XB0X 360 1337

Guten Tag,

Well, it was bound to happen, but so soon? I had been holding out on buying a 360 for a couple of reason. First, I'm mostly broke, so I'd need to wait for a price drop or a job. Second, I have a whole backlog of gaming that needs to get done before I even consider getting a new console. Third, I was hoping the Backwards Compatibility list would grow so that I would have no reason to get an original Xbox (Riddick, Orta etc) Most importantly however, I was waiting for a hardware revision a la slim PS2.

The 360 has made plenty of progress since its launch. Xbox Live is the current standard for online console gaming and Live Arcade has a decent selection of games with more on the horizon (Symphony of the Night tomorrow!). The library is shaping up nicely with exclusives like Mass Effect, Too Human, BioShock, Forza 2 and Halo 3 on the way. Speaking of exclusives, Sony has lost its sole claim on Virtua Fighter 5, Grand Theft Auto 4, Devil May Cry 4 and Ace Combat 6. Really, the only reasons left for me to get a PS3 are Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Chrystallis; at this rate, who knows if they will remain exclusive for long.

But yeah, Elite. The 120 gig hard drive is a welcome addition and with HDMI support, the $600 PS3 is losing what little edge it had left. At $480, the new 360 SKU is a bit pricier than the Premium, but it is still cheaper than any of Sony's next-gen offerings. Though it lacks next-gen format support, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD does not seem to be catching on yet anyway.

Personally, I was hoping for something a bit smaller. Isn't it a bit soon to come out with a new model? Why not wait and release bigger update? The original launched less than a year and a half ago. Maybe Microsoft is hoping to stimulate console sales, which have been reportedly mediocre. Hopefully, these machines will feature those new 65 nanometer chips we heard about a few months ago. As long is it runs cooler and quieter than the current 360, I'll be happy.

Go! Go! Go!,
Peter Moore