Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

10 Things You Didn't Know About the Xbox 360

Last updated Dec 2, 2005.

1. The most important thing to know about the Xbox 360 console is it needs proper ventilation. This isn’t exciting and it won’t help you defeat the Axis powers in Call of Duty 2, but without proper ventilation, it’s lights out for your console. Don’t bury the case (or power brick!) in your shag carpet or lock it up in an enclosed space. Treat your Xbox like a computer tower that needs room to breath. If the spouse says it looks tacky, let him or her pick out a face plate that matches your living room.
2. Halo and Halo 2 both automatically scale to 720p HD. I know the back of the box says it only supports 480p; trust me, the game looks better in 720p using the same disk you stood in line for when the first console was still all that. Apparently the developers created the PC version of the game and the console version side-by-side with HD graphics and stuck all the extra goodness on the Xbox version even though the original Xbox was too puny to render 720p. You need the Xbox hard drive and the free Xbox Live Silver account to upgrade your console for game emulation to make it work, which also gives you a long list of additional games to play while you wait for the new ones to ship.
3. Typing on Xbox Live with your thumbs might seem like an improvement over T9 on your mobile phone, but there’s no reason you need to be stuck using two fingers when QWERTY works in the Dashboard. Xbox 360 supports any USB keyboard, although I personally recommend something wireless so you don’t need to leave your couch. Typing in the form for WAP encryption on your wireless router with the controller is a nightmare, especially if you use a strong password. Your neighbor could guess your credit card number from across the street if you manually enter each digit as you update your account with additional live points using the controller instead of typing with a keyboard.
4. The Premium Xbox 360 bundle is worth considerably more than the Core bundle when you compare the retail price of included extras. The bundled hard drive in the Premium kit makes it worth the additional price alone... But wait, there’s more. The Premium bundle comes with a component/composite combo A/V cable instead of the composite only cable included in the Core bundle. At retail, this cable upgrade sets you back half a Benjamin. The wireless controller is light years better than a messy cable under your entertainment center, even if you do need an extra charger to power it once the bundled Energizer batteries die. Some (maybe all) Premium Xbox 360 bundles include a mini version of the Media Center remote. A free 30-day trial of Xbox Live Gold is also included in the Premium package.
5. If you have a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC running the latest version of the software on your network, it will detect your Xbox 360 automatically. The Media Center Edition PC is helpful enough to let you know you can connect the two to watch and record television, view your digital photos and listen to your online music library. Presumably it repeats this process for every Xbox 360 in your house, if you’re Bill Gates and can afford 10, for instance.
6. If you don’t have a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC, you can still access some of your content remotely. Download and install the Windows Media Connect 2.0 software to enable sharing on your PC. Once Windows Media Connect is configured, you can stream music to your Xbox 360 and browse photos on your TV screen. For some reason Microsoft hobbled Windows Media Connect support for video playback on Xbox 360, but two out of three is better than nothing.
7. Connect your digital camera to browse photos or save them to your Xbox hard drive. Instead of squinting at the two inch screen on the back of your digital camera or huddling the family around your computer screen, view your digital memories on television. HD provides a better picture, but your standard definition television is almost as good for a slideshow of the day’s events projected in the living room.
8. Listen to your iPod from your home theater. Forget about spending extra money on docking gear from third parties; your iPod or PlaysForSure compatible media player connects to Xbox 360 to playback MP3 audio, unprotected AAC audio or any WMA file. Browse songs and playlists from the comfort of your couch or use this feature as an excuse to draw attention to your latest gadget at a party.
9. If your Xbox 360 conks out for some reason, Microsoft will send you a box to return it in for repair or replacement. Which option they elect is their decision, not yours, but at least they are footing the shipping bill. They claim to offer 3-day turnaround, although I don’t know anyone who has tested this yet.
10. Geometry Evolved is the best five bucks you will ever spend on a game. Period. Sure it’s an arcade game, not a first-person shooter, but I dare you to try and survive pacifist mode for the 10 Achievement points. This is one of those simple seeming little games you’d expect to see in an online Flash Arcade — only thousands of times better. There’s a free trial available in the Xbox Live arcade. Download it. Own it. Lose hours of your life trying to beat it. The predecessor, Geometry, is still available hidden inside Project Gotham 2 if you are still waiting to go 360.