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Last year saw the release of the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 3, and now Microsoft has launched its latest weapon in the hardware console wars, the Xbox 360 Elite. CNET has your complete guide to the brand-new Xbox 360 Elite, the Xbox 360, and the original Xbox, including reviews, videos, game picks, tips, news, and more.
The good: Excellent selection of games, including many 360-only exclusives; all games are in native high-definition; user-friendly Dashboard interface; supports wireless controllers and accessories; Xbox Live service offers online multiplayer (with matchmaking and voice chat) and content downloads for most games; backward compatible with many--but not all--original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender; online Marketplace allows easy purchases of minigames, add-on gaming content, high-def movies, and TV shows.
The bad: The Elite fails to correct most of the annoyances of the original 360 version: the noisy DVD drive and cooling fan; a gigantic, oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking; only three USB ports; a substandard DVD player; support for next-gen HD DVD movies requires a bulky external accessory; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live; proprietary wireless format limits third-party accessories.
The bottom line: While it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice.
The good: Superior selection of games, including several console-exclusive titles; all games in high-definition; easy-to-use Dashboard interface; excellent online gaming and communications via Xbox Live; plays hundreds of (but not all) original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media Center extender; online Marketplace allows for easy purchases of downloadable full-scale games, mini-games, movies, and TV shows; latest version offers HDMI output with 1080p support.
The bad: Early versions of the console prone to "red ring of death" system crash; noisy exhaust fan and DVD drive; gigantic oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking or flash media reader; DVD playback has substandard video quality; support for next-gen HD DVD movies requires a bulky external accessory; 20GB hard drive fills up very quickly; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live.
The bottom line: With its extensive digital media features, a superior online service, and an excellent game library, the Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat.
The good: Best under-the-hood specs; built-in broadband adapter; 8GB hard drive for music and saved-game storage; high-resolution display support.
The bad: Big and bulky; separate kit required to unlock DVD-viewing capability; no progressive-scan DVD playback.
The bottom line: The Xbox is the most versatile console and perfectly complements a home-theater system.
Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD player
The good: Excellent image quality on HD DVDs; decent upscaling on film-based DVDs; HDMI output when used with Xbox 360 Elite or newer Premiums; relatively inexpensive compared with standalone models; can access advanced multimedia features, just like standalone players; includes remote; adds extra USB port to 360.
The bad: Can't decode or pass advanced Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS-HD soundtracks; no analog multichannel outputs; more expensive than a standalone HD player if you don't already own an Xbox 360; adds more bulk and cables to your 360 setup.
The bottom line: The Xbox 360 HD DVD player is an inexpensive way for 360 owners to get high-def movies, but nonowners and audiophiles should stick with standalone HD players.
The good: The Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller is comfortable and practical and can be used for PC games.
The bad: The Xbox 360 isn't designed to accept many wired controllers, and the near-perfect wireless controller isn't much more expensive. The controller lacks the innovative motion-sensitive features of the Wii and PS3, which may stunt creativity in games for the system.
The bottom line: With PC compatibility, the wired Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller makes a fine choice for a fourth controller.
The good: The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless controller is comfortable and practical, with amazing wireless capability and solid battery life.
The bad: The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless controller is quite pricey, even without the optional rechargeable battery accessories. Also, the controller lacks the motion-sensitive innovation of the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 controllers and may stunt creativity in games for the system.
The bottom line: The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless controller may be the most expensive first-party controller ever, but it's easily the best, too.
The Xbox 360 got a year's head start on the PS3 and Wii, so it's no surprise that it has a better selection of games available. Halo 3 doesn't hit until sometime in 2007, but there are still plenty of great titles available for the 360--many of them exclusive to the console. Read more
April 25, 2007Now that all the game consoles are out, we can look forward to some exciting games for 2007. Read more
March 15, 2007Gaming isn't cheap--the Xbox 360 will set you back $400, and that's before you buy any controllers and other accessories. Fortunately, you can get some great, affordable games. Check out our picks for the Xbox and the Xbox 360. Read more
March 7, 2007The Xbox 360 has already been on the market for a year--it has the most impressive list of games, the well-developed Xbox Live online gaming service, and the new pay-per-view downloadable movies and TV shows--plus the HD DVD add-on--make it a great companion for any HDTV owner. How do the PS3 and the Wii compare? Read more
We've compiled a list of the top 10 Xbox 360 games we're most looking forward to, in order of their potential release. These dates are tentative, but it's safe to say that the best Xbox 360 games are yet to come. Read more
September 12, 20067Microsoft and Carl Icahn tag-team on Yahoo, and it seems that just about everyone else got their day in court. Also: earnings season heats up. Read more
July 18, 2008The new-style E3 is no longer a huge free-for-all, but that doesn't mean Microsoft and others in the video-game business aren't making some noise. Read more
July 15, 2008The Microsoft co-founder takes the spotlight this week as he puts in his final days of full-time work for the software company. Read more
June 27, 2008Grand Theft Auto sets a world record; Apple and HBO taking their rumored relationship public; and why Microsoft loves the Mac. Read more
May 13, 2008Amazon is suing the Empire State; Blu-ray's on its way to the Xbox; and what would it take to defend a legal assault from Apple? A classic rock legend has some advice. Read more
May 02, 2008Make your video files iPod, PSP, XBox, PDA, or Cell phone compatible.
Burn video, audio, and data CDs and DVDs. Version 7.8.5 adds compatibility with SecurDisc technology for ultimate data protection and enhanced Xbox 360 streaming capabilities.
The first thing you have to decide: Xbox 360 or Xbox 360 Elite? Once you have the console, there's no shortage of Xbox accessories, from the wireless controller to the handy HD DVD player. And don't forget to check out the many Xbox 360 games available.
Price: $160.89 to $399.99
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The PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Wii have sizable online infrastructures/hubs, where users can connect and compete. Read more
Today's game designers are betting you'll be playing their games on an HDTV, and both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 support HD. Read more
Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite has landed in stores, and it has some interesting new features, but are they enough to compel you to upgrade? Here's our crib sheet on the Elite:
Cosmetics: The Xbox 360 Elite has a matte-black finish. I strongly prefer it to the "iPod white" color scheme of past Xbox 360 models. The included wireless controller and Xbox Live headset are also black. The only real downside is that other black accessories for the 360 won't be immediately available--Microsoft has announced only a black Play & Charge Kit and a rechargeable battery for now. Others will no doubt follow, but you might have to "go zebra" for some add-ons in the meantime. For instance, the HD DVD drive is rumored to be available only in white for the foreseeable future.
HDMI output: This has been at the top of the Xbox 360 wish list since the console was first introduced. But it's really more of a convenience than a necessity. On the plus side, it does allow for an easy, single-cable connection to compatible HDTVs and A/V receivers--and Microsoft includes a heavy-duty HDMI cable in the box (hear that, Sony and Apple?) But the connector apparently isn't the latest and greatest HDMI 1.3 version featured on newer HDTVs, A/V receivers, and the PlayStation 3. That means anyone who adds the HD DVD drive won't be able to pass the full bandwidth Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks available on those movies--only the DVD-level Dolby Digital audio track will be available. Also, despite all the HDMI hype, you're unlikely to see a major difference between HDMI and component-video on most displays. Yes, HDMI sometimes provides a slight increase in quality, but how much of a difference is dependent on the display more than anything else. And while the Elite supposedly delivers DVD upscaling via HDMI, our initial tests found the DVD image to be just as disappointing as the earlier 360--regardless of the resolution of the image.
Bigger hard drive: The Elite's snap-on hard drive is 120GB--six times the size of the older Xbox 360, twice as large as the PS3, and three times the size of the Apple TV. You can never have enough space, so the extra capacity is a definite plus--as anyone who's downloaded even a few of the multigigabyte game demos, HD movies, and TV episodes available on Xbox Live knows. Microsoft is also pledging to deliver an IPTV service to the 360 by year's end--and if it offers any sort of DVR component, that extra space will be even more crucial. (Existing Xbox 360 owners should note that the drive will be available separately for $180, as will a transfer kit that moves the files and settings from your existing HDD to your new one.)
And that's pretty much what the Elite is delivering for its $480 price tag. The black color scheme, HDMI output, and larger hard drive are all decent step-ups from the 20GB Xbox 360 (which remains on the market for $400), but the Elite is something of a disappointment when compared to the $600 PlayStation 3. A next-gen disc player, a Wi-Fi adapter, and a flash media reader--all standard on the PS3--remain optional add-ons for the Elite. Meanwhile, other design shortcomings of the original Xbox 360 seem to have remained more or less unchanged: there are still only three USB ports, the external power brick is still the size of a Volkswagen, and the DVD drive is still annoyingly loud. Moreover, the Elite supposedly doesn't even incorporate the rumored cooler-running 65nm CPU that's been talked about for months, so the internal cooling fan still needs to work overtime (more noise). And while Microsoft has pledged that the Elite will be more reliable than the notoriously buggy first-gen Xbox 360s, there's no easy way to track that. (For the record, both our months-old original 360 and the hours-old 360 Elite have performed flawlessly.)
The bottom line is that the Xbox 360 Elite isn't a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners, and it doesn't bring the 360 feature set in line with that of the PlayStation 3. But here's the thing: for me, the Xbox 360--either the $400 Premium model or the new $480 Elite--still has more of the games that I like to play: Lost Planet, Gears of War, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and--the big one--this fall's only-on-Xbox Halo 3. Until the PS3 can offer some compelling alternatives (and I have no doubt that eventually, it will), the Xbox 360 remains the better option. If you agree--and if you're going 360 for the first time--you might as well spend that extra $80 and get the Elite.
The Xbox 360 is back in black with the new Elite model. A huge 120GB hard drive is included, as well as support for HDMI output. It hits stores on April 29 with a retail price of $479.99.
The Xbox 360 Elite comes with a new 120GB hard drive, HDMI, and a matte-black finish, but otherwise it's the same as the original Xbox 360.
Rich DeMuro takes the wraps off of a brand-new Xbox 360 Elite; see what's included besides the new black finish and HDMI port.
The latest chapter in the highly anticipated--and always controversial--Grand Theft Auto franchise gets a major graphical overhaul and a New York City-like setting when it hits the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 on October 16, 2007.
Got movies and music on your PC? We'll show you how to stream through your Xbox 360 right onto your TV screen.
An Xbox is lonely without the Internet. We'll show you how to hook up your Xbox 360 to the Web for more gaming and video fun.
A new Xbox 360 doesn't come with a game disk, but who cares. We'll show you how to game for free.
The Xbox 360 can give you hours of enjoyment, but hearing the same songs during a game can be tiresome. We show you how to add your own music in this Quick Tip!
Master Chief returns to 'finish the fight' in Microsoft's hotly anticipated shooter, set to be released sometime in 2007 exclusively on the Xbox 360. (Graphics in this teaser are not necessarily representative of gameplay.)
Microsoft's HD DVD player may be the most affordable high-def movie player on the horizon, but we're worried about the lack of HDMI.
Microsoft calls it a game console, but behind its stylish living-room-friendly exterior, the Xbox 360 is actually a powerful computer. We go behind the faceplate to examine the 360's impressive hardware--including a close-up look at its ergonomic wireless controller.
Before the Elite came along, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: a $399 premium version bundled with some key accessories and a more basic $299 core system. See why the extra $100 is money well spent./p>
The Xbox 360 will deliver the power of a high-end gaming PC to the living room--and include a tantalizing variety of nongaming features as well.
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