disk tray mysteriously stopped working. XBLA games and demos still work fine, though; only the game disks don't work.

    So yeah, I'm pretty pissed right now; don't tell me that we're all just overreacting.

    An Xbox handheld? I don't know... I'm kind of already sick of my PSP aside from using it for MP3s (to play on my 360). I'm pretty much done with portable gaming; no DS Lite, Xboy, PSP2 can re-entice me.

  • keldog

    Posted May 8, 2006 7:53 am PT

    " i don't own a 360 but sony fans quit ragging on 360 being buggy. It really wasn't....."

    Easy for you to say.. You don't have one to lock up constantly on the AAA titles like PGR3 and GRAW like I do. I love my 360, but I wouldn't put "stability" on the features list. If Sony really wants to show that they are the long term ruler of consoles, they could make sure that their system is stable BEFORE launching it. Quality speaks wonders about a company's commitment to thye future. Kicking hardware/software out to fast just to get a leg up in this battle could loose M$ the war.l

  • miiiguel

    Posted May 8, 2006 7:43 am PT

    Why everyone that claims X360 is "buggy" doesen't have one ? I liked "Sony way" better, but since I had to return my PSP 3 times for defects sake (and didn't bought it on release day), and my X360 play > 3 hours/day (12 hours on week-ends) and never, ever had a single "glitch", I think MS does better quality control than Sony.

    lageasy311: I also don't agree with you, the previous guy is right, as of today X360 is better than PS3 because we can play with the 1st now. By your way of thinking I can say X720 is better than PS3, virtually. But virtually doesn't mean anything, what counts is what we can do now, and the sad true is PS3 doesn't exist.

  • lageasy311

    Posted May 8, 2006 7:35 am PT

    i don't own a 360 but sony fans quit ragging on 360 being buggy. It really wasn't.....as far as this guy goes, i hope i see him with that wig. But yea, a few consoles had glithces, so does my precious ps2, but that is not something to finger point. Unless they do a total recall, the system is working just fine, though i still want my ps3 and not a 360. Sgt_mmmmbop whatever your name is, learn to make a VALID point, not just "our console is out first so we're better than yours" point, b/c we shall see what happens in the future. It aint next gen till we say it's next gen .....Ken Kutaragi

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