Xbox 360 Preview Options

[michael]

As part of our training for the launch, myself and a couple of other employees were invited to Microsoft's Reading Office for an afternoon to experience Xbox 360. We basically sat through a few seminars detailing the power of the machine and, more importantly for MS, the new features on Xbox Live. In between each lecture, we were let loose on ten 360's running on HD televisons with a selection of games. I went there expecting to be amazed at the games, but what I wasn't prepared for was the detail of customisation that the 360 was capable of. You really can make the machine as individual as your Cocker. There were the obvious wallpaper and graphical themes but then it went deeper with the demonstrators connecting digital cameras to download images or connecting an iPod to play music through your games. It even recognised the playlists that were on the iPod, something you can't do on a PC without iTunes. Music from any device can be played in ANY game. Connecting the 360 to your home network allows you to play movies or recorded TV programmes if you have a TV card an Win MCE. Whilst doing any of these things, you can still log into the new-look Xbox Live to send or receive messages, download free games from the Arcade portal or buy and trade your Xbox points in the Marketplace lobby. I can't give too much away as they probably bugging my room, but one of the coolest features I saw was the Player profile. How many times have you had to sit in front of a multiplayer Halo screen waiting for Russboy to sort out his gay controls? No more. Your Player profile applies to all your games. If you like inverted controls for your FPS games and enjoy listening to Wagners Flight of the Valkyries when you play, that's what you'll get on all your FPS games. Can't be bothered with the ambient chatter on your RTS games? They're gone, no matter what you play. Project Gotham 3 looked and raced like a dream and Perfect Dark Zero is...wait...can you hear that? I..arrrghhhhhh!

[Twiglet]

hmph!!