Xbox 360: The Final Countdown

By Guy Cocker on 01 December 2005, 11:12am

The Xbox 360 launches at midnight tonight -- the only problem is that you'll be jammier than a jam sandwich if you manage to get hold of one. Microsoft wants 'sell-out' headlines tomorrow, so the ridiculously limited first batch of consoles has already been pre-ordered by eager gamers and canny eBay dealers. Our tip: head to a large 24-hour supermarket -- you might get lucky at your local Tesco or Asda.

Those of you who are dedicated enough to have set aside the cash, upgraded to a hi-def TV and taken tomorrow off work (by fair means or foul) are in for a treat, though. Okay, so about ten per cent of you will actually be living the high-definition dream that Microsoft has explicitly designed its games for, but Project Gotham Racing 3 looks particularly good. Scratch that, it's the best-looking videogame yet.

So good, in fact, that the bonus Photo Mode becomes as diverting as the actual racing. Screeching through Piccadilly Circus in your Ferrari Enzo, you find yourself pausing to snap the neon lights, like some eager Japanese tourist, even though you actually live in London. If that's not 'next-gen' then what is?

We were slightly disappointed with the final build of Microsoft's Xbox 360 -- it was deceptively white when it was unveiled at E3, but the final model has a dull, plasticky grey finish. The console itself is also larger than you think, and the huge power brick that ships with the console makes the package impractical to carry round.

Other than that though, it has a good selection of launch titles -- there's certainly no Halo to make the console an essential purchase, but it offers a satisfying high of next-gen wonder. If you can't wait for the biggest gadget launch of the year, get a triple dose of gaming goodness from our full review, learn about the console's design influences and then find out which high-definition TV you'll need to play it on. -GC