it's so simple. as a consumer, it's so simple that it's annoying. microsoft's xbox 360 could be the grandmaster of the living room. just one thing - offer a DVR peripheral.
no one will question that the Xbox 360 is a good video game console. even the hardcore sony playstation fans - who are still waiting anxiously to shell out $600 US for a PS3 - will tell you that the Xbox 360 is a good (maybe they would say "decent") video game console. however, try going to buy pretty much any other appliance for your living room and see how often the Xbox 360 comes up in conversation. sure, the guy trying to up sell the average joe to an HDTV may say something like "and if you're interested in video games for your kids, then this will work great with the Xbox."
but the Xbox could do so much more. oh wait, it can do so much more. microsoft took a hint from the Xbox modding community when they added media center capabilities right into the Xbox 360. the Xbox could easily run the applications, but users of the original microsoft console were forced to add microchips that skirted the grey areas of law books in order to get most media center features.
but that's not the case with the 360. right out of the box, the new Xbox can show pictures, videos and play mp3s - it can even play them right off your computer or mp3 player. as they say in the red vs. blue episode that ships preloaded on the Xbox 360 hard drive "it's a total entertainment package." well, not quite.
the Xbox 360 is missing the one killer feature that would enable it to cut a wide swath through the landscape of living room appliances: it's missing a digital video recorder (DVR).
without a DVR, the Xbox 360 is what it is - a gaming console that gets talked about whenever gaming consoles come up in conversation. with a DVR, the Xbox 360 is a monster; it will start to be mentioned along side traditional adult home appliances.
whether you're looking for a VCR, Tivo, or even a stereo, the DVR-equipped Xbox 360 would be an option that the average consumer should seriously consider. it's not as expensive or complicated as a traditional computer (read: microsoft media center edition) and hey... it's also a video game console.
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5 comments:
I totally and completely agree. It's about the same price as many DVR's out there and could be the only thing i would need alongside my TV if it had DVR functionality.
Actually I don't know if all of you know this or not but in a recent game magazine they actually announced that sometime this year they will actually be releasing something to make the 360 a DVR along with the possibility of getting a 360/Windows vista download together . . this is all fact but a rumor to strap onto the DVR thing is that there talks around the office about Microsoft going into the cable world .. allowing that DVR to really serve a purpose
lol @ 20gb dvr upgrade the HD and you`re cheaper off with a real dvr...
it's not about cheaper... it's all about fewer devices for my cats to eat
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