The Microsoft Xbox 360 Console: Powerful Gaming in a Box
Gone are the days of drab, underpowered gaming consoles with
limited features. The Microsoft Xbox 360 is here! It
doesn't matter if you are a serious gamer or a mere hobbyist,
the Xbox 360 that Microsoft launched in November 2005 is
suitable for all players. It claims to have taken into
consideration all the facets of ultimate gaming experience with
this much-improved version of the original Microsoft Xbox that
came out in November 2001.
Check your budget. Depending on what you can afford, you
may start with the very basic core system composed of the light
console, the wired controller and the composite AV cable; and
when your budget allows you to purchase other peripherals one by
one for the enhancement of your total gaming experience, maybe
you'd want to change your wired controller with the wireless
model, or maybe you'd want to add in the Xbox Live headset for
amplification of sound effects to a mind-boggling level far
above what your normal TV speakers could provide.
On the other hand, if you are one of those to whom "money is no
object", you may just go ahead and buy the entire Microsoft Xbox
360 system, where everything is all in (i.e., the console with
premium chrome finish, a wireless controller, the Xbox Live
headset, component hard drive-AV cable, the Ethernet cable that
allows you to connect with the other players, and the hard drive
that contains an array of original Xbox games and allows you to
download even more games. Since the Xbox 360 allows up to
four wireless controllers operating on one console, it lets you
play with three other players simultaneously for that added fun
and challenge in live competition.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 gives you total digital entertainment.
You may amplify and enhance your music and movies to a
soothingly soft or to a ripping loud volume. Connect to the
Internet and instantly stream your music, digital home movies,
photographs and graphics or any other files stored in your hard
disk, memory and other digital media that are Microsoft Windows
XP-based PC that you want to share with others.
When attached to your TV, the Microsoft Xbox 360 takes advantage
of the high-definition TV resolution in its full color and size
that makes the game movie-like. Its anti-aliasing capability
renders the animation flawlessly smooth and non-jerky, and the
characters seem as though they are jumping out of the wide
screen! When you are connected to the Internet via the
Ethernet card, you have the Xbox Live headset, a facility that
allows you to voice-chat with other players, thus combining
active gaming with socialization.
There are games that are rated "must-have" because they are
simply sensational with the Microsoft Xbox 360. These include
Dead or Alive 4, Call of Duty 2 for the best WWII shooter, King
Kong for great effects and Need for Speed Most Wanted for racing
fans. For some odd reasons, some games that run with excellent
audio and video effects using the first version of Xbox don't
run as well in the Xbox 360; these include Madden NFL 06, NBA
Live 06. This must be given immediate attention by
the Microsoft people because it is a source of great
disappointment for hardcore gamers and, in some cases, could be
a deal-breaker.
Pressure is on for movie makers and
game programmers/manufacturers to properly and visibly indicate
the appropriate rating of their products on the packaging to
provide guidance for buyers. In this regard, it is an added
attraction to parents that the Microsoft Xbox 360 has settings
that allow them to control how it is used by their children. The
box has Family Settings which enable parents to shield their
children from unsavory or unwholesome contacts. Family
Settings perform two functions on the Xbox 360 console to allow
or restrict access to offline games and/or DVD movies, and
access to online contact and content via the Xbox Live
environment.
ESRB is the regulating body that takes care of rating the
propriety or impropriety of a game or movie based on age.
ESRB's restrictions on games are EC (early childhood) for
children below 6 years old, containing no inappropriate
materials at all; E (everyone) for children younger than 13, and
these have minimal violence and comic mischief but are
substantial for character building. Some Xbox 360 games with an
E rating include Ridge Racer 6 and NBA 2K6.
The rest of the ESRB ratings are: T (teen), which may also
contain minimal violence, mild-to-strong language and/or
suggestive themes; M (mature 17+) containing mature sexual
themes or more intense violence and language; AO (adults only,
for players aged 18+), which may include more graphic sexual
themes and/or violence; and RP (rating pending) for games that
have not been officially released yet.
With the safeguard placed by the Family Settings of the
Microsoft Xbox 360 console, the parent feels safe buying the
system for their kids. So, whatever the gaming preference
of the child or the parent! -- Microsoft Xbox 360 promises to
satisfy them.