Microsoft corporate VP, Chief XNA Architect, and
HD "driver" J Allard went on record to say
there may be future configurations of the Xbox 360 without a standard hard drive, which means that developers shouldn't
"bank on the hard drive always being there" for their games to use or run off. Though the makers of the upcoming
console have nothing to announce just yet concerning the
different 360 models that may launch within the next five
years, Allard said that there "may be a scenario in the future where we don't want to have a hard drive, and in that
case, we have to make sure that the games that you've created are accessible to the broadest possible audience." (Hmm,
set-top box, anyone?)
While there's always been the possibility that the 360 would have to operate without a hard drive since its detachable feature was revealed, no one's officially stated that games for the system should plan for a life without one (just in case) until now. Larger capacity hard drives aside, it's almost like casting aside your built-in peripheral advantage from the get-go. Hopefully, Xbox developers have grown accustomed to providing great (in this case, optional) content for hard drives and not follow the poor support for the PS2 HDD (neither built-in nor supported by the newer slimline model).
Read the September issue of Game Informer on newsstands now for details.
[via the Frame City Underground (registration required)]
