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The CPU choice was changed last minute from AMD to Intel. Andy Grove and Bill Gates had a last minute phone call. The demo on the stage was still using AMD.

iforgotpassword 2y ago
How last minute was this? This wasn't exactly socket 7 Days anymore, so I guess you still needed to change quite a bit of "stuff" to make this work, for example the Nvidia chip as it was the south bridge iirc. Did any of these amd prototypes ever pop up on ebay? Would be another cool project 20 years later to try and get them to run...
- hn3er1q 2y ago
  The engineering teams were probably running both programs in parallel. I've had this happen to me several times. Sometimes, project B is just leverage [1] so that a better deal can be negotiated, so you half-ass project B, and that's fine and just business. But sometimes it's not, and that situation sucks. [1] Factory resources are scarce, so it's obvious to the engineering team how serious management is about things. Word spreads.
  - hn3er1q 2y ago
    "Seamus Blackley apologized on Twitter to the AMD engineers who worked with Microsoft to create the prototype Xbox consoles that the company used in the lead-up to the OG Xbox's release in November 2001. To AMD CEO Lisa Su, Blackley said, "I beg mercy." "I was standing there on the stage for the announcement, with [Bill Gates], and there they were right there, front row, looking so sad," he said of AMD engineers in the room. "I'll never forget it. They had helped so much with the prototypes. Prototypes that were literally running the launch announcement demos ON AMD HARDWARE." "I felt like such an ass," Blackley said." https://www.gamespot.com/articles/20-years-later-xbox-creator-apologizes-to-amd-ceo-for-last-minute-switch-to-intel-pure-politics/1100-6496996/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/20-years-later-xbox-creato... Wow. I mean there's a colloquial "last minute" but that sounds like a literal, last minute.
    - iforgotpassword 2y ago
      > Wow. I mean there's a colloquial "last minute" but that sounds like a literal, last minute. Man, indeed. Must've really sucked if that guy still thought about it 20 years later. But well, at least amd is in those consoles today. :) Still wonder where those AMD prototypes are today. Seems there's a non-zero chance to get them working with release titles.
  - 6SixTy 2y ago
    Given that this was circa 2000, could have had provisions for 2 more prototypes for Transmeta and VIA. I doubt they would have gotten far or even start given that they likely wouldn't have very competitive options, but it's fun to think about.
  - Dwedit 2y ago
    One example of a "Project B" happening was between Nintendo and Citizen during the time of the Game Boy. Citizen had a color LCD screen available, and there was progress on designing a handheld game console to use that screen. But it turned out to be a Project B to negotiate with Sharp and use their black and white LCD instead. Then Citizen proceeded to work with Sega instead with the Game Gear. Source: LowSpecGamer on YouTube
- walrus01 2y ago
  If I remember right the original xbox cpu (intel) was a derivative of the 733 MHz Pentium 3, which came in a 'socket 370' package for assembly on regular x86 motherboards. It's several generations beyond the socket 7. The xbox cpu to me looks similar to the soldered onboard pentium 3 mobile interface used in laptop manufacturing at the same time, no socket, just BGA soldered onto the board. google "pentium 3 coppermine" for some more info on the series of CPUs...
- whaleofatw2022 2y ago
  I thought nvidia did the northbridge as well since it had the igp? Given they were able to use the tech for nForce I'm guessing they did both at about the same time

iforgotpassword 2y ago

How last minute was this? This wasn't exactly socket 7 Days anymore, so I guess you still needed to change quite a bit of "stuff" to make this work, for example the Nvidia chip as it was the south bridge iirc. Did any of these amd prototypes ever pop up on ebay? Would be another cool project 20 years later to try and get them to run...

hn3er1q 2y ago
The engineering teams were probably running both programs in parallel. I've had this happen to me several times. Sometimes, project B is just leverage [1] so that a better deal can be negotiated, so you half-ass project B, and that's fine and just business. But sometimes it's not, and that situation sucks. [1] Factory resources are scarce, so it's obvious to the engineering team how serious management is about things. Word spreads.
- hn3er1q 2y ago
  "Seamus Blackley apologized on Twitter to the AMD engineers who worked with Microsoft to create the prototype Xbox consoles that the company used in the lead-up to the OG Xbox's release in November 2001. To AMD CEO Lisa Su, Blackley said, "I beg mercy." "I was standing there on the stage for the announcement, with [Bill Gates], and there they were right there, front row, looking so sad," he said of AMD engineers in the room. "I'll never forget it. They had helped so much with the prototypes. Prototypes that were literally running the launch announcement demos ON AMD HARDWARE." "I felt like such an ass," Blackley said." https://www.gamespot.com/articles/20-years-later-xbox-creator-apologizes-to-amd-ceo-for-last-minute-switch-to-intel-pure-politics/1100-6496996/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/20-years-later-xbox-creato... Wow. I mean there's a colloquial "last minute" but that sounds like a literal, last minute.
  - iforgotpassword 2y ago
    > Wow. I mean there's a colloquial "last minute" but that sounds like a literal, last minute. Man, indeed. Must've really sucked if that guy still thought about it 20 years later. But well, at least amd is in those consoles today. :) Still wonder where those AMD prototypes are today. Seems there's a non-zero chance to get them working with release titles.
- 6SixTy 2y ago
  Given that this was circa 2000, could have had provisions for 2 more prototypes for Transmeta and VIA. I doubt they would have gotten far or even start given that they likely wouldn't have very competitive options, but it's fun to think about.
- Dwedit 2y ago
  One example of a "Project B" happening was between Nintendo and Citizen during the time of the Game Boy. Citizen had a color LCD screen available, and there was progress on designing a handheld game console to use that screen. But it turned out to be a Project B to negotiate with Sharp and use their black and white LCD instead. Then Citizen proceeded to work with Sega instead with the Game Gear. Source: LowSpecGamer on YouTube
walrus01 2y ago
If I remember right the original xbox cpu (intel) was a derivative of the 733 MHz Pentium 3, which came in a 'socket 370' package for assembly on regular x86 motherboards. It's several generations beyond the socket 7. The xbox cpu to me looks similar to the soldered onboard pentium 3 mobile interface used in laptop manufacturing at the same time, no socket, just BGA soldered onto the board. google "pentium 3 coppermine" for some more info on the series of CPUs...
whaleofatw2022 2y ago
I thought nvidia did the northbridge as well since it had the igp? Given they were able to use the tech for nForce I'm guessing they did both at about the same time