Gaming Critical Hit: Is the Xbox 360 Dead in the Water?

Xbox seems to be doing fine for a middle aged console - it just got Kinect which is the hottest console add on around right now. Combined with the fact that multi-platform games are generally best on the xbox, the HW if finally pretty reliable, and it's the cheapest console I say if anything it in the strongest position.

The one that's dying is the Wii.

 

oh god, please no, Black and White Kinect would be the worst idea of all times. as much as i love BmW series, and love the innovative idea of kinect, having to wave my arm for 2 hours straight in a core game is not something anyone would be interested to do.

Kinect is as interesting as Wii: expensive novelty toy.


the Xbox 360 relys on Halo series, look what happens when there are no new upcoming Halo title? articles like this gets written.

 

Where I think the 360 is missing a trick is the media player side of things. The GUI is awful on it (as the crossbar thing is on Sony machines - though I can only speak of their BR players in this regard). If it had something along the lines of a XBMC/Boxee (and they are far from perfect!) GUI on it and access to services like iPlayer I would definitely get another one. They should also do another refresh to add BR and I would be surprised if they didn't given they expect it to go another 5 years before it's replaced.

Not really gaming related I guess but it's just something that really bugs me about the 360 (and the PS3 to a lesser degree)!

 

I love my xbox, only got it 2 years ago and it was my missus who wanted it more than me I was happy with my PC for gaming. It was Xbox live that won me over, for years I used to play games with my friends on PC, using team speak and swapping server IP addresses in order for us all to get in the same game then usually wait till someone leaves to get on the same team. With Xbox live it so simple to play with your friends its great, join a party then join a game together.

I was one of the last of my work friends to get an Xbox since then all my PC friends have joined me on Xbox too.

I have recently been playing more on my PC again and have upgraded it, a few people are talking about getting new machines for BF 3 but I don't think people will drop their Xbox so quickly just because there is no new Halo coming out in fact only 2 of my friends play halo, we mostly play bad company 2, CoD Forza or other older games recently AvP which is cheap to buy and real fun with friends.

I wish Steam would get more like Xbox live 1 big reason people like the Xbox is the simplicity of playing with friends which steam offers a small taste of.

 

kinnect for streamed movies seems like a no brainer.... except ms has no brain :-(

 

They could just release a USB BR player like they did with the HD-DVD one. They won't replace the internal drive to BR just for movies as they're not going to release Xbox games in that format.

 

I haven't witnessed it, but all the reports coming from GDC about Epics Unreal Engine 3 points to the current crop of consoles needing to be replaced sooner rather than later ...

I'd rather enjoy the PC glory days for much longer though

 

Yes they do. Multiplatform titles are mostly trash made on compromises.
Quality behind exclusives far surpasses multis.

 

Would you care to please share whatever it is that you're smoking because it must be really good.

I fail to see how the 360 is "an out-dated console." If you're going by age then the PS3 is out-dated as well. And before you even attempt it, just because the PS3 has a blu-ray player in it doesn't make it any better. There's been very few games on the 360 that needed to use multiple discs. Forza 3 is the only one in my collection and I only needed to put the second disc in once, install it to the HDD, and then file it away.

I actually know quite a few people who bought a 360 because of Gears.

For a failed experiment, it sure has sold quite well.

There's no point to releasing a Blu-ray add-on. The HD-DVD add-on was cheaper then a standalone player when it came out. Today, you can buy a blu-ray player for less than $100.

I am a gamer, plain and simple. I have a 360, PS3, Wii, a gaming PC, DS, and my Android phone. All of which I play games on. My 360 is my primary gaming platform. Why? Because it's the easiest way for me to play games with my friends. Many of my friends aren't computer literate enough to build/maintain a gaming PC. Hell, most of them can't even manage to keep Windows and their anti-virus up to date let alone make sure they have the latest drivers and made sure to download and install the newest patch.

Consoles are easy. You open the tray, put a disc in. If it needs an update, it tells you and less than two minutes later, you're playing the game. While Xbox Live is a paid service, it's also a hell of a lot nicer to interact with then the god awful Playstation Online service is. Microsoft also does a better job at making your online experience better then Sony does. Don't believe me? Put in a copy of Modern Warfare 2 on both systems and load up matchmaking. Now tell me which version you run into glitched lobbies first on.

 

Only reason I bother turning my 360 on is to play Forza 2 or 3, and I haven't done that for months since diving back in to GTR Evo, Race On and STCC. That'll change whenever Forza 4 comes out, but until then...

 

Ditto, I tried Gears, it didn't take Roll on FM4

 

I think the whole console scene is looking decidedly unwell at the moment, not just the xbox 360, a result of old hardware tech and concentrating too much on casual motion capture gaming.

 

no one wants BR - utterly pointless

 

Well the power of the average graphics card has been increasing phenomenally in past few years and the current generation of consoles haven't got any way of upgrading with an introduction of another generation.

Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot by locking down their content, in contrast the PS3's forthcoming integration with Steam alongside offering updates and DLC for free is the way forward. TF2 on the 360 has languished behind the PC version because of lack of support forced by MS.

Think I'll stick with my PC as I think I always will; BF3 will hopefully finally show the massive void between current generation PC hardware and consoles.

 

I've always been a mix of pc and console gaming. Last Bought Wii from launch, loved it, thought it was great. I was tempted for ages with 360 to play Forza, Halo and Gears and when i got one for my birthday in 09 i now never hardly play wii unless new Mario, DK or Zelda game is out.

Love the 360. Tried playing some games on ps3 but didn't like it and i really don't like the trigger buttons pad either. I can see the appeal of a ps3 as a media device, not a gaming machine, but when i do get a standalone blu-ray player it will be a sony just not a ps3.

Apart from Nintendo who seem to bring out a Mario game every other week (even if it is a update of an old one) as far as i can tell the ps3 doesn't have that many ps3 only titles by sony (but im sure someone will now tell me).

 

They would if it was competitively priced. That is the only thing stopping me from buying BR instead of DVD. Not that I buy that much DVD anymore (mainly comedy for Xmas) thanks to the Sky channels showing HD films..

 

I think, right now, both the PS3 and XBox360 are vulnerable to a game changer PC game. Something that makes them both seem truly outdated.

Throughout previous console gens, PC always used to pull ahead showing what was possible graphically, with state of the art titles, and then major console companies would play catch up and the next console gen would arrive.

Basically it hasn't happened this time, and the PC platform has been, in effect, artificially retarded by Consolization. Studios balk at the incredible costs of AAA title development and even optimizing PC versions, has seemed like too much of an effort for some. The reality is, simultaneous multi platform development has usually meant PC is the last priority and thus it's been getting a raw deal. This, and the PC platform's other well known issue.

So the question is, will a cutting edge, DX11 PC game like BF3, be that game changer? I'd guess many here would hope so. As something needs to force Sony and MS's hand on the next gen.

 

I hardly think ringing the death knell for a console based on one studio's output is necessary, there's still a lot of life left in the 360 (and PS3).

I've only recently gotten back in playing games on the PC, but I've still got a lot of stuff on the 360 that I'd never consider getting for PC.

Consoles are still the mainstay for living room games-playing, and while PCs are making a bit more headway in this regard, it's still a lot easier (not to mention a lot cheaper) to go and get a console to do the same thing. I have a regular Thursday night get-together with my close friends for some games, and being sat on comfy furniture in a social atmosphere while playing PGA/NBA2K11/Pro Evo/Fight Night/SSFIV in front of a big screen is much better.

I agree that PCs will always be on top in terms of technology - even at the start of a console's lifetime - but as already echoed above, it's never going to compete at the same level while they require greater technical literacy, and while a new console costs considerably less than a mid/top end graphics card.

Old hardware tech in consoles is completely irrelevant, there's nothing to be added to them to improve what's already there. Developers still haven't got the best out of the GPUs yet, 5.1 Surround sound is the norm, and 1080p is the de-facto HD standard in the games and will be for years yet. What would they make better? For Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft there's no point in replacing cheap, well-selling hardware until they can offer a quantum leap in graphics. That's the only thing that's going to generate interest from Joe Public now.

FWIW, despite its cost I really don't think there's an online service anywhere that can top Live for integration and features.

 

Well, I for one just replaced my XBox over christmas.
I alos got a Kinect with it (Free).
The Kinect at this point hardly seems worth it. Sure, Dance central is a great party hit, but other than that, the games for the kinect are a bit flat so far. Maybe UFC Trainer changes that.

Other than that, I find the graphics just fine. As good as on my PC (which is admittedly on the old side).

I personally enjoy sitting on my living room couch playing games while talking to the missus.

I think the 360 is LESS dead in the water than the Wii, and as much as the PS3.

 

Not as long as people can get it on their £150-£200 consoles and not need any kind of technical know-how to run it. Sure, it might not look as good as the PC version, but how many people here will be spending over that amount on a GPU alone to play it?

(for the record I'll be getting it on PC )