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Gaming-Age Xbox 360 Hands-On

M

Matlock

Banned
Got a question about the performance of the 360? Email jim@gaming-age.com and your concern might just be answered in the GA hands-on!

http://gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/specials/special.pl?spec=xbox360_1&pagenum=1

Developing story, and if you email in specific questions you have about the hardware, well...they might just get answered. Today, tho, is just pictures.

15.jpg

obligatory xbox sex

21.jpg

XDK, peekaboo!

13.jpg

Powersupplyton!

Over the next week, check back for impressions of the hardware, the interface, the accessories, Xbox Live, and of course, the games! In particular, many readers have been wondering about the Xbox 360 experience on a standard definition 4:3 ratio television, and being a non-HD gamer at the moment, I'll be making sure to focus a bit on that aspect in the next batch of impressions. For now, feel free to email me any particular questions you may have, and I will try to answer as much as possible.
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So again, GA's going to be very in-depth with this, and all questions can be routed to Jim's email to be answered.
 
Dante said:
wait, so It's bigger then the original Xbox???
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I was under the impression it was alot smaller than the original(I haven't compared the #'s) yet this photo makes it only look slimmer, but almost as tall(especially with the hd in, it looks about the same height).
 
Matlock said:
16.jpg


Looks about the same around the basic rectangle, but concave instead of convex.
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It appears to displace less space than the original one. It still isn't really much smaller though IMO.
 
Oh yeah, and as a teaser of the articles to come, even the play and charge kit is being scrutinized. Apparently when you have the P&C kit plugged in, the 360 doesn't completely shut off until the battery charges--it goes into standby whereas the power and fan run, but nothing else.
 
Matlock said:
Oh yeah, and as a teaser of the articles to come, even the play and charge kit is being scrutinized. Apparently when you have the P&C kit plugged in, the 360 doesn't completely shut off until the battery charges--it goes into standby whereas the power and fan run, but nothing else.
Click to expand...

Well, you can charge while playing, so that isn't that big of an issue... right?
 
Cerebral Palsy said:
Well, you can charge while playing, so that isn't that big of an issue... right?
Click to expand...

I'm assuming so
I'm just reiterating what I've heard from Jim
, but you can figure that people will be confused when they go to shut it down and it doesn't fully power off. ;)
 
Matlock said:
Oh yeah, and as a teaser of the articles to come, even the play and charge kit is being scrutinized. Apparently when you have the P&C kit plugged in, the 360 doesn't completely shut off until the battery charges--it goes into standby whereas the power and fan run, but nothing else.
Click to expand...

Yeah as I said to you via IM, if this isn't noted in the manual... hell even if it is, MS is probably going to get a rush of phone calls about it....
 
I'm glad they went with an external power supply. Removes unnecessary heat from the system, allows for a less noisy cooling solution, and cuts bulk from the main system. I have no qualms with just throwing a power brick behind my entertainment center and out of sight, much as I do with the Gamecube's. The power supply is fanless, no?
 
It's very ugly, isn't it? Not that it matters, or the first Xbox would certainly have been a dreadful failure. But yeah, it looks like a deformed PC tower laid flat.
 
Matlock said:
Oh yeah, and as a teaser of the articles to come, even the play and charge kit is being scrutinized. Apparently when you have the P&C kit plugged in, the 360 doesn't completely shut off until the battery charges--it goes into standby whereas the power and fan run, but nothing else.
Click to expand...
But isnt the system supposed to go in stand by mode anyway when u turn it off? You got to unplug the power cord it if you want to really turn it completely off since it doesnt seem to have a power switch anywere. I assume this based on the fact that you can turn it on pressing the Guide button on the controller like you do with a TV remote. Why do the fan run when charging the controller in stand by mode is beyond me. I mean, what king of heat can that procedure generate?
 
TTP said:
Why do the fan run when charging the controller in stand by mode is beyond me. I mean, what king of heat can that procedure generate?
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The power supply needs to be cooled when it's drawing power. I'm sure MS doesn't want there to be a possibility of it overheating.

There is nothing unreasonable for the PSU to be running and cooling itself when the unit is busy charging controllers.
 
TheDrowningMan said:
It's very ugly, isn't it? Not that it matters, or the first Xbox would certainly have been a dreadful failure. But yeah, it looks like a deformed PC tower laid flat.
Click to expand...

eh, i think its definitely the nicest looking console yet. looks better standing up though
 
No pictures seem to show the back of the console. I want to know if the AV cables are the same for Xbox and X360!
 
Has anyone tried streaming video yet? If not, does anyone know if streaming WMV-HD content is streamable out-the-box? I understand that you need MCE for streaming of video but if this can be done the first day I get it..i'm going to be very happy.
 
The Xbox 360 must be the most feature-rich console for things other than games in history. This weekend I'll know how new PSP owners must have felt.
 
Speevy said:
The Xbox 360 must be the most feature-rich console for things other than games in history. This weekend I'll know how new PSP owners must have felt.
Click to expand...

I'm excited about the games but i'm really anticipating the streaming media functions that this thing has. To be able to watch and listen to everything on my media server on my 60" Sony HDTV is going to be so great. I've also heard the visualizer is pretty amazing.

Point is, the 360 offers alot of different functions that will appeal to different people. This is the first console that has ever done this.
 
PuertoRicanJuice said:
God, that controller is pure sex.
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I've held it. I didn't think it was all that great. It felt a bit different to hold than the Type-S. I will get used to it though eventually (once I get my 360 whenever the hell that is).
 
A couple of things I wonder:
1. Will a 3rd party USB Wireless Adapter work?
2. How does the X360 respond to something like a CD/DVD with different types of media (mp3, video files of different types, etc.?)
3. Difference between 720p and 1080i on a CRT TV (or non-fixed resolution tv.)
 
IJoel said:
A couple of things I wonder:
1. Will a 3rd party USB Wireless Adapter work?
Click to expand...

I'm confident there is no possibility of any 3rd party USB Wireless Adapters working.

IJoel said:
2. How does the X360 respond to something like a CD/DVD with different types of media (mp3, video files of different types, etc.?)
Click to expand...

This is an excellent question and would love to hear what the situation is. Is it possible to put burned CDs into the 360. The original Xbox pretty much told you to get bent.
 
I have a question.

Why does the remote have a rec button and a live tv button?

If it is for WMC, then why do you need to record? I mean you can just xfer the file to the HDD. Seems pretty dumb.
 
The controller takes everything that was wrong with this generation's controllers and fixes them.

It has a reasonably close comfort level to the Gamecube pad.
It has all the functionality of the Xbox controller, plus the L and R buttons on top like the PS2 controller.

Fits every genre and every type of gamer if you ask me. And they can always make another one.
 
Dr_Cogent said:
This is an excellent question and would love to hear what the situation is. Is it possible to put burned CDs into the 360. The original Xbox pretty much told you to get bent.
Click to expand...



Yes, and from what I understand, you're mistaken. Thompson Drives didn't read burned CDs.

I tried a CD-R on my Xbox and it said I couldn't use it. But apparently you can, as some forumers will attest.
 
Dr_Cogent said:
I've held it. I didn't think it was all that great. It felt a bit different to hold than the Type-S. I will get used to it though eventually (once I get my 360 whenever the hell that is).
Click to expand...

It is the best controller I have used. It was like they took the best of the three controllers this gen and got the 360 controller. IMO, of course.
 
Speevy said:
Yes, and from what I understand, you're mistaken. Thompson Drives didn't read burned CDs.

I tried a CD-R on my Xbox and it said I couldn't use it. But apparently you can, as some forumers will attest.
Click to expand...

Well, I must have had a Thompson drive - and unless every single Xbox supported it - I don't think anyone can say it was a true feature. MS needs to get their heads out of their asses and stop pulling this bullshit.
 
beermonkey@tehbias said:
You can use an MCE PC like a Tivo.

Any Tivo-ish device needs Live TV and Record.
Click to expand...
So wait. They want you to BUY a new OS and use a capture card on the PC to watch tv, when all they had to do was add a coaxial input on the machine and enable simple windows file sharing?

:lol
 
Is there a sleep mode, like the PSP does? i.e. Can I shut the X360 down mid-game and it will trickle power to maintain memory state but spin down all other components such as fan, DVD drive and HDD?
 
Kon Tiki said:
So wait. They want you to BUY a new OS and use a capture card on the PC to watch tv, when all they had to do was add a coaxial input on the machine and enable simple windows file sharing?

:lol
Click to expand...

Not only that, you can't really buy a non OEM version of the OS. You either buy the OEM version and install and build your own PC - or buy one that has it installed.

I've read about people having driver issues also with the OS, like being unable to update them - but that may just be user error.
 
kaching said:
Is there a sleep mode, like the PSP does? i.e. Can I shut the X360 down mid-game and it will trickle power to maintain memory state but spin down all other components such as fan, DVD drive and HDD?
Click to expand...
There is an auto off feature. Turns the console off after 6 hours. There is a screensaver that works over all games. No sleep, though.
 
Speevy said:
Plenty of information is available at the Xbox 360 website.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360/massmedia.htm


Try that link for example.
Click to expand...
Picture this: Prime time rolls around, and you're stuck with nothing but re-runs. Don't touch that dial … simply stream on-demand movies or an episode of Family Guy or The Sopranos you recorded days earlier and watch them all on your TV, all through your Xbox 360.
Click to expand...

Ya, I could do that on my Xbox, and I do not need a new OS. :D
 
truffleshuffle83 said:
dude youre gettin a dell
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delldude1_1.jpg


I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard about him getting busted with pot. Not that I think it's funny that he got in trouble, just that he sounds like a total stoner in those ads.

Anyhow, Xbox 360 still has so many unanswered questions. I wish that MS guy would pop in here and answer some of the questions in here.
 
So wait. They want you to BUY a new OS and use a capture card on the PC to watch tv, when all they had to do was add a coaxial input on the machine and enable simple windows file sharing?
Click to expand...

If they do what you suggest, they can't enforce DRM.

1) Microsoft is in bed with Hollywood.
2) Sony is Hollywood.
 
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