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Microsoft Xbox 360
9.0
final rating

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Criteria Comments Rating
  • Game library The Xbox 360 has won the most 3rd party support this generation and the first party games have matured into something wonderful. Also its getting Minecraft! great!
  • Graphics Outputs 1080p when given a proper source. Games look great with the newest ones really maximizing what the system can do. great!
  • Controller(s) The Kinect is one of a kind, even if it's not as well supported as it should be. The normal controller is also among my favorites. great!
  • Design and form factor I have the Halo Reach edition which impresses with a nice silver color and aggressive angles. The updated to the slim version also fixed the overheating issues. great!
  • Other features (media, online, etc.) The only thing it's missing is a browser and even if it had one it would be IE so no thank you. Has WME, Netflix and Hulu plus for a fantastic video device. great!
  • Noise It's quieter than the original Xbox 360 the same way a Prop plane is quieter than a jet. Will never be as silent as a Nintendo console. But not distracting. so-so
Detailed review
I'm just going to come out and say it. The Xbox 360 won this round of the console wars. The Wii faded into late irrelevance for not being HD and Sony was beset with the wrong price at the start leading into seemingly continuous controversy. But the Xbox 360 stayed strong. It launched with the right games. Figured out how to do motion gaming without aping Nintendo and got the best versions of almost all the best 3rd party games.

The new Xbox 360, marked as the S, represents the ultimate refinement of what an Xbox is. It does away with expensive wireless adapters and has HDMI and a dedicated Kinect port. It also no longer red rings, with Microsoft going so far as to eliminate the Red LEDs from the design to try and wipe out all memory of the failures. It also helps to have a cooler and quieter console with way more storage in most cases.

Now if only Minecraft would hurry up and come out.