July 1, 2009
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! The 360 is definitely my gaming console of choice at the moment. I'm a mature age gamer (42), and I'm lucky enough to own all three consoles and I simply prefer the 360. I should also mention up until recently, I ran a video/game rental store, so I used to buy in all the consoles & games. Now I just get to play them! :^)The reliability is great, I've had far less problems with it compared to my PS3. Since the 360 was launched, we've owned 5 or 6 consoles all together, with my current console being an Elite. The very first one I bought (on launch day), developed a video output problem after a few months. This was quickly fixed up by MS, and that consoles is STILL going strong playing movies down at the shop! I've never experienced a RRoD, and of all the customers in the shop, I only ever heard of one other person experiencing it. (On the other hand, I know of 3 or 4 PS3's that had the laser problem). Just pointing it out, that's all! :^)Anyway, back to the review...I was never a big fan of the old Xbox, always preferring the PS2, but this time around, I've definitely switched.. but why?1) First up would definitely be the huge games library. The exclusive titles have appealed to me more than the PS3 exclusives. Crackdown, Halo, Halo Wars, Fable 2 were all excellent titles.2) Price! Why pay AU$700 for a PS3, when you can buy a 360 for under AU$300? For that matter, you can even buy a 360 & a standalone Blu-Ray player for the same price of a PS3. 3) Xbox Live Arcade. Many people I talk to often overlook the Arcade section, but there are some wonderful games available, Worms (and now Worms 2), Peggle, A Kingdom for Kefflings, Penny Arcade 1 & 2, Maw etc. Not to mention some old classics, Wolfenstein, Doom, Sonic, Banjo Kazooie etc4) Xbox Live. Sure, we may have to pay to play online, but in my experience, you get what you pay for. I've rarely experienced any problems with Xbox Live.5) The controllers. The Sony controllers are well designed, but they feel too small in my hands. I suffer from a little Carpal Tunnel, and my hands cramp up quite easily, but Microsoft have done a good job with their controllers. They are very comfortable, and just the right size and weight for me. I can't use the Sony controllers for very long before getting problems in my hands. The Xbox Wireless controllers, with rumble, are also $20 cheaper than the Sony rumble controller for PS3 here in Australia!6) The OS. I have to hand it to Microsoft (and I'm NOT a Windows user at all), they have done a great job on the 360. It's nice and simple to use, and they continue to add features that are useful without over-complicating the system. Networking is VERY simple, connecting to broadband via wire, or wireless, is a breeze. (I'll review the PS3 later, and the awful experiences we've had with NAT Types etc).I also purchased the HD-DVD add-on, and at the time it came out I really liked the way they gave us the option to add on a High Def player rather than including it as standard and adding to the base cost of the 360. Sadly, we all know the outcome of the High-Def format war, which in my humble opinion went the wrong way. I have both HD-DVD and Blu Ray here, and I can honestly say, I believe HD-DVD has a superior quality.Ok, I've rambled enough! :^)Hope this is of use to at least ONE person! haha