Page 1 of So, Now you got your X-Box 360, What do you honestly think of it ?

only started this thread because i`ve got mixed feelings about the console
the following is purely my opinion, based purely on my gaming preferences.

Plus Points
1. Very easy to set up, easy controler configuration etc (adding extra wi-fi pads is a 2 second job)
2. the graphics on all the games i`ve seen/played have been of the highest quality, with the exeption of perfect dark zero, which imo could have been just as good on the original x-box.
3. A well established online contingent, where every 360 game has some form of online play (although there are problems)
4. The wi-fi pads are of a very high quality & are very "nice" to use in most games
5. the downloadable content ie, trailers & game demo`s are an excellent addition to any broadband owning home
6. the amount of backcatalogue games from the original x-box that work on the 360, peeps say it should be a given that they should work, but the fact that the sytems are so radicaly different i personaly aplaud M$ for creating the hardware/software emulation to allow us to play these games (& the list of compatable games is increasing weekly)

Negative Points
1. It`s Huge :o it doesn`t look it in photo`s, but it really is huge, bigger than the the original x-box (& the size of the original is considered one of the primary reasons the console failed in japan)
2. It`s noisy,,,,& i mean Noisy !!! & bizarrely most of the noise comes from the dvd drive rather than the cooling fans :/
3. it gets Hot, & i mean Hot it`s like a 200watt radiator :o & thats just the 360 itself, the power packs another matter, leave it on for a few hours & it doubles as a griddle :D i stopped putting the power pack on the carpet, as you could occasionally smell burning.
4. the launch games. Frankly it was awful, only 3 games worth buying (imo) i`m not saying all the other games where rubbish (tho imo most are) but they could have (& have been) done just as well on the gamecube or x-box1, & i personally expect much more, especially given the premium price 360 games are demanding. the exceptions being, Call Of Duty, PGR3, & Dead Or Alive 4 (DOA & call of duty are simply amazing in hi-def)
5. the live multiplayer "lounge" ie, where you select the online game you wanna enter, every game is different & it can frequently be a pain in the arse getting a match in an arena you want, if M$ had standardised it into the dashboard so all games had to use the same selection system the multiplayer Live experience would be 500% better, they should take a leaf out of unreal tournament 2004`s book, perfect map/gametype aquirement, + the ability to EASILY host your own game, much easier for a few mates to get together i a "room" of there choosing at the moment it`s almost random :¦
6. the lack of "official" keyboard & mouse support, i know the reasons for M$ being reluctant to release/sanction these devices but for die-hard deathmatch junkies a joypad simply does not cut the mustard, & this is the only reason i have not played my 360 as much as i should have because i keep going back to the pc, (regulars here can guess what i`m playing) if Unreal tourney 2007 is released on pc & 360 simultaneously i will deffo buy the 360 version Provided it supports keyboard & mouse, otherwise i`ll spend another £150+ on a new graphics card for the pc & get the pc version instead.
7. Tbh this is a very minor gripe, but the remote would have been much better if it where rf/wi-fi driven rather than infra red, due to the noise of the 360 i keep the cupboard doors closed (it`s in a large storage drawer/cupboard with doors) this minimises the noise, now if i wanna play advd on the 360 i can of course use one of the wi-fi pads & keep the doors closed, but as the 360 comes with a very decent remote controll it seem a bit pointless :/ now, it no bother to me as i have both a dvd player & a dvd recorder in the same room, but many peeps use there games console as there primary dvd player, & i can see the noise being a real problem....

ps... you can actualy use a standard usb keyboard for writing text pm`e etc, so basic support is there, but a specific keyboard with the "special" 360 buttons (the dash + colour/start/back buttons would be excellent, especialy if it`s wi-fi, i`d gladly pay £40+ for this.

the games i`ve played so far.

Call Of Duty 2......Superb single player, but let down in multiplayer by clumsy game selection & constant dropout (unable to connect etc) in single player thge joypad is fine, but multiplayer could realy use a keyboard & mouse

Project Gotham 3,,, not my cup of tea, give me the the unrealistic arcade handling of the saturns sega rally any day (imo the best driving game ever) But it maintains & imroves on it`s roots, going back to metropolis street racer on the dreamcast, through PRG1 & 2 on the original x-box. a superb simulation with minor arcade influences, with graphics to die for, a real tour-de-force.

Dead Or Alive 4,,,this is the type of game consoles & arcade machines are made for :D again building on it`s roots going back to the utterly superb Virtua Fighter 2 on the sega saturn (techmo lisenced the VF2 engine from sega`s premier team of programers) & built it up untill segas virtua fighter series is now nipping at the heels of it`s bastard prodigy :)

Perect Dark Zero, tbh, for me, this was the huge disapointment of the whole thing, i was really looking foreward to it, a New game from RARE the company that game us the (then) sublime goldeneye on the N64, undoutably the N64`s finest game. yet PFZ fails to deliver in all departments, it`s slow, graphicaly underwhelming & frankly tedious to play, everyone says the online aspect of PDZ is what makes it shine, but compared to unreal tournament 2004`s varied game modes, speed & pace + strategy why would anyone bother playing PZR online if they have a pc :/

EVERYTHING I say above is subjective to my point of view, so please try & avoid flaming, i would still recomend the 360 for anyone in the market for a top end gaming machine. & there are many games i`m really looking foreward to, like Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter & of course Halo 3 (provided it`s better than the awfull letdown that was halo 2)

on a final note, anyone buying a 360 premium system (or core with the adition of a hard disc) then a Live subscription is very worthwhile, in fact it`s half the experience, & if they iprove the dashboard by adding a better "fixed" game "lounge" then it would be an absolutey essential part of the 360.


i`d love to hear the opinions of other 360 owners, & especialy peeps that have owned but sold there 360`s but if any non 360 owning peeps just wanna jump in with a sony/nintendo fanboy rant, then please hold you tongues, as i for one plan to buy a ps3 on launch day, it`s thgames that are important to me, not misguided loyalty to any individual manufacturer.

Well I have owned a 360 for a good few weeks now and still haven`t made my mind up yet... I remember seeing Jason Bradbury from the gadget show reviewing it and saying it was fantastic and a must buy.......... Hmmmmmmm I`m not so sure...

So far I have the premium pack.... Call of duty 2 PGR3, Dead or alive 4.... The media remote and the woody facia (what a wierd buy that was)....... I loved Call of duty.... great graphics and gameplay....... seemed to have the balance of difficulty just right too....... When you got wasted you always thought oh if I could just take out that tank before it fires... so it kept you coming back for more.....

PGR 3 well it looks fantastic and drives well but I hadn`t played any of the previous incarnations of it so I have zero experience with the kudos thingy....... I can drive like crazy but earn little points for it.......

Dead or alive I love..... I`ve unlocked all the costumes on the first difficulty setting and have just started on the next..... It`s very adictive and looks great.... The gameplay is sound to......... Although I do get abit hacked off when I take the guy I`m fighting too with in a micro millimetre of their death and out of nowhere they hit me with a 4836 hit combo.........GGGGGGRRRRR but great fun all the same......lol

I agree about the noise and the heat it is so annouying.... and can be offputting at times...

As for the easy set up... Well I set up the console no problem...... But dispite many atempts I still can`t get on too X-box live..... Which really is a bummer.....and this is my second 360 (Woolworths replaced it thinking that it was the console to blame for not connecting) Everyone says it`s much better than the original but I can`t comment.... :/

I guess all in all I expected more...... I thought it would blow me away but I`m still waiting.......waiting for the killer title that will prove its worth........ I hear that Ghost recon is supposed to be amazing....... That will be my next buy me thinks.....

PS I was in Glasgow yesterday to get my haircut and strolled into Woolies.... and they have loads in stock now..... Maybe I should have waited a few weeks before buying it.... But I couldn`t resist........lol

"If Gods mistakes are built to last then I shall live eternal"

But dispite many atempts I still can`t get on too X-box live

i`m late for work at the moment but we`ll talk later about getting you set up on Live :) i assume you baught the gold pack ?

be back about 5 pm :)

I have had mine for around 3 weeks and the only reason I got it was to play 1080i Movies on a new 50inch Plasma. I set up Virtual Server and then installed MCE2005. you would think this would be easy bust M$ made it not work as usual so everyone has to setup a user account and created a login script to map drives on my PC where all my HD films are. you then need to install HDTVPump to get it to stream.

I have then had issues with HD versions of 24 , the latest series , only get the picture and no sound bar the score. strange. Every other HD film is excellent. They look amazing on the plasma. They should really as Lord of the Rings is 30GB, I have a Gigabit LAN and the lack of a Gigabit ethernet is hugely dissapointing although the Movies files stream ok but everything else in the house is Gigabit so why not the Xbox360.

I am due 3 games today so will let you know on them, the size of the Power supply- its a joke. Why they decided to put a nuclear power station in the xbox360 is beyond reason.

the Graphics are excellent, I have a Chipped xbox in the other room with a 36inch Widescreen the graphic look lame compared to the 360 on a huge TV which should show up flaws.

All in all Good but could be better, no Divx is a bummer as I have to watch lost and Smallville on the 36inch instead of on the 50inch - bummer

For this reason I have preorded a PS3, if this does stream content direct from my PC then the 360 will go

I know 2 people with 360`s and, to be honest, both of them think the same as you. Infact one has a real sense of Buyers Remorse, having hyped himself up to score one on release day, only to find the mediocrity of everything pretty crushing.

I havent bought one yet, pretty much for all the reasons you stated, with a large emphasis on the fact that, aside from DOA, there isnt one game released that I would want to shell out nearly 50 quid for. That and the fact that, even though my telly is big and pretty kick ass, its still a CRT and as such the Hi-Def aspect is a loser.

Ive played PGR for a while and, although it looks great, its not a massive step up from the last one on the Xbox and so on and so forth. The best game ive played, actually, is Madden.

To be honest, I was almost positive I was going to get a 360. The franchises on the original XB were what pulled me in. I was looking forward to another Halo, Ninja Gaiden and so on. But with a crippled media support and, what seems, a fairly underwhelming console, I think I will be plumping for a PS3, which is something I never thought i`d say.

Like i said, this is coming from the perspective of a keen potential buyer, who has just been totally put off by his experiences.

I`ve had my 360 since launch day and i guess my for`s and againsts are:

For

Apart from a few days while it was away being replaced and when i was on holiday, the 360 has been turned on every day since i had it - i`ve not got bored and have felt the will to turn on and play something.

The Arcade - These small games bought with Microsoft points - typically £7 per game are some of the best things on the 360. Plus the fact you can download a trial version first is very good for the consumer.

Geometry Wars Evolved- Addictive, horrendously simple game in the arcade - that is just so fab. Looks great in HD and has great sound. And only about £3.50.

Dashboard - This interface is well thought out with easy access to everything from console setup to access to the arcade, friends lists etc etc. The dashboard is intuitive to use and customisable.

Gamerpoints and achievements - I`m enjoying the sense of achieving something with my games by unlocking achievements and earning gamerpoints - i also love comparing my points tally with other people - especially my husband`s mates - it drives them nuts that a girl is doing better than them.

Games - I`ve not played a dud game yet - I have PGR3, Kameo, DOA4, Need for Speed, King Kong, COD2, PDZ. They are all enjoyable to play in different ways. PGR3 and DOA4 certainly look very impressive graphically, especially in HD. But all the others are also a step up from current-gen in terms of the amount of individual activities going on onscreen at any one time - e.g. PGR3 crowd animations are pretty good. Kameo can have thousands of enemy trolls on screen at once without slowdown, COD2 is just amazing with the level of detail and activity on screen, PDZ is great online.

Marketplace - The number of demos for fullprice games is great - before you were always reliant on buying magazines to get demos - now you can just download them for free directly to your hard drive - demos have included PGR, King kong, Fifa, Fight night 3, NBA, Madden, Full Auto and prob some more i can`t remember. it`s great to try before you buy.

Against

The fact the 360 broke after 2 days of owning (but replacement was turned around by MS in 5 days including the sunday on which fault was reported and day new console was delivered - all credit it to them for doing that quickly)

Gamerpoints and achievements - they are very addictive which can lead you to try to redo something over and over to earn an achievement. Achievements are allocated by the developers of a game and in some games they are ridiculously hard to obtain (Perfect Dark) and in others ridiculously easy (King Kong). This may become more balanced in time.

Lack of next Gen gameplay - i think most, if not all of the games available so far have not moved gaming on much. There isn`t really any new fangled game ideas - but I`d not expect that on launch.

Disappointing graphics - Some games don`t seem to be much graphically superior to equivalent xbox versions - the sport games generally seem to have beautifully superior cutscenes but the ingame graphics are not much different. But I`m sure this will change on the next development round.

Noise - As said above - the disc drive is very noisy. Luckily i tend to play with the surround sound on so that disguises the disc noise.

Heat - Again as said above, the console and the power brick get very hot - i`m paranoid about it overheating, especially when playing for 2-3 hours on the trot.

Marketplace - the inability to download from the marketplace while doing anything else (e.g. browsing for your next download - though i`ve seen rumours that this is being addressed) - pretty minor gripe though really

Overall

Having the 360 has overall been a positive thing, i`m enjoying playing both offline and online. I don`t have an Xbox 1 to compare to, but do have a PS2 and Gamecube. I think the launch games were as expected quality wise and am looking forward to leaps forward as developers learn how to use the hardware better - just look at the difference in quality of gameplay and graphics for PS2 launch games and more recent offerings. Developers just need time to learn how to unleash the power - which will be the same for the PS3 and Revolution.

And I`m intending on having PS3 and revolution so no MS favouritism here.

Hi Chris

I`m hopefull that you can put me out of my misery... I`ll give you some details to let you see how far I`ve got .....

I have been a member of x-box live since the release date for the original X-box.... So I was trying to access my old account (gamertag Bravesoul uk) which is up to date and still running........ The bloke from the support service checked my account and says I should have no problem migrating from original live to the new 360.....

This is the equipment I have........ The premium 360 pack..... the suppied ethernet cable........ Running straight into an NTL broadband modem.......

Ok here`s whats happening..... When I turn on my 360 and the menus come up...... I sign out of my profile to allow me too recover gamertag from x-box live......... However as soon as I do this it tries to connect but right away it goes too test connection..... And thats when it gets weird.... coz it never fails on the same thing........

When I called the M$ support line the guy told me to put my details in manually...... which I did and it was worse........ then after a few days I tried again and an American guy told me to change everything again.... so I did still nothing....... Everyone on the support lines tell me it`s a common fualt and easily fixed.... and yet they can`t fix it...... it`s getting to be a real pain.......

"If Gods mistakes are built to last then I shall live eternal"

tbh, i don`t think i can help, it sounds like a bizare problem, as you allready know, it "should" just work, i assume you are using the supplied ethernet cable ? rather than the one from your original x-box setup ? (tho that should not make a difference) & i assume you are resetting the modem when you connect the 360 (i switch everything off at the wall then switch it back on, this allows the modem to recalibrate to the connected device) a couple of questions.

1.are you running the 360 with a pc via router ? if so has the router been resett etc.
2.does you original x-box still connect to live ? (if you want to test it i can pm you a 2month trial code)

& if poss can you test the connection with a different 360 ? as this could refute/confirm a hardware problem ?

Chris I am using the supplied ethernet cable in the 360s box.......... My old X-box connects no bother.......... I`m connecting my 360 with the cable straight into the back of my cable modem in the ethernet socket........ I turn off everything for at least 20 minutes before restart and trying to connect........And this is my second 360 and I have the same problems..... machine runs great just won`t connect to Live.........It`s a tricky one huh..... It has me stumped anyway........ :/

"If Gods mistakes are built to last then I shall live eternal"

Well I had considered getting one as soon as I could afford a Plasma/LCD with HDV, but you`ve almost completely put me off. Well at least for the time-being anyway. There`s really little to make me want to give up my Xbox/PS2 at the minute, in favour of this.

By the way, is it possible to link up the 360 to a PC LCD monitor?