Video games have been rising in popularity since the days of the Atari 2600, and the current age of video gaming began with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES for short). Two decades after the Nintendo started flying off of store shelves, there are three big consoles on the market: Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s Playstation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii. The first two will appeal to the same demographic of gamers, and they compare relatively closely in terms of graphics and other features. Therefore, the deciding factor should be their respective libraries of games. Gamers looking for a strong game library can turn to the hundreds of Xbox 360 video games on the market to fulfill their wishes.
One Drawback
With the next generation home video format at a close, the HD-DVD format favored by the Xbox 360 game system is now defunct. That means that as of July 2008, the Xbox 360 is still incapable of HD movie playback, while the Playstation 3 has Blu-ray support right out of the box. However, there may be a Blu-ray drive add-on for the Xbox 360 game system in the future (it’s still up in the air), and the Xbox 360 is substantially cheaper than the Playstation 3. Forgetting about next gen movie formats for a bit, the Xbox 360 video game system is also capable of playing normal DVDs, which most people have anyway.
With hundreds of Xbox 360 games to choose from, gamers can experience 1080i grahics on their high definition televisions and high fidelity surround sound audio. Unfortunately, the HD-DVD optical disc format is now extinct, so gamers on the on the Xbox 360 will be stuck with normal DVDs. Of course, side by side comparisons clearly show Xbox 360 grahics to be superior to those of its nearest competitor, the Playstation 3, even without the extra storage capacity found in Blu-ray discs. With better graphics and a cheaper price tag, what more could gamers ask for?
Ultimately, the Xbox 360 game system is about – you guessed it – games. That’s where the Xbox 360 pro system gained fame, and that’s where the console will continue to thrive. Big titles like Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Halo Wars, and Grand Theft Auto IV will propel the console into new tiers of popularity. Not all games appeal to everyone, but the sheer number available means that gamers of all types will find many games to enjoy on the Xbox 360 game system. The current price for a 20 Gb model has been slashed to $300 in anticipation of the 60 Gb model, which will cost $350. When you take into account the sheer value that you get in one package – the biggest and best library of video games today, movies, Netflix, music, and the Internet – $300 is an incredible bargain. Because it’s been out several years, the Xbox 360 game system is in wide availability, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a console.