Thoughts on Xbox 360

[ZenErik]

Yeah, your main point that neither one was doing much with video games before going into the market is true. Nintendo started with playing cards and tried a bunch of other things before Yokoi's super hand and the Game and Watch stuff, and Sega started with pinball and moved to arcade games. Before the Xbox launched I know Microsoft did do some publishing deals for other studios but they didn't have any dedicated game studios themselves.

I think a lot of the hate that Microsoft gets is that they attracted a new demographic that many old timers dislike: the bro gamers.

Fakkin' Halo and fakkin' Call of Duty on my Xbox, khed.

-The Xbro

[CFFJR]

I think a lot of the hate that Microsoft gets is that they attracted a new demographic that many old timers dislike: the bro gamers.

I can agree with that. The bros certainly came out in force with Microsoft (and probably Halo) though I believe it started a little before their time.

It was right around the time that the PS2 was new and exciting and Madden was getting big on it that I first started meeting a lot of people who were buying a game system because it was a popular piece of electronics rather than because it played games.

[Opa Opa]

Summing up my thoughts that have probably been covered already:

Pros:
-I like the controller- especially the wired one. It works pretty well for emulation controls.
-It comes standard with composite AND component cables.
-Deadly Premonition is cheaper than the PS3 alternative
-Has a good game line-up

Cons:
-Build quality- RROD and the overall 'cheap' feeling of the hardware
-Controller sticks seem to wear out easy from my experience
-XBox Live costs- A good service but I don't play online and the price makes me go to free alternatives for when, once in a blue moon, I actually play an online game.

[The Last Horseman]

Summing up my thoughts that have probably been covered already:

Pros:
-I like the controller- especially the wired one. It works pretty well for emulation controls.
-It comes standard with composite AND component cables.
-Deadly Premonition is cheaper than the PS3 alternative
-Has a good game line-up

Cons:
-Build quality- RROD and the overall 'cheap' feeling of the hardware
-Controller sticks seem to wear out easy from my experience
-XBox Live costs- A good service but I don't play online and the price makes me go to free alternatives for when, once in a blue moon, I actually play an online game.

The cons are pretty much most people's beefs. (The logical ones, atleast. I do know some people may not feel exclusives are worth it, thus they might not like it either.) I however, have never had a problem with sticks on controllers. I know I get grind dust on occasion, but I've replaced so many N64 sticks for cash that I can't honestly feel any other controller can have sticks as bad as N64 controllers.

[bryan_65]

OK I have to say for all the fighter and Shmups I am dieing to get one. My only question and thing that has stopped me is the RROD, are the slims a lot better if so I will put one of those on layaway. I don't have a PS3 and would love a lot of the games.

[Hobie-wan]

The slims are a lot quieter. You can still feel them pumping out the heat, but considering they use less power (and create less heat), that means the system is successfully dumping the heat out of the box instead of it collecting inside like it did with the old systems.

[bryan_65]

I think that I will have to try my luck on a new slim, the amount of games that are out now finally justices my purchase.

[The Last Horseman]

I have never heard of a slim getting RROD. I guess it's possible, but it is a hell of a lot harder. Also note, the systems that came out right before the introduction to the slim are pretty much the same as a slim, but do have higher chances of RROD. I have the latter model, and have it sitting in a position to where it can have all vents uncovered, helping with airflow.

[Hobie-wan]

I have never heard of a slim getting RROD. I guess it's possible, but it is a hell of a lot harder. Also note, the systems that came out right before the introduction to the slim are pretty much the same as a slim, but do have higher chances of RROD. I have the latter model, and have it sitting in a position to where it can have all vents uncovered, helping with airflow.

The slim is a completely different motherboard and blows out a flat side instead of the back. The drive slides into the unit instead of sitting on the end. The latter fats are surely better, but they're not similar to the slim.

[Xeogred]

Summing up my thoughts that have probably been covered already:

Pros:
-I like the controller- especially the wired one. It works pretty well for emulation controls.
-It comes standard with composite AND component cables.
-Deadly Premonition is cheaper than the PS3 alternative
-Has a good game line-up

Cons:
-Build quality- RROD and the overall 'cheap' feeling of the hardware
-Controller sticks seem to wear out easy from my experience
-XBox Live costs- A good service but I don't play online and the price makes me go to free alternatives for when, once in a blue moon, I actually play an online game.

The cons are pretty much most people's beefs. (The logical ones, atleast. I do know some people may not feel exclusives are worth it, thus they might not like it either.) I however, have never had a problem with sticks on controllers. I know I get grind dust on occasion, but I've replaced so many N64 sticks for cash that I can't honestly feel any other controller can have sticks as bad as N64 controllers.

I actually still have a used up wired 360 controller that I like a lot, but it does have that issue with the right joystick. Gets stuck in the "upward" position by the tiniest touch, not physically but underneath if that makes sense, so in FPS's a lot of times my characters will slowly walk forward inch by inch if I'm just trying to stand there. Clicking in the joystick sometimes fixes it, but yeah it's gotten bad and my buttons have gotten a little sticky. So it gets annoying sometimes and I'll probably replace it when I can.

Overall though, something about the feel of the wired controller... even when I had my charged packs and batteries for the wireless controller, I liked using my wired controller a lot more.