Posts Tagged ‘games console news’
I’m a sucker for cool toys. Most men are. We essentially carry our childhood obsessions into adulthood and they manifest themselves into a desire to own luxurious, cool and sometimes frivolous gadgetry. Over the years I have built myself a massive collection of mobile phones, digital cameras, kitchen tools and video game consoles. Of these, the video game consoles are my greatest passion. I love to play games. I want to be immersed in the latest title, unable to blink until I have completed the final stage or attained the greatest high score. I know that I am not unusual. My hobby is a global phenomenon and millions of man-children around the world challenge me nightly to online battles. It’s fantastic really.
I own an Xbox 360 at home. This is one of the three consoles competing for financial supremacy and a place in the hearts of millions of gamers worldwide. The Xbox 360 launched in November of 2005, a full year before Sony and Nintendo’s efforts. This keen marketing ploy helped to cement Microsoft’s console as the obvious and dominant leader. Exactly a year later, the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii began their strong-handed attack on the console market. These two consoles were released literally a week apart from each other and the fallout of three next-generation consoles made the public berserk. For the first time since Nintendo and Sega fought back in the 90’s, a real console war had begun and the champion would be the most unlikely console of them all.
Console fanboys (the moniker the internet had chosen for them) ranted on popular video game forums for months before their favourite console was even released. How fast was it? What would it look like? What games would it have? Who would have the best online play and which console would be the cheapest? The questions raged on for months. Conjuncture and bickering was cast aside and replaced with facts, images and videos demonstrating what each console could do. Depending on which console you fancied, a certain social status was cast onto you. The Xbox 360 owners were the hardcore gaming crowd. The 360’s superior Xbox live multiplayer component ensured smooth online gaming and combined with lush, Full HD (High definition)graphics; a virtual revolution in gaming had begun. The PS3 was the the exact opposite of the 360. A ‘poser’ console with an insanely high price point of $699, it alienated many first time console owners. The PS3’s justification was to include a massive 80gig hard drive and exclusive Blu-Ray player. When the PS3 launched, it did not include any game which would drive sales. This left the PS3 to sadly flounder until averaging out with the Xbox 360, a full 2 years later. Sony’s only hope is to keep pushing its’10 year console lifespan’ sales pitch and hope for better results in the decade to come.
The Nintendo Wii is the smallest in size, weakest in terms of processing and graphics, most family friendly of all the consoles and amazingly, the current market leader. Nintendo floundered for decades after their last successful console. The Super Nintendo beat the Sega Genesis early on in the 90’s. But as Sony gained a massive foothold in the gaming market, Nintendo’s Gamecube and N64 could barely make enough sales to cover their losses. The Playstation was a household name and Nintendo machines were labelled as children’s toys, unable to break into the mature gamer demographic. Enter the Wii. Motion Sensitive controllers meant that anyone could now join in on the fun, without having to learn complicated controls. The Wii was targeted at families and having fun. In the short life span of the Wii, more Nintendo consoles have been sold in spite of Microsoft’s 360 having double the shelf life of the other consoles. The war, for now is being won by the casual gamer.
I chose my console based on the type of games I prefer to play. I enjoy first-person shooters and the 360 has a massive catalogue of action games which suit my ‘hardcore’ sensibilities to a tee. In a couple of years when money is no longer an object for me, I will purchase both the PS3 and the Wii, to ascertain what my friends rave on about. I am no dedicated fanboy and have owned every major console since the 90’s as I am a fan of every manufacturer. But for now, I will continue to fight the good fight on my wonderful white Xbox, safe in the knowledge that its ‘meagre’ five year lifespan will continue to produce the best games money can buy.
Illan love their consoles and want to purchase Outdoor toys for their family. They found many video game websites to purchase their gifts online.
Article Source: Articles And Info
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Do you know what’s special about the Xbox 360? Here are some of the features you can expect from Xbox 360:
Ring of Light and Xbox Guide Button. The ring of light is the power button and it is divided into four quadrants that can display a number of different colors depending on what is going on.
The Xbox Guide button is prominently featured on the controller as well as the Xbox 360 remote. This will allow you to instantly access information on person who just challenged you on Xbox Live. Or you can even jump right to where you can find downloadable content for the game you are currently playing. The Xbox Guide button will also allow you to turn the Xbox 360 system on and off from the comfort of your couch. That is one great idea that is has long been overdue.
Xbox Live – There will be two types of Xbox Live for the Xbox 360.
The Silver version is free. It allows you to access the Xbox Live Marketplace as well as communicate with your friends using voice chat. However, you cannot play games online.
With the Gold version of Xbox Live, you get all of the possible features. Most importantly, you can play games online. Your achievements and statistics will be stored so you can check them whenever you want. You will also be able to use video chat and video messaging. Microsoft has announced that all new Xbox 360 owners will get Gold Service feature for the first month. After that, the pricing will be similar to Xbox Live on the current Xbox.
Xbox Live Marketplace. Another great feature of Xbox 360. The marketplace is an area where you will be able to download game demos and trailers as well as new content for games such as new levels, characters, vehicles, weapons, and many others. Some things are free of charge but you will have to pay for some premium content.
Digital Entertainment. The Xbox 360 allows you to rip your music to the hard drive to be used during games. It will also stream music off of any MP3 player that you plug into the USB 2.0 ports. This is including Sony PSP.
You can also upload photos to the hard drive and share them with your friends on Xbox Live. The Xbox 360 also features DVD movies. Unlike the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 can display them in progressive scan. It seems like DVD playback will be available out of the box and will not require the purchase of an extra remote or anything. Definitely an improvement.
Personalizing your console. With the interchangeable faces of the system itself, you can change the color of your system whenever you want by simply snapping on a new face.
You do not even have to buy new faces because you could simply paint the stock face yourself. It is guaranteed that Microsoft will roll out a line of limited edition and collectible faces to lure people in, though.
You will also be able to customize the look and feel of the Xbox Guide browser on the system. Suspiciously similar to changing themes in Windows on your computer. Customization is always a good thing and while these features do not really mean anything in the long run, they certainly provide a nice change every once in awhile.
Xbox 360 and its great features are a great deal unto itself.
Basically, the hard drive is the one playing a major role in how you can use the Xbox 360. You are given the choice of saving the progress of the game on the hard drive, as well as rip your CDs to it.
You can transfer music, videos, and photos from your mp3 player or other USB devices. It will also be necessary to spend more time on Xbox Live because custom content, patches, and other downloadable content needs to be put stored somewhere and a little 64MB memory card isn’t going to cut it.
The hard drive is required for backwards compatibility. The other bonus to having such a hard drive is that loading time is faster especially in some games and other performances boosts.
With all these Xbox features up for grabs, what more can you ask for?
By: Lisa Whister -
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Lisa Whister is a publisher and website owner. Learn more about technology and entertainment. Visit Technology and Games
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