The Xbox 360 Uncloaked:: The Real Story Behind Microsoft's Next-Generation Video Game Console (Paperback)

by Dean Takahashi (Author)
Key Phrases: silicon team, crash demo, unified shaders, Xbox Live, Robbie Bach, Electronic Arts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An engaging and revealing tale." -- Christian Svensson, Next Generation (next-gen.biz)

"Probably the best book on the topic of the video game industry in a while." -- Chris Espiritu, uberfunction.com

"This is riveting journalism from an unbiased source. Takahashi provides a rare peek behind-the-scenes of the rollercoaster video games business." -- CliffyB, Epic Games

"You could argue that no one outside of Microsoft knows more about its Xbox game business than Dean Takahashi." -- Rob Wright, TwitchGuru.com

Product Description
"The Xbox 360 Uncloaked" is the result of more than a hundred interviews, many at the highest levels of Microsoft, as well as countless months of independent investigative reporting. With unprecedented access, San Jose Mercury News Technology and Gaming Writer Dean Takahashi goes beyond the official story to reveal a true insider's look at the creation of the XBox 360 and Microsoft's multi-billion dollar gamble to become a leading force in the global video game industry. Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, the entire Microsoft Xbox 360 team, and the industry's most celebrated game developers -- all of the major players are included in this captivating book.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: Lulu Press (May 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977784215
• ISBN-13: 978-0977784219
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #410,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing (but flawed) look behind the scenes, April 7, 2008

By	gatbagel (Cincinnati USA) - See all my reviews

Dean Takahashi is a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News. While I applaud his efforts to do the research and leg work to uncover the history, back story and technical details of the Xbox 360, this book just simply is not well written. Dean does a nice job in news reporting related to the tech industry and gaming in general but he is no novelist. This book is obviously not a novel either but you might expect it to be at least a story...In my opinion, it is not- it is a collection of observations loosely tied together, and even then, it is flawed.

As other reviewers have noted, you will find yourself reading the same information, names, and sometimes even quotes in multiple places throughout the book, making it harder to follow his line of thinking clearly. Oftentimes, there is also a bit much of the delineation of who worked for who and who quit the Xbox team when, etc. that does not really lead the reader anywhere or add much to the story. To me, this book feels similar to the previous Xbox book written by Dean in that way- some great tidbits but overall, barely worth reading because of how painful it is to get through it. I've never had this situation happen to me before where I seriously wanted to learn the history and background of building this console, the process that was followed, etc. but was simply not motivated to continue reading the book because of its flaws.

If you are used to reading more professional novels or magazine writing by mainstream writers, you may be frustrated by the common grammatical errors, editorial errors, proofreading mistakes, etc. that pop up in every chapter. They aren't a big deal and you know what he is trying to say but when you pay for a book (that isn't all that cheap, by the way) you expect more. At least I do.

In summary, since I am an IT professional and an avid Xbox and Xbox 360 gamer, I kind of forced my way through the book to learn. You have to take a different approach to reading it, kind of ignoring errors, focusing on the highlights and not trying to tie everything together seamlessly, very differently than you would likely read any other book. If you feel this story is worthwhile enough to put up with these flaws, go for it. Otherwise, you may be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as his first XBox book, but still worth a look, February 2, 2008

By	KaneRobot "kanerobot" (Rochester Hills, MI United States) - See all my reviews

First things first: at times, this book reads like it didn't have an editor. You'll find numerous instances of information being repeated - sometimes only one or two chapters apart - and each time it reads as if it's being presented for the first time. On a related note, there are also several moments where you feel like they could have cut out some of the more dull, long-winded info/"backstage" stuff and the book would have felt a bit tighter.

Overall, the original book by the same author ("Opening the XBox") was more fascinating and easier to read if you're a non-gamer. That said, this is a fun read for enthusiasts and will open your eyes up to some stuff you may not have been aware of. For example, guess which yowling, screaming, sweaty MS higher-up put pressure on the development team to ditch the hard drive to reduce the cost of the machine? That would be Steve Ballmer, and as 360 owners know, his opinion was misguided as the lack of mandatory hard drive is one of the few chinks in the 360's armor. There are many bits of info like that strewn about this book.

Somewhat unfortunate is the fact that the book ends shortly after the 360 is launched (and only briefly mentions "early reports of hardware failures"...which would of course lead into the overwhelming "Red Ring of Death" problems that the majority of 360 consoles would encounter). Of course, hopefully he will write another book when the next MS console arrives and go over what has happened since the 360's launch.

Recommended for 360 fans and game industry enthusiasts. Everyone else, start with the "Opening the XBox" book and then decide if you want more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Enthusiast Read, January 27, 2008

By	T. Shelley "Belcaw" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great read for video game, or more specifically - XBox, enthusiasts. It's filled with great details of what when on behind the scenes to get the XBox360 out the door.

If I were to complain about anything, it's that I found it repeating some of the details from time to time. I would think that I read the exact same details before, then look to see, and sure enough I could find it verbatum in the previous chapter.

This doesn't happen often enough to detract too much overall, as the book is chaulk full of quotes and unknown morsels that a hardcore gamer is sure to enjoy.