Now that the 360 is available for purchase starting today, PC Magazine reviewed the box to see if it was worth all of the hype. The 360's hardware is designed with high-performance gaming in mind. The processor, capable of one teraflop, is three symmetrical IBM cores running at 3.2 GHz each. The wireless controller is well designed and solidly constructed. Playing Xbox 360 games is a transcendent experience. The graphics and audio quality of the launch titles we've seen is astounding. The only negative is that load times haven't been improved over those of existing consoles.
The games we've played so far are impressive in every aspect. The animations and game-play mechanics in Kameo: Elements of Power are so smooth that the main character looks almost alive. Among shooters, Quake 4 is every bit as frightening and thrilling as the PC version, and Call of Duty 2 swept us off our feet and into the insanity of World War II ground combat. All in all, the Xbox 360 is a fantastic gaming platform, despite its still-too-big, heat-generating design. [Jennifer DeLeo] Review: PCMAG
Check out the 360 assembly line video if you want to see how they make them.
