These are the first impressions after only 90 min with the console. Installation was a snap. for whatever reason, the HD cable was set by default to TV - no idea why. The XBox 360 is also set by default to 480p (which I kind of understand - lowest common denominator) until you change it. The visual difference is immediate and very apparent. The controller comes with the batteries already in there (which I thought was a no-no but they did it anyways) but then again, my controller bag was ripped open so maybe that's why. The power supply is every bit as big as you've been told. Also, the lengths of the cable to the console and to the power strip/wall/whatever are curiously short, especially compared to the VERY nice long HD component cable.
The console itself is quite nice, although somehow the protective tape that was supposed to cover my DVD drive got bunched up and now my DVD drive has a tiny bit of tape glue residue still on it that I will have to scratch off at some point. A minor gripe. Also, it's REALLY quiet. It does have fan noise, but it sounds so much like my laptop that's it extremely easy to tune out.
it is every bit as slick as you've heard - the menus are gorgeous to look at.
The XBL integration is completely seamless. However, many of the promised demo's are strangely absent. Their servers probably can't take the abuse. Currently, they are offering up Kameo and NBA Live 06 demos. They are 500 meg each and downloads are not exactly screaming at this point so I have played neither. I downloaded the NFS trailer and a special RedvsBlue episode about the 360. The HD trailers are beyond gorgeous. There is loads of garbage for sale like other gamertiles, themes for your 360, etc. The messaging is MUCH better than XBox now that you can bounce easily between your dashboard and your game. The console also pings you with every event (friend comes online, you get a message) which might get old after awhile, but for right now I really like it.
I played Hexic for a while, and I liked it a little bit but I think it's a game I would enjoy MUCH more if I were stoned or drunk. Early on in the game, there just isn't much point to it. It sort of trying to help you figure out how to play it on the fly. The trouble is the animations are so quick you really don't figure it out right away. Sooner or later, they throw bombs at you which is the only way I have found that the game "ends". More on this if and when I decide to play it again. It's a decent time waster - I'd be hard pressed to call it a "game".
I also played Halo2 for a bit. Here's where the griping turns somewhat serious. The emulation is visually fine (better than XBox1) but it comes at the expense of performance. When things are flying around like crazy in multiplayer, the game lags noticeably. The music cuts in and out when you are changing menus which never happened before. Visually it looks fine, but there were several occasions where some frame rate issues cost me my life in multiplayer and we had NUMEROUS problems loading the maps. First of all, you have to re-download all the maps. Sucks, but ya gotta do it. oh well, bfd. But then, the maps don't always work. Turf refused to load on my machine when we were setting a custom game. No idea why. I hope MS/Bungie is still working on this, because it's not done. And if this is as good as it gets, you may want to keep your old box around a little while longer.
I did not buy any software yet. I am considering picking up PDZ or NFS tomorrow so I have something to play on Turkey Day. I can't imagine spending $60 on a racing game I'll suck BAD at, so it'll probably be PDZ - STILL can't believe Rare pulled that one off.
I have also not played around with the media capabilities yet but I am REALLY excited about that, so I'll report back when I get that rolling.
All in all, the new XBox is extremely impressive in almost every conceivable way, but there's some minor issues that have to be worked out yet. Well worth the money and my wife's time standing in line this morning (for the record, I brought her flowers and strawberries after work tonight)
it is every bit as slick as you've heard - the menus are gorgeous to look at.
The XBL integration is completely seamless. However, many of the promised demo's are strangely absent. Their servers probably can't take the abuse. Currently, they are offering up Kameo and NBA Live 06 demos. They are 500 meg each and downloads are not exactly screaming at this point so I have played neither. I downloaded the NFS trailer and a special RedvsBlue episode about the 360. The HD trailers are beyond gorgeous. There is loads of garbage for sale like other gamertiles, themes for your 360, etc. The messaging is MUCH better than XBox now that you can bounce easily between your dashboard and your game. The console also pings you with every event (friend comes online, you get a message) which might get old after awhile, but for right now I really like it.
I played Hexic for a while, and I liked it a little bit but I think it's a game I would enjoy MUCH more if I were stoned or drunk. Early on in the game, there just isn't much point to it. It sort of trying to help you figure out how to play it on the fly. The trouble is the animations are so quick you really don't figure it out right away. Sooner or later, they throw bombs at you which is the only way I have found that the game "ends". More on this if and when I decide to play it again. It's a decent time waster - I'd be hard pressed to call it a "game".
I also played Halo2 for a bit. Here's where the griping turns somewhat serious. The emulation is visually fine (better than XBox1) but it comes at the expense of performance. When things are flying around like crazy in multiplayer, the game lags noticeably. The music cuts in and out when you are changing menus which never happened before. Visually it looks fine, but there were several occasions where some frame rate issues cost me my life in multiplayer and we had NUMEROUS problems loading the maps. First of all, you have to re-download all the maps. Sucks, but ya gotta do it. oh well, bfd. But then, the maps don't always work. Turf refused to load on my machine when we were setting a custom game. No idea why. I hope MS/Bungie is still working on this, because it's not done. And if this is as good as it gets, you may want to keep your old box around a little while longer.
I did not buy any software yet. I am considering picking up PDZ or NFS tomorrow so I have something to play on Turkey Day. I can't imagine spending $60 on a racing game I'll suck BAD at, so it'll probably be PDZ - STILL can't believe Rare pulled that one off.
I have also not played around with the media capabilities yet but I am REALLY excited about that, so I'll report back when I get that rolling.
All in all, the new XBox is extremely impressive in almost every conceivable way, but there's some minor issues that have to be worked out yet. Well worth the money and my wife's time standing in line this morning (for the record, I brought her flowers and strawberries after work tonight)
