4 million pieces of HD content downloaded from Xbox Live
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jan 27th 2006 7:03PM
posted Jan 27th 2006 7:03PM
Ok, they may not have all been HD, there were probably
some gamer tiles and a song here and there, but just going by the informal responses on Joystiq, those lucky
enough to get hold of an Xbox 360 think digital distribution is
a good, good thing. I've downloaded every trailer and demo posted so far, even the streaming instructions. Still, some remain unimpressed by the games and concerned about ongoing launch shortages that have caused Microsoft to adjust their projections, I guess the questions remains: Is the Xbox 360 ( & Xbox Live) next gen enough?
I am very much happy with XBL. I defienately think that its next-gen Although I dont care much for the trailers, I love the demos. I think this is a one of the best features of XBL considering games are $59.99 a pop now, its nice to try it out before running down to EB. And the X360 is still a baby in it's lifespan. I believe that games that will utilize all three cores are coming but just aren't out now. There is more to a game than pretty graphics but on the other hand how much fun is it to play a game blindfolded?
I definitely think it's next gen enough.
It's the beginning of the product life cycle. I think some may be expecting too much too soon. I think others still expect too much overall. I mean, what do they want the 360 to do, clean and press their pants?
It's a game console, I expect better graphics and sound from next gen. Gameplay is gameplay and it evolves independent of console generations. The 360 has already produced, and I look forward to the future as developers learn to harness the power.
What I do find annoying is how people say the 360 must really be hurting for quality titles if everyone is so thrilled with Xbox Live Arcade. Hello, new ways of playing games is what it's all about. I'm never played any kind of tetris or puzzle game, but I got hooked on Hexic for hours the other day.
Old arcade titles aren't generally worth picking up for 20 bucks for the compilations. But 5 bucks to relive some Joust or some other classic? That's a no-brainer.
It ain't perfect, but I think they got it right.
With the HD-DVD drive add-on coming out later this year, I wonder how MS is going to implement it. It has been said that HD would downconvert with component cables...so will this drive have an HDMI output?
Now, it comes down to what you think next gen is.
I should say (regardless of the MVP status), I truly do think it is next gen. The triple core CPU, and the (truly) next generation GPU, that has 10mb of embedded dram (edram) is revolutionary...first time.
To me, next gen was more than just better graphics. It included better gameplay (CPU able to handle better physics, more characters, better AI), and services.
You are going to get the PS3 and Xbox360 to produce games that are extremely similar...Allard said it himself, that it is going to be a "wash" between the two. But what xbox live has going for it, is the services, with the gamercard, with Xbox live.
Xbox Live is doing something that has never been done. You dont see gamercards anywhere else (and the Official Sony forums had buzz, and asked Sony to do the same after the feature released). You can track your games, or your buddy's games. But, what Xbox live has now, with the seperate channels, the integrated dashboard and everything else, truly defines the "next gen" features.
-Matt