Hey Step-Dad, let me get you fired!

Eaglesfan27 · 07-18-2005, 11:33 PM

Xbox 360 falls into wrong hands

The son of a Microsoft employee gets first public crack at company's next-gen console and posts pictures on the Web.

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With the advent of the Internet, gone are the days of teenagers sneaking through their parents' sock drawers for stimuli. Nowadays, being the coolest kid on the block (or the Web) takes a lot more than some smut.

Imagine this scenario: A young gamer's stepfather gets a job at Microsoft testing top secret hardware. Said stepfather returns home with an Xbox 360. Now the kid is eyeing the box like fat campers do a pack of Twinkies. Of course it's not too hard to picture what happened next. However, it's even easier to picture with photographic evidence.

The youngster, who says he is 16 years old, had a friend snap some pictures of him playing with the 360 (apparently with his father's permission, according to the post) and then posted the photos (see inset) on GameSpot's forums, which have since been deleted. The poster says his father is in charge of making sure the power supply doesn't "explode."

The first picture shows the culprit in a suspiciously barren apartment with the 360 standing inverted next to him on the floor (the wires sticking out of the console are apparently used for hardware testing). The second picture depicts the same scene from a different angle, this one showing the Halo 2 title screen on a small monitor. The final screen shows the Xbox 360 launch screen on the monitor.

He goes on in his posts to tout the hardware and preinstalled programs, including the 360's dashboard and other features of the console. He also describes the unit's multimedia functions, including streaming music to a PC.

Reportedly, the hardware is or is near complete. The post also described the external power supply as being "not compact."

Assuming the pictures and reports are authentic, it sheds some light on some previously gray areas. If, in fact, the unit was playable, the Xbox 360 is indeed on its way to its holiday release date. Backward compatibility also appears to be coming along nicely with Halo 2 (unless there is an original Xbox hidden under the pillow, which is the lone piece of furniture in the room).

While some may grumble that this is actually a viral marketing ploy by Microsoft to show that the 360 is indeed on the way, it's more likely a great example of how to get your stepfather fired.

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot
POSTED: 07/18/05 05:12 PM PST

Fonzie · 07-18-2005, 11:35 PM

Oops.

Rizon · 07-18-2005, 11:41 PM

Nope, this is the real XBOX360:

ThunderingHERD · 07-19-2005, 12:27 AM

I say it's a hoax.

KevinNU7 · 07-19-2005, 07:46 AM

This place needs some furniture

Psmith · 07-19-2005, 08:43 AM

I don't buy it. That may or may not be an xbox (I think it looks like part of an old computer with the top retrofitted), but it's definitely not an inhabited house, and I don't believe that a guy responsible for the safety of the power supply (if anyone) would be given an xbox to take home. What would be the point? That if his house is a pile of ashes the next morning, Microsoft will know the power supply blew up after all?

Arles · 07-19-2005, 09:39 AM

Has the guy actually been fired yet?

RebelMan · 07-19-2005, 12:26 PM

Looks like Carrot Top has decided to help in the beta testing process. Everything will be fine, folks!

MizzouRah · 07-19-2005, 01:03 PM

FAKE!!

dawgfan · 07-19-2005, 01:54 PM

Who knows these days with Photoshop experts abounding. That said, I highly doubt the pictures are "fake". I do think this is likely part of a 'viral' marketing campaign though.

rkmsuf · 07-19-2005, 01:55 PM

does it come with a "laser"?

ISiddiqui · 07-19-2005, 02:50 PM

Something's fishy. Who lives in an apartment/house that has nothing but a pillow and a TV? Screams marking ploy to me.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-19-2005, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Something's fishy. Who lives in an apartment/house that has nothing but a pillow and a TV? Screams marking ploy to me.

When I visited my father's place, that is essentially what my bedroom looked like except for the bed in the one corner. It's not unheard of for a teenager to have a very sparsely furnished room. However, it certainly could be a fake.

Buzzbee · 07-19-2005, 05:12 PM

What is that, an Etch-A-Sketch over on the wall?

TazFTW · 07-19-2005, 05:39 PM

That kid does have some reading material. Or that could be a stack of letters...

Maybe they're on stakeout.

07-19-2005, 12:27 AM	#4
ThunderingHERD College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: North Carolina	I say it's a hoax. __________________ "I'm losing my edge--to better looking people... with better ideas... and more talent. And who are actually really, really nice." "Everyone's a voyeurist--they're watching me watch them watch me right now."

07-19-2005, 07:46 AM	#5
KevinNU7 College Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Beantown	This place needs some furniture __________________ Boston Bashers - III.14 - (8347)

07-19-2005, 08:43 AM	#6
Psmith n00b Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Scranton	I don't buy it. That may or may not be an xbox (I think it looks like part of an old computer with the top retrofitted), but it's definitely not an inhabited house, and I don't believe that a guy responsible for the safety of the power supply (if anyone) would be given an xbox to take home. What would be the point? That if his house is a pile of ashes the next morning, Microsoft will know the power supply blew up after all? __________________ I've been good and I've been bad, but common sense I've never had.

07-19-2005, 01:55 PM	#11
rkmsuf Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2001	does it come with a "laser"? __________________ "Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales

07-19-2005, 02:50 PM	#12
ISiddiqui Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Decatur, GA	Something's fishy. Who lives in an apartment/house that has nothing but a pillow and a TV? Screams marking ploy to me. __________________ "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" -Tennessee Williams

07-18-2005, 11:35 PM	#2
Fonzie Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Illinois	Oops.

07-19-2005, 09:39 AM	#7
Arles Grey Dog Software Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Phoenix, AZ by way of Belleville, IL	Has the guy actually been fired yet?

07-19-2005, 12:26 PM	#8
RebelMan Mascot Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada	Looks like Carrot Top has decided to help in the beta testing process. Everything will be fine, folks!

07-19-2005, 01:03 PM	#9
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	FAKE!!

07-19-2005, 01:54 PM	#10
dawgfan Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle	Who knows these days with Photoshop experts abounding. That said, I highly doubt the pictures are "fake". I do think this is likely part of a 'viral' marketing campaign though.

07-19-2005, 05:12 PM	#14
Buzzbee College Starter Join Date: Jun 2002	What is that, an Etch-A-Sketch over on the wall? __________________ Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz Last edited by Buzzbee : 07-19-2005 at 05:12 PM.

07-19-2005, 05:39 PM	#15
TazFTW Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Honolulu, HI	That kid does have some reading material. Or that could be a stack of letters... Maybe they're on stakeout.

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