Anniversary of a Red Ringed Monster - Xbox 360

[Neon Ignition]

Noticed that another anniversary was already here as the Xbox 360 passed its fifth year on the market and begins its push into an extended life cycle.

With an early launch for this generation and with the ground built up by its predecessor Microsoft have managed to build up a healthy 45 million units sale figure which looks to be enough to keep them in 'second place' for one more year and the recent launch of Kinect will very much shape how long the system lasts here on out and how its replacement takes shape.

As with the PS2 thread, what have your experiences and thoughts been of the system and Microsofts approach to its second term on the market?

[smouty]

It has probably been the best console ever. I've never had a technical issue with the 360 (or any other console really) so reliability has been fine. Games, controller and live are all pretty much class leading. Region coding is probably the only thing I could possibly see as a negative.

[Daragon]

It has probably been the best console ever. I've never had a technical issue with the 360 (or any other console really) so reliability has been fine. Games, controller and live are all pretty much class leading. Region coding is probably the only thing I could possibly see as a negative.

And you bought your first 360 when? If you're a launch day man I will have to call you out on that one. It is a FACT that launch day machines WILL fail at some point in their life.

[speedlolita]

I've owned 3, all have been just fine. No love for the console though, except maybe for the JP titles.

[Skull Commander]

Great console, crap build. I'm on number 7, and I didn't even have it on launch.

Problems aside, it's grown into a fantastic machine, and it's telling that despite all the problems I still want to own one.

It has a tremendous range of games to cater for all tastes, and it has given me some of the finest gaming experiences this gen with exclusives such as Dead Rising, Pac Man CE, EDF2017, Ninja Gaiden 2, quite often the best version of multiformat titles, and a host of older classics on their XBLA service.

The controller is pretty decent apart from the moronic D-Pad, and for the majority of modern games it's superb.

It's also managed to build on the the solid online foundations of it's older brother, and now I take the online features (leaderboards, ability to speak to others while playing etc) for granted.

For me, as a gaming console the Xbox 360 has been pretty much unbeatable this generation. I have had a Wii and got rid of it, and the PS3 doesn't have much to offer that I can't already get on my Xbox 360.

[Flabio]

Posterity will remember it for two things really.

1) The red ring, and horrendous build quality.
2) XBox Live, bringing a standard baseline level of online play on something that isn't a PC to the forefront of modern game development.

[Dogg Thang]

For me, my 360 ownership will always be overshadowed by my RRoD. That it seemed so inevitable after all the reports, it rubbed me up the wrong way something rotten. And, from that moment on, I bought very few 360 games and all multi-platform games went to PS3 instead.

That said, the 360 defined this generation for me. With Dead Rising and the amount of zombies on screen, I wasn't just seeing the same only more polished. I was seeing something that just couldn't happen in previous generations.

And Gears Of War? Wow. It really felt like a leap to me.

The console also really defined the online jump for me too. Yes, I played PSO on DC and I know people were online with their original XBox. I can't quite remember if I was but the machine that turned online from something of a novelty or something special to something normal, something expected, was the 360.

So, while I find the build quality to be unacceptable, when I think back on this generation, my mind will likely go first to the 360.

[charlesr]

Mine RRODd. Luckily MS repaired it under warranty even though it was a US unit. It came back with louder fans though, so I replaced them with nidecs and did the heat funneling mods. Since then it has been perfect.

So yes, defined by its rubbish reliability then.
But games have been pretty cool tool, with Stoked, Forza 2 and Deadly Premonition rocking my gaming world on disc.

What really set it apart from previous gens was the downloadable games on XBLA and XBLIG. My previous tactic to limit my game purchases was to have a small cupboard with limited space in so to buy new games, I had to sell old ones. With downloads, the cuffs are off. Limbo, Trials HD, Meat Boy, Gravitron360, Trigger Heart Exelica - just amazing choice.

Live is pretty cool and I think it's worth paying a bit for each year.

The interface is tragic though. Designed by geeks? Certainly by people that never actually used the thing. I've moaned about that plenty elsewhere though, so to sum up: please let me see either side of the focus item you idiots.

[nakamura]

Xbox live and party chat are the highlight of this generation for me. Live really is very well done and makes even single player gaming more fun. I have an arcade machine that was repaired by MS before I got it and it has been ok but I don't use it a great deal.

I really haven't got into this gen as much as others though. Sick of so many games being bugged to hell and then badly patched. Sick of 30fps when I was expecting 60. It all feels like a middle generation. Apart from the visual fidelity overall(despite the frame rates), the whole generation offers nothing offline that I haven't played before.

So for me, I like the Xbox, but I never use it for single player games.

[charlesr]

Good points. Would be nice if next gen they actually had 720p games running at 60fps.
Probably by then we'll all have to buy new TVs for the next wave of 2163p TVs with consoles trying to chase silly resolutions we can't even see unless sat 2" from a large monitor.

[Decider-VT]

Pretty much the console that brought online play and social gaming to me. For some reason the launch passed me right by and I wasn't really interested in it until the Elite was released. Party chat, online co-op and custome soundtracks have been the defining features for me but definite negatives have been poor hardware (1 RROD, 1 overheating unit), the crap pad and rubbish BC. It's probably the console I'll be absolutely infuriated with in ten years' time when it keels over and there's nothing to play that stellar back catalogue on.

Edit: can't believe I forgot Achievements, which seem to have changed the way many people are playing their games. Of course, this may be good or bad, depending on your perspective. XBLIG and XNA are also encouraging developments.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Live stands out as being an almost flawless implementation. It instantly created a community, one that is still evolving now but has retained the basics available from day 1.

Had MS delivered it with a Blu-Ray drive and not had the quality issues the PS3 would be dead in the water, hanging on with a few exclusive titles.

I'm very happy with the controller, it moulds nicely to the hands and doesn't result in cramp or aching hands after hours of play.

Overall MS have delivered in spades.

[Matt]

Brilliant games, and Live is nice and easy (if flawed for the actual gaming, imo). But ultimately the 360 will be remembered for the RROD. In 15 years time, all you retro lovers will need to be be paying over a grand to buy a working console to relive the glory days. They're all going to DIE!

In terms of games, this generation has been, for me, the best I can recall. I tended to console game in cycles - 6 months, say, then sell it on before probably picking up another one a year later. I've stuck with the 360 almost throughout the 5 years, only getting the arse and picking up a PS3 when number, er, 5 [or was it 6?] died on me.

I can't recall how many 360's I've had. I think it's 9. If I'm feeling optimistic I'd say 8.

BTW, in my eyes, the PS3 has long passed the 360 in terms of "real sales". I feel you have to consider consoles working in the field. If every 360 owner has had as many consoles as me going through the tills, they're actually below 10million real units!

[EvilBoris]

It's definately up there with the Gamecube and Dreamcast for me in terms of super memorable gaming time spent on it.
It's crazy as it doesn't feel like it's running out of steam either this gen.

[Flabio]

It's getting harder to wring new tricks out of it, I do think there's more power still to be tapped in the PS3 compared to the 360, but there's still at least 2 years left in them.