Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB)

July 10, 2005 05:26

4.5/5
Where the Xbox was amazing but rough around the edges, the Xbox 360 fixes a lot of shortcomings of the original unit.

Out with the old, in with the new. Where the original was based on off the shelf middle of the road PC technology with cool graphics, the new one is based on unrelesed 3 core PowerPC technology (Interesting IBM is now manufactoring processors for all game consoles) with cutting edge graphics.

Gone are the wired controllers, although they'll still be available as an option.

The front is now customizable, which is pretty cool when you think about it.

It's the only console that will ship with a hard drive. C'mon any Xbox owner knows that hard drive is a killer feature. Not only for games, but for also ripping your own music to play in games. That Sony isn't going to include one with their basic package is HUGE mistake-- but ya gotta cut costs somewhere I guess.

Anyway, Microsoft has improved Live network support. Everyone recieves it free, and you only pay if you want to play with others. Think about it, this will be the largest FREE voice over IP network. That's pretty amazing. You're also going to be able to sell content over the network, which could be huge. And you can watch others play.

Don't even get me started on third party support. Microsoft is pulling out all stops. They've signed up so many partners that have never developed for the Xbox before, it's simply going to exciting to see what comes out of all of it.

And Microsoft is going to be first to market, which should give them a better chance against Sony.

Sony's offering looks technically superior, but when you really think about it, developers make games based on the lowest common denominator. Look at EA. How many games from EA are developed with Xbox in mind? Uh none. They'll also PS/2 based. I'm thinking all games will now be 360 based, even if they're on the PS3.

The one misstep from Microsoft is backward compatibility. They're saying the most popular games will work, but that's going to be a problem. Sony has always been backwards compatible. Nintendo, uh, not so much, but they're making up for it now I guess with the Revolution. Microsoft needs to address this.

The one area where Microsoft may make up ground is being developer friendly. Microsoft excels at operating systems and tools.

I think the 360 will be the right console at the right time, and may give Sony some serious competition

- ericnn24

June 1, 2005 06:03

4.5/5
I was impressed by Microsoft's marketing (subtle hinting such as OurColony) and unveiling of it's XBOX 360. I'm glad the design turned out to be what it is. (I'm really unimpressed and rather shocked at the PS3 design). Back to the 360, I'm not sure of the feel yet of the controllers with the new "bumper" (shoulder) buttons since it would seem oour index fingers would naturally fit on the triggers, but I hear they (controllers) feel great. As for the technology vs PS3, I see it as being pretty-much a wash. It will come down to the games and the fun factor. With XBOX Live on X360, Microsoft provides players an experience other game consoles simply cannot. (Sidenote: I have never had an Xbox Live account, but it's clearly made an impact with gamers). One last thing..I own a PS2 and not an Xbox, but I will most certainly be owning an XBOX 360. That's my take.

- Heythere

August 27, 2005 12:06

4.0/5
One thing the PS3 camp has always held over the X360 is the brand new Blu-Ray drive. Since it seems new and cool, and most people just hate Microsoft by default, this has given rise to rhetoric like "the XBOX 1.5 (har har har)" and "uses the aging DVD format."

Even though the original XBOX DVD drives were 4x to 6x I was pretty disappointed when I found out that the X360 was going to have a 12x DVD-ROM drive instead of a 16x (can you even FIND a 12x drive for sale anymore?) until I found out how slow the PS3 Blu-Ray drive was going to be. In an interview with IGN a Sony spokesperson said that there was only an outside chance of the PS3 drive being 2x, and that Blu-Ray 1x = 4.5MB/s. Even at 2x (9MB/s,) it's still almost 7MB/s slower than X360's 12x DVD drive, and over 12MB/s slower than it could have been with a regular old 16x DVD drive.

Perhaps it's time to stop adding Blu-Ray to the list of PS3's credits, and time to start asking why you're being forced to swallow a new Sony-patented format with your PS3. Its hard to agree with the point of view that Microsoft is being irresponsible by rushing the X360 to market when Sony seems to be doing the exact same thing with their console& the fact that X360 is hitting the scene first seems incidental. One would hope that Sony would add a faster Blu-Ray as soon as it's available and/or economically feasible, but what of the early adopters? Microsoft even said they might put a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive (if Toshibas format takes off) in later versions of the X360. This is probably because they want it to be the ultimate media center and would want to include high-def video playback if the public began demanding it, but in the interest of maintaining compatibility with older X360s, its not likely that games would ever come on these next gen disc types.

I know how everyone likes to debate which system's hardware is better, but let's face it, both systems are about the same spec-wise. It's almost as if MS got wind of the CELL processor's specs and asked themselves, now how many G5 processors do we need to keep up with this? The CELL processor hype doesnt exactly reek of emotion engine, but even hardcore PS3 supporters must have learned to take any Sony announcements with a grain of salt. Im not sure anyone really believed that the PS3 was going to come with a 160GB laptop-style hard drive like the original spec said.

Microsoft seems to be sabotaging itself (inevitably, I suppose) by releasing these mediocre X360 launch-title game play videos while Sony is pumping out their brainwashing pre-rendered CG videos. It's a shame Microsoft felt that it had to be first-out-of-the-gates with this one, launching with what are (for the most part, anyway,) souped-up versions of games which could have been on the first XBOX. It's making it really easy for the casual consumer to conclude what they already want to believe... that PS3 will be better.

One thing the Sony camp is right about, it all comes down to exclusive titles. Personally I think there will be fewer exclusive titles in this generation because of the similarity of the hardware/performance and XBOX's continued growth in the market. Still recognizing the fact that there will be great exclusives on both sides, let's all try not bash the other guys too badly just because you love devil may cry or because you hate halo. Neither system should be voted a 1(or below 5, really)... such a baseless partisan bias should really be reserved for presidential elections.

Since I'm not especially attached to any of Sony's current exclusive franchises, I believe I'll be getting an XBOX 360. I like the fact that it comes from an American company (that's something I think people forget when they're having their little "M$" hate fests) and that it acts as a wireless windows media center extender. If Final Fantasy XIII looks really impressive, I might be forced to get a $ony P$3, too.

- offercompleted_com

September 27, 2006 10:42
Mediocre
1.0/5
While the games are fun and the controllers are good... the system is terrible, i've had mine for 4 months and it has broken on two seperate occassions. Now keep in mind my 360 sits on a shelf, it does not move or take any abuse. With that being said, let me get to my problems; First my power supply fried out, I was not foolish with it and even kept it near an air conditioning vent... enough said. It took me 2 weeks to get a new power supply because first Microsoft customer support sent me the wrong part. Plus the tech support beats around the bush and asks questions that don't matter to me, such as, "what games do you have", "what do you play the most". These are not questions I am very excited to answer when I am stuck with a $700 worth of plastics that's not doing anything but sitting around looking nice. Second problem I ran into was my Xbox stopped reading discs; new, old, what have you it didn't matter, my disc drive crapped out in 4 months of relatively light playing. If you don't mind dealing with problems and sending your Xbox in for costly repairs (unless you get the extended warranty... which I highly reccomend if you do buy) after paying a premium price for a gaming system that is supposed to work as advertised. Then go ahead, buy it, but don't expect it to not break, everyone I have talked to has run into problems with theirs after about 6 months.

- JaMcKeon

November 24, 2005 06:11
Good
1.5/5
The graphics are good, but I had it for two days and the system stopped working. I called xbox surport and they said there was something wrong with the hardware inside the xbox and I have to send it in. When I asked how long he put me on hold for 20 minutes untill he told me it would take 2 to 3 weeks to return it to my house. Just think waiting in line for 6 hours in the cold weather to have it for 2 days. Now I have 4 games, a faceplate, 3 extra wireless controllers, 3 weeks out of my xbox live subscription, plus everything included in the premium system. They should make sure it works before they charge $400 for one.

- mce8972

January 6, 2006 05:56

4.5/5
I was hesitant about buying an Xbox 360 due to all the blogging about units with troubles, red rings of death, freezing, overheating, and so on. However, after playing one at a kiosk in a local store, I couldn't resist the urge. I also took into account that, before purchasing, I'd seen several display kiosks that had been up and running for at least 12 hours a day every day since launch and none of them had any troubles.
The games are incredible and will only get better as game designers push the envelope with the dual core technology contained in the console. The games that are out now are the best I've ever seen so the thought that they can and will get better makes me dizzy with excitement!
The interface on the system is very intuitive and easy to learn. I'd say you're looking at about a ten minute learning curve for that. The wireless controls are perfect.
I've owned two systems now for about a month and both have been working flawlessly from the day they were first plugged in. Not a single problem. The exhaust fans run a bit loud but you get used to it quickly. In fact, you really don't attend to it at all during game play. The power supply is also literally a brick. It is huge, but that's the tradeoff for making it an external component and keeping the console itself sleek and slender. As long as you make sure the console and power supply are unobstructed and ventilated, they shouldn't overheat or get too hot. My systems don't run any hotter than any other electrical equipment (like a DVD player, etc.).
I'm continually impressed with the features of this system. This is perhaps the neatest piece of technology I've ever purchased and I absolutely LOVE my Xbox 360. I never owned an Xbox before, but I'm a HUGE fan now.

- jimmcnab

May 26, 2005 06:00

5.0/5
Sony's ps3 has been brewing for some time now, ever since 2001 when the cell processor began development. In 2002 sony invested a billion dollars in its own chip fabrication facility in order to cut costs. Though the modern cell processor is a joint venture between sony, ibm, and toshiba, they will be produced royalty-free by sony in their chip fabrication facilities. On top of this, sony owns the blu-ray format rights, so drive can be included without any third party costs. This works out great for sony in the long run, too, because the popularity of ps3 will undoubtedly force the home entertainment and computer industries to warm up to the hd-dvd movie/ pc formats, and they'll make a bundle in licensing. Sales of sony brand hdtvs, especially those with the 1080p output standard will surely take off, too.

Why does this put microsoft at a disadvantage? They have to pay a premium for the 3.2ghz ibm-owned powerpc cores. Additionally, I can't see anything about the system that would make it the kind of cash cow that ps3 will do with the hd-dvd/blu-ray format. I could see sales of windows xp media center edition 2005 taking off due to the integrated media center extender, and maybe a few metrosexuals getting some face plate upgrades, but that's about it.

Remember, last time xbox came out after the playstation(2). Now with it's first-out-of-the-gate approach, they're cutting precious months off a time when they're selling xbox for (what I can only assume is) as close to their production cost as its ever been. The announcement that xbox360 will be backwards-compatible can't be helping them in this area, either (no new customers till november).

When the first xbox was about to be released, there were rumors that it would cost about $500 (at the time it was considered a $1000 gaming machine.) In actuality, microsoft's plan was to release it for $389 and after the early adopters were all tapped out, they would lower the price gradually to $299, $249, $199, $149 etc. When the late decision came down that the console would be priced at $299 (for better competition with sony) this put microsoft into an impossible position where gamers would have to buy 15 or so (non-microsoft) games before they made up the hardware losses. Though it's not clear exactly how much MS lost on hardware, its been estimated that at launch it cost MS around $360 (apart from advertising/development costs) and when ps2 was released sony was losing $190 per unit at launch.

With these new consoles rightly being trumpeted as two-to-three-thousand-dollar pc equivalents, they're going to be ridiculously expensive or the hardware losses will be enormous! Since I have no doubt that the xbox360 will debut at $399, this translates into expensive games, peripherals, and services. I love my xbox and Im pretty ok with microsoft as a whole, too, but it seems like theyre at a tremendous disadvantage here. If anyone has any insight/corrections/contradictions to this, I welcome them, as long as youre not a 14 year old saying YA XB0X SUCCCKS!"

- primesolution47

January 9, 2006 08:57
Spectacular
2.5/5
Imagine this, premium package is $400, so so games $49-$59, extra controller $49, depending on how many games you have, you can eassiiilly rack up $800. The warranty for this console is 90 days. My system took a dump, tried to turn it on and gave me error E74. Microsoft tech says they will fix the issue, it is a hardware failure. In the meantime, I am out a game console for at least a week. I asked them if this had happened on the 91st day, is it covered... NOOOO!! This has been happening to a lot of 360s. That means on the 91st day, you have $800 - $1000 white paper weight, marked XBOX 360. YOU BE THE JUDGE.

- porcha42

March 29, 2007 11:18

3.0/5
I loved this system up until two days ago when my near launch, 15 month old system got the three red lights. I am now past the warranty and MS wants $140+shipping to fix it. Microsoft messed up the manufacturing with bad heat sync issues and now I've paid more for an xbox 360 than a PS3 20GB model which has a Blu-Ray player in it.

- kevinnoland

January 2, 2006 11:04

4.5/5
Overall I am quite happy with the Xbox360. Unfortunately, I could only snag a CORE system during the Nov.22,2005 release day madness...thus, I did not get a hard drive with my system. The hard drive is ESSENTIAL for game play I am sadly realizing...storing game data, online data, personal music, etc. Microsoft should be ashamed to release a non hardrive model if it really is needed to enjoy an already expensive game machine. Wireless connection is a breeze. The controllers are comfortable. Clean, hi-tech casing.

- MakoBimmer