Xbox 360 Console Includes 20GB Hard Drive from Microsoft
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Our Editorial Review
Product Description Includes: Xbox 360 Console, 1 Wireless Xbox 360 Controller, Hard Drive, Headset, Standard A/V Cable, Faceplate, and Silver Xbox Live.
The Xbox 360 System is the way to begin experiencing the ultimate in next-generation gaming. Amazing Digital entertainment experiences, unprecedented in home console entertainment, are waiting for you -- all you have to do is connect the controller to this incredible device and an unsurpassed level of adventure and excitement is yours. Connect up to 4 wireless game controllers Online optimization - The XBox 360 is Wi-Fi ready (802.11a, b and g), has a built-in Ethernet port and has out-of-the-box access to Xbox Live Full digital media support - Plays DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD Streams media from portable MP3 players or a Windows XP based PC 3 USB 2.0 ports, two memory unit slots Multi-channel Surround sound; Supports 48KHz 16-Bit Audio Stands vertically or horizontally Interchangeable face plates personalize your XBox 360 console Dimensions(HxWxD) - 3.27 x 12.17 x 10.16 (83 x 309 x 258 mm) Weight - 7.7 lbs (3.49 Kg)
Amazon.com Xbox 360 sets a new pace for digital entertainment. More than just a cutting-edge game system, Xbox 360 also integrates high-definition video, DVD movie playback, digital music, photos, and online connectivity into one sleek, small tower. About the Xbox 360 Hardware
 | | Xbox 360, shown with wireless controller, is a sleek, customizable gaming and entertainment system. | Xbox 360 is much smaller than its predecessor--it measures approximately 3.3 by 12.2 by 10.2 inches and weighs 7.7 lbs. It's powered by custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU with three symmetrical cores each running at 3.2 GHz. It also carries a custom ATI graphics processor 10 MB of embedded DRAM. This is powerful enough to draw 500 million triangles per second. In other words, it makes for great looking games in standard TV definition, and even better thanks to built-in support for HDTV 1080i televisions. It also supports the widescreen 16:9 format. The unit has a 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM drive, which plays both the game media and progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. For game-save and media storage, users can choose between the detachable and upgradeable 20GB hard drive, or a separately sold 64MB flash Memory Unit. Along with storing files, the hard drive will make the Xbox 360 backward-compatible with part of the existing Xbox game library. Xbox 360 uses a refined button layout for its controllers. Back and Start buttons sit at the center of the controller and between them is a new Xbox Guide button, which instantly takes the user to the Xbox 360 user interface. From there, they can check for friends online, access personal digital content like photos and songs, and more. The black and white buttons of the first Xbox controllers have been replaced with new shoulder buttons placed above the left and right triggers. Xbox 360 can accommodate up to four wireless controllers and has three USB 2.0 slots to use for wired controllers or for streaming your digital media from digital cameras, MP3 players, and any Windows XP-based PC. Microsoft has announced plans for a upcoming video-conferencing camera that will work with the system.  | | Xbox 360 can manage your games, your online friends, and your personal digital library. | About Xbox 360 Games and Media
All Xbox 360 titles can be played in either standard or high-definition resolution in 16:9 widescreen, with anti-aliasing for smoother graphics. Game designers will be able to take advantage of the system's multi-channel surround sound. The Xbox 360's digital media allows users to supplement any game's music from tracks in their own personal library. About Xbox Live
A built-in Ethernet port allows users to connect their system to a broadband connection for access to the new Xbox Live Silver. The included service lets anyone create a Gamertag and gamer card to express your online identity, chat live with voice chat, and connect to the Xbox Live Marketplace to buy expansions, maps, and other digital goodies for your games. The subscription service Xbox Live Gold adds to that online competition, game stats, and video chat/messaging. The separately sold wireless adapter supports the common 802.11a, -b, and -g standards.
What's Included in the Game System
- Xbox 360 console
- 20GB detachable hard drive
- Wireless controller
- Xbox Live headset
- High-definition AV cables
- Ethernet cable
- Detachable faceplate
- Xbox Live Silver membership
Customer Reviews
What can I say? The Xbox 360 Kicks A** Posted 13 March 2007
You want a game system. You want a system for a fair price. You do not want a system like the Nintendo Wii, because it is obviously for kids. You can not afford the Sony PlayStation 3, because it is a towering 600 dollars. Therefore, what is the best option? You guessed it. The Microsoft Xbox 360.
Capable of 1080p, the Xbox 360 is king of next generation consoles. Excellent graphics, excellent games, killer online gaming, what's not to like? Some of the other people writing reviews for this product have been complaining that their Xbox 360s have been breaking. Do not be deceived by these reviews. The people writing these reviews are just these PlayStation 3, gamer wanna-be's who lack the common sense to properly set up and maintain their consoles.
That being said, I will now tell you the details about why the Xbox 360 owns.
Graphics: 10/10- The Xbox 360 will adjust to your TV resolution, whether it is 480p,720p,1080i,1080p. Excellent work Microsoft.
Best Game Titles: Gears of War, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Dead Rising, and coming soon, Halo 3!
Sound: 10/10- Everything you can possibly expect from a next generation console. Well, at least the Xbox 360.
But I do not want to spoil everything for you, so to summarize, if you want an excellent next generation console that is set at a fair price, has excellent games,extremely fun online play, etc., then the Xbox 360 is the console for you!
Xbox 360 - An Unbiased Review Posted 12 March 2007
This review is being written by a 27yr old who hasn't owned a console since the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo (Super NES). Genesis was -by far- my favorite system, with a soft spot for the Turbo-Grafix 16. I loved how the Genesis was simple, fast, and simply breathtaking the day I opened it up and felt tingly all over. I soon after bought the Super Nintendo but never quite captured the same feeling I had for the years I owned the Sega Genesis. This is until I purchased the Xbox 360.
First, a little history on why I bought an XBOX 360, and why we chose it over the Playstation 3.
My g/f and I recently bought a 42" Samsung Plasma HDTV at Sam's Club. It has a fantastic picture and really looks great when coupled with HD cable service. The only pity was that the HDMI cable was about $16. :-(
Part of the arrangement that we made together was to get either an XBOX 360 or a Playstation 3 for when we have family over. Since I had not played a video game console (PC games only) in such a long time, we started to research which one to get. The Playstation 3 had my eye simply because it looked to be the newest and sleekest thing on the market. Playstation, Sony--what's not to like, right? Well, we took a look at what games it had and the initial cost of the machine and were floored. $650 for the console at Sam's Club. Needless to say, we weighed our options carefully. One thing my g/f and I are good at doing is researching our big-ticket purchases. We ask a LOT of questions, check reviews, and read a lot of Consumer Reports. Our friends and families are also a good source of information.
We did some research on the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3 and it each everything we were looking for, and the games looked really great on both systems. However, we decided to go to a game store and check both out consoles before we made a final buying decision. We decided to check out the Gamestop at the Long Beach Town Center.
The walls were filled with games for Playstation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360, followed by a huge bargain bin of used games for as low as $3.99. I was really excited by this because I could get a bundle of older games to play, providing the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 would play them. I decided to confer with one of the geeks behind the counter about what console is best, and why. We spoke w/ a super-courteous young lady who really seemed to know both consoles in-and-out. We never mentioned that we had done our homework, but wanted to see which system she would recommend. After a short exchange about what we would like to play (Gears of War came up once or twice) and what sort of system we have at home, she recommended the Xbox 360 because of the sheer amount of games it had and the price point. After all, $600 for the PS3 did give us a bit of sticker shock, as did $400 for the Xbox 360, but my g/f had said it best, "I'd rather spend $600 if we at least got some games with it." Good point. We left, and after a short shopping trip at the LB Town Center, we headed home. Later, on a trip to Wal*Mart for some last things, I noticed they had a PS3 and an Xbox 360 on display. Feeling like a HUGE kid, I decided to try them both out.
I was immediately impressed with the PS3's appearance. It looked like a Porsche compared to the Xbox 360, which at first looked more like a kitchen appliance to me. Wow. Sleek, beautiful lines--I was almost completely sold based on how it looked. I walked over to try it and noticed there was no controller, but it was simply a demo box. ::sigh:: I went over to the Xbox and noticed there was a small line gathered behind it. An older teenager was playing it and I asked him, "Which one should I get?" "The Xbox, definitely. The PS3 is too expensive and doesn't have Xbox live." I knew of Xbox live, but didn't know it was such a hot commodity. I admit, I thought the graphics on the Xbox 360 were pretty stellar--in fact, they almost seemed a little more "crisp" to me than the PS3. Each were on Samsung LCD displays, but I noticed that the colors seemed a little more vibrant on the Xbox 360 than on the PS3. This is the first difference I noticed between the two....
After a few days, we decided it was time to buy our system. We knew the PS3 was hard to come by, but we were very patient and figured we would just put in a pre-order for one if it was hard to come by. After some careful thought, we ended up getting the Xbox 360, and in the past 3 weeks of ownership, we have not been disappointed.
We purchased the Xbox 360 Premium Bundle at Sam's Club for $450. Sam's Club maintained that if we had any problems with the unit, just return it and they will exchange it for up to two years for me (thx to my plus membership), so that gave me peace-of-mind and not have to worry about how long it will last. It came with two wireless controllers, one rechargable battery pack, Xbox Live Headset, 20GB Hard Drive, etc. In other words, this is what one would call the "Works Package." I also managed to pick up Project Gotham Racing 3, Call of Duty 3, and Gears of War upon the advice of a helpful associate at Sam's Club. Walking to the car with all this garb, I noticed it was particularly heavy...at least 10lbs or more. I started to think, "What's in this thing, and why is it so heavy?"
Upon arriving home with this heavy thing, I started to feel a sense of "Coolness" associated with owning the Xbox 360. I was telling my g/f that we now had the "must have" accessory for our living room. When I finally got around to opening the box, I was surprised at how different it looked from the glass case I saw a few days earlier at Wal*Mart. The console is a tall, bone-shaped rectangle that seems to have an "inhale" sort of style to it. It was not heavy at all and seemed to have a pleasing look to it--certainly a difference from how I felt looking at it through the fingerprint-covered glass at Wal*Mart.
I began to pull out the accessories and cables and piece them out on the livingroom carpet. First thing you will notice is the AC Adapter is *HUGE*. I don't mean just big, but it's the size of a red brick and seems ominous the first time you pull it out of the box. The controllers were neatly packaged, but seperately since it was a bundle. I was pleased to see that it came with a sort of "hybrid" cable for HD and non-HD televisions. It was beyond-simple to hook up to our television and even had a digital-out for audio systems that support it. I was impressed and there were a few "Hey hun, come look at this..." in my amazement at how easy it was to hook up. I decided to place it on its side since it would fit in our TV cabinet and would be within viewing range of the wireless controllers. Upon the advice of a few ppl I spoke with at Sam's Club about the Xbox 360, I was told it should have plenty of clearance around it if I were to put it in a cabinet. No problem. I managed to string a temporary Ethernet cable from our DSL router to the Xbox to see how everything worked, and was not disappointed at all.
Firing up the Xbox the first time was very impressive, both graphically and how it all seemed to just fit together. The controllers are able to power on the Xbox, and later I found out, able to turn it off. A for some simplicity in my book. A small update downloaded, installed, and rebooted within a minute or two. Initial setup was a breeze and I even got it configured for 1080i on our widescreen plasma. So far, no problems, but let's try a game.
After a few minutes of figuring out the controls, I had already died 4-5 times at Gears of War, but was just astonished at how the graphics looked. At times, we found ourselves with our mouths open at the sheer detail and "intensity" of the game. Simply "Wow" was the only thing that came to mind with how intense the game was, and at the ferocity of the missions you are put on. It really seemed more like a movie to us at times than a video game.
The controllers have a nice, solid feel to them. The controls are pressure-sensitive, especially when playing Project Gotham Racing. Want to go full throttle? Mash the trigger back with your finger. Slow down? Simply let off the trigger a little bit. I really liked this a lot because it's not "all or nothing" but sensitive to the player's feedback. The motion sticks are the same way and very easy to get used to. I've found that setting their sensitivity in Gears of War to "Low" has made aiming a LOT easier. The rechargeable battery pack has not been recharged in nearly a week and seems to still have 1/2 a charge left in it. There is a battery indicator in the Dashboard (the OS of the 360) which is nice so you may know how much of a charge you have.
Upon changing the discs, I began to notice a slight blowing noise coming from the cabinet, and found out it was the fan. The fan sucks in air from the bottom (or right side if it's laying down) and blows hot air out the back. It's nothing to worry about and certainly not noticeable when you're playing games. I'm sure that they couldn't have something this powerful (?) without keeping it cool, and I'm glad that it's at the very least, working.
In the past 3 weeks, we managed to pick up some of the "bargain bin" original Xbox games at Gamespot for $3.99 and above.. Unfortunately, we had come to find out that not all of the original Xbox games worked and some had to be returned. Microsoft posts on their website a list of games that will currently run on the 360, so it was the first place we should have looked. I was happy to see that Doom 3 runs well on the 360 and in fact is resized for our widescreen. This was something I came across while reading up on the 360--the ability to resize original Xbox games for high definition. Granted they're not "high def" in detail, but it makes good use of the screen real estate. This is something we found that the PS3 does not do for older PS2 games. We didn't get the 360 to play original Xbox games, but it was nice to find some older games to play for $4. :-)
Here is a list of some of the Xbox 360 games we have managed to purchase in the past 3 weeks...
Oblivion (Great game... 4hrs on your bum will fly by. Graphics are top-notch)
Gears of War (Very intense...)
Call of Duty 3 (Really fun with the Xbox Live)
Blazing Angels - Squadrans of WWII (Great flying game...cheezy commentary during gameplay but very fun)
Madden '07 (My g/f loves football games so she plays this 99% of the time...she loves it)
Project Gotham Racing 3 - (Love this game too...)
The games run very fast and you almost hesitate to blink while playing. I must confess that Gears of War just simply is amazing and I've never seen anything like it before. The sheer intensity of the game will just captivate you.
Do I regret not getting the PS3? No, not at all. In fact, I must say that I'm glad we didn't because with the Xbox 360, we are able to upgrade as our needs change. We can get an HD DVD drive for the 360 for $180 through Sam's and use it with our Plasma for a lot cheaper than buying a stand-alone player. Having read a lot about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, I have to say that I was always a little more partial to HD-DVD. Our console decision was separate of this, but I was happy to find out later about the add-on HD-DVD player.
A little late to the party but it was worth the wait!! Posted 12 March 2007
15 months or so after the Xbox 360 launched, I finally got it! I had drifted away from games but the Nintendo Wii actually led me back into gaming. Sadly though I sold my Wii on craigslist and traded in the Wii Zelda game for the amazing 360 game Elder Scrolls:Oblivion. Anyway, I made the very smart decision to buy the 360 premium bundle from Best Buy along with their 2 year product replacement plan. A product replacement plan is just that, if the 360 breaks down (as they are known to do), just waltz into BB and get a NEW Xbox 360. It was 59 bux but well worth it!! The box was freaking heavy and the 360 itself is solid beast with weight. The controller took a bit of getting used to with it's flashing light until I realized what the green light meant. The wireless control will turn itself OFF after a period of inactivity. To turn it back on simply press down that xbox 360 icon in the middle of the controller for a few seconds. It wasn't hard at all to get the system set up and to get myself online via my DSL modem. The ethernet cable was pleasantly pretty long, it took seconds to get connected online which was great.
Since I got the premium version, the 20 gig hard drive was included as well as a wireless controller, headset and free one month trial for Xbox live Gold. Silver Xbox live is Free and you can download demos completely Free from the Xbox live marketplace. I downloaded two demo's already, this feature is fantastic, you can also download music videos, entire movies, viral videos, trailers etc etc. It was easy to navigate around the menu to change my settings, d/l things and change my console's setting. You can also see your console's serial number and console id under "system info" under console settings.
The graphics for the role playing game Elder Scrolls:Oblivion are incredible, I haven't played a Next Gen console only PS2, Xbox etc so this is pretty awesome. The demo for Condemned had some very impressive graphics too. The 360 may not be as fast as the PS3 but it's a solid machine that has really impressed me so far. I was scared to buy the 360 but I'm sure glad I got one. I have peace of mind with BB's 2 year product replacement plan.
Tips for people who considering getting a 360 or current owners. Don't be stupid, if you are getting an 360, BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY or PRODUCT REPLACEMENT PLAN. Simple as that, you will be so glad you spent that $49-$59 etc because if you only have MS's 1 year warranty, they will charge you over $150 to fix it! Not only that, if you get a product replacement plan, you don't get anything fixed, you simply go home with a brand new Xbox 360. There is a rumor that the Xbox 360 Version 2 is going to be launched in November of this year and I hope they are right! This means, if a new Xbox 360 comes out, if you got that Product replacement plan, you can get the new 360. Also, don't block the air vents! Amazes me when I read about people who put the 360 on a freaking rug or enclosed where there is no air. You wonder why your machine acts funny? Also if you have a game where it says "game needs update" You CAN choose to opt out of that and just go to the game. You are NOT stuck and forced to update by connected to your broadband connection like one earlier person said. Lastly, if you don't have a broadband connection, GET ONE if you can because you are missing out on 50% of the fun of this machine. You can chat with other people from around the world, play against them in multiplayer games with Xbox live gold membership or just download demo's/games/etc. I feel sorry for anyone who don't have high speed internet to use with the 360.
I recommend the Xbox 360, it's alot of fun, has EXCELLENT games and more to come. If you don't have broadband then the Xbox core would be a good buy but the Premium version is the way to go. There really is no reason to NOT get one unless you want to go with the PS3. Remember don't be cheap get an EXTENDED WARRANTY or product replacement plan and you will be fine!
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