Microsoft Xbox 360 Review

The next-generation of gaming is here, and Microsoft is first to the party. Should you buy the Xb0x 360 now or hold out for the Playstation 3? Read on to find out!

Summary

The Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system places you at the center of the experience. Available this holiday season in Europe, Japan, and North America, Xbox 360 ignites a new era of digital entertainment that is always connected, always personalized, and always in high definition.

Xbox 360 gives you access to the games you want to play, the people you want to play with, and the experiences you crave—when and where you want them.

For those who’ve ignored the pre-launch marketing blitz – including an MTV special hosted by Elijah Wood, journalistic rendezvous in Amsterdam, and on-site appearances by Bill Gates – here’s a quick recap on the tech specs. 

The console features a unique IBM PowerPC-based CPU unit complete with three 3.2 Ghz cores, each sporting two hardware threads. Also included in every device: A custom 500Mhz ATI graphics processor capable of supporting 48 pixel shader pipelines and pushing four times as many polygons as the original Xbox. All systems further feature an impressive 512MB of RAM. In English, rough calculations reveal the Xbox 360 to be anywhere between eight and ten times as powerful as its predecessor.

Craving high-definition, cinema-quality content? Look no further: All games are 720p minimum and optimized for 16:9 widescreen viewing. (Note: Options for switching into 1080i are also offered). Even on the low end, you’ll still enjoy 480p visuals. Can’t stand most current titles’ piddling audio output? No sweat – virtually every piece of compatible software’s designed to support Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

Still, the facts, figures and feature lists don’t tell the whole story. In the end, any console – even the most functionally versatile – is ultimately defined by the hands-on experience. And, for that matter, the caliber of content users can expect from it.

Which, ironically, is where Xbox 360 differs from all digital diversions that have come before: A scant few hundred dollars essentially buys you not a children’s toy or passing amusement, but honest-to-goodness high-end PC.

Fitting the all-white or "chill," as designers call its frosty iPod-esque color, system into any entertainment center is easy enough. Capable of resting on its side or standing vertically on end – although, seriously, why bother – the unit’s smaller, albeit just barely than its boxy, black forerunner. Measuring 3.3 (H) by 12.2 (W) by 10.2 (D) inches and weighing in at 7.7 lbs as opposed to Xbox’s 8.8 pound girth, it’s a slightly more attractive acquisition in terms of pure aesthetics. Then again, face it – cream isn’t exactly a hue that fits instinctively with most home theater setups.

Detachable faceplates, available in blue, silver, and woodgrain (each priced at $19.99) are also available for sake of system individualization. A dazzling array of further patterns and designs from Microsoft and its partners will be on offer soon too. We’ll take a disaffected stance on the topic; whether the option of popping off your console’s front and tricking it out with painted-on flames or looping swirls adds any value is entirely subjective.

Two memory card slots are present on the front of the machine. Ditto for a pair of USB ports hidden behind a hinged flap, through which you can connect to and communicate with MP3 players, PDAs, digital cameras, laptops and other portable gadgets. (Another, primarily intended for use with the wireless networking adapter, which clips right on, can be found around back.)

Oh, and lest we forget, given that this is a next-gen console and all: The front-mounted ports are also used for attaching controllers. Connection buttons and an infrared port also make it easy to synchronize with wireless gamepads and remote controls in seconds flat.

Good news for couch potatoes too. You needn’t use the gigantic O-shaped button (a ring of light around which coincidentally designates which of one to four controllers are connected) on the Xbox 360’s front to turn the unit on/off either. Powering it up or down can also be accomplished directly from the controller: Simply hold down the big X button in the center of the gamepad for a few seconds.

The only other major item worth mentioning in terms of physical/spatial details is the power supply itself. Holy crap – the thing’s so big and heavy you could use it to brain a cat. Systems seem to generate a lot of heat while in use as well, so be careful what you’ve got stacked on top of them. Although, in fairness, we’ve yet to see scorch marks on our desk (or assault the neighbors’ kitty) so take such impressions with a grain of salt.

Image Courtesy of Microsoft

In the end, the Xbox 360 is more than worthy of your attention. But whether or not you need to have it right here and now is entirely debatable. Blockbuster titles are a ways off, price barriers significant, and it’s still going to take some time before certain promised features (e.g. videoconferencing, handled via an optional camera) arrive.

Regardless, Bill Gates’ pride and joy comes highly recommended to those who have an HDTV and cash to burn. Should you find that you fall into this category, don’t hesitate: Make a run for your local retailer – and brace yourself for potentially disappointing news, given current holiday hardware shortages – today.

Games

Games-wise, don’t get your hopes up just yet.

While titles like Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Call of Duty 2 and Condemned all look fabulous and play brilliantly, most feel like hi-res PC ports. Mind you, the majority of America doesn’t have a pimped out, dedicated gaming box just yet, so it’s no big deal: Laymen will see a major jump in software quality (especially in terms of audiovisuals, and hence, atmospheric potential) across the board right off the bat. But if you’re a hardcore gamer who’s been banging away on a $4,000 Alienware system for years already, well