37 and a 360

It's been a long time coming but I now own an Xbox 360 Elite.  I have also turned 37 today.

So growing up is still not on the agenda.



Why a 360 after all this time?  Primarily it's about this site and the way the blog has developed over the last year.   Gaming has been at the fore front of many of the posts and has also started to have a bigger impact in other areas such as the podcasts.  After a few years away from gaming, that purchase of the PS3, three years ago this weekend, changed everything for me.  I fell back in love with sitting in front of a TV being awed by peoples imaginations and creativity.

But the PS3/360 dilemma has always presented one big problem.  Both consoles have exclusives which has meant pretty much writing off a big chunk of titles that I know I would love.  Creating the blog and regularly posting on games has led me to think more and more about what the 360 can offer and so yesterday I bit the bullet and bought one.

First impressions?

Online (although a paid for experience) is smoother faster and less hassle.  The machine needed an update, it took seconds to download.  PS3 owners will share my pain at half hour installs for updates.

The dashboard is more garish but the machine feels built to be an online beast rather than there as an after thought.

It's not as pretty though.  The PS3's XMB bar is still a thing of beauty and one of the few things to come out of Sony in recent years that feels like it was made with the user in mind.

Weirdly streaming stuff to the PS3 is easier too.  Playing music through the Xbox is a laborious process using Windows Media Centre where as the PS3 just accesses the files.  Simples!

It's also a noisy devil when playing games.  Almost distractingly so.  The PS3, in particular the Slim, is whisper quiet.

However (and despite feeling vaguely treacherous) I am loving having one.  Last night I stayed up playing Sensible World of Soccer until the small hours, I can see that Xbox Live and the multitude of titles available there is going to be a money burner.

Finally today I would like to thank everyone on twitter and facebook who has sent me their best wishes for my birthday.  The Giant turns up tomorrow and in all honesty, to prove him wrong about social media, I just have to show him my @ reply column and the posts on my page.  Cheers everyone.  Hugely appreciated.

If you own an Xbox feel free to add me.  'diaryofaledger,' naturally. ;)