Xbox 360 initial impressions

[falcon]

Gaming Nexus (http://www.gamingnexus.com/Default.aspx?Section=Article&I=935) has their initial impressions up of the XBox 360. They show you step by step how to transfer your live account from your old XBox to the new 360.

We'll have our impression up here Monday.

[Paranoia]

The guy from Gaming Nexus really needs an HDTV. I could barely read the text of his X360!

[makkura]

hmm so close, just a few days now....

[notcivx]

WHAT A PROFESSIONAL XBOX 360 ARTICLE

Oh wait.

[makkura]

i guess you can do better.

oh wait...

[notcivx]

I probably could.

[Orz]

Friend of mine won one in that Pepsi challenge thing. Got it Tuesday. S'nice. The whole desktop menu thing is slick. I personally, however, think anyone who buys one now or in the next 4 months is a little silly. Same for any new console.

[falcon]

Sorry about the pics, it's a 7 year old WEGA which is why the pictures are so crummy, I'm going to try and pic up a 360/VGA cable this afternoon and take some HD pics on the LCD monitor.

[makkura]

don't let his comment get to you falcon, its a good article, i appreciate people who take their free time to do that kind of thing FOR FREE.

edit: i'm also interested in getting the vga adapter but i wanna use it for my projector, do you think the image will be better ? i've read that my projector is hd compatible but i don't see how, my model is a benq pb 6100, its not a high end projector but it does the job.

[KidCactus]

Why is there a small black hand on the wireless controller?

[Kelegacy]

You know, as much as I criticize the 360 (I mean, I have to, Evil Avatar needs some balance, man!) those controllers really appeal to me. I think that's one thing MS improved upon to truly please their fans. I thought that the Dual Shock 1/2 controller (and still do in some respects) was one of the best I've ever held, but after getting rid of my shitty original Xbox controller and picking up an S I grew to love it. There are a few little quibbles that I don't enjoy, especially when it comes to certain genres of games, but when I go back to my PS2 the Dual Shock feels tiny and less comfortable. Of course, that's going to happen anytime you jump from one controller to another, but I really responded well to the S. The 360 looks to further the Xbox controller odyssey and I for one am ready to hold one in my hairy palms and game away.

The PS3 controller...I'll reserve judgement, but so far I'm unimpressed.

[bapenguin]

You know, as much as I criticize the 360 (I mean, I have to, Evil Avatar needs some balance, man!) those controllers really appeal to me. I think that's one thing MS improved upon to truly please their fans. I thought that the Dual Shock 1/2 controller (and still do in some respects) was one of the best I've ever held, but after getting rid of my shitty original Xbox controller and picking up an S I grew to love it. There are a few little quibbles that I don't enjoy, especially when it comes to certain genres of games, but when I go back to my PS2 the Dual Shock feels tiny and less comfortable. Of course, that's going to happen anytime you jump from one controller to another, but I really responded well to the S. The 360 looks to further the Xbox controller odyssey and I for one am ready to hold one in my hairy palms and game away.

The PS3 controller...I'll reserve judgement, but so far I'm unimpressed.

Just wait till you get to hold the new ones...they are so friggin light, and the rumble is amazing. It's like there's more "Detail" in the rumble from them. Good stuff.

[Kelegacy]

Just wait till you get to hold the new ones...they are so friggin light, and the rumble is amazing. It's like there's more "Detail" in the rumble from them. Good stuff.

I would have already if the goddamn goons at Wal-Mart (I hate the store with a passion, but had to go there the other day with another person) would let someone else try the games out for a minute. When the Electronics clerks weren't looking, I knocked down a kiosk hog and started teabagging him, screaming in his face that it was my turn. The security guards came running so I booked it. I still didn't get a chance to try out the controller. Then again, it's goddamn attached to the kiosk, so it probably wouldn't have felt as pure.

[gojira]

The Boston Globe has an article (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/11/19/want_an_xbox_360_wait_a_year/) up also. Short summary: Condemmed is quite good, but most gamers should wait before buying the 360.

[Morratut]

Good article Falcon. I like the info about the power supply being in the middle of the cable. I may have to sort out my cabinet :confused:

I hope the 360 isn't noisier than the Xbox. :(

[TheBrainKills]

"When you download something off Xbox Live it looks like you are stuck on that screen while you are downloading it (i.e. no playing something while something download in the background). I would think you can do this but I haven’t figured it out yet. Not a big deal when downloading 35 meg arcade demo but kind of a big deal when you want to pull down a 500+ meg real game demo"

Is this true? Twould be a bummer.

[Kelegacy]

The Boston Globe has an article (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/11/19/want_an_xbox_360_wait_a_year/) up also. Short summary: Condemmed is quite good, but most gamers should wait before buying the 360.

Thanks for that link. That article is much more sensible than the NY Post one, but still comes up with the same conclusion.

At least that's what the game geeks tell themselves. Actually, any gamer with a lick of sense cares little about that stuff. What matters are the games. How long before there's a title worthy of the 360's ferocious computing power, something that'll really make it sweat?

Don't plan on buying such a game Tuesday, even if you buy the Xbox 360 to play it on. There are some nice titles ready for the launch, but forget about your quantum leaps. What you've got here is mostly more of the same, plus some more eye shadow.

But hardly any more fun than you'd get from an equivalent game run on last year's consoles.

Don't let me scare you off. If you want an Xbox 360, by all means, get one. Then put it in a closet and wait a year. The hardware won't improve over time, but the games certainly will.

[falcon]

Why is there a small black hand on the wireless controller?

It's just a sticker that tells you can use the X button to turn the unit on. I took the pic that way since it was kind of funny.

[mister_slim]

You know, as much as I criticize the 360 (I mean, I have to, Evil Avatar needs some balance, man!) those controllers really appeal to me. I think that's one thing MS improved upon to truly please their fans.
Yeah, they fixed most everything that bothered me about the S. I wish price was a little better, and the kinda-wireless thing is annoying, but the ergnomics are much better. I think it would be improved by making the buttons slightly more like the GC's face buttons, but I still need something to bitch about I guess.

[codswallop]

I thought that the Dual Shock 1/2 controller (and still do in some respects) was one of the best I've ever held, but after getting rid of my shitty original Xbox controller and picking up an S I grew to love it.
Not having held the Xbox360 controller, I have to say that personally, the Wavebird is the best controller of the lot, so far.

It's comfortable, responsive, light, and the plastic is good for people who get sweaty palms while playing. The analogue controls are precise and the movement of the stick is spot on. IMO the Xbox controller S is none of these things.

[Kelegacy]

I love the Wavebird, but the button layout on the Nintendo controller sometimes feels out of place. I especially hate the purple Z button. Also, the C-controls/ buttons I haven't enjoyed since they were implemented in the N64.

I have personally had no problems with the Gamecube controller, but it certainly never really impressed me. Maybe that's a good thing, that I've ignored it while I play. Nothing attrocious to make me think or complain about, like the goddawful button layout of the original Xbox controller. Holy shit, a cockeyed bastard must have spent overtime developing that hunk of manure.

[absolut taco]

Friend of mine won one in that Pepsi challenge thing. Got it Tuesday. S'nice. The whole desktop menu thing is slick. I personally, however, think anyone who buys one now or in the next 4 months is a little silly. Same for any new console.
Are you fucking retarded? If no one buys a console when it's new, that console won't be around 4 months later! You should thank me for buying at launch so that you can get one cheaper down the road ;)

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Thanks for the article Falcon..I'll be playing mine on Tuesday.

As far as waiting to buy a console, I've never been able to do it. The enhancements graphically are significant enough for me to warrant buying it. The new Xbox Live and marketplace features are fun. Most games that are coming out for Xbox now will be 360 compatible...plus every game is bumped up to 720p w/AA. The controller is superior (I have played a non-attached wireless controller at IGN Live and it is sweet) it comes with HD cables....and you can still burn your music to the HD.
The only argument to not buying a system now is that the price will drop and the games will get better. I can assure you, that I will get the $50 to $100 dollars worth of entertainment from now until the first price drop. If the first price drop is $50 in 4 months, then it will cost me .41-.42 cents per day...I'll pay that. Double that number and I'd still pay it. That little third world kid will just....nevermind, that was just too callous.
As for the games being marginally better, in some ways that is true. But other games are very much better...like PGR3. Since most games will look better, I'll be playing the better version (even if marginally so).

[Heretic Machine]

The new controllers are definetly pretty hot. I loved the original XBOX controller, but this is the most 'solid' controller I've ever held. It just feels very sturdy, though it's probably not. The biggest improvment has to be the removal of the black/white buttons in favor of shoulder buttons above the triggers. My one complaint is that I tend to hit the -X- button when I mean to hit start, thus bringing up the little universal menu.