How would you change the Xbox 360?
By Ryan Block 
posted Dec 16th 2005 5:00PM
posted Dec 16th 2005 5:00PM
Well, it's been almost a solid month since its release, and if you're lucky enough to have an Xbox 360 yourself, we'd like to pose the question to you: how would you change it?
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One version of the console, please!
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Next-gen optical drive
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Quieter fans
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DVI or HDMI output
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Built in WiFi and/or Powerline
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Extensible codec support (i.e. DivX, XviD, etc.)
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For those who've got the problem: no mo' overheating / crashing
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Get some on the shelves!
The only thing besides what's been posted, is more games! I can't wait for rainbow six 4, ghost recon 3, gears of war, prey, etc.
Make the thing avalible so people can actually buy it. And also have better game support at launch.
I would have built it so it works! Rah. My power supply was so hot at one given time that my dog smelled it and yelped! Ridiculous.
BUILT IN WI-FI!!! Why do they make you pay $100 for a stupid adapter?
I'd have positioned it as a hi-def tivo replacement. Yeah I know they want you to buy a media PC...
Better Games.
More RPGs, More Japanese Franchises, Less Sports, Less Movie Conversions, Less mindless mainstream gamer crap, more interesting cool games that push the boundaries of gaming to the next level in terms of GAMEPLAY rather than graphics.
Never gonna happen though. Not on this console.
deffo wifi
i feel its a bit of a rip off having to by a wireless adapter when there already using the same technology for the controller .and a few more decent games wouldnt go amiss
I'd make it available for purchase
Everything that number 6 said.
NO CORE SYSTEM!!!!
How about the ability to charge the Play n charge batteries without having to power on the main unit?
Allow it to connect to non-Windows machines. I mean a hacked original Xbox can do, why limit the 360?
convince me that it is a true, next gen console....whats innovative about it? true, it is hd, but a large hd set is too expensive now!
no great games, sacrificing content for better graphics on PG3 and Madden, not good.
why no blue-ray or hd-dvd drive?
why 2 versions of the console?
and the hype is really starting to piss me off...
convince me its not an xbox 1.5
Proper HD. 1080P
# 6 sounds like generic gamer nerd version 4.0
wat u jsut mentioned that u want LESS of are the main things that make MONEY...sports games...movie conversions and all that " mainstream crap" ...and " cool" games is based on interpretation cuz i think their are some pretty cool games out..and even cooler games coming out in the coming months...
Black
why do i have a feeling that this will be filled with post by people who dont even OWN or have barely even PLAYED the console...lol...
FNA, Add a Geforce 7 GTX, Creative X-fi Fata1ity, 3.2GHz Pentium EX, a TV tuner, Bluray/DVD-RW, WiFi+Bluetooth,an Xbox 360 Emulator and call it a HTPC! Screw Sony for their lame updates while your at it.
Give the Thing four wheels, a hemi, and a racing stripe, and I'll be on board to buy one
A power supply thats not the size of my Gamecube
I'd like it to not cost more to equip satisfactorily than my computer did, which by the way, looks and plays much better on an hdtv than the xbox 360 does. Kind of makes it a useless piece of hardware, unless you're into all of that media center crap.
I think the thing that erks me the most is the requirement of Windows Media Center to stream videos and enjoy the full potential of its media capabilities. I just dropped a crapload of money for this system why should I have to pay to unlock its full potential....wait b/c it's Microsoft. That and I'd make the included headset feel a less cheaply made.
I'd love it if you could stream video from an XP machine (also a PSP or iPod), I also the larger codec support would be good too. It should come with optical audio cable with the real system. A more standardized price for the Live Arcade games. More free online downloadable content. Larger HDD. HD-DVD support (they better not add it later)
How about using HD-DVD technology, how do they expect to compete with the PS3 and BluRay, also regarding that rumor that Halo 3 will come in 4 DVDs, who wants 4 DVDs when there's HD-DVD or BluRay. Make the system available, more game varieties, built-in WiFi, Bluetooth for the wireless controllers, offer hard drives with additional capacity or allow external hard drives for game data storage. Smaller or built in power supply.
I just want a Harvest Moon game, a remake of MGS3 and FFX, a cheap 360 compatible Wifi adaptor, a web browser (IE 7 or Firefox) and Windows Mobile support.
My only real change would be to eliminate the worthless 'hater' Sony fanboys who constantly bash the thing because....well, just because.
I can't comment too muchon the console since I don't own one yet. I agree with a lot of you on here that are really irritated about microsoft not having enough units to meet demand.
sorry got off on a rant..
lets make the xbox 1.5 better.
1. make it smaller (the power adapter is the size of a small loaf of bread)
2. wireless controllers (2) standard
3. only 1 version of the console
4. make is look less feminin (the original xbox looked like a brute, this one looks like a fairy)
5. obviously, hd-dvd or blue-ray drive
6. liquid cool the processors (apple does this on the new g5's and they are only running 2 chips)
7. kill the faceplate gimmick (why not sell it in different colors like nintendo does)
8. maybe get rid of the disc scratching feature, just a thought
9. better, innovative games
10. put some on the shelves!
Bigger controllers; i loved the original xbox controller , the new one feels like a toy. Hopefully it will be forthcoming; but the logi cordless controller for xbox 1 imo is far more comfortable; my fingers are longer than the controller which is just wrong.
It definately needs better games; its a disaster for me that ghost recon didnt come out this year.
Gotham in 720p is pretty amazing, 1080i (at least on my projector) isnt so hot. Need to try a dvd in it; but if it doesnt upscaling would be nice - its got the power to do a fairly good job at it ;)
The fact that i can plug my ipod in rocks; but why is there a 100 song limit on the playlist ? Why cant i skip a track whilst i am playing using the keypad rather than teh xbox button - i dont always want to listen to a podcast !
Incorporate the wifi, and include the charger / battery for the wireless controller in the complete pack.
Finally so i can put my xbox 1 in the skip; more games on the xbox 1 compatibility list. At the moment i only have gotham of the 360 games; which is pretty great, but the others really dont appeal to a recreational gamer like me.
I'd make it look less like an ipod and more like a George Foreman grill.
More Halo. Better Halo. Halo 3.
Also a TV tuner and the ability to record TV shows. That would kill Sony good!
Yes Yes!
Add DivX / Xvid support
ha, i bet you could use it as a george forman grill....it gets pretty hot!
Two Words:
Rack Mount.
How about the option to run it as a normal windows computer also...it has all the necessary parts. It might as well be multiple devices jammed into one.
its all hype
until some really good games come out, its just a 400 dollar chunk of feminin looking plastic
Hmmm. Change the color. Silver or black, please. And no, front-mounted faceplates don't solve that issue. Also, the ability to charge rechargeable controller batteries without having to power on the system would be very nice. Oh, and this goes without saying, but while it is certainly an awesome system, it's still Xbox 1.5 and not Xbox 2.0, so a little more innovation and commitment to true next-generation technology (i.e. an HD optical drive) would have been appreciated. And finally, don't tell us this system is going to drown the Sony empire when you only ship 300,000 units domestically. A worldwide launch was cool in principle, but boy, does it suck in practice.
Make it not be fucking huge; that is, make it so it is not larger than my house. And integrate the massive power brick.
I find the 360 to be a piece of crap overall - other then the better graphics, I see no difference at all from anything else on the market...
But since this is a thread about the improvements...
First and foremost - that design is just plain ass ugly - I mean it looks like a atemp by dell to rip off an ipod...
Second of all, why in the name of hell is the power supply so huge and is outside of the box?
Third of all - built in WiFi - who the hell is gonna pay an additional 100 bucks to just get that crap - thats like selling a car w/o breaks or a steering wheel.
Also, as some people already said the games suck... I mean its the same crap year after year, just with improved graphics, but the gameplay itself stays at a premitive level...
Looks like Microsoft just trying to pull some crap out of their asses just to get to onto the market before the holidays, just to beat the PS3, and the Revolution - btw speaking of the Revolution, would much rather get that, then this piece of ugly crap.
How about charging less for the friggin games? Droppin' $60 is tough... It's almost like buying a GBA everytime I want a new game. Especially with how short the game time is... I could get more entertainment out of $60 worth of NetFlix!
I would have liked to see:
MS inovate the controller: I don't think the Nintendo way is the only way and maybey even offer a keyboard. I think that an updated eyetoy concept with an integrated rangefinder would have been awsome and doable (production cost under $15), they also would have been able to sell this as a cameraphone since it finally has the processing power to do good compression.
HDMI out: seems like it would have been obvious. (Comment: HD is too expensive? if you can afford an Xbox360, you can afford HD).
No "defining game": (as Halo was for Xbox 1.0).
Overheating power supplies: point to a rushed release (one that I think will cause problems when Sony and Nintendo hit the market after they solve those problems). Also potential housefires/lawsuits.
Targeted too much at an adult audience: There are parents that would buy an Xbox for thier 12 year old even at $500, but there are no games for a 12 year old. If you could sell games with real educational content you could win big. (no one is doing this)
They still haven't answered: how do we get women to buy our game system. They should have had a social game on release, or a diet and fitness-game like yourself fitness on release.
What they did right:
Comming out first by 4-7 months is very damn good.
Controllers: better than Xbox 1.0
Limiting supply: generating mindshare and hype. (it's not positive right now but it's getting in the news, in 6 months people will still remember "Xbox 360", but not the context)
Games LOOK awsome: that's a good start for the first generation of titles, look at PS2 games now and look at the ones that were released at launch, they've got plenty of headroom to get even better.
Sound: Dolby 5.1, good enough for almost everyone.
Have enough units to be available to all for launch, 250gb HD, VGA out for standard monitors, wi-fi built in, no core version, quieter, internet browser built in, headphone out on the controller.
I'm probably gonna repeat some stuff, but hopefully not all of this has been said:
* Make it look less like what I'd expect Bugs Bunny's home PC to look like. The concave shape is just really lame and gratuitous - form is not following function. And the hard drive really dirties up the look when it's attached. I realize MS solicited input from Japanese designers on this but they were clearly working from a flawed design brief from Microsoft.
* One version of the console - this needs to be reiterated over and over.
* HD-DVD drive - I don't expect them to go BD in league with Sony, but it needs to take a leap into the 21st century in terms of storage media.
* No freakin' power brick. Honestly, I would be happier with a bigger console - provided it was well-designed and better-looking than the current cartoonish Xbox 360 - than with this gigantic power brick that's apparently the source of so many problems.
* 1080p support
* HDMI output
* Quieter fans
* I predict that this will not be a popular position, but get rid of Xbox Live Silver. If you want to offer XBL as a subscription service like with the original Xbox, then fine, but I honestly think putting the impression forward of an always-online, always-networked console that you automatically have an online account with from day one is kind of intimidating to casual users. What if I just want to sit in a corner of my house and play games by myself or with a couple other people I have over? Obviously you can do that, but a lot of people I think just don't want to be bothered by the online thing. I guess I'm saying it should be "opt-in" whereas it's basically "opt-out" right now. If you want to play online you should need to go and seek it out.
It's probably more an issue with the marketing and PR than anything, though. Obviously you could just leave the ethernet cable disconnected and never have to worry about it. But MS just keeps hammering this always-online thing in every single PR communication they do; I think they need to relax a bit on that. It's going to be more of a real problem, though, if games start to really be designed around this whole "micropayment" thing.
Yes, I did say that would be an unpopular position around here. But I think most people here are probably pretty hardcore gamers.
Beyond that, the system just needs more, I don't know, something. It just doesn't feel like it's in a different class of system than the original Xbox. It's too incremental of an upgrade. It needs all the things that Sony and Nintendo are doing; a more innovative controller, better graphics, higher specs. I'm not a graphics whore but they're obviously trying to convince people to move from one generation to another and I'm not sure the 360 is really going to do that. It needs more to differentiate itself.
1) Add an "Internet" blade to the interface, containing a web browser and an internet radio client.
2) UPnP media client support.
3) Write support for USB storage devices.
Make the Xbox 360 into an ACTUAL next-gen console.
I don't care what you all say. Deep down, inside of every one of us, we all know that this is just xbox 1.5 (or 1.8 if you really think its good. But still, it is nowhere near next-gen. Period.)
just a couple of things
its cool u can open the disc drive and close it from the controller..BUT i dont know why u cant OPEN it AGAIN to change games...when a disc is in the drive there no remote open feature on the controller or on the screen...unless i just didnt see it...
also a larger externall HDD cuz i can see how that HDD will fill up in a few months
and yeh i think the play and charge should come standard with the premium..and also be able to charge while the system is off...
thats about it...and i dont see why people are complaining about the power supply like it actually has any real visual purpose...its a power supply for gods sake...
First and foremost - that design is just plain ass ugly - I mean it looks like a atemp by dell to rip off an ipod... (exactly)
the reason ms came out so quickly with the new system was to snag as many sales they could before the new ps3 and revolution drop. they cant compete with ps3's hardware / nintendo's innovation and both systems great games
Just get rid of it. Take it off the shelves. Throw them all out. It's worthless. Why buy it? It's a very-limited gaming PC. It's made by Microsoft so it's a computer in a case that plays games. Why not spend a few more and get a computer that does a billion times more things? Where's the point in being able to connect it to your computer? How about, you just use your computer? Somebody please explain what the benifit of having another computer in a plastic box you plug into your tv? And i am looking for a serious response.
im sure ms will come out with a updated xbox 360 in a year that has a hd-dvd drive, different case design and intigrated hard drive.
i just cant see it competing with the ps3 and revolution the way it is now
Be able to run unsigned code, so that anybody can write software for it.
HD-DVD or Blu-Ray - They simply would have to DELAY the release of the system until spring (at the soonest) to support these, the final specs are STILL not done yet, Toshiba has not even released an HD-DVD player to retail yet, (even in Japan) and there are no consumer retail Blu-Ray players either (just early mastering type equipment)! So it was either release now or wait until later to release the system, which would you rather have?
Plus there are no movies available on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray right now and none of the games so far have come out on more than one DVD.
Core system. Don't buy it if you don't want it.
Availability sucks right now, but that happens with every launch of every super-popular consumer electronics device, especially near the holidays. If you really wanted one, you could have gotten one on launch day either by pre-ordering or waiting in line (or even eBay if you were desperate enough - supply and demand). MS could have waited until they had 4 million of these in Feburary instead of pushing them out now. That would suck worse. I managed to get my pre-order on launch day and another one the week after launch - here is a hint, hit the smaller retailers in smaller towns. Hit places like ShopKo, Pamida, Sears, Kmarts, etc. these places keep having them trickle in all the time.
It looks OUTSTANDING on a HD set compared to current gen PS2 or XBOX, even 360 Madden at 720p is better looking than 480p on the same TV! AND the 360 version of Madden at 480p blows away the XBOX version on the same TV! If you don't have an HDTV, do whatever you have to do to get one.
HDMI and DVI - I agree, these should be available on the system at launch.
WiFi - the adapter costs way too much and should have either been included or cost around $15-$25.
Play and charge. Stupid that you can't charge while the system is off (well you can but you must plug it into the usb port BEFORE powering down the system)
Games. Nothing earth-shattering like Halo, but recall the PS2 had nothing earth shattering at launch either. It will take time, but there is a lot in the pipline.
Next Gen Gameplay. This is the responisblility of the developers to deliver next-gen gameplay - the box itself cannot do this, it can only enable developers to do it. I don't see anything that looks like there will be any next-gen gameplay coming on the PS3 either. This will take time.
How about stop the 360 production !, this "console" is an expensive noisy bulky piece of junk ! it does support HD , SO WHAT !!!!, where's the games, may be the only thing worth buying it is Halo 3, ( if there's one of course), even the console design is ugly as hell !!!!! , the controller ( for a Regular one) is nice though, but still , anyone who put $500 in this is really a fool, bottom line is discontinue the xbox 1.5 , that's my suggestion !!! and I'm no xbox hater, I love the original Xbox.
LOL #26
water cooling, WTF? who the hell would watercool a mass-produced console
so much 360 hate haha. why do you guys love saying it's just xbox 1.5 or something? i bet all of the 360 haters haven't spent much time with the system! the game lineup isn't all that and for the most part isn't revolutionary in gameplay, but it's just the launch after all.
the two launch games i'm loving though are pgr3 and kameo, and these two really do have fresh gameplay ontop of the very sexy visuals.
anyway, the list of stuff to change sound good.
the media player needs more functions plus more codec support. also the stupid dvd drive needs a fix for the disc scratch thing when you move the system. we've already gone through two games(newbies in the house)! a little padding inside the drive is all that it needs to stop the disc from grinding against the laser!
system design to me is ok, but the white color isn't so great. we need darker color like grey or something. i might just paint mine..
Windows Media Connect for Mac OS X or a third-part solution or something close. Would love to stream my music library, photos, and movies from more than just XP machines. But, I of course understand why this will never happen.
Just like playing protected-AACs will never happened. I would even be willing to pay extra for the format to be supported.
It's spelled "feminine"...get out from in front of the TV and pick up a dictionary, please.
All I can bitch about is the lack of units on the shelves. I've got the cash, and I'll be waiting out in the cold on Sunday to get one, and if I can't i'll prolly give up for a good six months...I love the system, but I just can't get one.
The only thing that would make this system worth buying is if it can be modded like the og xbox.
Oooh better graphics. What's the point when all the games suck. Wait a year and then decide.
MS should have delayed the US 360 launch until they had at least as many units to ship to US stores as they did for the Xbox launch. If Sony can deliver significantly more PS/3s for their US launch than MS did 360s, Sony will win again. MS will have largely lost its first to market advantage.
Microsoft, if you are listening.
1. VGA out
2. Keyboard & Mouse support (If it does not already support them)
3. Some installable "applications" like a web browser, e-mail client, & instant messaging.
I know I can do all that stuff with my PC, but if I console could do it, how cool would that be. The Dreamcast did most of the things I listed above, like a million years ago.
- Kiteless
It would be cool if it could connect to a Mac and/or play protected AAC files. As a work around I simply burn my iTunes purchased songs to CD-RW and then rip them to the 360 or re-rip them back into iTunes as MP3s and put them on my iPod (which works great with the 360). Not that big a deal and I can just erase the CD-RW for the next time. (this is how I get my protected AAC music onto the PSP as well)
Let's see....to improve it:
1) Actually SELL THEM!! Seeing xbox360 "core" systems selling for $1700 US/street is a joke!
2) Actually have them WORK!
3) Have them not destroy the very disk they're reading
4) Be realilistic about the price (c'mon..a 2000% profit as opposed to an 1800% isn't going to bankrupt microsoft)
5) Have customer support that takes LESS than 8 to 12 WEEKS for somthing that costs the same as an artifical joint implant or a small motorcycle
6) Take a hint from the Japanese Market: Microsoft, you're not god nor are you the Fonz. Not everyone wants to be just like you and around you just b/c you're microsoft.
I say Nintendo is going to suprise the hell out of us all by the time this game is over. Call it a hunch, but I think they've got WAY more than they're letting out sequestered in their little workshops. They've been in the game for over a quarter century, and while Sony is making a nice attempt and I DO love their product, I honestly think it's going to be the old guard boys that'll take the console war by surprise.
They've created a system which is a perfect mechanism for you to buy more accessories. Dangle the carrot of all the great features that it supports, but in reality they are ones that you have to purchase.
Every bit of the machine can be updated in some manner and will cause your wallet some pain. They've perfected the way to sell you a $70 controller i.e $50 for the wireless controller and then another $20 if you want to charge the thing.
I think all of this really leaves the door open to Sony to come out with a system that has everything built in and standard. Imagine a world in which all controllers are wireless and have the charging built in. A world where wireless is built into the system to connect to the internet. etc... etc.
#58
1. There is a VGA cable available.
2. A usb keyboard does work for chat and for input in the Live screens, but not for gameplay. NO mouse supports - OH it would be so sweet to do FPS with mouse and keyboard.
3. You can IM with other Live users and maybe messenger users??? (haven't looked at this too much yet) Web browsing would rule, but I bet they looked at that as an attack vector since MS can't build a secure browser.
Man there are a lot of fools around here. I bet I could go through each post and determine which ones are from the Nintendorks. Most blatant fanboys around. If you have no intention of owning a 360, post somewhere else. The only reason everyone keeps crying that the 360 is Xbox 1.5, is because they're using launch games as their point of reference. Pull your heads out of your collective arses.
Wait 6-12 months and then tell me if it still looks like a 1.5. Wait till Halo 3 comes out and tell me you can't tell the difference. Get over your blind allegiance to one company, and take a real look at the thing. It does numerous things that have never been included in a console. Wireless controllers, free Live service, Media Extender, Gamer Profiles, HD, Operating system available mid-game, USB peripheral compatibility, the list goes on and on. How is that Xbox 1.5? Did PS2 do anything all that different than PS1? Did Gamecube add anything N64 hadn't already? I'd say 360 has added more from one generation to the next then any system has.
Think about it.
Why on Earth does everything need an HDMI port? So that the 12 people who have both an Xbox 360 AND an HDTV with HDMI can use a slightly smaller cable with no picture quality difference?
Seriously, stop saying EVERYTHING needs HDMI when it very clearly doesn't. Sure, it'd be nice to usher good standards in quickly but it's not like you're losing resolution, frames or quality by using the standard HD cables.
53. Posted Dec 16, 2005, 6:11 PM ET by a soggy waffle
LOL #26
water cooling, WTF? who the hell would watercool a mass-produced console
YOUR AN IDIOT!
WTF does liquid cooling have to do with mass-produced console?
apple liquid cools G5's, and they are mass-produced!
the fluid is predominantly water (80% or greater) but with a mixture of corrosion inhibitors, antifreeze, and bacterial growth preventatives.
its more effective than fans and other methods of cooling the processors.
you can have 1080p for an xbox360 and it only costs $2000
http://www.dvdo.com/pro/pro_isvp30.php
#60
1. People are profiting like mad on them right now - however if you are not afraid to call around or travel around to smaller towns, you can find them at the regular retail price, just be patient and persistent. Everyone I work with has gotten one by now even though 5 of them couldn't get one on launch day.
2. Mine works fine, not problems yet. It IS LOUD when a game is going - however I don't notice as I am either blasting the 5.1 or have headphones one, so not a huge issue.
3. The disk destroying thing is rediculous - MS should have caught this issue in testing and it is so easy to fix (by putting pads on the tray). However, since we all know not to move the system while a disk is inside it, we are all going to avoid this disaster :)
4. MS isn't the ones profiting from these system on eBay - it is people that are buying them for the retail price and then selling them. MS is getting nothing more out of the higher sale. Capitalism, love it or hate it.
5. So far I haven't had to talk to support (finders crossed!)
I agree that Nintendo might surprise, and at a very aggressive price as well. Their first party stuff with the new controller could be amazing and they may acutally be the first to do true next-gen gameplay even if their system doesn't "spec" as high as the 360 or PS3.
I will eventually buy all 3, just like I always have, getting the best games on each system. Still have and play my PS2, Xbox and even GameCube. Still even play the old NES once in a while, still works great (blowing on the carts of course :)
RF controllers, thats it, I dvi out would have made it the next logical step to HDDvD/bluray like ps2 was for so many on the fence dvd from vhs peeps. However, RF controllers are all that was needed to make this a truly remarkable peice of equipment
I wouldn't mind a third party GUI because lets face it microsoft cannot make a user interface that doesn't resemble clown vomit, that and more controll over the system, i.e. i should be able to over clock the living hell out of the 360 without having to void the warrenty.
MHAHAHA
jolly green giant basically just summed it up...
Not have microsft cripple the damn this, and not have it suck so bad.
i was wondering if the xbox can be played on a computer monitor instead of a t.v. ? cuz it would be actually better i mean i can share the internet connection which is just theree next to it.. possible ?
Full Backwards Compatiblity-
I got Sh*t load of games that can only be played on my ugly Fu****g Black Box, Why did I buy into the hype? i know i'm going to by a PS3 and a rev, But why oh why did I choose to be a Front runner?? I have never felt so let down by a gadget then this little non backwards compatible crock of shi* seriously fellas I paid like almost 800 dollars to play god damn pretty version of columns.....
Oh yeah and i'm too greedy to sell it so don't say "dude put it on ebay" I rather just listen to the rest of the world complain about how hard it is to get one while I wait till i feel like handing down my nephews
I'd be happier if it just had 2cores... Cheaper, Cooler, & possibly smaller.
THE ABILITY TO PLAY IN THE XBOX LIVE ARCADE WHILE DOWNLOADING STUFF!
Not having to camp out this Saturday to get one.
Multi-user chat in the dashboard instead of just 1-on-1. The original xbox had this and I really miss it for setting up games.
74 Agreed!
Not being able to do stuff while something is downloading is LAME. After touting all these processor cores and multi-threading one would think, or EXPECT, MS to know how to do a download in the background. After all, even Windows 95 can do a download in the background!
Ihab: you can connect the 360 to a monitor and play at 1280x1024 - it looks awesome.
Wow JollyGreenGiant you seem to be the fanboy here. Bundled? You mean... put extra accessories that you even earn more on in a system and sell it for more? It's quite amazing how Microsoft "tricked" everyone into think the premium system is a really good deal. Compared to what?
Free live service? What did you get free in your live service? The ability to download backwards compatability that they use to advertise selling the box? To go into online chat rooms? To go into their online stores and spend money? Please and btw I always thought the PS2 had usb ports. apparantly someone here has read into MS's marketing hype.
6-12 months isn't bringing a new age of gaming NOW. If it's going to take 6-12 months to make games look noticably better, why not wait 6-12 months to bring it out? Do you think they brought it out now to benifit the gamers? Or their pocketbooks.
And I want MS to succeed as much as anyone. I have a close friend working for them and it would be horrible for only 1 company to dominate. MS coming on the scene put online gaming as a must and that's helped the industry a lot.
BUT common.
And BTW I bought an Xbox 360. I'm a gamer. There are things I love about the 360 but to say it's flawless is to be blinded by the marketing machine.
so to answer the engadget question
1) Real backwards compatability. Usually that means I can get rid of my last generation console and play my favorite games still on this one. Thats not happening right now
2) ONE system please. Everyone that really knows, knows that the "core" system is for hype. So MS can tell people "Hey we have a next gen system for only $299. We kick arse"
3) If there is another adapter problem right now. FIX IT NOW. Don't wait till people's carpet's catch on fire. That already happened with the first Xbox. I don't care if it's 1 in a million units. How is it ever acceptable for something as serious as that?
4) Wireless compatability out of the box please. Everyone that reads this blog should know how cheap wireless adapters are nowadays. Or atleast make the retail one cheaper.
Hmm...PS2 game compatability.
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Fix the lag on Call of Duty 2 Deathmatch.
1. How about starting from scratch with the processor? I hear that one reason for Apple dropping IBM PowerPc chip was heat problems in the powerBooks along with getting faster speeds. Hum- wonder why there having overheating problems ?
2. I agree that the looks are somewhat Apple like. I expected something less art deco.Microsoft should leave that to the pro's, Like Apple.
3. Ditto on dropping the core system. One price for all!
4. Wireless should be internal much like laptops, wireless has become the norm and with home wireless networking on the rise why not make it standard.
I think microsoft has offered us a bare bones system and left it up to us to spend lots of money to upgrade.
It's obviously a better game console but they could of made it the BEST.
+1 Availability
+1 Built-in Wi-Fi
+1 bigger hard drive
Ender / #61
Use JHymn :)
Fix the backward compatibility. It is terrible. When playing Forza, the frame rate on Road Atlanta track drops to less than 4fps in the downhill twisties. I'm not exaggerating! And that's one of the few games that works at all.
Make it so it could charge controllers while off (it pretends to be off, but it's still on, as evidenced by the heat and fans).
Fix battery readings on controller or fix the low battery notification. It has 4 bars to show battery remaining. At 4 and 3 its fine. But when it gets down to 2 bars, the controller starts this flashing every 5 seconds that is very distracting. So I have to charge when the battery is only half dead!
It should be quieter.
It'd be nice if it ran cooler, although I understand it is just the way it is for such a powerful device, and I have no problems with it overheating. I just wish I didn't have to mod my stereo cabinet with a fan to keep it cool.
The Wi-Fi adapter should be $50, not $100. I don't think it should be built-in, because by the time it is built-in, 802.11n will be around, and locking people into g would be suboptimal. Besides, I used wired and appreciate the cost savings.
Finally, make it possible to stream video to it (other than from Windows Media Edition), and to load audio from other than CDs. Why are you restricting what I can do? I want to replace my Xbox w/XBMC with this. It's capable, let me do it.
Also, the DVD player is poor. It's better than the truly awful Xbox one (which wasn't even progressive-compatible), but it could be a lot better. PS2's is better, and the PS2+ edition (progressive) is a lot better. I wanted to replace my DVD player with this, but due to the crappiness of the player and the noise the unit makes, I couldn't do it.
On the non-hardware front, the launch lineup of games is really bad. PGR3 is disappointing it's downhill from there (and I'm almost finished with it!) Hurry with the better games, please!
I keep a blog on stuff like this. Take a gander if you wish.
http://my.1up.com/do/contributionIndex?publicUserId=5710934&type=blogs&Dispatch=Iframe
First off i would make it black. ALL my AV equipment in my home theater is black. I really dont want a stark white box sitting amungst it. yes i know i could take it apart and spray it any color i want, but the thing is so full of bugs the last thing i need is a voided warrantee.
secondly i would DEFINITELY have HDMI support. My DVD player has it, why cant a "next gen" console as well.
Well this comment has to do with the games, not the platform itself. Specifically, I own two 50" Pioneer plasmas that see about 90% use for video games on my Xboxes and Xbox 360. My complaint is about static images displayed in health bars or other related graphics that are done in bright white and stay on the screen without changing. As an example, the ammunition counter in Call of Duty 2 is always surrounded by a bright white rectangle and the ammunition counter shows what you've got in your cartridge and how much you're carrying on you. Well when you play online, you tend to die pretty frequently so your full ammunition count is very often the same. What this means, in short, is burn-in. Generally burn-in is NOT a concern for me on my plasmas because I don't leave screens paused and walk away. However, with these graphics that ALWAYS are on and no ability to turn them off, it's going to ultimately result in that pattern being forever imprinted on my screen. At least give me an option to turn such graphics off or have them orbit so they're not always occupying exactly the same pixel real estate.
And goddamn it, get some quieter fans or some other mechanism to cool the thing down. Who the hell would ever use this thing as a DVD player with as much noise as it makes?
Make the Xbox Live voice quality at LEAST that of the original Xbox's.
MS should have delayed the US 360 launch until they had at least as many units to ship to US stores as they did for the Xbox launch. If Sony can deliver significantly more PS/3s for their US launch than MS did 360s, Sony will win again. MS will have largely lost its first to market advantage.
I'd put a shark fin on it.
I would make it so it did not have a power button. That way it would be a 400 dollar paperweight.
Why can''t my unit be silent? Thats all, I wanted it to replace my prog scan dvd player w/hdmi to the plasma. I can live w/o hdmi or dvi but the FREAKIN NOISE
three words: giant aluminum spoiler. like people slap on crappy civics. hell jeah.
Two Words; FAST FORWARD. Anybody heard of it?
What is all the fuss about HDMI? Do you people actually have the multi-thousand dollar receivers that can switch HDMI signals? If so, can't you afford better entertainment than simple video games? Add to that the fact that HDMI is another Hollywood attempt to wrest control of equipment that you paid for, and I think I will stick with my component video.
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