The 360 Has Landed

But I won't be getting one just yet.
by GarrettJD - permalink

I've been watching the G4TV coverage of the countdown to the launch of the Xbox 360. However, I don't really feel any excitement over the launch. I hope all the new 360 owners enjoy the system, but for me, I just don't see a clear cut reason for me to fork over $400 for the system, plus $60 per game and some more for accessories. Basically, three reasons stand out to me right now:

1. I don't own an HD television. From what I've read (and seen in person), 360 games don't have a huge visual leap over Xbox games unless you're using an HD set. Since I won't be in the market for one of those for a while, I'm not eager to rush right out and get a 360.

2. There's no "killer app" at launch. Nintendo 64 had Mario 64, Dreamcast had Soul Calibur, and Xbox had Halo. As far as 360, well, Call of Duty 2 is probably the best choice, and Project Gotham Racing 3 looks nice, but there's no killer gaming experience here. Most of the launch games are rushed ports of regular Xbox games, with the added bonus of missing features. Look at Madden 06, which is missing the majority of features that the Xbox/PS2 versions offer.

3. I'm playing too many other great games right now, especially Half-Life 2 on Xbox, Guitar Hero on PS2, and Mario Kart DS on, well, the DS. Plus, with money being tight in this slumping economy, I don't feel like paying $60 a game right now for seemingly no reason.

Basically, the launch of the 360 hasn't excited me, which is disappointing, as I was there for the launch of the original Xbox on Day 1 in 2001. However, at that point I hadn't yet purchased a PS2, and my main gaming system was the Dreamcast, which by this time had sadly died an early death. I wanted a new gaming machine, PS2 didn't appeal to me, and Gamecube didn't have as many games as I wanted. So I went with Microsoft's unproven system, and it was a great investment.

I guess I'm holding the launch to an impossibly high standard, but I remember the Dreamcast launch, and how impressive it seemed in comparison. Still, I forsee getting a 360 around March or April of next year. That way, I'll have time to save some money, let demand subside, and hopefully get a later system that isn't plagued with the typical launch-day bugs.