It's obvious that many of you already know what the best gift you can possibly get this holiday season is. The Xbox 360 is probably the only thing I would get anyone for a gift. The trick is trying to actually find one; once you do, you're on easy street. I've seen bids on eBay go for almost $300 dollars easy for a bundle pack. Now I know what you're saying-$400 dollars is a lot of money to shell out for a new console. But let me be the first to tell you that once you get it, you will be extremely happy you did.

The first thing is, don't waste your money on getting a core system-if you haven't made the jump to HD, then let me help you make that jump right now. Go out and find yourself a nice core system, shell out $300 dollars, and sell it on eBay. You can easily make over a grand for the core system. Once you get your cash, go to your nearest Walmart and buy a cheap HDTV and get a premium 360 pack. Whatever you make on the turnaround should cover the cost and maybe leave some extra dough.

My 360 sings. Why? Because it loves my HDTV. The Sony Wega 42-inch LCD HDTV and the 360 were made for each other. Once I got home and plugged it in, the sharpness and clarity of the images were outstanding. That's the beautiful thing about this system-you don't need to go out and buy $100-dollar Monster cables to really get a good idea for HD gaming. The 360 supplies good enough cables that will help you enjoy HD gaming; not only that, but if you have a surround sound system, all you do is plug in your optic cable into the input and you'll be ready for some awesome surround sound goodness. Along those lines, configuring your video settings and such was quick and easy. But don't forget, though, to flip the switch on the component cable to HD for all you HDTV owners. I had a friend that was concerned why his images looked terrible.

I was worried that my Xbox Live account was not going to transfer over, but the process is so quick and painless. It was really enjoyable. Everything is customizable: messages that you send and receive, the look of your menus, etc. This system is so beautifully customizable that it's sickening. Not only that, but if you feel that the options for a look aren't to your specs, then go to the marketplace and buy one you like. The media side of the 360 could use some tweaks here and there, but overall it's pretty slick. I hooked up the 360 to my network and set up Media Connect in order to share media, and everything that I had on my PC was ready to be played on the 360. Another cool feature is the iPod playback-connect your iPod through USB, and you got your tunes playing through your box. Also watching DVDs is a treat. While getting a great image, you also get non-obtrusive messages from your friends who just connected and want you to play a certain game. Not to mention the media remote allows you to check your friends list and other Live options.

But let's get into the meat and potatoes. I had the opportunity to try out quite a few games on the 360, and let me tell you that each one looks amazing on the box. Now whether you're into the genre is another thing. Reviews on games will be covered in another article. Overall, the games look fantastic. The coolest part of this system is the wireless controller-which, let me tell you, is the greatest controller of all time, hands down. The controller is super responsive with a beautiful design similar to that of an old S controller, but much sleeker. The logo button will light up and your box will synch up with it, and away you go. The controller also gives you the option of turning your system off, which I found to be very cool. Inviting friends over to game was also a really cool event. As we got started, we synched their wireless controllers to my system with a push of a button, and we were ready to go. No more freaking cables. I would also suggest getting the recharge pack for your controller. Batteries die, so it's always good to have your rechargeable pack handy.

So here are the flaws in the system. It's freaking loud! It sounds like a helicopter is about to take off in your living room! Okay, not so much, but it's loud. Also, you can kill someone with the brick of a power supply that it comes with. That thing is immense. They need more launch titles, and there are some other media sharing-related issues to it, but it's still an overall awesome system that is worth every penny. Do yourself a favor and your loved ones, and buy one. I know, I know-it's a lot of money. Yes, we all know you're going to wait until late next year to get one. Okay, that's fine, but trust me when I tell you, the sooner you get it, the sooner you can enjoy the awesomeness of this system. All I got to say is, watch out Sony and Nintendo.

Dec 22, 2005 | 0 comments
Marco Ortega