All You Need to Know About Xbox 360

You've read the game reviews, now get an in-depth look at the hardware specifics behind Microsoft's new gaming console.

After enduring months of contrived viral marketing campaigns, fluffy monologues from James Allard (that's J Allard after his sports jacket makeover), the Xbox 360 launch has finally come upon us. If you are one of the lucky few to have preordered months back, or endured long waits at a Wal-Mart, the question of buying is irrelevant. For many others, the big question lingers--is the $300 investment worth every cent?

Half-Hearted Halo to Backwards Compatibility
Microsoft's much-touted backwards compatibility isn't what it seems for the Xbox 360. One of the major issues is that it's missing a slew of major franchises in its list of compatible titles: why is Dead or Alive 3 compatible but not its sequel, Dead or Alive Ultimate? Not to mention the absence of Splinter Cell, Burnout and Soul Calibur II, or the fact that you need to download a patch to play Halo 2 online.

Blatant shortcomings aside, the Xbox 360 does play compatible titles smoothly. Although Microsoft claims that Xbox games get enhanced with 4x anti-aliasing and 720p resolution, our pre-patched Halo 2 shows a negligible visual upgrade. This, of course, is set to change with the console launch, with Microsoft offering a massive download that will purportedly improve the look of games--and hopefully extend that inadequate compatibility list to include more high profile games.


Halo 2 looks almost identical in our pre-patched version; Microsoft says the Xbox 360 version (on the right) will get a facelift.

Thankfully, none of Halo 2's sharp controls get lost to the Xbox 360 controller, meaning games won't feel any different than with the original Xbox.

Parental Controls
The violent content blaming game will potentially end with the Xbox 360, as the console integrates a robust control system that will let parents have control over what games their kids play. The Family Setting will enable users to lock out content based on regional ratings systems for both games and movies, and regulate access to Xbox Live. The password-protected system even allows parents to control access to specific Xbox Live areas such as downloadable content, friends lists, and online status. By far, Microsoft has delivered the most versatile parental control system in a console to date.


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