written by Mike Shea on 27 December 2002
It has been almost a year since Microsoft released the behemoth game system, the Xbox. A lack of solid games didn't make it a great purchase until now. With a $200 price tag and the inclusion of two games, the system is now the top home theater friendly game system. Lets look at the summary of their features:
As of this writing, the xbox is the only game system to embrace home theater standards including Dolby Digital 5.1 in-game sound and hdtv resolutions. While 720p and 1080i HDTV resolutions are supported in hardware, it would seem that most games only support 480p with a 4x3 aspect ratio. Until top selling games include widescreen aspect ratios and 1080i HD resolutions, the system is not truly home theater friendly. Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is supported in almost every game as is full progressive scan video. Dolby Digital sound and HDTV component video requires an external $20 adapter purchased along side the console itself.
One serious problem is the lack of a VGA connector or adapter. With resolutions of 1080i, 480p, and 720p, a VGA adapter would offer the best picture available. With a solid 19" or 21" VGA monitor, one could set up an excellent desktop arcade. Alas, no such device is available so the only way to get the best picture is with a $2000+ dollar HDTV. There is little reason Microsoft cannot release a VGA adapter, however, but it appears they are unwilling to do so.
Setup and daily use of game systems is one of their great benefits. Game system manufacturers have taken usability seriously in their construction and design, something computer manufacturers seem to have forgotten. From the moment I walked into my door to the time I started playing Halo was 10 minutes, although I had the component and toslink plugs already installed in my Mitsubishi 55819 HDTV and Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver. An initial setup screen had me enter the date and time while another less obvious audio and video setup let me tell the xbox that I had a widescreen HDTV and a Dolby Digital / DTS receiver. Solid knowledge of your system is needed to properly select these settings.
Installing and playing a game is no harder than any previous game system. Press open, put in the disc, close, and off you go. There is no noticeable operating system, a good thing, and no setup per game is needed. The system simply gets itself out of the way and lets you start playing. An internal 8GB hard drive (I learned of its existence from How the Xbox Works, the best features are the ones you don't notice) apparently speeds up boot time on games, a nice way of decreasing a more common problem with dvd based games.
The controller is an often unnoticed component of a game system, but it is the most used piece of hardware the system has. There were complaints from people with smaller hands that the Xbox controller is too big and bulky. Newer Xbox packages include a smaller controller called the controller-s. For my stubby fingers this new controller was not uncomfortable at all. There are more than enough buttons including two analog sticks, one digital pad, four main buttons, two analog triggers, and four option buttons. The pad includes two expansion slots and buit-in rumblepad capability. Rumblepads are an excellent interface element, adding a whole new sense, feeling, to what is normally just sight and sound. Bravo to Microsoft for including rumblepads with the system instead of making it an option. There are four controller ports on the Xbox, an advantage over the Playstation 2 which requires an extra multi-tap adapter.
The is one golden rule for the success of a video game system. You need hit games. If a system has no good games, it doesn't matter if it beams dreams into your brain, the system will die. This was a problem for Xbox. While Playstation 2 had Grand Theft Auto, SSX, Metal Gear Solid, and Final Fantasy X, Xbox had only Halo. Now things have changed. Games like Splinter Cell, Sega GT 2002, Mech Assault, and Unreal Championship give the Xbox some grounding in good games. None of them are what I would call a system seller but the inclusion of Sega GT 2002 and Jet Set Radio Future (Both highly rated games) within the $200 pricetag goes a long way towards the sales of the system.
The holy grail for Xbox would be two or three Xbox exclusive games that are so popular your mom heard about them while watching Martha Stewart. These games can't be planned, however, since a lot of their greatness comes from an undefinable mix of playability, story, graphics, and sound. Halo seems to be the closest call and it's been out for a year.
This generation of game systems is the first to include real internet play. Unfortunately both PS2 and Xbox failed to include it as a standard non-pay feature. The PS2 requires another $50 network adapter while the Xbox requires a $50 one year subscription to Xbox-live (also included is a headset for voice during games). Both systems should have learned from the past. Video game accessories don't have good sell through. If Microsoft wanted every Xbox on the net, it should have included free internet play. The only remote chance it has of making Xbox live a hit is to bundle it with one of those "must have" games mentioned above. Some massive multiplayer action or role playing game might do the trick if they put the right talent into it. Mech Assault and Unreal Championship go a long way towards internet gaming but they aren't exactly the killerapp that Xbox Live needs.
Setup for Xbox Live is easy hardware-wise but painful to sign up. On initial sign up you must spend about 15 to 20 long minutes hacking in your credit card information with a hunt and peck controller-based virtual keyboard. It is not clear how much Microsoft plans to charge, but requiring the initial $50 purchase at a store AND a credit card registration is way too much for something as delicate as internet-based console gaming. Microsoft would have done very well for themselves if they bundled in a one year subscription, free of charge, with the console and not requiring credit card info until the year is up.
Probably the least important factor of a game system is the technology. Nothing matters more to a system than good exclusive games. However, framerate, graphic detail, solid audio, and an infrastructure to support them can lead towards that one great game. The Xbox is the most technically powerful gaming console available at this time. Probably the best endorsement has been that of John Carmack, lead programmer for Id Software, who stated that it is the only console that will do justice to Doom 3, their upcoming hot first-person shooter. Of the many problems with the Xbox, technology isn't one of them, and for $200, Microsoft is losing almost $100 a system, so if you want to poke the man in the eye, buy a system and no games.
Game systems are wonderful in their simplicity, staggering in their power, and a true value in price. Few systems are home theater friendly, but the Xbox is very close. Good games, a great pricetag, and some home friendly features such as Dolby Digital 5.1 and HDTV compatibility give this system a great future as long as they can get some exclusive hit games. Bundling in Xbox Live with a top online game such as Doom 3 would go a long way towards bringing Internet play to the masses. Forcing support of 1080i resolution widescreen aspect ratio games would better support higher end home theater systems and offer much better immersion. As it stands right now, for $200 with two hit games, the xbox is a steal.
From: sknfcds ( ,bn,mbndcbmxv@yahoo.com ) on 3 November 2004
Subject: halo
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From: jufytgbuyhtrfdikj4lwds ( cdjngbfjklremfksvc kdvmc ) on 30 October 2004
Subject: edjkwedmfkdcfdx,c ,vc
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From: Justin ( jc85297@hotmail.com ) on 29 October 2004
Subject: Xbox
This is the best review I have ever read. Thanks for the information.
From: Travis ohrtman ( traviso@ohrtman.net ) on 18 October 2004
Subject: unreal
unreal championship is awsome xbox game. A must play for xbox players.
From: Travis ohrtman ( traviso@ohrtman.net ) on 18 October 2004
Subject: unreal
unreal championship is awsome xbox game. A must play for xbox players.
From: Jmack ( None ) on 15 August 2004
Subject: oxbox xblive
if you have home network you can connect the xbox into it and use a program on your comp. called xbconnect which is free and play internet games that way. I tried it and it does work.
From: smack ( junk@junk.com ) on 9 August 2004
Subject: Jase
Jase....the distance is not going to matter for the optical cable. The signal is digital, so it is either there or not there.
From: i need help!!! : ( ( sk8erboijr@yahoo.com ) on 27 April 2004
Subject: xbox
e-mail me with an answer plz.....i need 2 know if i could hook my xbox up 2 a computer and download games on 2 it
From: Jase ( jasehere2000@yahoo.com ) on 20 January 2004
Subject: Digital Audio on X-Box
One thing I fail to understand. I have hooked up my X-box with the optical cable into my receiver, yet the xbox has wiring going from the back into this little box. So whats the point eh? Surely the half foot of wire going from the xbox -> the small (svideo, optical) box destroys the point of using an optical out. Even the playstation2 connects straight into the unit. You can hook up with analog and probably get the same quality. Or does the distance make a difference.....? negligable...
From: Matt Greenlee ( Grnlee0687@highschoolclub.com ) on 19 September 2003
Subject: Halo
Halo 2 comes out in march its gona be the best game in the world .............. go buy it!
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 6 September 2003
Subject: $70 Xbox VGA adapter
In the latest Official Xbox Magazine, they review a $70 Xbox VGA adapter. This adapter will output 480i, 480p (640x480), 720p, and 1080i. It also includes a Toslink optical Dolby Digital output. If you buy this there is no need for the official Xbox HD pack. Lack of VGA support was one of my major concerns in my Xbox review. This solves that problem. Now if they would stop charging for online play, the system would be the strongest system on the market.
From: JLC ( jlc@yahoo.com ) on 1 June 2003
Subject: DVD playback
"Just thought you should add a note with the list of resolution saying that DVD playback is only 480i."
You can enable HDTV resolutions for DVD with a chipped xbox (very legal here in Australia)...
Thanks
From: Kent ( piratecrawford@hotmail.com ) on 29 May 2003
Subject: XBox
Microsoft has stated that they are targeting the console market. People who like to kick back on thier couch with some friends and play on thier tvs...they have no desire to create the "perfect desktop arcade". That's what PC's are for.
From: Big E ( a@a.com ) on 20 May 2003
Subject: Widescreen
Good point about the lack of software compatibility. There are a few that work, and they're some of the best. DOA3, Madden 2003, and Inside Drive 2003 work with a 16x9 TV and look friggin' awesome.
From: acrowe ( allyn@crowe.emich.edu ) on 7 May 2003
Subject: free live?
Nahh I think it was better that they made people buy a kit. That way they aren't ddropping money into something that most people aren't going to use. I think it is an awesome add on, but some people don't want it. Don't make them pay for it.
From: Kabron Kline ( kabronkline@hotmail.com ) on 2 February 2003
Subject: Controller, most used!??
The controller is the most used part of the console, huh? You are an idiot..... ever thought about the disc reader? Or perhaps the Video Card? You are worthless. Your review sucks too. Bye.
From: chris ( graberc@yahoo.com ) on 16 January 2003
Subject: XBOX core
Xbox core game? HALO is their system sellar, few would disagree. Halo2 would take it to the next level. No xbox should be without it. Xbox live needs a system seller but that could very well be Halo2.
I think that needing a "system sellar" is overrated. . . What defines a system sellar. Xbox certainly has a list of great games: Halo, Buffy The vampire slayer, JSRF, splinter cell, DOA3. . .
From: David ( seibeld@yahoo.com ) on 9 January 2003
Subject: Resolutions
Just thought you should add a note with the list of resolution saying that DVD playback is only 480i.
David
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From: Rey ( yadmonkey@yahoo.com ) on 20 December 2004
Subject: System seller?
Hmmm. did this guy miss Halo? About as big and wonderful as system sellers get! I have never liked another FPS, but I love Halo and Halo 2 is amazing too.
DOA3, Splinter Cell, KOTOR, Fable, Ninja Gaiden, Panzer Dragoon Orta... plus the best version of every multi-platform game! What more could you want?!