Xbox 360-ed

When I first bought my Xbox 360, I expected to be a great gaming experience with Halo 3 and not much more. Then, I thought I may pay for the additional add-on HD-DVD reader but decided not to (Best decision! For those living under a rock, Blu-Ray won). Then, for a couple of years the only thing I used the Xbox 360 was playing Halo and Madden (Maybe a couple terrible games too. Perfect Dark being one of them.). It was probably just an average purchase until about last year (when it made a 360! No, wait, a 180!).

With apps on mobile and the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft knew they have to do something. They revamped the UI and affected the experience where it's just superb to use. The best interfaces are the ones that are intuitive where a child can use it (Apple seemed to perfect this concept on iOS). Microsoft has done something really close with their Xbox interface.

The Xbox has become to be more than a gaming console. Microsoft has created a platform with it. Users can watch videos from a HDD, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, ESPN3, and now Amazon Prime! (I LOVE PRIME!) Music can be played through the console. Overall, it has taken over the need to build a home theater PC (besides Blu-Ray). And the convenience factor of not needing to hook up my computer to my TV is the deal maker. And you don't even need the controller anymore, many of the functions can be controlled by the Kinect through voice and signals but I have yet to use it (It looks great though). One thing Microsoft should improve on is the communication between users. The messenger isn't great and I hesitate to use it when I think about it. Having Skype on the Xbox could be a huge hit and improvement (Good thing Microsoft bought them!).

Microsoft has done a great job with moving the Xbox with the consumer base. They adapted to the environment very well, building a platform where other services can hatch on to. And they expanded their number of users with casual gamers or music/tv watchers in addition to the existing consumer base being more frequent (or hardcore) gamers. A year ago, I thought of making a HTPC but it seems so unnecessary with my Xbox being a great one. What a great purchase I made, it has definitely increased in functionality and worth for me. (I just wish I had the R2-D2 Xbox though...)