XBOX 360

I've played my new XBOX 360 a lot since I got it for Christmas and I'm pretty happy with it overall. First, the graphics are great. Every game looks so polished and detailed. A recent upgrade also allows it to output in 1080p, so future games may support that. Gears of War looks incredible on a HDTV. I like the graphics better than Half Life 2 and Counterstrike on my PC, which has an ATI Radeon X800XT video card.

Second, I really like the XBOX's ability to connect to my desktop PC and play mp3s, videos, and show pictures. I had to install the Zune software (or upgrade to Media Player 11) & adjust my desktop's firewall to do this, but it was still relatively easy for me. Unfortunately, the 360 can't play all media types. It won't play the mpeg movies I have. I think it's really cool to have my music playing while I'm playing games.

Third, I'm impressed with the XBOX Live online service. I've downloaded a couple of movie trailers and game demos already for free. I also played a puzzle arcade game last night. There's other content that's available for purchase. I think this service is a great value add for the console. Playing games and chatting with other players over the service is fun of course too. I also really like the fact that the headset plugs into the wireless controller so I don't have cables strung across my family room. FYI, my gamertag is Frontline 9.

I do have a couple of gripes, though. First, the XBOX 360 caused my TV to hum as soon as I plugged it in. After looking this up on the internet, I determined that I have a ground loop. I really can't fault the XBOX for this since it worked fine at my parent's house. I ordered a signal isolator from eBay to correct the problem. For now, I'm unplugging the power cord when I'm not using the XBOX so I don't get the hum.

Second, the XBOX is somewhat loud by itself because of the DVD drive. I notice it during gameplay because it's reading the disc a lot. It seems much quieter when I'm just on the XBOX dashboard.

Third, my biggest complaint is that the 360 doesn't support a keyboard and mouse in games. I've played a lot of Gears of War lately, but I'm frustrated by the controls. I thought I'd get better after using the gamepad for a while, but it's still no where near as natural as a keyboard and mouse. I feel this is essential for first person shooter games. I signed this petition today which is calling on Microsoft to support a keyboard and mouse.