I thought it might be interesting for everyone to post what they think of the Xbox. It's been out for somewhere around two years now (the release date has slipped my mind at the moment) and has perhaps been the most supported console, in terms of what Microsoft have been willing to do, in video game history. They have gone through some incredible price cuts and really closed the gap to Sony - crushing the poor GameCube in some respects.

Now that developers have really been able to nut it out, do you think they have reached the expectations you had for it when you first saw that silver X with the green gem in the middle? I always thought it ended up looking too much like a VCR and not enough like its original mock, but performance-wise the Xbox has really matched my high expectations. The hard drive is simply fantastic and I'm sure it's taught Sony & Nintendo that a built in HDD is the way of the console future.

In terms of games, my expectations have probably been matched, but mainly because I never had really high hopes for the software to begin with. I thought it would do well, but never reach Sony & Nintendo's level in terms of amazing franchises etc.

Halo is a complete gift to avid gamers though. As most will be aware from my Halo thread, I'm a huge fan of the title and still play it to this day.

Has the Xbox met your expectations? What has been the highlight(s)? What has left you wanting more and what has disappointed you?

Go nuts!

When the Xbox was first announced, you could say there was a little dislike between Bill and me...actually you're probably better off calling it a full blown HATRED, ripping out his entrails and feeding them to his children, but I digress.

Due to a mild gaming drought, and the NEED to play Fable and Ninja Gaiden, I finally succumbed to the madness that is the big box....and I haven't regretted it one bit.

Since buying my Xbox in late March, I have bought 6 different games, all of which (except for Splinter Cell: PT, but that's mainly due to lack of time), have met, and seriously exceeded my expectations.

To put it quite simply, the xbox has met, and easily exceeded my expectations. If it wasn't for the FF series, the PS2 would be eating alot of clunky green dust.

I was a positive bloke. When it was first announced, I thought the Xbox had huge potential, but I knew it would have a tough climb to get to where it is. Mainly I was dubious to its hopes of success, because of the MS name and the kind of general dislike and hatred that the majority of people seem to have towards it. What really had me going for it was seeing Halo for the first time. Those screens and previews of it during development had me convinced to buy an Xbox, and I did second day it was out (first day was a workday for me). The first time I started Halo, I was astounded at just how beautiful it looked. Having a big TV helped, but really it shone and from the moment you see the MC stepping out of that cryo chamber, it just felt special.

Has the Xbox exceeded expectations? Well, I always had high hopes for it, so it has met those expectations, but it has succeeded in ways I didn't think possible. The implementation of Xbox Live has set a benchmark for the way online gaming services on a console should be done, and I say kudos to MS for getting that right. The fact that they also brought a console into the tough market also should be of note, because the competition they have produced between the big THREE has only been a benefit to the gamers.

The great games, of which there are a good many have contributed to the success of Xbox. Halo being the no. 1 reason why so many people first bought an Xbox, and with Halo 2 on the horizon things can only get better, plus you couple in the number of new and exciting titles that are set to hit the console, and things only start to look for the Xbox. I currently have about 14 Xbox games at the moment, and I play a select few quite a lot, and I've never regretted my decision to buy an Xbox. I'm sounding like a bit of a fanboy here, but you've got to admit that the Xbox does bring a lot to the gaming world. :xbox:

Actually, there is something I left out in my previous comments about the box, something which have not met my expectations in the least.

That "thing", is Xbox Live.

Now, Xbox Live is set up and laid out very well, so no complaints there. There's free content to download for your games, no real complaints there. My complaints come in the fact that there are practically NO decent speed games to connect to, and I don't mean some of the time, I mean ALL of the time.

You could put it down to my connection, but with one of the faster internet connections in Australia (cable) I really shouldn't be having a problem. So what is the problem?? To tell you the truth, I have no real idea, and I could put it down to the "lack of support" in Australia for Live, but when I can NEVER, and I mean NEVER find a decent speed game, if a game at all using Live, there's gotta be something going on....

March 14th 2002.

To be blunt, I've had my Xbox since Xmas '03 and it hasn't given me the same gaming brilliance I get from the GCN. However, this can be attributed to that fact I get very fews game (about 10% of what I want to play). If I had more money, I'm sure the Xbox would have many excellent games worth playing. I hate being poor :P

I'm the exact opposite, which is probably why i'm really enjoying it.

Like i've said, 6 games in 2 months of owning it isn't bad, and there are still more I want to, and can buy, but i'm holding off until I get through what I have now.