I jumped over alligators with the Atari and ate mushrooms with the original Nintendo. I raced against Mario and Luigi on the Super Nintendo, and crushed Sub-Zero with my Sega Genesis. I shot dinosaurs with my Playstation and saved Hyrule on my Gamecube. I still count beating “Final Fantasy X” on the Playstation 2 as one of my finest gaming moments, though finishing both “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” games are a close second.
I’ve played or owned almost every video game console that’s come out since the 1980s, and while it’s been a blast, there’s just one console that has held my attention: the Xbox 360. I purchased my favorite console of all time when it was released in November 2005. At the time, it came with a hard drive and had the ability to play HD-DVD movies. The HD-DVD technology may have lost out to Sony’s Blu-ray, but the console itself is still going strong in my household.
Though every console has its problems, I’ve been impressed with the Xbox 360’s durability (mine has broken down once in six years), and the continued improvements Microsoft continues to make with the console. When the Nintendo Wii came out with games where players could get involved through physical activity instead of sitting in front of the TV, the Xbox 360 responded with the Kinect.
The Kinect gave players the opportunity to engage in physical activity, but it had other new capabilities. Xbox 360 gamers can now use the voice feature to activate and issue commands to the system. Players no longer need a remote control when viewing a movie on their Xbox, but instead all they need to do is speak up.
The Kinect also has sensors that enable users to simply wave their hands in front of it, and the system will recognize them and access their login. These additions to the already capable Xbox 360 have enabled the game console to stay ahead of the curve in the video gaming world.
In the meantime, outstanding games continue to be released on the Xbox 360. Whether it be “Call of Duty” or “Elder Scrolls: Skyrim” gamers can expect excellence with this console. I spent over 100 hours earlier this year beating “Fallout 3,” and I can’t wait until I get more time to play it again.
If there is a downside to the Xbox 360, it’s that the system continues to be for more adult gamers. Young children simply don’t have many options with it. However, I’m fine with that. Let the kids have the Wii. I’ll take my Xbox 360 and be happy with it.