This page will contain additional articles about Xbox, as they become available.XboxThe Xbox is Microsoft's game console, released on November 15, 2001. It is Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, after having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console. The price is currently 149 USD, 149 EUR, 99 GBP, 200 CAD, 249 AUD, 290 NZD and 1200 NOK. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing. HistoryThe Xbox was initially developed within Microsoft by a small crew including Seamus Blackley, a game developer and high energy physicist. While some critics were initially concerned that the Xbox would allow Microsoft to extend its dominance of the PC software market to consoles, as of February 2005 estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is only comparable to the Nintendo GameCube and far behind the PlayStation 2. The Xbox has not sold well in Japan, due to the Japanese people's poor acceptance of non-Japanese consoles, limited Japanese developer support, few game choices and the large size of the hardware itself. In much of Europe, the Xbox is currently slightly ahead of the GameCube, but is still far behind the PlayStation 2. Microsoft predicted that it would not make a profit on the Xbox for at least three years and that turned out to be correct; the division had its first profitable quarter in 2005. In November 2002, Microsoft released the successful Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing subscribers to play online Xbox games with (or against) other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the hard drive. This online service only works with broadband. The milestone of 1 million subscribers was announced in July 2004. Several internal hardware revisions have been made to discourage modding, cut manufacturing costs, and to provide a more reliable DVD-ROM drive (the early units' drives were prone to failure). HardwareMicrosoft built the Xbox around industry-standard PC hardware, unlike the traditionally proprietary design of nearly all other gaming consoles. However, it still uses standard console architecture. The inclusion of the hard disk not only serves as a disk cache for faster game loading times compared to the PS2 and repository for saved game information (eliminating the need for sold-separately memory cards), it also allows users to download and save new content for their games from Xbox Live and copy music from standard Audio CDs so players can partially or completely replace the soundtrack of Xbox games that support Custom Soundtracks, all firsts in console history. Custom Soundtracks are often supported in non-cinematic games (e.g. racing/driving games) where the music is inconsequential to what is happening in the game. Although the Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel using APIs based largely on DirectX, it incorporates restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. The Xbox does not use Windows CE due to Microsoft internal politics at the time, as well as limited support in Windows CE for DirectX. The Xbox is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries, and shipped with an unusually large controller. This is largely due to the large, tray-loading DVD-ROM drive and the standard-size 3.5" hard drive. Despite managing to be smaller and lighter than similar commodity PCs, the Xbox has found itself a target of mild derision, as gamers poke fun at it for things like a (overly cautious) warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" to a small child or pet. While some elements of the Xbox's design, like break-away cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being yanked from the shelf, take the size into account, it has undoubtedly hurt the system's sales to the space-conscious Japanese. Another common complaint about the system was that the original game controller design was seen as too large for some people. For the Japanese Xbox launch, a new and smaller controller was introduced, a design which was subsequently released in other markets as the "Controller S", which eventually replaced the original design. Currently, all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", and the original version of the controller (also known as 'The Duke') is no longer sold. Detailed specifications
Official Xbox accessoriesAudio/video connectors
Numerous unofficial third-party cables and breakout boxes exist that provide combinations of outputs not found in these official video packages; however, with the exception of a few component-to-VGA transcoders and custom-built VGA boxes, the four official video packages represent all of the Xbox's possible outputs. This output selectivity is made possible by the Xbox's SCART-like AVIP port. Networking
Multimedia
Controllers and removable storage
ScreenshotsXbox and DirectXMicrosoft's set of low-level APIs for game development and multimedia purposes, DirectX, was used as a basis for the Xbox's hardware programming (as well as its name, which implies "DirectX Box"). The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and NVIDIA, whose chips power the Xbox graphics. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable just like other console technologies. Modding the XboxXbox and a Controller SThe recent popularity of the Xbox has inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms (sometimes in order to use the Xbox as a low cost web server), as well as to add customized design touches to the console's case (similar to PC case modding). Hardware modding can involve anything from simply replacing the console's green decorative "jewel" with a custom-designed one to opening up the case and installing a modchip. However, there are many reputable sites in the UK (where overall, it is still technically legal) selling pre-loaded modchipped Xboxes. Software modding is much less intrusive, and only involves running software exploits to trick the Xbox into running unsigned program code. This allows running an alternate dashboard such as Avalaunch, Evolution-X or UnleashX and in turn makes playing original (free) homebrew games such as Star Wars or various older games through arcade and games console emulators possible. This is especially attractive as the Xbox is designed to output to TVs, and high-quality controllers and arcade sticks are available for it. The original hard drive can be replaced with a larger one. Then Xbox games can be copied from the DVD to the hard disk and then played directly from the hard drive. This requires a modded Xbox using one of the alternative dashboards, and is used by scrupulous users to eliminate load times or leave their games in storage, and by unscrupulous users to play illegally copied games. Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with the Xbox Media Center (http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/) software (XBMC) allowing the playing of DVDs without the $30 DVD dongle/remote and streaming of music and video files from the hard drive or from another computer over a network. A modded Xbox can even be configured into a computer running Linux or Microsoft Windows CE operating systems. Modding an Xbox may require opening the Xbox case, and would certainly void the Xbox's warranty. Also, most internal hardware modifications will render an Xbox unable to participate in Xbox Live which is why many modders use a switch to turn on and off their modifications to the Xbox. But as of November 2004, Microsoft has been taking new actions for banning Xboxes with hard drive modifications from the Xbox Live service. There has been several theories on how banning in this new method is done. One theory is that there is a "marriage" of one's hard drive serial number and one's Xbox's serial number, and banning if one of those two change due to part replacement. Another is that it might check for modified files, and another suggesting that Microsoft is detecting if the unique hard drive key of every Xbox has changed. Currently, it is believed that Microsoft compares each Xbox's serial number and hard drive serial number upon connecting to Live, and that any "unpairing" of the two will result in a ban for the user associated with the console. Price historyNorth America
Europe
Oceania
Of note is the high European launch price. As with many games consoles (for example, the PlayStation series), the Xbox was launched with a price in GBP equal to its US price in USD (in this case, $/£299), and this price then converted for the rest of Europe. Obviously, ignoring the GBP-USD exchange rate in the way gives the impression of a 100% mark-up for Europe. With a price-dropped PlayStation 2 and a comparatively inexpensive GameCube as competition, many users were naturally reluctant to invest in the console (interestingly, the PS2 had faced similar attacks during the UK tabloids' preoccupation with "Ripoff Britain"). Microsoft countered with a £100 price drop (and its equivalent in the rest of Europe) some scant months after launch. To avoid frustrating early adopters, they offered a bundle containing two games and one controller for free to any purchaser who could provide a sales receipt showing the original higher price. Future Xbox
Microsoft is expected to release a new generation of Xbox hardware, the Xbox 360, in 2005. NVidia have announced that they will cease production of the Xbox's GPU in August of that year, which will almost certainly mark the end of that console's production. [1] (http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/05/12/afx2024549.html) This page about Xbox includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Xbox News stories about Xbox External links for Xbox Videos for Xbox Wikis about Xbox Discussion Groups about Xbox Blogs about Xbox Images of Xbox |
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[1] (http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/05/12/afx2024549.html). It replayed memorable moments from season one as well as gave viewers a preview of the season finale. NVidia have announced that they will cease production of the Xbox's GPU in August of that year, which will almost certainly mark the end of that console's production. The episode was interestingly enough not narrated by Brenda Strong. Microsoft is expected to release a new generation of Xbox hardware, the Xbox 360, in 2005. 1 On April 24, 2005 a special episode aired called "Desperate Housewives: Sorting Out the Dirty Laundry". To avoid frustrating early adopters, they offered a bundle containing two games and one controller for free to any purchaser who could provide a sales receipt showing the original higher price. Main article: Desperate Housewives episodes (Season 1). Microsoft countered with a £100 price drop (and its equivalent in the rest of Europe) some scant months after launch. Note: Before Episode 3, Penny's name was Daisy. With a price-dropped PlayStation 2 and a comparatively inexpensive GameCube as competition, many users were naturally reluctant to invest in the console (interestingly, the PS2 had faced similar attacks during the UK tabloids' preoccupation with "Ripoff Britain"). At least once every episode, the 'surviving' housewives (Mary Alice was one of the group before her suicide) meet and discuss over either coffee or poker the events in the current storyline. Obviously, ignoring the GBP-USD exchange rate in the way gives the impression of a 100% mark-up for Europe. The show also follows the mystery of why Mary Alice took her own life and precisely who Mike Delfino really is. As with many games consoles (for example, the PlayStation series), the Xbox was launched with a price in GBP equal to its US price in USD (in this case, $/£299), and this price then converted for the rest of Europe. The story is unraveled through her four friends and neighbors. Of note is the high European launch price. Mary Alice's suicide left behind a puzzle involving her husband Paul, son Zack, and a mysterious toy chest. Oceania. The show begins with the suicide of Mary Alice Young, who narrates the episodes from beyond the grave. Europe. Tagline: Everyone has a little dirty laundry.. North America. Though it is not uncommon for soap opera characters to make melodramatically questionable decisions, in the first season of "Housewives" almost every character (including children) has arguably committed a major crime. Currently, it is believed that Microsoft compares each Xbox's serial number and hard drive serial number upon connecting to Live, and that any "unpairing" of the two will result in a ban for the user associated with the console. The show has come under critical fire by religious and conservative groups due to what some consider the seeming lack of morality amongst the characters. One theory is that there is a "marriage" of one's hard drive serial number and one's Xbox's serial number, and banning if one of those two change due to part replacement. Another is that it might check for modified files, and another suggesting that Microsoft is detecting if the unique hard drive key of every Xbox has changed. Nicolette Sheridan was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. There has been several theories on how banning in this new method is done. On January 16, 2005, it won that top honor, and star Teri Hatcher won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy (Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross were nominated as well). But as of November 2004, Microsoft has been taking new actions for banning Xboxes with hard drive modifications from the Xbox Live service. In its first season out, Desperate Housewives was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Also, most internal hardware modifications will render an Xbox unable to participate in Xbox Live which is why many modders use a switch to turn on and off their modifications to the Xbox. Phil and Oprah. The show has been credited with almost single-handedly (along with Lost) reviving the long-dormant fortunes of ABC, whose last major ratings hit had been Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Modding an Xbox may require opening the Xbox case, and would certainly void the Xbox's warranty. The series was unique in that it rocketed to the top of the ratings from the premiere episode, and immediately the term "desperate housewives" became a cultural phenomenon, warranting "the real desperate housewives" features in magazines and such TV shows as Dr. A modded Xbox can even be configured into a computer running Linux or Microsoft Windows CE operating systems. Cherry initially pitched the series to HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Lifetime; but all turned it down for one reason or another. Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with the Xbox Media Center (http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/) software (XBMC) allowing the playing of DVDs without the $30 DVD dongle/remote and streaming of music and video files from the hard drive or from another computer over a network. The tone and style of the series combine elements of drama, comedy, mystery, satire, and soap opera. This requires a modded Xbox using one of the alternative dashboards, and is used by scrupulous users to eliminate load times or leave their games in storage, and by unscrupulous users to play illegally copied games. Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview, the series tracks the lives of four housewives, following their domestic struggles while several mysteries unfold in the background. Then Xbox games can be copied from the DVD to the hard disk and then played directly from the hard drive. Desperate Housewives is an American television series, created by Marc Cherry, that began airing on ABC in 2004. The original hard drive can be replaced with a larger one. Portugal: May 22, 2005 on SIC. This is especially attractive as the Xbox is designed to output to TVs, and high-quality controllers and arcade sticks are available for it. Hong Kong: May 12, 2005 on TVB Pearl. This allows running an alternate dashboard such as Avalaunch, Evolution-X or UnleashX and in turn makes playing original (free) homebrew games such as Star Wars or various older games through arcade and games console emulators possible. However, it was initially broadcasted in Sony Entertainment Television several months ago. Software modding is much less intrusive, and only involves running software exploits to trick the Xbox into running unsigned program code. Mexico: May 3, 2005 on Canal 7 (VHF). However, there are many reputable sites in the UK (where overall, it is still technically legal) selling pre-loaded modchipped Xboxes. Germany: April 12, 2005 on PRO 7 (free-to-air, dubbed in German). Hardware modding can involve anything from simply replacing the console's green decorative "jewel" with a custom-designed one to opening up the case and installing a modchip. Switzerland: April 11, 2005 on SF DRS. The recent popularity of the Xbox has inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms (sometimes in order to use the Xbox as a low cost web server), as well as to add customized design touches to the console's case (similar to PC case modding). Sweden: March 29, 2005 on Kanal 5. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable just like other console technologies. Spain: March 3, 2005 on FOX. The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and NVIDIA, whose chips power the Xbox graphics. Denmark: March 2, 2005 on TV2. Microsoft's set of low-level APIs for game development and multimedia purposes, DirectX, was used as a basis for the Xbox's hardware programming (as well as its name, which implies "DirectX Box"). Netherlands: March 1, 2005 on Net 5. This output selectivity is made possible by the Xbox's SCART-like AVIP port. Turkey: February 28, 2005 on CNBC-é. Numerous unofficial third-party cables and breakout boxes exist that provide combinations of outputs not found in these official video packages; however, with the exception of a few component-to-VGA transcoders and custom-built VGA boxes, the four official video packages represent all of the Xbox's possible outputs. Italy: February 22, 2005 on FOX Life. Currently, all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", and the original version of the controller (also known as 'The Duke') is no longer sold. Croatia: February 17, 2005 on Nova TV. Another common complaint about the system was that the original game controller design was seen as too large for some people. For the Japanese Xbox launch, a new and smaller controller was introduced, a design which was subsequently released in other markets as the "Controller S", which eventually replaced the original design. Singapore: January 31, 2005 on MediaCorp TV Channel 5. While some elements of the Xbox's design, like break-away cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being yanked from the shelf, take the size into account, it has undoubtedly hurt the system's sales to the space-conscious Japanese. This registered 2.5 million viewers, one of the highest for a premiere in Australian history. Despite managing to be smaller and lighter than similar commodity PCs, the Xbox has found itself a target of mild derision, as gamers poke fun at it for things like a (overly cautious) warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" to a small child or pet. Australia: January 31, 2005 on the Seven Network. This is largely due to the large, tray-loading DVD-ROM drive and the standard-size 3.5" hard drive. Belgium: January 21, 2005 on één. The Xbox is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries, and shipped with an unusually large controller. United Kingdom: January 5, 2005 on Channel 4 (each episode followed by a première of the next on E4 - which therefore did not initially screen episode 1, but re-ran episodes 1 and 2 later in the first week). The Xbox does not use Windows CE due to Microsoft internal politics at the time, as well as limited support in Windows CE for DirectX. Ireland: January 4, 2005 on RTE2. Although the Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel using APIs based largely on DirectX, it incorporates restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. Brazil: November 4, 2004 on Sony Entertainment Television. racing/driving games) where the music is inconsequential to what is happening in the game. Germany: October 14, 2004 on Premiere (German pay TV, undubbed original version). Custom Soundtracks are often supported in non-cinematic games (e.g. United States and Canada: October 3, 2004 on ABC (US) and CTV (Canada). The inclusion of the hard disk not only serves as a disk cache for faster game loading times compared to the PS2 and repository for saved game information (eliminating the need for sold-separately memory cards), it also allows users to download and save new content for their games from Xbox Live and copy music from standard Audio CDs so players can partially or completely replace the soundtrack of Xbox games that support Custom Soundtracks, all firsts in console history. Theme music composer: Danny Elfman. However, it still uses standard console architecture. Producer: Touchstone Television. Microsoft built the Xbox around industry-standard PC hardware, unlike the traditionally proprietary design of nearly all other gaming consoles. He also said that the cast is expendable and at any time a character can die without the actor knowing. Several internal hardware revisions have been made to discourage modding, cut manufacturing costs, and to provide a more reliable DVD-ROM drive (the early units' drives were prone to failure). Steven Culp confirmed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he would not return at all next year and that his character really is dead. The milestone of 1 million subscribers was announced in July 2004. [1] (http://terraservice.net/image.aspx?T=4&S=8&Z=11&X=7519&Y=75568&W=2). This online service only works with broadband. An aerial photograph of the set is available from Microsoft TerraServer. In November 2002, Microsoft released the successful Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing subscribers to play online Xbox games with (or against) other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the hard drive. It includes the houses used in The Munsters and the 1989 film The Burbs. Microsoft predicted that it would not make a profit on the Xbox for at least three years and that turned out to be correct; the division had its first profitable quarter in 2005. The show's set is on the Universal Studios backlot and has been used for decades in many TV and movie productions to represent a typical American suburban neighborhood. In much of Europe, the Xbox is currently slightly ahead of the GameCube, but is still far behind the PlayStation 2. On April 22, Touchstone announced Mehcad Brooks would also join as Woodard's son. The Xbox has not sold well in Japan, due to the Japanese people's poor acceptance of non-Japanese consoles, limited Japanese developer support, few game choices and the large size of the hardware itself. On April 13, 2005, Touchstone Television announced Alfre Woodard would join the Desperate Housewives cast starting from the second season as the first African-American 'wife' on the street. While some critics were initially concerned that the Xbox would allow Microsoft to extend its dominance of the PC software market to consoles, as of February 2005 estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is only comparable to the Nintendo GameCube and far behind the PlayStation 2. Various sources on the Internet and in the press have stated that the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Oprah Winfrey and Miranda Richardson (Richardson, in fact was considered, but declined the role of an English nanny) have expressed interest in guest starring on the show, however, it is unlikely they will ever get the opportunity as the producers do not want big names to distract the viewer from the plot. The Xbox was initially developed within Microsoft by a small crew including Seamus Blackley, a game developer and high energy physicist. Every episode title in the first season references a song title, many of them by Stephen Sondheim: they include Every Day a Little Death and The Ladies Who Lunch. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing. Opening credits contain references to famous pieces of art, including American Gothic and The Arnolfini Portrait. The price is currently 149 USD, 149 EUR, 99 GBP, 200 CAD, 249 AUD, 290 NZD and 1200 NOK. Lee was replaced, of course, by Brenda Strong for the series; both had played regular roles as dead people before, Strong on Everwood and Lee on Twin Peaks. It is Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, after having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console. In the original pilot, Mary Alice Young was played by Sheryl Lee; Gardener John Rowland by Kyle Searles; and Rex Van De Kamp by Michael Reilly Burke. The Xbox is Microsoft's game console, released on November 15, 2001. Ryan O'Neal - Rodney Scavo (1 Episode). NZ$249 (2004 Q4,2005). Rick Ravanello - Bill Cunningham (1 Episode). NZ$299 (2004 Q2). Marlee Matlin - Alisha Stevens (1 Episode). AU$249 (2004,2005). Kathryn Joosten - Karen McCluskey (2 Episodes). NZ$349 (2004). Bob Newhart - Morty (2 Episodes). AU$299 (2004). Heather Stephens - Kendra Taylor (2 Episodes). NZ$399 (2003). Sharon Lawrence - Maisy Gibbons (3 Episodes). AU$349 (2003). Marla Sokoloff - Claire (3 Episodes). NZ$499 NZD (3 October, 2002, Launch Price). Emily Christine - Ashley Bukowski (3 Episodes). AU$399 AUD. Richard Burgi - Karl Mayer (3 Episodes). AU$699 AUD (26 April 2002, Launch Price) (Quickly dropped to $399 to compete with launch of Nintendo Gamecube). Albert Goldfine (4 Episodes). £99 (August 27, 2004). Sam Lloyd - Dr. €149 (August 27, 2004). Melinda McGraw - Annabel Foster (4 Episodes). £130 (2003). Lesley Ann Warren - Sophie Bremmer (4 Episodes). €199 (2003). Bob Gunton - Noah Taylor (5 Episodes). €249 (August 30, 2002). Ryan Carnes - Justin (5 Episodes). €299 (Launch Price (Rest of Europe) and Ireland April 26, 2002). Lupe Ontiveros - Juanita Solis (6 Episodes). £299 GBP (Launch Price March 14, 2002),. Lucille Soong - Yao Lin (7 Episodes). €479 (Launch Price (Ireland) 14 March, 2002),. Richard Roundtree - Jerry Shaw (7 Episodes). CAD$199 (March 29, 2004). Christine Estabrook - Martha Huber (9 Episodes). US$149 (March 29, 2004). Joy Lauren - Danielle Van De Kamp (9 Episodes). US$179 (2003). Harriet Sansom Harris - Felicia Tilman (10 Episodes). US$199 (2002). Shawn Pyfrom - Andrew Van De Kamp (12 Episodes). US$299 (November 15, 2001, Launch Price). Brent Kinsman - Preston Scavo (24 Episodes). Approved by Microsoft for wireless gameplay with Xbox. Shane Kinsman - Porter Scavo (24 Episodes). Logitech 2.4 Ghz wireless controller. Zane Huett - Parker Scavo (24 Episodes). Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball) do not support this accessory as a cheat prevention measure. Steven Culp - Rex Van De Kamp (Season 1). Note that some recent games (e.g. James Denton - Mike Delfino. Memory Unit: An 8 MB removable solid-state memory card onto which game saves can either be copied from the hard drive when in the Xbox Dashboard's memory manager or saved during a game. Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young/Angela Forrest. The white and black buttons are located below the ABXY buttons, and the Back/Select buttons are similarly placed below the left thumbstick. Cody Kasch - Zach Young. Once the standard Xbox controller in Japan, it was released in other territories by popular demand, and eventually replaced the standard controller in the retail pack for the Xbox console. Jesse Metcalfe - John Rowland. Controller S: A smaller, lighter Xbox controller. Andrea Bowen - Julie Mayer. The black and white buttons are located above the ABXY buttons, and the Back/Start buttons are located between and below the d-pad and right thumbstick. Mark Moses - Paul Young. It is considered to be bulky. Ricardo Chavira - Carlos Solis. Standard Xbox Controller (AKA "Controller O"): The normal Xbox controller for all territories except Japan, this has since been replaced in Xbox packs by the Controller S, and due to its increasing rarity, is believed to have been discontinued. Doug Savant - Tom Scavo. It also allows users to upload pictures in JPG format (to create slide shows) as well as audio in WMA and MP3 format (for karaoke or a game's Custom Soundtracks feature) from a Windows XP machine running the Xbox Music Mixer PC Tool (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/musicmixer/pctool-overview/). Roger Bart - George Williams. Provides a music player with 2D/3D visualizations as well as basic karaoke functions. Mehcad Brooks - Matthew Applewhite. Xbox Music Mixer: A utility software bundled with a microphone that connects to an adapter that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. Alfre Woodard - Betty Applewhite. Although there is nothing to prevent the Xbox from acting as a progressive-scan DVD player, Microsoft chose not to enable this feature in the Xbox DVD kit in order to avoid royalty payments to the patent-holder of progressive scan DVD playback. Nicolette Sheridan - Edie Britt. By selling a DVD remote separately, Microsoft was able to bundle the cost of the DVD licensing fee with it. Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis. DVD playback was not included as a standard feature of the Xbox due to licensing issues with the DVD format that would have added extra cost to the console's base price. Marcia Cross - Bree Van De Kamp. DVD Playback Kit: Required in order to play DVD movies, the kit includes an infrared remote control and receiver. Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo. It can also be used for DVD playback. Teri Hatcher - Susan Mayer. Xbox Media Center Extender: A kit that allows Xbox to act as a Media Center Extender to stream content from a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC. He was beaten up by Carlos Solis on suspicion of having an affair with Gabrielle. This functionality is similar to Sega's DirectLink for Sega Saturn. Justin: John's roommate, he has been having a sexual relationship with Andrew Van De Kamp, and he - at least - has developed emotional feelings. System Link Cable: A Cat 5 crossover cable for connecting together two to four consoles, for up to 16 total players. Martha has a sister, Felicia Tilman, who coincidentally knew Mary Alice and was very suspicious of Paul Young. The headset can in fact be replaced with most standard earpiece-and-microphone headsets; headset specialist Plantronics produce various officially-licenced headsets, including a special-edition headset for Halo 2. She was killed by Paul Young in the first season. Xbox Live Starter Kit: A subscription and installation pack for the Xbox Live service, as well as a headset (with monaural earpiece and microphone) that connects to a control box that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. Martha Huber: a nosy neighbor who sent Mary Alice Young the blackmail note which led to her suicide, which was discovered by her after hearing a shot from her kitchen. While the official Wireless Adapter guarantees compatbility with the Xbox, almost any wireless bridge can be used. She was arrested during season one and her "little black book" with all the names of her clients was publicly exposed. Xbox Wireless Adapter: a wireless bridge which converts data running through an ethernet cable to a wireless (802.11b or 802.11g) signal to connect to a wireless LAN. Maisy Gibbons: a woman who was found to be selling sex to various men around the neighborhood, including Rex Van De Kamp. Ethernet (Xbox Live) Cable: A Cat 5 cable for connecting the Xbox to a broadband modem or router (note that there is no "official" Xbox Live cable; any PC ethernet cable can be used). But she was attacked with a hockey stick courtesy of Zach and it is unknown what condition she is in. As Europe has no HDTV standard, no High Definition cable is currently provided in those markets. She had been entrusted with Zach's care after she blackmailed Paul Young into giving him up. Advanced SCART Cable: The European equivalent to the Advanced AV Pack, providing a full RGB video SCART connection in place of S-Video, RCA composite and stereo audio connections (composite video and stereo are still provided by the cable, through the SCART connector, in addition to the RGB signal), while retaining the TOSLINK audio connector. She was originally working in Utah with Mary Alice Young when she was a nurse by the name of Angela Forrest, she came to Fairview to find out what happened to her sister, and ends up exposing Zach Young to the truth about himself that Paul has kept hidden from him. Also provides analog RCA and digital TOSLINK audio outputs. Felicia Tilman: Martha Huber's sister, she always hated Martha. High Definition AV Pack: A breakout box, intended for HDTVs, that provides a YPrPb component video signal over three RCA connectors. She appears in the last episode of season one. Advanced AV Pack: A breakout box that provides S-Video and TOSLINK audio in addition to the RCA composite video and stereo audio of the Standard AV Cable. Dierdre Taylor: Mike Delfino's ex-girlfriend who was on drugs, Zach's real mother and the woman Mary Alice killed and stuffed inside a toy chest. RF Adapter: Provides a combined audio and video signal on an RF connector. However, she was fired by Lynette after it was found out she was sexually exciting her husband. European systems come with a RCA jack to SCART converter block in addition to the cable. Claire: a nanny who was hired by Lynette to help her take care of her kids. Comes with the system. She gets the promotion of Vice President which Tom was eyeing. Standard AV Cable: Provides composite video and monaural or stereo audio to TVs equipped with RCA inputs. Annabel Foster: Tom Scavo's ex-fiancee, Lynette is extremely jealous of her and has been doing anything she can to break her up from Tom. Dimensions: 324 × 265 × 90 mm (12.8 × 10.4 × 3.5 inches). He is now responsible for the death of Rex Van De Kamp through his tampering with Rex's prescription drugs, though some speculate that the so-called "death" may have been a stunt pulled of by Rex himself. Weight: 3.86 kg. It had been found out that he is obsessed with Bree, as can be noted by the scene showing him watching survielence footage of her, and had been doing anything in his power to destroy the Van De Kamps' already rocky marriage. Controller Ports: 4 proprietary USB-based ports. Rex immediately took offence to his advances on his wife and it culminated with him being pushed into a pool at Carlos Solis's going-away party. HDTV Support: Yes, 480p/720p/1080i (see game boxes for supported resolutions). He returned after a short absence and started to lust after Bree. PAL TV's have less than 600 horizontal lines. Things were going extremely well until Bree shot off his toe (by accident) with a gun that was given to her as a gift by George. Note: NTSC (Non-HD) TV's have less than 500 horizontal lines. George Williams: The Van De Kamp family pharmacist, who started to have a sexual relationship with Bree after she found out that Rex was having an extra-marital affair with Maisy Gibbons. Maximum Resolution (2x32bpp frame buffers +Z): 1920(vert.)x1080(horiz)
AC3 (Dolby Digital) Encoded Game Audio: Yes (via TOSLINK). He proposed to her, but Gabrielle, who was threatened with legal proceedings by his parents, talked him out of it. MIDI DLS2 Support: Yes. John was then convinced that the connection between Gabrielle and him meant a lot more than just sex. 3D Audio Support: Yes. John Rowland: Gabrielle and Carlos's (former) 18 year old gardener, he was having an affair with Gabrielle until Juanita discovered their secret. Audio Channels: 64 3D channels (up to 256 stereo voices). Mike is possibly Zach Young's biological father. There is also a possibility that the corrupt cop could be Zach's biological father however either way this has not yet been revealed. I/O: 2-5x DVD, 8 GB/10 GB hard disk, 8 MB memory card. Delfino was at one point convicted of dealing drugs and committing manslaughter when he accidentally killed a corrupt cop who was forcing Dierdre to have sex with him to keep quiet about her drug addiction (Dierdre, not Mike, was the drug dealer). Storage Medium: 2-5x DVD, 8 gigabyte hard disk, optional 8 MB memory card. It was discovered that the toy chest that was dug up from the Young family pool contained the remains of Dierdre. Micro Polygon Support: Yes. Mike Delfino: a man who posed as the friendly neighborhood plumber, but who was actually working to find his former girlfriend (Dierdre Taylor) who had been missing for years and whose father, Noah, was dying. Full Scene Anti-Alias: Yes. In the pilot episode, Martha Huber mentions Edie has a son but he is never seen or mentioned again in season 1, however it was recently confirmed that he will appear in season 2. Compressed Textures: Yes (6:1). It was found out that even after all this time she was still interested in trying to move in on Mike. Pixel Fill Rate - 1 Texture: 4.0 G/s anti-aliased. Edie Britt: a serial divorcee, man-hungry real estate agent who tried to steal Mike away when not having sex with someone else. Pixel Fill Rate - No Texture: 4.0 G/s (anti-aliased). He is suspected to have a future role on the show in the field of carpentry, as a side plot to Mike Delfino's plumbing business. Simultaneous Textures: 4. Matthew Applewhite: Matthew is Betty's only child, and struggles under her extreme religious views and her over-protectiveness. Particle Performance: 125 M/s. Betty Applewhite: The first African-American housewife joined the series as a recurring guest in the final episode of season one, and will join as part of the main cast in season two. She is a single mother, with strong religious beliefs. Micropolygons/particles per second: 125 M/s. There is a possibility that Zach's biological father is Mike Delfino, however Mike was not aware that Dierdre had a son until the season one finale. Sustained Polygon Performance: 100+ M/s (transformed and lit polygons per second). Zach has been commonly referred to in many forums now as "Zana." Zach is the biological son of Dierdre Taylor, who was killed by Mary Alice while attempting to take her child back after recovering from drug addiction. Some critics assert that the Xbox's polygon-per-second number is exaggerated by unrealistic testing conditions.). However, later it was discovered that Zach's original name was "Dana". (Microsoft figure. Early in season one Zach was disturbed with visions of killing his younger sister, Dana. Polygon Performance: 125 million flat-shaded polys/second
Graphics Processor: 250 MHz custom chip named the NV2x, developed by Microsoft and nVIDIA (comparable to a low-end GeForce 4 Ti card). It was believed that Mike wanted to kill him to get revenge for Dierdre, however, Mike spared him. CPU: 733 MHz Intel Pentium III processor, with a 133 MHz Front Side Bus. He also had been drugging his son with tranquilizers to keep him from seeing Felicia Tillman. He helped his wife dispose of Dierdre Taylor's body after Mary Alice killed her. When he found out it was his neighbour Martha Huber, he strangled her and dumped the body, but he also put Martha Huber's bracelet and ring in Mike Delfino's garage to try and frame him. Paul Young: The widower of Mary Alice, who tried to find out exactly what caused her death and who sent the note to her. Witnessed by a Zach as a small child. Also Mary Alice is the murderer of Dierdre Taylor (when Dierdre returned several years later and demanded the child back) whom she stabbed in the chest, before cutting her body up and stuffing her in a toy chest. Huber to avenge his wife's death. Later Paul Young killed Mrs. After receiving this note, Mary Alice killed herself. Huber who in turn writes the blackmail note which gets sent to Mary Alice. Mary Alice was scared the police might find out that she had "Dana" in her possession, so she moved to Fairview where she re-named the baby Zach and changed her name to Mary Alice Young (to try and avoid being traced). In a flashback we see Felicia Tillman explaining the whole story to Mrs. Deirde sold the baby to her in order to feed her drug habit. One of her patients at the rehabilition clinic was a drug-addict (Dierdre Taylor) who gave birth to a baby boy named "Dana". Her real name is Angela Forrest and she worked with Martha Huber's sister Felicia Tillman at a rehabilitation clinic in Utah several years ago. Mary Alice Young/Angela Forrest: The deceased wife of Paul Young, who one day decided to end her life by committing suicide, narrates the show from beyond the grave. Before dying Juanita told a nurse of Gabrielle's infidelity; however, the nurse couldn't hear her because she was wearing headphones and listening to loud music. She remained in a coma for five months before awakening, only to fall to her death down a flight of stairs at the hospital. Juanita Solis: the deceased nosy mother of Carlos, who was convinced that Gabrielle was cheating on him with another man, she had obtained photographic evidence of the affair moments before being accidentally run over by Andrew Van De Kamp. Gabrielle originally refused to get him off doing extra time after finding out it was him who messed with her birth control, but then she decided to blackmail him into taking complete care of the baby in exchange for her testimony. Due to apparent financial difficulties, Carlos took a plea bargain which forces him to serve eight months in jail; separately, he was going to be tried in two hate crimes against two gay men (the family cable guy & Justin) whom he thought were having affairs with Gabrielle. Carlos wants to begin a family, so much so that he secretly replaced his wife's birth control pillswith M&Ms since Gabrielle is against the idea of getting pregnant. Carlos Solis: the husband of Gabrielle who has some trouble with the law and a very meddling mother. She almost left Carlos after finding out the truth about her birth control pills, but she eventually decided to blackmail him into taking complete care of the baby in return for her testimony. Towards the end of season one, Gabrielle learns she's pregnant and that her husband has been replacing her birth control pills with sugar pills. She absolutely despises Carlos' mother Juanita. She questions her relation ship with Carlos, commenting once that she loved him, and all her teenage fantasies had been fulfilled, yet she still wasn't happy. Gabrielle Solis: a former model who married her husband Carlos for money, but found satisfaction with her teenage gardener John Rowland. Danielle Van De Kamp: seemingly the most normal member of the family, 15-year-old daughter Danielle was the head of her school's abstinence club, but Bree discovered she had planned to give up her virginity to her ex-boyfriend, John Rowland, in order to lure him back to her. After using his sexuality to manipulate his way out of a juvenile delinquent boot camp, Andrew vowed to play the perfect son for his mother until the day he gets his revenge and destroys her world. It has also been revealed that he is gay (or bisexual) following his 'escapades' with John Rowland's roommate Justin. He was expelled from school for smoking marijuana on school grounds and was involved in a hit-and-run while under the influence that landed Juanita Solis in the hospital. Andrew Van De Kamp: the highly troubled and possibly sociopathic 16-year-old son of Bree Van De Kamp. Creator Marc Cherry has stated that Rex is truly dead, however Marcia Cross has stated that Rex is dead, at least to Bree. Rex's "death" may or may not be completely as it seems. As a result, Rex appears to die, due to a heart failure on the season finale, convinced by the doctor that Bree altered his diet and killed him. However, because his pharmacist was in love with Bree and jealous of their marriage, Rex was not receiving the proper medication to prevent further heart complications. Rex had a near-fatal heart attack. He also wanted to divorce Bree because he could no longer "live in this detergent commercial" and because of his inability to ask his wife to dominate him. Rex Van De Kamp: the doctor husband of Bree, it was found out that he had an extra-marital affair with local homemaker/prostitute Maisy Gibbons. At the end of Season One, she reconciled with Rex over what happened with their family before he died. She was fiercely determined to save her marriage and would do anything to protect her family, as evidenced by her cover-up of son Andrew's hit-and-run. Bree is obsessively concerned with perfection, keeping up appearances, as shown when Rex claimed "I find it bizarre that your hair never moves from its place," and showing as little emotion as possible, much to the displeasure of her family. Bree Mason Van De Kamp: described as "Martha Stewart on steroids," Bree is a deeply religious WASP, ultra-conservative ex-young Republican control freak who was trapped in a sterile marriage with Rex, her fed-up husband, and her rebellious children. Penny Scavo: A baby girl, 18 months old. After the twins put gum in his hair, Lynette shaved his head and used Parker to get into a yoga class by pretending he was afflicted with cancer. Parker Scavo: The third son of the Scavos. They repeatedly misbehave and drive Lynette to distraction. Preston and Porter Scavo: The Scavos' twin boys. He seems to genuinely care about Lynette, being prepared to discuss family matters with her if she feels that they need to. Tom decides to become a house-husband after he loses his promotion to Annabel and subsequently quits his job. Tom has been keeping a secret from his wife that only his father, Rodney Scavo, knows about. Tom Scavo: Lynette's husband, who is frequently out of town. However, this pushes her to the limit as the children become more and more badly behaved. She was hit by her mother, and refuses to spank her own children as a result. This ties to her desire to keep her family together, to the extent that she asks Tom's boss not to promote him, so that he won't take trips away. Her husband, Tom, has been working with his ex-fiancee, Annabel; Lynette will do anything to keep them apart. Lynette Lindquist Scavo: an ex-career woman, now mother to three boys (two of whom are twins) and a baby girl. Considered to have been a corporate "shark", she has declined the option to go back to work, but misses it. Shes gets engaged in the episode "Sunday In the Park With George" after reconciling with ex-boyfriend Morty. Sophie Bremmer: Susan's meddling mother, who came to stay with her after she had exaggerated that her boyfriend Morty was abusing her. Karl is somewhat jealous of Mike, and actually asks to get back together with Susan. Susan also discovers that he flirted with Edie whilst they were married. Karl Mayer: Susan's no-good ex-husband, Susan divorced him after he left her for his secretary, Brandi. She was briefly romantically involved with Zach Young, but came to find him disturbing and broke up with him. She also helped to care for her mother after her divorce. Julie Mayer: Susan's 14 year old daughter, who usually helps her deal with problems regarding her love life. She also has a long-running competitveness with Edie Britt. Susan is also a neighborhood gossip and busy-body as she hired a private investigator to uncover the dark secrets of the Youngs and Mike Delfino. She dislikes Zach, and worries about the threat he poses to her daughter, describing him as 'rampage-crazy' (whilst admitting that she herself is 'adorable-crazy'). She is particularly suspicious of Paul Young. She is naturally inquisitive, and is perhaps the driving force behind the housewives' efforts to discover the truth about Mary-Alice. She sees Mike as an opportunity to find a better life than the one she has been living. After a difficult break-up with Karl, her ex-husband, she sufferred from depression for a long time, and was essentially cared for by her daughter, Julie. Susan Mayer: an attractive but annoyingly self-righteous single mother, dating Mike Delfino, the handsome plumber who has just moved in across the street. |