Ureview by: stinkipete
Ureview points: 12
Ureviewer since: February 2006
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Reviewed On: Wednesday February 15, 2006
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10 | Recommends product: Yes
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Intro:
In general, I am thoroughly satisfied with the xbox360. The graphical quality is awesome, and some of the features are stunning. Everything that the original xbox offered, the 360 adds to and improves.
Interface:
The 360's "dashboard" is made up of four "blades", each containing data and options regarding a particular section of the console: xbox live, games, media and system. Accompanying the dashboard is the xbox "guide", accessible via (you guessed it) the guide button, and this provides instant access to general system options (including colour scheme/theme, profile options and controller power levels etc...), a music player (where music can be played from either the HDD or an MP3 player), profile information (including gamerscore - explained later, current status and also live information such as friends online and messages etc.).
This mix of interface methods makes for a fully immersive and interactive experience. Check the pics for a taste of what it's like!
Customisation:
Almost every aspect of the 360 is customisable, the main areas being:
Faceplate: Change the 360's exterior to suit your style.
Dashboard/Guide: Change the colour of your guide and your dashboard's "wallpaper" to suit the games you play, your mood, anything!
Profile: You can change your Gamer Picture, Motto and (perhaps one of the more innovative features) you can now change your gamer zone. There are four gamer zones available on xbox live: Pro, Recreation, Family and Underground, and each zone is fairly self-explanatory. Your gamer zone doesn't only let other gamers know how you play, but also makes sure that you play with gamers that are of a similar style. So, if I was a teeny-bopper FPS freak on a caffeine buzz, I may just want to stay in the underground. Or, if I was a chilled-out Carribean dude, I think Recreation would be the place for me.
Features:
The 360 has many new features, accompanying many improvements of features previously seen in the original xbox.
The most prominent feature of the 360 is its outstanding live service, which hasn't changed all that greatly from the Live we all knew and loved on the original xbox. The added functionality of the 360 live service (ie. More accesible friends list, and an overall live menu instead of games developing their own from scratch) adds to the accesibility and overasll ease of use. One annoyance in this area is the fact that with a previous-gen game (eg. Halo 2), you have to insert that game and drag through its live menus. This was commonplace with the original box, but is now an unnecessary annoyance, one of a mere few. However, this sceptisism must not go uncommented on, as it was only a few weeks prior to launch that Microsoft even mentioned any possibility of any backwards compatibility whatsoever.
The xbox live marketplace is one area that has suffered no drawbacks and has acheived major advances, with promise of more in the future. The introduction of microsoft points as an online currency has opened up many more options for the user, meaning that you don't have to enter credit card details every time, and you don't have to buy a large "map pack" just so that the price stays above the lowest limit for your card. Also, the use of points makes the service seem all that less real. If I', spending 60 MS Points on a gamer picture, in all honesty, I have no idea whatsoever of how many of my precious pennies I'm wasting, which really is upto you to decide whether you think it's a good or bad thing.
So, in all, the 360 is a fantastic looking, HD Media Hub that is fully compatible with all the latest technology. It's the console of choice for online multiplayer gaming, and with its gamer zones and matchmaking services you're sure to find people who want to play just like you.
The only things that you have to worry about before purchasing is the cost of the console and the games (I suggest an online retailer for games), and make sure you've got somewhere to keep it where the power supply wont cause a nuclear meltdown:p
I'd planned on saying more, but ideas ran short and I couldn't be bothered to save it and do it tommorrow:)
stinki:p.../
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| Pros: Amazing graphics, very customisable, sleek looks, great operating software, fantastic services. Overall a great console package. |
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| Cons: Price of console and games, heating (and thus overheating), availability. |
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