The Xbox 360 can play both Xbox 360 games as well as DVD movies right out of the box. The system can also play certain titles that were released on the original Xbox. For a complete list of backward compatable titles, please check the official list at Xbox.com.
A major feature of the Xbox 360 is that it is the first true high definition videogame system. An HDTV is not required to enjoy everything that the Xbox 360 has to offer, but if you do have an HDTV the graphics are greatly enhanced over what we saw in the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era.
Another major feature is the Xbox Live online services. There are two different versions of Live - Gold which lets you play games online against other people, and Silver which lets you download demos, trailers, Xbox Live Arcade games, and chat with friends. A key feature of Xbox Live is that it is a central service that lets you use just one nickname (called a Gamertag) across each and every game and it also lets you keep a list of friends and preferred people you like to play with. Xbox Live isn't required to enjoy what the Xbox 360 has to offer, but the experience is greatly enhanced when you take the system online.
