Advertising? What do you mean there’s been no advertising? With only 50,000 consoles (the number mentioned in numerous articles about the Xbox 360) being made available to the UK, do you think there’s any real need to spend money on something that people have pre-ordered since late August, when Microsoft officially confirmed the release schedule of this console for the globe. Yes, globally launching the console within weeks of each area getting theirs. This has been an unprecedented move by anyone in the gaming industry, since typically they stagger the release of new hardware (and software on occasions) by a matter of months.

But then again, Microsoft needed to be daring and ambitious this time round, with their first update of the Xbox console. Sony and Nintendo have been in the game much longer, with the former having the majority share of the industry. As with all things Microsoft, they want to be the dominant, the most widely used brand, and in order to attempt to take some of Sony’s share, they had no option but to release the next generation of gaming hardware first – especially as Sony won’t have their new PS3 out until late next year (2006) in Japan, then the US. We Brits (and Europeans), well we’ve been relegated to second-class consideration, by being put on hold, until February 2007. 2007?! – yes that’s the rumoured expected date of the PS3 in Europe.

So, because of that situation, most gamers (hardcore and casual, young and old) see the Xbox 360 as their ticket to the “next big thing”.

So, what is it about the 360 that makes it the next big thing? Well, Xbox Live is by far the best online service available for gamers – even hardened PC users accept that nowadays. The console will also allow you to connect your Apple iPod, and Sony PSP, to use for playing back your music files in a game. Equally, you can hook up a PC to the console to stream video across.

The graphics on the Xbox original, were top notch – better than the Sony PS2, by any stretch of the imagination, but now that we’re in the midst of a High Definition revolution (or should that be resolution), something the NTSC US and Japanese Xboxes have been able to do since day one, with games that supported the Hi Def resolutions (1280x720p and 1920x1080i), the 360 lets European customers finally have a gaming system that outputs Hi Def and enjoy the spectacular graphics quality that games have, and will have. The 360 will still work on normal CRT TVs, but you really want to go Hi-Def to see what all the hype is about. Equally, you can buy the VGA cable, and hook it up to an LCD computer monitor, which you may already have being used by your PC. If you have one with DVI and VGA inputs, and a graphics card on the PC with DVI, then you’ll save yourself an awful lot of hassle swapping VGA cables over to use whichever unit you want.

The bulk of 360 machines sold are the Premium version – the same as the Core system but only with a lot more included for a small price increase. There’s the hard disk drive (20 GB), HD Component cable, wireless control pad, headset – for talking to your team mates online, and for a limited time only, a cut down version of the separately available media remote control, which can control a connected PC’s Media Centre OS, should it be installed.

Ultimately there will be a number of you who can’t get hold of a 360 before Christmas, having to wait until possibly as late as February before you will, but whilst the delay causes frustration and disappointment, the reality is you will forgive Microsoft’s ambitious attempt to rule the planet…er, satiate global demand for the new console, once you eventually get your hands on one, and play it for the first time on a HD display.

All the frustrations and other emotions felt in the interim period will melt away, and you’ll wonder why you stressed yourself out so much. Life is stressful enough, there’s no point adding to it.

The rear of the console has the power receptacle for the connector on the out-board brick-styled power supply, the proprietary Xbox video connector, and an Ethernet (RJ45) port, which allows hook-up of the supplied Ethernet cable to your broadband modem/router. If you’ve a Wi-Fi set-up, then you can always avail of the USB 802.11g wireless adapter, sold separately.

The 360 can be can be oriented in an upright manner (à la Sony PS2), or horizontally, just like the original Xbox. Size wise, it’s still big – Sony PS2 sleekness, it is not. The unit I have is noisy – the fans are audible but the main source of disconcertion is the DVD drive. It is very noticeably noisy, and spins practically continuously when playing a game. Watching DVDs is not the same; the main noise heard (if the TV volume is low enough) is the fans. This noise becomes background noise once you get into the game, but if your concentration is disturbed, or you’re watching a cut scene, it becomes foreground noise once again, which is disappointing to say the least. It’s been reported some units are quiet all the time; others likened to the noise of a jet aircraft – a slight exaggeration, but highlights the point that there seems to be an element of potluck which DVD drive and/or fans yours is possibly going to have. If you can place it in an enclosed space under the display, maybe it won’t be so bad – but if not, then it could just spoil an otherwise excellent package.

The new control pad design is another area for praise and criticism. On the praise side, the pad is slightly larger than the small controller of the original Xbox, which superseded the original control pad that shipped with the system initially. The shoulder now has buttons, the black and white buttons (too small and poorly located to be effective in most games) having been replaced by these. The ‘X’ button in the centre of the pad lights up and is a switch for turning on or off the pad itself, as well as the console – talk about making us into even lazier couch potatoes! Still, it’s an excellent feature. Of course, it’s wireless as well – I shan’t bore you with the technology employed, which means no more wires to get under your feet, tripped over, eaten by the hamster – and no I’m not referring to the gleaming teeth of Top Gear’s Richard Hammond! – etc. The 360 system comes with batteries (AA) for the control pad, as well as the remote control.

The only negative of the design is the Start and back buttons – placed either side of the ‘X’. All to often, when pausing the game to change options or do something, the ‘X’ button gets pressed instead or as well, resulting in the dashboard showing. It’s a minor annoyance, but nevertheless, one that should have been caught at prototyping stage or early testing. Already one well-known 3^rd party accessories manufacturer’s wired (not wireless) pad has these buttons over on the left under the thumbstick, just like the S-controller has. Makes much more sense that approach, if you ask me. Still, aside from that minor gripe, the pad feels great and works a charm – especially as the 4 buttons (A/B/X/Y) are spaced further apart than previously.

For the money – £279.99, it’s a bit of a bargain, considering the additional gadgets it can work with and make use of, providing you with countless hours of enjoyment. Such ones as Apple’s iPod and Sony’s PSP, not to mention the other brands of MP3 players, of which, some, Lord Percy has had his leather gloved hands carressing in the past!

With the new design of the dashboard, and use of colours for each sub-menu therein, you know Microsoft’s design team have put a lot of thought into it, rather than being a case of “that’ll do rightly”. Similarly the games out now, at launch – they all look excellent graphically, and as the programmers get to grips with the system as time goes on, I’m sure there’ll be games along that push the boundaries of what we thought imaginable in this day and age for a sub £300 games console.

Also, whilst not absolutely perfect, Halo 2 works straight out of the box, and gets a welcome boost in visual impressiveness. There are a few areas where the emulator throws a bit of a fit; the main noticed one being the characters at the very start. They seem to take 3-4 goes at turning, and at first I thought this was an anomaly by standing beside them, but alas, it’s not. They do it when standing well back from them. But that’s nit-picking – once playing the game, you get absorbed into shooting everything that moves, and barely have time to notice the improved visuals or smoother frame rate that seems to have resulted with the additional processing power the Xbox 360 has compared to it’s predecessor.

Therefore, a “well done” congratulation must go to Microsoft’s Xbox team – they’ve done a superb job. The only concern is that in meeting that price, sub-standard components have not been foisted upon them, or in their rush with 2 factories working all day, everyday, QC is not being scrimped on.

For now, the Xbox 360 is simply superb, and as time goes by, it’ll still prove to be the case, rather than initial infatuation. Does it live up to the hype that has thus far surrounded it? Well, I’d be lying if I said, “unequivocally yes” – the hype is greater than the actuality if truth be told, but that in no way implies that it’s dull or suchlike. Far from it, it does give you a definite buzz, but it’s not life changing – just a refreshingly renewed enjoyment of gaming solo, online, or with a few friends round for the evening.

Lastly, if you were hoping your cables from the original Xbox would work on the new 360 – you’re out of luck, they are smaller and have a slightly different profile. Had hoped the same with the RGB SCART I used with the original unit, but alas, it wasn’t to be. More money to fork out now for a better iamge on a conventional TV – at least it’s more affordable than a 37” HD Ready LCD, a projector, or a Plasma TV!

* A big thank you goes to Gamestop, Belfast, for providing us with a console.

Review by - PJ Skelton

Published - 12/12/2005

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