OT - Xbox 360

[SPURSX3]

MS does it again!  I know most of you probably DON't game, but just in case you do I just wanted to pass along something really cool about the New Xbox Xperience (or new xbox dashboard).  I logged in yesterday and it updated it self to the new styled dashboard they had been advertizing for some time now.  I looked around, created my little "avatar" - MS version of a Mii - and invited some people to join a "party" which is like a group chat session and your avatars all show up in one spot.  it was pretty cool, but the ONE thing about this whole update that is gonna have PS3 players irked is that you can now have 8 players on a private chat, and all 8 players can be playing 8 diff games!  we found this out by accident yesterday when we all said we were going to do something else, everyone launched into a game and we were still on chat.  To me, this has to be the best feature.  Talk to your friends and not be stuck playing a game you really don't feel like playing.  All the other stuff was nice too: netflix launch from xbox, new organized dashboard, avatars, install games to hdd now, etc.  However, the fact that you can talk to your friends and not listen to the stupid rantings of noobs has to be the best thing IMO.

[jemagee]

Just don't load halo 3 to your hard drive and try and play it on NXE (as it's been abbreviated)

[SPURSX3]

Just don't load halo 3 to your hard drive and try and play it on NXE (as it's been abbreviated)

Yeah I saw that, something about how halo reads/writes the game on the hdd, cannot be done at the same time.  I do have some friends who did this and they say it is no different then before.  I loaded Fallout 3 and the gameplay is better, not as glitchy, seems faster - as for loading time, i can't say there is much of a difference.  slight at best.  However all of these games were done before the new NXE was finalized so maybe as more games come out the improvements should stand out more.

[jemagee]

I don't use xbox live all that much - more of a solitary game player - but when i start looking to new games fallout 3 is high on the list

[WayOutWest]

I just bought a 1 year subscription to XBox Live Gold and got a free mini-keyboard and headset.  I'm pissed that there are no black accessories for my XBox, I broke my head set and have had to settle for white one.

I'll have to check out the new XBox features, I haven't been on much since my kids were banned from weekday play.

Do you guys still play Halo 3 online much?

[jemagee]

I haven't actually played halo 3 yet at all - so i'm not online   I am probably not very good - but I need to schedule more 'relaxation' time into my free time instead of sitting in front of the puter programming so much - so if some people wanted to get together for some halo 3 online play i'd be down.

Gears 2 as well (i'd hae to buy it first but I really enjoyed the first one, my favorite  FPS since the barney skin of Doom when it was free and it was 1994)

[SPURSX3]

I just bought a 1 year subscription to XBox Live Gold and got a free mini-keyboard and headset.  I'm pissed that there are no black accessories for my XBox, I broke my head set and have had to settle for white one.

I'll have to check out the new XBox features, I haven't been on much since my kids were banned from weekday play.

Do you guys still play Halo 3 online much?

Not as much, I have some other games I like right now that I pla, fallout 3, little big planet, I will get back into halo though as it gets closer to new maps coming out and Halo 3: Recon gets closer.  It's cool thought, cuz you can play halo, i can play fallout and we can still talk smack.

[jemagee]

Any Fable 2 players out there - how is it?

[SPURSX3]

I haven't actually played halo 3 yet at all - so i'm not online   I am probably not very good - but I need to schedule more 'relaxation' time into my free time instead of sitting in front of the puter programming so much - so if some people wanted to get together for some halo 3 online play i'd be down.

Gears 2 as well (i'd hae to buy it first but I really enjoyed the first one, my favorite  FPS since the barney skin of Doom when it was free and it was 1994)

I will hold off on gears 2 for a bit, but yeah, online is fun.  It is for the most part adults online.  Every now and then you end up in a game with some kids, but that's whats o great about the private chat feature, and mute.  Sunday would be good for some Halo 3 for me if you are down for that.  just send a friend rqst to jportillo.

[SPURSX3]

Any Fable 2 players out there - how is it?

I played it, finished it.  it was fun.  but i traded it in for fallout 3.  IMO fallout 3 is the better game.

[jemagee]

According to various 'industry' researcher folk - the PS3 is doomed - the only one of the big 3 to see decreases in sales this holiday season.

Many economic folk think video games are recession proof (not that i believe it) - but they still think the PS3 is toasted

[WayOutWest]

According to various 'industry' researcher folk - the PS3 is doomed - the only one of the big 3 to see decreases in sales this holiday season.

Many economic folk think video games are recession proof (not that i believe it) - but they still think the PS3 is toasted

I think the Blu-Ray victory in the HD wars could give it a boost.  IMO while the PS3 should be the superior product, the execution of their overall gaming experience lags behind XBox 360.

[SPURSX3]

According to various 'industry' researcher folk - the PS3 is doomed - the only one of the big 3 to see decreases in sales this holiday season.

Many economic folk think video games are recession proof (not that i believe it) - but they still think the PS3 is toasted

I think the Blu-Ray victory in the HD wars could give it a boost.  IMO while the PS3 should be the superior product, the execution of their overall gaming experience lags behind XBox 360.

yeah if the 360 had large game storage like ps3 does with bluray it would have been over a long time ago.  IMO sony should be ashamed that the system that is, "the most powerful gaming system ever" has such a bad gaming selection.  little big planet and metal gear solid 4 are the only real games worth playing on it.  resistance was ok but nothing really special IMO.

[westkoast]

According to various 'industry' researcher folk - the PS3 is doomed - the only one of the big 3 to see decreases in sales this holiday season.

Many economic folk think video games are recession proof (not that i believe it) - but they still think the PS3 is toasted

Not that surprising that the sales for it is down.  It is literally twice as much as the other two systems.

And Spurs the ps3 has plenty of games.  I am kind of tired of this argument for the simple fact that xbox/ps3 share 98% of their games.  There is like 10 titles between the two systems that are 'exclusives'. There is plenty of games to play since most games come out for both systems.  There is just not a bunch of exclusives.  Which honestly, doesn't matter for people whove always had playstations.  I never bought an xbox and never planned to so I don't need exclusive titles to woo me.  That only matters to people who bought the XBOX and want a reason to switch. 

[jemagee]

I think the Blu-Ray victory in the HD wars could give it a boost.  IMO while the PS3 should be the superior product, the execution of their overall gaming experience lags behind XBox 360.

I think the 'blu-ray' push was a small term thing - blu ray player prices are coming down - they are now affordable - you can get a low end xbox 360 and blu-ray player (depending on which one you pick) for less than a PS3 now - Putting the blu-ray player in was a bad idea in my belief because the players were inevitably going to come down...