Game changing! Fantastic bit of kit. (Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro System)

Member Name: Gav86

Product:	Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro System
Date:	16/09/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Games, features, controller, XBox Live

Disadvantages: Reliability

--Intro--
Being such a massive fan of the first XBox, i preordered the 360 Pro
(or Premium as it was known at release) as soon as i could. It was
delivered on the morning of launch day and i was ready to go!

-- Cost --
Currently, the XBox 360 Pro has a RRP of £170, however, this model is
being phased out to be replaced by the Elite console. The Elite is
black (as opposed to the white Pro or Arcade), has a larger hard drive
and has an RRP of £199.99.
In comparison to other consoles on the market, £170 offers fantastic
value and i'll go into detail below.

--Initial setup and box contents--
Opening the box youll find your shiny new XBox 360 console, a power
lead with a large brick like power adapter halfway down it, a wireless
controller, an XBox live headset, an AV cable, a 1 month trial for
XBox Live Gold and then all the usual other bits of paper that people
call 'instructions' that us men folk read later when we're bored.
The new XBox models only come with standard definition cables, which
is a shame as many people will miss out on high defintion out of the
box unless they spend extra money.
The Pro comes with a Composite and Component cable in one. If plugging
in via component, make sure you fluck the switch on the cable to 'HD'!
You can also go get yourself a HDMI cable on the newer models to use
instead. These are cheap!
The console has 3 USB ports, 1 Ethernet port, an AV port and a HDMI
port. No wireless without an adapter unfortunately!

--Interface--
New XBox 360s and those connected to the internet will run what is
knows as the 'New XBox Experience' or NXE. This is Microsofts fancy
way of saying 'shiny menu system'. You create a little avatar, dress
it up, and this acts as you in the menu system. If you want you can
waste your hard earned real life money on some clothes. Me? I used the
bog standard stuff available!
You then flick up and down through the various sections of the menu
such as 'My XBox', 'Friends', 'Marketplace' etc, and in these sections
are subsections to can select to get to what you need.

--Media--
The XBox 360 has a DVD tray and will play DVD's - upscaling them to
sub-HD resolutions, XBox 360 games (obviously!), a selection of the
original XBox library and Audio CD's.
Over your home network you can stream Video files in many different
formats, audio files and images. These can also be accessed from a
thumb drive plugged into one of the USB ports.
I have my XBox 360 connected over the network wirelessly to my
Macbook, and streaming couldnt be easier. No loss of quality either!
Great stuff for parties.

--XBox Live--
XBox Live is Microsofts online gaming platform which is, in my
opinion, utterly fantastic and worth the asking price for the console.
Every console that connects online has access to XBox Live Silver,
which will get you friends lists, access to the marketplace, voice
chat, downloads, and pretty much everything that isnt online gaming.
XBox Live Gold will cost on average £40 a year, although it can be
found much cheaper than this if you buy a prepaid card somewhere. This
is a big arguing point with the other consoles as they provide their
online service for free. However, XBox Live is very organised, feature
packed, stable, regularly updated and incredibly simple to use and is
more than worth the 11 pence a day it works out at.
Every game is XBox Live enabled, meaning it has features to have
online access even if it doesnt offer multiplayer. Extra items can be
downloaded etc. Party chat is also a great addition in that you can be
playing one game, while all your friends can be playing others, but
you can all be chatting away together regardless.
Online multiplayer games such as Halo have re-engineered the way
online works and have added features such as the party system and
movie theatre.

--Achievements--
Every XBox 360 game has achievement points within the game. These act
as little goals to aim for while playing, or sometimes something different to do outside of the normal game aims. For example it could be as simple as completing a course in a certain time, or it could be something a bit different like finding things that are not meant to be found! Each achievement gives you points beside your XBox Live username, letting everyone else know how youve been doing!

--Peripherals--
The XBox 360 has, in my opinion, the best controller on the market at the moment. Its small, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. The buttons are all satisfying to push and playing with it is easy! The only downside is the weak d-pad, but most games dont use it, so its not too much of an issue.
The usual stack of other accessories are available, steering wheels, headsets, other controllers etc, all at varying degrees of quality from different manufacturers.

--Games--
The games are a major strongpoint of the console against others on the market. Theres a good selection of everything available, from the simulation and arcade racers like Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham, to the platformers like Banjo Kazooie. Halo and Gears of War are the 2 big franchises that most people know of. Both have had big influences on the shooter genre and are constantly pushing the envelope with in game content, online multiplayer and downloadable features. The game selection is constantly growing with AAA titles in all genres and it has something to suit just about everyone. Much more is available to download from the online marketplace also, an awesome feature in my opinion.

--The Marketplace--
The online marketplace is a handy little (or massive!) thing. Demos are available for most games thathave been released just to download to your console. Along with added in game content such as extra maps, cars, guns etc and songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Other things available include game trailers, video interviews and other goodies! The marketplace offers a massive amount of things for most games available on the console. Full XBox 360 games are available to download to your console now too!

--XBox Live Arcade--
XBox Live Arcade is an extended part of the Marketplace offering smaller full games to download to your console. Old arcade classice such as Pacman are here, along with brand new games, such as the incredible Geometry Wars. These games act like all the other games on the system, so they have demos, videos and added content available.

--Issues/that famous RROD--
I'll be the first to admit i have suffered the Red Ring of Death where the console dies and a red ring appears on the front, but this is ocvered by 3 years warranty, and mine was replaced within the week. Great service! Other issues include the much hated controller dpad and now the lack of high definition cables out of the box. All of these are downers, but the restof the services available more than make up for it in my opinion!
Another issue is the cost of the larger hard drives, as Microsoft charge an extortionate amount. There isnt much of an excuse here as hard drives are cheap, Microsoft is just charging for thier proprietary hard drive casing.

--The Future--
New features are always being added. Coming soon items include Facebook and Twitter support, the ability to watch Sky Sports with others online, and the much heralded Natal. The motion capturing video camera which can see your every move and allow you to play many types of game controllerless. It looks amazing!

--Conclusion--
Approaching my favourite console of all time. The ever expanding features list, ease of use, massive games selection and everything available for it makes it a definite worthwhile purchase.
Reliability hasnt dented my enthusiasm, and XBox Live puts the console above and beyond what else you can buy.
6 stars out of 5!

Summary: An incredible console with a wealth of available content