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#270081 - 19/11/2005 14:46 Just Played X-Box 360....
Cris
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
The shopping centre I was working at today had an X-Box 360 display setup, quite impressive, they had taken over an empty shop unit and filled it with 360's.

One of the guys running the show noticed I was working on the centre's broadband lines and was asking me some questions, they were running the whole show off a 3G card in a laptop! Quite impressive in itself.

Anyway, they let me jump the queue and have a quick go. From a distance the footbal game (excuse my ignorance I'm not a gamer) look like it was a real match! But other than that it was pretty much what you would expect, just with higher res graphics, same old boring games. Nothing that will make me run out and buy one...

...apart from it's media centre features, if you have XP MCE, the 360 connects to it and you have access to all the features on your X-Box too, and this comes straight out of the box (so the guy says). This may be enough to sway me, as I was thinking about using MCE to run my MAME machine.

One other thing, the PSU, IT'S HUGE!!!

Cheers

Cris.

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#270082 - 19/11/2005 22:26 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
bootsy
enthusiast

Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
Quote:
if you have XP MCE, the 360 connects to it and you have access to all the features on your X-Box too


I might be reading this wrong, but you are saying the 360 works as an extender to the MCE box, not that the MCE box gains features of the 360, correct?
_________________________
Brian H. Johnson
MK2 36GB Blue, currently on life support
"RIP RCR..."

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#270083 - 20/11/2005 01:16 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
msaeger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
Someone I work with just got a 360 from the mountain dew contest. He couldn't give much of an opinion though he couldn't even remember what game he got with it.

Reviews I have read say if you don't have an HD tv don't expect it to look much better than the xbox.

I probably won't get one at launch since the only game I want for it is Kameo and one game isn't worth 450.00
_________________________

Matt

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#270084 - 20/11/2005 09:39 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: bootsy]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
Quote:
if you have XP MCE, the 360 connects to it and you have access to all the features on your X-Box too


I might be reading this wrong, but you are saying the 360 works as an extender to the MCE box, not that the MCE box gains features of the 360, correct?

Yep. Extender.

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#270085 - 22/11/2005 00:11 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
bootsy
enthusiast

Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
Quote:
Yep. Extender.


Darn... I had hoped I misunderstood. I had not heard of any "upstream" capabilities like that.
_________________________
Brian H. Johnson
MK2 36GB Blue, currently on life support
"RIP RCR..."

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#270086 - 23/11/2005 06:24 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: bootsy]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
Ok, I played at Frys today. Graphics were impressive. Could only try a few games. One game seem to be all show and not very fun to play (King Kong), but games like Call Of Duty 2 and a few others look amazing. Didn't get to see or try Project Gotham, but I've heard it's amazing.

I want to get one but didn't pre-order. Frys was sold out, and aren't getting another order in until mid-December!

Anyone know where I can buy one at MSRP in the SF Bay Area?

- Jon

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#270087 - 23/11/2005 14:49 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA

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#270088 - 23/11/2005 15:15 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
Cris
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
If you think about it shipping machines that crash all the time is a pretty good anti-piracy feature.

What I mean is, to get a game to run (even a legal one) you have to run an update, now to get the update you have to have a legal machine as the update checks what you have on your HD and BIOS and will only update a fully legal machine, or what M$ sees as a legal machine. Pretty Simple.

It's this exact same thing that has forced me to shell out for a full copy of XP MCE to run my Mame Box, I can't get the new remote/keyboard to work without running a live update, and that won't run unless I have legal copy. Very smart Microsoft, it simply isn't worth the hasstle for me to run anything but a legal copy anymore.

Cheers

Cris.

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#270089 - 23/11/2005 15:32 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
What I mean is, to get a game to run (even a legal one) you have to run an update, now to get the update you have to have a legal machine as the update checks what you have on your HD and BIOS and will only update a fully legal machine, or what M$ sees as a legal machine. Pretty Simple.

Hmm. What a cunning plan. It is as cunning as a fox that is professor of cunning at Oxford...

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#270090 - 23/11/2005 15:36 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
Quote:
Quote:
What I mean is, to get a game to run (even a legal one) you have to run an update, now to get the update you have to have a legal machine as the update checks what you have on your HD and BIOS and will only update a fully legal machine, or what M$ sees as a legal machine. Pretty Simple.

Hmm. What a cunning plan. It is as cunning as a fox that is professor of cunning at Oxford...


Ok, that's a good theory, but the negative publicity that is going to happen when the mainstream press get a hold of this will be far worse than some piracy...

The press are gonna eat it up, I think. They love to hurt M$.

- Jon

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#270091 - 23/11/2005 15:39 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
The press are gonna eat it up, I think. They love to hurt M$.

In this case I believe they've got the right to do so. Microsoft have been rushing everything and everybody to get it released before Christmas. It isn't ready by a long shot as evident by the huge shortages and massive showstopper bugs. I'm curious as to how they're going to patch stuff since not everybody has the HD...

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#270092 - 23/11/2005 15:40 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
Quote:
Quote:
The press are gonna eat it up, I think. They love to hurt M$.

In this case I believe they've got the right to do so. Microsoft have been rushing everything and everybody to get it released before Christmas. It isn't ready by a long shot as evident by the huge shortages and massive showstopper bugs. I'm curious as to how they're going to patch stuff since not everybody has the HD...


Yeah, I guess I agree with that. They use the planet as their extended Beta test (Alpha test?).

- Jon

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#270093 - 23/11/2005 15:42 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Quote:
Quote:
What I mean is, to get a game to run (even a legal one) you have to run an update, now to get the update you have to have a legal machine as the update checks what you have on your HD and BIOS and will only update a fully legal machine, or what M$ sees as a legal machine. Pretty Simple.

Hmm. What a cunning plan. It is as cunning as a fox that is professor of cunning at Oxford...


..but has moved on and is now working for the U.N. at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning.
_________________________
Mk2a 60GB Blue. Serial 030102962 sig.mp3: File Format not Valid.

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#270094 - 23/11/2005 17:03 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
Cris
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
Quote:
The press are gonna eat it up, I think. They love to hurt M$.


I don't think M$ will be worried, as long as the words X-Box and Microsoft are in the headlines it can only be a good thing for them.

Gamers won't be bothered about it either, they only ever want the latest thing on the market. They will all buy a PS 3 when that comes out too, even though the games are similar on each platform.

Now if it were their latest OS crashing, that would be a different thing altogether, as they would loose the corperate sales straight away, for that they just restrict features at release, and add them via live update, for example the new MCE keyboard drivers, only released as part of rollup 2, via live update

At the demo I was at, they had about 30-40 360's none of which showed any sign of crashing, my guess would be they didn't have the "factory" firmware on them

For me this is the only reason I can see why X-Box Live Silver would be a free feature all of a sudden, to keep an eye on the users. Or maybe I'm over thinking this?

Cheers

Cris.

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#270095 - 23/11/2005 17:29 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
For me this is the only reason I can see why X-Box Live Silver would be a free feature all of a sudden, to keep an eye on the users. Or maybe I'm over thinking this?

Xbox Live is one of the big features of the Xbox 360. Online play on the PS3 is going to be fragmented as Sony have decided to let each individual company organise their own servers.

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#270096 - 23/11/2005 18:56 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
oliver
addict

Registered: 02/04/2002
Posts: 691
My buddy got 360 on launch day. Had to wait 12 hours in line, but managed to purchase two premium consoles.

Anyways, after setting it up for him, I was flipping through the owners manual. Found an interesting little picture, the xbox supports plugging in an MP3 player to the USB ports to access the music from that device. The MP3 player they had in the picture was the Rio Nitrus 1.5 gb player. I thought it was quite interesting they used a Rio player as the example.
_________________________
Oliver mk1 30gb: 129 | mk2a 30gb: 040104126

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#270097 - 23/11/2005 21:30 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: oliver]
bootsy
enthusiast

Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
Quote:
Anyways, after setting it up for him, I was flipping through the owners manual. Found an interesting little picture, the xbox supports plugging in an MP3 player to the USB ports to access the music from that device.


I tried this at work and it's pretty cool. I plugged my Archos in and was disappointed it didn't show up as a supported MP3 player. But then I noticed the "Portable Device" tab and there it was.

Really nifty... and you can access it from any game.
_________________________
Brian H. Johnson
MK2 36GB Blue, currently on life support
"RIP RCR..."

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#270098 - 23/11/2005 21:43 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: bootsy]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Yeah. "Portable Device" means it has found a mass storage class USB device.

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#270099 - 24/11/2005 10:32 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
Quote:
At the demo I was at, they had about 30-40 360's none of which showed any sign of crashing, my guess would be they didn't have the "factory" firmware on them

To be fair, the one users photos and video seem to be pasted all over the internet making it seem like a much larger problem. Slashdot linked to 3 postings. Out of the launch units, this is still well below the norm for defective products. I think in this case it is just the tech media having fun poking at MS for no good reason. Really a slow news day I guess when they can't find a real issue to latch onto.

As far as the XBox 360 goes for me, I can confidently say it has the best online experience of any gaming platform, PC included. My friend had his unit up and running, and I grabbed the second controller to play with. In a few moments of setup, I had my XBox Live account online on his console bound to the second controller while his remained bound to the first controller. I started chatting with a friend online using the headset, and nothing done on controller one was interrupting it. This included playing Project Gothem, then exiting it and putting in Need for Speed. I was rather impressed with that alone, something that seems won't happen with the Playstation 3, and likely not the Revolution.

Microsoft nailed online gaming nearly perfectly. Combine Steam, XFire, and Skype, and make it work well and you have the new Live.

Oh, a cool feature on the new XBox. The XBox Marketplace offers downloads of quite a few things from skins and icons to video trailers or even game demos. Not only demos of the Arcade games like Gauntlet, but also the full store released games. Very cool use of the hard drive, and a great way to try out a future game without having to find a demo on some game magazine CD.

I'll post more of my impressions later. I decided to keep mine after one attempt on eBay. The prices plummeted from where I had my reserve set, so it didn't sell. That was pretty much my deciding factor on keeping it was if the market was going to fall that quickly on reselling them.

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#270100 - 24/11/2005 18:00 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: drakino]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31575
Loc: Seattle, WA
I've got one question. Can you get Halo 2 on the xbox 360? I never played it on the xbox, not sure if they're gonna port it to the PC, wondering if I should just get an old xbox to play it on, or if I should get a 360.

Only problem is that I'm already out of inputs on the TV set, I'd have to do a switch box. Gr.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#270101 - 24/11/2005 18:05 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
msaeger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
_________________________

Matt

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#270102 - 24/11/2005 18:52 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: msaeger]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31575
Loc: Seattle, WA
Okay, cool.

I guess I have more than one question now:

- Do they play well through that emulator, or are they choppy and slow like most emulators?
- Do they take advantage of the 360's widescreen high def video output?
- Can they play online just like they would have on the original Xbox?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#270103 - 24/11/2005 19:06 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31575
Loc: Seattle, WA
Some of those questions are answered in the Q and A link at that page... Hm. Interesting.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#270104 - 25/11/2005 05:57 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
Quote:
- Do they play well through that emulator, or are they choppy and slow like most emulators?
- Do they take advantage of the 360's widescreen high def video output?
- Can they play online just like they would have on the original Xbox?


- The one game I have tried, Crimson Skies played very smoothly. In fact, it looks better to me, I think because the system is doing more anti aliasing to it then the XBox could do.

- It's not a widescreen game, but the XBox 360 is keeping my TV at the 720p resolution I set, and pillar boxing the game.

- Live support in the game worked fine, even to the point of showing the old XBox dashboard downloading screen when it grabbed a game update. Supplemental content also was downloaded and worked fine. Sadly when running an old game, the cool Live blade that pops up when pressing the X Logo key does nothing beyond allow you to shut down. With the 360 games, it allows you to see what friends are on, play custom music and a few other things.

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#270105 - 26/11/2005 22:10 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't a gaming console be an appliance which doesn't need updating?

If it needs updating, then it's a computer, and should let me type papers, edit pictures, and manage my empeg. Its lack of this functionality makes it seem like an overpriced PC.

/me plugs in Super Nintento to continue working on Zelda 3.
_________________________
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#270106 - 26/11/2005 22:17 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: FireFox31]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
Most tech devices these days have upgradable firmware and usually this is a good thing. My cell phone, router, portable gaming unit, Rio Karma, empeg, XBox, and Vonage call box all are upgradable, but none of them are a general purpose PC. Instead of having to get a new portable console, I can online update mine to add in support for better movie codecs, or have a web browser added.

With my XBox 360, online updates mean more then just low level bug fixes or whatever. It also means I can go on and download a game demo before I go to the store. Or grab a classic game like Gauntlet or SmashTV. Even Nintendo is going this route with the Revolution, allowing online users to browse the entire catalogue and play a game. If I wanted to, I could play Zelda 1 - Twilight Princess on the Revolution. All because it is online and upgradable.

Most updates for the 360 will be backwards compatibility updates to allow more and more XBox 1 games to run on it.

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#270107 - 27/11/2005 07:48 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: FireFox31]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
The firmware updates for the Sony PSP add complete new features, like a web browser for example (and also fix security holes that allowed people to run pirated games from the memory card).
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday

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#270108 - 27/11/2005 11:59 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: FireFox31]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:

Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't a gaming console be an appliance which doesn't need updating?


Have you ever written a significant program that is 100% bugfree the first time around?

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#270109 - 27/11/2005 13:32 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: FireFox31]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I don't understand this. The XBOX 360 seems like an "overpriced" PC? !? What part of the $299 price tag ($399 for premium) is "overpriced?" My PowerBook cost $2600. A Mac Mini costs $499.

The $399 price in fact is a steal for the package you're getting. Most people don't equate the capacity to update/upgrade with "personal computer" - because all consoles, back to the dawn of time, have been "computers".

And you may very well be able to connect the empeg to it. It already handles the iPod and any mass-storage MP3 player without a problem. Seems like HTTP access to the empeg might just work out of the box.
_________________________
Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#270110 - 27/11/2005 14:13 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
SE_Sport_Driver
carpal tunnel

Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
I've got a dumb question that I think I know the answer to, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong...

What about us guys that play PC games mainly because we can play FPS games with a keyboard and mouse with no problems but can't play on one of those controllers to save our lives?

Even if I got that problem sorted out (assuming the answer will be "practice, practice" I still have the problem of having to battle for time w. the TV if I ever want to play a game. Will my wife dig the fact that I'm not letting her watch her soaps so I can play a game?

I guess the PC is still the best "for me". I also like that I can seamlessly go between email, internet, gaming, photoshop, etc. All at the same seat.

I'm not knocking consoles, I just don't think they are for me.
_________________________
Brad B.

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#270111 - 27/11/2005 15:48 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Yeah, I hate that console gaming controller, too. It works fine for some things (mostly slow moving things, IMO), but it just seems like a swiss army knife: good enough for most things, but never the right thing.

Of course, alternative controllers have always sold disappointingly. It seems like since it's USB-based, though, it ought to be able to support things that aren't intended solely for the one console.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#270112 - 27/11/2005 16:20 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: FireFox31]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31575
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't a gaming console be an appliance which doesn't need updating?

I'm with you, FireFox.

In addition, shouldn't a gaming console be a relatively inexpensive piece of hardware?

To me, the Xbox 360 is a computer without a keyboard.

Still doesn't stop me from thinking about buying one. Although, I'm starting to think that I'll wait and get a regular Xbox with Halo2 when their prices come down further because of the 360's popularity.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#270113 - 27/11/2005 16:54 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
Quote:
Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't a gaming console be an appliance which doesn't need updating?

I'm with you, FireFox.



Hmmm not really. The option for upgrades etc is there even if its never used. How can more options be a bad thing? Its still a console - just a console with more features. The crashes have also now been solved by several people by keeping the PSU off the ground so that overheating appears to have been the issue as opposed to buggy software.


Edited by Phil. (27/11/2005 16:56)

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#270114 - 27/11/2005 17:38 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31575
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
... keeping the PSU off the ground so that overheating ...

Again: Computer. Not gaming console. Sigh.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#270115 - 27/11/2005 17:57 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
More reasons not to ever buy a console -

  • I really dislike having to play them on a TV - I don't like the refresh rate or the resolution
  • Upgradeability is just sucky - you are tied in to vendor specifics, even assuming hardware is upgradeable, or else you have to go with unofficial 'mods'
  • I agree with the whole controller issue...maybe my hands are just the wrong size, but they are all too small!
_________________________
Rory
MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
MkII, 240Gb in Mark Lord dock
MkII, 80Gb SSD in dock

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#270116 - 27/11/2005 18:41 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: frog51]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
  • Upgradeability is just sucky - you are tied in to vendor specifics, even assuming hardware is upgradeable, or else you have to go with unofficial 'mods'
  • That is the point however. Everybody will have identical hardware and therefore it will just work without you needing to fiddle.

    Quote:
    I agree with the whole controller issue...maybe my hands are just the wrong size, but they are all too small!
    You ever used the original Xbox controllers?

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    #270117 - 27/11/2005 19:17 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: frog51]
    Roger
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 18/01/2000
    Posts: 5682
    Loc: London, UK
    Quote:
    I really dislike having to play them on a TV - I don't like the refresh rate or the resolution


    My original Xbox looks great on my 32" LCD. No problem with refresh rate. My friend Adrian reckons that his US Xbox (with progressive scan) looks even better.
    _________________________
    -- roger

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    #270118 - 27/11/2005 19:20 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
    Roger
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 18/01/2000
    Posts: 5682
    Loc: London, UK
    Quote:
    You ever used the original Xbox controllers?


    Yeah.
    _________________________
    -- roger

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    #270119 - 27/11/2005 20:25 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tfabris]
    robricc
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 30/10/2000
    Posts: 4931
    Loc: New Jersey, USA
    Quote:
    Quote:
    ... keeping the PSU off the ground so that overheating ...

    Again: Computer. Not gaming console. Sigh.

    Nearly every modern piece of electronics is a "computer." If someone thought putting a spreadsheet program in an NES cartridge would have sold well, I'm sure it would have worked.

    Place your Tivo on the carpet blocking all the vents on the bottom. I'm sure it wouldn't appreciate it.
    _________________________
    -Rob Riccardelli
    80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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    #270120 - 27/11/2005 21:13 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Roger]
    tfabris
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 20/12/1999
    Posts: 31575
    Loc: Seattle, WA
    Heh, I was hoping someone would link that P.A.
    _________________________
    Tony Fabris

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    #270121 - 27/11/2005 21:58 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: frog51]
    Cris
    pooh-bah

    Registered: 06/02/2002
    Posts: 1904
    Loc: Leeds, UK
    Quote:
    More reasons not to ever buy a console -

    • I really dislike having to play them on a TV - I don't like the refresh rate or the resolution
    • Upgradeability is just sucky - you are tied in to vendor specifics, even assuming hardware is upgradeable, or else you have to go with unofficial 'mods'
    • I agree with the whole controller issue...maybe my hands are just the wrong size, but they are all too small!



    1 - Doesn't the 360 do HDTV ???
    2 - Upgrading in the first place is sucky, you have a peice of hardware that just works out of the box, no need to upgrade your GFX card just to play the latest game!
    3 - X-Arcade controllers have an interface for just about every compter/console system on the market today, and I don't think you can call them small I find the keyboard tires my hands quickly, for game playing you can't beat a hand held controller that lets you move your arms and wrists.

    I don't play games really, but when I do it has to be on a console. I keep my X-Box tucked away, and only bring it out when I'm in the mood. A PC is not for playing games on, plain and simple, sure people do, but a console does it better and with less setup stress.

    I also find most modern games too involving, you have to play them for hours and hours, I like the older simper games, like pac-man. The ones you can have a quick go on, or play for hours and hours when the time is right. I think modern games get lost in snazzy graphics that add little to the gameplay or sell on pointless violence and gore.

    This is why I have 75% of the components for my MAME box on my bedroom floor at the moment, Retro is the way to go for me. Until such a time I need a MCE extender

    Cheers

    Cris.

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    #270122 - 28/11/2005 00:08 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: Cris]
    AndrewT
    old hand

    Registered: 16/02/2002
    Posts: 867
    Loc: Oxford, UK
    Here's a buying tip for UK folks... a former co-worker who now works in marketing at M$ said that Argos will be the place to get this early over here. Allegedly they are getting priority over the other major [r]etailers supplying the UK.

    Edit: what's with the [ url ] [/ url ] tags now?

    Edit : Fixed link
    --l0ser


    Edited by l0ser (28/11/2005 00:19)

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    #270123 - 28/11/2005 00:22 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: AndrewT]
    RobotCaleb
    pooh-bah

    Registered: 15/01/2002
    Posts: 1866
    Loc: Austin
    How much will it be going for in the UK?

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    #270124 - 28/11/2005 08:53 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: RobotCaleb]
    sein
    old hand

    Registered: 07/01/2005
    Posts: 893
    Loc: Sector ZZ9pZa
    Probably, "one miiilllliiiiion dollars".



    (edit) I can be such a troll sometimes...


    Attachments
    270727-dr_evil_1.jpg (151 downloads)



    Edited by sein (28/11/2005 14:16)
    _________________________
    Hussein

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    #270125 - 29/11/2005 20:11 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
    jbauer
    veteran

    Registered: 08/05/2000
    Posts: 1429
    Loc: San Francisco, CA

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    #270126 - 29/11/2005 20:16 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: jbauer]
    CrackersMcCheese
    pooh-bah

    Registered: 14/01/2002
    Posts: 2489
    Yahoo is slow!

    BBC from the 24th...

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4466688.stm

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    #270127 - 30/11/2005 04:14 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
    bootsy
    enthusiast

    Registered: 17/08/2000
    Posts: 334
    Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
    I am 99.9% sure the wired controllers for the retail XBox 360 are standard USB. There is a small panel on the front of the 360 with standard USB ports. Chances are you can plug in a mouse and keyboard and have it work. I would be surprised if they didn't.... well not completely. The developers might have to make their game "keyboard aware."

    Hmmm... I might have to try this tomorrow.
    _________________________
    Brian H. Johnson
    MK2 36GB Blue, currently on life support
    "RIP RCR..."

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    #270128 - 30/11/2005 05:06 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: bootsy]
    drakino
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 08/06/1999
    Posts: 7868
    Quote:
    I am 99.9% sure the wired controllers for the retail XBox 360 are standard USB. There is a small panel on the front of the 360 with standard USB ports. Chances are you can plug in a mouse and keyboard and have it work.


    They are USB controllers. The only difference between the PC XBox controller and the wired 360 controller is a CD-Rom with drivers.

    As far as keyboard compatibility, I have my Playstation 2 USB keyboard plugged into the 360 right now. It can be used for text entry on the system. Not sure if any games can use it though. Right now I'd say no for Kameo and Need for Speed, but both are games I'm interested in playing on the controller anyhow.

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    #270129 - 30/11/2005 05:13 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: bootsy]
    tman
    carpal tunnel

    Registered: 24/12/2001
    Posts: 5528
    Quote:
    I am 99.9% sure the wired controllers for the retail XBox 360 are standard USB. There is a small panel on the front of the 360 with standard USB ports. Chances are you can plug in a mouse and keyboard and have it work. I would be surprised if they didn't.... well not completely. The developers might have to make their game "keyboard aware."

    The Xbox had standard USB controllers apart from an extra power line for the vibration motors and a proprietory plug. Didn't mean that it supported keyboard & mouse tho...

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    #270130 - 05/12/2005 17:50 Re: Just Played X-Box 360.... [Re: tman]
    jbauer
    veteran

    Registered: 08/05/2000
    Posts: 1429
    Loc: San Francisco, CA

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