I finally gave in to Microsoft’s “evils” and invested in their Next Generation console. Why. the lag on ps3 along with the lag in Ghost Recon on PC. The more reviews I read, the more convinced I became that the 360 consisted of excellent hardware that was finally being put to use. So I blew up my credit card, pissed off my wife, and invested in more computer hardware that I might not need. But heck, I work on it, so keeping up with all the tech is my job (or so I keep telling myself).
First impressions: When installing the 360 the first thing that strikes you is the physical weight of the machine. Small but with a weight very similar to that of a concrete block.
The desktop and the systems settings immediately show you that there is much more to this machine than just a game. It feels like a simplified computer (but in a good way). Don’t mess with patches and updates. Sign in to Xbox Live and it tells you when you need to update. Easy to navigate, ability to easily get in and out of games.
Loading times are impressive too. I expected to be starring on screen during my first war-fighting career and was pleasantly surprised.
Xbox live is the ace in the Microsoft deck. Your killer app for the machine. Think of it as your internet on the internet. It is free to use. But you have to upgrade to gold (and pay) to play online games and get some downloads. But ALL games will have an online mode. Which means you get more value and a different experience. Microsoft has also insisted on the achievement of all games.
The more you achieve, the better your rating and points will be (the rating can also be improved through visits, friends, help, messages, etc.). They basically want you to play and get involved and they will reward you for it. Good ideas. Getting people to play more than what they paid for, rather than the modern obsession of owning more and not consuming, is a good idea (as these games are not cheap: 75 euros per warrior!).
This page will be updated the more you use the system. (oh have free time).
I’ll be posting simple BS-free reviews here, of the games that interest me on the 360 platform. The physical build is impressive, although the size of the PSU is astonishing. Simple Little Things Impress – Wireless Controller Size – Perfect. The 360 button on the controller takes you back to the “desktop”, as well as turning the machine on / off (a simple feature that I know of, but it works).
The more I play with this machine, the more I like it. It seems that playing a game now that does affect your score score or unlock achievements is a minor achievement.
I’ve downloaded many demos like Fight Night 3 and Battlefield Modern Combat (very impressive, no lag in sight).
Updates: a few weeks of use
I signed up for Xbox Live Gold: 60.00 for 12 months of unlimited use. The amount of media and the ability to download clips and demos means you really need it to make full use of the machine.
Also from what I can tell, people are playing games to increase their score – offline play (even single player) is the same these days if you don’t improve your score as a result.
Very smart choice. In fact, the amount of time you spend browsing, downloading, and playing with items on Xbox Live is quite surprising.
Expanding the experience: Media Center
I built a Windows Media Center 2005 (I repaired an old fried motherboard). And I tested the interface between this 360. I’m surprised to see that you get the full Media Center console on the 360 when you have a machine to connect to (via your network). At present, you can only stream videos in WMV format. But you can find an app on the web that will allow you to convert divx to wmv on the fly.
The transmission of video, images and music from one side of the house to the other was tested. Easy to set up and use and an impressive interface / image quality.
Basically, it transforms your 360 into much more than a gaming machine. You can make music and pictures just by connecting to the extender on XP machine. But to make full use, you need Windows Media Center 2005.
Combining the power of the 360, with Xbox live and media center options; Sony really has a lot of work ahead of it. Because there is so much more to the Microsoft machine to play with.
Altogether a great “home entertainment system”. Great for gaming, online play is easy and solid, God’s support for music, pictures, and other media (particularly if you own a media center PC). The only downside: Don’t be surprised when you use your game console for much more than just games.
What I would have liked to see:
The biggest omission is the ability to browse web pages. Of course, doing it with a controller or remote with an on-screen keyboard would have been a bummer. But considering that the experience depends on you already having a PC (to take advantage of the full potential), why not have the option of a 360 browser and the ability to sync your favorite sites from your PC? That way you won’t have to type your http://www.mywebsite.com, just search through a list and update as you like.
Limiting the Media Extender to just music and pictures is woefully lacking. They must provide some way to copy videos to and from 360.
The ability to compare your machine to make sure it is running 3 cores, etc. A simple reference app would work.
Support for more formats like Divx, mpeg4, etc. I know Microsoft is saving money by not including these codecs. But imagine using a PC that would only play WMV movies?
High Definition:
The picture quality of a standard television is good, but to get the most out of it you need a high definition television. the 360 has become the “killer app” for HDTVs; which means more HDTVs are now being sold, exclusively for use with the 360. Think of a 32 “” + screen on your PC and you will have an idea of the difference it will make (and you can also connect your PC to a) .
DVD Player:
The movie player is a very impressive player of all brands of DVD without any problem. Easy to manage interface and excellent picture / sound (it is also a progressive scan unit to improve image quality). Just pity, there is no support for multiple regions.
Advice:
Did you want to download different content from Xbox Live? Go to the system and change your locale to American and sign out / log into Xbox live and you’re done (you need an email address with the email address at that location too). Different demos and trailers.
Xbox Live games:
Certainly a strange addiction. The ability to play older arcade games that use little to none of the power of the world’s most powerful console. But it works. Allowing you to play exact arcade emulations like jousting, gauntlets, etc. adds another dimension to your 360. My four year old loves to play Marble Blast live.
Online game:
I have tried many multiplayer games on the PC platform and have had mixed enjoyment. Get a good server and everything will be fine. but often or not you waste your time looking for and waiting for a “no lag” game. So far I have only (briefly) tried advanced warfighter online. A quick half hour game using a headset with some guys from the UK. It was good. Amazing! Great gameplay, very little lag, no wasting time, just a simple game selection and a couple of minutes of waiting and voila. Voice over IP works fine – don’t foolishly press buttons, just talk.
It’s a strange experience though that allows everyone to hear you yelling at yourself when they kill you (usually you curse in disgust). But I’ll have to try again, as this unique game was ranked as one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had on any platform …
Wish list:
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Give us a browser and the means to copy your favorite bookmarks from the PC to the 360.
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Ability to stream and play Divx (and other supported codecs).
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Some way to play multi-region DVDs – but why does it still exist?
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MORE Xbox Live content – Trailers, TV Shows, Shorts, and more The announcements of possible future releases are exciting, but they need to start happening soon, to be integrated and in place before the Ps3 and the Sony machine get moving. Perhaps a good association with Apple and a quick time would be enough.
Conclution:
Well, how do I feel about the 360 six weeks after purchase? To be honest, very, very impressed. Excellent build quality, fantastic interface. Lots of multimedia and gaming options. Xbox live is great. Software updates that show that they really listen to users (all the features you wanted to include or remove appeared in the June update. But what about games – what was it built for?
Online gaming with headphones is excellent. Easy to get in and out of “buddy” games. The achievements and the score of the game are a masterstroke. Playing without these features feels a bit pointless now. I’ve played games like Advanced Warfighter, Table Tennis, Battlefield 2, Top spin 2, Dead or alive 4, and to be fair I’ve had some of the best gaming experiences I’ve had on any system (and I’ve been playing since the days from zx-81: yes I’m an old fart).
Future releases look VERY bright too. Gears of War, Dead Rising, and Lost World, to name a few, look amazing. Amazing to see how fast developers get and get these kinds of results considering how new this system is. Perhaps it is a testament to how good a platform to develop for. Also Xbox Live Anywhere looks very cool (allows 360 and PC users to play and use Xbox Live together – as well as mobile device options).
Without Xbox Live, the 360 is an incredible kit. Combined with the Xbox Live option, it is indeed the best application of the next generation consoles.
My advice?
To borrow his own phrase. Jump in, have fun, and congratulate those who developed this machine. For my part, I’m glad you did. The most impressive piece of hardware I have ever bought.
He wrote a full review with pictures on:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanryan/Pages/xbox360%20gaming.htm