Neil's XBOX 360 Guide (WIP) (Updated 18/11)

[Neil]

I thought it was about time we had an XBOX 360 guide to help people who are thinking of making the jump to Microsoft's Next Gen console.

I'll try to keep this as updated as possible, but please PM me if anything becomes out of date, or if there's something you feel that needs adding.

I've split this into several sections, which wlll (hopefully!) make it easier to follow.

1) General Info.
2) Video.
3) Audio.
4) Games.
5) Accessories-HDD/Wired & Wireless controllers etc.
6) XBOX 360 Live.
7) Pre-ordering an XBOX 360.

General Info

1) When will the XBOX 360 be released?
2) How much will the XBOX 360 cost?
3) Will there be 'bundles' available?

The machine(s) will be released in the UK/Europe on December 2nd 2005.
There will be 2 'packs' available, there are called the 'Core' Pack, & the 'Premium' pack.

The Core (base) Pack will cost £209.99, & the Premium Pack will cost £279.99.

The Core Pack


The Premium Pack


Bundled with the Core Pack will be the following items:

1 x Xbox 360 console.
1x Wired Controller
1 x composite AV lead with scart 'adapter' (like the one that came with the original Xbox, but does not include an optical out lead for 5.1 sound)
1 x White Faceplate (this is removable to enable customisation of the appearance of your machine.


Bundled in the Premium Pack will be the following items:

1 x Xbox 360 console (with chrome detail)
1 x Wireless Controller.
1 x White Faceplate.
1 x Component/Composite HD AV lead with SCART adapter (this will connect to composite, component HD and non-RGB scart and this WILL feature an optical out for 5.1 sound)
1 x Xbox 360 Live headset.
1 x 20GB (removeable) HDD.
1 x Ethernet Cable.
1 X Mini Media Remote.

Science bit....

Although the full package costs £70 more, the extra bits you get with it make it well worth the extra £'s.

As the 20GB hard drive is expected to retail at £70, the HD lead is expected to cost £20-£25 and the Live headset will be £15.

The mini remote is not the full version that will be available separately, but it still appears to be a worthwhile item.

The core system will require a memory card be added to save games which should cost approximately £23 (which basically bumps up the cost of the Core System to £233)

But at only £47 less than the Premium Pack, the difference in value is still obvious.

FAQ

Q1) "I’ve heard that the Xbox 360 games will be “Hi Definition�–Do I need an HDTV?

A) No MS have said that all developers should code to 720p resolution (as a minimum), but the console will downscale to 480i for non HD televisions.
So you don't need an HD display to use an XBOX 360, it will look awesome when played in 720p or even 1080i.

Q2) "Does the 360 offer 5.1 surround sound?"
A) Yes, the 360 will have 5.1 Dolby Digital sound on all games, and DVDs also.

The only way to get full 5.1 surround sound will be to use an optical connection. All leads except the one that comes with the core 360 package have an optical out connection located on the end of the lead that connects to the XBOX 360.

Q3) "What games will be available at launch (and how much will they cost!?)"

There still appears to be a bit of confusion over this at the mo, with most online retailers having 'TBC' as a release date.

A rough guide for games available at launch should be:

Amped 3
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Dead or Alive 4
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup
GUN
Kameo: Elements of Power
NBA2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL2K6
The Outfit
Perfect Dark Zero
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Saints Row
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Top Spin 2.

The games are expected to retail for approximately £45.00

A good indication is normally Amazon, & they've got a list here.

Q4)"Can I download trailers for the XBOX 360 games?"
A) Hi Def trailers here

http://events.teamxbox.com/movies/2...-Video-Montage/
(Quicktime)


Hi Def movie of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GR3) ftp://files.xboxworld.nl/pub/movies...presentatie.avi
(DivX)

Call of Duty 2 (CoD2): Complete level. http://www.squadxp.com/Games/cod2gp2.wmv

Q5)"Will Xbox 360 games be region-locked?"
A) Almost certainly, yes.

Q6) "What accessories will be available (& how much will they cost)?"
A) There's a great list on the Official UK XBOX 360 site.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Microsoft

In anticipation of the next generation console launch, Microsoft today announced that more than 400 pieces of downloadable Xbox Live Marketplace content�including free interactive demos for games like; “FIFA Football 06 Road to the 2006 FIFA World Cup� (Electronic Arts), “Kameo: Elements of Power� (Microsoft Game Studios), “Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie� (Ubisoft), “NBA LIVE 06� (Electronic Arts), and “Need for Speed Most Wanted� (Electronic Arts) as well as new music videos from Franz Ferdinand and Audioslave courtesy of Epic Records�will be available to Xbox 360 fans starting 2 December.

Freely accessible to anyone with a broadband connection, Xbox Live Marketplace is a digital download center providing free and premium content for games, as well as entertainment content such as movie trailers and music videos.

Premium Xbox Live Marketplace content will be available for purchase with Microsoft Points™. Microsoft Points is a new stored-value system that will let consumers purchase a number of points, and then redeem those points for content online, ranging from gamer pictures and themes to full game downloads on Xbox Live Arcade. Microsoft Points will be available for purchase at participating retail stores and via the Xbox Live Dashboard. In EMEA, consumers can purchase a card worth 2100 Points for an ERP of €25.00/£17.50. Offers in the dashboard will range from 500 points and up.

On 2 December Xbox 360 users who connect their console to a broadband
connection and create an Xbox Live membership, either the paid Gold membership or free Silver membership, can look forward to content such as:

Amped 3 (2K Sports)

Game Trailer (free)
10 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
1 Theme (150 points)

Call of Duty® 2 (Activision Inc.)

Game Trailer (free)
7 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
2 Gamer Picture Bundles (40 – 80 points each)
1 Theme (150 points)

Condemned (SEGA)

Game Trailer (free)
10 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
1 Theme (150 points)

FIFA 06 Road to FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts)

Game Trailer (free)
EA Sports Trailer (free)
Game Demo (free)
FIFA Team Logo Gamer Pictures (60 points each)
FIFA Team Logo Themes (150 points each)

GUNâ„¢ (Activision)

Game Trailer (free)
5 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
1 Gamer Picture Bundle (80 points)
1 Theme (150 points)

Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios and Rare Ltd.)

Winter Warrior Pack (200 points)
Game Trailer (free)
Game Demo (free)
4 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
2 Gamer Picture 5-pack Bundles (80 points each)
7 Themes (150 points each)

Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

Game Demo (free)
Game Trailer (free)

Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)

Game Trailer (free)
EA Sports Trailer (free)
NFL Logo Gamer Pictures (60 points each)
Collection of All NFL Logo Gamer Pictures (500 points)
NFL Logo Themes (150 points each)

NBA 2K6 (2K Sports)

Game Trailer (free)

NBA Live 06

EA Sports Trailer (free)
Game Demo (free)

Need for Speed Most Wanted

Game Trailer (free)
Game Demo (free)

NHL 2K6

Game Trailer (free)

Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios and Rare Ltd)

Game Trailer (free)

Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios and Bizarre Creations Ltd.)

Game Trailer (free)

Quake 4â„¢ (Activision, id Software Inc. and Raven Software Corp.)

Game Trailer (free)
7 Gamer Pictures (20 points each)
1 Theme (150 points)

Ridge Racer 6

6 Cars (pricing tbd)
6 Background Music Tracks (pricing tbd)
Game Trailer (free)

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 (Electronic Arts)

EA Sports Trailer (free)

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (Activision)

Game Trailer (free)
10 Gamer Pictures (20 points)
1 Gamer Picture Bundle (80 points)
1 Theme (150 points)

Plus:

High Definition Music Video "Show Me How to Live" from Audioslave's Live
in Cuba DVD

Music Video "Do You Want To" from Franz Ferdinand's new album, You Could
Have It So Much Better

Penny Arcade Gamer Pictures and Themes

Red vs. Blue Videos
High Definition Movie Trailers and Music Videos
Game Trailers for upcoming games
…and much more!

The exclusive launch content also includes the next-generation Xbox Live Arcade online service, which is fully integrated into the Xbox 360 Dashboard providing a central destination for Xbox 360 gamers to download new games, access their game collections, check out new releases and experience around-the-game features. Xbox Live Arcade games will be available for 400, 800 or 1200 Points, with a majority of titles priced at 800 points or less.

Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 games that will be available on 2 December
include:

Bankshot Billiards 2™ (1200 points) – pixelStorm, Inc.
Bejeweled 2 (800 points) – Popcap Games
Gauntlet (400 points) – Midway Home Entertainment
Geometry Wars Retro Evolved (400 points) – Bizzare Creations
Hardwood Backgammon (400 points) – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Hearts (400 points) – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Spades (400 points) – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hexic® HD (full version included free with Xbox 360 System) – Microsoft Game Studios
Joust (400 points) – Midway Home Entertainment
Mutant Storm Reloaded (800 points) – PomPom Games
Outpost Kaloki (800 points) – Wahoo Studios
Robotron 2084 (400 points) – Midway Home Entertainment
Smash TV (400 points) – Midway Home Entertainment
Wik: Fable of Souls (800 points) – Reflexive Entertainment
Zuma (800 points) – Popcap Games

In addition, each Xbox Live Arcade game on Xbox 360 offers a fully playable trial version, enabling gamers to experience their favourite arcade games in high-definition before deciding to purchase.

“We’re incredibly excited about providing gamers with that they want – inexpensive and entertaining digital content delivered right to their Xbox 360,� said Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox at Microsoft. “Xbox Live Marketplace puts the buying power directly into the consumer’s hands, allowing each person to choose digital content they want, when they want it.�

[Neil]

A quick update regarding connecting your to your Windows XP PC.

Hooking up to XP Pro should be as easy as 1,2,3!

1) You need to download/install Windows Media Connect (v2), turn your Xbox 360 on & start up WMC and you (should!) get this:



It should automatically recognise the 360 on your network, so once y allowed the 360 access, you should then get this screen:



You then share your own custom music folders, go back to your shiny new Xbox 360.

The nice thing is, it organises the music for you. It looks at the ID3 tags of the MP3 files are organizes them into Artists and Albums (and Genres if the tags have it).

I hope that's of use to some of you.

If you haven't got the foggiest what I'm bumbling on about, then I suggest you click here!

[Neil]

Video Lead Review....

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6139690/index.html

[chambece]

Originally Posted by Neil

Video Lead Review....

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6139690/index.html

Unfortunatly it doesn't cover the advanced RGB scart which is probably the one most of us will be able to use....