Hard Drive Extras

The Xbox 360™ Hard Drive is, in and of itself, a vastly useful bit of hardware. Sure, it houses your saved games, music playlists, downloaded content, and other media, but it you'll also find this baby is loaded with great stuff: gamer pictures for your gamer card, themes for your dashboard menu, movies (like a six-and-a-half minute behind the scenes look at the making of Xbox 360), and even a free Xbox Live® Arcade game.

Gamer Picture
This icon exists on your gamer card, visible to all on Xbox Live and online when you sign up for My Xbox here at Xbox.com. Get your gamer card here if you don't have one already. The hard drive comes pre-loaded with a great variety of gamer pictures to help give you a unique identity. Look for thumbnail-sized appearances from some of your favorite game characters as well as interesting, artful, and just plain odd designs in their own right.

Some icon samples.

Dashboard Theme
Much like desktop themes on your PC, Xbox 360 Dashboard themes will spice up your menu navigation. You'll find many available in Xbox Live Marketplace, but the hard drive is packed with several to get you started. Entries from developers Team Ninja, Bungie, and Bizarre Creations are featured … I'll leave just what that means to your imagination.

Xbox Live Arcade Freebie
Hard drive owners will find Hexic HD, the new puzzle entry from acclaimed designer Alexey Pajitnov (creator of Tetris) already installed. Beyond addictive gameplay, Hexic also offers a great introduction to the casual gaming world of Xbox Live Arcade, and even boasts achievements in its own right, so you can get to work on your Gamerscore right away!

Instant Playlist
Music enthusiasts are also in for a rare treat, as 12 popular songs from such groups as Marcy's Playground, Z-Trip, Head Automatica, and Funeral for a Fried are preloaded onto the hard drive.

Music enthusiasts are also in for a rare treat, as 12 popular songs from such groups as Marcy Playground, New Order, Head Automatica, and Funeral for a Friend are preloaded onto the hard drive. Here's the full breakdown of songs available on the hard drive from the get go:

• Furious by Z-Trip
• Punk Rock Superstar by Marcy Playground
• Band-Girls-Money by Tsar
• Shallow by Porcupine Tree
• Drive Away by Gratitude
• Pressure by Skindred
• Happens all the Time by Cold
• Get Up by Unwritten Law
• Streetcar by Funeral for a Friend
• Brother by Dark New Day
• The Razor by Head Automatica
• Krafty by New Order

An example of the free theme for PGR 3.

Movie Time
The Xbox 360 hard drive also boasts some interesting short movies, all in High Definition, to wrap your eyes around. They are:

• A Look Inside Xbox 360, from Microsoft Corp: This nearly seven minute movie will take you behind the scenes, and give you the inside track on just what went into creating Xbox 360.
  
• Preview: Warren Miller Films, from Warren Miller Entertainment: Like the title suggests, this seven minute video provides a taste of what to expect from Higher Ground, the latest movie from skiing and snowboard guru and legendary filmmaker Warren Miller. Look for Higher Ground at a special event near you, this winter!
  
• Impossible Field, from adidas-Saloman AG: This one minute short offers a brief but exhilarating look at some of the world’s greatest soccer players at the top of their game.
  
• Rebuilding Titanic, from Twentieth Century Fox/Paramount Pictures: This 16 minute feature takes you behind the scenes for a compelling look at the visual-effects wizardry and innovation required to recreate the Titanic for the highest-grossing film of all time (newly released on special edition DVD in High-Definition).

Whether it's a dashboard theme for your favorite games, company-specific gamer card icons, downloadable movies, music, or the free Xbox Live Arcade game that gets you pumped, the hard drive gets you started in the right direction with great content.

Article by Alex McLain