Microsoft has tried to catch up with some of the titans of the gaming world,
such as Sony with the release of the Xbox 360.  The Xbox 360 offers many
new features that players will love:

• Free limited subscription to online gaming - This allows players who have
  not been participating in online gaming a chance to see what is available at no
  charge. 


• All Xbox 360s come with Live-aware - This means you can get a friend invite
  or see who is online and what they are playing from your Xbox 360.  The
  button in the middle of the controller makes all this very easy.


• It offers great media features including listening to music while you play
  games, the ability to create custom playlists and your own custom soundtracks,
  the ability to rip songs from original CDs to your Xbox 360 and stream music
  from your MP3 player to your Xbox 360.  You can also create slideshows of
  photos to share with friends and family.


• Xbox 360 has a wireless controller.  No more tripping over the wires,
  although it can support two wired controllers through USB ports in the
  front.


• The game console is not only great for gamers, but developers as well. 
  It is a powerful machine with an unprecedented amount of RAM - a feature added
  on the request of developers.

But, Xbox 360 still has some problems that need to be worked out:

• Their Japanese third party support is lacking - While some Japanese
  developers offer software for the Xbox, it is small in number when compared to
  what the same developers offer for Playstation. 


• While the controller is wireless, it eats batteries rather quickly. 
  Standard alkaline batteries only last about thirty hours, so if you buy Xbox
  360, invest in rechargeable batteries to save yourself some money in the
  end.


• When they were set up in WalMart stores before days before the launch, many
  suffered what is known as the Xbox “360 screen of death,” an error screen. 
  The Xbox 360 had also had some problems with overheating.


• Some report the Xbox 360 system as being very noisy when playing an Xbox 360
  disc.

Many people are eagerly awaiting the release of Playstation 3, which may
occur as soon as November of this year.  It has been said that the
Playstation 3 has an outward feel (which allows it to stand vertically or
horizontally on its own), as opposed to the Xbox 360’s inward feel.  It is
a much larger console than the Playstation 2 and closer to the original size of
the Xbox.  Game discs slide into the console like CDs slide into a car
player. 
Here are a few attractive features of the Playstation 3:

• It is always on, so you can access your Playstation 3 from anywhere as long
  as you have an Internet connection. 


• With a Playstation Portable, you can connect to your Playstation 3 and
  transfer media such as music and movies.


• The Playstation 3 appears to be much more powerful than that Xbox 360,
  Ninetindo Revolution, and Playstation 2.  Initial reports say it will be
  twice as fast as the Xbox 360.


• Developers and publishers of over 230 games have announced titles for
  Playstation 3 games.

Here are a few reported cons and problems with the Playstation 360:

• Comes with only 256 MB, less than the 512 MB the Xbox 360 will come
  with.


• Their Playstation Network Platform (the online service) is still in
  development and may not be ready by the time Playstation 3 is released.


• The launch of the Playstation 3 has already been delayed due to disk
  problems.

Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are incredible gaming consoles.  It
seems that although the Xbox 360 came out first, the best bet is still the
Playstation 3.  The strongest point of the Xbox 360 is its online
functionality, but Sony may be working on something similar to Xbox Live right
now.  However, Microsoft is closing the gap with Xbox 360 and probably will
eventually catch up with Sony in gaming consoles.  For some users, it may
come down to something as simple as which one is more compatible with the games
they already own.

…continue reading more about Microsoft’s Xbox 360 vs. the Sony’s Playstation 3

According to DFC Intelligence, it is believed that Xbox Live has come closest to the gaming market of the future. Xbox Live is a simple, fairly clean, and allows richer media interaction due to use of headsets. It offers cohesive online gaming service ever offered on a console. It is easily the most successful game as compared to available online games. Xbox Live is included in the Xbox 360 and experiencing the Xbox Live is more than just playing online games. The key focus of Xbox Live Marketplace is the digital distribution feature that allows the purchase of prepaid cards, download full games, digital music and movies and the use of a credit card, through the Xbox Live interface. In other words, it is like a digital distribution outlet for smaller game developers as well as for other types of media producers.
As we all know that we download casual games from internet from years. But Microsoft is trying to form a platform for digitally distributed content like micro transaction ecosystem, hardware, and digital distribution delivery network using integration between the various components of the package. Microsoft is also announcing prepaid “point” cards for use with Marketplace at all its normal retail locations. Many free downloadable demos, trailers and music videos will be available in this Marketplace. The main advantage of prepaid cards is overcoming the need for credit card. Although we may only think of using prepaid cards for limited usage like international phone calls. Prepaid cards are a true means for retail-based online payment.
A micro transaction system is on the stairs of development in North America for any transactions that are under $5. Xbox Live Marketplace overrides this challenge to some extent. The Microsoft could change the way people think about purchasing products online. Nowadays several options are available to purchase products in small quantities instead of buying products in large chunks. iTunes enabled the online buyers to purchase single songs instead of whole albums.
The Live Marketplace is closely associated with the hardware and interface of Xbox 360. If you want to purchase a game then I would suggest you to go for Live Marketplace. You can simply avoid the bewildering array of game portals and aggregators in the PC world by Microsoft Live Marketplace. Microsoft has evolved a new era of downloading and purchasing games elegantly by its new hardware package.
To read more articles by Greg Culver, check out www.mysportsarena.com

…continue reading more about Microsoft Live Marketplace

In an interesting article from Fool.Com entitled “Why the Xbox 360 Is a Loser,” author Seth Jayson points out that the Xbox 360 is costing Microsoft big money. The article discusses how the Xbox 360 is part of a much larger plan that, if successful, will eventually lead to profits.
It is no secret; Microsoft is losing money and lots of it on the Xbox 360. Microsoft’s home-and-entertainment division has already lost $293 million on $1.57 billion in sales. And as Jayson points out, the more popular the console becomes, the greater the loss.
“Make no mistake: For now, and for the foreseeable future, the Xbox 360 is going to cost Microsoft money. The consoles are sold at a loss, and the costs of launching the new system will continue to grow. The more popular the Xbox 360 becomes, the bigger the losses will be.” commented Seth Jayson in his article.
The reason being is two fold. Microsoft is in a “marathon, not a sprint” to beat Sony (PS3) and more importantly, to be #1 in the yet undefined home media PC market.
Down the road Microsoft will be able to build revenue from video game sales, entertainment purchases, license fees, Internet advertising, and revenue from developing products for your living room
But for the time being, the loss has investors wondering if the media giant is moving in the right direction.
Only time will tell whether-or-not the long term plan will pay off. To be successful, Microsoft will have to depend on many factors, with one of the most important being, plenty of 3rd party support.

…continue reading more about microsoft Has A Plan For The Xbox 360