Interesting article (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6398801-1.html?tag=nl.e702)by David Carnoy on CNET reviews. Several of them such as lack of built-in WiFI (i mean the Nintendo DS has it!) and no HDMI or DVI connectivity really are head scratchers to me.

1. he doesn't like the color...get a face plate then. I like the color myself...what color should they have made it? Pink?

2. No killer app and nothing that shouts "next gen" in the launch line up...sure, there's no Halo 3 but it will come, and he's right that there is no killer app that released with the 360 but after playing Kameo and COD2 there are definitely moments that make me say...ok my old xbox couldn't have done that...the next gen IS here. Other games like Condemned and PDZ are IMO next gen in graphics and sound but not gameplay.

3. Accesories cost a small fortune...don't get them then. Considering the controllers are now wireless, I would expect to pay more for them...faceplates are a rip off at $20, i'll agree with that.

4. Hard Drive isn't big enough...BS! How many people ran out of room with the 8 gig for the original xbox? Only the ones who modded their xbox! 20 gigs is plenty big enough for a strong majority of gamers

5. limited keyboard/mouse support at launch...ummm buy a computer if you want to play your games with a mouse, consoles have controllers and computers have a mouse and keyboard...get used to it!

6. No built in WiFi...not an issue for me but sure it would have been nice...but the cost of the console would have been more and that would have bothered me more than not having WiFi.

7. Not enough USB ports...well you would only use a USB for your controller to charge it, one for your web cam I guess, maybe for your wireless adapter...it's an issue but a small one.

8. No HDMI or DVI...my composite cables work just fine, they are becoming the standard but that isn't a good enough reason to have them IMO.

9. No built in card reader...if you want to use your 360 for more than just casual gaming then you buy the Hard drive attachment or the premium pack...simple as that.

10. You can't get it! It is something that they could have done a better job of...there are alot of people out there that are still waiting.

This dude keeps making comparisons to the PS3 specs, which will probably change btw, but one must realize that the price of the PS3 will most likely be signifigantly more than the 360. You get what you pay for I guess. If you want all the goodies included at launch and not have them optional then you'll exclude alot of gamers simply becuase of cost.

I think this guy is out to lunch!

I agree completely with some of his points, however, in stating that the PS3 will have many of these "missing" components, he doesn't bother to point out that the PS3 will most likely cost "one hundred billion dollars."

-Not enough USB ports "to handle wired controllers." Why would anyone buy a wired controller???
-Don't like the color? Suck it up...
-Accessories cost too much. And they won't for the PS3?
-Can't save to a flash card. Ummm, isn't that what the hard drive is for?
-You can't find one anywhere. Again, the same will happen with the PS3.
-Limited Keyboard / Mouse support. Go buy a computer.

It doesnt matter what the machine or who makes it, you can always find something you don't like about it. I think he could have found some more legitimate complaints than "Beige isn't the new black."

1. get a faceplate, I'm REALLY glad the unit isn't black. I no longer have any black components in my HT setup so black would look really out of place.

2. purely opinion, I just finished Kameo and I really thought it was Next Gen. The graphics are simply amazing and while the game comes off with a kiddie flavor to it the game is pretty difficult later on that would turn away most kids. there are enough release titles that most everyone would find at least one title they liked.

3. accessories are pricey but I expected as much, the accessories are pretty high quality so i'm happy paying extra for quality

4. with the downloadable content I will agree that they should have made the hard drive 40+ gb. I've not downloaded any movie trailers nor all of the demos and I am already 50% full at this point.

5. did he buy a 360 or a PC? the fact that he wishes he had a keyboard leads me to believe he's overlooking the fact that the 360 is a LOT more than a games machine.

6. thank god no WIFI, I would hate paying extra for a feature I would NOT use

7. more? I use only 1 and only when I need to charge my controller. adding more is easy enough anyway, buy a cheap-ass USB hub for $7

8. the 360 outputs only an analog signal anyway so DVI HDMI is impossible. the amount of picture difference in a fast moving game with digital vs analog is so minor it's not worth it.

9. card reader? why?

10. I understand that Microsoft didn't want to alienate Europe this time out, I can't remember the last time the Europe didn't have to wait 6+ months to get a console. I really think Microsoft should have waited 2 months to release in Japan though so that 1) they had more japanese titles 2) the consoles from japan now could have helped reduce frustration here in NA or europe

All in all I'm happy with the 360.

My biggest complaints are:
1) downloading content from Live Marketplace ties the machine up. why can't I download stuff and play a game at the same time?
2) I wish microsoft would change it's stance on DivX/XVID other codecs
3) searching for music can be a real pain, I wish they would have more options for listing the raw MP3 filenames and better searching.

6. thank god no WIFI, I would hate paying extra for a feature I would NOT use


I have to disagree with you on this. Alot of people, including myself, have wireless connections set up at home. I use it all the time with my laptop and my Axim PDA. Its great being able to connect from anywhere without wires.

But now, I have to either add more wires to the back of my home entertainment or I can go out and purchase this product for 129$.
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelessnetadapter/default.htm

I doubt a built in wifi would have add it more than 5-10$ to the system price. I'm sure they would have even absorbed the price. Like hugh said, even the nintendo DS comes with wifi built in. What they could have done is keep this crappy remote control they included with the system and added wifi instead.

Having just gotten my 360, I must say, I'm quite impressed.

Much like everyone else posted above, I could argue almost all of his points.

The main reason there's no Wifi is that it's just not fast enough for online gaming yet. I've tried it with my PC. Forget about it.

I have only one complaint about my Xbox 360, and that's the noise. At idle it's not too bad, but when it's in full game mode, it's pretty loud. I understand that it's a powerfull little unit and that it puts off alot of heat, but there had to be some solution or other...

I've only played a few games, and I must say, I'm impressed. PGR3 looks and feels incredible, one drive around Las Vegas proves the machine's power, COD2, well, all I can say is WOW...Kameo is absolutely beautiful...

I've got mine networked, and I must say, viewing photos on my 61" HDTV is a great way to bring back the old slide show for friends and family!!! Not to mention the fact that I now have access to 15gb of music via my PC.

To me, this is a must have piece for any home theatre enthusiast. And believe me, I'm enthused!!

Hey kids!

I couldn't help but notice the 10 Things That I Hate About the 360 elsewhere in this forum. It made me think about how much I am enjoying this system right now. So, here are ten things that make me happy to own the 360:

1. Live. This is the first system ever to launch with a broadband internet network to play with/against friends. The friends list, the ability to message people while in other games, and the unique identity that carries from game to game is unparalleled (sp?). Even better than it was on the original Xbox.

2. The controller. Best one ever. Wireless, comfortable, perfect.

3. The Guide button. No matter what game you play, this button is the key to sending messages, checking up on friends, etc. One simple button press and you are there. Simple, yet effective.

4. Soundtracks. Hooking up my Ipod was a snap. My computer is connected too. If I want to save the world in COD 2 while listening to Van Halen, or race online with my friends in PGR 3 while listening to a cheesy all 80's mix, I can. Great stuff.

5. Live Arcade. Didn't enjoy this feature too much on the original Xbox. However this time out it is great. Geometry Wars is electronic crack. And, 4 player online Gauntlet is an economical way to play old school games with old school friends. I can't wait for Texas Hold'em to come out. Also, free demos of games is a great idea.

6. Achievement points. Each 360 game comes with 1000 unlockable "Achievement Points". (There are 200 points for each Live Arcade game.) The better you do at a game, the more points you earn. As well, you can check your friends to see what achievements they have earned, and how they compare to you. Similar to a reputation that will stick with you for as long as you have your 360.

7. HD graphics. Playing Kameo, PGR 3, COD 2, and Perfect Dark on my HDTV is awesome. I played the 360 on a standard tv over at my buddy's place. While the graphics are nice, they can't compare to high def gaming. I can't wait to see what the next round of games look like now that developers have had some time to get to know the system.

8. The games. There is no way that COD 2 or Full Auto (the demo is in the new OXM magazine. It is awesome.) would be possible on any current gen system. Some have been letdowns or simple ports, but the really good ones do stand out. The next few months should bring some more outstanding games (DOA 4, Full Auto, Oblivion, Ghost Recon) to the system.

9. The Premium Pack. For the same price that a Canadian paid for the original Xbox when it first came out, we can get a 360, 20 gig hard drive, wireless controller, headset, HD cables, and a dvd remote. The only accessory that I felt compelled to buy was the Play and Charge kit. I remember having to buy a memory card, multitap and a network adapter for my PS2. No need to get any of that stuff for the 360. (The Core system is a different story, but there is no need to go there!)

10. I got mine for free! Thanks Pepsi and Doritos!

Feel free to add to the list, or attack my points at will.

Have a good one!

The main reason there's no Wifi is that it's just not fast enough for online gaming yet. I've tried it with my PC. Forget about it.
What crack are you smoking? The slowest wireless, 802.11b, is 11 Mbps. Most consumer broadband internet maxes out at 5-6 Mbps.

My biggest gripes with the new Xbox are the lack of support for my current Xbox games and the half-assed media center support. What modern 'media center' doesn't support MPEG-4?? You can buy $60 DVD players with MPEG-4 support.

My 2 biggest gripes have already been stated...lack of support for Xbox games that I like, top of the list is morrowind. And the lack of built in wifi. There is no way I'm paying 130 bucks for a wireless adaptor!

Ohhhh, boy! Here goes...

1. Are you kidding me? Who cares what it looks like? Do you spend hours looking at it or playing games with it? I'll never understand the lack of logic behind focusing so much onto asthetics.

2. I agree, since no title so far has made me say "Wow!" outloud, yet. Not even CoD2. Beautifully done and definitely not a bad game per se, but when I played Super Mario 64 the 1st time, *that* game made me go "Wow!"

3. I agree the accessories cost quite a bit. However, how is that different from other consoles?

4. He wants to use the X-Box 360 as a media server. I had the same idea myself mainly for HD movies, which are approximately 9-12 gigs each, but let's face it ; even with a 60 gigs hard drive, you'd run out of space pretty quickly. Moreover, no point in keeping that movie on your hard drive. Once you're done watching it, get rid of it. The end.

5. This is where I disagree with everybody so far without exception. I don't care what your viewpoint on this is, the bottom line is that a FPS game plays infinitely better with a keyboard & mouse than with an inaccurate analog stick. People will use the very weak "It's getting better" argument, but frankly, there's no comparison whatsoever. This is why I never got into Halo or any other console FPS ; the controls are too slippery and I personally cannot get the hang of it, which makes the game incredibly more frustrating to me knowing full well that with a keyboard & mouse, I could easily hold my own, if not win a game or two. The PS3 will have keyboard & mouse support and I say "It's about time!"

6. I say this isn't necessary to most people. As such, it makes business sense not to include one as a feature that ends up costing you even 5-10$ to implement, since the number of people who won't use it will inherently be in the majority. So the company ends up saving boatloads of money and yes, it's a business. Moreover, some people would have a problem with M$ including a 802.11B adapter versus the G or A and there are some reverse-compatibility issues between each standard (except I believe A and G, IIRC), so that would have caused more problems in the long run.

7. Don't see the point of ranting about cables making it untidy. (Who's writing this junk? A woman?) Buy wirless controllers. Even if they wouldn't be coming standard with the console, which they are, the alternative would nevertheless be available to everyone. USB ports are for extras and frankly, I find a webcam to be a bad way for me to fill up those USB ports. Hopefully, M$ will come out with some interesting devices that will be more than light gadgets.

8. I do agree with the reviewer that an upconverting DVD player should have been thrown in. I mean, it *does* show 720P trailers and does display games in either 720P or 1080i. So why do DVDs display only at 480i? Isn't this the "next gen" conole? Isn't this thing supposed to blow your mind? An HDMI connector and upconverting DVD player should have absolutely been included in. I seriously deduct points because of this.

9. If you're going to use your X-Box 360 for a media center, as the reviewer indicated earlier, then why wouldn't he stream his pics from his PC via his wireless router? This is circular logic at best and the reviewer should get a slap on the hands for not seeing this prior to publishing his article. There is no need for a reader and it would only increase the price for (again!) a feature that most people would never use.

10. M$'s novel idea of launching the X-Box 360 worlwide simultaneously was a good one, but poorly executed. Had the launch date been pushed back, things might have gone a bit more smoothly. Unfortunately, that was not the case and M$ didn't want to miss the X-Mas rush, which is understandable from a business point of view. Who knows? Maybe M$ believed that the unavailability of the product would increase demand for it. Unfortunately, if they can't supply every potential next-gen console gamer with an X-Box 360, they will most likely end up losing quite a few people to the PS3, rumored to be out in Spring 2006.
====================================================

Warwick, the X-Box classic games backwards compatibility list is updated all the time. Cross your fingers and hope for a patch.

jeneral, you're forgetting about network overhead and how strong the signal would be, etc... a whole boatload of factors that *will* slow down your connection to a lot less than you might initially think.

As for DiVX/XviD support, fact of the matter is that the initial DiVX codec was a hacked M$ video codec, so they might have a problem bundling support for something of the kind that garnered such popularity. Moreover, they might see this as a sign of encouraging piracy.

Darth...

2. I'll have to disagree as I find the thin shoulder buttons on top of the controller out of reach from a comfortable position. I don't understand why they didn't make them thicker a la Sony.

6. This is a double-edged sword. If I get a GameShark (you know one will eventually come out) and beat a whole bunch of games on "Easy" to get a boatload of points, it'll falsify the kind of opponent I am. If, OTOH, you decide to try each game on "Hard" because you like the challenge, again, it'll falsify the reported results.

I'm going to say the Xbox 360 didn't live up to its own hype.

It's not an HD media appliance, it's a base station for future added cost HD appliance purchases.

The 20 GB drive is laughable. The only purpose I know for the HD is savegames right? They could have included an modest amount of SRAM with a compression algorithm for savegames & Xbox 1 compatibility.

And speaking of the backwards compatibility that too has been disappointing from what I've heard.

Then they could have sold a a monster 200-300 GB hard drive add-on that came with a Tivo-style software functionality.

WiFi is ubiquitous and cheap, shame on them for making it an extra cash grab item.

They've admitted the appearance was geared directly to targeting Japan buyers, who from what I'm told still don't care for the system.

If they'd made even a partial effort to make this a multimedia appliance I'd be more interested. Playing DVD's in 480p is so 1999 and having to buy a 'media remote' accessory is also lame.

The 20gb drive is laughable only because it's pretty easy to fill with all the free downloadable content. Game demos take anywhere from 20mb to 600+mb. Free movie trailers also eat away at free disc space.

I too am not impressed with the 360, especially at its price point. MS should of put more effort into the original XBox than release this. So far, none of the release titles are that impressive. There are original games like Halo2 that are better than most if not all of the release games, especially on live. The only game that is a little better than decent is PG3, yet even on that game they removed the feature to have a guest play online, which I think sucks.

My $0.03

I'd give my 360 a solid 8/10 so far. The 720p output looks great on my TV, COD2 is an excellent game, Quake 4 good but not COD2-great. The controller feels great and very well-made, and the fact that it's wireless is fantastic.

A special mention must go to the user interface: I think it's excellent. Smooth, easy to use and good looking (I set one of my photos of Banff as wallpaper) it makes the PS2 look ancient. Streaming photos and music from my laptop is easy and very fun. I use a wired connection with a $20 router from FS...no wireless costs or issues. Highly recommended for those that don't mind a bit of cabling lying around.

Online capabilites, including the marketplace, are very nice, and I can see a lot of possiblities.

On the downside:
1) The disc tray does feel cheap, I noticed my $80 Toshiba DVD player has a much smoother and more solid action.
2) DVD playback quality is also slightly inferior to the Toshiba. In any event, I won't be using the 360 for watching DVDs so it's a moot point.
3) This thing is pretty loud when the DVD drive is running a game...not really a big deal, I have to say, but still noticeable
4) The connection for the optical out is not well done...plugging into the receiver, there's a nice click...into the 360, I push it in firmly...and the cable falls out. Wiggle it in again, and, Fingers crossed, I do hear 5.1 sound, so maybe it'll be fine...
5) Why must the machine be completely tied up when downloading something from the marketplace? For a 500+MB demo, this is a real pain!

Overall, I think it's a great gaming machine with the media capabilities thrown in as a bonus.

Strat;

The M/K vs Pad argument is moot with me and hopefully every other gamer out there. If a PC and a Console game are made exactly alike in content the only thing that is different is the poly's around any hit zones. The PC are made smaller while the console are made bigger. That's it. In no way shape or form do I ever want a M/K to be used on a console.

The 20 GB drive is laughable. The only purpose I know for the HD is savegames right? They could have included an modest amount of SRAM with a compression algorithm for savegames & Xbox 1 compatibility.
Wrong. The HD has quite a bunch of stuff on it. In fact gamers only have access to 12 gigs out of 20? Why? Because the OS is on the other partition. The backwards compatibility patches can sometimes also be rather bulky, hence the needed space. You can check it out if you don't believe me, but that 8 gigs that is inaccessible to everybody is there for a reason, so the HD is not solely for saved games.

Movie trailers and demos, as well as the in-game music people love to add also needs some space to reside in, hence the HD. The console doesn't need a bigger hard drive. The 20 gigs of space is there, because they're using a cheaper older laptop HD so it doesn't overheat the rest of the machine or add to its weight and bulk.

And speaking of the backwards compatibility that too has been disappointing from what I've heard.
Support for 200 games isn't bad at all, but the choice of those supported games is what makes me scratch my head in wonderment. Why support games like "Pure Pinball" when there are so many more popular titles that have been ignored? The good news is that the list of supported games grows bigger by the week. Check it out often at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

Then they could have sold a a monster 200-300 GB hard drive add-on that came with a Tivo-style software functionality.
That would involve more work than you can possibly imagine. 1st of all, every content provider is different, so coming up some universal way of recording shows in PAL & NTSC based on the available technology worldwide is quite impossible.

WiFi is ubiquitous and cheap, shame on them for making it an extra cash grab item.
802.11g is more expensive than 802.11a and though the require bandwith for online play isn't extensive, M$, IMHO, wisely chose to not use a WiFi adapter in order to increase its own profit, since most households won't be using this feature anyway. In any case, the ones who do use it would like to be able to use whatever superior standard would come out afterwards, so M$ making it an external accessory made that possible. HDBeat has been using wireless to transmit HD-recorded shows and the available bandwith is good, but hickups from time to time, which can make watching a show (if you decide to go with that setup) unbearable. If a "g" adapter comes out, it'll be possible to eliminate this problem. I'm sure more creative ways of using the X-Box 360 will come up at some point.

They've admitted the appearance was geared directly to targeting Japan buyers, who from what I'm told still don't care for the system.
You can't blame the company for trying to milk the biggest potential audience. M$ doesn't seem to have learned its lesson from the original X-Box, which is that the *games* is what they're interested in, but games with *GASP!* content! They're not interested in FPS or decapitating heads like most North-Americans do. They want strategy games, RPGs, puzzle games, and adventure games with depth. It's no wonder games like Super Mario 64 sold more copies than M$ sold X-Box systems during its entire lifespan.

If they'd made even a partial effort to make this a multimedia appliance I'd be more interested. Playing DVD's in 480p is so 1999 and having to buy a 'media remote' accessory is also lame.
I agree the lack of an upconverter was sorely missing, but to be brutally honest, whoever cares about this sort of thing already has a dedicated DVD player with a better upconverter anyway. Plus, the X-Box 360 makes too much noise for me to enjoy watching a movie.

As for the remote, though M$ stated it was available for a limited time only, they'll most likely change their minds. In the meantime, it definitely does come with the Premium package for free.

The M/K vs Pad argument is moot with me and hopefully every other gamer out there. If a PC and a Console game are made exactly alike in content the only thing that is different is the poly's around any hit zones. The PC are made smaller while the console are made bigger. That's it. In no way shape or form do I ever want a M/K to be used on a console.
I'll never understand the ridiculous stubborness that console lovers have, nor do I understand the stupidity of that argument which states that we should limit choices as opposed to widen them. Honestly, if a game comes out and you have the choice of using a M/K combo or a pad, choose the pad. Nobody's forcing you to use a M/K. But for me and most people who've played a FPS in the past 8 years or so with any level of seriousness with a M/K already know that it's a more responsive and efficient way of playing. Period. Playing with a clumsy control scheme isn't what I wish to waste my time with, but if *you* want to, that's OK too. It would be as stupid of me to say "We should ban controllers from PCs. They're not worthy of our support." What BS. Options are good for everybody. It would be nice for console gamers as a whole to be more open-minded. It would certainly be more refreshing.

The PS3 will fully support M/K and that is a nice move on their part. They will be able to isolate the market for RTS and FPS games for themselves. Moreover, more possibilities abound due to this. It'll be interesting to see what comes up next. :)

802.11g is more expensive than 802.11a
actually 'a' is more expensive than 'g' and is pretty much required to be able to reliably transmit high-def data from your PC to 360..

The design may have been geared towards Japanese gamers but most people that have seen the system at my house prefer the 360s styling to the original XBOX, with the changable faceplates it's much easier to match the system with your HT equipment than a big black box.
The 360 isn't popular with the japanese because they have what? 6 titles? and only 1 is really 'japanese oriented'... Not that I really care since I despise japanese game titles anyway.


Originally I thought I would hate having no mouse and keyboard but with a little practice I was able to get the hang of using a joystick, this coming from a strictly PC gamer. God knows I don't need more accessories/remotes/cords/etc to clutter my HT area which a mouse and keyboard would.

I don't give a rat's behind what it looks like as it's there to be played. I fail to see the logic in giving the look any attention at all. If I buy a stereo, it's there to play music ; not to be stared at. If I buy a videogame console, it's there to be played ; not stared at. If I buy a painting, yes, *that* would be there to be stared at.

And again, like I said before, give the gamers the options. Why restrict when you can add options instead and make more people happy. I would certainly be more interested and would most likely buy the next Halo game if I could play with a mouse and keyboard, but I won't, because I hate with a *passion* that I cannot describe with words the clumsy controller scheme. And no matter the amount of hours I poured into it, I've never and will never get used to it.

-Not enough USB ports "to handle wired controllers." Why would anyone buy a wired controller???

A lot of us didn't have a choice. When I got to FS they had about 4 core units left, 0 wireless controllers, 0 battery packs, 0 play-and-charge kits. I was unable to get wireless controllers for about 2-3 weeks, and I had to wait about that long for a hard drive as well. I wanted to play my new 360 with friends, so I HAD to buy a second wired controller. Once the wireless controllers were back in stock, I bought two, but I was not about to buy 4 when I had already paid for one wired controller and had another and they were both working just fine, and they still had no battery packs or play-and-charge kits, so I was even hesitant to get the two wireless controllers that I did. Now when I finally do get my hands on two battery packs and two play and charge kits, if I have 4 people playing, only one of the two wireless controllers will be able to be charged when it's getting low, and that will require connecting it to the back of the unit (!!!) which will look stupid and decrease the distance the person can sit from the console.

I use only 1 and only when I need to charge my controller.

Lots of people only play their console when they have friends over. It is simply retarded that the unit can support up to 4 wireless controllers, but you can only charge 3 at a time, and only 2 at a time if you have WiFi.

adding more is easy enough anyway, buy a cheap-ass USB hub for $7

It has been widely reported that external USB hubs do NOT work with the 360.


And on another note:

7. I find a webcam to be a bad way for me to fill up those USB ports.

Look at the bottom of the controller, there's the audio jack in the middle and then the two holes on either side. On the headset connector these are just plastic, but look in the holes, there's contacts, 4 of them, which is how many USB uses ... I'm thinking the webcam might connect here and have a mic on it or something, or a pass-through so you can connect your headset to the webcam connector.

I'm planning on just using alkaline rechargeables for my wireless controllers, still using the original batteries right now. For $10 I get 4 batteries and they can be charged all at once or 2 by 2. I don't often use the second controller, so I may just leave it with the straight alkaline batteries for shelf life.