Aside from games bought in gaming stores, the Xbox 360 features the Xbox Live Arcade. This download service offers even more gaming choices. Older game titles from years gone by can be purchased and downloaded right to the Xbox 360′s hard drive as well as newer titles developed specifically for the Arcade service. These games are often smaller in size and less expensive then regular titles, yet pack the same levels of ingenuity and fun.
The Marketplace allows gamers to buy add-ons for existing games, and other items to customize their Xbox experience. This includes wallpapers, videos, and avatar items. Avatars are customizable figures made for every account on the Xbox 360. Users can customize their avatar with various clothing items and accessories, many of which can be purchased on the Marketplace or earned in games.
The Xbox 360 features a robust video service that allows users to buy and download films and television shows right to their Xbox hard drive. Musical services such as last.fm are also available, and the Xbox Live experience continues to grow and add new features every year.
Xbox Live allows users to play multi-player games with players from all over the globe. Multi-player games offer fast paced, challenging experiences and the ability to play with other human beings ensures that no two games will ever go the same way twice.
Every good system needs to have both video games and appliances, and the Xbox 360 has plenty of add-ons. The Xbox 360 controller is available in wired and wireless forms and allows for up to four players to play certain games simultaneously. For those that don’t want to continually go through batteries for their wireless controllers, rechargeable battery packs are available that come with their own chargers to ensure that their is always power for player’s controllers. For multi-player games, the Xbox 360 headset is highly recommended as it allows instant communication with teammates that allow for game winning strategies to be plotted.
The most popular accessory for the Xbox 360 is the Kinect. The Kinect is a sensor that is placed in front of gamers and projects millions of tiny invisible dots all over the player’s body. These dots serve to track the player’s every movement, and games designed for use on the Kinect allow for the player themselves to become the controller. This allows for a degree of immersive and intuitive gameplay that has never been seen before. The Kinect was released in November of 2010 and has already proven to be wildly successful. While the initial Kinect gaming library is rather small, more titles are expected soon as more gaming companies embrace this incredible new technology.
The Xbox 360 features a complete package for gamers and is very user friendly towards those that would ordinarily not play a video game. It is a fantastic addition to any entertainment set-up.
