Xbox 360: Always Connected, Always Sexy

We in the gaming press (and especially us here at Xbox Users Group) truly have amazing jobs. As part of our work, we get to see games that are not in the shops yet. We get sent trailers and screens of new games and get scoops about our adored consoles.

But what I'll never forget was the first moment I saw the smooth lines of Xbox 360™. It took me by surprise. Forget all the techie talk, forget all the lists of features, forget the games, just close your eyes and think where you will put this sensation. In my daydream, anywhere I positioned the Xbox 360, it made my house and the room look better.

Two of the most innovative design firms in the world—San Francisco-based Astro Studios and Osaka, Japan-based Hers Experimental Design Laboratory Inc.—came together to craft a sleek, stylish system that conveys the very essence of Xbox 360. Jonathan Hayes, Xbox 360 Design Director, and his whole team did a perfect job.

Behold the elegant and sexy design.

Indeed, as Jonathan Hayes puts it, like the inhale of a Martial Artist before a burst of power, the Xbox 360 is waiting to erupt, after gathering all the adrenaline from a room. I'm convinced the Xbox 360 will become the design focal point of many home entertainment systems.

In comes Microsoft® with their service capabilities to lift the Xbox 360 system to even greater heights. Don't forget the Xbox 360 will not only deliver next-generation gaming but also takes digital entertainment and communications to a whole new level.

It amplifies your music, photos, video, and TV. Watch progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. Xbox 360 instantly streams the digital media stored on your MP3 player, digital camera, or PC with Windows Media Center. The possibilities are endless. Could we wish for more?

We'll go deeper into the flawless integration with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, in one of our next articles.

Furthermore, you're always connected—all you need is a broadband connection. This time around, everyone is connected. Microsoft calls it the only unified place where you can play with anyone, anytime, anywhere. They couldn't be more correct.

Xbox Live® Gold membership will put you directly in the world of multiplayer online gaming. Xbox Live Gold members enjoy intelligent matchmaking, access to achievements and statistics, video chat and video messaging (coming in 2006), and a massive collection of games. The new Xbox.com website is ready to support all these amazing features. On your Xbox 360, on the Xbox.com Site and Forums you can express your digital identity through your gamertag and gamer card.

I'm very excited about the video chat and video messaging service that will be launched next year. We all have filled friends list, but how many of us have met those friends in real life? This will further boost the already strong community feeling that Xbox Live has created.

At X05 Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division and chief Xbox officer at Microsoft, described it as follows: "Xbox 360 is the world's most powerful high-definition video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games and the next generation of Xbox Live. In addition, as the ultimate digital amplifier in the home, Xbox 360 will enable consumers to connect to digital cameras, portable music players and Windows XP-based PCs to enjoy integrated entertainment experiences that simply can't be matched."

What about the games? People keep asking me whether or not I'm excited about the games. Sure I am, more than you can imagine. Games like Perfect Dark Zero™, Project Gotham Racing® 3, Top Spin™ 2, Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon® 3, and many others will keep my wife, the kids, and I occupied for a very long time. But what excites me even more is the total concept and the gaming experience and the way Microsoft has brought this to the community.

A lot of developers have embraced Xbox 360. And I'm pleased to see that. Next to Microsoft, developers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Playlogic, and a lot more are really listening and consulting with not only members of the gaming press but also with gamers, the building blocks of the community.

This time Microsoft is not just launching a new console. They are launching pure vision enclosed in a work of art. Microsoft came to the crossroad, and they have, beyond doubt, chosen the right path.

Article by Frederik De Breuck, Xbox Users Group