X-CELLENT!
CUTTING-EDGE BEST DECRIBES MICROSOFT’S XBOX 360
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game system, which makes its debut Tuesday, brings high-definition to gaming and is the giant corporation’s latest attempt to become the home entertainment center of the future.
The 360’s clarity and colors are awe-inspiring on an HDTV, and even on a standard TV are superior to the 4-year-old Xbox. That’s because the console delivers its images in very tiny squares grouped closely together, just the way HDTV interprets and delivers images. The difference is like looking at a sharply focused photograph versus a blotchy Impressionistic painting.
But tThe 360 does more than play games. It can download and store music, digital photos and video and wirelessly send them throughout the home, but you’ll need a wireless network and a PC running Microsoft’s Windows Media Center (That’s the operating system powering the Media Center PC, Microsoft’s first push into the living room 5 years ago).
The back of the console features connections for a digital camera, an extra hard drive, a home computer, and more. Plug in an iPod, for example, and an icon appears on screen letting you control the music player via the 360. The catch? Because of Apple’s tight digital rights management, the 360 cannot recognize music bought from the iTunes Music Store.
The slim, curvy console — designed to fit in the living room better than its black, bulky $150 predecessor — comes in two packages: The $299 version has no hard drive, and its controller is attached to the console; the $399 model has a 20 gigabyte hard drive, a wireless controller and other goodies. Microsoft expects that those who buy the cheaper model will add the $100 hard drive later. That strategy means not every 360 will have a hard drive right away, which might make game makers reluctant to spend time and money on titles with extra content that takes advantage of the hard drive.
Still, demand is so great that initial shortages are expected. Since October, gamers have been placing orders for the new console, and many Web sites have stopped taking preorders for the 360. Those that are accepting preorders don’t promise delivery until January or February, however.
And next year, Sony is expected to unveil its high-definition PlayStation 3. While no date has been set, one timetable has the machine arriving in March. Whenever it arrives, Microsoft hopes to have a head start, planning to sell up to 3 million 360s by February.
Is the 360 worth getting right now? If you have an HDTV, and you have gamers in the house who are 13 or older, and you have a way to resolve disputes when Mom and Dad want to watch “Lost” when the kids want to play games (if the 360 is in the living room), then the answer is yes.
If you have young gamers who don’t like sports, it’s OK to wait; the early games rated for everyone are pro football, basketball, hockey and an auto racing game.
The first games for the system are improvements over their older versions, and they should be; Xbox 360 games are $60 each, up from $50 for the original Xbox.
While all games look better, some, such as the gun-slinging epic “GUN,” by Activision, are also easier to control on the newer system. Visually, games are impressively smoother, with animation of up to 60 frames a second, translating into fluid movement.
The console’s on-screen interface is elegant. It uses a system of tabs, called blades, to organize games, media, and Xbox Live information.
The blades provide quick access to the machine’s many features without cluttering the screen. The comfortable hand-held controller controls the blades and the games.
All Xbox 360s ship with a free Xbox Live Silver subscription that lets gamers use basic features such as Xbox Live Arcade, an area with puzzles and other non-shoot-`em-up games for the so-called casual gamer. Owners must upgrade to the $60 annual fee for a Gold account if they want to play Xbox 360 games online against other 360 owners around the world.
Video game hype big enough to reach non-gamers used to come only once in a while. As the $10 billion-a-year video game industry looks to expand, it’s more frequently coming up with new products aimed at the mainstream.
Last November, it was the $150 dual-screen Nintendo DS hand-held system. March brought the games-music-and-movie-playing $250 Sony PlayStation Portable.
Now, the arrival of the Xbox 360 means Nintendo’s and Sony’s replies are not far behind.
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Game plans for getting your X-360
Xbox 360s are expected to be in limited supply in the first few days of Tuesday’s launch. Microsoft expects to sell approximately 3 million units worldwide by February, so if you’re greeted with a “Sold Out” sign on Day One, remember that stores will continually — usually weekly — restock their shelves. Demand has been so great that most retailers won’t let you order online. To increase your chances of getting a unit:
Stand in line. Wal-Mart stores, for instance, open at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday; Circuit City stores open at 10 a.m. It’s tough to gauge how early you need to arrive.
Keep checking major electronics retailers. If it’s convenient, visit onece early in the week and once later in the week; calling might leave you hearing “To learn store hours, Press 3.”
Wait till January. If you plan to give a game system as a gift, buy a game — they’re $59.99 each
— and wrap it. Attach a card promising a new 360 when they become available. They should be plentiful in early to mid-January.
Wait until summer. Keep in mind that the earliest games are intended for gamers 13 and older, so if you have young ones who don’t love sports — the games rated for everyone are pro football, basketball, hockey, soccer, golf and a racing game — wait until more appropriate games start hitting shelves next year.
Also, Sony’s PlayStation 3 is expected to arrive in 2006, so you might want to wait to compare the systems anyway.
— Eric Gwinn
