here are my very first xbox360 impressions so far:

the good

• very nice packaging
• controllers are the best controllers i’ve ever used. they work very well.
• wireless controllers should be the norm for all consoles (sounds like it will be)
• power button on the controller seems obvious. i’m spoiled
• the composite/av cable is a brilliant design! (pic coming soon)
• xbox dashboard is impressive interface. the “bladesâ€� are easy to use
• xbox live is nicely integrated with dashboard
• xbox live marketplace is a brilliant idea. microsoft is gonna make a lot of money here.
• downloadable demos finally make it to consoles. the bridge between consoles and pcs closes a bit.
• the downloadable trailers (in 720p (1280×720)) are very nice. (apple will definitely follow suit with their media offerings to the living room… are they too late?)
• the game achievements are addictive. especially if you build a long friends list. can you say “fierce competitionâ€�
• the hardware is smaller than you think. it seems bigger from pictures online.

the bad

• xbox 360 should support third party usb wireless adapters. (my linksys didn’t work)
• i’m not happy about being forced to create a microsoft passport account. i really think this should be separated from the gamertag.
• it’s very 1988 that i can’t do anything else while my content is downloading. what were they thinking?
• more xbox live marketplace content please! (this could be a good thing – the delivery mechanism is well done, except the above point)
• the power brick is too big. i’m telling ya, it is.
• for the price, one wired and one wireless controller should be included (at least!)
• the onscreen keyboard is not QWERTY. i know the reasons (for international compatibility) but i still hate it

i was only able to put in about 2 hours with the console last night. had a rough time getting home from work along with problems with my network. (long story) i may get another hour or so in tonight after i produce episode 023 of the braytek podcast.

Related posts:

• XBox Live Marketplace: Get er done!
• Xbox 360 vs. Revolution vs. Playstation 3
• Microsoft Comes Out Swingin’ at X06
• Which Gaming Console Should You Buy This Holiday?
• Yahoo Photos Beta – First Impressions