Xbox 360: Before Next Gen - We Still Have to Wait

The new games aren't really using the 360 hardware even close to its potential. Some improvements are visible on high-def, but game developers will need some time to expand their programs, add some resource consuming physics systems and models so smooth you can’t see any edges. But on standard TVs, forget it. The 360 doesn’t look much better than the regular old Xbox, if you even notice the difference.

FIFA 2006

Amped 3

These screenshots look like things the Xbox can already do. Maybe the 360 has a few more polygons in each model, but I don't blame the reviewers for expecting a little more.

Besides, there really aren’t any highly anticipated games coming out for a while. What Microsoft has come out with is basically a pack of sports games that reviewers ranked in the 7.0-8.5 score range. Oblivion, which was supposed to be out at launch, is delayed. Half-Life 2 is out on Xobox and not the 360, and many games coming out on the 360 will also be available on the classic Xbox. Rare has released Perfect Dark Zero already, but we haven't seen if they really pulled off making it the hit that it could be. Even so, one game is hardly an excuse to buy a new system on launch day. Once the Xbox 360 has a backing of solid titles, the Playstation 3 will be released, have some hit games of its own, and be ready for comparison.

Let's Wait for Oblivion

To get down to it, Microsoft hasn’t shown us that gaming on the Xbox 360 has improved that much on their last-generation game system. Avid gamers who lust for bigger and better will run out and buy a new system regardless. But for the rest of us, the 360 is not going to provide the gaming experience we are looking for until games are ready to really use the high-end hardware, and use it well. It will take months, at least.

Microsoft has jumped the gun trying to get a calender advantage on the Playstation 3. Although we haven't seen the PS3, we haven't seen what the 360 can do either. Most of us have the patience to wait for this and see what Sony has been toiling over. Next generation games will be amazing, once we have some.