Today in Gaming

By now, everyone knows just about everything there is to know about Xbox 360, since the press embargoes have lifted, and the absolutely atrocious MTV premiere has taken place. Quite frankly, Microsoft seems to have their work cut out for them; the design is uninspiring, and the graphics are not the quantum-leap that people expect from a "next-generation" console. It's going to live or die on Xbox Live, but that seems to be the place where Microsoft has a razor-sharp focus ... the "ring of light" as a visual Live status indicator is quite a novel concept, and offering a free option for people to get online is going to win some fans. It'll be interesting to check it out myself on the E3 show floor next week, but as it stands, it seems to be an evolutionary step, rather than a revolution.

Speaking of Revolution, some new details came out today, clearly some counter-programming taking place. Looks like Nintendo is looking to match features with the other consoles, offering DVD playback, and wireless controllers. Better still, it's going to be another small system (just a little over an inch thick, under 3 DVD cases stacked in size), and will have backwards compatibility with GameCube titles. Of course, the online component has already been announced, and will be completely free, as opposed to Microsoft's two-tier (free, and value-added) offering.

All-in-all, a good day for gamers, and what I have to assume will be the last news to come out until Monday.