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Xbox 360 Impressions - Page One

Prior to November 15th, 2001, Sony and Nintendo ruled the world of console gaming. Granted, there were plenty of previous contenders (Atari, Sega, and 3DO come to mind), but few were able to establish an audience like the two previously mentioned console giants. While Microsoft certainly had the financial backing, the debut of the Xbox was met with plenty of skepticism. During the past four years, though, we've watched as the console continued to grow in market share and a vast assortment of high quality games were added to its arsenal. Due to this growing popularity, it comes as no surprise that the Xbox 360 is one of the most sought-after consoles we've ever seen. Luckily, we were able to get our hands on one of the "premium" versions of the console, so we thought we'd tell you a bit about it.

If you're a role-playing game enthusiast, you probably aren't too concerned about the 360's launch titles. While there are a few great games in the mix, you'd have to be a fan of first-person shooters, racing games, or sports titles to take much interest. However, there is much more to the 360 than just its launch titles. For example, Microsoft's Live Marketplace allows you to download assets such as trailers and images, as well as revamped versions of classic coin-op games and smaller strategy or action/adventure titles. There isn't a whole lot to these games (though a few of them are extremely fun!), so their cost is significantly less than a standard 360 title. To purchase them, you must first buy Microsoft Points, which are currently priced at $6.25 for 500. The classic coin-op titles like Gauntlet, Joust, and Smash TV will each run you 400 Microsoft Points, which puts them at $5.00 each. Other titles, such as the newly released Wik: Fable of Souls, will run you 800 points or $10.00.

The 360�s Ethernet adapter allows it to be easily integrated into your network. By sharing out music files or images from another PC, you can essentially turn the 360 into a multimedia machine. The music player on the 360 will most likely be the center of attention at house parties around the globe. Basically, it allows you to play music files from a CD, DVD, USB drive, or any network share. While the music is playing, you're presented with visualizations that can be cycled through and even changed to full-screen with the gamepad. You've probably already seen something similar when using Windows Media Player, but it's a lot more impressive when you're watching these visualizations in high-definition on a 62" widescreen TV. If you don't care about using a visualization, though, you can just tell the 360 which music to play and then continue browsing the Xbox Live dashboard to view your favorite images or even connect to the Live Marketplace.

All of the above features are accessed through the 360's streamlined dashboard. This new interface is a huge step forward for console systems and I think many people will find that the Xbox 360 has become an essential part of their living room once they've used it. The dashboard itself is made up of four different "blades" (Xbox Live, Games, Media, System) that can be cycled through with the controller's thumbstick or directional pad. From the Xbox Live blade, you can view your profile, chat with friends through messages or voice, and connect to the Xbox Live Marketplace to download games, pictures, and trailers. Under the Games blade, you can view the game's you've played the the achievements you've unlocked, check out game demos and trailers, or connect to the Xbox Live Arcade. The Media blade allows you to listen to music or view pictures from virtually any device, play videos or downloaded game/movie trailers, and even connect to your Media Center PC to record live TV or watch on-demand movies. Finally, the System blade allows you to change the 360's settings for video and audio output, accessing your network, and more.