Xbox 360 Initial Impressions
I feel the tag-line “next generation gamer” is far past its use by date, instead I now prefer the tag “current generation gamer” for those adopting a new console such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Nintendo Wii.
This Christmas I picked up an Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 is one console I’ve had my eyes on since it was introduced. The Playstation 3 really didn’t capture me as much as the 360, down to a few different reasons.
There was a brief period where I never touched games on any platform. when I first picked up my Playstation 2 I was quite keen on picking up the controller on a regular basis, this quickly faded away and for the past two years I’ve neglected video games. I wanted to make a re-entrance with all the great new games on the market and the new and developing technologies powering the systems.
When comparing the two consoles (360 & PS3), I looked at two main aspects. The online gameplay, and overall game catalogue. I feel the Xbox 360 leads the PS3 in both of these areas, Xbox Live has been perfectly executed. Along with gamertags, achievements, and all the other features packed under the hood, Xbox Live appears as if it’ll stretch the lifeline of games with all the added content and gameplay abilities over the service.
The exclusivity of the game catalog is currently won by the 360, mainly due to the age of the console compared to the recently released PS3. There are a few games on the 360 which really caught my eye and further stretched my preference over the PS3. 80% of my game catalog I had on the Playstation 2 were solely racing/sport games. I have never got into the whole FPS (first person shooter) scene.
This trend has continued with the first handful of games I’ve picked up for the Xbox 360. Including Skate, FIFA 07, Forza 2, Top Spin 2, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. On the list of games I’d like to pick up include NBA Live 2008, Madden 2008, Grand Theft Auto 5 (on release), and Call Of Duty 4. See the developing trend?
I’ve been very impressed with the console to date after owning it for a week. If there’s any negative points I had to find, it’d be the excessive noise and heat the system creates while in use, and the lack of ability to create a wireless network connection right out of the box. I don’t like the idea of having to drop another $175 NZD on the Wireless Network Adaptor. I’m thoroughly enjoyed playing friends over Xbox Live, and I think it’s this feature alone which will end up introducing me to the world of FPS games such as Halo 3 and Call Of Duty 4 as my friends push me closer and closer to purchasing them for Xbox Live battles.
This won’t be the last I’ll be writing about the Xbox 360. There’s still so much more for me to discover and play with.
For all those who asked, my gamertag is “Glenn Wolsey”.
#1
TimYour parents treat you well.
#2
Indraneel → indraneel.thepurohits.net
I’ve played both the 360 and Wii quite a bit, and besides the total awesomeness of XBL, the Wii is a more fun experience than the 360; especially when Super Smash Bros Brawl will drop in February.
#3
Dan Philibin → www.danphilibin.com
I’ve had my eye on the 360 for awhile - I almost bought it from a friend for $150 USD right before Christmas to surprise my brother and get a new system at the same time. I’ve never liked the 360’s controller, and I’m extremely used to the PS2’s controller layout. However, after playing around with the Wii, I’m finding a hard time choosing the 360. The graphics don’t really compare and the controller layout is funky, but the idea behind the Wii is awesome. Like you, Glenn, I’m into sports and racing and not a whole lot of shooters. Madden and Guitar Hero are my games. I’m not sure what I’ll do.
#4
Glenn Wolsey → www.glennwolsey.com
Exactly what do you mean by that Tim? My parents weren’t mentioned in this post. You are assuming what?
#5
Brendan → www.advertisehereforever.com
PS3 FTW!!
Sorry Glenn, had to do it. :P
#6
DanThat is great that you got the 360. I would recommend getting Rock Band if you can, it is a great game to play with friends and family. The game is addicting, and it is not a game that you get bored with after a couple of weeks.
#7
Matt Brett → mattbrett.com
Awesome, Glenn! You’ve done the right thing by getting an Xbox 360 over the PS3. Owning all 3 “current-gen” consoles, I can tell you that the Xbox 360 in my house gets the most amount of use by all 3 members of my family by far. The PS3 has been keeping me busy lately as well and there’s finally a few games worth actually playing on the Wii, but still nothing in comparison to the library and feature set that the 360 is packing now.
You’ve got a pretty decent collection already, too. But yes, you definitely need to get some shooters in there. Gears of War is all kinds of fantastic and you can also play it co-op - which would probably help ease you into it. And of course, Halo 3 supports 4 player co-op. Be careful with Viva Pinata - it can easily consume your life. I still can’t believe I sunk as many hours into that game as I did.
#8
Steve StrezaI got a 360 for Christmas as well. I think the Xbox 360 should be a model project for Microsoft on how to deliver a solid user experience with integrated Internet capabilities and social networking. It is, in my opinion, Microsoft’s best product, and I’m really happy with mine.
#9
Caleb VaughnI’d highly recommend getting Halo 1 and 2, they’re FPSs, but have great writing and good splitscreen multiplayer, plus they’re cheap now since they were made for the original Xbox.
Also, even if you don’t like FPSs much, get The Orange Box, it has Half Life 2, Half Life Episode 1 & 2, Team Fortress, and Portal, a great puzzle game where you use a portal gun to get to the end of each level, it sounds boring but it’s really fun. Portal alone is worth the $40-60, and TF2 is good on XBL.
#10
Kenneth → mini-blog.com
I have (had) experienced with all 3 game consoles. Back in 2006, I won an Xbox 360 (Core) from a website sweepstake. At that time, I have a SDTV. Since it’s a core edition, I had to fork out for some accessories, wireless controller, 64mb memory unit, and Xbox Live membership. Online playing was a bit of a hiccup during NFS: Carbon, not sure who to blame. The unit I received was pretty noisy, which was the major disappointment as a device that meant to be sitting in a living room. I loved the game controller tho which later gave me a hard time on the PS3.
The Xbox 360 gave me a teaser for the gaming world. I decided to get the Nintendo Wii on the launch day, everything was great as I have a SDTV and $250 for a complete package. I sold the Xbox 360 weeks later. 2 days before Christmas of 2006, I saw a 60GB PS3 at BestBuy and *accidently* purchased one. Months later, I finally got myself a HD monitor and 5.1 speaker set. They are perfect for the Wii (via component) and PS3(HDMI, optical audio). HD gaming/movie are finally here. I’m gonna settle with the Wii and PS3 for now.
I believe that Sony has big plan focusing on the PS3 platform in 2008. Glenn, will Gran Turismo 5 get you back to the Playstation platform?
#11
Andre → winnopeg.com
Have fun waiting for GTA 5, it’s development hasn’t even started yet. :p Maybe it’ll be out by 2011?
As for the whole Xbox 360 thing, I love mine. It sounds like a jet taking off when in use and it’s my third unit in just over a year, but the games, Xbox Live and gamerscore can’t be beat. I’ve got a Wii too, but I haven’t really touched it in quite a long time.
You should definitely check out Halo 3. Before it was released I had never played a Halo game before and it didn’t really seem like my type of game, but I gave into the hype anyways and bought it. I love it; I’ve spent over 100 hours playing so far and I can’t seem to get enough of it. It’s especially fun online, assuming you mute the n00bs and have a decent internet connection.
#12
Ptah Dunbar → ptahdunbar.com
When you get xbl, dont 4get to tell us your gamertag! you’ve now entered the gaming universe! lol
watch out though, xbox live can easily consume your life!
#13
Dan Maurathyou dont need the dongle. you can configure the xbox to use your macbook pro’s wireless connection
#14
AidanMan. Today I me and friends were supposed to hang out and play guitar hero 3 and crackdown. Then the xbox broke. so we brought it back got another one. We plugged it in. and IT WAS BROKEN!
And by the way glenn. Your choice if you answer this or not. But seriously how do you get the money???
#15
Alec Feld → alecfeld.com
Doesn’t seem like your article exhibited an initial impression as much as “I bought it for the dodgy game collection and the crappy online service”.
Article should try and match the title, eh?
#16
MichaelI am shocked you haven’t bought Halo 3 yet :P
#17
Loren → r3fresh.com
I would recommend Rockband. It’s fun to play with friends and you don’t have to deal with the idiots over Live.
#18
Jon Moss → www.theappleofmyi.com/blog
Glenn, I think Tim is jealous, misguided and perhaps to busy to elaborate ;-)
#19
Alex Killpartrick → www.firstofall.net
Get Halos 1, 2 & 3, and play them in order. They’re amazing games.
I’ve only just hooked up my 360, it’s been sat under my hifi for ages, disconnected. I just lost interest in gaming. However, Halo 3 gave me a reason to fire it back up, played the game all the way through solidly from 5 in the afternoon christmas eve to 11 in the evening…
#20
Andreas Climent → www.andreascliment.com
If you like racing games you should really check out Project Gotham Racing 4, besides looking awesome the game is pretty fun. Colin McRae: Dirt is cool to but has no “real” online multiplayer.
I’m currently finishing Call of Duty 4, awesome game, and have just started Assassin’s Creed and Guitar Hero 3. I never imagined Guitar Hero was as fun as it actually is.
There are a lot of good video reviews of games at http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/xb360/index.html
Have fun with the 360!
#21
Kitta → kitta.net
Great purchase, you’ll enjoy the Xbox. It can become quite addictive though.
I just added you on Xbox live. My gamertag is ‘kittalicious’ which really wasn’t a great choice when you want to be taken seriously.
#22
Zach → www.zachkollegger.com
Congrats, Glenn.
I have never had any type of console, however if I did, I’d get the 360. Mainly because of Halo, CoD, Assassins Creed and the other FPS games. {Those are my favorite}
My only problem with the 360 is that Microsoft makes it. ;)
Anyway, have fun!
#23
Ashley → www.rockersdelight.co.uk
Great choice with Viva Pinata and Skate. You should definitely get Call of Duty 4 sooner rather than later, and Bioshock is also definitely worth considering. If your Friends List is looking a bit dry then my GamerTag is CandyStoreRock.
#24
Jonathan → www.jonathandavies.org.uk
Good post Glenn, watch out though - you might soon reach the 100 friend limit on LIVE :-)
#25
Ondra SoukupIf you don’t like the idea of expensive wireless adaptor, get some router that can be in “wireless bridge” mode so it connects to your network and you connect the Xbox to one of the ethernet ports. so if you happen to run into some cheap router in post-xmas sales, either google if it does this or feel free to bother me (because I’m know for little disrespect of devices working the way they were originally designed ;)
devices with RTL8181 chipset - cheap and works like this ( firmware “update” needed :)
#26
Ondra Soukupwhoops, I so messed up :)
RTL8181 - they are 802.11b, so might be really hard to find nowadays :)
RTL8186 however, are most of todays cheap 1x WAN, 4xLAN 802.11g routers. if you see one, just mail me and I’ll see if that works :)
#27
Sirton → www.mega-email.uni.cc
I recently purchased a nintendo wii, But due to the now high demand in wii in the U.K I am planning to sell it for nearly double the price - Yes, people are willing to pay that amount!.
Many Thanks
Sirton
#28
AngelGood choice going with the 360. I own two 360s and a PS3. The 360 is the better choice if you’re purely interested in games. I’ve got the red rings on one console and it frequently doesn’t recognize discs, but even still it’s a great gaming console. I own a couple of good games for the PS3 but I mostly use it as a Blu-ray player. Just using it as a Blu-ray player, I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
Also, there was really no need to get snippy with Tim. He could have made a legitimate mistake assuming that a young person received xmas presents from his parents. That’s what I thought when I read his comment.
@Kitta - I’ve learned that you have to be extremely careful when picking out a gamertag. Mine clearly identifies me as a girl and I have to deal with the sexist comments all the time.
#29
Joe Jacobs → joejacobs.tumblr.com
Glenn, after following your blog basically since it was started, I do have to say this is one of my favorites posts ever. Not necessarily because it was new and on the edge, but I can relate.
Although I don’t game much during the summer, it is winter (I live in one of the coldest states in the US), so my habits have changed.
You’re definitely gonna have to pick up games like Gears of War, Halo 3, and Bioshock soon. Yes, I’m definitely a FPS player, but you can’t beat the experiences you will have with these games.
Honestly though, if you want to be in a connected online network, Halo 3 really is the online way to go. You can share pictures, saved films, build new maps with Forge. Basically, it’s one of the most complete games ever made. Games are just more fun when played with others.
O, yeah, be careful as to how you give out your gamertag. I personally only have two or three tags that I don’t know in person. And considering how many hits your blogs gets, you will have way too many friend requests.
If you ever need any help with choosing a game, or want someone to play Halo 3 with (I’m a 45.) just email me. Again, great post.
#30
Andreas Climent → www.andreascliment.com
Like Ondra wrote, a router in “wireless bridge mode” can be a good alternative to the official wireless adapter. As an experiment, I managed to use my Macbook as a wireless bridge and I’m pretty sure that the Airport Express is able to work as a bridge too.
#31
Lee → www.wattsupproductions.com
I’ve sent you a friend request (mine is Jacked Bauer).
#32
miroI can’t believe you got a 360. Don’t you know of the RRoD? If you don’t, I’ll give you one month and you will. Having to pay to play online, pay for a wireless adapter, pay for controller recharging (all which is free with the PS3), that’s a bit much.
Next year, the PS3 has an onslaught of games coming out, maybe you should grab one. I think you got the 360 a year late, seeing that 2007 was its best year and they have jack shit coming out in 2008.
Good luck.
#33
JustinI got the PS3 exactly one year ago.
It definitely was not worth it at the time, but now is. Some many good games are coming out, and the ps3’s cooling system is great. I have been running folding at home for almost 10 days now, and it isn’t like burning up.
I have been at m friends the last couple of days, and he has a 360. I think it is said that their online playing has been down for the last few days, and is now iffy. You do not even have to pay to play online on the ps3.
#34
Erik J. Barzeski → nslog.com
Glenn, just a heads up: don’t buy anything on the Xbox Live Marketplace if you’re at all uncomfortable with the possibility of losing a substantial portion of your rights when/if your console dies (or you get another one) for a substantial portion of your time.
That said, I like the Xbox 360. I don’t have enough time in the day to play as much as I’d like, but when I do have a few moments, the games are pretty good.
My 5-year-old really likes the Wii, of course. She’s nearly a pro bowler at this point. Wii Sports is still the most-played game. I want to like the Wii so much, but where are the games? Where’s a golf game that finally uses the controller really well? Grrrr!!!!
#35
Jeff → journeyguy.com
I also got a 360 for Christmas from Santa. As a 39-and-holding co-pastor and graphic designer, I’ve been a confessed Madden addict for years. I started out on the Sega Genesis way back when and then graduated up to a Playstation, a PS2, then was intro’d to Halo on the Xbox by some college students when I was a collegiate minister. My son still has the PS2.
I had always thought I’d switch back to the Playstation evenutally when PS3 came out, but I’ve been very impressed so far with the 360. Its online community is a huge asset and draw. Sony needs to work a LOT harder to draw folks to the PS3 in my community of friends.
#36
JayHey Glenn, I stumbled upon your blog by accident, and I like what I see! I added you to my bookmarks. I hope you have a happy New Years, and I’m looking forward to more of your posts!
#37
reemixx → www.reemixx.com
As Dan Maurath and Andreas Climent said above, using your MacBook Pro’s wireless connection is a good alternative to the official Xbox 360 wireless adapter, and best of all, it won’t cost you anything. I managed to do this with my MacBook yesterday after buying my 360 just after Christmas. I haven’t played any games over Xbox Live with it as yet, but I’ve downloaded some stuff and the connection was completely stable. I think it’s pretty ridiculous that the 360 doesn’t have wireless out of the box, and gamers are forced to pay another $100+ if they need it. That’s another one or two games right there.
Instructions on setting up the connection can be found at http://apple.qj.net/Connect-to-Xbox-Live-Through-Your-Mac-/pg/49/aid/58385 if you need them.
Game on!
#38
Umair AtaI envy you Glenn :) How do you manage to buy all these gadgets so easily. I know you are earning and saving, I work in Mercedes Benz Dubai also, but still I think a lot b4 buying anything, cuz cant save much. Anyway, its good that you have all the neat things. I am happy for you :) Enjoy your xBox 360. Atleast something kool came out from Microsoft atlast :) Kidding, have fun bro.
#39
KeithHaha… the only Microsoft item you have amidst the Apple products you own?
#40
tglWelcome to the future, looking forward to killing you in the battleground.
#41
zerock → www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=577515173
hmm i got a PS3 for xmas, and i couldn’t be happier.. all the problems with the 360 really scared me off.
besides i wanted to see blu-ray movies too. and i dont want to pay to play online.
#42
Hector A. Henry Sjogreen → www.blinkyit.com
I had more or less to chose for one, but sometime am in a problem more or less like your, because am remain faithful to Nintendo company at the same time the console that call my attention its Xbox360 am doing my best to get ones but i was at a step to buy it and when i was in the shop in the last chance I regret know am so sorry for that decision.
In all my time like gamer I did have problem whit the controls of Nintendo, something that I always had whit other like playstation and xbox after play my hand hurt me a lot.
Just how they say here in Colombia in a sprite commercial: We heat and we have to rest. In the sense that I will have to wait to get a new one, get a console.
#43
KasettiIts your partents who has bought u all that staff. You just act like you have earned em by yourself lol
#44
Glenn Wolsey → www.glennwolsey.com
Kasetti. You’re a dick. Seriously. Want to see the overview of some of my bank statements for purchase transactions? Contact me! :-) glennwolsey@mac.com
#45
Aidan → www.theaidangirard.blogspot.com
Ya seriously Kasetti. If i were you i wouldnt try to make a fight with Glenn. He is legendary, and many people that would back him up on anything.
#46
Hector A. Henry Sjogreen → www.blinkyit.com
in my opinion comments like that one that you know that you Glen have the right answer you should try not to answer if not he will take it like a custome to try to dis merit you work.
#47
Aidan → www.theaidangirard.blogspot.com
Hey glenn. Just a suggestion. DO NOT GET GUITAR HERO 3. Well it is a good game. But it fries your Xbox. Joe Jacobs was talking about his Xbox breaking on his blog while playing GH3. And 2 of my friends broke there Xbox 360’s and had to take them back. Its obviously your choice. But just a warning. It supposedly “fries the wires inside and melts them. and if you send it back to microsoft they will just fry them back together”.
#48
JackAny game from the Guitar Hero series is great, and it may even inspire you to pick up an instrument!
#49
SamCI LOVE your picture of the 360 controllers, I normally do not care about photography but the colors on the buttons, are addictive to look at. Needless to say I have a new background. I recently bought my brother a 360 for his 21st birthday and we like it a lot. Between it and the wii we are more than set. Forza 2 is easily my favorite game for the 360, I used it to pick what car I am going to buy(’01 prelude or ‘01 integra) once I start my job.
PS: I fully upgraded my integra and it was on par with my fully upgraded Ferrari, in game.
PPS: I do not know many people who’s xbox 360 has been fried or gotten the red rings o’ death, and I live in Redmond, WA, well over half the school has multiple 360’s in their homes.
#50
SamCAs if my first post was not long enough, but I just remembered that I found this online:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Netgear-Wall-Plugged-Ethernet-Bridge-XE102GNA/sem/rpsm/oid/142038/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
not sure if it is in New Zealand or not, but it was only $40 USD. Interestingly enough it sends your internet signal through the electrical wiring in your house, the same wires that power your lamps and stuff, nothing special. This model is about as fast as any internet connection, but they have a more expensive model for sending large amounts of data also. It works well for us.
#51
chris → www.myspace.com/christopherladiesman
hey Glenn i have an xbox 360 and live it was a wise diccision