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Excerpts at 1up.com. Looks like a must-read for some. 10 pages.

Ever wonder what goes into the development and launch of a game console? Dean Takahashi's original Opening the Xbox did exactly that for Microsoft's first entry in the console war, detailing everything from the controversial codename (Project Midway, named after WWII's turning point of the Battle of Midway, which was to symbolize the shift in power in the games industry from Japan) to the feuds amongst key decision makers at Microsoft. It was a rare opportunity to see just how the giant managed to get its rather large foot in the door.

His Xbox 360 follow-up, The Xbox 360 Uncloaked, offers us similar access for Microsoft's new console. It reveals such details as Bill Gates' original mandate to offer a version of the Xbox 360 with the Windows OS, Ed Fries' decision to sign an exclusive game detail with Epic Games over Valve (tossing Valve's proposal in the trash), and Epic's influence in upping the system's RAM from 256 to 512 MB (by showing Microsoft screenshots of Gears of War running under both circumstances) - which ultimately cost Microsoft $900 million extra and consequently resulted in fewer units at launch. The book also offers a fantastic window into the struggles behind launching Halo 2 - everything from the game's disastrous crash at E3 (because the Xbox console was placed near a giant speaker), to Jason Jones' suggestion to postpone its release until the Xbox 360 (but instead simply saving the second half of the game for 360), to even Ed Fries' last ditch threat to quit his job if Bungie weren't given to the fall of 2004 to finish the game.

In a rare opportunity, Dean and his publisher have given 1UP permission to run excerpts of two chapters from Xbox 360 Uncloaked, both of which offer some fascinating details surrounding decisions made with the early preparations for Xbox 360. For example, did you know that Microsoft was originally given the option to have Grand Theft Auto exclusively and passed? Or did you always wonder where the "360" in Xbox 360 came from? Read on to find out plenty of juicy details, and then following enjoy our interview with Dean himself.

http://1up.com/do/feature?cId=3150432&did=1