The Xbox 360!

by neo_ragnarok

Controller:All Xbox owners have got to hate that huge controller included with most of the consoles. So, like any sane company, Microsoft provided a solution: make smaller controllers. Right out of the box, the default controller, arctic white, will be wireless, and the same size as the Xbox Controller S, if not a little smaller. The pesky black and white buttons are replace by left and right bumpers just above the left and right triggers, kind of like L2 and R2 on a standard DualShock 2 Analog Controller by Sony. The handles of this new controller are flared out for gaming comfort and to make access to the bumpers easier. The Xbox Guide Button, smack in the middle of the controller is shaped as the Xbox logo in side a circle. Each quadrant of this Guide Button will light up to indicate which screen you are using during split screen multiplayer games and when you communicate online invites over Xbox Live, the color will change. This button also works as a power on/off button for the console, if you press the center of the button and hold. Back and Start are strategically placed right next to the Guide button for easy access. The D-pad has been changed as well, for comfort. Xbox Live headsets plug into an audio jack at the bottom of the controller. An expansion jack is also included as well as a 'charge-and-play' charge port for when the controller battery is low. There is also a expansion jack that as of now, has no use. In the future, we will bring more information about this port.

Console:When you purchase your Xbox 360 (If you do…) you will have the option of buying it WITH a hard drive or WITHOUT a hard drive. Either way, the hard drive is removable and has a capacity of 20 gigabytes. There is an infrared port next to the memory card slots (each at a minimum of 64 MB) that connects directly to the DVD remote (which, thankfully, is NOT necessary to play DVDs, but more on that in Accessories). The controller uses radio waves and does not need ports, giving the Xbox 360 a more sleek and less cramped look. The color of the system is similar to that of the Nintendo DS' Platinum, and a large ring of light incessantly rotates towards the bottom (or left) of the console. When you change your console from the vertical position to the horizontal position, the light rotates in an opposite direction. Its color changes for numerous reasons. Below the power button (or to the left) are to USB ports. You can connect cameras, or wired controllers in here. Of course, a nicely silenced fan is in the back, as well as HDTV and 5.1 surround sound capable ports. A third USB port as well as an Ethernet port can be found in the back as well. This entertainment monster packs a huge 512MB of RAM, and has three IBM processors running at upwards of 3GHz each! The 360 carries a custom ATI graphics processing chip.

I hope you all enjoyed this article and we'll have more news about the Microsoft's new system when there's more.