Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

High definition games can now be played, user friendly dash board interface, great communication and online gamming through Xbox 360, also works as an excellent media hub, you can watch movies, play songs, view data on memory cards, Marketplace lets you purchase TV shows, games, movies online, the console has 1080p HDMI support, cooler quieter processor.

Thumbs Down:

You need to pay for subscription to Xbox Live, no Blu-ray player, ‘red ring of death’ still lurks.

Inside the Trunk:

Bundled accessories – 60GB external hard drive, Xbox Live headset, Ethernet network cable

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is powered by IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz. RAM is 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM – Integrated, of 1 MB cache memory, the hard disk is 60 GB.

Graphics card is ATI Xbox 360 – 256-bit – 2D/3D graphics acceleration and the maximum resolution is 1920X1080 or 1080p. Connectors include AV cable port, USB 2.0, HDMI output, Ethernet (RJ-45). The console is compatible with MS Windows XP Media Center compatible. The optical drive is DVD-ROM

Razzle Dazzle:

We all know what the Xbox 360 looks like, and this new update is nothing different from the previous product. But looks hardly matter when it comes to consoles; they just fit in a small place below your TV and sometimes are even not visible. Performance is what matters the most because you are not going to flaunt this console like you would with a mobile phone or a camera. This model weighs 8.8 pounds, is 3.27 inches high, 12.15 inches wide. 10.5 inches deep, this is a bit smaller than the previous Xbox, but weighs the same. If you really want your console to look good you can buy the faceplates which cost about $20.

Inside Dope:

We always thought that Xbox 360 was made by Microsoft because it looked at Sony’s play station consoles as substitutes for computers and not to mention the great gaming experience. But then Microsoft has worked really hard and since then it hasn’t looked back. It first came in on November 2005 as the first next-gen console and had about an year before the nearest competitor would launch their products. So they have quite a lot of time to make an impression on the market.

This console has quite a lot of features updated but we can never get enough and some of our grievances still remain unanswered. This version now lets you install games on the hard disk of the console directly which will stop the noise from the drive. This new version of Xbox 360 has a 60 GB hard drive, the earlier model had just a 20 GB hard disk and if you are willing to shell out $100 more, then you can get Xbox 360 Elite.

We have been frustrated by the hardware problems and most common of them is the ‘red ring of death’ in which the three red lights flashed which indicated that the console had a major hardware malfunction. Microsoft is yet to take action on this and but it is rumored that the problems are poor airflow in the machine and overheating issues. Microsoft acknowledged the problems and since has extended to initially 90 day warranty plan to full year. Now if Microsoft has given a three year warranty from the date of purchase, if this defect occurs.

Initially the Xbox 360 had a 90nm processor but with the growth in technology, since late 2007, the consoles are known to have “Falcon” processors which are cooler, more energy efficient and smaller than its predecessors. The heat sinks have also been improved to provide better heat dissipation and hence the processor has longer life. Other than the processor the console has other improved hardware inside like HDMI out port.

The weight is the same in spite of the bigger hard drive and this is because the hard drive is external which can be detached from the console when not needed. However we liked the PS3’s approach which gets any 2.5 inch laptop hard disk to be connected to it. This console is enclosed in a proprietary casing. If you want bigger storage there are 2 options, to shell out $180 more and get 120 GB model or go for the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite. We recommend the latter.

The console has wire less capability but you can only use it for the wire less controllers. We would have liked a full fledged wireless interface to pair up other compatible devices. There an indicator on the console that shows when the controllers are connected. This is also helpful as it will tell you who has which controller incase the players are using both wired and wireless controllers.

The face of the console has two ports for USB connectivity and 2 slots for putting in memory card. Memory card lets you save games on it and then take it along with you to play in friends console. The USB ports are used for plugging in wired controllers and also any of the USB peripherals that Microsoft may release for use with this console. Meanwhile you can use it to connect MP3 players, iPod, digital camera or Sony PSP. The USB can also be used for plugging keyboards but you cannot use them for game play but just messaging.

There is also an infrared port on the front which lets you control the console with a remote control. Almost all universal remote controls are supported and you can open the disc tray or power the console on/off using the remote control. This is where this console scores above PS3 which only has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The hardware inside the console is quite impressive. It has three processor cores of 3.2 GHz each running at the same time. This Xbox is now capable of churning HD graphics so you can enjoy 1080p games on this console. If you don’t have a LCD TV or have one of the old standard definition TV sets the machine comes bundled with an adapter for plugging in to it but this set up will give you poor quality video and there will be black bands above and below the video.

Audio quality is really great on the new system just like the older one. You can use the drive of the console to rip tracks from audio CDs and then listen to them on the console. You can also groove to these tracks while on the games, just press the silver button on the controller. The in-game music will automatically be lowered when you put on custom tracks.

The onscreen interface of the Xbox 360 has been always user friendly and this continues in the new console. It has blades which are colored coded for you ease. They are for games, marketplace, Xbox live, system and media. You can go from one blade to the other quite easily. You can customize the dashboard with the themes that come on the hard drive.

Xbox live was a super hit among the console users and thus Microsoft has paid more attention to it to make it better. This time Xbox Live comes on the dashboard. You will need a broadband connection and a storage medium a memory card or hard disk. You get a free Xbox Live Silver membership (you pay $50 per year for Gold member ship)which lets you make a list of your friends, communicate with them, view gamming cards of friends. For communication you can chat with them out side the game through headset, voice chat, text messaging or chat with camera. You can even chat with friends while in a game by pressing the silver button. Xbox Live has lots of games of various genres on offer. You can go to Microsoft Market place to purchase games, movies, TV shows and more. The integrated card reader lets you plug in your cards and view the content on the screen.

We would have liked a Blu-ray player on this console that would let us play Blu-Ray movies. This is something that the consoles falls behind when compared to Sony’s PS3. The greatest selling point for this console is that Microsoft has bought some of the games to be released exclusively on Xbox 360 and there are lots of big names which include Dead Rising, Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Project Gotham Racing and Bioshock. The latter some how later got in PS3 too.

Nitty Gritty:

Microsoft Xbox 360 newer console is certainly a great buy if you don’t have one yet. But we will advice you against upgrade since it is not worth spending additional money. It is worth waiting for the next upgrade from Microsoft which will most likely be inclusion of Blu-ray player and maybe Wi-Fi support.

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