Xbox 360 Launches In U.S.

Well, it's here. Braving long lines and launch parties, and even jail time, those that were willing to pony up the time and money have their hands on the first player in the next-gen war. 360 impressions are available all across the web, with [H]ardOCP and Gamespot offering exhaustive experiences for the interested gamer. The BBC, as always, offers a bigger perspective on the launch, and Gamasutra confirms that Microsoft is in for the long haul in the games industry. From the BBC: "Sony and Nintendo are planning to unleash their next gen consoles during 2006, giving Microsoft an edge over its rivals. The software giant is virtually tied with Nintendo for second place, way behind Sony, in a games market worth $25 billion globally. Microsoft has ambitious plans for its new machine. It said it expects to ship up to three million 360s worldwide within 90 days. But the company has admitted that the worldwide launch of the console could mean shortages in the run-up to Christmas. The console is due to hit Europe on 2 December and Japan on 10 December and some retailers are also warning about limited supplies."

Comments

Re: Microsoft is in for the long haul

[xero9]

Actually, I bought an original Xbox not to play games on, but to use as a media device. It really worked great for all the TV shows and movied I snagged off usenet. Simply put all my files in a shared folder on my computer and fire up Xbox Media Center on the Xbox, and watch what ever I wanted on a nice 35" TV instead of my 17" monitor. It wasn't until I discovered Rainbow Six 3 that I actually started to use it to play games.

Actually if you read the HARDOCP review

[Shivetya]

you will see that this machine really is well done and offers lots of useful features. It is very well thought out and if you opt for the harddrive you get even more options.

I was actually impressed with its ability to work with other devices to include an iPOD and PsP. The nice thing about this machine is that it really is expandable as wireless gives them many options. You will probably see an addon keyboard/mouse combo one day.

There are many of us out here who don't need our PCs to program on, we have them for games, other entertainment, e-mail, and surfing. Give me an insta-on box with those features and I may just consider it. The XBOX360 is actually the first console I am seriously considering because of the potential.

Playing DvDs is a bonus, if it means one less component I have to hook up or keep up with all the better. People harped on the PS2 for the same reason yet I know many who have one for that very reason.

Just because its Microsoft doesn't make it wrong which seems to be your whole beef against it. (who made it)

(allow me to run some IBM style emulator/vpn over the net with a wireless keyboard and I really really need a PC even less)

Re:Actually if you read the HARDOCP review

[HanzoSpam]

I was actually impressed with its ability to work with other devices to include an iPOD and PsP. The nice thing about this machine is that it really is expandable as wireless gives them many options. You will probably see an addon keyboard/mouse combo one day.

There are many of us out here who don't need our PCs to program on, we have them for games, other entertainment, e-mail, and surfing. Give me an insta-on box with those features and I may just consider it. The XBOX360 is actually the first console I am seriously considering because of the potential.

That's the point I think is being missed. After everything is said and done, the thing is still, design-wise, pretty much a glorified PC. Microsoft has come out with a proprietary platform which they're using the gamer market to propagate. They can gradually add other functionality to increase it's market.

Don't be surprised when it eventually evolves into what amounts to the Microsoft version of the Mac.

Re:Actually if you read the HARDOCP review

[badasscat]

That's the point I think is being missed. After everything is said and done, the thing is still, design-wise, pretty much a glorified PC. Microsoft has come out with a proprietary platform which they're using the gamer market to propagate. They can gradually add other functionality to increase it's market.

What, you mean kinda like this?

The fact of the matter is every console is pretty much a "glorified PC" (or a "dumbed down" PC, depending on your perspective), and every single time - yes, every single time a new console is released, the manufacturer claims that it's going to do this, that and the other thing eventually, or that it's going to converge a whole bunch of devices into one. This is true going all the way back to the Odyssey II and Atari 2600, which also promised PC functionality. The Sega CD and NEC Turbo CD were the first (or among the first) to then promise home entertainment functionality once optical storage became the norm.

The reality is people just don't care. A few do, and those are the kind of people that sued Mattel when they never actually released their promised keyboard component from lack of interest (they only had something like 4,000 orders, which meant they couldn't get the component cost low enough to make a profit). Those people can be very vocal. They're the real hardcore. They're on the internet complaining when companies don't release promised add-ons, they're the ones that always have to be the contrarians when someone like me points out that they're the minority.

But they are the extreme, extreme minority. I agree with the parent poster who said as soon as the next hot console comes along, gamers will abandon the Xbox 360, because it really is about the games and only about the games, and it always will be. This is not going to be some great window into the living room. It is simply the console of the moment, and in five years it will be forgotten like every other console of the moment. MS is not creating some sort of home entertainment "standard" with the Xbox 360.

It never ceases to amuse me how people say the exact same things every time a new console is released. "It's going to do all these great things besides playing video games! It's revolutionary!" Ha! So in other words, it's just like every other console ever.

Poorly Managed Release. Traders making money.

[managedcode]

Disappointed lot of gamers. Release was very poorly managed with just 20 pieces for every store. Whether Microsoft made money or not, eBay and speculators are making money. The latest Winning bid: US $2,225.00

Sony should lower the price of PS2 to $99

[Sundroid]

partly to offer some kind of counter offense against Microsoft's Xbox 360 blitz, partly to rehabilitate itself from the DRM rootkit mess.

My problem with gaming...

[jferris]

...still holds true for the Xbox360. I am not a graphics whore, so Microsoft isn't offerring anything of interest to me. I own a DVD player, I already have a computer, and I don't plan on getting HDTV to have prettier games. At least Nintendo is attempting to innovate. And if their innovation doesn't pan out, they have a fallback plan - in that there will be an "accessory" for the Revolution that will allow you to use the new controller in some sort of an "old fashioned" controller shell. As for the PS3, it is going to be awfully powerful - and that is really all I know for sure about it. The problem here is not me, as a gamer, saying "Make me a prettier game!". It has come down to me saying "Make me a game that will take longer than a weekend to beat. And don't do it by requiring me to power up characters for no other purpose than to burn time or placing impassible FMV sequences in the fifteen minute or more range (are you listening Square Enix?)."

Re:eBay

[tonywong]

How do you know it's not 2 microsoft marketing employees kiting up the price of a unit to hype it?

The cost of such an astroturfing operation is the eBay listing fees and that's it. Pretty cheap for a lot of buzz.

Just a thought.

Re:I don't know...

[Zigg]

Not free access. Many, many Nintendo reps (including president Iwata) have gone on record saying not free. You'll pay. You won't pay much, but you'll pay.

Re: Microsoft is in for the long haul

[nmb3000]

Microsoft touts this as a brilliant center of home media and that's probably true for anyone who doesn't already have a home entertainment center of some sort. But what the distillate is you're not going to buy it to watch DVDs on, you're going to play games with it. You're not going to surf the internet, you're going to play games with it. It won't transform you into some actuallized renaissance man (or woman) through shear wonderfulness of the Total Microsoft Experience, you will play games with it.

See, that's the thing. I believe more people than you give credit will use it as both a media center and a game console. Essentially anyone living in a smaller space like an apartment will like the idea being able to play games, watch movies and listen to music--all in high-definition and surround sound--without having a big (and expensive) stack of components.

In addition, the console brings something pretty new to the scene. Now, if you have video or audio stored on your computer you can play it on your 360 via wireless or wired networking. Why try to watch content on your computer from an uncomfortable chair using poor speakers watching on a small monitor when instead you can watch it from the comfort of a coutch on a large TV screen (YMMV here).

Is the 360 some magical gift from God? Obviously not, but in the same token it's not the same game console we played back in 1985. Also, nobody should make it sound like it's a big Microsoft ploy to hype this up as much as they can. Sony is just as bad (if not worse in some ways) about hyping up anything new they release. Nintendo doesn't seem to be quite as bad, but they still do some crazy stuff to try and get attention.

Zero Hour

[neafevoc]

I was at the Xbox Zero Hour release party last night (in Palmdale, CA). It wasn't that crowded at the event. I didn't have a problem playing every game on the show floor. I'm sorry to say that I'm not all that impressed with the release titles. (Yeah, I know first generation.) I also had a chance to buy one last night, but I didn't (however, hundreds of others did).

I am impressed how well Live is integrated with the console. When we got there, they gave us a free memory unit and helped us transfer our Live account on it. Then we were able to play on Live wtih the number of games that were available. I think Live will dominate over whatever Sony has to offer as far as online integration with the console.

Despite being not overly impressed with any of the titles, there was one that my buddy and I played for over an hour. It was from Live Arcade (a number of small titles you can download from Live). The game was called Geometry Wars. Yes, strangely enough, it wasn't the multi-million dollar developed games that won my game of the show, but this small independently developed game you can download from Live.

I'll wait around like I did with the original Xbox before I get one. Same thing goes with the PS3. Comes back to what we said many a time: good games make good consoles.

Re:Fry's Line

[Saige]

The Best Buy in Bellevue, WA, went around the front of the building, down the side, to the back of the parking lot, then down next to and finally around the back of the Home Depot. They managed to get MORE 360s than the 266 that were originally planned, and still ended up sending a significant number of people home with paid vouchers that guarantee them a system when enough show up.

I was in line at 7 am Monday for the midnight sale - and was #91 in line. It was quite the experience being there. I don't regret it for a second. Especially since my 360 is worth it, I can tell already.

(BTW, never thought much of it before, but being able to stream my music from my PC to my 360 as custom soundtrack for any game just is amazing - couple that with the media player and visualizations, and my 200 CD changer is now unnecessary)

Minimal Microsoft Association

[Zo0ok]

If you examine an XBox-retail-box (at least the one that have been available in stores for display) you can hardly find the Microsoft logotype anywhere. There are just a few small insignificant ones. Obviously Microsoft wants to let the XBox trademark live on its own without too much Microsoft association. Why? Are they not proud of the XBox or fear it will be another commercial failure? Do they think Microsoft makes people think of boring low-quality products? Does their MS logotype not appeal to children? Do they plan to sell the XBox in the future or split the XBox division from the company? Do they think that the XBox as a toy should not be connected with their Server/Business products? Any ideas? Anyone who knows?