Bibliography
The following sources were instrumental in writing this book:
Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire, by James Wallace and Jim Erickson
Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, by Dean Takahashi
Xbox: The Making of a Bad-Ass Machine, by Dean Takahashi
Game of X: Volume 1, by Rusel MeDaria
Game of X: Volume 2, by Rusel MeDaria
Notes
Bet on Black stands as my most ambitious long read/book for Shacknews thus far. So ambitious, I had to split it in half to stand any chance of hitting my mid-November deadline. I couldn't have done it alone. Thank you to the Shacknews editorial team for their suggestions, patience, and finely honed eyes: Bill Lavoy, Blake Morse, Josh Hawkins, TJ Denzer, Donovan Erskine, Chris Jarrard, Ozzie Mejia, and Sam Chandler.
Greg Burke, Shacknews' video editor, deserves a special shoutout. The effort and craftsmanship Greg puts into the video features he puts together go so far in making long reads more palatable to audiences who appreciate variety in their media.
A huge thank-you to Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO and editor-in-chief. Asif has believed in all my long reads, but he was especially excited about this one. His enthusiasm for the project and attention to detail in helping with revisions buoyed my spirits when the finish line seemed perpetually on the horizon.
Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to the Xbox and PC developers who set aside hours (and hours and hours) to tell me about the games and hardware they made, and what being involved in the games industry during the exciting Xbox era meant to them.
Citations
Bet on Black includes new contnet from interviews with the following people, listed alphabetically: J Allard, Brenner Adams, Dan Amrich, Robbie Bach, Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Chris Carney, Denise Chaudhari, Don Coyner, Ray Davis, Robert Donner, Michael Evans, Cameron Ferroni, Ed Fries, Bill Fulton, Tony Garcia, Rick Goodman, John Howard, Dave McCoy, Michael Medlock, Tim Miller, Stuart Moulder, Steve Murch, Philip Oliver, Andrew Oliver, David Ortiz, Lee Perry, Rashad Redic, Tom Russo, Bruce Shelley, Phil Spencer, Alex St. John, Farzad Varahramyan, Edward Ventura, Tim Zanamenacek.
Chapter 1
perfect for airmen still learning to fly: https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/training-day-180954059/
German pilot surrendered himself to Allied soldiers: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/p-38.html
struck fear in the hearts of the Luftwaffe: https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/lightning-strikes-180954069/
following Jim's graduation in 1958: https://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/endowedfunds/endowedscholarships/
one of the first graduates of UW's then-nascent program: http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/2011luncheon.pdf
first 100 salaried employees, only 36 of whom were women: https://maynard.wickedlocal.com/news/20191219/life-outdoors-women-at-digital-equipment-corporation
Barbara Stephenson, the company's first woman engineer: https://medium.com/@chicktech/badass-women-of-tech-that-changed-history-7636ae1999c0
he asked to speak with a "real engineer": https://maynard.wickedlocal.com/news/20191219/life-outdoors-women-at-digital-equipment-corporation
"Hey, Joe, guess what?": Ibid.
the first commercially released video game: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/60at60/2015/8/1972-first-commercially-successful-arcade-computer-game-392971
cut creators in on 10 percent of net royalties: https://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n3/apx.html
Chapter 2
with a 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/bill-gates#early-life
a score he boasted about to everyone: Ibid.
competitive, an atmosphere encouraged by their parents: Ibid.
academic excellence in science, math, English, and drama: Ibid.
fellow students challenge the computer: Ibid.
swaggered into the lab and kicked them out: https://web.archive.org/web/20120527015403/http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/item.php?ii=24
hearing of Gates' high scores in math: https://www.distractify.com/p/kent-evans-bill-gates
how households buy electricity and water from utility companies: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1458043.1458055
debugging the code responsible for the glitch: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/bill-gates#early-life
nearly 400 students would soon flood the halls: https://www.distractify.com/p/kent-evans-bill-gates
choir class one floor above was in session: Ibid.
and making the Fortune 500 list: Ibid.
Evans fell to his death: Ibid.
bought an Intel 8088 processor for $360: https://web.archive.org/web/20130511142147/http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Personal/Early-Days-as-a-Computer-Programmer
on Traf-O-Data stationary to appear professional: https://americanhistory.si.edu/comphist/gates.htm#tc11
worked in 24-hour shifts: https://news.microsoft.com/2000/05/09/microsoft-fast-facts-1975/
It didn't work: https://americanhistory.si.edu/comphist/gates.htm#tc11
Allen typed a simple BASIC command: Ibid.
upfront fee of $3,000 and royalties of: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/5946/Bill-Gates-and-Paul-Allen-sign-a-licensing-agreement-with-MITS/
joined Allen in Albuquerque that November: https://news.microsoft.com/2000/05/09/microsoft-fast-facts-1975/
a first for the embryonic home computing industry: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/history-of-computers,4518-22.html
short for Micro-Computer Software: https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1995/10/02/206528/index.htm
became the industry standard in 1985: https://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/ms-dos/
it outsold Windows for more than a decade: Ibid.
putter, golf ball, and hole: https://www.microsoftalumni.com/s/1769/19/interior.aspx?pgid=1627&gid=2
following several years and approximately 50,000 strokes: Ibid.
after writing Taipei for Windows: http://www.exmsft.com/~hanss/pranks.htm#bogus
considered copyrighting the game under Microsoft: Ibid.
second-longest tenured developer next to Gates: https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-first-employees-photos-2016-12#gordon-letwin-stayed-with-microsoft-longer-than-anyone-other-than-bill-gates-8
one of the first two games on the platform: Dixon, Carrington (March 1982). 'Capsule Reviews'. The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (49): 34.
but because he deemed his artwork subpar: http://www.minesweeper.info/wiki/Windows_Minesweeper
the first computer game Donner played: Ibid.
consumers would take one look at the OS's system requirements: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/bill-gates-was-a-microsoft-minesweeper-addict-2015-8
mass-producing 20,000 copies of that documentation at a local print shop: Ibid.
Solitaire became the most-used application on Windows: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/13/15285780/windows-solitaire-original-bored-intern
shouted obscenities into the phone: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/09/office-minefield/3b74132a-5f0a-455f-a04e-6171d023149b/
trying to determine which squares contained mines: Ibid.
a combination known as the "boss key": Ibid.
Bill Gates posted a time of five seconds: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/bill-gates-was-a-microsoft-minesweeper-addict-2015-8
he'd uninstalled it from his own machine: Ibid.
My critical skills are being displaced by a computer: Ibid.
Chapter 3
thanks largely to Nasir Gebelli, a genius coder: S. Levy, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Doubleday, Garden City, 1984
one of the highest-selling PC games up to that point: Computer Gaming World Issue Number: 2.5 Date: Sep-Oct 1982
cementing the Apple II as a viable gaming platform: Barton, Matt (19 April 2016). Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers. CRC Press. ISBN 9781466567542
selling $11 million worth of software in 1983: https://books.google.com/books?id=kC4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA80&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false
failed to pay over $18 million in owed royalties: S. Levy, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Doubleday, Garden City, 1984
played the course several times, videotaped it, and snapped over 500: https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_80/page/n9
which Access had toiled over for 18 months: November 9, 1992 A Publisher Extra Newspaper Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada · 25
Publication: Calgary Herald i Location: Calgary, Alberta, CanadaIssue Date: Monday, November 9, 1992Page: 25
I predict that this package will be an instant best seller: https://archive.org/stream/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_113/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_113_djvu.txt
None of these games are technically dazzling: https://ew.com/article/1994/11/11/pc-game-review-microsoft-arcade/
selling over 104,000 units in three months: https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-02-13-0002130175-story.html
marketing budget of $500 million: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm
which Microsoft and the manufacturers promoted as the easiest-to-use OS yet: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-20-fi-37014-story.html
making it the OS's first commercial game: https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/08/the-most-important-windows-95-games/
how straightforward gaming on Windows 95: https://thegameshow.co.uk/fury-3-pc-game-review/
moved all but two of the 30-developer studio from Champaign: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19951212&slug=2157381
Chapter 4
Four big real-time strategy games were released: https://web.archive.org/web/19980218070317/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1998-01-19.html
drove the RTS subset of strategy games to significantly higher sales: https://web.archive.org/web/20081221074049/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategygames05/
Chapter 5
and the PC's first killer app until: https://www.zdnet.com/article/goodbye-lotus-1-2-3/
WordPerfect failed to transition for a year: https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/30/business/wordperfect-executive-is-forced-out.html
held only 30 percent of the Windows market: Ibid.
the option to open WordPerfect documents vanished: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/21/technology/state-of-the-art-it-s-a-word-world-or-is-it.html
Microsoft held approximately 85 percent of the market: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/21/technology/state-of-the-art-it-s-a-word-world-or-is-it.html
worked on early versions of online card games: https://futureofstorytelling.org/speaker/shannon-loftis
one of few women in Colorado State University's engineering major: https://source.colostate.edu/halo-effect-alumna-wants-women-video-game-industry/
turning out over 4,000 millionaires and six billionaires: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-08-14-1998226023-story.html
to start a company likely to be positioned as a competitor: Ibid.
blanket the consumer space with over 75 CD-ROM applications: https://www.wired.com/1996/06/microsoft-6/
One scary possibility being discussed by Internet fans: https://lettersofnote.com/2011/07/22/the-internet-tidal-wave/
surfed the Web for over 10 hours with nary a sign: Ibid.
Amazingly it is easier to find information on the Web: Ibid.
making it one of the earliest dedicated online gaming: https://www.sierragamers.com/imagination-1991/
Sega's Meganet, a dial-up service in Japan: https://medium.com/@datapath_io/the-history-of-online-gaming-2e70d51ab437
I’ve been playing bridge for years—Warren Buffett is my favorite partner: https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Summer-Books-2020
Chapter 6
to give journalists hands-on impressions of games: http://www.xboxaddict.com/news/601/Ed-Fries-Interview.html
adopted it as an unofficial benchmark to test graphics: https://www.flightsimbooks.com/runwayusa/foreword.php
his commitment to fleshing out Microsoft's entertainment offerings: https://money.cnn.com/1999/01/07/life/fasa/
Howard's absentee coworker was one of three ex-Microsoft employees: https://www.zdnet.com/article/former-ms-execs-buy-bowling-league/
Westwood had sold to Electronic Arts for $122.5 million: https://money.cnn.com/1998/08/17/life/q_ea/
Electronic Arts laid off employees at Westwood: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-consolidates-studios-closes-westwood/1100-2909852/
fans came to describe as Electronic Arts' graveyard: https://heavy.com/games/2017/10/studios-ea-has-killed-visceral-games/
CUC confused Wall Street when it announced: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-21-fi-38256-story.html
misled Sierra management with "half-truths " and "concealment,": https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-vs-vivendi-universal-dogfight-heats-up-in-us-district-court/1100-6107712/
Chapter 7
he harvested organs from CP/M: https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-dos-2011-7#ibm-approached-a-young-bill-gates-for-help-3
the first system to see widespread use on desktop computers: http://www.linfo.org/ms-dos.html
Paterson completed his project in six weeks: https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-dos-2011-7#ibm-approached-a-young-bill-gates-for-help-3
designed QDOS as an 8-bit OS to ensure compatibility with popular 8-bit software: http://www.linfo.org/ms-dos.html
Gates reached out to Paterson and purchased 86-DOS for one payment of $50,000: Ibid.
Both parties conducted the deal under the radar: Ibid.
By the late '90s, thousands of games: https://blog.archive.org/2019/10/13/2500-more-ms-dos-games-playable-at-the-archive/
I was always fascinated with graphics: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
While working from home as a freelancer in 1992: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/d/drummond-empire.html
Bill Gates had created a position for a strategist: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
Following an 11-hour interview: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/d/drummond-empire.html
spoken bluntly of his preference for Apple's elegant Mac OSX platform: Ibid.
I thought, Any company that throws this kind of party: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
I realized that a major part of my job was to figure out: Ibid.
No matter how complex or broad the question: Ibid.
I said, 'Yeah, printing in Windows 95 doesn't work so good: Ibid.
I responded, 'Hey, I'm sorry I let you down: Ibid.
I said, 'What the fuck are you talking about? That's horseshit.': Ibid.
I think I get a lot of more willingness to go over the edge: Ibid.
Chapter 8
to ensure compatibility with older programs and hardware drivers: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2015/08/24/windows-95-changed-the-world/#2590912a2ad3
Apple's Mac OS had done for years, like allowing filenames up to 255 characters: Ibid.
Microsoft thought playing videos was the most exciting thing: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
Eisler got his start working with operating systems and compilers: https://web.archive.org/web/20080624144607/http://craig.theeislers.com/2005/01/01/index.php
saw potential in the OS as a gaming platform that could compete: https://web.archive.org/web/20080705082618/http://gadgetblog.theeislers.com/2006/02/directx_then_and_now_part_1.php
change the perception of the PC by providing a colorful and simple graphical interface: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/csc/netcomp/net6/win95.htm
with streamlining communication between video cards: https://web.archive.org/web/20080705082618/http://gadgetblog.theeislers.com/2006/02/directx_then_and_now_part_1.php
St. John, Eisler, and Engstrom went rogue in November 1994: Ibid.
We had a glowing radiation logo for the prototype: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
In December, Engstrom and Eisler put together: https://web.archive.org/web/20080705082618/http://gadgetblog.theeislers.com/2006/02/directx_then_and_now_part_1.php
I was in charge of game compatibility with Windows 95: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
I said, 'Well what's the problem?': Ibid.
only for the game to freeze every time Cailin tried to play: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1995-01-29-9501270077-story.html
Disney shipped over 300,000 copies of The Lion King for Windows 95: Ibid.
adopting a humbler attitude and bulking up its anemic tech support staff: Ibid.
and updated graphics drivers that had not been tested with WinG: https://www.pcworld.com/article/125772/worst_products_ever.html?page=3
without the performance drop that moving away from MS-DOS's direct access afforded them: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3199/a_whirlwind_tour_of_wing.php
game developers became even more suspicious of Windows: https://www.vgfacts.com/game/thelionking/
Essentially it's called DirectX because it was designed: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
games of all time with over two million copies sold: https://web.archive.org/web/20101206145241/http://justadventure.com/articles/What_Was_That/What_Was_That.shtm
As soon as we started showing the game community: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
video card manufacturers, who loved the idea of a programming interface: https://web.archive.org/web/20080705082618/http://gadgetblog.theeislers.com/2006/02/directx_then_and_now_part_1.php
convened in Building 20's hardware lab with Eisler: Ibid.
Eisler dropped into Engstrom's Mazda RX7: Ibid.
joking that it must stand for "Direct Access" since all the libraries: Ibid.
I went and said, 'Look, we don't know what the hell we're doing: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
Newell agreed with game developers: Windows was unsuitable for games: https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/167253-gabe-newell-made-windows-a-viable-gaming-platform-and-linux-is-next?origref=
was installed on more personal computers than Windows: Ibid.
he failed to grasp how a game could drive so many consumers to stick with DOS: https://kotaku.com/that-time-bill-gates-starred-in-a-doom-promo-video-1776965033
especially if it meant new releases of Doom with more features: https://github.com/id-Software/DOOM
lacked features such as area maps, functionality for the Function keys: http://www.gamers.org/docs/FAQ/wdfaq/
There was a guy with a four-foot-long schlong: https://www.shacknews.com/article/46338/alex-st-john-interview
desperation to break free of the never-ending cycle of stress: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-04-18-alex-st-john-shut-up-and-be-grateful-for-your-80-hour-weeks
Chapter 9
composed of four laboratories where usability experts: https://news.microsoft.com/1998/05/19/usability-testing-microsofts-unique-approach/
better suited to playing audio from CD-ROM: http://www.imediaconnection.com/articles/ported-articles/red-dot-articles/2004/jan/the-evolution-of-rich-media/
Chapter 12
Microsoft's legendary co-founder possessed all the other constituent parts: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-review/
what managers called a "BillG review.": Ibid.
Wow, that’s the lowest I can remember: Ibid.
Growing up, if I thought my parents were being unfair: https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter
writing severe emails to programmers in the wee hours: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/24/bill-gates-was-difficult-boss-in-early-microsoft-days-but-employees-still-liked-him.html
employees have described Gates as demanding: Ibid.
I'd assumed that our partnership would be a 50-50 proposition: Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CLYKM2
did almost everything on BASIC: Ibid.
Gates to counter his own offer and insist on a 64-36 split: Ibid.
recuperated from his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma: Ibid.
Gates offered to buy him out for $5 per share: Ibid.
approximately $13 billion by 2011 and grew to over $20 billion: https://www.forbes.com/profile/paul-allen/#3473d0724417
Bill doesn’t really want to review your spec: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-review/
people don’t like their jobs because they don’t get any feedback: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/24/bill-gates-was-difficult-boss-in-early-microsoft-days-but-employees-still-liked-him.html
spend between five and six billion dollars over five years: Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, by Dean Takahashi. https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Xbox-Microsofts-Entertainment-Revolution/dp/0761537082
Windows and Office generated approximately $1.5 billion per month: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
portfolio of first-party developers that focused on quality over quantity: Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, by Dean Takahashi. https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Xbox-Microsofts-Entertainment-Revolution/dp/0761537082
the Xbox would give developers access to the kernel: Ibid.
Chapter 10
he and the other computer nerds who lurked in the: http://news.tufts.edu/magazine/summer2007/planet-tufts/video-games.html
In just two years, Wagstaff entered: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/patty-wagstaff-papers-1984-2004
became a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team: Ibid.
the first woman to become U.S. National Aerobatic Champion: Ibid.
praised for its perfect fusion of maneuverability: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/extra-260/nasm_A19930401000
she moved on to the Extra 300L and continued: https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/women-in-aviation/Wagstaff.cfm
more interested in touring Boston with his jazz band: http://news.tufts.edu/magazine/summer2007/planet-tufts/video-games.html
took nine classes a semester to rack up credit hours: Ibid.
the first roleplaying game to feature true 3D environments: https://web.archive.org/web/20060629172105/http://gamasutra.com/features/20060425/shahrani_01.shtml
the first FPS to map textures on environments: Ibid.
Tim Day and Eric Twietmeyer coded the game's terrain renderer: Addams, Shay (1995). Flight Unlimited Official Pilot's Guide. Infotainment World Books
felt like several disparate programs: https://web.archive.org/web/20030908171031/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/191/dougc_interview.html
known to make decisions while preparing gourmet meals: https://archive.org/details/openingxboxinsid00taka/page/41/mode/2up
sold over 780,000 copies by 2002: Ibid.
finalist in PC Magazine's Annual Awards: https://web.archive.org/web/20001216165200/http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1422/pcm00083.htm
handled so similarly to their real-world counterparts: Vizard, Frank; Booth, Stephen A. (August 1995). "Multimedia Extravaganza!". Popular Mechanics. p. 66.
Since Looking Glass incorporates true physics-based paradigms: https://web.archive.org/web/20001216165200/http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1422/pcm00083.htm
next to Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega: https://web.archive.org/web/20140302212354/http://www.icasfoundation.org/hof/view/Patty+Wagstaff
self-publishing brought the company to financial ruin: https://web.archive.org/web/20030908171031/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/191/dougc_interview.html
proposed a new activity called Open Space: https://www.businessinsider.com/robbie-bach-on-the-original-xbox-2015-8
shipped 50 million consoles and sold over 430 million PlayStation games: https://web.archive.org/web/20040604030423/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february04/ps2timeline/index2.shtml
PS2 would render visuals on par with movies: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/road-to-ps5-the-story-of-ps2-sonys-crowning-achievement/
There are over a billion color TVs on the planet: https://www.zdnet.com/article/will-playstation-2-rule-the-living-room-5000101728/
Chapter 11
became known as the Four Musketeers: Takahashi, Dean. Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution. Prime Lifestyles: 2002.
Dragon would spin up and feed relevant information such as graphics libraries: https://www.windowscentral.com/sega-dreamcast
fewer than 50 games used Dragon: Ibid.
place of honor within Microsoft as the company's first home appliance: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
the latter backed out as well because of concerns over costs: https://web.archive.org/web/20151025155922/http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do
dropped support for the Interactive Multiplayer, including The 3DO Company: https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_084_July_1996/page/n17/mode/2up
Craig Mundie kicked things off on behalf: Takahashi, Dean. Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution. Prime Lifestyles: 2002.
estimated a total manufacturing cost of $303 per Xbox: Ibid.
Gates listened carefully to Fries, who had earned his respect: Ibid.
Chapter 12
From J Allard, he demanded: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
smacking baseball bats against his palm: Ibid.
Microsoft could never build the drive for less than $50: Ibid.
As first-person shooters grew more sophisticated: http://directx.com/graphics-archive/talisman/
reached out to Dave Kirk, an engineering friend at NVIDIA: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
Rick Thompson supported their suggestion: Ibid.
refused to mass-produce and sell graphics chips at a loss: Ibid.
invest $10 million in the company and cut a check for another $15 million: Ibid.
Huang learned of the imminent deal and called GigaPixel founder: Ibid.
Haber called Huang back to gloat: Ibid.
Wyatt, who pushed back against GigaPixel until he got fired: Ibid.
Someone had leaked word of Microsoft's deal with GigaPixel: Ibid.
3dfx Interactive acquired GigaPixel for $186 million: https://www.cnet.com/news/gigapixel-sells-following-xbox-surprise/
an executive at Intel wooed Bill Gates with a promise: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
AMD learned they were out of the running: Ibid.
NVIDIA hit speed bumps in manufacturing its chipsets: Ibid.
sell Microsoft 40 percent of the company for $2.5 billion: Ibid.
Windows and Office brought in $1.5 billion a month: Ibid.
Ed Fries voted against buying Square: Ibid.
Chapter 14
A new lawsuit accuses Microsoft Corp.: https://money.cnn.com/1999/06/30/technology/microsoft/
Sohn said that there are several other photos of the black couple: https://www.wired.com./1999/07/ms-on-racism-we-did-our-best/
Shinji Mikami asked, in Japanese: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-13-why-xbox-failed-in-japan
Games are art: Ibid.
Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, and five other games: Ibid.
shoes were more than an inside joke: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/business/microsoft-explores-a-new-territory-fun.html
Chapter 15
charged $15 to anyone who wanted his source code: https://web.archive.org/web/20081123041945/http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-history-of-halo/a-2007100812649684036
Spending most of his time on his dad's couch: http://thecore.uchicago.edu/fallwinter08/got_game.shtml
his dad recommended working at a company to get experience: Ibid.
converted his bedroom into a production center: https://web.archive.org/web/20081123041945/http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-history-of-halo/a-2007100812649684036
cutting his teeth on BASIC and assembly language: http://pid.bungie.org/IMGjasoninterviewOct93.html
a game he'd written in 6502 assembly language on the Apple II: Ibid.
In December 1991, Jones hunkered down to finish: Ibid.
while Seropian designed packaging: Ibid.
Bungie sold through 2500 copies: https://web.archive.org/web/20081123041945/http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-history-of-halo/a-2007100812649684036
the first first-person shooter to let players aim freely: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-use-of-freelook-in-a-fps
Marathon and Myth had been working titles that had stuck: http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive.pl?read=10986
thinking they might have the beginnings of another strategy game: http://web.archive.org/web/20000815110240/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/99/jones/jones.shtml
Charlie Gough hooked up controls to a single marine: https://me.ign.com/en/halo-4-xbox-360/58617/feature/ign-presents-the-history-of-halo?p=2
The Crystal Place, Solipsis, The Santa Machine, and Hard Vacuum: https://medium.com/@Oozer3993/the-making-of-halo-how-combat-evolved-from-blam-part-1-f6b58fcc4ade
expedited combat and exploration across land, air, and sea: https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/07/22/heavenly-halo-announced-from-bungie
Take-Two, publisher of Oni, owned 19.9 percent of the company: https://news.microsoft.com/2000/06/19/microsoft-to-acquire-bungie-software/
Bungie would run out of funding: https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/publishing/steve-jobs-raged-at-microsoft-over-game-studio-sale/
first truly amazing game of the next millennium: https://news.microsoft.com/2000/06/19/microsoft-to-acquire-bungie-software/
establishing the Mac as a premiere gaming platform: https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/publishing/steve-jobs-raged-at-microsoft-over-game-studio-sale/
and required Fries to join him on-stage: Ibid.
Chapter 16
100 kids on hand, so they would dress them in different: https://www.scribd.com/article/454862493/The-16-Bit-War-Nintendo-Vs-Sega
Nintendo owned 80 percent of the video game market: https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/29/business/market-place-nintendo-courts-us-investors.html
entered Coyner's office and handed him one of the chunky handhelds: https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo
That's a really bad name: Ibid.
so much demand that it would outnumber the company's available units: Ibid.
with secretaries playing during lunch hours: Ibid.
one million Game Boys for the holiday season: Ibid.
a 10-million-dollar advertising campaign: https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/01/business/media-business-advertising-nintendo-turns-up-volume-provocative-appeal-its-core.html
it was the number-two retailer for video games: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/did-video-games-ipads-kill-toys-r-us-n802751
Chapter 17
the studio uploaded Marathon Demo version 0.0 to America On-Line's: http://marathon.bungie.org/story/m1demo_v0.0.html
Aim acceleration kicks in any time players turn: http://drstrangevolt.blogspot.com/2012/12/aim-acceleration-in-console-shooters-part1.html
rate of acceleration may change depending on their weapon: Ibid.
developers argue that any two players may place their hands: https://www.resetera.com/threads/why-dont-console-games-have-fully-customizable-controls-like-pc.10507/page-2
Chapter 18
The backlash began in 1987: https://corporate.findlaw.com/human-resources/vizcaino-v-microsoft-raises-the-stakes-on-worker-classification.html
contractors went through the company's accounts payable: Ibid.
the IRS informed Microsoft that their freelancers: Ibid.
Microsoft offered some of them full-time contracts: Ibid.
A group of reclassified workers applied for Microsoft's: Ibid.
they could not apply for SPP because they were paid: Ibid.
Microsoft mislabeled their clients as independent contractors: http://www.bs-s.com/cases/c-microsoft-vizcaino.html
dismissed the case in 1994, only for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Ibid.
Luke visited dozens of households to observe how consumers: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
settled on a nine-foot-long cord with an in-line breakaway: https://www.engadget.com/2018-03-23-xbox-controller-retrospective-hyperkin-duke-gamepad.html
would Mitsumi help an American company gain an advantage: Ibid.
the console's form factor to the size and shape of its controller: Ibid.
named after the son of Xbox hardware developer Brett Schnepf: https://screenrant.com/xbox-founder-brett-schnepf-duke-controller-passes-away/
they envisioned having to tell their customers that they would have to play: Ibid.
Meishi koukan is performed first in Japan: https://blog.gaijinpot.com/exchanging-business-cards-japan/
treat one's business card as a physical extension: Ibid.
Controller S came in at approximately two-thirds: https://www.engadget.com/2018-03-23-xbox-controller-retrospective-hyperkin-duke-gamepad.html
Chaudhari posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/craftedlifeltd/status/971445868271321088
Chapter 19
either the shotgun or sniper rifle would have to be cut: "The Making of Halo: How Combat Evolved from Blam! Part 2," Medium, https://medium.com/@Oozer3993/the-making-of-halo-how-combat-evolved-from-blam-part-2-6bfeabde0f90.
one of several amenities JetBlue had rolled out: "JetBlue Airways Completes Acquisition Of LiveTV, LLC," JetBlue, http://mediaroom.jetblue.com/investor-relations/press-releases/2002/09-27-2002-015155713#:~:text=JetBlue%20has%20offered%20customers%20LiveTV,%2439%20million%20of%20LiveTV%20debt.
the first airline to provide live television: Ibid.
This was a war started by others at a time unknown to us: "Bush Leads Memorial Service for Victims of Terror Attack," New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/14/national/bush-leads-memorial-service-for-victims-of-terror-attack.html.
federal agents had searched records at flight schools: "Hijackers Likely Took Flight Classes in U.S.," Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-13-mn-45279-story.html.
reports ran footage from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000: "Microsoft Flight Simulator in Terrorist Controversy," IT Pro Today, https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-78/microsoft-flight-simulator-terrorist-controversy.
hotels in New York City laid off 3,000 employees: "9/11 by the numbers," Hotel News Now, https://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/12109/9-11-by-the-numbers.
Perhaps in all of this narrative: Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox Officer, email shared with the author, August 2020.
Chapter 20
Instead of an open world, the campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtG6--4r_qk&ab_channel=Bungie
team leads held a meeting to determine: https://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2015/07/02/gi-show-the-halo-spectacular-feat-343i-jaime-griesemer-marty-o-donnell.aspx
emptying round after round into opponents without killing them: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-hated-the-name-halo-and-multiplayer-was-/1100-6450433/
repeated crashes over networks: https://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&cid=13172
And, after 40 hours of expletive-filled single-player immersion: https://web.archive.org/web/20141014154037/http://www.edge-online.com/review/halo-review/
Is playing Halo worth the $350: https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/10/halo-review
Chapter 22
the largest retail outlet in New York's most famous destination: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/nyregion/toys-r-us-to-build-the-biggest-store-in-times-sq.html
executives hoped the spectacle and unbeatable foot traffic: Ibid.
Krispy Kreme donuts decorated with green sprinkles: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
A crowd of spectators cheered Gates on with chants: Ibid.
secured his prime spot by waiting over 16 hours: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/16/business/technology-briefing-hardware-gates-sells-first-xbox.html
I need to find more average gamers: Ibid.
joked with Blackley that he might have found someone: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
square-shaped diamond and two baguettes on each side: Ibid.
John Eyler rounded out the occasion by handing her: Ibid.
Chapter 23
the largest retail outlet in New York's most famous destination: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/nyregion/toys-r-us-to-build-the-biggest-store-in-times-sq.html
hoped the spectacle and unbeatable foot traffic would attract companies: Ibid.
Krispy Kreme donuts decorated with green sprinkles: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
spectators cheered Gates on with chants: Ibid.
secured the coveted first spot in line by waiting: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/16/business/technology-briefing-hardware-gates-sells-first-xbox.html
I need to find more average gamers: Ibid.
who joked with Blackley that he might have: https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/view-all/
a square-shaped diamond and two baguettes on each side: Ibid.
Toys R Us CEO John Eyler rounded out the occasion: Ibid.
Chapter 24
I believe it’s the artist’s role to create new myths: https://web.archive.org/web/20081225074512/http://www.gog.com/en/editorial/editorial_oddworld_abes_oddysee/
realized consumers were turning increasingly: http://www.oddworld.com/oddworld-history/
found video games ugly and bombastic: Ibid.
We saw the opportunity to create properties: https://web.archive.org/web/20081225074512/http://www.gog.com/en/editorial/editorial_oddworld_abes_oddysee/
The funny thing is that we actually: Ibid.
definitely how I felt: Ibid.
We always wanted to do more endings: Ibid.
selling through one million copies in its first four months: https://web.archive.org/web/20000303043858/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_02/06_odd/index.html
the second in a planned quintology of Oddworld stories: http://www.oddworld.com/oddworld-history/
sold in excess of four million copies and garnered over 100 awards: https://news.microsoft.com/2000/10/23/microsoft-secures-exclusive-worldwide-rights-to-publish-oddworld-games-for-xbox/
The opportunity to bring the full force: Ibid.
Lanning and McKenna to set the quintology aside: http://www.oddworld.com/oddworld-history/
pointed to technical and time restraints as the main culprits: Ibid.
attract a more casual audience by renaming the game: https://magogonthemarch.wordpress.com/the-making-of-oddworld/
expressed disappointment with the Xbox's price: Ibid.
Xbox games are like the Xbox itself, big and impressive: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/08/technology/game-theory-console-shootout-the-sequel.html
over 50 percent of consumers who bought an Xbox also purchased: https://web.archive.org/web/20081216142548/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2002/01/49600
In five months, Bungie and Microsoft reached the vaunted: https://web.archive.org/web/20080106211440/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/apr02/04-08halomillionpr.mspx
