As the game industry is moving rapidly into the next generation of video game technology, Microsoft is always determined to overthrow Sony's PlayStation or any other console that that has successfully came closer to gamers. They’ve rebuilt the Xbox from the ground up. From the name to the look to hardware and features, the Xbox 360 is a radically different and more powerful machine than its predecessor. Far more than a video game console, the Xbox 360 is a total media center that allows users to play, network, rip and stream and download all types of media, including high-definition movies, music, digital pictures and game contents.

So what’s the future of this fabulous gaming engine over the next couple of years?

My imagination says that the next Microsoft Xbox (the 361) will include HD Receiver satellite capabilities. Maybe they’ll partner with Motorola, or buy that division, to deliver it. Even better - they could partner with the cable companies so that you get a free Xbox 361 free with Hi-Def cable or vice versa  … this would be HUGE.

Counting on its’ current accessories there is scope for the Xbox 360 to take over more living room technology functions. With its Hard Drive, it could act as a PVR, and perhaps provide extended TV guide features for Xbox live subscribers.

There's no arguing with the success of Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service. Xbox Live has created the first unified online console-gaming community, boasting more than millions of subscribers. The older PlayStation 2 can take multiplayer games online too, but users needed to buy an extra network adapter to do so. Also, Sony left it up to each game company to build and host its own online gaming community, so the PlayStation 2 never offered the online structure like the way Xbox does.

Nothing’s perfect and neither is Xbox. Most of the good features though for the 360 are sold separately as add-ons (HD-DVD tells you anything?) which to me is a shame. They claim it to be a perfect multimedia machine yet it fails at doing so for the simple fact that it comes even more expensive than a full complete PS3 if you want to experience the same type of multimedia plat-forming.

Since if you don't care for the add-ons in question, you don't need to own them and therefore you save money instead of adding a few extra bucks to have something useless to you. The 360 to my eyes is filled with contradictions in one way or another. Powerful engine but often faulty from what we have seen. Good multimedia plat-forming but you need the wallet that goes with it. Seems to have good online play, but you need a subscription and pay to play online, which isn't the case with any other consoles as of now. Which I think can be resolved with the flow of time.

Xbox has great potential and have what it needs for a successful future if they work around these tiny contradictions, which in today's gaming can mean a lot. But they will always offer a great service if you have a problem. I've never been down with most Microsoft products since they are filled with flaws and easily leaked, they don't have the best security we can say, but if there's something I have to give them is the service. Numerous time did I have to contact them on the internet for minor problems with their products and rare would I wait even an entire day for a complete solution to my problem. They know how to treat their customers and probably are the reasons as to why they've gotten so far in every project they started.

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