Xbox 360 Reviews and New Releases

The Xbox 360 is one of the most important products for Microsoft this year and it has your living room squarely in its sights. It has even been described as the second coming of Sega's Dreamcast! This new Xbox is smaller than the original and its wireless features, along with its stylishly concave shape, make it fit nicely into the living room, a very welcome change from the standard X Box. In fact, it's about 20% smaller than the original and the console can either rest on its end or on its side. The sides are "sucked in" and the power button is oversized and surrounded by a ring of glowing green light. Finally, the color of the console is a soft white, compared to the harsh black color of the original that really made it stand out.

As far as the technology the X Box incorporates, all of its hardware is custom-made from the ground up. It also features a custom graphics chip designed by NVIDIA, which is not entirely dissimilar to the GeForce 3. This graphics chip is the most powerful of any other game console. As you may know, graphics-intense applications such as video games are in fact mathematically-intense applications so the graphics chip of a game console can perform is of crucial importance to the gaming performance it can deliver. In fact, the whole purpose of graphics chips is to aid in the mathematical computations so if for example a circle needs to be drawn, the processor passes the circle's center and radius to the graphics chip and the graphics chip does all the computations, rather than have the processor create the circle's surface pixel by pixel. What the X Box does is delivering PC-level processing power to your living room. Far more than a game console, the X Box 360 is in fact, a total media center.

So how exactly is that PC-level power integrated in what looks like a game console? Well, first of all, it uses MTEC technology to liquid cool the hardware, so as to avoid noisy fans. CoolIT, the vendor of X Box 360 cooling system claims it's a unique solution that gives more stable performance and better temperatures. The X Box also has a built-in hard drive used to save games and download goodies off of Xbox Live. As you might have guessed, it also features an Ethernet connection port which gives it built-in broadband capability. It also supports wireless connectivity for up to 4 different controllers. The controllers can actually act as full remote controls and turn the X Box on and off. Apart from that, the device also has three USB ports and three memory slots, with memory units starting at 64MB.

As far as what games you can play on the X Box 360, Electronic Arts announced the largest commitment in its history to Xbox 360. Other key industry publishers announced that there are more than 160 X Box 360 games already in development! These new X Box 360 games, Microsoft says, will be making better use of the X Box 360's advanced video and audio capabilities. It also seems that while PS3 games will be at around $80, X Box 360 games are at around $50! Currently, most X Box 360 games are ports from the standard xbox and don't fully utilize the console's advanced capabilities. Even the first crop of X Box 360 games is expected not to take full advantage of some of X Box 360's features.


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This article was brought to you by InfoCastPortal.com
Check out our Buy X Box 360 site!

Judging by early reports the Playstation 3 is going to be one sweet machine. It will have the revolutionary Blue-ray technology and the ability to watch and burn DVD's. This is very important as most consumers have DVD technology at the moment and it will be a smooth overlap.

The Playstation 3 will be like a mini computer, with a huge amount of processing power. Some might even say more processing power than the now released XBOX 360.

When the Playstation 2 was released 7 years ago, the average number of games sold per unit sold was 5. Fastforward to the PSP; it released and has only sold about 2 games per PSP sold. This is mainly because of the multimedia aspect of the game. People are buying it to watch movies just as much as they are to play the games. This doesn't sound so bad, but it can cause problems for Sony. A lot of Sony's income from video game consoles are the licensing fees they charge video game companies to create games on any of Sony's console platforms. Thus, when less games are being sold, less money is being paid for the rights to make games since not as many games are being bought compared to the past.

Another possible problem with the Playstation 3 is the complexity of the interface. Since the Playstation 3 is so powerful, crtics are speculating that the console may confuse consumers and give the PS3 the reputation of being complicated.

Judging by the screenshots of games such as Fight Night Round 3 that were made for the Playstation 3 the life like imaging on the games are astounding.

Watever the case may be, we will have to wait until the release of the Playstation 3 to speculate on it's features. One thing if for sure, it will be a feature packed console like nothing consumers have seen before.


About the Author
For more great technology related articles and reviews visit www.technologyslice.com

Xbox 360 now gives its fans the opportunity to communicate with each other live using the extra feature Xbox Live. Become an Xbox Live Member! In the Xbox 360 package is included that Xbox Live members have the ability to chat with each other via the Xbox 360 Headset. You can discuss any topics with your friends and family, using Xbox. Whether you are planning a game strategy with your team, or just chatting with a friend of yours, Xbox lets you chat for free. You can interact also with thousands of other Xbox players. All Xbox Live members are included in the chat list. You can shop in Xbox LiveMarketplace. You can download additional game contents. You can watch preview videos. And many more!

If you decide to become one of us, Xbox Live gives you the opportunity to choose what kind of membership you like to get.

1) Xbox Live Silver is available to anyone with an Xbox 360 or Xbox 360 Core System Console. You also need your hard drive or memory unit, and a broadband connection to become part of it all. Messages and downloads are only two extra features provided by Xbox Live Silver.

2) Another possible membership is Xbox Live Gold, which gives you the chance to play multiplayer games online. It costs the same as your original Xbox Live subscription.

Apart from the incredible Xbox Live features mentioned above, Xbox 360 uses a new system for saving games and can give you player information unlike any other console before.

With Xbox 360 you can create a unique profile of every gamer, both of guests or family. You can create the display of the console in the colours you have chosen. Each player can have a different name and specific genre characteristics, also different dashboard theme and customized settings. You can also store your Xbox Live account information and know all the features of a particular player you selected.

The other great thing about Xbox Live , is memory. Game saves, although separate from profiles, have some things in common. After you create your specific profile, Xbox 360 saves all the games you have played and also the game levels you reached. When you sign into your personal account, you may re-play the level and improve your scores. Everything is in store for you, and no information is ever lost. The Hard Drive, or Memory Unit, has a great space potential. For more information click Xbox 360 Live

As you may have already noticed, Xbox 360 is the miracle of all games. It offers great gaming experience. By becoming a member to Xbox Live, you have the unique opportunity to share your experience with other gamers, and to get to know theirs. Through sharing information, you will improve your gaming experience and acquire the full potential of Xbox 360 sooner.


About the Author
Article by Robbie Darmona - an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects. For more information click Xbox 360 Live

Its finally happened, just four months after release, it seems the XBox 360 has now been officially hacked to play backup XBox 360 software. A group of hackers, headed by a guy affectionaly known as TheSpecialist have found a way to use an exploit on the firmware of the DVD drive, of all things.

Although not officially released yet by the group, the information on how to carry out the firmware hack will no doubt begin to filter out onto the internet at some point very soon. A video clip has been released which shows the group loading a backup copy of PGR 3 into the hacked XBox 360 and then booting the unit up. After a few seconds and a little bit of DVD lens activity, the game springs to life with not so much as an XBox 360 mod chip in sight!

Having looked closely at the video myself, it has be said, it looks genuine and there is no good reason to doubt its authenticity. The video clip shows the disk being loaded, then the XBox 360 being booted up and then the camera slowly pans up, following the line of the video cable from the XBox and to the TV set without any special effects or camera cuts.

A statement from Microsoft stated that the security of the XBox 360 is second to none and it would leave hackers completely baffled. They almost went as far as to state that the XBox 360 was un-hackable. Of course, this is a foolish thing to do, as it only encourages more hackers to attempt the challenge and gain the status that goes with such an achievement. Just four months after the XBox 360 is released, we seem to have seen its first hack. Im sure there will be many more XBox 360 hacks to follow, possibly also with the release of the long awaited XBox 360 mod chips.

If the claims that the video and information about this hack are true, this is set to wipe the smug grin completely off Microsoft's face. What MS seem to forget is that although they are the richest company on the planet, and therefore can afford to employ some of the worlds best boffins, that doesnt mean to say that they are the only smart guys in this world. Some people do it for high wages... but some do it just for kicks.

Microsoft were left with egg on their face having claimed the security on the original XBox console was tight, yet a short time after release, we saw the first devices which could bypass Microsoft's security measures and allow playback of imported and backup games on the XBox. Of course, there are legal implications with this.


Watch this space for the latest on the hacking of the XBox 360 console as this is set to rock the gaming world. You can find more XBox 360 accessories here:

http://www.uk-consoles.co.uk/shop/xbox-360-c-22.html


About the Author
You can check the latest news on Hacking the XBox 360

Barry - UK Consoles
www.uk-consoles.co.uk

In a recent issue of Time magazine, Microsoft's hard-hitting billionaire announced his battle plan for sparring with Sony in the next generation console wars of the entertainment industry.

His weapon? The sequel to Bungie/Microsoft megahit, which has pulled in a staggering amount of sales, selling well over 6 million copies to date, the space Epic that will hit shelves with the title:

Halo 3.

Bill Gates was positively glowing when he announced that Halo 3 was going to pose big problems for Sony and the rival system to the XBOX 360, the Playstation 3. On the launch date for the PS3, Bill Gates plans to release Halo 3 on the raving masses, and he expects this to be a solid blow to the Xbox's cheif competitor.

Said Gates, "The day Sony launches [the new PlayStation], they walk right into Halo 3."

Unlike the original "Halo", which was on the epic flagship lineup for the original Xbox, Halo 3 will be a part of what Microsoft considers "the all important second-wave".

Will it be a death blow? Probably not. But rest assured, this move is throwing the console war into high gear. Sony Executives and stockholders have a lot to worry about, and in the coming months we should really see things heating up.


About the Author
SEVEN is a mysterious and influential member of the Microsoft and Bungie Community. He has recently set up a Halo forum and a Halo 3 forum for members to discuss the latest bungie happenings.

All gamers are awaiting the release of the Xbox 360 and the PS3. This article takes an in depth look at how the two systems compare.

Graphics: Everyone has seen an Xbox and a PS2 in action and we are all waiting to see which of the two next generation consoles for the two systems will have the edge when it comes to graphics. We have all seen the screenshots of the games on the two systems but what about actual gameplay graphics. Despite the hot debate, when you look at the numbers the two systems use a different but equally effective method of delivering graphics processing power. The XBOX uses a custom ATI processor with 48 graphics pipelines and the PS2 has a custom NVIDA graphics processor with an estimated 24 pipelines. The numbers are misleading because the PS2 piplines are more powerful than the XBOX pipelines. In the end the two different graphics processors will deliver about the same amount of power, we can expect to see impressive results from both sides.

Games: Both systems have several franchise titles such as Halo2 for the XBOX and Gran Tourismo for the PS2 that you will see in the next generation systems, but what other games can you expect to see. If you are a fan of genres such as role playing that are dominated by Japanese and other foreign developers such as Square, you should look forward to the PS3. There is no indication that the XBOX 360 is going to gain much more support from foreign developers and buyers than the original XBOX. An article on GameSpot.com reports that only two percent of Japanese gamers are interested in buying an XBOX 360, with sixty percent looking forward to the PS3 and eight percent to the Nintendo Revolution. Overall you can expect to see more games on the PS3 than the XBOX 360, reflecting the selection for the current generation systems. Only time will which console will have the quality of games which all of us are been expecting

Media Type: Will the media storage type be a factor in the quality of the games? Since PS3 is owned by Sony and BLUray is Sony's next high definition storage medium, the PS3 games will be stored on the BLUray discs which hold approximately 54 gigs. The Xbox 360 games will be stored on Double Layer DVDs which store 9 gigs. Obviously the BLUray discs can store a lot more data, but at the current stage of game development, any game developed will fit just as well on the 9 gig DVDs, so this is not a major factor but one that may come into play later on.

Processing Power: How do the two systems compare when looking at brute processing power? The PS3 uses a Cell processor with a PowerPC-based core with seven synergistic processing units while the Xbox comes with a Custom IBM PowerPC CPU with three dual-threaded cores that can handle six total threads at a time. An important comparison to look at is the number of dot product calculations per second the systems can perform. The reason this number is important is because it is used extensively during gameplay in 3d math to calculate various things such as vector lengths, projections, transformations, and more. Both systems are clocked at 3.2 Ghz. The PS3 can handle 51-billion dot product operations per second and the Xbox can handle 33.6. There is a debate over which system has more brute processing power and these numbers can be confusing to the average person, but overall it seems that the PS3 has an edge over the Xbox when it comes to overall processing power.

Media Type: Since PS3 is owned by Sony and BLUray is Sony's next high definition storage medium, the PS3 games will be stored on the BLUray discs which hold approximately 54 gigs. The Xbox 360 games will be stored on Double Layer DVDs which store 9 gigs. Obviously the BLUray discs can store a lot more data, but at the current stage of game development, any game developed will fit just as well on the 9 gig DVDs, so this is not a major factor but one that may come into play later on.

Games: When considering games, you have to look at the XBOX and the PS2. The XBOX is very popular in the US and has a few great franchise games such as Halo, but the PS2 has an international reach and several popular game franchises such as Gran Tourismo that the XBOX has yet to beat. The XBOX 360 will need to appeal to foreign game developers and consumers to compete with the PS3. Only time will which console will have the quality of games which all of us are been expecting

Controllers: The controllers on the two systems retain the basic shape from the original systems with some modifications. The PS3 controller has the most dramatic change; it has a streamline shape that looks more like a stealth airplane than a game controller. The XBOX controller is basically the same shape as the previous system with a different color scheme. From the pictures released, it seems the XBOX controller will be more comfortable and natural to use. The PS3 controller looks like it would just slip out of your hand but we will not know how the controllers feel during actual gameplay until we get our hands on them.


About the Author
Tony James is an author and webmaster. He currently runs the website Freeware Games.net

Gamers and techies have waited with bated breath for advancements and innovations in gaming. To set the pulse racing and the mind thinking one needs to be challenged. This has become possible by computer technology and the wonderful world of gaming. Just as adventures and wars would have done in yester years these days it is technology that offers to quench the thirst for adventure. Microsoft has created a challenge in the form of the Xbox 360-- a visionary, super powerful, multimedia console that brings to you the GenX gaming world. Of course, the markets being competitive present so many choices.

If you need to be convinced here are a few reasons why you must buy the Xbox360.

1. There are games galore for the thirsty. Kameo elements of power, Project Gotam 3, Perfect dark Zero, and many more. All unique, with great effects and gaming wizardry.

2. The Xbox360 has wireless controllers as well as internet connectivity. The premium pack presents great delights offering freedom of movement and a superb range of over 30 feet. Ergonomically designed the controller has skip wires, tangles and boomerangs.

3. With an aim to please even the most discerning palate, the Xbox360 has an amazing variety of games. Some are exclusively designed for the box like Condemned, and Dead or Alive. Titles that have been widely acknowledge by expert gamers are: Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo, King Kong, and Condemned.

4. Amazing and most welcome is the fact that over 200 Xbox games will be backwardly compatible with the Xbox360.

5. Xbox 360 brings with it the arcade marketplace. Imagine free games, cheap games, and addictive non-stop games. The possibilities are endless and thrilling.

6. The Graphics are stupendous and bring to life the games in virtual reality. Xbox360 has three 3.2 GH processors that run with a 500MhzATI graphics processor. Whew—let’s bow to power.

7. Endless possibilities with the Xbox360. Games, CDs, movies and customized music. It even connects to the Microsoft media center for a complete media sensation. You can let your creativity and innovativeness take wing.

8. The Xbox 360 is more than an everyday console. It is interactive and you can buy many things like bonus levels, episodic content, gamer specials, and gamer tag images. You can download demos, and bonus packs from game developers. A live platform with no limits marketplace for developers and publishers.

9. The Xbox360 is a keeper of records. It creates history. The gamer card becomes your identity with name, image, scores, games you like, and your aims and mottos. This takes online fraternities a step closer to one another.

10. Fulfils many dreams and fantasies. The games are the best, interesting, mind stimulating, and exciting. The Xbox 360 takes the gaming world forwards and offers options like downloads, online plays, movies, as well as a touch button marketplace for games.

The Xbox360 is a must for serious gamers. It indicates your dedication as a gamer and reflects your tastes and reputation in the cyber gaming universe. Opens up endless possibilities and takes you to the next generation gaming delights.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1866Shopping.com, the premier online shopping directory provides online shopping, outlet shopping, retail shopping stores, offer online shopping cart, shops and store directory, online shops, Shopping Malls, shopping centers, discount shopping, shopping offers and more. He also freelances for Free Online Music Site http://www.1888Music.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_W_Wilson

The Xbox 360 is one of the most important products for Microsoft this year and it has your living room squarely in its sights. It has even been described as the second coming of Sega's Dreamcast! This new Xbox is smaller than the original and its wireless features, along with its stylishly concave shape, make it fit nicely into the living room, a very welcome change from the standard X Box. In fact, it's about 20% smaller than the original and the console can either rest on its end or on its side. The sides are "sucked in" and the power button is oversized and surrounded by a ring of glowing green light. Finally, the color of the console is a soft white, compared to the harsh black color of the original that really made it stand out.

As far as the technology the X Box incorporates, all of its hardware is custom-made from the ground up. It also features a custom graphics chip designed by NVIDIA, which is not entirely dissimilar to the GeForce 3. This graphics chip is the most powerful of any other game console. As you may know, graphics-intense applications such as video games are in fact mathematically-intense applications so the graphics chip of a game console can perform is of crucial importance to the gaming performance it can deliver. In fact, the whole purpose of graphics chips is to aid in the mathematical computations so if for example a circle needs to be drawn, the processor passes the circle's center and radius to the graphics chip and the graphics chip does all the computations, rather than have the processor create the circle's surface pixel by pixel. What the X Box does is delivering PC-level processing power to your living room. Far more than a game console, the X Box 360 is in fact, a total media center.

So how exactly is that PC-level power integrated in what looks like a game console? Well, first of all, it uses MTEC technology to liquid cool the hardware, so as to avoid noisy fans. CoolIT, the vendor of X Box 360 cooling system claims it's a unique solution that gives more stable performance and better temperatures. The X Box also has a built-in hard drive used to save games and download goodies off of Xbox Live. As you might have guessed, it also features an Ethernet connection port which gives it built-in broadband capability. It also supports wireless connectivity for up to 4 different controllers. The controllers can actually act as full remote controls and turn the X Box on and off. Apart from that, the device also has three USB ports and three memory slots, with memory units starting at 64MB.

As far as what games you can play on the X Box 360, Electronic Arts announced the largest commitment in its history to Xbox 360. Other key industry publishers announced that there are more than 160 X Box 360 games already in development! These new X Box 360 games, Microsoft says, will be making better use of the X Box 360's advanced video and audio capabilities. It also seems that while PS3 games will be at around $80, X Box 360 games are at around $50! Currently, most X Box 360 games are ports from the standard xbox and don't fully utilize the console's advanced capabilities. Even the first crop of X Box 360 games is expected not to take full advantage of some of X Box 360's features.


About the Author
This article was brought to you by InfoCastPortal.com
Check out our Buy X Box 360 site!

Lots of people are wondering whether to buy XBOX 360 or wait for PS3. So, to help you make a decision I've compiled a comparison of the XBOX 360 and PS3.

Both are tremendously powerful and have some advantage over each other. PS3 has advantage with its compatibility with previous PS versions and XBOX has tremendous support for device connectivity with its HD Media Center. Its connectivity including direct support for Apple iPod is great. And Sony has nothing like Xbox Live service which gets even better with Xbox 360. But, biggest advantage XBOX will have over PS3 will be price, XBOX was released for $299 - $399 (core or premium) but it's clear from all the report I have read PS3 will be launched for around $500.

Here is summary of difference between two consoles. You can read full article at http://www.justxbox.com/xbox-360-vs-ps3-play-station-3-.html

CPU

Xbox 360 Processor type Custom IBM PowerPC - 3 symmetrical cores @3.2 GHz each 2 hardware threads per core, 6 total VMX-128 vector unit per core; 3 total 128 VMX-128 registers per hardware thread 1 MB L2 cache

PlayStation 3

Cell Processor -PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz 1 VMX vector unit per core 7x SPE @3.2GHz 7x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs 7x 256KB SRAM for SPE 512KB L2 cache

Graphics

XBOX uses a ATI-based custom processor with 500 MHZ processor with fllowinf features Up to 512 MB GDDR3 system RAM (700 MHz), 10 MB of embedded DRAM , 48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines, Unified shader architecture, 48 billion shader operations per second

PS3 will use NVIDIA-based RSX "Reality Synthesizer" with 550 MHz processor,it will have 256MB GDDR3 (700MHz) memory.

Video

XBOX 360 will have following resolution 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
PS3 will have following resolution 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080P

Storage

Xbox 360 will have a 12X dual-layer DVD. Premium system will come with 20 GB removable hard drive
Sony PS3 will have Blue-ray DVD drive with a optional Hard drive with size TBD.

You can read full article at http://www.justxbox.com/xbox-360-vs-ps3-play-station-3-.html


About the Author
Webmaster at www.JustXBOX.com -- Your #1 site for XBOX 360 & XBOX Games, Reviews, & News

HALO 3 FOR XBOX 360