In-Depth: Microsoft Xbox 360

Editor Bites

• Back to Feature Index

Rich Greenhill, Editor-in-Chief

Rich Greenhill: Xbox 360's killer app is the Xbox 360

"It's true that new consoles need games that are system sellers. Oddly enough, the Xbox 360's killer app is its operating system. I am enthralled with how slick and robust Microsoft has made the interface and features of the console -- whether there's a game disk in the drive or not! The upgrade to Xbox Live is definitely exciting, offering a cool downloads hub and a central communication system for gamers in their living room. And high-definition games, like HD TV, truly need to be seen to be believed. Don't nonchalantly say, 'I don't see much difference' until you see it on a capable screen. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions in the launch lineup, it looks like we're going to be waiting a while to see the real benefit of the 360's powerful hardware."

Mike Smith, Big Kahuna

Mike Smith: The potential is huge

"I'm stoked to play with the media center functions, and the controller is fantastic. Sure, the launch lineup lacks standout games, but launch lineups always do. I'm still not convinced Microsoft's "be first to market at all costs" strategy is going to pay off, and I think that DVD drive's going to look a little cheap in a few years, but the potential to this little box of tricks is huge. I can't wait to see what more creative developers do with it."

Russ Fischer, Contributing Editor

Russ Fischer: Not enough reasons to get in line this holiday season

"After playing through the launch lineup, I'm having a hard time dredging up loads of enthusiasm for the 360. I love NBA 2K6, and Kameo offered a lot more than I expected, but beyond that I'm not enthralled. And I'd need to be to spend four hundred bucks. The people who buy into the Core System price are more likely to be those who don't have the money to spend, so tricking them into paying more for the full suite of accessories is a sorry tactic. I've talked to a lot of people about this lately, and my advice has been to wait. What I'm most interested in with the 360 is the Live aspect, which is where I think Microsoft has really done things right. But right now it's attractive to a far more limited portion of the gaming community than any of the publishers would like to admit. The 360 will almost certainly mature into a platform even more robust than the current Xbox, but that's not reason enough to get in line this holiday season."

Raymond Padilla, Reset Host/Producer

Raymond Padilla: Profound sense of "meh"

"A system launch is always one of the most exciting times to be a gamer. Sadly, the Xbox 360 is leaving me with a profound sense of "meh" (it's a technical term). The hardware is fantastic and the new online features are outstanding. Unfortunately, most of the launch titles bore the crap out of me. Outside of the Sega titles and Project Gotham, there isn't anything I really want to play. I'll pass on the faeries and Wall Guy, thank you very much. While the third-party games are more diverse, so many of them are barely next-gen. A lot of them look (maybe) ten percent better on Xbox 360. As a gamer, I want to be floored by next-gen features and most of the Xbox 360 launch games aren't doing that for me."

Andy Eddy, Contributor

Andy Eddy: Microsoft's opportunity to take the fire from Sony

"Although it's hard to ignore Sony's back-to-back successes with the PlayStation and PS2, we've seen actual game software on the Xbox 360, and all the PS3 has shown is tech demos. At present, the buzz favors Xbox 360 for the fact that it'll 'own' this holiday season uncontested, even if some of its launch titles are delayed -- that momentum, as well as a probable Xbox 360 price cut right before PS3 launches, might be Microsoft's opportunity to take a good amount of fire from Sony."

1: Video Preview
Our editors go hands-on with the Xbox 360 in this special video segment

2: What Does it Do?
Media options; Xbox Live; The hardware itself

3: What's in the Box?
The core and premium packages

4: Launch Games Line-up
A rundown of all the launch titles

5: Editor Bites
What do the Yahoo! Video Games staff have to say?

6: Gamer Feedback
Words from gamers around the country on Xbox 360

7: Zero Hour, Day 1
Day 1 of Microsoft's massive desert launch party

8: Zero Hour, Day 2
Day 2 of Microsoft's massive desert launch party