Let’s skip the witty opening and playful banter and get right to the point. The Xbox 360 is being released today. The wait for the next generation of gaming is over.
Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s widely popular Xbox system, the 360 aims to top it (and its Sony rival) in every aspect. Bigger and better hardware, games and especially the totally revamped Xbox Live system can potentially put the console on top.
As far as hardware, the 360 is a beast. With three 3.2 gHz cpu cores, 512 megs of RAM and the latest video card technology from ATI, the 360 beats the original Xbox tenfold and gives current gaming PCs a run for their money.
Regarding media, Xbox 360 sports a 12X Dual Layer DVD-ROM. There has been some frustration that Microsoft didn’t embrace the newer generation HD-DVD or Blu-Ray media formats, but the truth is that modern games still don’t take advantage of all the storage space that a regular DVD provides. Microsoft felt that it didn’t make economical sense to up the price of the console with storage technology that wasn’t logical. It also stated that it will consider updating the storage device later in the console’s lifespan.
All of this hardware adds up to an average of one Teraflop of floating system performance. But what does all this mean to the average gamer who thinks a Teraflop is some kind of beach-wear? It’s simple: bigger, badder games and peripherals.
Microsoft also chose to include a few different Input/Output options. The 360 includes three USB 2.0 ports, two memory slots (with memory cards starting at 64 megs) and a built in Ethernet port. There is also a detachable (and upgradeable) 20 gigabyte hard drive included with the premium system.
The 360 is WiFi ready with 802.11 A/B and G support (wireless network adapter sold separately).
As for media support, the 360 boasts a slew of features. You’ll be able to stream anything from music and digital photos to video from a Windows XP-based machine.
The 360 also allows you to rip music to your hard drive from either CD’s or portable music players, which will be compatible with the USB ports. So you’ll be able to plug in your iPod and drown out John Madden with John Mayer (although I don’t know why you’d want to).
All of the power and features are enclosed in a curvaceous white box. A bit smaller and less blocky than its elder sibling, the 360 entails a very sleek look. Microsoft also included the ability to remove the faceplate and replace it with any of a number of different styles they offer (or you can paint over your own).
The 360 also includes a bevy of high definition features. Microsoft has set up some minimum specs that every game must meet: 720p, Dolby 5.1 and many other online features. 720p and 1080i are supported out of the box, as well as 16:9 widescreen presentation.
Then there’s the controller. Based on the Xbox’s “Controller S,” the 360’s controller improves on “S”‘s already popular handling. The biggest change is to the black and white buttons. They now take the form of triggers on the shoulder areas of the controller.
But that’s not all. Microsoft listened to the wireless revolution and introduced a wired and wireless version of the controller. For the wireless version, you have to purchase a USB charger cord.
When your batteries run low, the 360 will notify you allowing you to pause, plug in the charger cord, and then keep playing while the 360 recharges your batteries. This also requires that you buy the Microsoft rechargeable battery pack as well. Don’t fret though because the controller supports regular batteries.
The last major change to the controller comes in the mysterious “X” button in the middle of the controller face. This is the Xbox Live Guide button, what Microsoft hopes will be the next revolution in gaming.
It’s not surprising that Microsoft invested as much as it could into the Xbox Live system. Things have changed. A lot. Every 360 will include a Live Silver membership. This means that you’ll get access to the Xbox Live Marketplace and your gaming profiles, as well as text, voice and video messages (although you can only receive them from Gold members). There will also be some massively multiplayer online games available through the Silver membership. To compete online, though, you’ll need the paid Gold membership, which also includes the ability to create video messages, online tournaments, multiplayer gaming and Live special events.
To keep track of stats, Xbox Live now features “Gamerscore.” This feature, which is different for each game, works like this: Each developer comes up with certain challenges in their game. Each challenge, depending on difficulty, is worth a certain number of points. Completing these challenges awards the player points, which he can then spend in the Xbox Live Marketplace.
The Marketplace is a hub in Live where you’re able to download trailers, demos, skins, themes and more. A lot of stuff will be free, but there are some things that will have to be paid for. Needless to say, Microsoft is betting on Live being the selling feature of the 360 more than the pretty graphics.
After much rumor and speculation, Microsoft announced that the initial backwards compatibility will include 200 games with more on the way.
All this power and functionality must come at a steep price. There will be two different systems introduced at launch: Premium and Core. The Premium system will be priced at $399 and include the Xbox 360, 20 gig hard drive, one wireless controller, a headset for Live, a component HD AV cable, detachable faceplate, Ethernet cable and for a limited time, a media remote controller. The Core system will include the Xbox 360, one wired controller, detachable faceplate and a standard AV cable. It will be priced at $299. Each kit also includes the Silver Xbox Live membership.