A Gamer's look at Xbox 360

by Shooshy

Four years ago Microsoft spawned a little black unit that not only rocked our gaming world but created a new world we call “Live”. Xbox brought a unique arsenal to the lounge room via the inclusion of a hard drive and a new dimension in online gaming. The next generation in the evolution of gaming is about to hit us in the form of the Xbox 360 – but exactly what can and will this baby do?

The immediately obvious enhancement comes in the form of superior graphics. I know nothing when it comes to the astro-physics of technically-named new graphics techniques but having seen videos of games like Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Project Gotham Racing 3, the realism looks absolutely stunning. Add High Definition to the equation and we’re talking gorgeous gaming that rivals high end gaming PCs. It’s also worth noting we’re only at the start of the journey – if these games look amazing now, imagine how good they’ll look once developers work out how to milk the 360 for all its worth (think Halo vs Halo 2 in terms of looks).

Fundamentalists will argue that eye candy does not make a game – it’s all about gameplay. The sheer grunt and flexible architecture of the 360 will allow the creative minds out there the freedom to sculpt games as they should be made. Single player is where gaming started, Multi-Player really came of age on Live but the term “COOP” will be redefined in this generation. COOP used to be about playing a single Player Campaign with one other person. Splinter Cell : Chaos Theory gave us a taste of things to come and games like Perfect Dark Zero and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter will start pushing COOP to places we’ve never been. Just imagine playing with several other gamers though missions specifically designed for teamwork. Games will also start branching out more than ever before - just like those Chose your own Adventure books we use to read as kids. Choices you make will dictate the path of the game and the freedom presented to the developers will ultimately become your own.

What about Xbox Live? On the current console, Live presented a fluent, simple yet powerful portal to online gaming in the comfort of your own lounge. Live on the 360 takes us the next step maintaining all the goodies that worked well and adding features that sound even better. Gamers can now open private chat channels to friends who don’t even need to be in the same game. The Marketplace allows gamers to download and purchase all sorts of goodies ranging from smaller Arcade Games to demos and extra maps/levels for existing games. Interaction with the Web, a plethora of available stats and ranking, security settings (i.e. parental control) and a free, albeit limited, second tier of Live (gold / silver accounts) only stand to further Live’s lead in the domain of online console gaming.

Although gaming is where it’s at when it comes to consoles, the 360 also presents itself as the ultimate media centre. This round the remote is included (with Premium Console) making the unit quite a versatile DVD player – but that’s not all. Music & video can be streamed directly from a PC and techno gadgets such as PSP’s, iPods and other USB devices simply plug straight into the back of the 360. Your own music can be played ANY time on any game by simply bringing up one of the “blades” (menu options). Connecting to your pc can either be done via a network cable or unobtrusive wireless adapter.

Speaking of wireless, gamers now have the option of buying first party wireless controllers that not only look and feel sleeker than ever, but also have the ability to power on/off your console. Freedom of choice is not only present in the software and games of this unit, but in the ability to customize your hardware. Do you need a hard disk? Do you want wireless? Do you want to change the look of your 360 via themed faceplates?

This is an exciting time for gamers as the 360 is about to take us to the next level. Get ready for a world of High Definition believably real visuals and immersive digital sound. Get ready to customise your console as you want it and play games the way you want to. Get ready for the Xbox 360.

See you all on Live…