Now that the dust has settled, what's the 360 really like?

[FireGoblin]

As the subject line asks!

Most of the 'initial impressions' threads have wandered off topic now so I'm interested what peoples (if you're lucky enough to have found one) longer term impressions are.

One thing that has struck me is that, after an initial avalanche of bad publicity - over heating scratching etc - things seem fairly settled now. Is this a sign that people aren't reporting problems any more, or that it was just a case of a small minority of people creating a lot of noise?

 

[Guden Oden]

Fans and DVD drive especially is noisy, at least when playing games and/or sitting on the dashboard. Movie mode is much better.

Wireless joypad is a dream, extremely comfortable to hold (though uninspiringly last-gen in functionality) and I've only had to charge mine once so far. As long as the rumblers don't rumble (which they dont when playing geometry wars ), battery seems to last a LONG time, speaking of very efficient power useage, and the range is great too. The charge kit really should have been included as standard tho. Standard headset is plasticy and low quality.

Games are lacking so far. Meh. Either they're PC ports, or uninteresting. I need some more choice, badly...

Overall: very cool geeky gadget. Some design flaws (the un-elegantly draping cables at the back for example, and the poor noise insulation around DVD tray etc), but doesn't take away from the fact this is a seriously powerful piece of kit. Looking forward to many damn impressive games coming out on this thing.

 

[Rodéric]

My opnion: a FLOP.
Not worth buying, wait for true "next gen" titles before re-evalutating purchasing it.
Also try to know whether the scratching problem when putting the console vertical is solved before buying one later on.
Noise wise, it's noisy, as much as a PC (a relatively quiet PC).

 

[pipo]

It's a lovely package.

The dash kicks butt - the friendslist, gamercard, scores and achievements are the best thing ever when it comes to gaming and competition (like Edge said; MS changed the rules with that), and I love arcade too...

Kameo and PDZ feel rushed though, and the DVD makes a *lot* of noise indeed.

 

[Bill]

Now I noticed mine is "stuttering" on cutscenes on PDZ and PGR3.

I'm worried, doesn't this typically mean a problem reading discs? Once the game starts it's fine.

Either that or maybe the discs are a bit scratched.

I noticed it on PGR3, but that was rented so I wasn't worried. Now I noticed it on a pre-level PDZ cinema too. My disc looked pretty clean.

Another problem is cost. Core (299) + PDZ (60) +Mem card (40) +VGA cable (40) + tax on all that means I have 500 dollars in it. And I still need the hardrive to finish it out! It will end up at $600 with one controller! That makes me sick.

My main issue is I just wonder if the hardware is powerful enough to be long lasting in the face of PS3. That's mainly it. If I have to buy a PS3 after sinking $600 in this thing..

 

[Dave Baumann]

Also try to know whether the scratching problem when putting the console vertical is solved before buying one later on.

I've been running mine vertical since I got it (although the Hi-Fi rack reorganisation might see it flat sooner or later) and so far (touch wood) there's been no scratches on my disks.

 

[Pugger]

The functionality is fantastic. Took minutes to get it streaming from my PC. Live functionality is top notch also and really is next gen in the way its setup. As for the games, well I think PGR3 is a stunning peice of software especially when you consider the constraints put on the team to make sure it was out for launch. It looks wonderful and play well. As for the rest of the games my son (8) thinks Kameo is the best thing ever, his PS2 is sitting idle at long last, personally I also think the game deserves a thumbs up, some parts look utterly stunning. The controller, is the best designed controller ever as far as I'm concerned. As for problems, well I haven't had any, yes its loud, really loud actually but besides that no problems whatsoever. By the way my 360 is stored vertically and I have seen no problems with scrached disks.

 

[_phil_]

the price to get the head start (rushed games ,unready lineup-see japan- , stressed yields concerning hadrware ,and sacrifices -dvd media,no hd ) will probably prove to be way too much...

 

[Jon Brittan]

I'm thoroughly enjoying mine, I've only got PD0 and NFS:MW at the momrnt, I've been banned from buying other games before Christmas as I'm notoriously difficult to buy for and it gives people easy options.

I chose PD0 because it was the "flagship" title and I'm a big Goldeneye fan, so despite wanting a number of the other games too it was just "right" for that to be the first game I bought. I've enjoyed it, the early going was a little slow and the graphics (I'll point out that I'm currently playing on an SDTV, waiting on my new Samsung 50" DLP to be delivered (and then waiting for more stock of VGA cables)) initially weren't the jump I'd have wanted (except textures which look fantastic up close compared to anything on consoles before), but as you get into the game there are definitely things that make you think "That's gorgeous/great/awesome" and it's an enjoyable game. I've played through on Agent and Secret Agent, am going to start on Perfect Agent soon and have played through on Secret Agent co-op with a friend who really wasn't into console gaming. All in all I'm perfectly happy with it as a game purchase.

I chose NFS:MW purely because I've been playing it with my brother on the original Xbox and I wanted to see the difference. Right from the start there's a noticable difference, it looks hugely better even on an SDTV and plays perfectly. An interesting thing to note from this comparison though is how games will change slightly in future, the 360 version gives you a rear-view mirror that's not in the Xbox version (at least not by default, I've not tinkered) which makes blocking rivals far easier, but the light-bloom (which does look great at times) can also make small bits of races harder than on the Xbox where it's not present, on the Xbox you swing round a corner and head up a hill towards a bright skyline on the 360 you swing round a corner and can't see very far up the road immediately because you're looking straight into the sun and it's blinding your view, looks great but makes the racing just a touch harder. Again all in all I'm more than happy with it on the 360 and think there's a definite improvement both in visual quality and the performance of the game (I have a core system without the HD (yet) and the game makes a point of noting that it's optimised to run with the hard drive so loading may well be even faster with an HD attached).

The system as a whole? It's a nice unit, it looks good if you've got the right furniture for it and everything seems nicely constructed. The dashboard is great, the system is easy to configure and inter-connectivity with other devices is a breeze. Like Guden I've picked up a wireless pad and have only charged it once so far and have played on the system every day for the last week. The noise, as mentioned, is quite loud when the console is running but the TV is off, however with the TV on and a game running it's inaudible and I still have my Xbox alongside it, turn the TV off and you think the 360 is loud until you start the Xbox and notice it's actually quieter. Also, like Dave, I have my unit stood vertically and have not noticed any scratches on either of the game disks or the DVDs I've played in it (and I have checked).

I'm happy with it, I'll be happier when the accessories are actually readily available (one thing I don't get about the launch, how come there were so few VGA/Composite/Advanced-SCART cables and HDs at launch, they can't have been hard to produce and they must have known there'd be demand) and happier still when I can have it plugged into my new TV and seen how it should be. Roll on Christmas and a bigger selection of games (I've been playing COD2 in Game and love it)

 

[Jon Brittan]

the price to get the head start (rushed games ,unready lineup-see japan- , stressed yields concerning hadrware ,and sacrifices -dvd media,no hd ) will probably prove to be way too much...

Sorry, but seriously, how does that fit into this thread whatsoever?
Do you have a 360? Did your post really provide any insight whatsoever to what the 360 is really like (as is the topic of the thread)?

We know you can provide useful insight in some threads, so this isn't any form of bashing whatsoever, but in the context of this thread specifically that post is just trolling.

 

[pipo]

I've enjoyed it, the early going was a little slow and the graphics (I'll point out that I'm currently playing on an SDTV, waiting on my new Samsung 50" DLP to be delivered (and then waiting for more stock of VGA cables)) initially weren't the jump I'd have wanted (except textures which look fantastic up close compared to anything on consoles before), but as you get into the game there are definitely things that make you think "That's gorgeous/great/awesome" and it's an enjoyable game.

I just wanted to add that the difference in quality is amazing. I've been playing 4:3 old-skool the first week, but since I have my HD projector there is no way back. It looks awesome...

 

[Qroach]

I've really enjoyed my 360 thus far. First off the interface is awesome, Xbox live is better than before. I REALLY like xbox live arcade. For me that is the killer app for the 360. Just having the option to buy small new/fun games to play is a hit in my book. I can't wait for more arcade games and some original platformers. I set my 360 up with the VGA cable on my LCD TV, and the quality is improved (since the xbox runs at the default res of 1280*768) on my TV. Certainly no jaggies at all and the color is improved.

I've purchased, Kameo, PGR3, Perfect dark, NHL2k6, and NBA2k6. First off I've been playing through Kameo lately and I really like the game. My only complaint is the controls at times can be a bit frustrating (well sometimes very frustrating). However everything in the game is stunning. The graphics are stunning, the audio is amazing, I honestly dont' know how anyone would say this doesn't look like a next gen title. The only issue is the controls at times. I'm close to completing the game and I only have one elemental left.

PGR3 is an awesome game , very pretty. I've only played it a little so far, I'm waiting until I beat kameo to get into it more. Certainly another game I don't understand how anyone would think it's not next gen. I might purchase a steering wheel when one is available.

I've played through the first three levels of this game, and at first i wasn't sure abot it, but it has been growing on me. It's another game I will go back to after Kameo is finished. It's a good looking game, however i think the character design could be better. They should really bring in some artists and go after a more pixar character design style. I think Rare is one of the few companies that has the artistic talent to pull it off, with the right art direction of course. Anyway, I think the game is good, not fantastic. looks good, better than the screen shots I've seen, but stil could be better. The corner hiding doesn't work very well imo. They need to work that out better if they make a sequel.

NHL2k6 I've played lot's It looks better than the xbox version but they didn't improve things that much. I can understand why since hockey games is a small market. Anyway they really broke teh goalies in this version. In xbox version this wasn't a problem, in teh 360 version the goalies are drunk and make so many stupid moves. Anyway it's hockey and I can play online, so I like the game.

NBA2k6 is an impressive game form a game play point of view, but the graphics look too cartoon like. Compared to NBA live, the player models look like a joke. Well, really NBA live teh player faces looks amazing, but the bodies are all wrong (legs and arms are too thin), and in NBA 2k6 the player bodies looks good, but the faces don't look so great. Anyway it can all be improved upon.

So far I'm really liking my 360 ( and yeah the fans are noisy). Oh and I haven't had any problems with mine so far. No game crashing, no lock ups, no problems.

 

[Sis]

It's reinvigorated my love of video games (and sparked one in my girlfriend, who I now have to argue with her over who gets first turn), primarily by way of Arcade Live, but also games like Kameo and COD2. COD2 in particular has surprised me by just how good it is (I disagree wholeheartedly with Ingenu--this is a next gen game, and a very well done next gen game). Plus finally being able to enjoy playing games on my HD set is a dream. The console itself has a lot of small touches that make it a lot of fun to use (like others have said, the dashboard is very well done, but persistent chat and media streaming are awesome).

The noise while playing a game is annoying loud. Also disappointed so far in DVD movie playback quality--but I've heard that it only struggles with poorly encoded movies. Perfect Dark is a letdown, with flashes of brilliance sandwhiched between lots and lots of crap.

My feelings toward the unit has not changed since the first day. In fact, I may be enjoying in more today than 3 weeks ago, even with the rush of having a new console.

.Sis

EDIT: Also, I should add that I was having trouble with a wireless bridge working with the Xbox 360 (mostly dropped connections). I finally broke down and bought the Xbox 360 wireless adapter and I must say I'm really impressed with how easy it was to use and how solid it's been. I have not had a dropped connection since installing it a couple weeks ago and it connects almost instantly. It may be more pricey than others, but in my case I found it worth it.

 

[Guden Oden]

Now I noticed mine is "stuttering" on cutscenes on PDZ and PGR3.

I'm worried, doesn't this typically mean a problem reading discs?

If it's a problem reading discs, it's very widespread. My 360 stuttered a bit in the PD0 movies, and I spoke about it to my buds at the Game store I frequent. The guy there said a girl had come in with the same complaint earlier and they had tested with several different discs on another 360 and they all stuttered. So it's probably a coding error in the game, rather than a hardware issue I think. Music CDs don't stutter, but DVDs do. That's a different issue though; audio and video becomes desynched, and then the player drops frames to match up with the audio again (which does not stutter, I might add). Hopefully this'll get patched soon via Live.

Oh, and I don't like the dashboard very much. Too damn many damn menus to flip through, and many of them are either redundant and should have been sorted in under other menu items to reduce the clutter, or they're superflous and should have been removed. To get to Geometry Wars from powering on the console is pressing right, down, down, down, A, down, down, A, A. Which is just FAR too many damn key presses. Rediculous.

 

[Sis]

Oh, and I don't like the dashboard very much. Too damn many damn menus to flip through, and many of them are either redundant and should have been sorted in under other menu items to reduce the clutter, or they're superflous and should have been removed. To get to Geometry Wars from powering on the console is pressing right, down, down, down, A, down, down, A, A. Which is just FAR too many damn key presses. Rediculous.

I sometimes agree with your rants but this one takes the cake. Too many button presses? You go to Games, Arcade, Geometry Wars, Play. Or, Games, Last Played Game, Play.

I need a bigger eye rolly thingie to convey my eye rolling emotion, but this one will have to do:

.Sis

 

[London Geezer]

Does one have to push buttons to select the game all the time? Can't i just stick the disc in and it starts automatically?

 

[dukmahsik]

I think I rate it a high 8 so far because of the lack of a one killer app but that will prob change in a few months when GOW comes out. 1st gen games feel mostly rushed but I think that is understandable as they are launch titles. Interface is totally awesome (MS at its best) as well as live integration.

PGR3, kameo, cod 2 are must owns for me.

 

[Jon Brittan]

Does one have to push buttons to select the game all the time? Can't i just stick the disc in and it starts automatically?

No, you only have to press buttons to get to the Live Arcade games, any disk based game you just put the disk in and away it goes as usual.

On a sidenote, how come you've still got negative reputation?

 

[London Geezer]

No, you only have to press buttons to get to the Live Arcade games, any disk based game you just put the disk in and away it goes as usual.

On a sidenote, how come you've still got negative reputation?

That's what a 700 points hack combo does to you... But i'm getting better...

 

[darkblu]

hasn't anybody found the price of the 360 titles so far ridiculous? - 70CAD a pop at toys'r'us here. i could understand if one or two killer titles were 70 at launch, but each and every game from this ininspiring lineup being 70 bucks is, erm, a little overboard. should we expect a worthy 360 title to be in the 80-90CAD range?!