Xbox 360 - It's Here & It's On
Our detailed impressions and obligatory photo overload is here, as Kikizo's Xbox 360s arrive. Has it really been worth all the hype? Let's see, in our definitive feature.
It's pretty amazing how fast you can pull off a full-power, global console launch when you have limitless cash and this kind of supreme attention to detail. But, inevitable hardware shortages notwithstanding, Microsoft's cautious optimism has seemingly laughed in the face of the logistical nightmare that is Xbox 360's introduction to the planet, and the very final hardware package - which online gaming sites like Kikizo have been the first in the world to take delivery of this week - is generally very exciting and impressive.
It was a nervous day as we awaited the delivery. After all, as our stack of Xbox 360 reviewable games pile up, we need something to play it all on. In all territories, Microsoft has been co-ordinating and shipping out the final review kits to gaming media, after making some final last-minute updates to the debug system's software innards.
Xbox 360's hardware, from the main unit down to every last well-guarded cable, oozes exemplary high build quality that feels every bit as (if not more) expensive that its retail price, while the system's front end is near-flawless and certainly the best of its kind ever seen - trumping the PSP's ambitious software interface with a more integrated feel and a wonderfully central and dynamic online component - all with seamless style in every part of the system.
Our delivery consisted of a final premium retail pack and the final version of Microsoft's 'XDK' debug Xbox 360, which developers and the media use to play and test pre-release versions of software. A metal box of accessories was also thrown into the sizable courier delivery, which was difficult to carry up two flights of stairs - but somehow, the strength came from somewhere, maybe because the whole lot rested comfortably on our oversized belly during the arduous journey.
The metal accessories case seems to be an exclusive case sent out only as part of this reviewers' bundle, and simply emblazoned with the Xbox 360 logo, it's pretty darn cute. The combination code - which would have been a really tough three-digit number to work out if it wasn't already set to (you guessed it) 3,6,0, unlocks to reveal a bunch of stuff that goes with the debug machine.
Included in this special case is an extra wireless controller, controller charger cables, rechargeable battery packs (as opposed to the standard AA battery-holding battery packs that come bundled with the premium retail machine), full-size Media remote control, the wireless network adapter, Ethernet cable, accessories guide, and best of all, a keyring. Oh, and adorably, our very first two MGS final games for review as well - Kameo and Project Gotham 3, which as you can imagine, we've been playing solidly ever since.
The rest of the debug stuff in the plain old brown box that the delivery first turned up in is a huge amount of gear, just as with the original Xbox complete debug kit. Some more controllers, and best of all, every kind of Xbox 360 AV cable we could ever need. Possibly.
The already infamously oversized power supply unit, about the same size as the 'ghost trap' from Ghostbusters (as cleverly customised by one witty forum lurker in internetland, don't try it at home though, as paint plus electricity equals likely death) gets its own separate box. Interestingly (well, not really) the debug's power unit is slightly larger than the standard retail power unit, as seen in one of our photos.
Onto the main Xbox 360 retail package then, the first thing that came out of the big brown box. The wonderfully modest box design is sealed in four or five different places, so ask an adult for help with those scissors.
Opening out sideways, the first thing we see is the main Xbox 360 unit wrapped in multi-language warnings about not to give the plastic bag to any babies (probably - we couldn't read most of it... oh no wait, actually it just says "Welcome"), which also contains a quick-start guide that shows you what holes to put your cables in. We also have a manual which we definitely, definitely can't be bothered to read through, not even to make the process of making the difficult things work better; a warranty thing (not that we need it because we can probably just phone up Microsoft for a new one even if it means one less child is happy on Christmas Day).
You also get the other premium pack contents that most of you will know about - wireless controller, regular Media remote control (smaller and not quite as kick-ass as the big version controller, sold separately - see our comparison pic), Xbox Live voice communicator, and the all-in-one (probably most useful for most users) AV cable - it has both SDTV composite plugs and HDTV, you know, "better-version" RGB jacks. Fortunately our debug bundle also included a European SCART lead and also some sort of VGA lead as well. However, we don't seem to have any kind of S-Video option.
One cool thing about all the contents is that absolutely everything is styled with the consistency of Xbox 360 design in mind. Even the gold-plated (more expensive metal for better signal quality) AV cable plugs, and the SCART adapter, share the same custom 'inhaled' shape of the main unit. You also get an Xbox 360 sticker in the box - which is clearly a cool thing because it means you can stick it somewhere.
The main unit itself is really, really nice. The matt finish feels nice to touch and the inhaled design feels like stroking a beautiful girl. It's lighter than we expected to hold and every last part of the casing feels well-built and high quality. When switched on, it makes less noise than the first Xbox or a PS2, and takes just a little longer to power up for the first time, but then at least you get the boot-up sequence in sixty frames per second, which hey, is more than what most of the launch games can manage.
Seriously though, this white box of tricks looks really nice. Look at our nice, big pictures to see the crystal clear chrome work with the Xbox 360 logo cut into it; the open/eject and huge power button which make nice-feeling clicking noises when you press, the flap that you stick your USB devices into.
They've even had the decency to make the Microsoft logo nice and subtle, as you can see in one of the pictures. We weren't sure a Microsoft logo was even on the machine, but it is. It will do, until we work out where we can get a Sega faceplate to pretend it's a new Sega console at some stage.
Video Coverage (Latest Videos & Video FAQ) | |||
PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT LINK TO ANY MEDIA FILE ON KIKIZO | |||
Description | Dur. | Size | Details |
Direct Feed Xbox 360 Videos: | |||
Project Gotham Racing 3 HD Las Vegas Gotham TV |
1.02m | 27MB | HD, 60, DF 800x448 4Mbps |
Gears of War Gameplay |
0.52m | 19MB | HD, 30, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Perfect Dark Zero Cut scene, no audio |
1.02m | 21MB | HD, 30, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Kameo Gameplay |
1.04m | 24MB | HD, 30, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Gameplay |
1.02m | 23MB | HD, 30, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Full Auto Gameplay |
1.08m | 26MB | HD, 30, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Moto GP 2006 Gameplay |
1.02m | 30MB | HD, 60, DF 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Hi-Quality Xbox 360 Videos: | |||
Dead or Alive 4 Gameplay video blowout! |
10 vids | N/A | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Project Gotham Racing 3 Gameplay video blowout! |
10 vids | N/A | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Perfect Dark Zero Gameplay video blowout! |
4 vids | N/A | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Splinter Cell 4 Teaser trailer (hi quality) |
0.54m | 21MB | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Gears of War Gameplay video X05 (hi quality) |
3.05m | 68MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Gears of War New trailer (hi quality) |
1.01m | 24MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Too Human (Silicon Knights) New trailer (hi quality) |
1.24m | 30MB | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Mass Effect (BioWare) Teaser trailer (hi quality) |
1.09m | 27MB | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Crackdown Announcement trailer (hi quality) |
1.46m | 38MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
King Kong Xbox 360 trailer (hi quality) |
1.32m | 33MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Kameo Newest trailer (hi quality) |
1.32m | 33MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Gameplay video (hi quality) |
3.51m | 96MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
FIFA 06 Newest trailer (hi quality) |
0.58m | 20MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Tomb Raider Legend Xbox 360 teaser trailer (hi quality) |
0.39m | 13MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Wolfenstein Next-Gen Announcement video (hi quality) |
1.34m | 34MB | HD, 30, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
GUN Law and Order trailer (normal quality) |
2.32m | 20MB | SD, 30, DF 640x360 1Mbps |
EA: Xbox 360 Line-Up Line-up videos (hi quality) |
1.11m | 28MB | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Xbox 360: The Complete Line-Up Line-up videos (hi quality) |
3.22m | 84MB | HD, 60, CAM 800x448 3.5Mbps |
Previous Xbox 360 Videos | |||
ChromeHounds Trailer cam (hi quality) |
2.31m | 67MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Sonic the Hedgehog Realtime in-game gameplay footage demonstrated by Yuji Naka (hi quality) |
5.08m | 140MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Sonic the Hedgehog The full trailer (hi quality) |
2.22m | 64MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Virtua Fighter 5 Stunning hi-res version of the announcement trailer showing all the characters including the newcomers (hi quality) |
1.06m | 30MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Ridge Racer 6 Gameplay footage 1 (hi quality) |
0.45m | 16MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Ridge Racer 6 Gameplay footage 2 (hi quality) |
1.24m | 32MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Ridge Racer 6 Gameplay footage 3 (hi quality) |
1.08m | 26MB | HD, 60 800x448 4Mbps |
Rumble Roses XX Teaser trailer (hi quality) |
0.44m | 7.9MB | SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Quake 4 New trailer (hi quality) |
1.15m | 20MB | HD, 30 640x360 2.5Mbps |
Prey New trailer (hi quality) |
1.07m | 17.MB | SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Prey Trailer HD (2K Games) |
11.21m | 171MB | DF, HD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Ninety-Nine Nights First trailer (standard quality) |
1.22m | 18.4MB | SD, 30 640x360 2.5Mbps |
Resident Evil 5 Teaser trailer (hi quality) |
28.34m | 181MB | SD, 30 640x480 1Mbps |
GUN: Official Trailer High quality (Activision) |
1.28m | 28.3MB | DF, HD, 30 640x480 3Mbps |
Gears of War Trailer HD (Microsoft) |
1.25m | 30MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Gears of War Trailer SD (Microsoft) |
1.25m | 19MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Gears of War Gameplay footage HD (Microsoft) |
0.19m | 7MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Gears of War Gameplay footage SD (Microsoft) |
0.19m | 5MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Perfect Dark Zero Teaser footage HD (Microsoft) |
0.12m | 4MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Perfect Dark Zero Teaser footage SD (Microsoft) |
0.12m | 2MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Project Gotham Racing 3 Trailer HD (Microsoft) |
0.56m | 21MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Project Gotham Racing 3 Trailer SD footage (Microsoft) |
0.56m | 11MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Project Gotham Racing 3 Gameplay footage HD (Microsoft) |
0.19m | 8MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Project Gotham Racing 3 Gameplay footage SD (Microsoft) |
0.19m | 5MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Kameo: Elements of Power Trailer HD (Microsoft) |
1.13m | 24MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Kameo: Elements of Power Trailer SD (Microsoft) |
1.13m | 16MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Kameo: Elements of Power Trailer HD, same version with better sound and slightly better video (Microsoft) |
1.03m | 22MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Kameo: Elements of Power Gameplay footage (Microsoft) |
0.19m | 3MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Lost Odyssey Trailer HD (Microsoft) |
1.31m | 33MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Lost Odyssey Trailer SD (Microsoft) |
1.31m | 22MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Trailer HD (Microsoft) |
1.36m | 34MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Trailer SD (Microsoft) |
1.36m | 22MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
NBA 2K6 Gameplay footage 1 HD (Microsoft) |
1.16m | 23MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
NBA 2K6 Gameplay footage 1 SD (Microsoft) |
1.16m | 15MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
NBA 2K6 Gameplay footage 2 HD (Microsoft) |
0.34m | 19MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
NBA 2K6 Gameplay footage 2 SD (Microsoft) |
0.53m | 12MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
NHL 2K6 Gameplay footage HD (Microsoft) |
1.22m | 24MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
NHL 2K6 Gameplay footage SD (Microsoft) |
1.22m | 16MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Dead or Alive 4 Full trailer HD (Tecmo) |
5.03m | 128MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Dead or Alive 4 Full trailer SD (Tecmo) |
5.03m | 91MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Quake IV Extended trailer 1 HD (Activision) |
2.23m | 48MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Quake IV Extended trailer 1 SD (Activision) |
2.23m | 31MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Quake IV Trailer 2 (Activision) |
0.18m | 4MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Ghost Recon 3 Full Trailer HD (Ubisoft) |
1.34m | 30MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Ghost Recon 3 Full Trailer SD (Ubisoft) |
1.34m | 20MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Ghost Recon 3 Full Trailer HD, same version with better sound and slightly better video (Ubisoft) |
1.28m | 31MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Ghost Recon 3 Gameplay footage HD (Ubisoft) |
0.18m | 7MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Ghost Recon 3 Gameplay footage SD (Ubisoft) |
0.18m | 5MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Condemned Gameplay footage 1 HD (Sega) |
1.04m | 18MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Condemned Gameplay footage 1 SD (Sega) |
1.04m | 12MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Condemned Extended Gameplay footage (Sega) |
5.24m | 96MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Dead Rising Trailer - Kenji Inafune's latest HD (Capcom) |
1.33m | 28MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Dead Rising Trailer - Kenji Inafune's latest SD (Capcom) |
1.33m | 18MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
The Darkness Extended trailer 1 HD (Majesco) |
1.31m | 27MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
The Darkness Extended trailer 1 SD (Majesco) |
1.31m | 18MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
The Darkness Trailer 2 HD (Majesco) |
0.18m | 6MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
The Darkness Trailer 2 SD (Majesco) |
0.18m | 4MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Full Auto Trailer 1 HD (Sega) |
1.09m | 23MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Full Auto Trailer 1 SD (Sega) |
1.09m | 15MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Full Auto Extended gameplay footage (Sega) |
4.33m | 84MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Frame City Killer Trailer HD (Namco) |
1.37m | 29MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Frame City Killer Trailer SD (Namco) |
1.37m | 19MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Frame City Killer Gameplay footage HD (Namco) |
2.41m | 75MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Frame City Killer Gameplay footage SD (Namco) |
2.14m | 48MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Test Drive: Unlimited Trailer HD (Atari) |
1.45m | 33MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Test Drive: Unlimited Trailer SD (Atari) |
1.45m | 22MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Final Fantasy XI Trailer HD (Square Enix) |
1.40m | 29MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Final Fantasy XI Trailer SD (Square Enix) |
1.40m | 20MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Square Enix Xbox 360 Demo Full Demonstration HD (Square Enix) |
0.44m | 17MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Square Enix Xbox 360 Demo Full Demonstration SD (Square Enix) |
0.44m | 10MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Trailer 1 HD (Ubisoft) |
1.43m | 34MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Trailer 1 SD (Ubisoft) |
1.43m | 22MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Gameplay footage 1 (Ubisoft) |
0.19m | 5MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Call of Duty 2 Gameplay footage 2 (Ubisoft) |
1.24m | 14MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Demonik Trailer HD (Majesco) |
1.12m | 22MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Demonik Trailer SD (Majesco) |
1.12m | 15MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
EA Xbox 360 Game Line-Up 1 Extended Game Montage 1 HD - with Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Madden 06, NBA 06, NBA Live 06, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 and FIFA 06. (EA) |
1.50m | 37MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
EA Xbox 360 Game Line-Up 1 Extended Game Montage 1 SD (EA) |
1.50m | 24MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
EA Xbox 360 Game Line-Up 2 Game Montage 2 HD - similar to the first montage but a but shorter, better motion and sound (EA) |
1.28m | 39MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
EA Xbox 360 Game Line-Up 2 Game Montage 2 SD (EA) |
1.28m | 20MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Madden NFL 06 Gameplay footage HD (EA) |
0.17m | 6MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Madden NFL 06 Gameplay footage SD (EA) |
0.17m | 4MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Madden NFL 06 Trailer 1 HD (EA) |
1.00m | 19MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Madden NFL 06 Trailer 1 SD (EA) |
1.00m | 13MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Gameplay footage 1 HD (EA) |
1.36m | 37MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3.5Mbps |
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Gameplay footage 1 SD (EA) |
1.36m | 22MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Gameplay footage 2, no sound HD (EA) |
0.19m | 7MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Gameplay footage 2, no sound, SD (EA) |
0.19m | 4MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Saint's Row Trailer 1 HD (THQ) |
2.04m | 43MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 3Mbps |
Saint's Row Trailer 1 SD (THQ) |
2.04m | 28MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Saint's Row Gameplay footage (THQ) |
0.19m | 4MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2.5Mbps |
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 Gameplay footage HD (EA) |
0.13m | 5MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 Gameplay footage SD (EA) |
0.13m | 3MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Robbie Bach Video Interview Extensive video interview with Xbox's top man, on many Xbox 360 topics, including "approachability", world-wide launch factors, the launch price, shortages, all aspects of the hardware, how Xbox strategy has indeed evolved, market leadership timeframe and Xbox in 15 years. |
26.34m | 195MB | SD, 25 640x480 1Mbps |
J Allard Video Interview Kikizo talks to the face of Xbox 360 about deliberate leaks, expanding the audience, graphical quality, changing Xbox politics, the pre-rendered fiasco, Halo 3, managing a team of 20,000 and the future of Xbox. |
11.55m | 95MB | SD, 30 640x480 1Mbps |
"Checkmate" - Microsoft Bosses Bonus footage from Xbox conference with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) |
2.14m | 22MB | CAM, SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Xbox 360 Game Line-Up Montage HD including Quake 4, Kameo, Test Drive Unlimited, Call of Duty 2, The Darkness, Madden NFL 06, Project Gotham Racing 3, Gears of War, NBA Live 06, Frame City Killer, Ghost Recon 3, Top Spin 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Dead Rising, Condemned, FIFA 06, Oblivion, Full Auto, The Outfit, NBA 2K6, Saint's Row, Perfect Dark Zero, NHL 2K6 and Ninety Nine Nights. (Microsoft) |
3.04m | 87MB | DF, HD, 60 640x480 4Mbps |
Xbox 360 Game Line-Up As above, SD (Microsoft) |
3.04m | 44MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 2Mbps |
Xbox 360: In Depth Video Feature Over five minutes of gaming sex. Includes J Allard, Peter Moore, Jonathan Hayes - the guy responsible for the wonderfully sleek console design. Watch this NOW. (640x480, 1.4Mbps) |
6.41m | 73.5 MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Xbox 360 Unveiled: Official Video You're "in control", apparently. See J looking cool! (640x480, 1.4Mbps) |
5.53m | 42.5 MB | DF, SD, 30 640x480 1.5Mbps |
Satoru Iwata Video Interview - the late Nintendo president spoke with Kikizo in 2004 as 'Nintendo Revolution' loomed.
Kaz Hirai Video Interview - the first of Kikizo's interviews with the man who went on to become global head of Sony.
Ed Fries Video Interview - one of Xbox's founders discusses an epic journey from Excel to Xbox.
Yu Suzuki, the Kikizo Interview - we spend time with one of gaming's most revered creators.
Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers reveal the fascinating story behind Tetris
Rare founders, Chris and Tim Stamper - their only interview? Genuinely 'rare' sit down with founders of the legendary studio.
The History of First-Person Shooters - a retrospective, from Maze War to Modern Warfare