I’m now the “proud” new owner of an Xbox 360. Took long enough, right? It’s been out for how long now? 2 or 3 years?

(Yes, I have the ugly, green Halo edition)

My PlayStation 3 has been holding me over until now. And really, there never was much incentive for getting an Xbox. I had a few extra bucks and figured the gaming library was large enough by now that maybe I could find a couple of multiplayer games that Girl and I could play together (including this tile-based castle/road building game that I can never pronounce) so I went for it.

I’ll have to say that I’m not so impressed with the hardware. The system is loud, the CD tray is much less elegant compared to the PlayStation or the Wii (which are slot loading) and the controllers are bulky and heavy. To add to that, when I got the system, the casing of the system itself was coming apart at a seem. I was able to snap it back together but it wasn’t encouraging.

On the flip side, the system software, I think, is very well done. Its easy to quickly go between online downloads, your video games, video or music stored on your system, or send messages to your friends. The fact that most, if not all, systems come with a headset also mean you have instant voice chat capabilities. Microsoft also did a lot to make sure that there was plenty of room for promotions and ways for businesses to promote or sell a product through the system’s online services.  While that’s great for them, and people out there wanting to make money, its a little rough on the consumers because its just a pit for them in which to throw away their own money.

So far I’ve played Halo a few times with friends online and it’s been a lot of fun.  I’m not very good, but it doesn’t matter; it’s a thrill to play, especially with friends.