Xbox Console

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
With the Xbox Microsoft got it right first go. It has stunning graphics, immense power under the bonnet and little quirks to give it the edge. You can tell that every component of the Xbox has been scrutinised and all the elements play-tested so that this really is a machine created by gamers for gamers. The main processor is powered by Intel while the graphics are dealt with by NVIDIA and both have been specifically designed for the system.

What this gives you is a machine with PC power and equivalent graphics that plays on your television screen. Imagine a P4 2 GHz machine with buckets of memory and a GeForce 3 card with all the extra options--such as tri-linear, bump mapping and shadows--turned on and you might start to get close on the graphics. The set video pieces are like something out of the Final Fantasy movie and are far above anything previously seen on a console.

The eye candy doesn't stop with the cinematic sequences. Once you start playing the games themselves they ooze creativity and atmosphere. Titles such as Halo and Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey show a graphical style that make them simply the best-looking console games you will see on your TV.

It is not only graphics that Microsoft has gone to great pains to get right. Sound plays a huge part in the immersive atmosphere that the console is aiming for. To this end the Xbox boasts 256 audio channels as well as supporting Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround which all combine to give you an unrivalled audio experience. You will almost feel the bullets whizzing over your head from all directions in Halo.

The system also supports DVD playback which is accessed by a remote control sold separately. This is a good thing because you don't have to faff around pausing movies with the right trigger or left d-pad.

In Xbox you get the gaming capabilities of a top of the range PC with all the extras. You can't do your monthly accounts on it or edit your home movies but this machine is for playing with and that's what it excels at. --Jason Denwood

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-01-21 rating:
I like it!
i have owned and xbox for 4 years now and it has finally given up the ghost but it has been v. reliable and i have had no problems. only problem is that htere r no good platform games but drving, shooting and evrything else r great . got xbox 360 now
its not that much bigger than a ps2 and its ghot the same amount of buttons!

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review by: Sood date: 2007-11-14 rating:
Excellent multi media centre (but not in the way Micro$oft intended it)
I bought my main xbox over a year and a half ago and now own two of them! - And I still use both of them quite extensively! Why would you want to buy an xbox these days when there are so many alternatives like the psx 2, or xbox 360? - well I bought mine with the intention of using it as a multi-media centre (no, not the default rubbish that micro$oft gives you!) - I had a lot of divx & dvd backup movies of dvd's that I owned on the pc and mac that I wanted to watch in the living room.

Back a year ago the only options was to add a `mod chip' to the system that would allow you to run other software (other than micro$oft approved), nowadays you can `soft mod' the xbox which means you don't even have to buy a mod chip or open up the xbox!

I chipped mines with the X3 mod chip, nowadays you can buy a solderless version which means you just push the legs into the right places and away you go! I use XBMC (xbox media centre) homebrew software, which is a totally FREE media playing software that runs on xbox and you can use it to view pictures, play music (wma, mp3, mp4 etc) and play many video formats as well such as divx, xvid, vobs, bins, dvd etc.

Since the xbox is plugged into the tv & hi fi, now all our photo albums , music and films are viewable on our living room tv and through the hi fi! It was so easy to set up, that some months later I bought another second hand xbox and a solderless x3 chip for our bedroom.

The other big plus, is you can fit a bigger normal pc hard drive - I put a 320gb drive in one of the xboxes, and backed up all my games that I own on it - no more scratched disks - I play them straight off the hard drive! Also you are now, not limited to just European games, you can play US games on it too (there are a lot of titles that were just not released in Europe).

On a side note, for those geeks out there, I also installed Gentoo Linux and DSL Linux, both run quite happily on the chipped xbox - both offer virtual keyboards, but browsing the web is a bit clunky due to the resolution (on a normal tv connection you can only get a really low res like 600x800 or so - I think you get better res on hdtv connections (780/1080i), but movies play just perfectly (through XBMC).

So if you have a lot of content on your mac, linux or windows pc that you would like to listen/view on your hi fi/tv in another room then an xbox would be an ideal candidate!

NB. Some of the older xboxes can have a noisy fan that is audible when your film/music is on low volume, if you are buying a second hand xbox try and get xbox model v1.3 or above. (Also any form of modding or chipping will obviously invalidate any warranties you may have)

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review by: skinner date: 2007-05-17 rating:
a great console but only 4 stars
it rely is a great game console but there is one problem the xbox it over heats and wen it does it stops playin games well mine does an there is a massive variety of games on the xbox startin from rely crap ones to awesome games like halo, hitman, call of duty, project gotham racing, etc etc it goes on and on and to be fair not all ppl like action games so u might want games that i call crap but if u love em then gd for u but if u want a wide variety of games and dont mind that your xbox overheatin then get one but jus make sure u get a new one or one that has been refurbished by a compant that specialises in it and jus dont buy a second hand one for very little money cos you will be disappointed

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review by: Mike date: 2007-03-03 rating:
Great but not the best
I have all three "sixth generation" consoles - Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube so I review the Xbox on how I compare it to the other two consoles.

I bought my Xbox just before Christmas 2002 and had to buy a replacement in 2005 as my first Xbox broke down - the first console to ever break down on me.

Despite the breakdown, though, I still find the Xbox a great console that's potential was sadly very short lived.

But the main weakness, in my opinion, when comparing it with the PS2 and GameCube are the games. While I have some great games for the Xbox, I have always found, in my opinion, there have always been more "must have" exclusives on both the PS2 and GameCube.

There same thing also seems be be happening with the Xbox 360 and Wii, when I look at the Wii release lists over the coming months, I see lots of great sounding games, but the Xbox 360 only has a few.

Overall though, with the games I have got on my Xbox and for the experience I have had with it (despite the breakdown) I find the Xbox a great console.


review by: morning623 date: 2006-09-11 rating:
It Was The Strongest Console Among The Three, But Even With Power, Did It Stand A Chance?!
The Microsoft XBox Console is the first video-game homing console that the Microsoft Computer Company has released on the market. It was released in Europe on March 14th 2002 (Roughly 54 Days before the Nintendo Gamecube), and it has currently so far sold 24 Million Units, which has slightly beaten the Nintendo Gamecube, as it had sold 21 Million Units!

According to internet calculations, when the Playstation 1 was released on the market, Microsoft were getting very anxious during the late 90's as the Playstation 1 was rapidly selling loads of units out worldwide, and Microsoft looked to see that Sony may have had the power to eliminate Microsoft itself! Because of this, when the Playstation 2 was on the market, Microsoft designed a homing console which would be used to take upon revenge on Sony, which is the XBox!

It was also rumoured that the Microsoft XBox was originally going to be called DirectXbox, showing use towards DirectX. However, the XBox is the final name, which was released to the market, but the console to this day, still has hints relating towards DirectX, mostly seen with the X-shaped logo!

As well as playing XBox games, the XBox has a few more advantages added on. Common features are a built in Memory Card, which allows users to save more than 50,000 blocks of data. XBox Live which is simply, online gaming. CD & DVD Player Compatible, and if you have Music CD's (Artists, Now CD's etc), you can place a CD in the console, copy selected music and transfer them to your XBox, which you can use on certain platform games!

I didn't really know what to have out of a Playstation 2 or an XBox, so I got both of them at quite a cheap price!

The XBox has one main disadvantage, which is when placing in CD's/Games into the CD Drive, your XBox console may or may not recognize them. It depends, on when you purchased the XBox and how old it is!

My Console Rating: 8/10: Enjoyable, Fair-Play, Thumbs Up

My Recommended Games For The Console: Halo 1: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Far-Cry Instincts, Grand Theft Auto Pack, Project Gotham Racing, Dead Or Alive 3 & Sonic Heroes!

My Wish: I have difficulties with my XBox when placing in certain CD's (Mostly Burned/Blank CD's), as the console goes "Can't Recognize It, Need Clean etc!" My only wish would be if the CD drive placed in the XBox, was more function able and can easily recognize most CD Disks which exists today!

Final Comments: Microsoft may have had a career with their XBox and are building it up with their brand new XBox 360, but they have still got a long way to go! Even though, the Microsoft XBox didn't beat Sony's Playstation 2, it is still a recommended console for gamers and collectors! Nice job for now Microsoft!!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper!

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Accessories

Halo
Dead or Alive 3
Oddworld : Munch's Oddysee
Project Gotham Racing
X Box Official Advanced Scart Cable

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