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The Xbox 360 the second baby in the gaming console from Microsoft was a product of the association with IBM, ATI and SiS. It got instant fame among the users when it hit the markets. This was mainly due to its fascinating features. It allows you to download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, videos, music and movies. It released this second generation console to counter Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo Wii, the 7th generation consoles.

On May 12th, 2005 the Xbox 360 was unveiled by Microsoft. This brought about a storm in the world of gaming. This was launched at the same time in Europe, Japan and the US, all really important and major sale regions for Microsoft. The Xbox 360 has created records with staggering sales of 17.7 million consoles until January 3rd, 2008. Microsoft has completely taken over the market of gamers by invading their hearts. It comes in four different versions the ‘Core’, ‘Arcade’, ‘Premium’ and ‘Elite’ consoles, each with its set of features and accessories.

In the Unites States of America and Canada the Xbox 360 was launched on the 22nd of November 2005. This brought about great wave in the gaming world, many in the US and Canada started shifting to the Xbox 360. In Europe the sales of the Xbox 360 started on 2nd December 2005 and with the reviews it got from the US people started rushing to buy this console. And on 10th December 2005 it was launched in Japan. Soon this masterpiece of a console was slowly launched in Mexico, Columbia, India, Hong Kong and Russia. Hungary, New Zealand, Poland and Czech Republic are a few of the 36 countries in which this console was launched. The early launch of the Xbox 360 helped it take advantage and thus take a lead over its other contenders.

Microsoft’s gaming device the Xbox 360 has a great graphical user interface with 5 blades. After the 360 was launched, Microsoft kept coming up with updates from time to time for its dashboard software which offers other features like Xbox Live functionality and multimedia play back capabilities like watching movies, videos, TV shows and also listening to music, all for the sake of entertainment.

Xbox 360 Elite, which is the flagship of the 360 console. Not only will I tell you why I think it is the best, but I’ll tell you the cheapest place you can get it.

Video gaming was revolutionized with the creation of the Xbox 360 thanks to a team of developers working hard to combine the right technology at the right price. Who would have ever thought we could live without HD video gaming and 5.1 Surround Sound with which you can hear every single little nuance of a game’s audio environment.

The Xbox 360 looks so good on an HD TV that I’ve often had friends ask me what game was on when I was playing Madden. They literally thought that I was watching a real sporting event when I was actually playing the Xbox. This system is so smooth that there are never any glitches or freezing unlike other gaming systems.

The Xbox 360 Elite boasts a huge hard drive of 120GB, which is capable of storing an endless amount of game demos, videos, skins, and music all without you needing to save space for your saved games. It also comes with a black matte finish wireless controller, which means no more of the dog tripping on the controller and yanking it out of your hand during a boss battle.

You can also use it to your advantage to play from anywhere the wireless connection will reach. As if you needed any more reason to buy the Xbox 360 Elite, it also comes with a black matte finish headset so you can talk to your friends online via Xbox Live as you dominate them in a first person shooter like Call of Duty 4 or in a FIFA 2009 match. The system also comes with an HDMI port and cable so you can take full advantage of the HD resolution that the Xbox 360 offers.

The games for the 360 are the best on the market and you can find the most variety of any game system thanks to the fact that this was the first modern gaming console released on the market. Game developers have been spending years perfecting the design and implementation of their games on the Xbox 360. As a result, you ‘ve got the best graphics, sounds, and game play on the market. When I say that the Xbox 360 is a cutting edge console gaming system, I am not joking!

The Xbox 360 Elite also features a Windows Live software setup that allows you to stream audio and video from your home PC or laptop meaning that the Xbox 360 functions as a home entertainment system as well. You don’t need a DVD player anymore either, since this bad boy can do it all on its own. The prices of Xbox 360 are as cheap as they’ve ever been and now is the perfect time to get one so that you can start enjoying high definition, crisp gaming that is the best on the planet.

The 360 Elite is the best of the best and there is no way you could get bored with this system.

Gaming has never been more entertaining than the sixth to seventh generation video game console. If PlayStation 3 is for Sony, Xbox is for Microsoft, both penetrating the gaming industry with its state-of-the-art technological advancement in gaming consoles. These two game consoles made it fun and exciting for home video gamers as they provide extensive displays of challenging games. Then there is the Nintendo Game Cube and the PC games. All these devices have made today’s world of gaming convenient and attractive.

Xbox is now popular together with the Play Station 3 of Sony and Nintendo’s Game Cube. What is distinct about it is that it’s the most bulky than its counterparts. However, its size is justified because it is the first console that has a hard disk drive, providing bigger storage facility. The saved games can be compressed in ZIP files and it can also accommodate downloads of its Xbox Live counterpart, which is the seventh generation video game. This feature discarded the need for additional memory card for storage. Also, because of the hard disk drive of the Xbox, gamers can also customize the game’s music soundtrack as it enables users to rip music out from music CDs. Xbox also has DVD-ROM drive which adds the bulk of the device. It also has a safety feature with its breakaway cables of its controllers. This prevents it from yanking in the shelf. Nevertheless, because of its big size, it is criticized to be unsuited for young people’s hand. Modern Xbox console are seen to be smaller in response to this criticism.

Generally, Xbox, being a Microsoft product is a PC hardware commodity. The PC supports Windows components. The exception to this is Windows CE because of its unexpanded support to DirectX and its previous politics with Microsoft. Most gaming businesses use Xbox and with the latest Xbox Live, it is easy to get the newest games and versions of the Xbox games. Gamers can have wide choice of game genre offered by Xbox Live.

Apart from the features of Xbox whether positive or negative, gamers can enjoy the games for Xbox and other PC games. The popularity of Halo for PC and its subsequent game release for Xbox have gained gamers’ interest for this device. Of course, Xbox is only one option. If you want to play home videos the latest video game devices are readily available both online and offline. Xbox is only an option available in the gaming industry and as PC hardware; you can readily find it in any gaming store and computer gadgets stores.

To get these various options in Xbox and PC gaming, online stores and resources is the best place to go. One of the companies that offer Xbox console and games as well as PC games, cards and accessories, is World User. With World User, you can get the preferred and most wanted games for the latest gaming devices.

World User is a site that compiles games of consoles of PC, Xbox, PS2 and PS3, Wii and many others. Here you will not miss out any of the latest games and trends from the industry. It also offers products that are affordable and you might just be able to get the best deal. You can also be assured of the purchase and shipping guidelines as it is linked to eBay–one of the most popular and reliable online stores today. 

There have been lots of confusions whether Sony playstation 3 is better than Microsoft Xbox 360 or the other way round. Both consoles boast good indy support with games like Braid on XBLA and PixelJunk games on PSN. Both are available with big titles like Street Fighter HD and Mega Man. So, what are the differences between the two consoles?

CPU:

The CPU of Xbox 360 has vector processing power and a dot product instruction. The console also has three general purpose CPU cores and each core has 128 vector registers per hardware thread with a shared 1 MB L2 cache and a dot product instruction. The CPU of Sony Playstation 3 allows an environment where 87.5% work is DSP calculation and 12.5% work is general purpose computing.

GPU:

The GPU of Xbox 360 is more powerful than that of Sony playstation 3. The Xbox 360 GPU has larger number of transistors and the total programmable GFLOPs number is almost equal. In order to add additional floating point options for graphics rendering the PS3 has extra seven DSPs on the Cell. On the other hand the three general purpose cores of Xbox 360 with dot products instructions and custom D3D are tailored for true graphics related calculations.

Multithreading and balanced designs are other features of the Xbox360`s GPU. the automatic shader load balancing, full rate texture fetching in the vertex shader, programmable triangle tesselator, memory export features, programmable vertex fetching are the other features of the Xbox 360 that contribute to the rendering performance of the gadget.

Bandwidth:

For a total system bandwidth of 48 GB/s, the Playstation 3 has 25.6 GB/s of RDRAM bandwidth and 22.4 GB/s of GDDR3 bandwidth. On the other hand, for a 278.4 GB/s total system bandwidth the Xbox 360 has a 256 GB/s of EDRAM bandwidth and 22.4 GB/s of GDDR3 bandwidth. PS3 try to compensate the lack of memory by using Z and color compression.

Multimedia:

When it comes to multimedia, the major advantage of PS3 is that it can stream media and also allow the users to store media on it. In case of Xbox 360 it is like a media extender and does not allow you to save your AVI files on the hard drive. Again, PS3 is, till date, the only Blu-Ray playing video game console. It has high video quality, responsive controls and also it supports all the latest features.

Backwards Compatibility:

In case of backwards compatibility Xbox 360 excels PS3. The PS3 does not support any PS2 library as it does not have PS2 functionality. Alternatively, you can buy a used 20GB or 60GB if you want a backwards compatible PS2. This can be considered as one of the drawbacks of PS3. However, Microsoft has allowed backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 and the online library if the console is adding original XBOX games regularly.

Open Source Operating System:

Playstation3 is the only gaming console that allows the user to install Linux, it does not allow to play games while operating in Linux though. Microsoft is planning to upgrade Xbox 360 and working on a version of Linux that can be installed on the console.

PS3 simplifies the choice for import gamers and is a completely region free gaming console. Xbox 360 has superior graphic power and its GPU allows it to perform at high resolution. With Playstation 3, some of the games require mandatory installation to the hard drive, whereas with Xbox 360, you have the choice of installation.

Both the video game consoles have their own strengths and shortcomings, and both are tremendously successful.

When it comes to the real thrill of lifelike gaming, Microsoft knows the business well than anyone else. After the launch of its first gaming console in the form of Xbox, Microsoft became the household name in the gaming segment as well just it has always been the No 1 choice in software and hardware components. If current Xbox reviews are to be believed, the Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s second gaming console launched almost four years back on May 12, 2005 comes with enough fire power to competes with the 7th generation gaming consoles on offer from Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3.

Xbox 360 is currently available in three exciting configurations – Arcade, Elite and Pro.

Powered by a highly responsive 1-x IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz processor, the Microsoft Xbox 360 has 512MB integrated GDDR3 SDRAM for that outstanding performance. With DVD-ROM, media type support; you can play a number of games without costing much to your pocket. And yes, there are handy Xbox headsets that are available to elevate the gaming experience.

With several console-exclusive titles, you will find a superior selection of games for satisfying every bout of gaming thirst. With easy-to-use dashboard interface and high-definition displays, you will just feel like being at the scene combating in a guerilla war.

Because of its Xbox Live feature, Xbox 360 review sites declared the device the device of the future in its maiden entry. You can participate in excellent online gaming and communications by using the Xbox Live feature. The feature also allows you to download content and gamer profile online. What’s more, you can use the device as a premium machine to make voice chat to your friends while playing games. Movies can also be watched using it. With an external resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, you will just enjoy the best with the Xbox 360.

Wireless control and HDMI output with 1080p support are two other noticeable features in the device. Media center extender is another unique feature using which you can stream audio, video and photos from networked computers running Windows Media Center Edition. Available in memory modules of 20GB, 60GB and 120GB as per models, you can enjoy your entire world of entertainment besides playing lifelike games.

If you are more into Xbox Live online gaming community, you can buy Xbox 360 headsets to enhance fun by strategizing with teammates. Xbox 360 headphones can also be purchased online.

Online MMOs and RPGs like World of Warcraft and Warhammer have taken the world by storm, and now the Xbox 360 is offering gamers a new way to connect to the online community with Xbox Live. With Xbox Live gamers of the world unite on their couches to battle demons, race cars and fight bad guys, sharing the fun of online gaming without having to give up the fun of their favorite Xbox.

To thoroughly enjoy the full Xbox Live experience, the only thing Xbox fans need are an Xbox 360 and a high speed internet connection. Gamers simply connect their Xbox to their modem and they have instant access to hundreds of games and free demos, as well as a global community of players just like them with whom to share the excitement and thrill of ultimate destruction from the comfort of their living room.

Xbox fans who choose to take advantage of Xbox Live have two membership levels to choose from. The silver level membership is available at no cost and allows players to download content from the Xbox Live Marketplace, share their gamer profile and achievements with other users and chat with their friends while they’re online. For casual gamers who want to be able to share the excitement of their favorite video games but don’t really care about multi-player events the silver option is perfect, offering the chance for gamers to build an online community without having to pay an extra fee out of pocket.

For video game lovers who are serious about taking their online community to new heights, Xbox Live also offers a gold level membership at a reasonable price that offers all of the advantages of the silver membership along with the ability to play multi-player games online, create parties and join games with their friends. For gamers who loved the raiding option of World of Warcraft and want to carry the fun over to their 360, the gold membership is the online gaming solution they’ve been waiting for.

Of course, Xbox Live isn’t just for hard core gamers. It’s not even just for video games! If you’re the type of person who just never found their way into the video game mania that’s sweeping the nation, you can still benefit from becoming a member of Xbox Live. Through the Xbox Live community members can watch movies, TV shows and additional, exclusive media content created especially for Xbox Live members, and Netflix fans can watch streaming movies on their Xbox 360. The diverse options available for Xbox Live means that no matter who you are or how serious you are about your video games, the Xbox Live community has something to offer you.

Online gaming has risen dramatically in popularity and exposure in recent years, and Xbox Live is taking that concept to new heights by bringing the fun and freedom of being part of an online community of gamers off of the computer and onto the Xbox 360. Who knows where it’s going to go next?

The new Xbox 360 system is the next thing in video games of today. You can still play regular Xbox games and watch DVDs on it but it is so much better then the regular Xbox for many reasons. I first bought the Xbox to play games like Madden Football and Metal Gear but once the came out with the first Halo I was really hooked so needless to say when the new Xbox 360 came out it was a must have video game system for me.

If you are serious about your gaming you will want to upgrade some of the basic accessories that come with the system for better performance. Below are some of the many accessories that you can buy for your Xbox or soon to be Xbox.

Even though you will not need a memory stick or card for the Xbox because you have a 20GB hard drive it is good to have in case you need to take your saved progress with you some place. To keep your controllers charged you can buy a charge station so that when you are not using one controller the battery pack for the other will be charging so you can just switch off and on like that.

You can get a wireless adapter so you don’t have to worry about cables and such and you can also buy your Xbox an intercooler so it will stay nice and cool while you are playing the games you love.

There are all kinds of controllers that you can buy for your Xbox such as either wireless extra controllers or you can pick from the many different wired controllers that they are now offering these days.

You can also get the HD cables if you have an HDTV all you do is either order them or go buy them from the local gaming store. These accessories are a need if you are a big gamer and might be the key to your gaming.

Some of the games available for the system in addition to my favorite Halo 3 are Meet the Robinsons and Star Trek Legacy for kids and then some of my favorite shooter games like Rainbow Six, Gears Of War, and Hitman. Of course there are also the nearly enumerable sports games as well for those of us who are sports nuts.

I am a little prejudiced when it comes to Xbox because I have owned a version of the system for many years and have played the games on my big screen but I still think you can’t go wrong with the new Xbox 360 if you are a serious gamer. With the option of getting a subscription to Xbox Live it really leaves nothing to be desired.

When you finally own an Xbox 360 premium gold pack video game system+3 you would realize that you have one of the most powerful technologies in the world. And also one of the best forms of entertainment in the gaming world that anyone would die for. It will not only be a source of entertainment for you but also for your friends and at times even your parents.

The original version of the Xbox of course had a lot of action involved, but it needed great skill to operate for long hours of entertainment. And with the introduction of the new Xbox 360 you are going to be stunned with the amount of changes that have been incorporated in it like action speed, lights and many such features. Here you are going to realize that the there is a lot more action included and one has to use their best talents to score and move forward in the game. Other than this you can also watch your favorite DVD’s or just listen to more and more digital music on your Xbox 360. And this is much more than you thought was possible with your Xbox 360.

This console will also help you mix a number of photos and videos. You could also directly transfer movies right from your TV to your Xbox 360 with you good looking console and wireless controller using the incredible new high – definition (HD) entertainment. This is a great feature and an added advantage when you compare your Xbox 360 to other gaming consoles.

If you are comfortable you can also use the head set or faceplate which comes as part of the Xbox 360 along with all the other cables your Xbox needs. You are also given a live silver membership and a complete 30 –day trial to it. The racing packages of Xbox 360 are amazing. You will have to take a few risks and develop your own unique style for these racing packages and as you progress from level to level and get transported from one location to another you will have plenty of entertainment for yourself and others especially with the racing packages, big dumpin and the snake king.

Gone are the days of drab, underpowered gaming consoles with limited features. The Microsoft Xbox 360 is here! It doesn’t matter if you are a serious gamer or a mere hobbyist, the Xbox 360 that Microsoft launched in November 2005 is suitable for all players. It claims to have taken into consideration all the facets of ultimate gaming experience with this much-improved version of the original Microsoft Xbox that came out in November 2001.

Check your budget. Depending on what you can afford, you may start with the very basic core system composed of the light console, the wired controller and the composite AV cable; and when your budget allows you to purchase other peripherals one by one for the enhancement of your total gaming experience, maybe you’d want to change your wired controller with the wireless model, or maybe you’d want to add in the Xbox Live headset for amplification of sound effects to a mind-boggling level far above what your normal TV speakers could provide.

On the other hand, if you are one of those to whom “money is no object,” you may just go ahead and buy the entire Microsoft Xbox 360 system, where everything is all in (i.e., the console with premium chrome finish, a wireless controller, the Xbox Live headset, component hard drive-AV cable, the Ethernet cable that allows you to connect with the other players, and the hard drive that contains an array of original Xbox games and allows you to download even more games. Since the Xbox 360 allows up to four wireless controllers operating on one console, it lets you play with three other players simultaneously for that added fun and challenge in live competition.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 gives you total digital entertainment. You may amplify and enhance your music and movies to a soothingly soft or to a ripping loud volume. Connect to the Internet and instantly stream your music, digital home movies, photographs and graphics or any other files stored in your hard disk, memory and other digital media that are Microsoft Windows XP-based PC that you want to share with others.

When attached to your TV, the Microsoft Xbox 360 takes advantage of the high-definition TV resolution in its full color and size that makes the game movie-like. Its anti-aliasing capability renders the animation flawlessly smooth and non-jerky, and the characters seem as though they are jumping out of the wide screen! When you are connected to the Internet via the Ethernet card, you have the Xbox Live headset, a facility that allows you to voice-chat with other players, thus combining active gaming with socialization.

There are games that are rated “must-have” because they are simply sensational with the Microsoft Xbox 360. These include “Dead or Alive 4,” “Call of Duty 2″ for the best WWII shooter, “King Kong” for great effects and “Need for Speed Most Wanted” for racing fans. For some odd reasons, some games that run with excellent audio and video effects using the first version of Xbox don’t run as well in the Xbox 360; these include “Madden NFL 06,” “NBA Live 06.” This must be given immediate attention by the Microsoft people because it is a source of great disappointment for hardcore gamers and, in some cases, could be a deal-breaker.

Pressure is on for movie makers and game programmers/manufacturers to properly and visibly indicate the appropriate rating of their products on the packaging to provide guidance for buyers. In this regard, it is an added attraction to parents that the Microsoft Xbox 360 has settings that allow them to control how it is used by their children. The box has Family Settings which enable parents to shield their children from unsavory or unwholesome contacts. Family Settings perform two functions on the Xbox 360 console-to allow or restrict access to offline games and/or DVD movies, and access to online contact and content via the Xbox Live environment.

ESRB is the regulating body that takes care of rating the propriety or impropriety of a game or movie based on age. ESRB’s restrictions on games are EC (early childhood) for children below 6 years old, containing no inappropriate materials at all; E (everyone) for children younger than 13, and these have minimal violence and comic mischief but are substantial for character building. Some Xbox 360 games with an E rating include Ridge Racer 6 and NBA 2K6.

The rest of the ESRB ratings are: T (teen), which may also contain minimal violence, mild-to-strong language and/or suggestive themes; M (mature 17+) containing mature sexual themes or more intense violence and language; AO (adults only, for players aged 18+), which may include more graphic sexual themes and/or violence; and RP (rating pending) for games that have not been officially released yet.

With the safeguard placed by the Family Settings of the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, the parent feels safe buying the system for their kids. So, whatever the gaming preference of the child – or the parent!—Microsoft Xbox 360 promises to satisfy them.

Computer gaming has definitely come a long way from back in 1972 when the game of choice was pong and played on the Atari 2600. Modern technology and video game enhancements have made gaming a serious hobby and a high-tech one as well.

If you have been keeping up with all the advances in the field of computer gaming, you will realize how these advances have been consistent with the advances of high-end technology. Computer gaming has pushed the limits of technology and is credited for many of the advancements in this field for the past generation.

The Xbox 360 is a top performer of this high-powered, top-technology trend. The Xbox 360, from Microsoft is a prime example of how technology has pushed the frontiers of gaming. With a processing power and connectivity that most high end personal computers could only dream of, the Xbox has opened a vista of possibilities never before possible on the older consoles.

Here is a brief rundown of the new features of the Xbox 360.

1. Games that take advantage of the Xbox have increased power and graphical performance. Project Gotham 3, Perfect Dark Zero, Silent Hill 4 and Kameo are only a few of the new games slated to hit the Xbox 360 this year. These games will certainly push the envelope with what is expected of newer generation games.

2. Innovative Accessories. The Xbox has accessories that will make other companies go, I wish I had thought of that. Wireless controllers will allow greater freedom for players to wreak havoc upon the competition. This gives players increased mobility, comfort and enjoyment.

Xbox also integrates internet connectivity so that gaming against a pal who lives across the country or another continent will not have to be a hassle anymore. It is now possible to have search and destroy games among the Xbox community, and you do not even have to leave the confines of your home.

3. Backward Compatibility. The old Xbox games will be fully compatible with the 360. That will amount to over 200 well-loved games from the old Xbox library. This means you will not have to wait for the 360 library to go full stock before wanting to buy one; you could enjoy the old collection along with the new immediately.

4. Mega Power. The Xbox 360 engine runs on three 3.2 GHZ processors. That is a powerful workhorse! This processing power makes the running of complex games a cinch. Many polygon-hungry games will get their fill once they get a load of this much power.

5. Couple that with the 500 MHz ATI graphics processor and you have a tremendously powerful chip that can bring life and action to any game that comes its way.

6. The Xbox 360 is versatile and not only serves as a gaming base, but it also works as a CD/DVD player, further making a case for its price. The Xbox is capable of keeping track of a load of data that you may find indispensable. All these extra features ensure that the Xbox 360 can and will be a faithful entertainment tech companion for a long, long time.

While there are many gaming consoles around, it would pay to consider the strengths and weaknesses of them all. However, there is a consensus among gaming enthusiasts that the most important aspect of any gaming console is the technology, processor speed, memory, storage, along with availability and support of consoles and games.

In this regard, the Xbox 360 has room to boast. With a staff of developers currently at work for Microsoft enhancing the Xbox, gamers are sure to be spellbound for years to come.