With Microsoft all set to reveal their new console (finally!), let's reflect on the legacy of the current console, the 360, and all the things about it we'll be glad to see finally get kicked to the curb.
* The red ring of death - this was probably one of the most frustrating features of the console, because it had a tendency to come out of nowhere, and there was absolutely no way of fixing it. Come home from a day of work or school or whatever, turn on your 360, and this thing is staring you in the face? Congratulations, you're now the owner of a very expensive paperweight.
The issue was related to a "General Hardware Failure." Sounds specific, right? Well, Microsoft has never officially released any information indicating the true cause of the problem, but before the slim model 360 was released, it was determined that a failure rate could be as high as one in six consoles. The only means of fixing your console was to send it off to Microsoft to be fixed, a process that could take 3 to 4 weeks, and may or may not be covered by your extending warranty plan.
* Mandatory payment for online pay - You already pay for your internet service from whatever provider, you've already paid for a console that advertises the ability to play online, and you've paid for the game that you want to play online. You've paid three times, so what's one more charge? A nuisance, basically. I know you can't expect to get something for nothing, but when you're two main competitors offer their customers the same options at no cost, well...
* Battery Pack - I hate having my play interrupted because I have to stop and switch out a new pack or replace it with new batteries. It sounds petty, but the cost of batteries can add up. Having to switch it out in the middle of a heated game was a nuisance, and my eagerness to get back to playing led me to losing quite a few batteries that never managed to find their way back to a charger. True, it's my own fault, so I can't hold Microsoft completely accountable for this. A battery recharger and keeping a pack on reserve helped a bit, but it was still more things that added to the overall cost of playing on a 360.
* Sometimes it's not so much what the system did have, but what it didn't, in this case, a blu-ray player. Microsoft bet heavily on the proprietary format HD-DVD, doing their best to try to sell the audience on it, even saddling their console with an HD-DVD accessory drive for a hefty $200. Guess they never followed the old addage that whatever tech porn backs traditionally emerges victorious. In an age where most people tend to stream their entertainment, this wasn't the be-all end-all of the 360 as THE console for the family room, but it did severly limit the console. This would also come back to bite Microsoft on the ass by forcing them to release multiple discs for certain games, as the DVD format could only fit so much data.
* Advertisements on Xbox Live - As already stated, being a part of the Xbox Live is a service that the players pay for. Which is why I find it hard to accept that whenever I load up the service, I find a bevy of different ads glaring back at me. Obviously the company is making a boatload of revenue off of these guys, so why am I forking over money in the first place?
* The Indie Selection - You don't have to look hard to see that a great number of indie games are available, critically well received, and at bargain bin prices. Microsoft may have exclusivity with Minecraft when it comes to consoles, but the console is hurting with others. Journey, The Binding of Isaac, Papa & Yo, you won't find these gems on the 360, which is a downright shame. Likely because Microsoft has indie developers allegedly jump through quite a few hoops.
These are just a few of the issues that myself and others have taken with the 360. Mistakes are acceptable, provided the company actually learns from it. Whether or not Microsoft has, I suppose we'll all find out soon.
