For the Xbox 360, there will be two forms of Xbox Live. The Silver service is free and will allow you to voice chat with your friends and you will also have access to the Xbox Live Marketplace but you can’t play games online. The Gold service, which will cost $40 for three months and $70 for a full year, gives you all of the Silver options and you can also play games online. For more details on pricing and services, check out our full story.
Also of interest is that it has been revealed that players on Xbox can play against Xbox 360 users over Xbox Live in backwards compatible games and the experience will be basically the same. This means you can play Halo 2 on your 360 and still play with your friends that only have the Xbox.
Backwards Compatibility
Backwards compatibility with original Xbox games isn’t 100%, so some games might not ever work with the Xbox 360. It requires that you have a hard drive, so Core system owners are out of luck here unless they buy a hard drive. The first time you insert an Xbox game into your Xbox 360 it will connect to Xbox Live and download the newest emulation software for backwards compatibility. If you don't have Xbox Live, you can also order a CD with the emulation software from Xbox.com (you only pay shipping) or you can download the software and burn it to a CD yourself. If you already have the software installed, the game will boot up normally.
You can see the list of backwards compatible games for launch right here. There are more than 200 availible now including Halo, Halo 2, KOTOR I and II, Ninja Gaiden, Fable, Half-Life 2, and more. The best part of backwards compatibility is that each and every Xbox game played on Xbox 360 will be upscaled to 720p and 1080i and will take full advantage of the Xbox 360 anti-aliasing capabilities. In other words, Xbox games are going to look even better when played on Xbox 360.
How to Get One At Launch
If you didn’t preorder a system either online or from a brick and mortar store like Electronics Boutique or GameStop, getting a system on launch day isn’t guaranteed. Your only choice is to head to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, K Mart, Target, Circuit City or other similar stores and try to get one there. Many stores will be having special midnight launches and will start selling them at 12:01 a.m. on November 22nd so you could try to get there early on the evening of November 21st to make sure you have a spot in line.
You can also try eBay, Half.com, or the classified section of your local newspaper, but expect to pay quite a bit more than retail price. Be careful if you go this route because there are a lot of unethical individuals out to make some easy money and they might try to rip you off.
Of course, until the days after launch we don’t really know for sure if all of the doom and gloom predictions of an Xbox 360 shortage are even true. There are actually quite a few things working against Microsoft for this launch such as a lack of official information, lack of advertising, unimpressive launch game list (depending on who you ask), price ($500 for system + game + taxes just to get your foot in the door is more than many people will want to spend), inconsistent press (some love it, some aren’t impressed – EGM already told its readers to wait and not get one at launch), and recent console launches (Xbox, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS) haven’t sold out nearly as quickly as was predicted. Also, as much as we love the Xbox, it is still well behind Sony in second place. There isn’t the huge established fanbase all clamoring to get one at launch like there was for the PS2.
Will the Xbox 360 sell out? Yeah, probably, but I won’t be too surprised if I walk into Wal-Mart a week after launch and find one.
On the plus side, it is expected that there will be a second shipment coming in December that will boost the available units in North America to around 800,000 total before Christmas. If you can’t find one right at launch you might be able to get one a couple of weeks later.
Check out our final word on whether you need an Xbox 360 this holiday season as well as links to more information on Page 4 ...
