All systems include a free Xbox Live Silver membership that gives you a gamer profile, a friends list, and access to the Xbox Live marketplace where you can download additional game content, demos, trailers, Xbox Live Arcade games, themes for your Xbox 360 Dashboard, and pictures for your gamer profile. You can download Arcade game demos for free, but you'll have to spend Microsoft points to download the full version. Games like Gauntlet, SmashTV, Bankshot Billiards 2, and Robotron 2084 range in price from 200 to 1,200 points.
Microsoft points serve as the virtual currency in the Xbox Live world. You can buy points and then use them to "purchase" various downloads. Your gamer profile will remember your marketplace downloads, so you'll be able to get them again in case they're accidentally lost. You can buy 1,600 points for $20, so Xbox Live Arcade games will be very affordable.
Xbox 360 AV Cables and HD Resolutions
The 360's AV connector can accept a variety of cables that break out into the appropriate connection types. The full Xbox 360 system includes a cable with HD component and regular composite outputs, as well as an optical connector for 5.1 sound. The Core system only includes a basic composite cable. Our preview system also included a VGA cable that let us connect the console to a computer monitor, an option many owners will appreciate since they'll be able to play games at high resolution on a monitor without buying an expensive HDTV. However, since the VGA cable set uses two composite cables for two-channel audio, we had to hook up the red and white cables to a nearby television set to get sound since we didn't have a set of speakers on hand. All the Xbox 360 AV cables that we've seen, including those from third-party manufacturers like Mad Catz, have had an optical output for 5.1 surround sound.
The system allows you to set your display resolution and aspect ratio depending on the type of video cables you use. VGA cables will give you six different resolution options: 640x480, 848x480, 1024x768, 1280x720, 1280x768, and 1360x768. Component cables will give you 480p, 720p, and 1080i resolution choices. Games are actually rendered internally at 720p, and the ATI video engine scales the video up or down to the desired resolution.
The Dashboard and Xbox Live
The Xbox Dashboard is the navigation system for the Xbox 360. The Dashboard interface has an inviting feel, with easy-to-read font, pleasant colors, and a tabbed navigation system. The Dashboard uses vertical tabs, or "blades" as Microsoft likes to call them, rather than the usual horizontal tabs. The Dashboard is separated into four blades: Xbox Live, games, media, and system. The Xbox Live blade gives you access to your gamer profile, the message center, and the Xbox Live marketplace.
The Xbox Live menu lets you access all the information related to your online account. If you're not signed in, the Xbox Live blade will give you the option to sign in an existing profile stored on your HDD or memory unit. If you don't have a profile, you can set up a new Xbox Live account or retrieve a gamertag from Xbox Live. If you want to retrieve an Xbox gamertag, you'll have to answer a few questions to confirm your account, so be prepared with the last four digits of your credit card, full name, phone number, and postal code. Also, the system warns that once you convert your account over to Xbox 360, you'll only be able to manage your account from a 360 console. Note that you'll need a storage accessory, like a memory card or HDD, and a broadband Internet connection in order to sign on to Xbox Live.
The real action starts after you log on to Xbox Live. The Xbox Live blade will now display your gamer card that consists of your gamertag, profile picture, current rep or reputation, gamer score, and gamer zone. Selecting the card will take you to your profile page, which will give you the option to view your game achievements, check your reputation and player reviews, set default game settings, and manage your Xbox Live account. You can edit your gamer profile by selecting a new gamer picture, entering a 25-character motto, and setting your gamer zone. The edit profile page also lets you change your gamertag for the low, low price of 800 Microsoft Points (about $10). You can change your name, but you won't be able to totally escape a checkered past, because your player reputation and statistics will still follow you around.
Your profile also has a nice feature that lets you define your regular game settings. If you normally play games with the difficulty set to "hard" and a high controller sensitivity, you can have that set in your profile. Additionally, you can also set genre-specific settings for action and racing games. In action games, for example, you can set your Y-axis, enable or disable auto-aim and auto-center, and assign player movement to a specific analog stick or D pad. It still remains to be seen whether all the 360 games will actually load up these settings, but it would be great if all games supported the feature.
The Xbox Live message center lets you read and send messages as well as chat invites, friend requests, and game invites to other Xbox 360 players. While you're logged on to Xbox Live, you'll see notification messages pop up on the bottom of your screen whenever a friend signs on. You can check your friends list to see who's online and what games they're currently playing. You also have the option to attach a 15-second voice message to any text message. You can also add a voice message to friend requests, which is great since you want people to hear the genuine desperation in your voice when you beg for their acceptance. If you try sending a message to a gamertag that isn't 360-enabled, you'll get a warning that your message won't reach the recipient. Microsoft promises to offer video messaging for Gold members when the Xbox video camera becomes available in 2006.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Hands-On Report
Find out about Microsoft's new Xbox 360 system in our special hands-on report!
