Microsoft reverses Xbox Live price hike, will add free multiplayer for some games
Free-to-play games like 'Fortnite' will get free multiplayer access on Xbox 'in the coming months.'
Microsoft Xbox 360 Original
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AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE
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AVERAGE USER SCORE
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Original
- Critic Reviews (5)
- User Reviews (315)
- 88AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE5 ReviewsPC Mag90The Top Game Consoles Face Off - Xbox 360 Elite -Even though the Xbox 360 Elite won't sway current owners to upgrade, its impressive feature set and strong online community make it the high-powered console to own.CNET90Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite Console reviews - CNET ReWhile it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice.Ars Technica80Xbox 360: the Ars Technica ReviewOverall the 360 does just about everything right, and feels like a step ahead for console gaming in general. ... The bar has been raised in terms of console graphics and features. If this is the first shot in the next generation, Sony and Nintendo are going to have a lot to live up to.Pocket-Lint90Xbox 360 Elite console reviewIf you're a gamer and you want to get into the Xbox 360, this is the way to do it. Skip the Core and Pro and stump up the extra £50. It will be worth it in the long run.TrustedReviews90Xbox 360 - Next Gen Games Console Review - Video GMicrosoft has succeeded in pushing the boundaries of gaming, while also bringing media playback and streaming functionality into your living room. Thinking of buying a media adapter for your living room? Forget it, the Xbox 360 will do that for you.
- 83AVERAGE USER SCORE315 ReviewsEngadget Reader60July 11, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90April 3, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80March 26, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Very good console with lots of online games, very poor media hub.Engadget Reader80July 14, 2013Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90June 24, 2013Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 26, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70October 11, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Having this system since launch day, I have been able to experience the roller coaster ride this system has been. The graphics are great, Xbox live is fantastic and the game library is huge.The downfall has been the downtime waiting for the machine to come back from repairs and the cost associated with it.5 days after initial purchase, I suffered the red ring and had to send it in. 4 days later, I did receive the unit back, however, to my surprise, it was a scratched unit with a different serial. A refurb basically. Kinda stinks to get a refurbed unit 5 days after spending almost $500 for a new one and some accessories. Oh well.In the years to follow, I had several repairs done. two optical drives, and another red light error, but not the red ring. I paid in total about $300 in repairs.In the time I have used it, it has been a great time and one of the best consoles I have owned.There are real quality titles that are released for the console and playing those online with friends is always priceless. The newer system seems to have ironed out this systems issues and reinstated the faith in the Xbox brand.Overal, if it were not for the issues, this would have easily been a 9/10Engadget Reader90September 17, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 14, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 3, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 26, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A great console which great graphics and features. A must buy!Engadget Reader80July 14, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100July 9, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 12, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 10, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 30, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 3, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80April 16, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70April 8, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70March 19, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!See my breakdown for details, but the 360 is a solid choice, especially if you enjoy shooters and multiplayer games. I personally prefer the PS3 library, but there's a lot to like about the xbox as a platform.Engadget Reader90March 18, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70March 13, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Xbox is great. The original Xbox 360 became first in class for a reason. I love the games, online play is unrivaled (despite the cost), and it feels new and cool even after a few years.Engadget Reader90March 11, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90March 8, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I <3 the Xbox. Downside is noise and chance for RRoD.Engadget Reader60March 8, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader30March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Got a red-ring after 1.5 years. (sigh)Engadget Reader70March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Microsoft got a nice console with good games, good overall feeling and well designed. In the other hand it´s a little bit noisy and internet features should be free like accessing Youtube or the likes.Engadget Reader80March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70March 6, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 prior to the new "short" model implemented Microsoft's legendary software stability in hardware. ;-) In other words, it wouldn't last without crashing to the extent of being unusable eventually.Engadget Reader80March 2, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80March 2, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80March 1, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90February 29, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 29, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 28, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetUsman70February 26, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 25, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 21, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 20, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Online Media Content is not available in my country.Engadget Reader60February 19, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Have to give it a lower overall review because I went through 3 of these machines until my Microsoft warranty ran out and it was no longer free to replace it. These machines break often. If they didn't break so much it would be a great machine.Jason80February 17, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90February 16, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70February 15, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90February 15, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90February 3, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80January 30, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80January 27, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70January 24, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70January 23, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60January 18, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!rrodEngadget Reader90January 12, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80January 9, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!XBOX 360 > PS3 > everything else besides Wii > Wii.Engadget Reader80January 3, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Broke down often.Engadget Reader80January 3, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I personally prefer PS3, but nonetheless this is a groundbreaking console. Although GT5 is my favourite racing game, I've really enjoyed Forza series, and for a very specific reason - X360 controller is perfect for couch racing. With GT5 I have to go through an engineering process every time when I want to setup my Logitech G25 racing wheel, which is a real hassle.Fun fact: once I accidentally dropped X360 power supply on my toe – it was 10X more painful than stepping on a Lego.Engadget Reader70January 2, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90December 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70December 28, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90December 28, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 28, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Old but still use it, one good console and good games to be played in,,,, nuff saidJustin90December 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The original Xbox 360 is still a viable option to get when buying an Xox 360 but if you need WiFi you'll be better off getting the newer-generation Xbox 360 S which among other improvements, includes a built-in WiFi.Engadget Reader80December 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!loud as the dickens.Engadget Reader70December 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 12, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60December 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 6, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - Engadgetbaileylo90December 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 3, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The older model has the possibility of the Red Ring of Death and runs noisy during prolonged usage. The upside of the older model is that it comes with 20GB of storage off the bat, but other than that, the newer models are much more sleek looking and don't have the faulty RRoD mechanism.Engadget Reader100December 1, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Favorite gaming system by far.Games are great, always something interesting coming out. Live is worth the money if you are into online gaming.Can be noisy at times. Never had any RROD issues to date.Engadget Reader100November 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 29, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70November 12, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!If you're going to buy a 360, I would recommend going with an Xbox Live Gold Membership.Engadget Reader50November 7, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I use a PC with a massive graphics card. Mouse and Keyboard. 'nuff said.Engadget Reader80November 6, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 27, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I miss this old console of mine since GOW 3 was launchedEngadget Reader100October 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader100October 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader90October 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90October 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Great consol if you Just want to use it for gammingEngadget Reader80October 12, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60October 6, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 4, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90October 4, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90September 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60September 12, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The worst things about the 360:Horribly noisy. Hopefully the newer models make less noise than the original.Still no blu-ray. Hello, Microsoft. HD DVD is dead. Get with the program already.Rip-off pricing for hard drives.The best things about the 360: The game libraryXbox LIVEI have one of the originals. Weird . . it is still working. The gaming is great, but the noise issue just gets more annoying with time - not louder - just more GRRRRR!!!mjroberts80September 11, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!This is the best console of this generation thanks to an excellent back catalogue and new content rolling out through XBLA Arcade. Only let down by shockingly poor reliability and cooling.Engadget Reader90September 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 6, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 2, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70August 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Loved this device especially with the LIVE ability and achievement points. Did not liked that I got the RROD but they did offer for others the option to get it fixed. The faceplate option was cool but rarely would one want to replace it when most options are tacky or wouldn't match with everything they own in the living room. Pretty cool to have a hard drive on the top/edge but getting it in and out was slightly annoying. Disc reading was really noisy.Engadget Reader90August 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100August 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Great library of modern games and a super capable media center. LOUD!!Engadget Reader80August 17, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 14, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Best of it's kind, I'm just picky about noise.Engadget Reader50August 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A disappointing product with a lot of problems. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 7, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60August 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The original Xbox 360 is my favorite console because of its focus on gaming and catering to the needs of a gamer via the Xbox Live service.Engadget Reader80August 3, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had my Xbox 360 since launch and it has been a great consol. I love playing the top titles, Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty. They're great games and play well on Xbox Live. The consol is loud when you play a game and can get annoying when watching a movie or playing a game when quiet parts. It can ruine the mood.Engadget Reader90August 3, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader50August 1, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I got the rings. Hope this system burn in hell. This was bull shit.Engadget Reader80July 28, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60July 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Best game catalog, all my friends have one, red ringed on me, but I fixed it. I just wish it had a Blu-ray add on.Engadget Reader100July 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70July 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Nuff said.Engadget Reader90July 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I love the Xbox 360, it is my media hub. I watch TV on it (Hulu and ESPN3), play games and listen to music (via Zune).Engadget Reader80July 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100July 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 2, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 1, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70June 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90June 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70June 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Good product, but its loud and breaks easily. I'm on my second oneEngadget Reader100June 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader60June 13, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100June 12, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 11, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70June 10, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70June 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have a 360 and a PS3 and I personally am always gravitating towards the 360. I have always dealt with the 360 controller much better than the PS3. So enough with the comparisons, the graphics are good obviously a lot is left to the games and how they're developed but the machine handles everything pretty well. I love the media options you have and I think the Netflix interface on the 360 is far superior to that on the PS3. My only real complaint at least with the model I have (the gray one not the newer smaller black models) is the fan noise can get to be a little much in quieter environments.Engadget Reader60June 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90June 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70June 4, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 2, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A very good consoleEngadget Reader80May 29, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!While the original Xbox truly is a great system, it has a few issues, mainly the noise of the fans and the heat it produces. Other than this I completely recommend this system.Engadget Reader80May 27, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader30May 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Was a fan until my unit died, fixed it once, it died again, again I fix...but now the DVD drive won't read disc...think I'm done. PS3 and Wii are still working great, guess I'll stick with them...Microsoft stick to software, your hardware sucks!Engadget Reader90May 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60May 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I don't play much. I think having to pay for a live membership to stream netflix is not so much with the good. Basic media features and games are good though.Engadget Reader90May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Launch Xbox. Repaired twice. Been fine since.Engadget Reader70May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Kinect is nice...Engadget Reader90May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Love the controller, games and interfaceEngadget Reader70May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Can't really go wrong with the Xbox 360. Great console, even greater online play.Engadget Reader100May 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I enjoy it but I know it could be a lot more. I have played through most of the exclusives and all the ones that I am interested in. I used to have a lot of friends who played their 360's but now they either just don't use it or have a PS3. So really I never had much of an incentive to purchase a gold account seeing as most people I end up playing with during weekend trials tend to be noisy kids after school.I am happy with my purchase but maybe I feel there could be more from this generation of games especially that the software side still could be improved. Media capabilities could be much more varied if I didn't feel like most MP4s with surround aac codecs or MKVs required a transcoder I would probably be happy with it as a media player. If I could store media other than the games I can download or install then it would be nice as just an independent player as well as a client.It is alright, but maybe it is because I am writing this in 2011 and not closer to it's initial release but I would buy a PS3 nowadays instead or just hold off for the next gen consoles.Engadget Reader90May 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 20, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Other than the RROD fiasco, i loved my original 360Engadget Reader80May 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!In my opinion, the best games console available today. This older generation is certainly noisy and the design is certainly not as pleasing as the newer model, but it still represents a solid gaming platform.Engadget Reader90May 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I didn't hang on to my Xbox 360 for long in favor of the Wii (purely for the expanded gaming library that appeals to me, however, it's not that this is a poor console). I never experienced the dreaded RROD, but that is probably due to my relatively soft usage of the machine. It's a great and now very affordable gaming machine if you enjoy 1st-person shooters and other violent video games.Engadget Reader80May 17, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Currently in Attic as it has a RROD but prior to it was my favorite console.Engadget Reader70May 17, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetHipOldGuy90May 17, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - Engadgetjosh.e80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader50May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A disappointing product with a lot of problems. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!XBox Live is the real killer on this system which along with a great selection of games and the aforementioned Sky integration makes this a brilliant system.Engadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!RRoDEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Great online and game library. The original Xbox is loud but the content is great. Especially considering the Sony Playstation Online issues right now, I am glad I am on Xbox.Engadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90March 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70March 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80March 7, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70March 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Have yet to experience a read ring of death.Engadget Reader90February 27, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100February 13, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I loved this system, one of my favorites that I owned until the fatal "Red Ring of Death" error. I plan on buying a newer one in the future. The game library is really a big seller on this system.Engadget Reader80December 28, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Nowadays you would prefer an Xbox 360 S !justdep80December 3, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70November 24, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 20, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100November 18, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 16, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70November 11, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100November 10, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader50October 24, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The xbox is a great system... when it doesn't have problems. I got my xbox 360 when it first came out. after 2 months the DVD drive started to go out. It would randomly read the disc, but most of the time it wouldn't. I replaced the DVD drive in january 2010. It worked great with no flaws what so ever. then in about June of 2010, the system got the RRoD. I plan on fixing this once i get the money for some thermal paste, to put on the CPU heatsink, and CPU itself. A working xbox would get a 5 but since mine doesn't work i give it a 2.5Engadget Reader70October 13, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetChris90October 8, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90October 3, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90September 30, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90September 18, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 29, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I will say that I am an Xbox 360 fanboy. The reason for this is because I have windows media center PCs and they play so well together. I have my cable hooked to my PC, with a cable tuner card, in the den and from there my xbox 360 plays all my recorded tv shows and live tv onto my tv in my living room. Also it streams any pictures, videos, and music saved on my computer in my den. For this alone I would purchase an xbox 360. Combine that with netflix steaming capabilities and I am in media heaven. Also as far as games go I love the online play and the title selections. I am extremely into Call of Duty and just recently discovered Fallout 3 (I can't put the controller down).Now for the my bad experiences with the xbox 360s. I have been through 5 of them. I bought one when they first came out from Best Buy along with the 2 year replacement plan (thank goodness). Right before my 2 years were up i got the "Red Ring of Death". So since it was still under warranty at Best Buy I went and had it swapped out for a new Xbox 360 and a new 2 year replacement plan. Within a year it went bad again. Once again Best Buy refunded my money under the warranty with a gift card and I purchased the Xbox 360 Elite. Now I have been through 3 Xbox 360 Elites, which all went bad within 2 to 6 months. All of them had a disc drive that went bad. They stopped reading discs. All were replaced, and on the last replacement they cashed me out with a gift card again and I used it to Purchase the new redesigned Xbox 360 250GB. So far with this one so good. Hopefully they fixed any design flaws the first generation had. I believe the problem with the older Xbox 360s were that they were prone to overheating, and since i used mine to watch tv, movies, and play games it got a lot of use for hours at a time.But when they Xbox is working, there is nothing like it and even though I had so many go back they were all replaced with warranties and I wouldn't switch to any other gaming console. I love my Xbox.Engadget Reader90August 20, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!i've gone thru 4 of these due to red ring tho!!Engadget Reader100August 18, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 17, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!This console is great. Only problems is the overheating thing, but other than that it works great!Engadget Reader90August 10, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 9, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70August 7, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 6, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80August 6, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 28, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 23, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 23, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100July 22, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 22, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 22, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Tons of great games, great original and classic games on Xbox Live Arcade, and I'm addicted to achievements, which I think really extend the value of some of the games. Netflix and Last.fm integration have really added to this console too. Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite consoles.Engadget Reader80May 6, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had an Xbox 360 since launch, and yes I've been bitten by the "Red Ring of Death," but only once.That said, I still strongly prefer the 360 to the PS3 and the Wii. Xbox live is a great service, even if it isn't free.There's not much to say. There aren't huge differences between the Xbox and PS3 these days, excepting Blu-Ray (Which I don't care about, at all) and at the end of the day, you want to get the system your friends are on so you can play with them.A lot of system choice is down to personal preference. The Xbox works for my friends and me.Engadget Reader90March 30, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!It's less a gaming system than an entertainment depot. My Xbox 360 spends much less time with a game inserted in it than just streaming or playing TV shows, movies, music, etc. It's been fairly dependable, only in service once in 3 years. That might seem like a lot to some, but working as a tech for Apple & constantly checking high quality machines into a service center makes me realize how common the need for service is on a mechanical gadget. It's just plastic & metal with electricity flowing through it, that's all. I'm amazed that these things work at all, much less would demand that it work perfectly 8 hrs a day forever and ever ad infinitum. Needs an update, that's for sure. Games with multiple discs are for the history books, not for a current gen gaming system.Engadget Reader90March 30, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I was one of the lucky ones who got the Xbox 360 on Launch date. After lining up for hours and getting lucky on the lottery system that Walmart had in place at the time, I happily counted the hours till the work day is done and drove home to lock myself down for hours of gaming.My first impressions were excite, elated and impressed with the improved graphics for the Original Xbox and the 360 had better controllers (no more Duke Controllers).As the months and years gone by with game classics such as Halo 3, Fable, Mass Effect Star Wars: K.O.T.O.Rand the C.O.D Series keeping me busy, I was really satisfied and happy with the Xbox 360.Laughing off Red Ring of Death Reports and being a proud owner of the 1st batch of Xbox 360, I felt quite confident that my system escaped the dreaded Xbox killer. Until one cold morning in late November 2009. The morning my PS 3 Slim arrived, my trusted 360 suddenly "died" on me. Blaring the dreaded Red Ring of the Death. My girlfriend joked that the 360 got jealous and "killed" itself. I laughed it off but deep inside my heart broke. The years of superb and exciting gaming ended with a hardware defect. Dreams of playing Mass Effect 2 and Project Natal died that day. Obviously, I can always buy another unit. And yes, it would be awesome. But the fear of the Red Ring will always haunt me whenever I load up the 360.Hence the 9.0 score. The Xbox 360 is the perfect gaming machine sans Blu-ray capability and free online gaming (XBL) and Netfilx (Gold membership? really?). These minor complaints and aging tech did not warrant the 1 point deduction but the Red ring of Death incident cost the Xbox 360 the perfect score.In a few months, I'll buy a new (used) unit. I will be gaming again on the 360. But another bout with the Red Ring would really hurt. So please Xbox, release a new cheaper version where the Red Ring is not even a factor.Meanwhile, the PS3 slim would fulfill my gaming needs.Engadget Reader60March 30, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Our first XBox 360 was purchased shortly after release, after having had one of the original XBox units (and heavily modded it). It lasted a year and a half before the RRoD killed it. So it was returned, a month later, another unit. That one lasted less than 6 months, and its return and replacement took 5 or 6 weeks. And we paid for expedited repair on that one. The last unit lasted until the DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS when it died, and again Microsoft wanted us to pay. So until Microsoft releases a new form factor without the hideous hardware problems, we sit here idle with hundreds of dollars of games sitting on the shelf. And for Christmas, we exchanged the games we'd gotten and instead purchased a PS3. It's still ticking presently.Engadget Reader100February 25, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best way to experience the Xbox 360 is with the Pro version. For a decent price and a hard drive you can experience everything XBL has to offer. This edition also sports a HDMI connection for some serious HD gaming. With Netflix, Last.fm, Zune, Facebook and Twitter integration this system is an awesome addition to your home entertain system. I have experienced many hours of gameplay and am looking forward to many more. The downsides to this system are the failure rate and the lack of free online play. All in all this is a great system for everyone.Engadget Reader100February 21, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I believe the Xbox 360 is an essential part of any home theatre setup. Its brings best in class games with great social networking features, Netflix streaming, and Home Media Center integration to your living room. I have two of them, and stream all of my media (HDTV via/ATSC, DLNA via ReadyNAS, Netflix) to my TVs from them. I love downloading indie and XBLA games, and the Xbox offers the best third party and Xbox exclusive games available.My only complaint this that they are very loud devices, and disrupt 5.1 audio setups quite easily. The later generation (HDMI) is quieter, but not by much. The Playstation 3 is much quieter.Engadget Reader100January 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I own a Wii and a PS3, but when I want to enjoy a proper console gaming experience I reach for my Xbox 360. With the Xbox Live service, Live Arcade, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, HD Movie Rentals, Achievements and Friends Connect there really isn't much my Xbox 360 can't do. PS3 and Wii have tried to add many of the same features to keep up with the Xbox 360 but most of their efforts fall flat.Microsoft has also stepped up big-time in making sure that the 360 has the best games on the market, period. They also continue to lock in deals with publishers to gain exclusive online content. The Wii is simply a novelty with far too few titles and the PS3 online and gaming experiences leaves a lot to be desired... 20 minute pre-load times? No thanks!The Xbox 360 has had it's fair share of problems but Microsoft has made it a point to get through those issues and offer an unprecedented warranty system. If I could only have one gaming console, the Xbox 360 is the easy call.Engadget Reader100January 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I bought my Xbox 360 Pro unit used early last year, and with a couple of caveats, this purchase has been second only to my iPhone 3GS as an extremely useful purchase.For gaming, it's been great. Great controls, great HD gameplay on most games. I soon purchased an Xbox Live subscription and found the ease of use for finding and connecting with friends for gaming a surprise. The breadth of games is fantastic. There were few games that I wanted that were exclusive to other consoles.The number 1 reason for the Xbox Live subscription, though, was for streaming my Netflix Instant Queue. My wife and I are avid movie watchers, so being able to use my 360 Media Center Remote to switch to Netflix and have a movie to watch every night was great.My only 2 complaints: No internal wi-fi. This is just a bummer, for obvious reasons. And the fact that the adapter costs upward of $100 kills me. Secondly, I've had to send my unit in for the dreaded RROD once. From the day it broke to the day I received a replacement unit was almost a month. Microsoft was nice enough to extend the warranty period for this faulty units, but the downtime really killed me.One thing I did know: Had my 360 broken, and no warranty option was available, I would've gone out and purchased a new one the following week.Engadget Reader100January 25, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have had my Xbox since launch day and yes it has red ringed but since its repair it has been fine perhaps a little on the loud side but copying games to hard drive takes care of that. Though it sucks having a launch unit with only a 20 GB hard drive and no HDMI. But at the price point now and with HDMI and a larger hard drive Xbox gives every thing that you need out of a console and so much more when your an Xbox Live Gold member. You get everything you need and great updates that completely change the experience. The NXE update was a major overhaul that made things very elegant an offered many new features. With this ability and the other great features and terrific exclusive titles that are set to launch in 2010 there is not many reasons to go else where. With Blu-Ray players dropping in price but not quality the main reason to go PS3 is disappearing and Xbox Live destroys the Playstation Network and if the year fee gets ya down remember you get what you pay for Xbox Live is well oiled machine while I don't own a PS3 and thus can't say it is sub par but I have heard PS3 owners who have Xbox 360 also say Live is much better. Any way you look at there is not much reason to go else where the 360 offers great graphics, compelling games, great functionality (plus a windows media center extender), updates that make it a whole new console, great multi player gaming, and it is getting motion with natal making owning a Wii less important, and with PS3 difficult to develop for many games are made for the 360 thus eliminating the graphical power the PS3 has. Though this may seem like the talk of an Xbox fanboy (kind of) I own a Wii and would get a PS3 though I have Blu-Ray player and do not have many games that I must play on PS3 or the money to buy one. Those two consoles offer their own things that make them great the Xbox 360 offers all that and more with Xbox Live the 360 is untouchable.Engadget Reader80January 25, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have had my 360 since six months after it was released. It was my first next gen console. I have since gotten a PS3 and a Wii to round out the collection. The Wii is covered in dust and the PS3 only gets played for exclusives or I can't find the 360 version of a title. The 360 controller feels like it was made for my hands. The thing that really sets the Xbox apart for me is the non-gaming features. Netfilx and media streaming from my Mac are simple on the 360 and frustrating on the PS3.That being said, it is disheartening how buggy the 360 still is! I had to send it in in 2008 with the RROD and last year it randomly started showing disk errors on startup. That lasted for about a week and then never happened again. Last week it started saying that it couldn't read either of two perfectly clean Modern Warfare 2 disks. If you are still looking to get a console, the 360 is by far the best option but be prepared for some quirks and don't panic when they rear their ugly heads, give it an hour and they will go away.Engadget Reader90January 25, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Not a huge game player here. Haven't really been one since early Nintendo but the thought of great games and streaming of my music, Netflix, Facebook and Twitter on my tv was just too good to be true. It wasn't too good to be true.I have been loving it. I am still learning about the games; that controller can be complicated depending on whatever game you are playing. Yes, I did try to play Halo 3; I got lost going around a rock in about 5 minutes. Haha.Netflix is awesome. Online suggestions as well as ease of adding to your queue through the PC.Facebook & Twitter; I like them but I need to get the message pad to really make them work the way I would like.And of course if you the ease of streaming your music from your Zune, Windows Media Player or whater is so simple.Engadget Reader100January 21, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I love my xbox i just wish they weren't so greedy, they have the best selection for video games in the market hands down! but a lil bit of free wouldn't bother me not one bit. Now when the ps3 gets some more games out in the open i think the xbox will have to do soemthing a little different to get more people, but for now they are at the top of the hard core gaming industry and will most likely stay there for some time. but gettin past the mumbo jumbo, i would recommend the 360 to anyone over the ps3.Engadget Reader80January 21, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I bought the 360 to stream my music and videos to my TV. At the time it made the most sense, the options were thin and the 360 seemed like the easiest endeavor.Over time with the addition of netflix and the lift on the .AVI streaming ban, my arrangement worked out beautifully. But of course there is a catch. For some reason, unknown to me, you cannot stream .AVI files on a box (that is not connected to your original serial number when you signed up for xbox live) unless you are connected to Xbox Live while streaming. I realize this may be confusing but to put it simply, if you are like me and you have sent your box in for repair around 4-5 times, the box you have now is not the same box you had when you bought it. The serial numbers are different. In my case Microsoft did not keep very good records, because they only have the last 3 refurbished boxes serial numbers on file but for some reason did not keep my orignal serial number. This comes into play because there is a way to link your current box with your previous serial numbers to allow you to stream your content to the 360 without being online. The catch is, as explained above, Microsoft must have your original serial number on file to link to your current box, or as they say your sh*t outta luck.In the grand scheme of things being connected to Xbox live isn't the worst thing while streaming content, but its annoying when your internet connection is somehow wired through hell and cuts off when the wind blows. So be warned, if you primarily use the Xbox for streaming purposes, keep in mind if you send it for repair you may end up with the same problem I have.So overall I enjoy the 360 as a full fledged media component in my living room, and I do appreciate the time Microsoft keeps putting into the unit. Its nice to see Microsoft create something and keep developing for it, its become unlike them to do that in other areas. Some people think they've spread themselves too thin, but the 360 seems to be an exception.Feel free to reply for clarification or with suggestions.ThanksEngadget Reader90January 20, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!This is great and their online service is the best. I find my self always turning it on and playing some great exclusives. But I do like to wear my surround sound headset as the xbox has loud fans and when the disc spins up will be an anoying hum. Also it is very expensive to add a larger hard drive as they are proprietery. But after its negatives this is a great gaming machine and in the winter can be used as a heater. I suggest if you are considering one to buy top at the time to get the as many accesories as possible because you never know when they might pull accesories to bring down the price point.Engadget Reader90December 29, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Hardware- The Xbox 360 produces great looking visuals and amazing sounds. It boasts a 3.2 ghz Tri-Core processor and renders everything in crisp HD. Even without the Blu-Ray, 360 graphics generally look as good as PS3. The wi-fi controller offers little to no lag and has well placed buttons.Software- (Note: I'm going by NXE) The NXE allows for seamless movement of many features. It's simplistic interface allows anyone to get where they want to go. The Avatar system is a blatant knock off of Miis, but has a couple cool, features that make it worth getting into. Props are cool, and there are a lot more customization options than MIis, but Avatars aren't integrated into very many games. Games: Xbox 360 generally has more and better exclusives/DLC than its current gen counterparts. Many formerly exclusive games for other companies have found their way onto the XBox. XBox Live is by far the best console online gaming service, and the party system and TruSkill are extremely well implemented.Build Design- The Xbox 360 looks absolutely atrocious. It's matte white paint job makes a skin a necessity, and it's slot-loading DVD drive means you can't load a disk with the console standing up. The Xbox 360 runs very hot and needs elevation to run properly. The flimsy USB and memory card covers are begging to fall off, and I'm quite lucky they haven't. The third USB port is in the back of the console, which makes absolutely no sense. Why would I want to reach all the way behind my XBox to plug in another controller? I honestly don't know.Overall- This console won't win any beauty pageants. What it will do is play anything you throw at it better than anything on the market.Engadget Reader90December 27, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Microsoft's first attempt at a console was decent at best. And if you get right down to it, Halo was that console's saving grace. However, they Xbox 360 has proven to be far better than it's predecessor could have ever hoped to be. The games are great and in this era of FPS's the 360 really does rule the console world for "hardcore gamers." The first thing that Microsoft did right was acquiring every title it could for this console. Even the so called PS3 exclusives (no offense PS3 owners as I am one myself). They also acquired exclusive rights to some big name DLC, such as GTA's. Secondly, they had a major graphics upgrade. Thirdly, the controller remained small and similar to the S controller making it a great design. Unfortunately, the console did come with it's flaws. The most glaring problem would be the 50% fail rate, in other words the RROD. Secondly, it did not initally come with full backwards compatibility. It also lacked an HDMI output until the Elite came out. Microsoft has also announced that they have no plan of adding Blu-ray support to the system.Engadget Reader90December 26, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 offers many great features. The online gameplay is better than the PS3's, and games look just as good. Multimedia features are decent, with the best part being the Xbox Live Marketplace. One drawback, however, is that the online way to transer music to the console is to rip it from CD's. Music can be streamed from computers, or played off mp3 players including Apple iPods. If you are facing the difficult decision of PS3 or Xbox, either choice is fine. Both offer many of the same features and games. The one deciding factor for me was the fact that most of my friends had Xbox 360s.Engadget Reader80December 26, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 offers many great features. The online gameplay is better than the PS3's, and games look just as good. Multimedia features are decent, with the best part being the Xbox Live Marketplace. One drawback, however, is that the online way to transer music to the console is to rip it from CD's. Music can be streamed from computers, or played off mp3 players including Apple iPods. If you are facing the difficult decision of PS3 or Xbox, either choice is fine. Both offer many of the same features and games. The one deciding factor for me was the fact that most of my friends had Xbox 360s.Engadget Reader100November 14, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I rarely play my Xbox 360, but even when I do get a chance to play it, which is approximately once in a week, I really enjoy it. The graphics are amazing, the games catalogue is great. I don't use it for anything else. I'm happy I bought it and not the PS3. The control feels great in the hand and the vibration effects are spot on! I just wish we could connect any hard drive to it instead of the proprietary ones which are normally very expensive. I didn't notice the games loading any faster with the hard drive in my opinion, but I guess that's just me.Engadget Reader90October 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I got my first 360 on launch day. Two years later it red ringed. I had it fixed and donated it while I got a new system. A little more than a year later it's broken and out of warranty by an unknown freezing issue. Despite those problems, I'm still going to get another one eventually. I love streaming Netflix, and I have friends on Live that don't have PS3s. Also, there are some great exclusives like Alan Wake, Gears of War, and Lost Odyssey. I just wish the system had more reliable hardware to go with the awesome features and games. Despite that, I still find myself playing the 360 more than my PS3 when it's working.Engadget Reader100August 23, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had the 360 since the day it came out and it continues to become more and more useful as a media hub for our house as well as being a great gaming machine. The whole family uses the 360 - whether its me playing AAA video games, streaming our pictures from our PC, watching DVDs, or my wife putting on Blues Clues for my 2 year-old son with Netflix instant watch. And with Microsoft adding new functionality to the device all the time (for free I might add) we couldn't be happier with the investment we made back in 2005. It seems like this generation of consoles will really have a long lifespan - I hope they don't make a Xbox 720 anytime soon.Engadget Reader80August 12, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I purchased a 360 Pro when Circuit City was in it's death throes. This is pretty much the only reason I bought one, as it was at a ridiculous discount. I've been incredibly happy with the purchase, but am pretty much in constant fear of the inevitable death of the console via the Red Ring of Death or the newer E74 error that people have been seeing since the NXE has been launched. The only other annoyances on the console are that there is no bluetooth support, allowing the use of any bluetooth headset, and that the digital pad on the controllers is just plain junk.Now that all the negatives are out of the way, you can't help but like the thing. HD gaming, sporting all the latest games, and of course the most robust online gaming in the business. If you have a thirst for danger, this is your console :-)Engadget Reader100August 6, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Full HD resolutions, divx/avix, H.264 video support. Perfect online gaming experience.Basically the best overall next gen console due to the versatility of the dashboard and it's online services. The Windows Live Messenger integration is welcomed tooThe Netflix integration is welcomed but not available in most markets outside of North America. Can't wait for the Zune, Twitter and Facebook integration tho.Can't wait for this years exclusives like Forza Motorsports 3, Halo:ODST, Splinter Cell, Modern Warfare, Guitar Hero 5 and Project Natal.What I would like to see is a way more silent console with support for standard 2.5inch hardisks so we can swap in larger ones as we download more games :)Engadget Reader100August 5, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have the Elite model (Black) as it fits in with my home cinema setup and comes with a 120GB HDD.Pros:- Large library of titles- Great online community via Xbox Live (However this isn't free)- Netflix Support (US only)- Games on demand- Reasonably priced- Facebook & Twitter integrationCons:- Noisy console- No built-in wifi (available as an optional extra at a cost)- Early models prone to failures (RRoD)Comes in 3 models: Arcade (No HDD), Pro (60GB HDD) and Elite (120GB HDD)Good fun for all the family, will appeal to all ages.Engadget Reader90August 4, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I camped out and got my 360 on day one (quite a story actually). It has been good to me and the games and features just get better and better. Unfortunately, it has been to the shop 4 times. To Microsoft's credit, I have not had to lay out a cent to fix it but still. The more you have to send it in the faster they turn it around for you. My 5th box should be arriving on my doorstep any day now. My only other concern is that the HDD are way overpriced. I have an original PRO unit and the HDD is skimpy. I would like a larger one but it is hard to justify the outrageous prices that Microsoft is asking. Hopefully they will come to their senses or let 3rd parties make their own HDD.Dragon90August 4, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is far and away the strongest mix of gaming (both online and offline) and multimedia connectivity.On the gaming front, top console gaming exclusives like the Gears of War franchise, Too Human and Crackdown create a strong blend of core experiences for gamers, while the more casually-oriented titles such as 1 vs. 100, Carcassone , Scene-It! and Uno allow for members of the entire family to enjoy gaming. The gaming experience is consistently supported by the peerless Xbox Live system, which keeps friends connected efficiently and easily.Multimedia features include Windows Media Center Extender support, streaming support from PCs for music (both in-game and in the main OS known as the dashboard), photo, and video content, and Netflix integration for Instant Watch streaming of Netflix catalog titles.The only item keeping this console from reaching the lofty "10 out of 10" score is the inexcusable launch hardware failures. Noisy fans, noisier DVD drives, and the infamous Red Ring of Death are untenable mistakes that have eroded the otherwise stellar feature set of MIcrosoft's newest offering. While all three of these issues have been largely corrected in newer models, the reputation damage is irreparable. You can now confidently purchase a new 360 without fear of the above problems, however.The Xbox 360 is truly the most innovative and powerful console in this generation, with software that continues to be streamlined and improved to further the strengths of the hardware. Highest recommendation!Engadget Reader100July 23, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!For anyone faced with choosing a game console today, it is very difficult to go past the Xbox 360. No other current platform offers more.Lets get this out of the way first: did Micosoft mess up by releasing a console in 2006 which contained failing hardware? Absolutely. No one should make excuses for them, they messed up big time. But their response to the problem has been extremely good under the circumstances. A 3 year warranty, free repairs, free shipping on repairs and typically a 7 day turnaround. For most people, that's enough to take the sting out of the situation. Think about this for a second: Microsoft, the one everyone loves to hate, releases a product that has such a high failure/repair rate and STILL, most Xbox 360 owners remain huge fans of their console. It has to be a pretty amazing gaming console if it manages to do that.So why do people like their 360's so much? WHY is it such a great console?The Xbox 360 shines in the following areas:GAMES: Most games are now multi-platform, which levels the playing field between consoles a lot. But there are still a few platform exclusive titles and the 360 has the most desirable ones (E.g. Mass Effect, Gears of War, Halo, Fable, etc....). It has also given us some great exclusives in Downloadable Content (E.g. GTAIV, Fallout 3). Also, the 360 has the biggest back catalog of current-gen games (2006-2009) many of which are now a bargain. There are also many wonderful arcade games available via Xbox Live. No other platform has a better choice of current-gen games.CONTROLLERS: No contest. The 360 has by far the nicest, most comfortable to hold and easy to use controller. Good weight, good buttons, good analog sticks, very solid, very comfortable, excellent battery life.XBOX LIVE: There is no better way to game online. Its not free, but its damn good if you want to game online. The best online experience by far.PRICE: It is the cheapest current generation gaming console you can buy.Areas where the Xbox 360 is decisively beaten by the PS3 are the inclsuion of Blu Ray and Wi-Fi. But these are nowhere near as important as the above factors for those people who want to GAME.The PS3 is a very good game console, but at the end of the day, if you had to pick just one game console today, there is no doubt it would be the Xbox 360.Engadget Reader100July 22, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The 360 is awesome, I love it. Especially now, NOW is the time to buy one with all the great gaming titles available and great online service that is getting better every year. I enjoy watching Netflix from my 360 and listening to music, videos and pictures. The online community is by far great, the party system is awesome and online gaming is fantastic.People often point out the RROD (Red Ring Of Death), which destroys your console and must be shipped to get it repaired. Don't believe the hype, the 360 has made some changes to reduce this from happening, so don't be afraid. Their are many ways online that you can do to keep your 360 fresh.Buy a 360, get online, and send me a friend request (Raider4lfe87). See ya soon.Engadget Reader90July 14, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I got my first Xbox 360 on launch day with Call of Duty 2 and Perfect Dark Zero, and I never regretted it. The instant Xbox Live support and online play were some of the most appealing qualities at first but the 360 itself is a great console. That said the Red Ring of Death and other malfunctions have given me grief. My launch console got the RROD after a year and a half. The repair process was painless and they gave me a new one. Right after that I got and Elite with a 120 GB HDD and HDMI support. Both these features are great, but with the added benefits of NXE such as ripping games to my HDD and avatar support the 360 has never been better. Unfortunately I have an issue right now regarding reading discs. My 360 just refuses to read games so I'll have to send it in. This has given me the opportunity to explore the Xbox Live Arcade. Such great recent (July 2009) titles such as Worms 2: Armageddon and Battlefield 1943 are great games which don't require a disc to play. With the future ability to download full titles straight to my xbox, the future seems good. I would recommend this console highly.Engadget Reader90July 11, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I love this system, it truly is a great entertainment device. I use it just about everyday. sadly I only have the 20gb version, and dont want to spend the boat loads of money to get a new 120gb HDD. So that does limit my video purchases. But I love the idea of the game and video market place. Also, the selection of games, outstanding.My only complaint is that I wish it was integrated better with Zune. I love the style of the Zune Marketplace, its organized and easy to use, something that I cant say about the NXE UI. The NXE UI, in my opinion, is quite hard to use. To many pages. But back to my point. The Zune has wireless sharing capabilities and so does the Xbox if you have the adapter, I would just like to be able to stream my music from my zune. I know that you can stream from your computer, but everytime I try, I get and error message from both my PC and XboxAlso, I know Microsoft gets payed for the ads, but lord, there are a lot of them. To many.Engadget Reader90July 11, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Some buddies of mine and I were so eagerly anticipating the XBox 360 that we took two days off from work in order to camp out the night before at the local Best Buy and then have all day the next day to play with it. We have not been disappointed.The XBox Live service is, in my mind, the star of the show. The ability to meet up with your friends online, play games together, chat, etc. is great. The recent XBox Live update that added Netflix, online game shows, etc. just made the service that much greater.The ability to use the device as a Windows Media Extender to stream music/video from your PC to the 360 is a welcome piece of functionality.The games and graphics are fantastic. The ability to buy XBox Live Arcade Games, and now even Community Games built by independent individuals enhances the experience even more.The only thing that keeps me from rating this a 10 are some hardware issues (red ring of death, anyone?) and the slow response times in the Marketplace since the release of the new XBox Live Experience. Overall, though, I have spent hundreds (maybe over 1000) of hours using this device, making it by far the best value for the money of any device I have ever owned.Engadget Reader100July 5, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is more than just a game system if you set it up properly. It can be your central hub for all media. First of all, lets start by saying that the content available from Xbox Live! is one of a kind. Netflix on demand is your one stop shop for movies. TV Shows can also be purchased or rented in HD. and the online gaming is just totally intense.Now lets talk about its capabilities. The Xbox 360 comes equipped with Windows Media Center capabilities. If you have a Vista PC in your home, then you can host Movies, Pictures, Music, TV Shows you record, pretty much any media content and have it streamed and viewed on your xbox 360 in your leaving room. My current setup is ideal for the media nut. I have one server with 2 TV Tuners to record shows off of. one for watching HD content, and the other to watch another show, or record two shows at the same time. If i want to record more shows simultaneously, then just add another tuner to the computer. Everything can then be controlled from the xbox 360 via the Media Center interface. You have your guide, recorded shows, and all the other great content Media Center has to offer.Overall, the Xbox 360 is great for gaming, and even better for having your one central location for all media content.Engadget Reader80July 5, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Really a terrific gaming platform--everything MS does wrong with Zune and Windows it got right with the 360. The only issue is that it's possible that the hardware, with its lack of bluray, etc, has been maxed out. Time will tell. The 360 has a few pecadilloes. As mentioned, the use of DVD as opposed to a higher capacity format is a limiting factor. I think we're likely to see many multiple-dvd releases (eg, FFXIII) which will fit neatly on one blu-ray disc. Or even worse, we may see lower-res textures, etc. Another issue is the controller. On the whole, it's excellent. The rumble is terrific, and the analog sticks are top notch as well. The achilles heel is the d-pad. Let's face it, it sucks. Both the DualShock3 and even the Wii controler blow it out of the water. There aren't nearly as many games dependent on D-pads as in the 16-bit era, but with the advent of downloadable games, this is a definite handicap. Of course, there is also the issue of the 360's notorious failure rate. I've not had the dreaded RROD, but I did have a dvd drive fail on me and MS no longer sends coffin boxes so to get it fixed, you have to pack it up on your own which is a pain in the ass. Overall, still highly recommended for a seamless and excellent gaming experience with some terrific exclusives.Engadget Reader90July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I bought my 360 Elite in the fall of 2007, in time for the release of Halo 3. Maybe I've been lucky so far, but I have had no heat (or any other) related problems. The console has always been connected via HDMI to two different AV systems. No issues there.Since this is an older console, let me summarize:1) Great audio and audio options (upconverts to DD Ex on my 6.1 system).2) Excellent video, but the PS3 may be better.3) Best selection of games on the current generation of consoles.4) Recent software upgrades make this a far more valuable console: Netflix and Amazon integration are the best.Downsides:1) Very loud.2) Problems with reliabilityEngadget Reader100July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I played and enjoyed my xbox as is, straight out of the box for a year. Then I discovered xbox live. WOW. I strongly recommendd getting an xbox and getting xbox live. You can watch movies and shows from your xbox, play games with other people, and if you have friends with xbox's it has a great system for finding eachother, seeing what everyone's playing and talking with people. I love my xbox. It has tons of games so there are games for everyone no matter what your gaming style is. Ther are also lots of xbox exclusive games such as Halo that are great games to play that you can only play on the xbox. Not to mention things like arcade games which are small games you can download for a small price and play, many of which provide hours of entertainment. Another cool feature that's not exactly part of the xbox but is still worth mentioning is XNA. A free program you can download on the internet and allows you to make your own game. Then you can submit it and have it reviewed by the community and the top games get put up on the xbox marketplace and can be purchased and played by anyone with an xbox and an internet connection.Great gaming console. Absolutly amazing.EDIT: One last note. If you plan on playing online do not get the arcade version. Go for the normal or the elite. The arcade version has almost no memory.Engadget Reader90July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I purchased the elite version when it first came out around July of '07. I generally play it in streaks for a few months at a time and then off for a couple months depending on the release lineup of games I like. I enjoy music games, action/RPG's, shooters and casual games.The game lineup of exclusives has been enought to keep me interested. The 3rd party titles don't seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to quality. The non-gaming extras with the DLC movie/tv lineup and now netflix have been a great feature. The pricing on movies and tv shows seem out of touch but it was nice to be able to get HD Lost before I had a TV with a ATSC tuner. The media streaming to the 360 from a PC is very nice for avi and some mp4 files if you get most of your video content from torrents. I have had one 3 red rings failure, but that was pretty much cake to get fixed in the matter of just over a week at no cost to me. I don't see this as a huge deal since I have gone through two consoles of every generation I have ever had going back to the Atari 2600. This included the 2600, NES, SNES, PS1, PS2 and now the 360. They just wear out because they're made cheap to get in your hands. It's part of the territory. This is actually the first time I didn't have to pay to get my second one.If you've read down this far you're really thinking about getting a 360 vs PS3. For that it comes down to Xbox's killer app, Xbox Live. Gamerscore is a really close 2nd to being the killer app though. I only gave my review a 9.0 instead of a 10 because Xbox live costs the price of a game a year. Even counting the price, it's well worth it and helps you enjoy your online experience that much more. The new party system is nice so you can stick together from game to game. Future/current features with gold accounts make it even more of a bonus; DLC discounts, Live Primetime (gameshows, currently just 1vs100) and online play. If you're even thinking about getting a 360 I would say get it. The games and online play are worth it. The only case I think a PS3 wins out in is if you are a DVD nut and are jonzing for buying another 100+ BluRay movies and all of your friends are already online playing PS3 games. But likely most of your online friends are already playing a 360 if I had to guess.Engadget Reader100July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I waited for the 360 through the entire development cycle. I read EVERY rumor, I waited in line for the console, and when I finally got it, I was not dissappointed. More often than not, my habit is to get infatuated with a product before release, get it, and start being infatuated by the next product as soon as I get my hands on it. This has thankfully not been the case with the 360. I really can't tell you anything new or original about the 360, only my opinions, and they are as follow:The NXE is great, I was really happy with the interactivity of it, and the avatars are really cool. Thankfully M$FT has added enough accessories to the catalog to keep everyone's avatars pretty unique, and I'm glad they haven't succumbed to the desire to charge people for clothes or features for their avatars- that would be pretty ridiculous. I'm really happy with the ability to DL expansions for games. It was very unique when Halo started doing it to extend their lifecycle, but now expansion maps and games are the norm in the industry, and it's a very nice addition to make the games on the console have a much longer replay life. Add that to the online xperience, and you could theoretically keep playing one game for a few years- some are still playing halo 2 on 360....As far as hardware goes, I'm happy with everything that they have done, I'm on my third console (rrod'S) and have had the pleasure to get first the upgrade to the HDMI equipped model, which was one of my initial gripes, and now to one with a larger (60GB) hard drive (thanks for both, Best Buy replacement plans!)I've noticed my newest one has a VERY quiet DVD-ROM compared to my last two models, and runs a lot cooler, so maybe this one will last over two years.The 360's controllers are hands down the most comfortable controllers I have ever used, and can handle the longest gaming sessions...Overall I'm very happy with the console, M$FT's support of it, and the games that are develoed for it. Thank God I didn't get the HD-DVD add on!Engadget Reader100July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I owned an original Xbox and thought Live was a pretty good robust service. When I got my 360 I was expecting more of the same, but I was absolutely blown away with "new" Xbox live. The integration of live across all aspects of the platform is amazing - friends can contact you whenever you choose to allow them, you can jump into a game you own that your friend is playing, the list goes on. The controller is in my opinion the best I have ever used (except for a rather imprecise d-pad) and is comfortable after hours of use, and the removable battery pack enables you to keep going without wires even if you exhaust it with a marathon gaming session). Wireless was also a unexpected delight - I think later generations of gamers will be amazed we ever had wired controllers which feel so constricting now.With the new Xbox experience Live became a little more user friendly for non gamers and also expanded its online capability further with conference chats for larger groups.With further capability revealed during 2009 it is quite clear that there are some years left in the XBox360 yet with expansion of online capabilities expanding the lifespan of the console which still has graphics / gameplay equal to anything out in the console market.One word of advice though get a big hard drive when you get the console - upgrading is expensive.Engadget Reader100July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Considering all of the amazing things that XBOX 360 can currently do, such as the best gaming community platform, best games, best interface, most access to additional content from your home network, easiest way to extend media center to your TV and audio gear, access to NetFlix, community live game shows and so much more, it blows me away that there is even more to come and I can't wait. Soon, we will be getting Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, a completely new way to browse downloadable songs for Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Lips and the revolutionary motion capture system.My only complaint is the noise (you have to keep it out of the main media room, but who wants there devices out in the open anyway) and I really hope that they add a Native NXE SDK so that any developer can add applications to the dashboard.Engadget Reader90July 3, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have played video games my entire life, on everything from a TI-994A and an Atari 2600 to home-built performance PCs and most recently the Xbox 360. Traditionally, video games have filled a very definitely defined boundary within the realm of entertainment, right alongside watching TV and reading books. Games were games, with a definite beginning-middle-end, hint books cheat codes and when you beat them, you rarely returned to them. Interaction with other people was typically limited to one-at-a-time, all in the same room, local multiplay. This definition of gaming continued for quite a while, until games like marathon, doom quake, etc. redefined multiplayer, consoles like the playstation redefined graphics, and games like deus ex and system shock taught us how video games can tell stories. The culmination of this evolution is undoubtedly the Xbox 360. For the last few years, the Xbox has blurred the line between gaming console, communication device, and home media center. The future looks bright for the console as well, with upcoming motion control, twitter integration, and streaming hi-def. I wholeheartedly recommend this console to anyone who loves playing games with friends.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I must say, I think xbox live is the only gaming community for me, and I'm pretty the xbox was the only thing Microsoft did correctly (minus RRoD). Also, once Project Natal is released, it'll only become better! I mean seriously, the freakin' thing signs you in be reading YOUR FACE. Anyways, the xbox has so many classic games that you honestly can't go wrong. I strongly recommend this console especially an Elite because the black goes every very well with the ladies. Also, make sure you get rechargeable batteries before you waste a lot of money at your nearby Costco.Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have little complaints about this console. It may have had a poor reputation before due to cutting corners in the GPU side. I have all three console and I purchase all my games on this platform. The XBL integration is a must. You CAN find specials on year memberships for very cheap. The controllers are my favorite out of the gang out there today. I also get to play my favorite MMO on it. (FFXI)In the months to come they will also add Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM and apparently expand the media stores for other countries than the United States! Awesome. Can't wait.Engadget Reader40July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Recognize these names? XenonXephyr/Zephyr? FalconJasperWhen we used to have "console wars" we were really having a discussion about the games...not the actual platform. The 360 is probably the first "mainstream" console that actually FAILS at what it is supposed to do- play games. If you are going to do a review of the Microsoft Xbox 360- you have to mention its tremendous failure rate-http://games.venturebeat.com/2008/09/05/xbox-360-defects-an-inside-history-of-microsofts-video-game-console-woes/People credit Microsoft for extending the warranty- sorry but if you have a 68% failure rate shouldn't that constitute a recall?RRoD was NOT the only issue going on with early/mid/non-Jasper 360's. You had disc-read errors, ethernet port problems, and of course E74. Only E74 was later treated like RRoD. Backwards Compatibility trickled out at first, but now it is quite extensive and Microsoft definitely should get credit for this feature...when I saw that Panzer Dragoon Orta was finally playable I was ecstatic. Early Adopters were punished by not getting HDMI output- something that Microsoft at first said was not necessary and is now a feature they promote- which is ironic because it is the total opposite of HD-DVD something at first they actively promoted and is now something they see as not necessary. The 360 was really the first console to embrace wireless controlling, but it was probably inevitable in this generation especially with Nintendo pushing the Wavebird for the GameCube. But the implementation with the remote was great...being able to turn on your console with your controller wirelessly was/is awesome. The PS3 and Wii had to follow suit. And that's part of the problem with the 360- they had to be first out the gate. Bill Gates himself points out that they were unable to close the gap because of the stranglehold the PS2 had over the original xbox and made it a priority to be the first of the next-generation of consoles. 20gb is not enough for demos alone, much less movies and TV shows- and why didn't Microsoft make the hard drive easily upgradeable like the PS3 or allow for external drive storage via USB? Upgrading your hard drive is a very expensive and annoying expense on the 360. Later iterations of the 360 include HDMI ports, but yet they still don't offer integrated wifi! Little things like this must be infuriating for the people in charge of xboxLive- why didn't the hardware team make it more accessible for people to easily use their service? The design of the hardware is also necessary in a hardware review- the color sucks. Cream/Beige doesn't match anything in a typical home entertainment setup. Every model is LOUD, especially the older models. People actually ask where was your disk drive made- if it was Japan or a Samsung drive it was louder/more quiet. The 360 is tiny in size compared to the PS3?- not if you include that massive POWER BRICK. NXE/xboxLive is truly a great interface- ONE username. The content is rich and the customization is plentiful. The problem is that it's 50.00 a year, couple that with the price of the wifi dongle if you are not fortunate enough to be in close proximity to your router and the cost of entry to the hardware's best feature (NXE/Live) is a significant barrier. The Controller- really good for FPS, really bad for fighting games/sports. The triggers feel fantastic and have the right placement and tension. The D-pad SUCKS. The shoulder/bumper buttons are too small and have bad placement and bad feedback/tension. The color is not conducive for grime/dirt- but at least gives you a hygienic reminder to clean your gamepad. The fact is when it comes to a console review it should never be about the system- it should be all about the games...but Microsoft has managed to change that and now we need to review the hardware- it was everybody's worst fear that when Microsoft got into the console arena the machine would crash and you would need to upgrade; it never happened with great occurrence with the original xbox- but it DID on the 360. People actually KNOW the names of the chipset/motherboard- this is a video game console- its basically supposed to be plug&play! But whether you have a Jasper HDMI with low noise or a Towel-Wrapped Xenon running louder than an overclocked CPU its great playing a game like Fable 2 or Gears of War 2. I just wish you could play them without worrying when your console is going to conk out.Engadget Reader80July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 has now been around for a good number of years. The graphics are still top, the games catalogue is unrivaled, yet the online entertainment section seems, in my opinion, a little bland in comparison with the US store (I write from the UK) - also, it seems a little expensive for rentals which if reduced by one or two pounds for each rental would be much more appealing. Xbox live is fantastic but, in comparison to the PS3, is again expensive. overall however if you are a gamer this is the console for you, for a ubiquitous entertainment machine, however, buy a PS3.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is simply amazing. Great exclusives, great online community, and great casual games. Though, it does have downfalls such as breaking...I've owned an Xbox 360 since launch, and I love it. Completely worth the buy if you like video games, especially online gaming. Though, be ready to send to in to Microsoft to get it fixed. It's broke on me 3 times. Even though Microsoft has extended to warranty 3 years, it usually takes 2 weeks+ to get it back. And it usually breaks when a game you really want is about to come out..Overall, despite the design flaw which makes it over heat and encounter the e74 error, it is worth it.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 has the best games and online multiplayer. It also has a large library of arcade games, movies, and tv shows for purchase/rent. With both 1080p and 5.1 surround sound capability, it matches or beats all of the other consoles from a technical specification standpoint.It has the most comfortable controller out of all the consoles. It is also much easier to move the your character precisely when compared to the Wii.the 360 also has many social features that make it stand out from the crowd such as 1vs100, Parties, and avatars.The only downfall that I have found is that it does not support DTS HD MA or Dolby TrueHD when playing HD DVD discs.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have had my 360 since launch (no rrods) and have loved it since i got it. There are so many great games available for it from the arcade games available through xbox live to fps's like halo 3. Then xbox live is just awesome, and blows ps3 online and wii online completely out of the water, and i know its 50 bucks a year, but it is so freaking worth it. Then beyond the games, there is the multi media functionality. It works so well and is so incredibly useful. I am able to sync my main pc (win 7 rc1) with my 360 over wireless without any hassle and am able to watch all the shows and movies i have ripped to my hard drive. Then there's netflix which is just fantastic. All in all i don't think there's a better deal in the gaming world.Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had the 360 since the day it came out. I was one of the people who reserved it early and spent well over $600 on the system and peripherals on day one. At that point, the games pretty much sucked (Perfect Dark Zero?), but now I would go out on a limb and say that it has the best games of any current console. Some would argue about Wii games, but with Halo3 as a 360 exclusive, you really can't beat it. I have a PS3 as well and never game on it because the 360 has better games and a FAR better online community.I know tons of people with 360s and we get online once a week to play Halo3. The gaming experience online is the same as if you were playing offline. I rarely have any lag whatsoever.I know there have been tons of issues with the hardware, but I have yet to have any issues with mine. Given that I only turn mine on for a couple hours at a time, but I've had it for years now and no major problems.As for the online services, I recently got the Netflix instant watch to work and it's superb. My only complaint there is that Netflix doesn't have many new releases in the instant watch list, which is why I will most likely stick with Blockbuster.Engadget Reader50July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Let's start with the problems with Microsoft's latest entry into the video game market. Every single person I personally know that owns a 360 has had to send theirs back to Microsoft for repairs. And these aren't minor, various repairs. These repairs are for one issue only: the Red Ring of Death. It's a complete hardware failure that prevents you from turning on or using the console for more than 5 minutes before it just stops working. I'm on my third unit and I can already see that I'm going to have to send it in soon. Various visual artifacts are appearing all over the screen and after 10 minutes of trying to make out what's going on it locks up.The next problem is noise. This is one loud gadget. From the fans that spin up to full speed when you turn it on to the jet engine sound when the DVD drive is in use, you will have to crank up your sound to drown out the 360's moving parts. The PS3 and Wii, by comparison, are just about silent. It's unfortunate because the noise really removes you from the experience the games are trying to create.Last problem lies with the controller. Out of the box, my controller's left analog stick drifts north. So to get my on-screen characters to stop from slowly creeping forward I have to lightly pull back on the stick. This has led to far too many unintentional steps off of ledges to impending doom. The directional pad also suffers from poor build quality. It's incredibly inaccurate and unusable. I've cursed at the controller more times than I want to remember.As a result, I've started to migrate to the PS3 for my high-definition gaming; it's just a much more reliable and quality piece of hardware than the 360. It's silent, runs cool, never locks up, and just feels more solid than the hardware the shoddy engineers at Microsoft have come up with.As for the good things about the 360, the software lineup is great (Left 4 Dead is awesomely addictive) and the Xbox Live service is a fantastic experience. The exclusives in Live Arcade are also stellar (Rez HD!). Live Achievements make gaming addictive again much like video gaming's early years, and the friend system is far superior to anything else.It's a shame Microsoft's hardware skills are just as bad as their software skills. I'll probably end up selling my 360 and games if the console dies again. Three strikes and you're out!Chris100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 was a great surprise when I first bought it soon after its release and it has only gotten better since then. While I mostly play Halo on this system, the other games and exclusives I've tried have not disappointed.The best part of this system goes beyond gaming, with Xbox Live and its multimedia features. Since the latest update with added support for DivX and Xvid file formats, my Xbox has become the central hub for multimedia streaming at home. My only gripe is the lack of MKV support, which has become a high-def standard (I feel this issue will be addressed in time).The best part of this console is the amount of potential it still has left. A future update promises added support for Last.fm, Twitter, Facebook, downloadable game rentals (a huge plus!), as well as the awesome looking Project Natal. While the graphics may have peaked on this console, there's so much left for it to offer and will be the center of my multimedia setup for some time to come.Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Great game catalog. Lots of movies instantly available to download. $50 is worth it for a years worth of playing games and having access to on demand movies. Great network and features available while playing games (chat, video chat, messaging, Parties across games, etc). Lots of new features coming out that I am excited about (LastFM, Natal, etc). Integration with Netflix makes the system that much more enjoyable to have. While it does have some issues, I am willing to live with them. RROD is a pain if it happens, but they have resolved that in the newer consoles and had a great warranty to cover that. Not having enough storage is frustrating as the downloading of various items has become more and more involved (ability to download games to the HD). HD prices should be much cheaper.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!this system would have gotten a higher rating but due to very poor hardware failure, i can't help but give it a 8.9. after this past E3, the Xbox seems to be promising the fact that it will be an all around entertainment device. They have a great list of games, good XBLA games, and with addition of Netflix and soon to come: Last.fm, Facebook. Using the Xbox 360 is easy and painless. You can access your messages, start a chat, or invite friends to a game without going through tons of clicks. The controller is perfect for FPS but not for fighting genres. My system still heats up really bad though.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's pluses and minuses like every console. Don't let the RROD worries get to you though- there's enough warranty on the units now to last it till the next generation (almost).You're buying this unit for the cheap entry price (Arcade), the selection of games, the integration online, the gaming + media center experience (although for superior media-watchin', you could go with a PS3), and the look.I've never been happier with a console- and I've owned quite a few.The Wii had online connectivity and novelty, but the Internet portion never really integrated with the games. Even today, games are designed without online play because it would be too hard on the hardware. I ended up scrapping mine because even though the Wiimote was a great tool and there was tons of potential, I felt I was on a kid's system and secluded to my home.The PS3's price point was initially too high, and for the game library it offers, arguably still too high. It's coming into its own- but there's not many games exclusive to PS3 that scream 'buy me!' That, and the complaints about Playstation Network (constant firmware updates) and Home (wasn't all it was drummed up to be) make it look like a me-too system.The XBOX360's primary complaints are something that can at least be fixed by a technician on an individual basis. The hardware's been the foremost complaint since launch. Having a fee for XBOX Live comes in close 2nd, but when you see the free alternatives, you'll know why there's a fee. There's nothing mentioned that detracts from the system's core function- gaming and entertainment.Pick it up, give it a shot, have fun.Engadget Reader50July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Issues with red rings of death are just plain ridiculous. 360 has been out for several years, and it's still an ongoing issue. I've got a friend who went as far as to replace the case with a Lian Li metal one and still gets it. The fact they keep producing bum devices doesn't really surprise me when I think about all things Microsoft. I could also get into the gargantuan power adapter, and the huge cable connectors, but that's not even the point. Reliability of the device is just terrible, and therefore I would recommend PS3 over xbox 360. Although your game choices are for the most part superior with 360.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I was a PS fanboy for years, and was converted to XBOX 360 due to my early exposure to its launch through work. Aside from the occasional RRoD and some of the bizarre choices regarding the GUI interface - it has been a solid and very fun experience. However, what really makes a system great is the games - the rest is at best window dressing, unless that window dressing detracts from the overall experience. I am also a fan of the controller(s) both standard as well as the Microsoft Wheel. I just wish that black model had come out at the same time I received my console (1st week) because cream look bad with my stereo set-up.Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!After having this console for over 2 years and buying over 25 games I have found this to be the best purchase I've ever made. I have several friends who own PS3's and after much discussion I still believe the 360 to the the top dog for many reasons. Primarily display, after much research and side-by-side comparison the 360 wins in nearly 90% of games screen for screen frame rate and lighting. Secondarily and very importantly is the contract Microsoft has with Netflix. Being able to stream in HD with even the most recent shows and movies is incredibly convenient. Moving on to to the gaming aspect a bit more. The control itself is far far better than any Sony control ergonomically when playing for long periods of time and simply is much more comfortable. And lastly is and not least importantly is the online interaction with friends via parties and one-to-one, being able talk long distances through your headset while on different games within big groups is awesome and for someone stationed in a remote location I can say that nothing else matches it! Many will argue that the PS3 is better graphics wise but that simply isn't true yet and developers have proven that as they jump ship for the 360 and, as far as Blu-ray is concerned (it only has a 9% market share) which proves it isn't catching on anytime soon. For your dollar the Xbox 360 is the best gaming system out there. Join the party!Engadget Reader10July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I went against my better judgment and bought an Xbox 360 back in 2007. I made sure to check all the serial numbers, box markings, etc, in order to ensure I was getting Falcon board that was supposedly going to fix all the RRoD and other miscellany problems.I was seduced by the library of games, 90% of which, upon further reflection, I didn't really care all that much about. I picked up the Orange Box, Guitar Hero 3 (trading my Wii version in for the 6th time, and still have not actually shelled out enough dough to pay retail cost of one of them), and Final Fantasy XI (because I'm a masochist).I never even had to recharge the controller battery. After having it less than a week, it locked up, requiring a restart. A couple weeks later, it locked up again. This was not during game play, this was browsing the dashboard, looking at demos or trailers I'd downloaded. I tried watching a movie with it (another problem the Falcons were supposed to fix), and I had to stop before the opening credits were done, and start over with my old 5 disc DVD carousel. It was LOUD. I checked the drive against a few sites online listing the 3 potential drives that it could have in it. I apparently had the quiet one. !!!! If that was quiet, I honestly fear hearing the ones considered loud.Another couple weeks pass, another lockup, this time during an actual game. Not playing, just loading. And then I was treated to a nice ring etched in my Orange Box. Fortunately Fry's was sympathetic, and I was able to get that replaced, and given the advice to stand the 360 on end. Well, at least it didn't etch rings in any other games after that. But it still continued to lock up pretty regularly.Finally after 2 months of this, I put it on Craigslist, and sold it within 24 hours for the same price I originally paid for it 2 months earlier. I took that cash and bought a PS3 with an additional $50. Haven't had a single problem with it.I want to want an Xbox 360, but I continue to see stories of problems, new and old, that persist to this day, even on brand new systems. I just can't justify wasting money on something I fear will constantly break and I'll be without for god knows how long... or worse, out more cash buying yet another defective POS.Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!When the console was first released it was the big powerhouse of the games industry. The only thing that was feared was the PS3, but on release of the PS3 a year later it was obvious that a console that was a year longer in development from both hardware and software was just not able to keep up to the power of the Xbox 360.Now 3 years on, this is still the best console around. Sure I have a PS3 too, I like my bluray and the couple exclusive games like LBP and MGS, but if I have a choice it will be 360 the whole way.Why? Well the graphics are better, the controller is better, the Multiplayer is better, the achievments and website are just awesome.On top of all that, I use Windows Media Center with Comcast cable and being able to watch all my TV though the Xbox along with Netflix just makes this my multimedia powerhouse.Oh and one last thing, Natal!Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!While not the perfect system, Microsoft does it's best to compete with Sony and Nintendo, and not only does it deliver, but it does so with flying colors.It doesn't have the raw power of the PS3, nor the wii-mote-ness of Nintendo, but it brings everything else perfectly. Each system has it's pro's and con's; the PS3 has the computing and graphical power of Chuck Norris, the Wii has the best motion controller ever on a console, but where Xbox truly shines is it's online service of Xbox Live.Making it possible to play games with your friends easily and giving you access to movies, music, community games, new game trailers, etc. Xbox Live is the best online service to grace a console, and while the PS3 comes comes, Live still comes out on top.Now the cons; The PS3 has a very limited amount of games, especially good ones. The Wii doesn't have amazing graphical performance like it's competitors, and has cut back on hardcore games in the hopes of bringing in new gamers. And Xbox has one of the worst con's of all... a console failure rate higher than sh*!! Everybody, even people who don't own the console know of the infamous "Red Ring of Death".Luckily, there is one redeeming feature for an otherwise doomed-to-fail-at-least-once product. The warranty is ungodly long for consoles affected by the "Red Ring of Death" (General Hardware Failure). And while they don't have the best customer service, (they outsource, and chances are you won't understand who you are talking to) you will get a new console, and pretty fast too.So weighing it's pro's and con's, it is still a great system. I'd recommend it for anyone!Scores:Amount of games: 9/10Online experience: 10/10Price: 8/10Hardware quality: 3/10Engadget Reader100July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Weather your into shooters like Halo and Gears Of War or casual pick up and play games like Uno or Peggle, there's something everyone will enjoy. What makes this console stand out more then anything is the "Online" experience that you get from playing with other people. Xbox Live connects you to everything, news, music, movies and games. Real-time TV show games like 1 VS 100 prove that playing live with a group of people all over the world isn't just fun for you, it's entertaining for everyone who's watching. There are even social aspects for connecting with your friends and colleagues on twitter or facebook all from your living room without leaving the couch. The main reason to have this console is because they are constantly updating the Xbox 360 to do so much more. With dedication like that you can see why it's one of the top consoles on the market today.Engadget Reader90July 2, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is a great console for kids and adults. The system has a wide range of games from FPS titles such as Fallout to RockBand and Lego Star Wars. The wireless controllers are comfortable and easy to use. The 360 can be integrated with Windows media center and Netflix. The only downside I can think of is the noise, but a good sound system should suffice in drowning out the hum. Users can create their own personal avatars and effortlessly interact with their friends online. I can't wait to see what the future for the Xbox has to offer. I am particularly excited about Project Natal. This motion sensing device truly seems to be the future of technology. I think the 360 will surpass the other consoles with the arrival of the controller-free game play.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Great toy!! Awesome graphics and an online system that actually works - not like Sony's.One great feature of this system is xbox live . Being able to connect to hosted games with your mates easily is great. Pity It costs money to have a live subscription though, but the fact that it is a more mature player base makes up for it. I haven't come across many screaming kids on there and if there is, a voting system is in place so that these people can be removed from the game room.A really fun piece of hardware - every living room should ave one of these - or a PS3!!Engadget Reader100July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Let's get this out of the way first, the dreaded RROD. It's happened to just about everyone I know at least once. Personally, I'm on my third. I haven't had a problem since getting my latest console, over two years ago. With the new 'Jasper' consoles on the market, this should no longer be a problem. There's a reason people keep coming back though, XBox 360 offers the best gaming console on the market. An award winning controller, awesome games, and the killer app, XBox LIVE. If it wasn't for XBox LIVE, I probably wouldn't play games as much as I do. Sure the PS3 and Wii have their online components, but Microsoft's approach is in my opinion, at least a couple years ahead of the competition. My whole family loves the 360 and uses it daily. The kids have their games, I have mine and the wife has Netflix. With Microsoft soon to add features like Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm, the XBox just keeps getting better. My Wii and PS3 are good systems in their own right, I just tend to use my 360 a majority of the time.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is by far the best operating system of this generation. It easily surpasses the PS3 by offering more titles and a more robust online experience, even if you do have to pay for it. Although the wii is has a better concept, it is ruined by the loads of shovelware that Nintendo allows to be published and the fact that will simply does not have the processing power to keep up with the Xbox 360 or the Play station 3. the One problem with the 360 is the RRoD. This overheating problem has ruined 2 Xboxs, although Microsoft replaced them free of charge. Besises this, however, the xbox 360 is easily the best in its class.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback 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! hahaEngadget Reader100July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!You can play the best first person shooters (FPS) available on this machine; Halo, Gears of War, you name it. Fun system to have. Watch DVDs and stream Netflix movies. Soon to come: Facebook, Last.fm, and Twitter. Aside from the the expensive accessories, this is a solid product. XBOX Live is one of the best online gaming system I've ever used. Lets you see which of your friends are online or last time they were online, what they were playing, and voice or text chat with them. If you want to play popular games online, then there is no better option.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!This is a great console for your hard core gamer, it has most of the best FPS games out there and outstanding online service. As microsoft adds more features to the xbox live service, like Netflix and last.fm I feel like I'm gaining from on an initial investment. The only thing that I can comment on that I wish this console had more of from out of the box is better media support, like transferring AVI files with codecs. I have to use a third party software like Vuze or TVersity to enable streaming of any video I wish to use.Engadget Reader100July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I bought the Elite back in February as a treat for myself and because I was informed if I wanted to continue receiving games for gifts my old Xbox and Gamecube were not going to cut it any more. I've been very pleased with this console so far, not only does it have a great library of software titles, but it can also be used as a media extender for your PC. The only reason I didn't rate this unit a 10 is because 1) Microsoft made the somewhat puzzling decision to omit wireless networking from the console, wanting you to shell out $80 to $100 for a device to plug into your usb port (it can be done cheaper with an older router and the DD-WRT firmware). 2) It could stand to support more CODECS for media playback. A lot has been said about the RROD's but frankly, most people I've talked to in person that have owned these consoles have only experienced this problem with the older generations, the newer ones seemed to have fixed these problems. If your looking for a good game system, your not going to go wrong with this one (though to be fair, your not going to go wrong with the Wii or the Playstation 3 either, though the Playstation 3 is a bit more money than I can stomach paying for a game console).Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I got one of these babies my first semester of college, its a great console with some good games. I wanted to use it for a media streaming device, but it doesn't play nice with macs or certain codecs. Also, I have had it just stop reading the disc in the middle of a movie (never a game) and say that the disc is unreadable, but the disc works just fine in my computer.Other than that, and one RRoD, I have no complaints. Microsoft is really good at support on the Xbox 360 and there are plenty of good games for it.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!It has games, can play dvd's, can stream netflix, can stream movies and music from the network, can be used as a messenger. Other than some lack of codec support (though it is pretty good) I find it to be one of my favorite gadgets. It can not eclipse the xbox 1 with XBMC on being one of the best media centers, but it does do a pretty good job. I also love the ability to be able play 1 vs 100, and have conversations with my friends while playing different games. Those were both great additions to change the console from just a game to a mainstay in my life.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Xbox 360 is a triumph of a gaming device but it's not without many problems. The controllers are extremely comfortable and getting four people connected to the console is a snap.The Xbox 360 may be slightly technically inferior to the PS3 hardware but you wouldn't know it because the SDK is easy to work with and we've seen some truly impressive titles like Gears of War 2 (graphically, that is). Microsoft seems to get a lot of exclusive games like Mass Effect and Gears of War that don't stay exclusive forever. There are plenty of games, multiplatform and exclusives, to choose from. Moreso than the PS3 or the Wii.The multimedia experience is frustrating. The Media Center Extender functionality does not work reliably and tasks that should be simple like playing a media file from a USB drive are a little cumbersome, though NXE helped this greatly. The lack of Bluray makes the PS3 a no brainer for anybody who wants a BD player. I wish Microsoft would release an external unit like their HDDVD player.The device is far too loud. It's not practical to use it for watching movies, especially in a small room, because it will most certainly be audible and annoy you during the film. It would've been nice to have HDMI on all of the units as I'm stuck with a component only model, but it's not a huge loss as comopnent still looks fine.Now the big problem. Everything I've said so far has rendered it a more than adequate gaming console, better than the other two in almost every regard. The issue? It breaks. A lot.RROD (red ring of death) is still happening and now we have to deal with E74 errors. I'm on my fourth console I believe (perhaps fifth? I've lost count). Every single Xbox 360 sold up to a certain date is a ticking time bomb you hope will explode before the warranty expires. We don't even know if the overheating and dying problem has been fixed as Microsoft has been painfully tight lipped about the issue.So it's the best gaming console but it sucks for movies. It might die on you at any minute. If you can deal with that and you don't need Bluray, the Xbox 360 is the best of the current generation by a long shot.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had the Xbox 360 since February 2006, shortly after it's launch in November 2005. For this review, the Wii will not be considered a competitor, due to the fact that it is designed to be used in a different manner, and targeted at a different demographic than the 360 and PS3.Let me start by getting the negative out of the way. I have gone through over five consoles. Thankfully, I purchased the extended warranty, and each time I received a replacement. It was the best $52.89 I ever spent. Early in the console's life, this was a normal occurrence. The massive failure rate was unprecedented. But time (and better hardware) has decreased the number of failing units drastically. Still, I would recommend Microsoft's warranty plan, just in case. Now for the good stuff. The Xbox 360 is a well-rounded console, with many benefits over the competition. One of its biggest features is Xbox Live, Microsoft's online gaming service. Some people would argue that the Playstation 3 has a better online service, due to its cost (free, as opposed to $40 a year for Live). But according to several of my friends, all of which own both consoles, Live is far superior in speed, reliability, and usability. While free is nice, I personally believe that paying just over $3 a month is a fair price for such a great service.The Xbox 360 also has some of the finest exclusive game titles. Mass Effect, Gears of War, Halo, and Forza, just to name a few. To be fair, the Playstation 3 does have it's share of great exclusives, such as LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank. However, more and more 3rd party developers are switching to multi-platform. In that respect, a lot of side-by-side comparisons done by big-name sites (gametrailers.com, to name one) have shown that the 360 version often looks sharper, crisper, and more detailed.The Xbox 360 can also be used to stream media to your TV. It supports several formats, including DivX, MP3, and of course WMA and WMV. The 360 can be synced with your Netflix account, allowing you to stream movies from the internet. Overall, the Xbox 360 is a great console.Engadget Reader100July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I currently use my 360 to stream music and movies to my home theater system. It gains more functions everyday, facebook and last.fm are on the way. The games are amazing. The controller is the best around. Im sure that project natal will secure the 360s place at the top. While I also have a nintendo Wii, I would never in a million years consider buying a ps3. The games aren't too good, the controller is horrible. Most multiplatform games tend to look much better on the xbox 360. Also, no Halo. I've have a few friends tell me how pd3 would eventually come out on to, and as time goes on I it seems even more unlikely. So basically xbox 360 is the best.Engadget Reader80July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Having both a 360 & PS3, I suspect the hardware problems with the 360 helped me fall out of love with it and eventually move to the PS3-- not even the 360 exclusives kept me excited. It lost its position in my home theater to the PS3.That said, for what it is, the 360 a fine, capable console for gaming (I could do without the Mii-style UI). The cost of upgrades, while frustrating, is not surprising. I fire up the 360 from time to time to revisit saved games, but totally ambivalent when doing it. Wish it had a browser like all the rest, even the handhelds. Hopefully, the 360 will evolve with initiatives like Natal, and embrace next generation gaming.My rating, however, is a strong 7.5. Good console, great selection of games (and more kids games in the marketplace), yet displeased with performance and total include featureset.Engadget Reader90July 1, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!What can I say that hasn't been said already about this box o' fun. Well I think it has it all. You can listen to your music from your computer straight to the Tv. And watch your videos too. Not to mention great gaming on top of all that. Soon if your like me it will also be the center of your social life because it will have Twitter and Facebook. And also have a great music site like Last.fm to stream your favorite music straight to your Tv. They also are working on a project to make YOU the controller of the game. It's called Project Natal. Read up on it here http://www.ask.com/bar?q=project+natal&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xbox.com%2Fen-US%2Flive%2Fprojectnatal%2F. These are definitly great times to be a gadget lover like me.
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Key Specs
GAME FORMAT
Optical, Downloadable
ONLINE FEATURES
Multiplayer, Voice chat, Video chat, Store
CONTROLLER TYPE
Wired, Wireless
MOTION CONTROLS
Yes
VIDEO OUTPUTS
Component, Composite, Scart, Svideo, Vga
BACKWARD COMPATIBLE
Yes
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