Technical Standpoint

For all of the technical buffs out there, I’ve compiled a brief list of the Xbox 360’s most important specifications.

 

Custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU
- 3 symmetrical cores at 3.2 GHz each
- 2 hardware threads per core
- 1 VMX-128 vector unit per core
- 1 MB L2 cache

Custom ATI Graphics Processor
- 500 MHz
- 10 MB embedded DRAM
- 48-way parallel floating-point shader pipelines
- Unified shader architecture

Memory
-512 MB GDDR3 RAM

While the Xbox 360 is clearly a powerful machine, there are a few drawbacks to having such demanding components. The biggest thing gamers are complaining about is the “power brick”, the 360’s beastly power supply. This external supply resembles a brick in both weight and shape, and it also draws a lot of power compared to previous consoles. For example, the Xbox 360 draws 160 watts of power, while the original Xbox uses 74 and Playstation 2 uses a mere 50 watts. In addition, many 360 owners have been having their system display artifacts and freeze during gameplay, while some gamers have had problems turning their 360 on at all! This usually occurs when the power supply overheats, and while a clever individual came up with the idea of suspending the power supply in mid-air to help dissipate heat better, sometimes you need to unplug everything for a while and let it all cool down. (Editors note: I have used six UK xbox 360's and the power supplies have all ran no higher than warm over long durations of gaming, none have had issues or needed to be turned off for "cooling down" periods.)

While the overheating issues outside of the Xbox are prevalent, it’s hard to believe that anything could overheat from inside of the console due to all of the fans. Once you pop in a game and begin playing, all of the fans inside enter overdrive and produce a lot of noise. While the blaring fans can easily go unheard if your volume is up high enough, the amount of sound they produce is a little on the excessive side.

Accessory Goodness

Along with just the console, a handful of accessories are included with the core and premium packages.

Core Package
- Xbox 360 Console
- 1 Wired Controller
- 1 Composite AV Cable

Premium Package
- Xbox 360 Console with Premium Chrome Finish
- 20GB Hard Drive
- 1 Wireless Controller
- Xbox Live Headset
- Component HD AV Cable
- Ethernet Cable

Clearly, the premium package makes a lot more sense to buy, but considering the widespread console shortages sometimes the core may be the only one in reach. If you do get stuck purchasing a core Xbox 360, then you should be prepared to fork over a lot of cash for some new equipment. The 20GB hard drive alone retails for $100, which makes up for the entire price difference. The component HD cables necessary for playing in high-definition are selling for $40 now, and the headsets even cost $20. Losing an Ethernet cable isn’t a major loss, but it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra one just in case. Wireless controllers cost $10 more than the wired controllers too, so core gamers will unfortunately be corded to their console for the time being.

The HD Era

One of the major selling points behind the 360 is its capability for playing games in high definition. Microsoft is requiring games to be authored in both 720p and 1080i, as well as having all of them optimized for viewing in the16:9 widescreen viewing ratio. If you don’t have an HDTV to game on, Xbox 360 games will still play fine, but if you don’t have a widescreen television then you’ll have to deal with black bars above and below the gaming screen. Those of you fortunate enough to have an HDTV will be able to experience the next generation of gaming with higher resolutions and improved textures. To go along with high definition visuals, the Xbox 360 also has support for interactive Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, allowing players to truly immerse themselves into the game. Rumour is that Playstation 3 will not have a dedicated dolby sound chip so aurally the Xbox 360 appears to be a superior design.

Storage Devices

There are currently two supported storage devices for the Xbox 360; the 64MB memory card and the 20GB hard drive. The hard drive retails for $100 while the memory card retails for $40, so obviously it’s much better value to purchase a hard drive. Unfortunately, due to shortages many have succumbed to either buying a memory card or forking over hundreds of dollars on eBay for a hard drive. Either way, it doesn’t make much sense to have an Xbox 360 without some type of storage device.

The 64MB memory card will be enough to allow you to play on Xbox Live, save some game files, and even download a few items off of the Xbox Live Marketplace. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to download any Xbox 360 game demos or most of the high definition trailers. It really isn’t easy to recommend someone to purchase the memory card, but if you just can’t get your hands on the hard drive then this is your only other option.

If you manage to obtain the coveted Xbox 360 hard drive, then you’ll certainly be in for a treat. With it, you’ll be able to save games, save music files, pictures, and videos, and download official Xbox 360 game demos off of the Marketplace, play over Xbox Live, and enjoy backwards compatibility! Hard drive owners should be quick to notice that there is only 13GB of free space because the emulators used for backwards compatibility take up a lot of space. Another benefit of owning a hard drive is being able to try out games such as Need for Speed: Most Wanted or FIFA Soccer 06.

The Dashboard

The Xbox 360’s dashboard can be accessed if no discs are present in the drive or if you decide to quit a game. The dashboard allows you to manage Xbox Live, game, media, and system settings for your console.

The Xbox Live tab allows you to manage gamer profiles, look to see if your friends are online, read and send messages, and access the Marketplace. The friends feature has been seen before, but the new Marketplace clearly shows where the 360 shows how next-gen it really is. Available downloads include demos of retail Xbox 360 games, access to the Xbox Live Arcade, themes, songs, and trailers to name a few. The Xbox Live Arcade consists of all types of games from your retro 80’s favorites like Gauntlet to newly developed addicting titles like Outpost Kaloki X. Demos of these games can be downloaded as well, so you can try them out before you fork over some of your Microsoft Points. Microsoft Points are the currency of Xbox Live, and at the moment 1,600 points will cost you $20 USD. Arcade games cost around 800 points a piece, and it’s really easy to diminish your funds quickly. Themes can be downloaded relatively inexpensively and can give your dashboard a more personal feel as opposed to using the stock layout. Lastly, you can customize your Gamers Card with special icons as well, which other gamers online will be able to see.

The games tab keeps track of your Gamers Card, achievements, and played games. A Gamers Card will show how many achievement points you’ve unlocked, your overall online reputation, and what type of people you like to play against. Achievements can be unlocked during a game by completing a special objective, finding a hidden easter egg, or by simply making it to a certain point throughout a campaign. Each retail game has a total of 1,000 points that can be earned, and this value varies for the Arcade games. During the initial setup, different gamer zones can be selected based upon what type of player you are. Zones include a recreational zone for standard players, a family zone geared towards younger kids, and a pro zone for the more experienced players. No matter what zone you decide to choose, other players can leave you feedback after every game to let others know if you’re a worthy opponent. If you play by the rules and put up a good fight you should receive positive feedback, but if you play dirty and talk too much trash you might receive a negative review. Once enough reviews have been accumulated, other gamers should be able to decide whether or not they’d like to play with you after checking your reputation.

The media tab keeps track of all of your music, photos, and videos and allows people with Windows Media Center Edition and a wireless network adapter to stream multimedia directly from their PC. For all of the hard drive owners, the media section will allow to save songs and create playlists that can be used to override in-game soundtracks. Photos and videos can also be saved and viewed in high definition if you have the right equipment, which can be much more appealing than staring at some out-of-date monitor. If you’re unable to pick up a hard drive at the moment, there are still a handful of USB devices that can be hooked up to the 360 as an alternative, including Sony’s PSP and the iPod Video.

Finally, the system tab is used mostly during the initial console setup but still needs to be taken note of. Here you can choose languages, determine your audio and visual settings, manage your storage and network devices, and setup parental controls. Setting up high definition is easy, and as long as you have the appropriate cables the whole setup process should run smoothly. Having an overview of your storage devices displays all of your devices’ contents in an organized manner, making it easy to decide what can stay and what needs to go. The parental controls can block the younger kids from playing certain games based on their rating and can easily be turned off if you know the right code. Unless you hook up to a new television or buy a new surround sound setup, the system settings tab generally won’t be used all that much.

Controllers

The new Xbox 360 controller has been redesigned immensely to create an overall comfortable gaming controller. Whether you have a wireless or corded setup, it’s obvious that Microsoft decided that the bulky Xbox controllers had to be done away with. The new and improved devices have left and right trigger and bumper buttons, two analog sticks, one D-pad, A, X, Y, B, Start and Select buttons, and the new Guide button. The Guide button has a multitude of purposes. Not only does it allow you to turn the console on and off from far away, but it also allows you to quickly view Xbox Live information, adjust personal settings, and even select new songs. Because of this, you can quickly check to see who’s online during the middle of a game and invite them to join you without having to navigate through a slew of menus.

While both of the Microsoft controllers certainly perform well, there are some third party solutions if you aren’t willing to spend $40 or $50 for one controller. The Xbox 360 Game Pad Pro from Mad Catz is a corded controller for $35 that has rubberized grips and low-riding analog sticks for added comfort and precision. The Neo SE Advanced Controller from Joytech has a slightly modified button layout and should be retailing for only $30! The Nitro Racing Wheel, also from Joytech, is the first wheel to hit the market with rubberized grips and stick shifter and dual vibration feedback. The MC2 Racing Wheel is still in the works at Mad Catz, also has dual vibration feedback and specially designed pedals that shouldn’t slip when you apply the throttle or brake.

The standard Microsoft Universal Media Remote has backlit buttons that easily allow for DVD playback and dashboard navigation on the 360. The Guide and A, X, Y, B buttons are present for control, and this remote even has the ability to act as a universal TV remote, all for about $30. If you really want to go all out and have a lot of devices to manage, then the Logitech Harmony Remote for $130 is perfect for you. Although it is on the pricy side, with it you’ll be able to control any of the 80,000 preprogrammed IR devices with ease. The interactive LED display makes navigating for any device a lot easier, and luckily there is a help button just in case there is a certain feature that you’re having trouble controlling.

Gaming Library

From the start the 360 can play hundreds of games if you include backwards compatible Xbox games and the Xbox Live Arcade games as well, but of the18 launch titles, most of were ports. The Xbox 360 exclusive games like Project Gotham Racing 3 and Kameo: Elements of Power were developed solely for the 360 and were able to show off what the system is capable of. Unfortunately, a majority of the 360 games can be found on other consoles as well. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because games like Need for Speed: Most Wanted look incredible on an HDTV, but it certainly does take away from the next generation appeal.

This might turn some away from running out and buying themselves a new Xbox right away, but the game library is going to improve leaps and bounds in the upcoming months. Dead or Alive 4 has already been released, continuing one of the greatest fighting series to date. The new addition to the Tom Clancy series scheduled for release in March should sell very well, and innovative games like Full Auto will surely be a blast. Some of the launch titles didn’t turn out so well, such as Quake 4 and Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, but games like Perfect Dark Zero and Ridge Racer 6 truly show how great the Xbox 360 can be. While it’s ultimately up to the game developers to determine the fate of the 360’s library, a few cutting edge games currently available along with many original games planned make the Xbox 360’s future very bright.

Conclusion

Overall, the Xbox 360 is a great deal even if it’s used only for gaming. Reports are stating that each console could be costing Microsoft about $715 each, and it would cost the average gamer a lot more to create a PC equally powerful. In addition, the 360 is showing its next-gen characteristics with its various multimedia features, HD gameplay, and the new Marketplace system. Although it’s too early to see if the Xbox 360 will win the new console battle between the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution, you can definitely be sure that you’ll be getting a great deal if you purchase an Xbox 360.