Microsoft has officially announced the arrival of the Xbox 360 Arcade console, a new high-definition version of the company’s popular Xbox gaming system. Although the new Xbox Arcade has been on store shelves in some metropolitan areas for a few weeks already, Microsoft waited until October 23 to officially announce the release the new Arcade version.
Surprisingly, the new Xbox 360 Arcade has been priced lower than expected, $279.99, while offering features that are obviously a step up from previous Xbox versions. The new 360 Arcade includes a high def interface and increased onboard memory — 256 MB — for stored games and other content. The new console also ships with full versions of five classic Xbox games, including Pac Man championship edition, Boom Boom Rock, Feeding Frenzy, Uno and Luxor 2.
Other new features include a wireless controller and larger screen resolution. The new high def multimedia interface (HDMI) allows the Xbox 360 Arcade to plug directly into HDTV home entertainment systems.
Critics have pointed out that with the new Xbox Arcade’s increased resolution, 256 MB of onboard memory is not nearly enough. Of course, adapters are provided for using external hard drives, and with the new high def format this is likely to be a “must” for serious gamers.
The original Xbox 360 has held its own against the competition for several years now, and be introduction of the 360 Arcade should keep Xbox gamers satisfied for some time. Of course the Xbox’s biggest competition these days is the Nintendo Wii system, priced at $249.99, and the battle for holiday shoppers this year is likely to be between the new Xbox 360 Arcade and the Nintendo. But so far, the Wii seems to have the advantage, with a lower retail price and more robust storage capabilities.
Of course, Microsoft is also offering beefier versions of the Xbox 360 Arcade, but these come with significantly higher price tags. Two up-graded configurations of the Xbox 360 Arcade are currently being offered at a retail price of $349.99 and $449.99, making them a tough-sell next to the more moderately priced Nintendo Wii.
Microsoft is also expanding its Xbox 360 game library with the release of several new “family-oriented” games, and the inclusion of more than 100 new television episodes from Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon. The new programming will include classics like Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and other children’s favorites. Among the new “family-oriented games” for the Xbox 360 are titles such as SpongeBob and Underpants Slam.
First reports indicate that the new Xbox 360 Arcade looks great and works flawlessly with most high-definition televisions. Microsoft is gambling that existing gamers and new buyers will opt for the high def Xbox 360 Arcade over the less expensive Nintendo Wii this holiday season; but only time will tell if users are willing to pay more for a higher resolution version of the Xbox.
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So the PlayStation 3 is finally here. After much hype and fanfare, people could finally get their hands on it. Sony proudly claims that it will revolutionize the way we play video games. Furthermore, Sony PS3 is not just a game console; it is also a very high tech media center. It has a Blu-Ray disc player and a digital photo album. On top of this, it is also backward compatible, which means that you can play your DVDs.
PlayStation 3 was launched in the United States in November 2006. In Japan and US, it was made available with two different hard-drive options. The 20GB model is priced around $499 and the 60GB model costs around $599. If you consider everything that is offered by PS3, you will conclude that the price is okay.
60 GB And 20 GB Model
Your 60GB PlayStation 3 will offer a front-slot-loading Blu-ray optical disc drive. It will also feature four USB ports, a memory stick, compact flash, and SD card reader. On the other hand, your 20GB version will not feature a memory stick, and it would have neither a compact flash nor a SD card port. The other difference that you find between the 60GB and 20GB models is that the 60GB model comes with a built-in Wi-Fi. The 20GB model, on the other hand, will only feature an Ethernet port.
Blu-Ray
One of the best features about PlayStation 3, is its Blu-ray optical-disc drive. It can play both games and DVD movie discs. Furthermore, each Blu-ray disc is capable of holding upto 54GB worth of data, which means that games would almost never need extra media space. Its Blu-ray drive will support CD-ROM, CDR+W, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, and DVD+R.
It also has a 2.5” portable hard drives. With PlayStation 3, you can be sure that you have storage space for your network downloaded applications, and media files. And upgrading the hard drive is very easy. All you have to do is drop in a larger capacity 2.5” SATA hard drive into the system.
You can place your new PlayStation 3 vertically or horizontally, on an AV rack. The best part is that you can reposition your console even when the system is running and you do not have to worry about damaging your game or movie disc.
It is obvious that the new PS3 is loaded with features. With the best graphics, playing video games on a PS3 is a whole new experience. Finally, how will it fare? Well, only time can tell, but I am sure for quite some time PlayStation 3 will dominate the competition.
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Playing your favorite game on PlayStation 3 and you are stuck on a level. You have been playing the game for a while, but you simply cannot get pass that particular stage. Maybe, it is time for you to get a cheat code for your PS3 game. For those who do not know what cheat codes are, a cheat code is an aid that can help you get pass a very challenging phase or level.
Cheat codes are not only helpful to crack a particularly hard level, but are wonderful tools that help you find and explore new parts of your PlayStation 3 games. Many video games have hidden levels and certain parts that you can only go at, with the help of a cheat code. Therefore, if you want to get to the hidden levels of your PS3 games, you must get your hands on cheat codes.
How To Find Cheat Codes
Now, if you are wondering where you could get cheat codes for your PlayStation 3 games, you need not worry. You can lay your hands on a cheat code in many ways. As always, internet is the best place to find loads of cheat codes for all sorts of video games. The net is filled with websites offering cheat codes. However, you must keep away from contaminated sites. If the codes are offered in the form of a file that you would have to download, chances are that file might contain a virus. So, keep away from such sites.
However, there is no need to despair. There are many clean sites that offer cheat codes. PS3-cheat-codes.com is a very good site for cheat codes of all PlayStation 3 games. The codes are listed along with the name of the game and date. The hyperlinks connect to the most popular levels and the codes for that particular game.
Another good site is GameSpot.com. It offers walk-through and tutorials, especially for hard levels. The tutorials are filled with cheat codes and descriptions of your favorite console games. You can also find helpful tips and hints for all games. The site is a good source for current and forthcoming games.
CheatZone.com is a good place to find a wide range of cheat codes and hints for your video games. Cheat codes for games, like Tony Hawks Project 8, Need For Speed, etc are all here. The site is very easy to navigate and is indexed alphabetically, so you would not have any trouble finding what you are looking for.
A good source of cheat codes could be other players. Look for discussion forums on the net. Video games magazines are another good source of cheat codes. Many magazines carry expert reviews and also tutorials for your favorite games.
The fun of playing video games is making sure that you crack all the levels. Moreover, it is okay if occasionally you use a cheat code to crack a particular hard level of your favorite game.
PlayStation and Xbox fans should know by now that Nintendo Wii is beating them in record numbers in terms of sales. Years ago, when PlayStation and Xbox were kings of gaming industry, we have to content ourselves by using gamepads to play. I mean, if we want to actually play a game of tennis or bowling, we would actually want to go outside right? With buttons, I can be as ruthless as I want without even batting my actual eyelids.
But now, things have changed. People wanted to actually place themselves in video games. Instead of buttons, why don’t our arms move and our characters mimic our movements? The idea seemed crazy for serious gamers but for a casual gamer who just want to have some fun, its magic. Even though there are lots of serious gamers there who might stick to games that require skills, millions are looking at games that can actually be fun instead of spending hours figuring out how to increase their characters’ HP level. So Wii took over the gaming world by storm with their cute characters and family fun gaming. PS and Xbox will just have to watch their sales go down.
Gamers who would like to have a piece of action could buy Wii for themselves. However, Wii will cost you. Besides, we have to admit, some of the games are not as attractive as in PS or Xbox in terms of extreme actions. As much as we shun it in real life we’d like to kick the butt of our enemies even if it’s only in online gaming. Wii doesn’t have enough games that will make us think and stick it out with our characters for many hours a day. If you’re ready to trade your PS or Xbox 360 to slug it out and forget the great games your soon-to-be-former-console has to offer, you go ahead. ‘Cause I know I won’t.
Why? Cause there’s a gadget called BodyPad. This product is not from the official PlayStation and Xbox creators but its one great addition to your present console.
BodyPad was created in Europe by some independent developers. After years of research and development, they were able to figure out how to coordinate your body movements to the actual movements of your characters.
All you need to do is to attach straps in your body: one in each hands, another in your arm, another in your stomach and both legs. These things are on remote but it will never have any lag as the receiver packs in a massive 2.4Ghz of transmission. If you’re just standing near to it, there won’t be any problem.
The games are only limited with supported game titles, but the title list is really impressive. You can play Dragon Ball Z, a couple of Tekkens, Battle Arena, Street and Virtua Fighters, Knockout Kings and a whole lot of dance revolution. Now let’s see how Son Gouku actually feels like to do a kame hame wave…
The price? For 79Euros (around $130) you can actually have two of these control systems. Compared to a whole new set of Wii, this price is already a catch. Now your game nights will never be the same again.
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