What I like most about this box is that for just a bit more than you would pay for a next-gen game system (when they first come out anyway) you get a lot more. I wonder what kind of impact this box will have… It’s got a nice window of opportunity before the PS3 and XBox2 arrive. The real question is if the market is mass enough , or if this will just be a sweet new toy for the tech-set.
If you are Intel, then this is going to sting really bad. The DISC/Apex GameBox is going to powered by AMD’s Athlon XP2000 chip, making it the second game box to be powered by an AMD chip. Nvidia’s GeForce4 MX Graphics will be the graphics chip in the new device. The ApeXtreme (pronounced Apex Extreme) will support the most popular PC games. Additionally, Apex has added Personal Video Recording (PVR) functionality to the device since it was originally unveiled at CES.
The device combines all the most popular features of Apex Digital’s successful line of DVD players such as Component, Composite, S-Video and DVI output with everything a gamer could want in a game console including a 40GB hard drive and networking capabilities. Additionally, the ApeXtreme boasts 6.1 channel digital audio output, as well as the ability to playback a variety of CD and DVD formats. The ApeXtreme will be available to consumers in the third quarter of 2004 for $499. [Om Malik on Broadband: Apex GameBox powered by AMD]