Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro (60 GB) Console

In the second wave of ‘next-next’ generation consoles (basically the seventh of video gaming) the Xbox 360 was the second console (behind the original Xbox) Microsoft manufactured. Released a full year ahead of the competition (Nintendo’s hybrid Wii and Sony’s epic Playstation 3), the 360 got the leg up on gaming with a goal of monopolizing the video game market and becoming the biggest brand out with some strong launch titles and hardware. However, as the years have gone by the Playstation 3 has taken the goal as the best console of this generation and I’m here to examine why the 360 is worth your time, and, more importantly, your hard earned cash.

When it was released, the Xbox 360 came with a lot of options. You could get the Core model, later the Arcade, which didn’t come with any built-in memory as it was more of an option for casual gamers--a market Nintendo would later wipe the floor with. The bulk of Xbox sales were of the Pro and Elite models that offered a built-in hard-drive you could actually remove and replace to store more memory for a prettier penny.

I bought the Pro model, which came with 60 GB of memory and to this day I haven’t filled up the hard-drive yet. As of this writing there are many models to get out there from the weaker 4 GB model (which also comes with the Kinect peripheral--more on that later) to the 250 GB bundle with Halo: Reach and Fable III along with a free trial to Xbox Live.

I bought my console in late 2008 and it was around $350 bucks new and came with the games Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but judging from how bad those games are I opted to purchase Halo III and Assassin’s Creed along with it.

At the time the price was really good. You also had the option of playing HD DVDs (this means this console has no Blu-ray ability, much to its detriment), Microsoft’s venture into creating a new format of movies that was literally trumped and wiped out by Sony’s Blu-ray with an add-on I was interested in at the time and I couldn’t help but fall in love with the sexy design of the 360.

There are many different looks you can get for your 360 from the special edition bundles such as the red Resident Evil 5 special edition pack to the Halo camouflage bundle and all that jazz as well as the more marketable black matte they are using presently to sell their consoles. My console is the classic white matte look that stands in stark contrast to the bulky and black original Xbox that was famously heavy and sturdy.

You have the option of placing it on its side or keeping it upright, but I’ve found that upright is really the way to use this console as it has the tendency to overheat because of the fans being located on one of the sides you’d set it down on. It’s skinny, a little concave, and is about 12 inches in height, 3 inches in width, and 10 inches in length--easy to fit into any entertainment center.

I am not necessarily a tech person, but what I do know is that this has an HDMI port that makes for optimal gaming on a high definition television (1080 or 720 looks great) as well as a 500 MHz graphics processor and a 3.2 GHz Tri-core Xenon CPU. This thing runs fast and acts much like a computer would (go figure--it’s Microsoft). With that, comes the fact this beast is loud at times due to the all of the processing and the loudness of the fan. Like the original Xbox, I seem to notice this the most when I’m watching movies on it, but it’s still known whenever I’m doing anything really.

There’s also the extremely popular Red Ring of Death you must know about as a consumer. This error has striken many a console--thankfully, mine has been safe. There is an internal part that seems to malfunction and is a manufacturing problem that causes the 360 to emit a red light through the power button instead of the lime green light and makes it so that you are unable to use to console. This is death to your console and with a warranty you are able to trade for a new one.

If you are familiar with the S controller that was released at the tail end of the Xbox’s life, you’ll be extremely comfortable with the 360’s controller. It’s definitely one of the comfiest controllers in all of gaming with two shoulder buttons on each side, four colored buttons on the right hand side, a direction pad on the left, and two analog sticks as you’d be accustomed to if you’ve ever held a controller (or know the look of the Sony’s).

This time around, it’s all wireless and you can either get a rechargeable battery pack from Xbox as a peripheral or plug it into your actual system with another add-on. This brings me to the add-ons, which there are many. You can buy additional hard-drives (which you need if you plan on playing some backwards compatible games from the original Xbox), the HD-DVD add-on, tons of different skins you can put on your faceplate, headsets for Xbox Live, and fans that keep your 360 from overheating. These are mostly pretty expensive, and I’ve ousted them from my shopping cart because of that. However, the controllers are pretty affordable at 20 bucks or so as opposed to the PS3’s Dual Shock 3, which retails for 60 bucks. (wtf!)

In this generation of gaming it’s all about being online and with the Xbox 360 you can totally leave reality behind and join the large community of gamers from all over the world…for a price. In order to play your games online you must subscribe to Xbox Live where, for a nominal fee from $25-$75 bucks quarterly or yearly you can access the online content. This, I think, is one of the biggest mistakes about the 360. What makes the Playstation 3 so appealing is that they offer free access to play their games online through their Playstation Network and ultimately freer is much better than paying money even though there are some great games to be played online such as Gears of War 3 and, most recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. When you look at your games, at the back of the box will tell you whether or not it’s online-enabled.

This Xbox Live business doesn’t affect how you can access your Netflix account online, though, which is a good thing. You can easily use this as your playback device and out of all the services I use to play my Netflix from (Wii, PS3, etc.); the Xbox is one of the more user friendly ways to stream movies and television. When you boot up your 360 you are taken to your dashboard, which is very similar to the one the PS3 offers. You can see new games that are going to come out, create a profile Avatar, view your various achievements (more on that later), and customize everything about your console before you even play your game. This offers a cool multimedia affair that’s a richer experience than simply pressing the power button and loading a game.

Speaking of games, let’s get into the real reason you buy consoles--you want the titles offered that aren’t anywhere else. Nintendo has Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. Sony has Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, and Infamous. The Xbox 360 also has a nice track record of exclusive titles that make it worth checking out. The Gears of War franchise is an excellent reason to give this console a go. Imagine a blockbuster Hollywood alien/action movie as a playable game with non-stop excitement and manliness around every corner.

Alan Wake was one of the most underrated horror games released in recent years and will sway many fans of the Silent Hill franchise. Microsoft is also still expanding their Halo franchise, which is quite popular and still one of the best-selling first person shooters of all time. Those hurting for RPGs will sadly only find a few good ones exclusively for the 360. I can think of only one that I really loved and that was the exclusive Lost Odyssey by Mistwalker that captivated my attention. Blue Dragon, by the same company, was a disappointment as well as the host of other Japanese games that came out like Eternal Sonata that were underwhelming. However, you also have the Fable series to reckon with--two of the three games are available on the 360. You also have some fun family favorites like Viva Pinata amd Beautiful Katamari that are very original and a lot of fun.

Unlike Nintendo’s Wii system, this console (like the PS3) is geared more towards hardcore audiences instead of the younger crowd or families, which is why you’ll see more fighting, war, horror, and action games available. Along with the exclusive titles you also get a host of other games that are impossible to pass up like Batman: Arkham Asylum (and Arkham City), the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Grand Theft Auto IV is amazing, Bioshock, the Battlefield games are available, Soul Caliber IV, and LA Noire.

While I’ve been buying more non-exclusive games for my PS3 recently because of my insatiable need to ramp up my PS3 library and because of its graphical achievements, I still value the Xbox’s controller and how it appeals to my hands on those long nights of game-playing. Much like how the PS3 has a Trophy system, you can earn Achievements for your Xbox 360, which isn’t anything but bragging rights when you accomplish certain tasks in games or do things a certain way. This is way more competitive and addictive than you would ever think.

As of this writing, the Xbox 360’s lifespan is halfway over--as confirmed by Microsoft, and I think there’s still a lot of growth to do. Most recently they’ve released the Kinect accessory, which acts like the Wii motion control device so that you can play specially formulated games and do other things using your voice and body. It sounds a little gimmicky, but has some promise to it that will prove exciting in the future. There are still a host of cool games coming out for this system and it’s far from being dead. It’s one true competitor is the Playstation 3 with a large built-in fan base, but through the past ten years Microsoft has done an insanely good job making a name for themselves in this industry and the 360 doesn’t disappoint.

© Jason Haskins, 2011


Assassin's Creed
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Bioshock
Bioshock 2
Blue Dragon
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Dead Space
Dragon Age: Origins
Fable II
Final Fantasy XIII
Gears of War
Grand Theft Auto IV
Lost Odyssey
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Red Dead Redemption