Pros: - Powerful Xenon 3-Core CPU - Generous 512MB RAM - Powerful GPU (Graphics Processor)
Cons: - Expensive - Controller takes some getting used to - Slight Fan Noise
The bottom line: Xbox 360 is a much more practical purchase than the PS3 simply because you can add-on, or grow the system as your needs change. The PS3 is simply too expensive.
This review is being written by a 27yr old who hasn't owned a console since the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo (Super NES). Genesis was -by far- my favorite system, with a soft spot for the Turbo-Grafix 16. I loved how the Genesis was simple, fast, and simply breathtaking the day I opened it up and felt tingly all over. I soon after bought the Super Nintendo but never quite captured the same feeling I had for the years I owned the Sega Genesis. This is until I purchased the Xbox 360.

First, a little history on why I bought an XBOX 360, and why we chose it over the Playstation 3.

My g/f and I recently bought a 42" Samsung Plasma HDTV at Sam's Club. It has a fantastic picture and really looks great when coupled with HD cable service. The only pity was that the HDMI cable was about $16. :-(

Part of the arrangement that we made together was to get either an XBOX 360 or a Playstation 3 for when we have family over. Since I had not played a video game console (PC games only) in such a long time, we started to research which one to get. The Playstation 3 had my eye simply because it looked to be the newest and sleekest thing on the market. Playstation, Sony--what's not to like, right? Well, we took a look at what games it had and the initial cost of the machine and were floored. $650 for the console at Sam's Club. Needless to say, we weighed our options carefully. One thing my g/f and I are good at doing is researching our big-ticket purchases. We ask a LOT of questions, check reviews, and read a lot of Consumer Reports. Our friends and families are also a good source of information.

We did some research on the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3 and it each everything we were looking for, and the games looked really great on both systems. However, we decided to go to a game store and check both out consoles before we made a final buying decision. We decided to check out the Gamestop at the Long Beach Town Center.

The walls were filled with games for Playstation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360, followed by a huge bargain bin of used games for as low as $3.99. I was really excited by this because I could get a bundle of older games to play, providing the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 would play them. I decided to confer with one of the geeks behind the counter about what console is best, and why. We spoke w/ a super-courteous young lady who really seemed to know both consoles in-and-out. We never mentioned that we had done our homework, but wanted to see which system she would recommend. After a short exchange about what we would like to play (Gears of War came up once or twice) and what sort of system we have at home, she recommended the Xbox 360 because of the sheer amount of games it had and the price point. After all, $600 for the PS3 did give us a bit of sticker shock, as did $400 for the Xbox 360, but my g/f had said it best, "I'd rather spend $600 if we at least got some games with it." Good point. We left, and after a short shopping trip at the LB Town Center, we headed home. Later, on a trip to Wal*Mart for some last things, I noticed they had a PS3 and an Xbox 360 on display. Feeling like a HUGE kid, I decided to try them both out.

I was immediately impressed with the PS3's appearance. It looked like a Porsche compared to the Xbox 360, which at first looked more like a kitchen appliance to me. Wow. Sleek, beautiful lines--I was almost completely sold based on how it looked. I walked over to try it and noticed there was no controller, but it was simply a demo box. ::sigh:: I went over to the Xbox and noticed there was a small line gathered behind it. An older teenager was playing it and I asked him, "Which one should I get?" "The Xbox, definitely. The PS3 is too expensive and doesn't have Xbox live." I knew of Xbox live, but didn't know it was such a hot commodity. I admit, I thought the graphics on the Xbox 360 were pretty stellar--in fact, they almost seemed a little more "crisp" to me than the PS3. Each were on Samsung LCD displays, but I noticed that the colors seemed a little more vibrant on the Xbox 360 than on the PS3. This is the first difference I noticed between the two….

After a few days, we decided it was time to buy our system. We knew the PS3 was hard to come by, but we were very patient and figured we would just put in a pre-order for one if it was hard to come by. After some careful thought, we ended up getting the Xbox 360, and in the past 3 weeks of ownership, we have not been disappointed.

We purchased the Xbox 360 Premium Bundle at Sam's Club for $450. Sam's Club maintained that if we had any problems with the unit, just return it and they will exchange it for up to two years for me (thx to my plus membership), so that gave me peace-of-mind and not have to worry about how long it will last. It came with two wireless controllers, one rechargable battery pack, Xbox Live Headset, 20GB Hard Drive, etc. In other words, this is what one would call the "Works Package." I also managed to pick up Project Gotham Racing 3, Call of Duty 3, and Gears of War upon the advice of a helpful associate at Sam's Club. Walking to the car with all this garb, I noticed it was particularly heavy…at least 10lbs or more. I started to think, "What's in this thing, and why is it so heavy?"

Upon arriving home with this heavy thing, I started to feel a sense of "Coolness" associated with owning the Xbox 360. I was telling my g/f that we now had the "must have" accessory for our living room. When I finally got around to opening the box, I was surprised at how different it looked from the glass case I saw a few days earlier at Wal*Mart. The console is a tall, bone-shaped rectangle that seems to have an "inhale" sort of style to it. It was not heavy at all and seemed to have a pleasing look to it--certainly a difference from how I felt looking at it through the fingerprint-covered glass at Wal*Mart.

I began to pull out the accessories and cables and piece them out on the livingroom carpet. First thing you will notice is the AC Adapter is *HUGE*. I don't mean just big, but it's the size of a red brick and seems ominous the first time you pull it out of the box. The controllers were neatly packaged, but seperately since it was a bundle. I was pleased to see that it came with a sort of "hybrid" cable for HD and non-HD televisions. It was beyond-simple to hook up to our television and even had a digital-out for audio systems that support it. I was impressed and there were a few "Hey hun, come look at this…" in my amazement at how easy it was to hook up. I decided to place it on its side since it would fit in our TV cabinet and would be within viewing range of the wireless controllers. Upon the advice of a few ppl I spoke with at Sam's Club about the Xbox 360, I was told it should have plenty of clearance around it if I were to put it in a cabinet. No problem. I managed to string a temporary Ethernet cable from our DSL router to the Xbox to see how everything worked, and was not disappointed at all.

Firing up the Xbox the first time was very impressive, both graphically and how it all seemed to just fit together. The controllers are able to power on the Xbox, and later I found out, able to turn it off. A for some simplicity in my book. A small update downloaded, installed, and rebooted within a minute or two. Initial setup was a breeze and I even got it configured for 1080i on our widescreen plasma. So far, no problems, but let's try a game.

After a few minutes of figuring out the controls, I had already died 4-5 times at Gears of War, but was just astonished at how the graphics looked. At times, we found ourselves with our mouths open at the sheer detail and "intensity" of the game. Simply "Wow" was the only thing that came to mind with how intense the game was, and at the ferocity of the missions you are put on. It really seemed more like a movie to us at times than a video game.

The controllers have a nice, solid feel to them. The controls are pressure-sensitive, especially when playing Project Gotham Racing. Want to go full throttle? Mash the trigger back with your finger. Slow down? Simply let off the trigger a little bit. I really liked this a lot because it's not "all or nothing" but sensitive to the player's feedback. The motion sticks are the same way and very easy to get used to. I've found that setting their sensitivity in Gears of War to "Low" has made aiming a LOT easier. The rechargeable battery pack has not been recharged in nearly a week and seems to still have 1/2 a charge left in it. There is a battery indicator in the Dashboard (the OS of the 360) which is nice so you may know how much of a charge you have.

Upon changing the discs, I began to notice a slight blowing noise coming from the cabinet, and found out it was the fan. The fan sucks in air from the bottom (or right side if it's laying down) and blows hot air out the back. It's nothing to worry about and certainly not noticeable when you're playing games. I'm sure that they couldn't have something this powerful (?) without keeping it cool, and I'm glad that it's at the very least, working.

In the past 3 weeks, we managed to pick up some of the "bargain bin" original Xbox games at Gamespot for $3.99 and above.. Unfortunately, we had come to find out that not all of the original Xbox games worked and some had to be returned. Microsoft posts on their website a list of games that will currently run on the 360, so it was the first place we should have looked. I was happy to see that Doom 3 runs well on the 360 and in fact is resized for our widescreen. This was something I came across while reading up on the 360--the ability to resize original Xbox games for high definition. Granted they're not "high def" in detail, but it makes good use of the screen real estate. This is something we found that the PS3 does not do for older PS2 games. We didn't get the 360 to play original Xbox games, but it was nice to find some older games to play for $4. :-)

Here is a list of some of the Xbox 360 games we have managed to purchase in the past 3 weeks…

Oblivion (Great game… 4hrs on your bum will fly by. Graphics are top-notch)
Gears of War (Very intense…)
Call of Duty 3 (Really fun with the Xbox Live)
Blazing Angels - Squadrans of WWII (Great flying game…cheezy commentary during gameplay but very fun)
Madden '07 (My g/f loves football games so she plays this 99% of the time…she loves it)
Project Gotham Racing 3 - (Love this game too…)

The games run very fast and you almost hesitate to blink while playing. I must confess that Gears of War just simply is amazing and I've never seen anything like it before. The sheer intensity of the game will just captivate you.

Do I regret not getting the PS3? No, not at all. In fact, I must say that I'm glad we didn't because with the Xbox 360, we are able to upgrade as our needs change. We can get an HD DVD drive for the 360 for $180 through Sam's and use it with our Plasma for a lot cheaper than buying a stand-alone player. Having read a lot about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, I have to say that I was always a little more partial to HD-DVD. Our console decision was separate of this, but I was happy to find out later about the add-on HD-DVD player.