Before purchasing the "next generation" video game, there are a few
things that should be taken into consideration. The Xbox 360 is the
latest attempt from Microsoft to control the giant that Sony has
dominated for the past several years. With a three-core IBM processor
at it's heart, this thing appears to be a wild animal waiting for it's
release. Without getting too technical, the specs on the Xbox 360
easily eclipses any piece of gaming equipment around today, with the
exception of some of the $4k-$5k high-end gaming PC's.
The first decision you have to make is whether or not to spend and
extra $100 on the official Xbox 360 or take the cheap way out and grab
the "core". I think you can assume what my recommendation is but for
those unaware don't waste your money on the core system. The core, at
a suggested price of $299, includes the system, a wired controller,
basic video cables, and that's pretty much it. For those that chose to
be a bit more dollar wise, the $400 Xbox 360 includes the system with
chrome details, a wireless remote, a wireless controller, HD component
cables, and the 20 GB hard drive. The latter of the two options would
be more than $650 if purchased separately.
The second decision you must make, is if you are going to really jump
into the next generation or if you are content with your current
television situation. Personally, I went HD over two years ago and
there is not in turning back in my horizons. At minimum, you need an
HD-capable set in order to fully experience what the next generation
of gaming has in store. My current set-up (pictured below) includes my
Xbox 360 being displayed on a 32" Olevia Flat-Panel LCD and the
picture in one word is MIND-BLOWING. If you have the finances, don't
chinch on what type of display is showing these beautifully rendered
graphics. Just as a test, I set up my 360 on the last "standard"
television I have in my home and to be honest, it didn't look to bad.
But once I set it up on my High Definition set, my heart felt at piece
and my eyes were finally able to relax and soak in the beauty. The
level of detail on an HD set compared to traditional makes the Xbox
360 a must have for ANYONE that has and HD television.
The last thing to consider is the game lineup. I purchased my Xbox 360
the day it launched (how is another story) and with it I bought:
Madden 2006, Call of Duty 2, Need for Speed, Perfect Dark Zero and NBA
2K6 (I'm not rich, it's called credit). To my surprise Perfect Dark
Zero and Call of Duty 2 quickly stood out as the better games
graphically and had pretty good game-play. If you've ever played a
first person shooter such as Halo, there shouldn't be any problem
popping these in without much of a learning curve. NBA 2K6 is
definitely a must-have and is leaps and bounds better than it's Xbox
predecessor. Madden and Need for Speed were pretty disappointing
considering they seemed to be ports from the original Xbox and nothing
more. The line-up, as of now, is still in its infancy and is not
enough to make you HAVE to own this system immediately. However, I'm a
gaming nut and I would have been extremely disappointed had I not had
this system on launch day.
Recommendation: Purchase this system as soon as it is financially
viable. The killer apps are in the pipeworks!

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