Wow...lots of fanboyish antics on this thread. Oh well, I'm obviously a fanboy, too...and I can't stand Microsoft or Halo.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif Now, with that said:
The xbox 360 is nothing spectacular. My roommate has one, so yes, I've played Call of Duty and Perfect Dark considerably during its release. Remember the step up in graphics between the last two generations (n64/ps1 to xbox/GCN/ ps2) and how that completely 'wowed' everyone? The 360 never did that to me. Sure, the graphics are fantastic, but are they are not that great (especially compared to games put on my regular pc laptop, which is far short of anything resembling a gaming laptop)? No. Yes, games will eventually come out for the 360 (I'd LOVE to see the next MechWarrior and Jade Empire, heaven forbid), but the system lacks any Japanese support, which is VERY bad when it comes to game developement. I feel the 360 could have faired so much better if it released with the ps3 so that upgrades could be given. Anyone remember the Dreamcast? No, MS won't go the way of Sega (consumer support is much stronger than that of the Dreamcast), but IMHO it was a bonehead move to try to beat the ps3 out of the gate for the sake of being the first console out.
My problem isn't with the system succombing to understandable technical issues (a few of which I'm skeptical aren't user error), but with the system and MS's refusal to truly upgrade its next generation console. Yes, the graphics are great, but the ps3 will likely surpass it (yes, I'll say it now...because unless Sony absolutely craps out, it will happen), and the pc will definately upgrade and easily surpass both systems within about a year of the ps3's release. Gameplay hasn't changed that much either (ps3 can't boast that either, unfortunately); however, the Nintendo has taken great strides to upgrade its gameplay elements. So basically, the 360 can boast for the time being, but I have a feeling that it'll soon become a secondary system to Nintendo's new gameplay and Sony's speculated 1080p and Blu-Ray (or HD-DVD)...which is bad because the competition between Sony and MS is good.
Yes, most of this is speculation, but most of the speculation will, in some way or another, be true.
Wow, this is really long. My conclusion...I'm not too impressed with the 360 because it's not that fantastic of a step up. Yes, it's good...but not that great, and it appears as though it'll be surpassed in all categories (with exception to exclusive games and their fan base) by other systems, whether that be ps3, Revolution, or pc.