Mucho Memory: The Xbox 360 Memory Unit

The rumors are flying as we head into the launch of Xbox 360™ this November. Gamers won't know the full extent of the next-generation console's abilities until well into the system's first year on the market, but, for now, wild speculation reigns supreme. Will the new console be backward-compatible? Will the controllers be wireless? Will it take down your neighbor's Christmas lights in July?

If you're like us, you want answers to these questions, and you want them now. We cornered Alan Steiner, Microsoft® program manager and Xbox 360 memory-unit guru, and lobbed a few questions at him.

Xbox.com: Tell us about your involvement in the Xbox 360 memory unit.

Steiner: I am the program manager for the memory unit for the next-generation Xbox—Xbox 360. The memory unit for this version of the Xbox is a little different from the first generation. It no longer plugs into the controller, but instead plugs directly into the console itself.

Also, the performance through the memory unit has been significantly increased to take advantage of new multimedia applications targeted for Xbox 360. You can have up to two memory units in the console at one time. And the memory unit comes with a carry case, so you can take your save files with you to a friend's house or game kiosk.

Xbox.com: Some Xbox games have save files that are too large to fit on the standard Xbox eight-megabyte memory unit. Is the larger storage capacity of the Xbox 360 memory unit designed to address this issue, especially since next-generation games will likely have larger and more complex save files?

Steiner: The first memory unit [for the original Xbox] was restrictive, and users could save only a limited number of games on it. We did consider that and we looked at the game community's usage. We found that most users had five to six games that they were playing at any given time, so we wanted to make sure to accommodate the increased number of save files on the Xbox 360 memory unit.

Games are getting more sophisticated and they require more collection points to save a game state. The larger, more complex titles will have larger save files and obviously take up more space.

Xbox.com: Can the memory unit store other types of files aside from game saves?

Steiner: The memory unit shows up on Xbox 360 as a file system, so it's not viewed any differently than a hard drive. You will be able to store content on the memory unit, whether it's audio or compressed video, standard game save files, or Gamer Card credentials.

Xbox.com: Why did the designers move the memory unit slot from the game controller (as on the original Xbox) to the console itself?

Steiner: We're moving toward a more wireless environment that includes wireless controllers. To minimize the impact to the wireless controller's battery life and extend the life of the gameplay experience, we opted to take the memory unit off the controller and put it onto the Xbox 360 console itself.

Xbox.com: Did Microsoft design the memory unit or was that task given to an outside vendor?

Steiner: We're working with third parties to develop the memory unit, mostly because of IP considerations, so we opted to go with several firms that have similar technology for this type of device.

Xbox.com: As games get more complex and save files get larger, there could be a demand for larger memory units. Is the memory unit's design scalable?

Steiner: Yes. It's in the design to support larger capacities.

Xbox.com: What were some sources of inspiration for the design of the memory unit? Did you look at what the competition was doing?

Steiner: Most of our input comes from the product planning and marketing teams. Of course, we constantly challenge them to make sure they've got the right information.

The memory unit is a simple device, so we just wanted to ensure that gamers could take the Xbox 360 experience and move it around. We wanted to enable people to take game saves and other content with them.

Also, since Xbox 360 is a multimedia device, we wanted to design the memory unit to handle audio and video files. We wanted to make sure that the architecture supported the higher data rates involved.

Xbox.com: Thanks for your time, Alan.

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