Xbox 360 - First Impressions
In a word, WOW! I've only had a chance to play with the 360 a few times (including mine and Krudd's 14 hour Gears session) but its been a great experience so far. As a owner of the original Xbox, I could tell that Microsoft went all out to correct any shortcomings the first revision had and improve on its strengths. The smaller controllers are much improved and the wireless aspect is very liberating. The console itself seems to be smaller and lighter as well. I also like the design, looks much more modern and sleek looking than the "fat" original console.
The setup was foolproof. Just connect the supplied component video cable to my display. There is a small switch on the cable itself to switch between TV mode (480i) and HDTV mode (480p and higher). I'm still not sure why it requires a manual switch since the Wii component cables can switch between 480i/480p automatically. Kruddler is right about the power supply, it's huge (almost as long as the console itself) but it easily hides itself in my A/V cabinet.
The console itself is surprisingly quiet (especially after hearing all the complaints about it being too loud). Microsoft supposedly switched to a quieter DVD-ROM drive with these new models which seems to have helped keep the noise level down while a DVD is spinning. In any event, its not the issue that people have posted online, at least not for me.
The 20GB hard drive that ships with the Premium has only 10.2GB of free space left, most likely because the console ships with various demos and multimedia files. I'm sure I can delete them but I won't worry about that until I start to run out of space. Plus the Call of Duty demo was pretty fun.
The 360 doesn't have wireless built in but it doesn't really matter for me since I don't get any wifi reception where my console is located. I've just ordered the NetGear Powerline HD adapters that will let me connect the 360 to my Ethernet network over regular electrical power lines. Once I get that setup I will be able to connect to the Xbox Live service so I can start downloading movies off the Xbox Live Marketplace and start playing games online. I've already created my gamertag online (Cryptoid) so i'll be ready when the hardware comes in.
The only real problem I have is finding the time to play BioShock. It's not exactly a game I can play with the kids around, especially since I like to have the surround sound cranked up. The other day I had it on full blast when the kids came home to hear "blood... we need more blood!" as I quickly tried to find the pause button.
At any rate Rob and Dave has to get out and pick up the 360. Then we can all play Halo 3 co-op over Live next month. OK, it's time for me to stop blogging and start looking for Mr. Bubbles!
The setup was foolproof. Just connect the supplied component video cable to my display. There is a small switch on the cable itself to switch between TV mode (480i) and HDTV mode (480p and higher). I'm still not sure why it requires a manual switch since the Wii component cables can switch between 480i/480p automatically. Kruddler is right about the power supply, it's huge (almost as long as the console itself) but it easily hides itself in my A/V cabinet.
The console itself is surprisingly quiet (especially after hearing all the complaints about it being too loud). Microsoft supposedly switched to a quieter DVD-ROM drive with these new models which seems to have helped keep the noise level down while a DVD is spinning. In any event, its not the issue that people have posted online, at least not for me.
The 20GB hard drive that ships with the Premium has only 10.2GB of free space left, most likely because the console ships with various demos and multimedia files. I'm sure I can delete them but I won't worry about that until I start to run out of space. Plus the Call of Duty demo was pretty fun.
The 360 doesn't have wireless built in but it doesn't really matter for me since I don't get any wifi reception where my console is located. I've just ordered the NetGear Powerline HD adapters that will let me connect the 360 to my Ethernet network over regular electrical power lines. Once I get that setup I will be able to connect to the Xbox Live service so I can start downloading movies off the Xbox Live Marketplace and start playing games online. I've already created my gamertag online (Cryptoid) so i'll be ready when the hardware comes in.
The only real problem I have is finding the time to play BioShock. It's not exactly a game I can play with the kids around, especially since I like to have the surround sound cranked up. The other day I had it on full blast when the kids came home to hear "blood... we need more blood!" as I quickly tried to find the pause button.
At any rate Rob and Dave has to get out and pick up the 360. Then we can all play Halo 3 co-op over Live next month. OK, it's time for me to stop blogging and start looking for Mr. Bubbles!
posted by Marcos at August 30, 2007
3 Comments:
Hehe! Now I'll know to add you to my friends list. My gamer tag on Live is... Kruddler! :)
Come on boys! Cryptoid is right, it's time for you 2 to get a 360 for our very own Halo wars! Though I would be the weak link in any team, it would still be fun to play Halo 3 together!
Marcos, get GOW yet? How about Project Gotham 3? DOA 4? Test Drive Unlimited? Let's at least try Halo 2!!!
Very cool. I can't wait to stop by and check out how smoothly Bio runs on the 360. Maybe you can convince me to buy one when I'm there.
Krudd was right, Halo 3 is coming out this month. I've also confirmed that it's going to feature 4-way co-op. Time to buy my 360 Rob!
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