Microsoft Xbox - Ultimate Gaming

Author's Rating:

Pros: Seamless graphics and sound. Built-in hard drive. Plays DVDs and music CDs and games too!

Cons: Controller is big and uncomfortable. Xbox Live requires subscription. Not as many games as PS2.

The Bottom Line: 
This is the powerhouse gaming system. The Playstation2 or Gamecube can't match it. Superior blend of graphics, audio, and versatility that make it the best gaming system in existence.

Author's Review
Introduction
When I started shopping for gaming consoles, I knew the Gamecube was out simply because I wanted to play games that didn't have Mario in them...that horse has been ridden and ridden hard. Playstation 2 had a lot of games...a lot of really great games (Grand Theft Auto 3/Vice City, GranTurismo 3, etc.) but the PS2 console is underpowered and the graphics aren't as sweet as the Xbox. I decided on the Xbox because of the graphics superiority, its connectivity and the promise of great games to come in the future.

The Basics
The Xbox (it's supposed to be spelled Xbox, not XBox or X-Box or xbox or X Box, so I'm told...) is much bigger than the PS2 and much MUCH bigger than the Nintendo Gamecube. When you think about it, the Xbox is a miniature PC, complete with hard drive, video card, cpu, cooling fans and power supply. It weighs less than 10 pounds.

Opening the Box (the cardboard one)
When you pull the Xbox out of its box, you'll find the box itself, one controller, a power cord and the tv-connection cord. The 'stock' tv cord only has the normal yellow-red-white RCA connections for a TV with RCA inputs. If you have a TV which supports S-Video or Component video, you'll have to buy either the Xbox advanced video pack (S-Video) or the Xbox High Definition video pack (Composite). Both of these packs come with an optical audio out jack so you can connect the Xbox to a Dolby Digital receiver and play games in surround sound (I'll touch on this later.) If you have a Dolby Digital receiver but no fancy TV (like me), you can still buy the Advanced video pack because it has a normal yellow Video RCA jack along with the optical jack. Both of these packs cost roughly $20.

Starting it Up
Connecting the Xbox takes less than a minute. When you power it up for the first time, you will have to enter the time and date. Every time you unplug the Xbox from the electrical outlet you'll have to repeat this. It's quick and simple. The plugs on the back are self explanatory, there are only three: AC Power, Audio/Video and Ethernet.

The 'dashboard' is what we call the screen that you see when there is no game in the Xbox drive. You have many options here. I'LL GO INTO THESE A BIT LATER.

When it comes time to save a game, save settings, etc., you will notice that the Xbox will tell you that there are 50000 blocks left. Each savegame will only take up a few blocks. In reality, with the 8GB hard drive inside the Xbox, there are more like 300,000 blocks available for saving games, recording music tracks, etc. A lot of space indeed.

Playing games in Surround Sound
Simply amazing. I play a lot of racing games like NASCAR Thunder 2003 and Sega GT 2002. In surround sound, you hear cars coming up from behind you on the right, behind you on the left, in front of you. In Sega GT 2002, if you drive a front-engined car, the engine sound comes from the front. If you drive a mid- or rear-engined car the engine sound comes from behind you. Surround sound makes your gaming experience even better.

High-Definition Gaming
I just recently acquired a Sony 51" Widescreen HDTV television, complete with S-Video and Component inputs. In the Xbox dashboard, you are given the option of Widescreen gaming under the Video option. This is where you unlock the true potential of the Xbox. Playing with component video shows you the detail that is put into each of these games. In Rallisport Challenge you can see grains of sand on the road. In Halo, you can see the beautiful intricasies of the alien constructions that you are walking around in. You will be visually amazed. The Xbox is a gaming-graphics powerhouse.

I want to make a note here: In the Xbox dashboard under Video options, you can select turning on 480p, 720p and 1080i (the modes of High Definition resolution). If you select 480p, it will make the video output very blurry. I was disappointed about this, and it took me a very long time to figure out. I was playing NASCAR Thunder 2003 and noticed the outlines of the vehicles had very blurry edges with bad ghosting. I played with my connections, with the video cables, and could not get this to go away. Eventually I turned off the 480p option and the game is crystal clear with no ghosting. I'm not sure why this has happened but it's a flaw in the Xbox's circuitry nonetheless.

The Games
I know that the list of games for the Xbox isn't as extensive as the PS2, but its better than the Gamecube. Plus, the PS2 has had a 1.5 year jump on the Xbox. They really shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence since the Xbox is much more advanced.

I've heard of people who bought an Xbox simply to play "Halo". I'd agree with this because Halo is one h*ll of a game, but there are other great games out there too. Sega GT 2002 is about on par with GranTurismo 3. Highly recommended. Madden 2003 is a visual masterpiece. My grandmother couldn't tell the difference between my video game and a real televised game. Plus, the gameplay is so variable that you can really suck and still have a great time playing it. Rallisport Challenge is made by Microsoft specifically for the Xbox (although its out for PC now) and it showcases all of the things the Xbox was meant to do: Surround sound, stunning graphics, realistic gameplay, personal soundtracks and on and on. I am a racing nut, so naturally I picked up Nascar Thunder 2003 and Total Immersion Racing. The graphics in both of these games are respectively the best and second best I've ever seen in a racing sim. Flawlessly rendered cars and tracks, accurate handling characteristics, wonderfully competitive AI.

The Controller
I have the original bulky controllers first released with the Xbox. They are eerily similar to the Sega Dreamcast controllers...just huge. Other than their size I haven't had any complaints except for one. When playing NASCAR Thunder 2003, you are required to drive many laps with a car that is very sensitive to steering movement. You have to hold the wheel in a turn for many seconds at a time. After about 10 laps I feel like my thumb is going to fall off. I have to pause, shake my hand around and wait for feeling to come back to it. If they simply repositioned the left-side thumb joystick, this wouldn't happen. Just a bad design. I haven't played with the new Controller S yet, but I'll give it a shot soon to see if they improved it.

DVD playback
The Xbox supports DVD playback (since the games are all on DVD discs) but you need to buy a special remote and infrared receiver. I didn't bother because I already have a good DVD player, but from what I hear the Xbox performs just like any other DVD player. One downside to the DVD player is the remote control doesn't allow you to turn on or turn off the Xbox. You still have to do this manually by pressing the power button on the player. This is an interesting omission.

Audio and Custom Soundtracks
The Xbox allows you to store music (in WMA format) on its internal hard drive. You can rip from either Audio CD or CD-RW (no CD-R's, they give you read errors) to the hard drive. It takes about a minute to rip one song to the hard drive. You can title it and place it into a playlist of your creation. Many games (but not all) support 'Custom Soundtracks' where you can select entire playlists or single songs to play while you play your game. I sorta like having Sheryl Crow's "Steve McQueen" going while I'm doing laps in NASCAR. Pretty fitting.

Final Comments
I'm very happy with my Xbox. The number of games has steadily increased, and it will continue to do so. The quality of the gaming experience is unmatched. The graphics, sound, and versatility are amazing. This is what video gaming is supposed to be. I can't imagine enjoying anything less than the almighty Xbox. If I had any gripes, it would be the flaw with the 480p HDTV option, and the uncomfortable controller. Other than that, the Xbox is far superior to any other gaming system. I can't wait for the first Xbox installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. (Microsoft won the contract for the GTA games from Sony earlier this year.)