Console Guide: Xbox 360

360box.jpgBy far the most frequent question I get here at GamerDad is:
“What console should I buy for my kids?”
 

 Should You Buy an Xbox 360?

Sadly, there’s no easy answer and that’s why one-by-one I’m going to be laying out the pros/cons, value, future, advantages and drawbacks for each of the 10 platforms we cover. Yes, 10. There are 10 gaming platforms. Omitted (because we cover 10 platforms) are platforms like the Leapster, Leap Pad, V-Smile, Cel Phone games, and other similar platforms not covered by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). Over the course of the next couple weeks we’ll cover the: Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Dual Screen, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable, and the Computer (whew!).

Let’s talk about Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Parental Controls? Yes

Overview & Features:
Xbox 360 is one of the most powerful videogame consoles money can buy (next to the PlayStation 3) and that’s why it costs a lot of money. It plays high-definition games, so its best for High-Def TVs (it’ll work on a regular TV, but I’ve found text very hard to read). It features a hard drive for storage and can play back DVDs, MP3 CDs, CDs, some Xbox games and, of course, high-definition Xbox 360 games. The Xbox 360 Dashboard (a menu the machine uses) lets you store music, photos, and more, and Xbox Live (currently $50 a year) offers a very easy to use Internet videogame multiplayer service that ranks and tracks your wins and losses. The Xbox Live Arcade offers a lot of classic and puzzle games for download (for a fee) and they’ve just begun offering movie and television show downloads. Xbox Live also features voice chat with a microphone headset.

Other Models?:
The full featured model comes with a wireless gamepad & 20gigs of hard drive space and a cheaper model that doesn’t include the Hard-drive and uses wired controllers. We recommend the more expensive version because it’ll last longer (you can get a hard drive for the cheaper one) and because wired controllers rarely work well with HD TV setups.

Drawbacks:
It’s expensive, but cheap compared to the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3 does offer a Blu-Ray HD-DVD player, but Microsoft just released a HD-DVD (the rival standard) for $200 if this interests you. Xbox Live isn’t free (like it is on competing systems), but it does offer a lot more than the competition. The cheaper model is upgradable. The only drawbacks therefore are that not all the Xbox games work on the new system and that the Xbox 360, at the time of this writing, doesn’t feature a lot of kid-friendly titles.

Also, the 360 has been plagued with heat issues and problems. But Microsoft assures us that these problems are behind them and consumers can buy with confidence now. Just be warned, and be careful of Used systems.

Kid Factor:
This one is just okay for families. Xbox 360 gets a lot of game support, so you’ll be able to find all the licensed kids’ games you want, but so far only Viva Pinata is a real kid-friendly hit. Xbox Live is terrific, but it’s difficult to police the voice chat and there are a lot of profanity spewing jerks out there. But, Xbox Live Arcade does offer a lot of kid friendly fare like Uno and classic arcade games.

See above for warnings about defects and problems.Value & Verdict:
The more expensive model is the better deal, and for the graphics upgrade, especially on an HD TV makes this a fairly good value for teens and for moms and dads into gaming. It’s a hardcore machine with a lot of features families don’t need, but it’s also the current industry leader in terms of games and peripherals available. Currently, Microsoft looks like it has a strong future with this machine.

No Responses to “Console Guide: Xbox 360”

  1. Have you played Uno with the camera feature on Gamerdad? It has to be the most abused game ever. Not only do you get profanities on voice chat but many people love exposing themselves to the camera. I’ve had at least 3 instances and I’ve played like 4 or 5 times.

  2. Thanks for the information,I would like to buy some cheap xbox games,I also have some info about Xbox games,goto this blog!
    http://cheapxboxgames.blogspot.com

Discussion Area - Leave a Comment




Tired of typing this out each time? Register as a subscriber!