I have owned an Xbox 360 for around 4 years now and have used it a lot during this period of time. This is not going to be like one of my normal reviews where I go through each feature etc as there are far too many features and it would read more like a book than a snappy review.

The primary functionality of the Xbox 360 when it was introduced was as Microsoft's attempt at next-gen gaming and so, it's purpose was to play games of which it does very well. It comes with everything you need to get playing in the box, apart from games but most are now sold as part of bundles with some games included.

However, more recently, Microsoft have shifted the Xbox 360 into a more all-round entertainment system and this has vastly improved the system for many people as the more features the better considering that the updates are obviously free. Thus, now included on the Xbox 360 are applications such as 4oD, BBC Iplayer, Vevo, Youtube and many more. They are planning to add an internet browser as well in the near future.

One drawback for some people of this is that to use these applications, you will require Xbox Live Gold membership which costs money. For me, this is not an issue as I wish to play my games online so would get this anyway. This may be an issue for some but Gold membership is actually very cheap if you buy from the Xbox when they offer you deals. For example, I got my last 2 months for just £2. Note thst you will have to disable auto-renew to prevent this going on to a much more expensive deal after the 2 months.

One important point for many gamers is the controller. I find the Xbox 360 controller to be the best controller that I have ever used. It fits comfortably in your hands although it may not if you have small hands. It has two triggers which are very important for racing games in getting precision driving going, and the position of the left analogue stick is a great improvement over the PS3 controller in my opinion.

Overall, I would give this console a 10/10 as it has been reliable and has provided me with months (literally) of great entertainment. Many people claim reliability issues with the 360 but I have never had such an issue with the console itself. I did have a broken fan in a power pack which made a horrible racket but I replaced this very easily. There is a wide back catalogue of games to pick up and play for very cheap after 7 years of Xbox 360 gaming and is a steal at around £100 which you can pick one up for now.