720p is classed as a native resolution for most games, i.e. this is the maximum and optimal setting they are designed to run in, so you are seeing the game as intended.

If you switch to 1080i, your are "forcing" the 360 (or TV) to upscale the image to a higher resolution. The difference is in the "i" - the image signal is interlaced - this means that first, the screen displays half the lines of the image (e.g. line one, line 3, line 5), then it goes back and displays all the lines inbetween these that it missed on the first, but so fast that hopefully you shouldn't notice it. However, this can  produce noticeable artefacts on the screen - it can lead to a very slight loss in quality, and in some cases (dependent how fast the TV refreshes the screen and the framerate, and also how cheap a TV it is) fast on-screen movement can produce visible "tearing" or smearing. Now, most folks might not even notice it, but like I said, it depends on the quality of  the screen. It's not too different (although not quite as drastic) from watching a normal TV signal on a big LCD screen - it looks pretty crappy because the stanrd 480p signal is being upscaled to match your hi-def ready TV

Now, 1080p, on the other hand, does not interlace, and should be a simple upscaled verson of 720p so should maintain a decent picture. If you TV supports 1080p, then it may be worth trying that for fun and ignoring 1080i altogether.

At the moment, I think only one game (Virtua Tennis? I'm mot sure) is the only one designed to run in 1080p, so you will be best with 720p. Eventually, as more TV's come with native 1080p built in, we might see more game developers building that into their games, That will look awesome!

There are so many routers out there, it is impossible to recommend a small number, but the link posted in the above post should help. You'll also need to sort out your router setting to access Xbox Live as efficiently as possible, so that your NAT settings are Open, not Moderate or Strict (these will limit your ability to join games or voice chat). Once you have everything set up, go to www.portforward.com and look up the router you have purchased. It will give you the optimal settings for Xbox Live access.

Good luck. I hate routers...

Any batteries, rechargeable or not, should be fine with the controller.

I wouldn't recommend the Play & Charge kit (cable that plugs into the 360) - I have had three of these and I have found that the rechargeable batteries sometimes dont fit sungly into the controller as their casings are a bit loose - and this will stop the kit from charging it, rendering them useless. Get the standy-uppy Quick Charge kit if you can stretch to the extra few bucks - it seems to not mind shoddy rechargeable battey units so much. And it is quicker :)

Depends on the budget, i.e. have you saved that up and are games an occasional luxury?

If you are being careful with money (unlike me, I am an idiot), and games are a luxury, it's hard to make a recommendation for new 360 games - trusting what you like, and Gamespot's reviews is the best bet. Also, perhaps get more bang for your buck and buy second-hand. I would recommend Rainbow 6 Vegas (fun campaign) and Call of Duty 3 (great online, no kiddies and I think it is reduced in price now). FEAR is good, but gets a bit tiresome. Condemned is also an interesting game, but not to everyone's taste, and like FEAR, gets a bit tiresome and is a slow-paced game.  Maybe an even better option would be to rent first ( if you have a rental store). Check out the games you like the look of, see how they play out, and then decide. Or, check out some demos off of Xbox live if you are online, and see what you think first.

Finally, don't forget that the $100 could buy you a LOT of last-gen Xbox classics. If you never owned an Xbox before (you don't say if you did or not) there's plenty of classic, fantastic (and often dirt cheap) second-hand Xbox games out there that will be worth your consideration. Just remember to check out the backwards-compatibility list on www.xbox.com and make sure the games store will take returns if any turn out to be not BC.

Let us know what you choose, and have fun!

Well, my advice will probably be a little biased, but as you like shooters AND RPG's, then maybe it's not such an obvious choice. 

I am an avid FPS fan, so I guess that colors my answer somewhat... :D However, I do have Oblivion, but if I am really honest...it kind of bored me. Beat the dungeon level, wandered around the town for a bit, gave up. However, I can appreciate why folks would like it if RPG's are their thing. I can see how it would offer a long, long time of endless variation, character development and entertainment.

But wait. It's less simple than that, even. Gears is an awesome game and all, but I am not too sure you'll be playing it for months. I tried the onlie games, and they didn't grab me at all. And although the campaign is fantastic...if you have beaten it already, I'm not sure your going to play through it again that many times.  

So. what do I recommend? For a long-term investment, Oblivion hands down, if you like RPG's. For online fun, however, I would probably recommend Call of Duty 3. I am an avid Halo freak, but I don't go near Halo 2 online. Why? Cause it sucks, and is full of annoying kiddies. But COD3 gives me hours of fun online, and a slightly more tactical and thoughful approach. It's all I currently play online. The campaign is good, and you can always borrow your friend's copy of Gears if you need a fix.

Third option - don't forget that there is also the back-catalog of last-gen Xbox games to play with too - if you are on a tight budget, you can pick some really good, value for money Xbox games up for practically a few quid/bucks at most game stores now. For not much outlay you could have Halo, Halo2, BLACK., Half-Life2, Serious Sam (silly but fun) Medal of Honor games and many more - not to mention the RPG's that came out on the console. Check out www.xbox.com to see which games are backwards-compatible before you buy.

I guess I have just muddied the waters for you there, but good luck, and have fun! Welcome to the Xbox 360. You won't look back. 

(Just my opinions - not an invitation for everyone to start flaming me for my choices...everyone has different tastes!)

Glad it's not just me then! but it is the general speed of the site too - not just downloads - it feels like I am viewing the site on a 56k modem!  Which makes any lengthy surfing a chore, and as this is the only game site I like that is kind of a pain...

I am in the UK, could that be a problem perhaps?

Hi guys

Just a quick query, I have found over the last few days that Gamespot runs excruciatingly slowly - it takes upwards of a minute to get to the next page, sometimes. I also found that to download a video file (not HD) of about 119 meg was clocking itself as a four-hour download...

I'm pretty sure that there's not a problem at this end, as I am not having issues with any other sites, or Xbox live, through my broadband connection, so I just thought I should make you aware in case there is an issue at your end. I

Any ideas? I'm running IE7 under WinXp, not had any problems before...

Thanks for your help :)