Girlfriend got me the premium package as a gift, god bless her!
the system is about the size i expected. the front has controller ports, power button and tray. The side holds the removable, upgradeable hard drive. This package comes with a 20gb one. NO memory cards = amazing. I'll talk about the capabilities the HD adds below. The back of the unit has the a/c, a/v cable and more USB ports and an ethernet port. Wireless internet is NOT embedded. You can get a wireless internet transmitter for 100 bucks, kinda gay.
Controllers are MUCH improved!!! I never owned an original xbox but i did play it and the controllers were WAY to ****ing big and clunky. These are smaller and while similarly styled are a bit more pleasant to look at. A great feature is the button with the X which is on every controller. it lights up and shows you which player you are. Controller has rechargeable battery, but it's light. I have one wireless and one wired controller. Wireless are 50 bucks, wired are 30-40.
Package also comes with headset, remote, HD cables and a custom black panel on the side (oooo). EVERY game for xbox will be made to display in high definition (720p, 1080i) AND be formatted for wide screen. Very cool. Tomorrow I'm going to a friend's house to play it on a 42" plasma. I can't believe it's going to look even BETTER than it does on regular tv.
Xbox live comes with the package. It allows you to play online and so far almost every game available has an online play feature. You can send players messages, put together a friends list and check local and global stats and such.
The xbox is basically a computer, so it plays mp3s, video files, and pictures and can store it all on the hard drive. You can also download demos and game trailers which i think is cool. You can bring up a menu during games and play mp3s on the hard drive while you're playing a game which i think is AWESOME.
the xbox comes with arcade games which are stored on the hard drive and they're amazing!!! too much ****ing fun; what a great feature!!!! i spent a of time playing them, and you can download more!
You can connect the box to a computer, use it to control windows media center and stream music to it. I havent tried these features yet but i'm looking forward to it.
The Games
I have Madden 06, Tiger Woods, and Project Gotham Racing 3.
PGR3: WOOOOOOWWW!! Holy living crap. As soon as the intro movie plays you want to race. The car selection is so satisfying. gran turismo players that missed exotics you'll LOVE this game. Cars like Ferrari F40, F50, 05 Saleen are here and all tpes of Lambos, Jags, Bentley continental GT was a favorite of mine in the list, but there are too many to list them all. GREAT selection!!
Multiplayer is available of course. there's solo career and tons of tracks. The graphics have to be seen to be believed. The inside car view is just incredible, the replay and photo modes make you drool and stare at the tv for hours with utter bliss. Can't wait to get a steering wheel and pedals for this bad boy.
Madden 2006: If you've seen pictures of this game on the internet let me confirm: YES it DOES look like that. Taking photos of a tv doesn't work well but the level of detail is absolutely INCREDIBLE. 1000 times more realistic than madden 06 on the PS2. The jerseys, actual beads of SWEAT...for the first time i look into the crowd in a madden game and i smile: the fans look SO GOOD and the animations for both players and fans are to die for. I've spent minutes on end just looking at the same replay and zooming in and looking at the faces of the players. It's addictive.
The gameplay is a bit faster than Madden for PS2, the camera angles are better and the play selection is more intuitive. And the graphics..well i've talked about them but let me say it again are ****ING PHENOMENAL!! This game has such a realistic feel it's frightening.
Tiger Woods: Again, visuals are mindblowing. Shadows and lighting are so life-like and the courses are pristine!!!! great gameplay too.
Ghost Recon 3 is coming out for this thing. Go to ign.com and take a look at some images or movies...holy SHIT it looks amazing.
Bad things? Looks like no digial optical audio output. AC adapter is the size of a shoe-box, thank GOD it's not attached to the system. Wireless adapter costs 100 bucks as i said before is very lame, but at least the package includes a long ass ethernet cord. Aside from that I can't think of anything but...
If you own one feel free to post your opinions/pics here. If you're thinking about getting one, DO IT. If you weren't planning on getting one, PLAN on it. $299 for the core version or $399 for the premium. Is the premium worth it? Well, look at it this way. The hard drive is INTEGRAL to the experience. They're 100 bucks. For that extra 100 bucks you can get the premium version and also get a headset, HD cables, a remote, and a wireless controller as opposed to a wired one.
the system is about the size i expected. the front has controller ports, power button and tray. The side holds the removable, upgradeable hard drive. This package comes with a 20gb one. NO memory cards = amazing. I'll talk about the capabilities the HD adds below. The back of the unit has the a/c, a/v cable and more USB ports and an ethernet port. Wireless internet is NOT embedded. You can get a wireless internet transmitter for 100 bucks, kinda gay.
Controllers are MUCH improved!!! I never owned an original xbox but i did play it and the controllers were WAY to ****ing big and clunky. These are smaller and while similarly styled are a bit more pleasant to look at. A great feature is the button with the X which is on every controller. it lights up and shows you which player you are. Controller has rechargeable battery, but it's light. I have one wireless and one wired controller. Wireless are 50 bucks, wired are 30-40.
Package also comes with headset, remote, HD cables and a custom black panel on the side (oooo). EVERY game for xbox will be made to display in high definition (720p, 1080i) AND be formatted for wide screen. Very cool. Tomorrow I'm going to a friend's house to play it on a 42" plasma. I can't believe it's going to look even BETTER than it does on regular tv.
Xbox live comes with the package. It allows you to play online and so far almost every game available has an online play feature. You can send players messages, put together a friends list and check local and global stats and such.
The xbox is basically a computer, so it plays mp3s, video files, and pictures and can store it all on the hard drive. You can also download demos and game trailers which i think is cool. You can bring up a menu during games and play mp3s on the hard drive while you're playing a game which i think is AWESOME.
the xbox comes with arcade games which are stored on the hard drive and they're amazing!!! too much ****ing fun; what a great feature!!!! i spent a of time playing them, and you can download more!
You can connect the box to a computer, use it to control windows media center and stream music to it. I havent tried these features yet but i'm looking forward to it.
The Games
I have Madden 06, Tiger Woods, and Project Gotham Racing 3.
PGR3: WOOOOOOWWW!! Holy living crap. As soon as the intro movie plays you want to race. The car selection is so satisfying. gran turismo players that missed exotics you'll LOVE this game. Cars like Ferrari F40, F50, 05 Saleen are here and all tpes of Lambos, Jags, Bentley continental GT was a favorite of mine in the list, but there are too many to list them all. GREAT selection!!
Multiplayer is available of course. there's solo career and tons of tracks. The graphics have to be seen to be believed. The inside car view is just incredible, the replay and photo modes make you drool and stare at the tv for hours with utter bliss. Can't wait to get a steering wheel and pedals for this bad boy.
Madden 2006: If you've seen pictures of this game on the internet let me confirm: YES it DOES look like that. Taking photos of a tv doesn't work well but the level of detail is absolutely INCREDIBLE. 1000 times more realistic than madden 06 on the PS2. The jerseys, actual beads of SWEAT...for the first time i look into the crowd in a madden game and i smile: the fans look SO GOOD and the animations for both players and fans are to die for. I've spent minutes on end just looking at the same replay and zooming in and looking at the faces of the players. It's addictive.
The gameplay is a bit faster than Madden for PS2, the camera angles are better and the play selection is more intuitive. And the graphics..well i've talked about them but let me say it again are ****ING PHENOMENAL!! This game has such a realistic feel it's frightening.
Tiger Woods: Again, visuals are mindblowing. Shadows and lighting are so life-like and the courses are pristine!!!! great gameplay too.
Ghost Recon 3 is coming out for this thing. Go to ign.com and take a look at some images or movies...holy SHIT it looks amazing.
Bad things? Looks like no digial optical audio output. AC adapter is the size of a shoe-box, thank GOD it's not attached to the system. Wireless adapter costs 100 bucks as i said before is very lame, but at least the package includes a long ass ethernet cord. Aside from that I can't think of anything but...
If you own one feel free to post your opinions/pics here. If you're thinking about getting one, DO IT. If you weren't planning on getting one, PLAN on it. $299 for the core version or $399 for the premium. Is the premium worth it? Well, look at it this way. The hard drive is INTEGRAL to the experience. They're 100 bucks. For that extra 100 bucks you can get the premium version and also get a headset, HD cables, a remote, and a wireless controller as opposed to a wired one.
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