Gaming Multimedia Wars
It has long been a bone of contention among gaming multimedia fanatics: whether Xbox 360 is actually better and is second in sales compared to PlayStation 3 only because of the latter’s larger propaganda machinery and because PlayStation as a brand has been around longer. As a gaming 
multimedia platform, Xbox360 is very good indeed, but does Microsoft have what it takes to beat Sony’s PlayStation3? Xbox360 did have a head-start in the gaming multimedia console race when Microsoft released their third-generation gaming multimedia console (and predecessor to PS2’s rival Xbox) before PS3 could get off the blocks. However, since its launch, PS3 hasn’t had all that trouble catching up in terms of sales.
Gaming Multimedia: What Microsoft Brings to the Table
Here’s all that the Three-Sixty offers:
- Free limited period subscription to their online gaming portal – This allows players to try out online gaming through XboxLive at no extra charge.
- Live-aware – Essentially a social networking tool for the Xbox360 players. You can connect to friends, make new ones, see who is online and what they are playing from your console. Essentially, this expands the limits of gaming multimedia into the realms of social networking. Convergence is more than a buzz-word, it would seem.
- It offers great media features including listening to music while you play games, the ability to create custom playlists and your own custom soundtracks, the ability to rip songs from original CDs to your Xbox360 and stream music from your MP3 player to your Xbox360. You can also create slideshows of photos to share with friends and family.
- The gaming multimedia console has an unprecedented amount of RAM; when it comes to sheer number crunching, Xbox360 rules the roost.
Gaming Multimedia: The Hiccups
But, Xbox 360 ,multimedia gaming console still has some problems that need to be worked out:
- They offer third party support in Japan, which is irksome to say the least. While some Japanese developers offer software for the Xbox, it is small in number when compared to what the same developers offer for Playstation. Considering the large gamer base in that country, and the fact that its home to PlayStation owners Sony Corporation, this could be costly.
- The wireless controller consumes batteries rather rapidly. Standard alkaline cells only give thirty hours of playing time, so you want to spring for rechargeable batteries and a charger if you’re planning to go for the Xbox 360.
These gaming multimedia consoles are also prone to what’s now known as the “360 screen of death,” an error screen. There have also been reports of overheating from some test users. These reports are largely unsubstantiated, so it was either fixed by Microsoft, or it was a device defect experienced by some users. Some users have reported the Xbox 360 system as being very noisy when playing an Xbox 360 disc. The gaming console market is unlikely to see a lot of new entrants, but the competition is likely to heat up among these two biggies of gaming multimedia.
