The Xbox 360 is a perfect console in relation to its time, the console that exposed the almighty Sony at its best thanks to its features, architecture and easy programming, making a console launched a year earlier and cheaper than the PS3, had nothing to envy in the technical section and its video games.
The Xbox 360 is part of the generation that defined modern video games and consolidated online on consoles, marking the way forward for future generations and remaining today as a perfectly playable contemporary retro console, offering results in many titles Comparable to the Xbox One.
| COMPANY: | Microsoft |
| GENERATION OF CONSOLES: | 7TH GENERATION OF CONSOLES |
| RELEASE DATE: | 2005 Japan, 2005 North America and 2005 Europe. |
| GAMES CATALOG: | 2150 approximately (includes digital) |
| SOLD UNITS: | 85 million worldwide |
| LAUNCH PRICE: | $399 for Xbox 360 Premium // $299 for Xbox 360 Core |
| PROCESSOR: | IBM PowerPC Custom Xenon 3.2GHz |
| FORMAT: | DVD-ROM, HD-DVD (movies) and Digital. |
| BUY IT ON EBAY: | https://ebay.us/rBDvkN |
- History of the Xbox 360
- Price of an XBOX 360 console. How much did it cost?
- Collect the XBOX 360.
- Buy an XBOX 360.
- TOP Retro: Best XBOX 360 games.
- FAQ XBOX 360.
- Technical characteristics of the XBOX 360.
- Original article from the year 2007.
XBOX 360, Microsoft’s bet
The Xbox 360 was the console that consolidated Microsoft as a successful company in video games, a console with magnificent features and a reasonable price, which was able to face the then invincible Sony and its star console of the seventh generation, the PS3.
Released on November 22, 2005 in the United States, December 2, 2005 in Europe, and December 10, 2005 in Japan, for $399 for the Xbox 360 Premium version and $299 for the Xbox 360 Core edition, the console from Microsoft brought us endless news, taking us to the new generation of consoles and becoming a benchmark to look at in such relevant aspects as its online service. Its commercial life has been one of the longest in video games, being discontinued in 2016.
360 Background
Microsoft had already made a powerful declaration of intent years ago with its original Xbox. Microsoft’s 128-bit console wasn’t just a sixth-generation video game console, it was the prelude to the Xbox 360, a statement of what Microsoft could and was willing to do, the first Xbox released at a very late compared to its competitors, it was a living publicity campaign for what was to come.
Despite being launched later than the PS2 and Game Cube, the original Xbox managed to outsell the Nintendo console, not bad to begin with… Being the most powerful console on paper and introducing important improvements such as Xbox Live or the internal hard drive, although the PS2 outsold everyone who stood before it, including the Xbox.
But Microsoft had achieved their goal, their original Xbox had turned out to be a gigantic market study and, with all that information, they were ready to make the ultimate console, and cheaper than their competition. All the knowledge learned was reflected in the Xbox 360, a practically perfect console for its time.
In addition to this specific experience with its own console, obviously Microsoft had great knowledge in the world of computers from the MSX and PC, where it was a software giant. Prior to the original Xbox, Microsoft had participated in the operating system of the Dreamcast, working together with SEGA and thus obtaining great knowledge of a leading company in the sector, something that later served to win over thousands of segueros who they were orphaned.
XBOX 360, Microsoft’s console
The Xbox 360 was the gateway to the new generation in our living rooms and homes, a machine of remarkable dimensions completely focused on the online experience. With an abysmal raw power for that time inside, the Xbox 360 was convincing users game by game, update after update, exclusive after exclusive and comparison after comparison.
The Xbox 360 was a real and indisputable generational leap if we compare it with the PS2, a successful console at the time of its launch. Its graphics, mechanics and gaming experiences were far superior to those of its predecessors, with the addition of focusing the entire experience on Xbox Live, the online service that was developed alongside the console and became the true benchmark for online services. .
For the first time in the history of video games, we had a “living” desktop console, which mutated, adapted and improved with each update, offering us new possibilities, both digital and physical (connection of hard drives, pen drives…), until arrive in its last years to share menus and interface with its successor, the Xbox One. In this way they created a logical leap for all of us who enjoyed our 360, loyalizing us towards their next console, the ONE.
To a brilliant excellent online service and great features, we had to add luxurious controls, with perfect ergonomics and button layout, which have been continued until later generations and most importantly, its large and immense catalog of games: More than 2,150 video games in physical and digital format full of exclusivities and conversions with nothing, I repeat nothing, to envy to any other system. The studios turned to the Xbox 360 and its friendly PC-like architecture and programming environment made for true gaming masterpieces.
Thanks to its raw power, easy programming and due in part to the economic crisis that devastated the world in those years, the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation lasted many more years than initially planned, enjoying excellent health. enviable even after the launch of its successors in 2013. Really, those of us who owned an Xbox 360 had no need to make the leap in the first years of the next-gen, the expertise that the programmers had achieved was such that the differences they did not justify the purchase in many cases.
Sony and Microsoft had to liquidate their Xbox 360 and PS3 super consoles to make way and open the market for their successors, if it had depended on the public we would have stayed a few years more quietly with our 360: Dark Souls, Red Dead Redemption, Halo, The Witcher 2, Metal Gear, Skyrim, GTA V, Fifas, PES, Lost Odyssey, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, Blue Dragon, Alan Wake, Fable, Forza MotorSport, Gears of War, Call of Duty Modernwarfare, Mass Effect, Fall Out, Bioshock, Batman: Arkham City… So many great games to enjoy! As long as a console generation was, there was literally no time to play them all.
The Xbox 360 had what has possibly been the best catalog in the history of video games, leaving nostalgia aside, only comparable to that of the PS3, reaching levels of mastery in its last years that we will hardly see again. The Microsoft console crowned the Olympus of modern video games, offering us interactive worlds, complex mechanics and developments that are 100% playable today. The Xbox 360 is a retro console, yes, but its video games belong to a contemporary generation that even today (2021) has not been broken or surpassed, making it a console that could well have remained a timeless standard. Many of us would continue to play it.
Applications and media
Yes, because Microsoft’s console wasn’t just about videogames. As updates and improvements were released, the Xbox 360 was getting new functionalities as current as Netflix, Movistar TV, Youtube, Yomvi, Antena 3, RTVE, Zune, weather, social networks, HBO, IGN, Napster, radio… A whole range of apps that, added to the console’s own multimedia capabilities, turned our 360 into the wet dream of the first 32-bit multimedia, a true multimedia center in the living room of our homes.
Yes, it took many years but Microsoft managed it, with the Xbox 360 we got to message with our friends and play online, have videoconferences, listen to music, watch YouTube videos and download movies. Our Xbox 360 became a true entertainment center based on updates.
The three red lights
But not everything was going to be wonderful for this console, the launch and the first years of the console were overshadowed by the curse of the 3 red lights, the fear of all the players that stalked us at all times and places. Console failures were many and varied, all indicated by a red light code on the power button, but a manufacturing/ventilation fault and poor quality components caused early Xbox 360 models to overheat. and literally died. The dreaded 3 red lights. So sad.
Faced with this situation, faced with this blunder in design that scared away any potential buyer and directed it towards Sony, Microsoft carried out what for me has been one of the best marketing strategies of all time given the adverse starting situation:
- Microsoft repaired and replaced free of charge all the consoles that suffered the 3 red lights as well as any peripheral, automatically increasing the guarantee to 3 years. All this with a simple call and under the work of a very prepared and great customer service and support. Really majestic, I changed 2 consoles.
- Microsoft worked and released new chipsets that fixed the problem: Xenon (original), Zephyr, Falcon, Opus and Jasper.
In this way, Microsoft assumed its failures and gave an image of responsibility to all players, sending a message to the world of calm and confidence: Microsoft did not leave theirs behind, we could trust Microsoft and its XBOX 360. Microsoft had given the turning the tables, turning a gigantic failure in its launch into a demonstration of good after-sales work and a trusted brand. Meanwhile, in Europe, Sony was fighting with its users by giving a single 1-year warranty on its console, passing it off as a toy instead of an electronic device (2-year warranty by law). Sony handed it to Microsoft.
The war of the Seventh Generation consoles
Many of us remember with nostalgia the years of the 16-bit Console War, a glorious era that defined the future of video games, but if we carefully analyze what happened in the seventh generation of video games, the dimensions and what was at stake make this battle, a war in itself with an outcome that no one would have predicted a few years earlier under the supremacy of the PS2.
With Sega out of the game in the hardware world due to its failed Dreamcast, everything seemed to indicate that Nintendo was going to suffer the same fate after failing with its Game Cube in the sixth generation of video game consoles. With 21 million units sold, the Game Cube had trailed even the Xbox (24 million), while Sony was confident after the hype of its PS2 (157 million). Sony enjoyed the trust and approval of the bulk of players, so its competitors would have to risk their strategy or die in the seventh generation:
The Xbox 360 chose to follow a continuous line focusing on innovating in the online service, offering remarkable technical features at a lower price than the PlayStation 3. Microsoft had already shown in its long-term strategy with its original Xbox, that they were more than prepared to make a product at the level of any veteran video game company. Unlike the previous generation, this time the Xbox 360 would be the first to come out of its generation, thus gaining a year’s head start to dominate the market. His target audience was teenage and veteran gamers (hardcore gamers).
The PS3 was Sony’s new black beast, a console that was definitively uploaded online and promised to be the most powerful console in all of history, the successor to the best-selling console in history. Sony made an impeccable console and especially negotiated a good number of exclusivities, even announcing a remake of Final Fantasy VII (which never came). In short, the concept was the same as the 360 but with all the good work and baggage of the PlayStation brand. Its target audience was the same as the Xbox 360, teen gamers and veterans (hardcore gamers).
Wii, the case of the Nintendo console was the most surprising of its generation, evolving the strategy of the Nintendo DS, Nintendo created a completely innovative console, with an advertising campaign worthy of study and totally focused on multiracial family and friends gaming that they did not consume narcotics, as well as to health care. Such was its success that its motion controls were copied by the Japanese Sony and Microsoft ended up announcing that the perfect combo for the seventh generation was an Xbox 360 for deep games and a Wii for casual games. His target audience was every living bug, your father, your grandmother, your little sister… EVERYONE.
The result was what we all know, the Wii swept in sales occupying the first place, followed by a technical tie of the two consoles that offered a deeper gaming experience designed for more veteran players. Actually, it was the first generation in which a large number of users had 2 home consoles, the Wii and another. Here the sales:
Xbox 360: 85 million units – PS3: 87 million units – Wii: 101 million units.
That the Xbox 360 will practically equal the PS3 in sales was quite a feat that no one could have predicted a few years earlier, only a giant like Microsoft could have achieved such a feat. The resurgence of Nintendo was the other miracle of the seventh generation, a blow to the table of experience and good work. Sony had been overconfident and was paying for it by handing out a cake that she had previously had to herself “alone”.
One of the fundamental aspects for the success of the Xbox 360, an earlier console, cheaper and theoretically inferior to the PS3, was that thanks to the ease of programming for it and its PC architecture, the differences in video games between the 360 and PS3 games were practically null except for some exclusivity, with the aggravation for Sony that in many cases, multiplatform games were created for the Xbox 360 and later ported to the PS3, which meant that the Xbox 360 version normally had better quality or were, at least the same… Hard for Sony.
XBOX 360 Models
The Xbox 360 has been a long-standing console in continuous evolution, which brought its browsing experience and environments closer to each new model until it reached the Xbox One, thus making a sweet transition in a similar way to what happened between the Xbox One and Xbox One. XBOX SERIES X. Let’s see the different models that were released of the Xbox 360:
Xbox 360
The original Xbox, the one we all have in our memories, later known as the Xbox 360 FAT. Released in different versions such as the Xbox 30 Arcade or Xbox 360 Elite among others, with different hard drive, HDMI and chipset configurations depending on the year of release. Its production spans from 2005 to 2009 and prices fluctuated between the different editions, starting at $399.99 in the United States at its launch (2005).
Xbox 360 S
The Xbox 360 S or Slim is the already typical review of any successful console worth its salt. Launched in 2010, this small Xbox 360 was launched in a version without a hard drive with 4 GB of internal memory and another with a 250 GB hard drive. By changing the hard drive format, Microsoft was forced to release a transfer cable between the old and the new model.
As in the rest of the Slim consoles, these models are made to lower production costs and extend the useful life of the consoles, with a new image and design more in line with the new times.
Xbox 360 E
Super console and good marketing strategy. Launched in 2013, the same year as its successor, the Xbox One, Microsoft offered with this redesigned Xbox 360 a little sister of the ONE, imitating the exterior design and sharing much of the interface design. In this way, Microsoft offered all those new gamers or more casual players a cheaper console, largely sharing the catalog of Xbox One releases in the first years at the cost of reducing polygons and frames per second (downgrade), but counting with more than 2,000 own titles.
This second Slim model, launched the same year as the Xbox One, demonstrates the great potential that the Xbox 360 still had, a console with a huge user base and technical features that were still sufficient in 2013 to properly port any new game or saga. . The Xbox 360 exceeded the technical minimums that we all demand from a contemporary/current console, giving meaning to releases of this type, a GTA V (2013), PES or Skyrim (2012) could be played just as well on the One as on the 360 , so many players chose the XBOX 360 E and left the jump to the new generation for years later.
For those who are more advanced and like to be up to date, this type of movement may seem illogical, but since video games are already a huge market, there is a large part of the adult and busy public that is a backward generation, acquiring their new consoles when it is already known which console suits them and which titles are worth playing in their limited free time, thus optimizing it. And all this at a much cheaper price…
The current gaming experience. How has the XBOX 360 aged? Is it still playable?
As long as we have an HDMI cable and a good TV, the Xbox 360 and the 7th generation in general have aged perfectly well. In fact, they haven’t practically aged, their catalog of games is so vast and has so many gems that it’s practically impossible to have played and enjoyed all of them as God intended. Previously we have already mentioned a good handful of titles, but the games that are worth playing are in the hundreds…
As we have already said, the Xbox 360 is a contemporary console to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X, a modern console of the previous generation. Consequently, despite having made great technological leaps in later generations, these leaps have not been reflected in the gaming experience. It is true that at a technical level we will see the differences, but the gaming experience will not be greatly affected. The eighth and ninth generation of video game consoles, in no case have been disruptive, but completely continuous with what started in the seventh generation. Just think of the sagas that are perpetuated and the few playable changes that have occurred.
What was said in the previous paragraph does not in any way detract from previous generations, rather it enhances the great work done both in hardware and software in the seventh generation of video games, most likely being the best generation of all time in its history. set (creativity of the Wii and raw power with consolidation of the online of the 360 and PS3). And an old man in love with 16 bits says it…
On the other hand, the consolidation in the real implementation of online in video game consoles, offer Xbox 360 players endless extra hours of play for our favorite video games, which only improves the replayability and experience of Xbox 360 game and its generation. Games like PES, FIFA, GTA V, HALO, Dark Souls sagas or Call of Duty are perfect examples of titles with endless potential hours of online play.
The price of the XBOX 360 console
As there are different models and versions of the Xbox 360, then we leave you with the sale prices of the Xbox 360 at its launch in the United States.
| CONSOLE | LAUNCH | LAUNCH PRICE | COMPANY |
| XBOX 360 20 GB | 2005 | $399.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 Core | 2005 | $299.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 Elite 120 GB | 2007 | $479.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 Arcade | 2007 | $279.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 Premium 60 GB | 2008 | $349.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 S 250 GB | 2010 | $299.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 S 4 GB | 2010 | $199.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 E 4 GB | 2013 | $199.99 | Microsoft |
| Xbox 360 E 250 GB | 2013 | $299.99 | Microsoft |
As you can see, the prices have been oscillating mostly between $200 and $400, modifying benefits based on the year of being launched. It is surprising to see how the latest Xbox 360 E 250 GB dared to launch for $300 the same year as the arrival of its successor, the Xbox One. Without a doubt, one more example of the confidence that the market and Microsoft itself had in the Xbox 360.
Collecting the XBOX 360
Collecting the Xbox 360 is a delight, just as it sounds. Collecting the Xbox 360 in any of its models and editions is collecting both a retro video game console and a contemporary console, being the original console of many sagas that continue to be continued in the most current consoles and systems. The Xbox 360 is the beginning, the origin that remains among us of a real generational leap from 128 bits, offering us a wide range of mature and complex games for an already adult audience.
For all those who have already noticed the great respect, love and passion that I feel and process for this console, I beg you that, far from taking it as a lack of bias, you understand it as a sign of its greatness: Starting my journey in video games with the ZX Spectrum, Game Boy, Super Nintendo, PC and continuing with the following systems, the Xbox 360 was the console that took me back to the origins of video games. Video games were relegated in my early adulthood to games of PES with friends in the 128-bit generation, the 360 once again showed me the whole world of fun that video games put at my fingertips, once again enjoying the solitude of a sofa with a controller in my hands (at the same time as social life).
Fortunately for us, thanks to the sheer number of units sold and the closeness in time, the Xbox 360 is currently one of the easiest and cheapest retro systems to collect, so it’s the perfect time to start your collection of Xbox 360 and its best games (doing the full set is practically impossible).
Buy an XBOX 360
Is it worth buying a second hand Xbox 360? Yes, without a doubt, both to collect as a retro video game console, and to play its entire offer in its immense video game catalogue. The Xbox 360 is a console to be in our dining room, it’s that simple… Where to buy a second-hand Xbox 360? Ebay is the right place and which we recommend, in the following link you will find a multitude of second-hand used Xbox 360 consoles in good condition and at a very affordable price, as you can see.
For the more adventurous, the Xbox 360 is a console that can still be found in second-hand and specialized video game stores, as well as in sales applications. Fortunately, it is still possible to buy a very cheap Xbox 360, so take advantage of the fact that later you know what happens with all things retro… Good hunting!
STOP COLLECTOR! If you’ve seen the console listing on eBay, I want to say THANK YOU. Since 2004, the objective of Infoconsolas is to contribute to preserving the history of consoles and video games through our own collection of systems and the hours of work invested in this very website.
Being an eBay partner listing, if you buy a game or console, you will be helping Infoconsolas in the preservation of video game culture, so thank you very much again!
TOP: Best XBOX 360 console games
With a catalog of more than 2,150 video games, this time we are going to leave the selection of the Top best Xbox 360 games to a master, Mr. Jarm, who brings us a magnificent video on his YouTube channel about “The 20 best games Xbox 360 game of all time (THE ULTIMATE TOP)”. Enjoy it!
And yes, you have seen correctly, the Xbox 360 is comparable in many cases with the Xbox One, being really difficult to discern which is which in many games released from 2012. Incredible.
FAQ XBOX 360
Here you have the most frequent curiosities, questions and answers of the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, little by little we will expand this section, contributions are accepted!:
On November 22, 2005 in the United States, on December 2, 2005 in Europe and on December 10, 2005 in Japan.
The starting price for the Xbox 360 Premium was $399, while the Xbox 360 Core was $299.
2150 approximately between its physical and digital versions.
FIFA 2019 is the latest commercial video game in physical format.
No, despite having some unprotected games.
To the seventh generation of video game consoles.
DVD-ROM and digital.
It comes from DirectX, a set of Microsoft tools dedicated to video games, “the DirectX box”.
Yes, the years go by, it was launched in 2005.
Yes.
85 million worldwide.
Kinect Adventure!, with 22 million units, was sold together with the machine.
Yes, of course, Xbox Live revolutionized the online game of video games.
Very well, it is a great console to get into video games, for those players who do not prioritize graphics and ideal for second homes.
No.
Yes, but by emulation and in games prepared by Microsoft.
Yes, if the same game is used.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, as of its latest updates.
Yes, up to 2 terabytes from its latest updates.
Xenon, Zephyr, Falcon, Opus and Jasper.
Yes, depending on the version and model.
They are the console error codes, which indicate different problems.
Depending on the territory, 1 or 2 years, but it was expanded to 3 years in the case of the 3 red lights.
It is the online service of the Xbox brand.
Yes, although they are also wired.
Yes, lithium batteries can be adapted as a peripheral.
No, it went for DVD-ROMs and launched the failed HD-DVD peripheral and format for HD movies.
Technical characteristics of the Microsoft XBOX 360
Here are the technical characteristics of the Xbox 360 retro video game console:
CPU:
- IBM PowerPC Custom Xenon 3.2GHz.
- Symmetrical 3-core.
- The L1 cache is 64 kB for each core, the L2 cache is 1 MB and is shared by each core.
- The front side bus transfer speed is 21.6 GB per second.
GPU:
- ATI (Xenos) 500MHz custom graphics processor.
- 10 MB mixed DRAM (32 GB/s transfer rate, 2 GHz bus).
- Polygon drawing capacity of 500 million triangles per second.
- Sample pixel fill rate of 16G per second when using MSAA 4X.
- 48 billion shader operations per second.
Memory:
- 512MB GDDR3 RAM 700MHz DDR (CPU, shared GPU).
- Memory transfer speed.
- Memory interface bus: 22.4 GB/sec.
- EDRAM : 256 GB/seg.
- Front side bus: 21.6 GB/sec.
System-wide floating point arithmetic performance: FLOPS of 1 T (tera).
Audio:
- Equipped with Wolfson Microelectronics stereo codec.
- Most of the software is Dolby Digital 5.1Ch.
- Unsupported 5.1ch software records game sound with Linear PCM 2.0ch.
- DVD-Video in DTS Digital Surround.
- Supports 48kHz/16bit.
- CD-DA 44.1 kHz/ 6 bit.
- Video-DVD 48KHz / In 24-bit.
- Simultaneous 320 channel audio decoding.
- More than 256 audio channels.
- Equipped with S/PDIF terminal (Xbox 360 S).
Storage device:
- 12x DVD-ROM.
- 2.5-inch hard drive (capacity is 20GB / 60GB / 120GB / 250GB).
- Two slots for memory units (capacity 64 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB).
- The “Arcade” model shipped at the end of December 2008 has a 256 MB built-in memory unit.
- USB memory can be used as a storage device by updating in April 2010 (up to 16 GB).
- The “Xbox 360 S 4GB shipped on or after September 9, 2011 has a built-in 4GB memory unit.
- The external hard drive can be used as a storage device by upgrading it in April 2015 (up to 2TB).
Digital media support:
- Media (formats) supported: DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD + R/RW, Music CD (CD-DA), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, CD WMA, MP3 CD, JPEG photo CD.
- Supported music files (formats): MP3, WMA, AAC (Xbox Live extension download required, unprotected only).
- Compatible image files (format): JPEG.
- Supported video files (formats): WMV (compatible with WMV7, 8, 9, 9AP, VC-1), AVI, DivX, MPEG4 Part2 (Xbox Live extension download required to play non-WMV formats).
- Playback of stored data on portable music players, digital cameras and Windows XP compatible PCs.
- Import music CDs to Xbox 360 hard drive.
- Custom playlists available for all games.
- Built-in Windows Media Center Extender feature.
- 3D visualization when playing music…
Others:
- 4 wireless controllers.
- 3 USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 1 rear) (5 for Xbox 360 S, 2 front and 3 rear).
- Ethernet connection terminal (RJ-45). Xbox 360 S also comes standard with Wi-Fi.
- It can be placed vertically or horizontally.
- External dimensions: 309 x 258 x 83 mm.
- Weight: about 3.5kg.
- Data cache function.
Original Xbox 360 article in Infoconsolas, year 2007
Infoconsolas is a website launched in 2004, so many articles have been created since its inception. In the case of the Xbox 360, we have considered it very interesting to keep the original article on the console, originally published in 2007 in HTML. As you will see, it was a time when the console had been on the market for a short time and clearly outsold the PS3, undoubtedly being a very interesting point of view and first-hand approach for the complete analysis of the history of consoles and retro video games.
The XBOX 360 has been the first new generation console (year 2007) that has reached our homes, it was presented at E3 in 2005, and had a simultaneous launch for North America, Asia and… Europe!
Europe? That set of countries that range from Spain to Russia? At the same time as the rest of the world?… Impressive! Snif… for once someone had remembered us…
The day of its launch arrived and at Infoconsolas.com we could see what the consoles of the future were going to be like. With the XBOX 360 it was possible to verify once again that not everyone has the same point of view, the 360 has been until today (year 2007) a great sales success in North America, moderate in Europe and null in Japan. Let’s get to know the Microsoft console a little more in depth.
Where are you going Microsoft?
This is the idea that many of you will have in mind, after the “past” that Sony gave it in the 128-bit generation… Is Microsoft back to its old ways? Against the PS3 and the Wii? Well, thank God (or whoever you believe in) it will be so, and it has returned in a big way, correcting the failures of its predecessor, well, the 2 most important failures:
- The XBOX 360 has not been the last to come out when the entire market is already occupied by the competition, but the first
- Their games are now much more “known”, that is to say, Microsoft has understood that licenses are a very important issue, games like Final Fantasys, Marios or Metal Gears do a lot and can tip the scales to one side or the other. For this reason they have obtained licenses for games that will surprise us all.
I go where I want because I can!!
Well, that’s how cool the response of the 360 would be, if it had a mouth… At Infoconsolas we like to make articles/analyses of consoles in a clear, simple way (which is not the same as simple) and depending on the day more or less “Amen”, for the most “in the know” there are already the technical specifications below, in its corresponding section. We don’t think like other websites that stay so wide putting as comments that the XBOX 360 graphically has for example: “48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines” and oh, tell your friends…
But the 360 has something special… something worth mentioning, we are all used to hearing that the PSX 2 runs at 300 Mhz, the DC runs at 200 Mhz, the GC runs at 400 Mhz… well… ladies and gentlemen. .. the XBOX 360 has inside:
AN IBM POWERPC CPU WITH 3 CORES IN PARALLEL EACH RUNNING AT 3200 Mhz
Do you realize what that is? Think what has been achieved in the Game Cube with a 405 Mhz PowerPC… The best graphics of the 128 Bit generation!! Well now think what the XBOX 360 can do with such a beast inside. As you can see, the XBOX 360 is capable of competing with the PS3, Wii, or whoever is ahead of it.
Another detail, not so important, is that the controls will be wireless, something that is appreciated, we can play up to 4 friends simultaneously without a single cable in the middle, and we must not forget about its 20 Gig hard drive, expandable to 120 Gigs depending on version.
But… How is XBOX 360?
These are the keys on which Microsoft relies on the success of its new console:
Hardware, software, and services: Microsoft assures that the new generation is already here, with its XBOX 360, and the truth is that at Infoconsolas we believe it. The union of its powerful hardware, its games and its separate services lead the player to new experiences. As usual, all in high definition 😉
The concept of the XBOX 360 is innovative in every way, not just the hardware. A single console can manage different users, each with their own achievements, saved games, etc… a new feature of Windows that has been perfectly adapted to consoles. Thanks to its USB inputs we can use alternative storage devices to the official hard drive.
The design: The exterior of the 360 reveals what is inside, a console with great aesthetics and very powerful. The size is considerable, but even so it is not as large as its predecessor, the XBOX. There are also front skins to customize the console.
Xbox Gamer Guide: Well, the Gamer Guide in question is instantly accessible by simply pressing a specific button on the controller, like the internet on today’s mobiles… A new, much easier and more accessible way to play multiplayer, communicate with friends, download music or movies and content for games (scenarios, characters, levels…), messenger… You can invite or be invited to play a doubles game over the network, without complications, as if Messenger were treat. As usual, you need to have internet, and the truth is that it’s worth it… you won’t have to go to a friend’s house to play some doubles.
Customizable interface: 360 has a multitude of skins, the menus and different parameters of the console can be all to your liking.
XBOX Live: The world’s first online console service is still fully operational with the XBOX 360, all at the touch of a button. With two types, the Silver and the Gold, one free and the other not, you will be able to chat by voice, video conference or even leave video messages. Apart from XBOX Live, statistics of the games played will be saved. Broadband required. If you have tried XBOX LIVE Gold, you will already know that it is something totally essential, the vast majority of games are focused on multiplayer in this way and it makes the life of the games extend practically until their sequels (second parts). What was not achieved in the previous generation, the 360 has made possible with exceptional results. From Infoconsolas.com we give the same importance to the achievement of XBOX LIVE on the XBOX 360, as to its graphics and high definition, 40% of its success is due to its fully successful online multiplayer system. Come on, yes, that you pay a little every 3 months or a year, if not you are missing out on the best.
Xbox Live Marketplace: Here you can download game trailers, demos, new weapons or scenarios, vehicles, skins…
The games: As usual… you can already get an idea of what the games are like… think of what Fable is like on the XBOX, and now put it on an 360. Technically they have nothing to envy the PS3 or any other computer (year 2007). In its catalog there are authentic works of art that run with amazing fluidity like Gears of Wars. The generation gap with respect to its predecessors is really noticeable, from Infoconsolas.com we strongly recommend that, if you do not have it, you get a good TV with HD at 1080, that is where the difference with consoles like the PS2 is noticeable , Game Cube or the very Wii.
Multimedia: Well, the truth is that multimedia is…
-Listen to music
-View your photos from your camera
-View video from your camera
-Watch movies on DVD
-Rip music
-Listen Mp3
-Etc…
Etc.? If we put “Etc.” it is because we prefer to explain it a little better, so that you can get an idea of what you are going to be able to do with your 360, with its USB 2 inputs, you can connect an MP3 player, a photo or video camera, a PDA or Pocket PC (with your compatible Windows Media Center), an IPod… and even… a SONY PSP!!!
In the presentation of the 360, in the diagram they showed to talk about connectivity, a Sony PSP was drawn, although the people at Microsoft did not go into details.
Is it worth buying an XBOX 360?
Was it worth buying an XBOX in times of the reign of the all-powerful Sony PS2? Of course, the XBOX has left us authentic video game gems, even playing a “secondary” role, the 360 is perfectly prepared to compete with the Wii, since they are a different and complementary concept at the same time, and mainly to its main rival, the Sony PS3.
With a cheaper price than the PS3, the XBOX 360 equals it for the time being in terms of features (referring to games at all times), exceeds its catalog of titles, and like its rival, it also has exclusive video game licenses that are so we can only see in the Microsoft console.
Software brands have focused on it, since it far exceeds the number of units sold by Sony (year 2007: 11 million 360 VS 4 million PS3).
Why do we tell you this? Are we trying to convince you to buy an 360 instead of the PS3? Hmm…. Not at all!! What we do want to clarify is the general idea that, thanks to magnificent marketing by Sony, many people have in their heads: “The PS3 is far superior to the 360”, get this idea out of your head, it’s normal that the companies say, tell and promise, but in reality, the XBOX 360 and its main rival, the PS3, are totally on par, generally speaking (including graphics, for the moment). With this we do not rule out that one of the two stands out in the future, in large part that depends on the expertise and desire to work of the video game companies, but for the moment we must forget about that rumor that has been heard so much about the overwhelming superiority of the PS3, is not true. The Sega Saturn or the Atari Jaguar are 2 good examples, great technical capacity, but a great difficulty when programming for them meant that they could not demonstrate their full potential, something that is currently happening with its rival, the PS3 .
Quite simply, if you watch any 360 game at 1080, without slowdowns, playing online while talking to your rivals on the mic, you’ll realize that all the stories you’ve heard about the graphics not being that great, the sound being and internet what… they were just nonsense.
This is how things stand, between the PS3 and the 360 there is a great equality in terms of games, technically the PS3 is superior on paper, but for now it has not been reflected in its games, all that technical display that they promised would leave to the XBOX 360 at the height of the bitumen, we have not seen it anywhere, in a few years, when the games for both consoles have a 100% performance we will be able to really see where the difference is, for now (I repeat once again : September 2007) the price difference between both consoles is not justified (referring only to the technical aspects of video games).
Not all that glitters…
It’s gold, just like at Infoconsolas.com we wanted to clarify the widespread rumor that we mentioned in the previous paragraph, we have to tell you the drawbacks, some of them almost unforgivable that too many 360 users who bought it at its launch have suffered or shortly after:
- Temperature rises: from simple “stops” that forced us to restart the console, to seeing a smoke coming out of our console that doesn’t look good at all…
- “The Ring of Death”: This mix of Stars Wars and The Lord of the Rings unequivocally tells us that something is wrong with our 360, and it’s not a good thing…
And some little problem more than another, some of them solved by the updates, and others by the technical service. On the part of Microsoft, it has assumed its failures, they have repaired the defective consoles and have increased their guarantee to 3 years, a way of showing a “sorry” for those users who have had problems, and reassuring future buyers, giving to understand that these problems have already been corrected, that they trust their console, and consequently they give a 3-year guarantee.
A separate issue is the format chosen as data support, the DVD. At the moment more than enough for any game, but it is beginning to raise doubts in some video game companies for future releases shared with Sony’s Bluray, which offers much more capacity. As a possible solution for the future, Microsoft has already launched its HD DVD reader for the 360, with a capacity of 30 gigabytes, which at the moment is only used to watch movies.
In summary…
An exceptional console, worth what it offers us, perfectly capable of competing with Sony’s “black beast”, without being exempt from “buts”. Be that as it may, the 360 lets us see the definitive settlement of Microsoft in the growing world of video games.
END OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE OF 2007 IN INFOCONSOLAS
External sources and links
- Famitsu magazine
- Technical characteristics extracted from Wikipedia
- Console graphic resources:
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Evan-Amos