CONTROLS
Gamepads
have come a long way, and the
wireless pad that comes with
the 360 is as near to perfect as
we’ve ever seen. Sure, it should
come with rechargeable batter-
ies, but even standard alkalines
last a really, really long time.
Of course, the wired ver-
sion of the 360 controller also
works on the PC. Buy it, plug
it in, and download the drivers
from Windows Update. Plus,
with the PC you always have
the option of using the key-
board/mouse combo, which
might be old-fashioned, but is
still infinitely more flexible than
any gamepad.
WINNER: GAMING PCAnd the Winner Is...
PRICE
This is a tough one to
judge. At press time, the 360 is still pri-
marily available online in hyper-expensive
(think $800 and up) bundle packages that
include extra controllers, games, and other
accessories. However, the consoles are
starting to pop up in retail stores at the
MSRP of $400, for stand-alone sale. At
$800, bundled with a couple of games you
probably don’t want, an extended warranty
that you don’t need, and strategy guides
that are just a waste of paper, any game
console is massively overpriced. Even
at $400, the 360 seems a bit expensive,
especially when you consider that most of
the games are shipping at a $60 MSRP.
Of course, even in a $1,000 bundle, an
Xbox 360 costs less than the pair of vid-
eocards inside our Road Runner machine.
Top-of-the-line gaming PCs cost a pretty
penny, to be sure, though it’s also possible
to build a great-performing gaming rig for
less than $1,300.
WINNER: XBOX 360MAXIMUM PC ROAD RUNNER:
Priceless, http://www.maximumpc.comhead 2 head TWO TECHNOLOGIES ENTER, ONE TECHNOLOGY LEAVES
D
espite a strong showing by the Xbox 360, we’re not about to
throw out our gaming PCs quite yet. If you look at comparative
performance between the two platforms right now, and take into
account the speed at which new hardware is released, you can rest
assured that PC gaming will remain superior to this generation of
gaming consoles.
Sure, the new console hardware has a lot going for it. We’ve
already gushed about Xbox Live, and we really dig the media
streaming aspects of the Xbox 360—when paired with a MediaCenter machine, it’s a fairly impressive streaming box! But the abil-
ity to use the 360 as a streaming box or DVD player is minor com-
pared with the pure power and flexibility you get with even the most
basic gaming rig.
We seriously doubt that any console in this generation will be
able to deliver the depth and impact of a 64-player Battlefield 2
game, or the micromanaging glee that comes from a game like The
Movies. We’ll take power over price—any day!round 4
round 5
MARCH 2006 MA XIMUMPC 17