http://www.lostremote.com/archives/007889.html Here come the Xbox 360s... Microsoft says it will distribute "two to three times" the number of Xbox 360 consoles to retail channels beginning this week. "Today we have turned a major corner," said Peter Moore, Microsoft VP. Of course, you can look at this two ways: 1) It's about time, now I can go buy one. 2) Now that the 360s are no longer hard to find, they're no longer cool. Press release... REDMOND, Wash., March 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) today announced the broader availability of Xbox 360(TM) consoles and provided details about the new games and entertainment experiences available to gamers this season. Beginning this week, Microsoft will distribute two to three times the number of Xbox 360 consoles to the retail channel weekly. With component supplies in full production and third manufacturing partner Celestica Inc. now producing the next-generation console along with partners Wistron Corp. and Flextronics Corp., Microsoft is producing more Xbox 360 consoles than ever. "Today we have turned a major corner," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With more consoles on their way to retail, 80 games available by June, and new content and experiences coming to Xbox Live(R) all the time, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360." Blockbuster Games on the Way The Xbox 360 games portfolio expands this spring with new next-generation titles from leading developers and publishers that cater to every genre, age, skill level and budget. Gamers can choose from a range of truly next-generation games such as "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games), an Xbox 360 console exclusive with beautiful next-generation graphics and a huge world to explore; "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft Entertainment SA), the latest version of the successful Tom Clancy series that once again pushes the boundaries of multiplayer boundaries on Xbox Live; and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend" (Eidos Interactive Ltd.), the next-generation debut of the very popular Lara Croft series. In addition, new titles are coming to Xbox Live Arcade all the time, including "Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting," "Uno" and the free full version of "Texas Hold 'Em Poker" by Riverbelle. Great titles that gamers can expect this season include these: * "2006 FIFA World Cup(TM)" (EA SPORTS) * "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat" (Electronic Arts Inc.) * "Blazing Angels" (Ubisoft) * "Burnout Revenge" (Electronic Arts) * "Dynasty Warriors(R) 5 Empires" (KOEI) * "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games) * "Far Cry Instincts Predator" (Ubisoft) * "FINAL FANTASY(R) XI" (Square Enix Inc.) * "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft) * "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend" (Eidos) * "Major League Baseball 2K6" (2K Sports) * "The Outfit(TM)" (THQ) * "Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis" (Rockstar Games) * "Rumble Roses XX(TM)" (Konami) * "Top Spin 2" (2K Sports) * "X-Men: The Official Game" (Activision) In addition to new games, consumers can extend the experience of existing Xbox 360 titles with new downloadable content available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Microsoft Game Studios confirmed new content for "Project Gotham Racing(R) 3," including exciting cars and achievements. Fans of "Perfect Dark: Zero(TM)" will have access to additional content, including downloadable multiplayer maps. In addition, the unique experience of "Kameo(TM): Elements of Power(TM)" will be extended through new online cooperative gameplay options and exciting new costumes for Kameo and her warriors. Xbox Live Digital Content Distribution Sets Records Xbox Live Marketplace, a digital download center freely accessible to any Xbox 360 owner with a broadband connection, has reached more than 10 million downloads faster than iTunes did when it launched. In fact, more than 85 percent of connected Xbox 360 consoles have already downloaded content from Xbox Live Marketplace -- everything from game demos and arcade titles to premier movie trailers and music videos. Xbox 360 will continue to deliver new online gaming and entertainment experiences including the "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat" game demo (Electronic Arts), the "Burnout Revenge" game trailer (Electronic Arts), and the "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" Horse Armor Pack (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games), which will all be available this spring on Xbox Live Marketplace.
I caved and got one that arrived yesterday via eb online. Looks awesome in HD, and wireless controllers - wow, can't believe I lived without them. PGR3 is pretty sick, just played it briefly, PGR3's map of downtown New York is incredibly accurate too, I mean, I could recognize individual stores that I walk by on Canal street. Perfect Dark Zero is pretty cool and looks slick as hell but hasn't really drawn me in so far as it just sort of dumps you into gameplay with little background (I never played the old one). Kameo - came with the bundle, I don't have much interest in it but will probably play it at some point later. I'll probably add Ghost Recon, AW and Fight Night Round 3 in the next few weeks. I don't have at-home broadband so I don't have XBL yet alas. Also, I should say the DVD player looked great too, I put in Apocalypse Now to test it out and blasted the sound for the Helicopter assault - man it looked and sounded great.
I rented Burnout Revenge for the 360. its completely awesome. return or trade in perfect dark for Call of Duty 2 ( i had both and I returned PD). I got Ghost Recon 3, its awesome, but its really hard. get broadband, you can download demos/hd videos/arcade games off XBOX LIVE. its worth it.
I got to play a bit on my brother's 360 this last weekend and it's pretty cool. I wasn't as blown away by the graphics as I thought I would be, but I was playing it on a hotel TV. The wireless controllers are very nice. We played Ghost Recon mostly and I bought him the FIFA, both are fun games. I'm going to hold on to my wallet and wait for November, though.
dude, its POINTLESS playing the 360 on a non HDTV. same with PS3 when it comes out. these games were made in 720P. try playing it on a hdtv and then drop us a review again. also, a 5.1 dolby digital system helps.
yeah, an HDTV is a must. A question to you digital heads - is it worth upgrading to the HDMI 360cable from the component video? Also, since I only have one HDMI slot in my TV - is there an HDMI selector/splitter box? (so I can run one from a DVD player and the xbox and connect it to the TV). Likewise I'm having weird audio issues where I can't get optical audio to work either from the cable box or the 360(I don't think it's working at least) even though I have those capabliities in my AV receiver.
use the hdmi slot for your hd cablebox (i notice a huge difference from component) or get an upconvert dvd player (if you watch more dvds than tv). component is fine for the x360. how old is your receiver? my kenwood's opticals stopped functioning (its an old receiver) so i got a pioneer. its great. you also need to use that 5.1 audio. it makes a huge difference in the experience. try using a digital coax for your cable box.
You can get a component switch, I use one on the HDTV that my X-box 360 is hooked up to.... Having a HDTV is a must if you are going to realize any difference in the look of the games. And, with all the PC games being killed, and no longer supported, if you want high resolution, you will need a next gen console. I love the 360. DD
It's a harmon kardon about 2 years old, but hasn't been used much. It's got 2 optical inputs labeled video 1 and video 2, I jsut lost the manual when I was moving and can't figure out what mode selects them - whevener I choose video 1 or 2 it just goes right to the analogs tagged for that input. I bought a digital coax and my reciever has an input, but the frigging cable box doesn't have an output... It doesn't have HDMI either - I would assume that I could do it though via a DVI (which it has) to HDMI cable right? FYI they do make HDMI selectors after a bit of googling but they start at $250 - way too much, IMO.
sam, get rid of the analog connections and only connect the opticals. its defaulting to the analog. you can go to frys and get a cheap dvi-hdmi cable.
Load of crap. I played my 360 on a regular TV for the first 3 months before upgrading to an LCD HD, and it still looked amazing... it is far from "worthless" playing a 360 without HD TV.
I wish I could play my 360. I haven't been able to turn it on for a couple of days, just waiting for UPS to bring me the box so I can sent it off for repair.
I guess you could try the PC clone version of Geometry Wars: http://www.incitti.com/Blitz/ I don't think it is as good though, but it would be a nice alternative in that situation I guess.
If you're looking for cheap HDMI cables, try monoprice.com...they are wayyyyyy cheaper than any other place around.
Man, I think I want one, but doesn't the 360 still have backward compatability issues? I tried to look, but it hasn't been updated since xmas...
Sweet. Thanks for the link. I've been meaning to find something like this ever since I've read all that stuff about Geometry Wars. Kinda of hard playing on a keyboard though. Have to put some batteries back in my controller.
