The next generation Xbox console (Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade)

Member Name: Zoidberg

Product:	Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade
Date:	15/06/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reasonable price, great variety of enjoyable games, wireless controllers

Disadvantages: Overheats, noisy, bulky

There are many pros and cons to this console. I brought the "Xbox 360 Arcade" due to the great games that are available for it, such as Fable 2, GTA IV, Fallout 3 etc and the amazing graphics and sound that are provided with each game.

Compared to the original Xbox, it is slightly better looking, a sleek cream and grey curvy box compared to the harsh black edgy shape of the Xbox, but is not too dissimilar in size so can be a problem if you don't have that much room to house it in your TV unit.

I bought this model, the "Xbox 360 Arcade" simply to "plug and play". If you will use it more for online gaming, I'd recommend the other models such as "Xbox 360" and "Xbox 360 elite" which have larger in-built hard drives.

The console comes with the main unit and power leads, 256MB memory, one wireless controller, two batteries and an arcade game collection with classics such as pacman.

One of the first things that I noticed when I first turned it on, is the noise. This is one noisy machine and of all the consoles I have owned, is the noisiest. It heats up quite quickly so the cooling fans seem to be going all the time and this then leads to another problem, over use can cause the machine to freeze and I am now on my second console after the first one broke, due to overheating. The console that they replaced is a slightly newer version and since then I have had not that many problems, but it still is noisy.

If you are only buying this to play games with no intention on going online, then the 256MB should be enough for game storage.

The wireless controllers are amazing and work really well when quite far from the TV and even when you are sitting at an angle. There is also a rumble feature which just adds to the gaming experience. The wireless is a plus, no tripping over and no small pets getting tangled and pulling them out when you are at that crucial part of a game. There are two AA batteries provided when you buy the console but no controller battery charger so you have to provide this yourself. I did buy a battery re-charger pack specific for the Xbox 360, but since have just bought a general rechargeable battery pack which seems to work better and give longer battery life, plus I can use it for other household items.

The price is great compared to that of the Playstation 3. It is a lot cheaper,(Around £130) so what you save you can use to spend on games.

The thing is though, that even with all the cons, I still enjoy playing it. There are some great games out there and some are only specific for the Xbox 360, such as Fable 2, Halo 3, Forza Motorsport 2, Project Gotham Racing 4 which have provide many hours of fun.

Summary: A great console but has its problems.