OOBE

It's here! My long-awaited leap into the next generation of video gaming has finally materialized via UPS!

There's an old term from the marketing days of the PC explosion in the mid-90's, coined "OOBE" (pronounced ooo-bee). It's an acronym that stands for "Out of the Box Experience." Computer makers, all striving to get the technologically-averse to buy their products, wanted to create the simplest experience possible for the customer to get home, take the computer out of the box, and get it up and running. Inputs became color-coded, and big posters showing how everything connects together were part of the standard packaging. The goal was to have the user up in running in 15 minutes or less, and for the most part, it worked well.

I want to cover my "OOBE" with the Xbox 360. Consoles aren't computers; they're less sophisticated (although only slightly less nowadays). There are a lot of little goodies in the Xbox 360 Elite box, including 2 video cables (component and HDMI), an audio output convert (to take HDMI's sound to your stereo instead of your TV), a controller, a power brick (literally - it's about the size of a brick!), a power cord, a headset, CAT-5 Ethernet cable, several pieces of documentation, and of course, the mighty 360 Elite itself. Although there weren't color-coded connectors or a big poster, hooking it up to the TV and getting it running was very simple. I plugged in the HDMI cable to the console and the TV, plugged in the power cord from the console to the "brick," and plugged the brick into a surge-protector. Voila, HD gaming action is only a power switch depress away! Sort of…

The wireless controller needed calibrated. I obviously had to put the batteries in, dig out the manual, and work the 3-button-press procedure. Now I'm ready! Almost. When powering on the console, you need to get it configured (date, time, etc.), and then build a profile, even if you're not going online (Xbox Live Silver is free, and you'd need a profile to use it). So, after using the controller as a keyboard for a little while, I was ready to rock! This time, for real. After about 45 minutes total, I was ready to see what all of the fuss was about. Let me tell you, gaming in HD is unlike anything you've ever seen (except for the resolutions provided by a PC, obviously - but not many people have a 51" PC monitor)! Color me impressed, and very pleased with my first impression.

I wasn't done with the setup, though. I wanted to get on Xbox Live, and I didn't want to run a cable from my router in the basement to my Xbox in the living room, so I opted to purchase a wireless adapter. Although I'm pretty comfortable with hardware, networks scare me a bit. Fortunately, after connecting the wireless adapter to my 360, it was literally about 2 minutes before I was up and running. All I had to do was type in my "code" to allow the 360 to access my network, and I was done. There were also options to connect my 360 to my PC for video, picture, and music sharing, but I didn't follow through, since my PC was turned off ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS! Yes, I'm lazy like that.

I bought a 3 month LIVE gold card, and was ready to subscribe. After setting up my network, connecting to LIVE was simple, but it did require a lot of keyboarding with the controller. I had codes to enter and another profile to build, but after about 10 minutes, I was online. Xbox LIVE now, compared to what it was when I last subscribed in early 2006, has exploded with things to see and do. You can purchase "arcade" games and download them to the Xbox hard drive. You can download game demos, television shows, and movie trailers. You can send messages to your friends - either written or recorded! You can purchase a camera for video on LIVE and in games. I spent the next hour literally just exploring all of the stuff to do - on Xbox Live and just on the 360 itself. The Xbox dashboard, once you find your way around, makes navigating through all of these choices and options pretty painless.

All of that keep me busy on day one.

On day two, my only goal was to get my "charge-and-play" second controller up and running. This required the installation of a battery pack, and then connecting the controller to the 360 via a charging cable. While the 360 is on, the controller's battery will charge. You can even use it while it's charging. The only trouble I had is that I really couldn't figure out how the charging cable connected to the 360. It looked like a USB connection, but the USB port was taken up in the back by my network adapter. It didn't fit into the two "wired" controller ports. After looking through the 360 manual and the controller manual, I couldn't find a picture anywhere detailing where to plug the darn thing in! After about a minute, I pressed on this little door on the 360 off to the right on the front, and sure enough, behind it were additional controller connections that matched my plug. After feeling stupid for a minute, I had controller number two charging up.

Once that was charging, I put FIFA World Cup 2006 in, commenced to beating Mexico in a penalty shoot-off, set my American squad lineup, and took to the practice pitch. All in glorious HD. Color me more impressed each time I fire this thing up!

Day three will bring some FIFA and Fuzion Frenzy time with my kids. I'll report more in the near future...