State Of The Art Console (Microsoft Xbox 360)

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Microsoft Xbox 360
Date:	07/03/08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple, Easy setup and usage, Good design, Great games, Great graphics, Fun, Superb online service

Disadvantages: Older consoles break, Some rude Xbox Live members

Welcome to the wonderful world of Microsoft! I must say that the Xbox 360 is the greatest games console to this date. It has a superb feel, great games and fantastic online service with more and more advantages too. As well as the ability to play games; you can watch movies, listen to music, view pictures and play against a great online community from around the world over the very best online service - Xbox Live. Competing in the 7th era of gaming generations, it faces the Sony Playstation 3 as well as the Nintendo Wii. In my opinion, it is the best one to buy for a number of reasons, which I will touch on later. Launched in November 2005, it is over 2 years old currently, but I bought mine a year after release date. With the countless problems of the console where it breaks and shows the popular Red Ring of Death (A.K.A RROD), it must be sent to Microsoft to be fixed or replaced. Microsoft actually has a new scheme now where they will fix and replace all consoles even out of warranty for free, due to the amount that broke. I am sure that they must have made new batches of these with bugs fixed as my new console hasn't broken for ages, but my original one did die. The Xbox 360 has loads to offer, and I hope you will find out what you can get from it in this review.

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In The Box & Setup
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Personally, I have the Premium console although you can buy the Arcade version or Elite version too. There is even a limited edition Halo 3 version, which is the most popular game on the console, having sold 8.1 million copies. The console itself has sold 18 million up until February 22nd 2008 according to Wikipedia. The arcade console lacks the wired headset, Ethernet cable and only comes with a 256MB memory unit. The core version is an older version that isn't made anymore, however can still be found in some shops. It has no HDMI ports and lacks any memory unit as well as no Ethernet cable or headset. Here is what's in the box for the Premium version I have:

Xbox 360 Console
Wired Headset
Wireless Controller
20GB Hardrive
Ethernet Cable
HD AV Cable
Power Cable
1 Month Xbox Live Gold Trial & Silver
Hexic HD Arcade Game Included

The Elite version has an enormous 120GB hardrive, which is just insane. 20GB is huge enough thanks! It also comes in a unique darker colour. The box will include instruction manuals and papers galore with everything you need to know.

It is easy to set up as you simply plug it all in. If you have a high definition TV, which is highly recommended for this console, then you will use the HDTV cable. Plug the RGB (red, green, blue) cables into the respective ones on the back of your TV, and connect this to the console. Then, plug in the power cable to the console. Connect the power cable parts together through the large box, which will further lead into the mains. When you first switch it on, you will create your profile and set everything from the date to time and you can start customizing your 'Dashboard', which are the main menus. It is quick and easy to set up really, but there are quite a few cables.

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Appearance
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Perhaps not the most important aspect when it comes to buying a games console, but I feel it is pretty important. I adore the Xbox 360 look and was over the moon when I first saw release pictures on the internet. Having my very own Xbox 360 still makes me happy to see such a modern and smooth-looking console sitting by my HDTV. It is of a similar size to the original Xbox but a bit smaller and more compact in a way. It has a much more modern look and the whole colour scheme for the console is excellent, which all the accessories follow as well to match it. The console can either stand upright or on its side. It looks lovely upright, but I keep mine on my side in case of accidents!

The front of the console contains a little flap at the bottom, which opens up to reveal 2 USB ports, used for connecting iPods, PSPs and more! Above is the power button with the ring of lights around it. These play a fancy pattern when you switch it on and look great and very modern. They will show whether a controller is connected to any player slots, so the 1-player controller will light up the top left light and so on (there are 4 segments). Above this is the chrome disc tray, which is perpendicular to the base if your console is standing upright. It has the Xbox 360 logo engraved onto it and has a chrome eject button on the side. The front also contains a 'search' button for wireless accessories such as the controller, headset and more. This is used to link the console with the wireless gadget. Above this are two memory card slots and the infrared sensor, which is a small darkened panel for use with the remote control.

On each side of the console are the Xbox 360 logos engraved into the matte white colour. There are also vents that look fine either end of the sides for ventilation. The hardrive plugs into the top and sticks out a tiny bit, but looks cool and very smooth. It slots in very nicely. The back has more ventilation holes as well as the ports for the power cords and AV cord. It also has a port for an Ethernet cable to connect it to the internet for use with the online service: Xbox Live. There is also a thought-out clip on the back, which is for use with the wireless internet connector, which I happen to have. The bottom of the console contains a few more ports for various things as well as the serial number and console information on a sticker. This is very important if you are sending yours back if it breaks, so don't take off the sticker!

Overall, it has a very simplistic look and very clean and not crammed at all. The general look is very smooth with all rounded sides round the main part of the console. The console has everything you need on it, but it isn't all crammed together and messy, which is a real bonus.

DIMENSIONS:

Length: 309mm
Width: 258mm
Height: 83mm
(Weight): 3.5kg

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Controller
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The controller is one of the highlights of the console, for it is of superb quality. It has the greatest feel you could want for a controller and fits securely in anyone's hands. It has the same colour scheme as the console and the same basic buttons as the original Xbox controller, however it is totally re-designed. It has a much smoother feel with every part of the controller with rounded edges so it is of extreme comfort in your hands.

The triggers at the top left and right ends are very easy to reach and work well. They are smooth, and are used efficiently in games such as racing ones to control the acceleration of a car to accuracy. The two analogue sticks are made good use of and can control movement accurately too. The standard A, X, B and Y buttons are on the right-hand side and are colour coded green, blue, red and yellow respectively. There is also a Directional pad to the left hand side. The new feature is the Xbox Guide button, which is very efficient and can be used at any point whilst playing. It lights up to show you what player you are just like the lights on the console. It can be pressed to visit the quick menu from where you can view your friends/past players/messages if you are online or you can go to the dashboard quickly, view your gamercard with more options! If you hold this button for a second, you can choose to switch off the console from the comfort of the chair rather than heading to the TV to switch it all off. You can also choose to just switch off the wireless controller. Either side of this guide button are the 'back' and 'start' buttons. Just below the triggers on top are two new buttons - RB and LB standing for right and left button respectively. They are made good use of in many games and work well.

The overall feel of the controller is excellent it looks great. The wireless one is included with the premium and elite console, and I highly recommended you have it too! It is the same as the wired one but wire-free! This enables you to finally walk around freely and without the risk of tripping over wires and yanking out the controller with its wrinkly old cable.

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The Dashboard
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You may be wondering what the hell this is, but it is basically the main menus that you will be taken to once you switch on the console. If you switch it on and suddenly enter a game into the console, then it will start playing it automatically, but you can adjust settings whether you even want to be taken to the dashboard before choosing to play the games or whether you want it to load up the game in the disc tray immediately. On the dashboard, there are five main 'blades' that you can run through, rather like tabs:

Marketplace
Xbox Live
Games
Media
System

The marketplace is only for use with an Xbox live silver trial or gold. Here, you can download game demos, trailers, gamer pictures, gamer themes, updates for games, movies and much more! One of the newer updates is the ability to buy a movie for a certain period of time to watch it for some 'Microsoft points', which can be bought in shops or online. The Xbox Live menu is the main one you are bought to. It will show your gamercard, which I will tell you about soon. If you are logged into Xbox Live, you can go to messages, friends or Live Chat from this menu as well as check up on the Xbox Live update, which is a new feature where you can read through pages of information on the latest news. At the bottom, you can navigate here to click the game and play it.

The games menu will show you everything to do with games. Here, you can view achievements for your games (which are like unlockables that give you Gamerscore). You can also check out all your played games as well as head to your demos to launch them up. The Xbox live arcade is fantastic and is where all your arcade games will be to play. The arcade games are great little games and vary from original games to newly created ones. You can also view game videos here. Under the media tab, you can enter your music, which can be from any device such as an iPod plugged into the console or saved onto the hardrive from a CD. You can also view pictures and videos here and visit the Windows Media Centre. The system section allows you to change console settings, family settings, network settings and also go through the initial setup again. You can also view your memory; configure your Xbox 360 with computers and more! The options are endless and you can do pretty much anything.

The dashboard is a great feature. It has a modern look to it, with each menu being a different colour. It is very easy to run through and read with clear options everywhere. It is bright and fun as well as modern. You can customize your dashboard by changing the theme under your settings. This will change the look of it and colour schemes according to the theme you choose.

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Gamercard, Gamerscore & Achievements
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If you have a Gold Xbox Live subscription, then you can make use of the gamercard and much more. Your gamercard can be customized in various ways. With the latest update, you can add information such as your name, motto and even a short bio of yourself too! You can also choose a gamer picture, which will be visible to other uses. With the Xbox Live Vision Camera, you can take a picture of yourself and use it as your gamer picture. You can view everyone's gamercard's in your past players list when you click their name.

On the gamercard is a number with a special G next to it. This is your Gamerscore, and is increased by earning achievements in games. Every game will have achievements set to it and this is unique to the Xbox 360. It is a good way to tell apart players who have unlocked loads of achievements and played a lot of games from those who don't play as much. Achievements are in every game including Arcade ones, and can be unlocked by anything from completing missions to doing specific things. The achievements are determined by the creators of the game. It is a fantastic system and a great way to make the console more addicting and fun to play with more competition against others!

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Games
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The games for this console are excellent and there are many good exclusive games too. The best-selling release so far is the final game of the Halo trilogy - Halo 3. This is a superb first person shooter and has brilliant gameplay and is much fun. I think that Forza Motorsport 2 is an excellent racing game as well, which is exclusive to the console. With loads of cars and tracks and a tonne to do, this game is endless and you can customize your cars more than ever! Other good games include Call of Duty 2 and 4, but I thought the third wasn't as good. There are loads of other good games such as Mass Effect, Bioshock, Gears of War, Oblivion, Just Cause, Assassin's Creed, Guitar Hero 3, Fifa 08 and many more! The variety of games is fantastic and they all work extremely well with the console with the added bonus of achievements and Xbox Live too! There are more games to come too such as the much-awaited GTA: IV, which was announced for release on the 29th April 2008. The games are fantastic and exclusive ones include Halo 3 and Gears of War, which were huge hits!

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Xbox Live
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This console is nothing without Xbox Live. This is the online service used with the console and can be bought for just over £30 on amazon.co.uk for a year's subscription. It brings endless gameplay and possibilities as you can play online against others around the world, make friends, join clans and enjoy the original online experience of Xbox Live. It is 10 times better than any other online service such as the Playstation 3 version. You may have to pay, but it works ever so well and is so much fun! With the ability to communicate with the headset, you can plan tactics are you work with or fight against players around the world from America to Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Australia and Britain. It is well-worth buying and so much fun to play your favourite games online with others! You can fight against them, race against them and even work together to complete missions and have loads of fun - the best experience ever!

The Xbox live community is pretty friendly in general, but you do get the odd racist or rude guy - normally American. However, more often than not, team work is always present in most games and people are friendly and fun to play with. Considering it is hard for Microsoft to keep an eye on everyone as well as their language, a good enough job is done. You have the ability to report people for everything from cheating to offensive language and these are all looked at. You can also prefer players and avoid them - adjusting your chances of being matched up with them again if you are searching for a game.

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Graphics & Sound
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The graphics for the Xbox 360 are very good in general. Almost every game has stunning graphics, whereas some have outstanding ones such as those in 'Just Cause'. The graphics are very clear and detailed and definitely look like next generation graphics. With the Xbox 360's High Definition capability, you simply must take advantage of it! I have a 42 inch LCD HDTV, which works brilliantly with the console and provides me with the best gaming experience. The graphics are crystal clear for most games and of great realism with the console's ultra power.

The sound in general is very good too. With surround sound, this console is incredible to play. The games put you in such realistic positions that it's amazing! In a shooting game, you can actually feel tension such as in Call of Duty 4 when you are pinned down with heavy fire around you. The excellent gameplay emphasised by the fantastic sound makes gaming a stunning experience. The sound quality for most games is great with good music and appropriate sounds, but this depends on the game itself. A surround sound setup is so worth it with this console as it adds incredible realism to games.

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Why The Xbox 360?
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In my opinion, the Xbox 360 is the best console of this generation. The Playstation 3 is a magnificent console, but it has many drawbacks. The controller is uncomfortable to hold and many PS3 users actually prefer the Xbox 360 controller. It also looks so similar to the PS2 one, it's like it was unchanged! The actual console itself is pretty big and ugly but does have a shiny look. However, the general look and feel cannot beat the Xbox 360's smooth, modern and compact look. Graphic-wise, the PS3 does have slightly better graphics, but they are almost identical. Playstation 3 users boast about blue-ray disc technology, but all this does is increase the prices of the games to ridiculous amounts - the console is expensive enough as it is!

Compared to the Nintendo Wii, it totally wins. It has much better graphics than the Wii's terrible ones and despite the Wii's new way of gaming with a motion-sense controllers, the Xbox 360 has very good games and is much more realistic and enjoyable to play. The Xbox 360 has the best online play you will ever find, represented as the 2nd generation of Xbox Live, which is better than the PS3 and Wii's online services, although you cannot browse the internet as you can do on the other consoles. It feels much better to play and is in the middle of these two consoles. It isn't too expensive and pointless like the PS3, but isn't too cheap with lacking graphics and gameplay like the Wii. It is an excellent console with a good balance. It has magnificent looks with a modern interface and a smooth controller and feel to the console in general with the fantastic Dashboard. It has loads of great exclusive games as well as all multi-format games. The graphics are very good and the sound quality is brilliant, but it isn't too expensive, which brings me onto the cost!

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Cost
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Amazon.co.uk Prices:

Arcade Console: £189.98
Premium Console: £229.99
Elite Console: £279.99

I would highly recommend the premium console as it comes with everything you need, a good hardrive and a wireless controller. The price isn't too bad for what you are getting. It is an excellent quality console and works like a dream! The prices have considerably dropped since release date, which is good too, unlike the newer PS3 with high prices, however the Wii has a lower price. This console will provide you with much fun and enjoyment for the whole family for a price that is well-worth investing in! The games aren't too expensive either with the best ones starting at around £39.99 on amazon.co.uk, but they drop rapidly over time and are cheaper than the PS3 games but more expensive than the Wii games. You can also buy countless accessories, which do come at quite hefty prices but are mostly official ones and work very well such as the Vision Cam, Wireless Headset and Wireless Bridge Connector (for internet).

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CONCLUSION
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The Xbox 360 is the very best console you can buy. It has an excellent balance of quality and expense. The graphics are definitely very effective next generation graphics along with the superb sound quality. There are loads of amazing titles out for the console including the award-winning Halo series' third game: Halo 3. There are countless exclusive games that are brilliant and very original such as Gears of War and Mass Effect. In my opinion, the exclusive games are better than any other console's. The premium version comes with everything you need including a state of the art wireless controller, which brings gaming to the next generation. This controller has a superb feel to it and is very easy to use with appropriate buttons and a fantastic new design. The Dashboard of the console is excellent with tonnes of options and you can listen to music, watch videos and more all on your Xbox 360. Overall, the prices are good, the games are good, it looks great and feels good and can do pretty much anything!

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: The best gaming machine to this date. A lovely smooth look & feel with superb, fun games & more!