It wasn’t that long ago that kids who got the “new” Nintendo 8-bit game console or Sega system for Christmas were the envy of all the less fortunate and burned-out neighborhood playmates. As time went on, the NES’s Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Turbo Graphix 16 became all freaks. Anyone in their early twenties can recall being impressed by the incredible advancements in gameplay and graphics on the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast system, and even more recently (just five or more years ago) the advent of Microsoft’s Xbox. , Nintendo’s Game Cube and Sony’s Play Station.
The video game industry has made great strides in the last twenty years: from slow and barely recognizable shapes on the screen in original Atari games like Pac-Man, Calga and Tron, to the extremely vivid and realistic graphics of Tomb. Raider, Splinter Cell and Tekken; available for Xbox and Play Station. Now, just in time for Christmas 2005, Microsoft has taken the next step in the continuing race for video game supremacy with the introduction of the Xbox 360. The result is truly phenomenal.
The Xbox 360, like all video game consoles, is basically a computer with hardware and software dedicated to the function of running video games. The original Xbox was pretty much a Microsoft PC with a modified Pentium III processor, some powerful audio and graphics capabilities, and a modified version of the Windows 2000 operating system, all packed in that distinctive black box.
This year, Microsoft has released two versions of the Xbox 360: Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Core System. The Xbox 360Core System is “plug and play”, meaning that in addition to the console, it includes an integrated controller and an AV cable. The Xbox 360 (not the “Core system”) comes with a wireless controller, an HD AV cable, an Ethernet connectivity cable, a headset, a multimedia remote, and a removable 20GB hard drive.
For anyone who thought the original Xbox was a technological marvel, you must try this! As amazing and realistic as the game was on the first Xbox, the Xbox 360 makes its predecessor look tired and worn. Microsoft has rebuilt the Xbox from scratch. From name to look, hardware to features, the Xbox 360 is a radically different and more powerful machine than the original Xbox. Much more than a video game console, the Xbox 360 is a total multimedia center that allows users to play games, network with other 360 owners; Rip, stream, and download all types of media, including high-definition movies, music, digital pictures, and game content, as well as playing DVD movies and audio CDs.
The Xbox 360 will revolutionize the world of games. Microsoft has definitely set the new standard in video game technology.
