The Xbox360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft. It is in competition with Sony’s Playstation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii, as part of the seventh generation of video gaming consoles. The date for the system launch was November 22nd, 2005, giving Microsoft and head-start on their competition. Read more on the Xbox360 at Wikipedia.

My thoughts on the Xbox360? Overall I am happy with the system. There is enough games out for the system that I am never bored with it, and there are plenty of games coming out for the Xbox360, that I won’t be bored with it anytime soon. There are a few exclusive titles that may be reason enough to purchase the system. Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect to name a few. There is also XboxLive, XboxLive Marketplace, XboxLive Arcade, the Achievement system, and media playback. You can also stream music, video, or view pictures from a networked computer.

XboxLive: This feature allows you to enjoy some of the games that support multiplayer online with others. So when you are finished or bored with single player mode, you can take some games online for multiplayer mode for some more fun. There is support for a friendlist, so you can see whenever they are online, and even join into thier gaming sessions if the game allows. The XboxLive Marketplace is where you can purchase extra goodies (new maps, levels, costumes) for some of your games, or even rent movies that are out, and download them directly to your Xbox360 for your viewing pleasure. The XboxLive Arcade is where you can purchase classic games to be played on your Xbox360. There is also smaller developed games you can purchase from here. With this, you will never run out of games to play on your Xbox360.

For those of you who wish to add me to your friendlist, my gamertag is: Trunks1022. You can probably see me online playing Mass Effect or Eternal Sonata at the moment. So you can drop by and send me a message anytime to say, “Hi”. Also if you feel like teaming up with me to save the world, or even if you feel like challenging me in a football match, feel free to toss me an invitation. You can click on this little gamercard here to view which games I have played, and even see how much I have completed for each game. I will look forward to seeing you online. Remember to bring you “A” game.

The Achievement System: This feature gives all the games you purchased for the Xbox360 some added replay bonus. Each game will give you a set amount of points for achieving goals laid out within the game, towards your “Gamerscore”. Its like an extra bonus you get for beating a game, and you can let other people know your achievements.

There are a few problems for the Xbox360 that many people have. The biggest one being the Red Ring of Death (RRoD). Its basically your system getting a system failure, and stops working. This is serious problem that many people are experiencing, and because of this, Microsoft has extended their warranty to 3yrs, and will repair any Xbox360s which encounters this problem, free of charge. Granted, there is a month or two waiting period until you get your Xbox360 back, but hey, at least its free.

I will leave you with a few pictures I’ve found on the interweb of externally modded Xbox360s. Enjoy!