Believe it Not, Xbox 360 Main Use Today is Not for Gaming

[barnett114]

[citation][nom]BigMack70[/nom]My wife and I use the xbox almost exclusively for netflix, movies, music, etc. It's incredibly rarely used for gaming (sometimes I do Halo nights with some friends)... I do all my gaming on the PC - everything on Xbox just feels old.If the Xbox didn't have the multimedia stuff that it does, I probably would have sold it a year or two ago.[/citation]

You might as well sell it.

 

[loomis86]

I have a 360. It gets used 2-3 days a week. I havn't played a video game in over 2 months. Other than 3 computers, two laptops, and my xbox360, I do not own a dvd player or a music cd player. I also do not have cable television, satellite tv, or a tivo and I live in an area where there is zero tv reception. Most of my entertainment is through the internet one way or another...either through the xbox or through a computer. If I watch a dvd or listen to a cd, it gets played on the xbox or a computer.

 

[headscratcher]

I have a +3 year old XBOX360. I watch a lot of Netflix/Zune on it and play occasional games. I evaluated HULU plus, but it wasn't a good deal IMO. I may check out the new HBO app. Watching videos using voice commands is really nice, not having to hunt for a remote in the dark and find the right buttons just so I can pause the thing. You can ask it verbally to find a movie and a second later it pops up and you can watch it.

One of the nicest features of it is that it will keep my kids entertained for a while when I need to get something done around the house. Also works as currency for getting them to do their laundry or whatever.

As to XBOX Live Gold... it isn't that expensive and it isn't hacked or down like the free stuff on playstation. And geeze, people spend 10 times more at friggin' Starbucks a month for mediocre coffee than Live costs. I don't see the problem. It is a good service provided by MS, I have never had a problem with it. You get what you pay for.

I think that the XBOX360 has a ton of apps and is a bargain for what it does. Everyone who comes over and sees me use it, wants one.

 

[dlpatague]

Yep this is true. I haven't played a game on my Xbox 360 in a long long long time, let alone bought a game for it. The only people that play games on it are my girlfriend (loves Halo games, but rarely plays anymore) and her two kids (5 and 8 years old, they love Castle Crashers, I hardly let them play, sometimes we have family game time when all four us play together). Otherwise my Xbox 360 is on every single day (we don't have cable TV because it sucks) and we just use it as a media center to stream movies off my PC or to watch Netflix.

 

[zaznet]

For me it's the PS3 that gets this use because it also plays anything in my physical movie collection (BluRay and DVD discs). So I don't bother to set up Hulu or Netflix on 360 because the PS3 plays ALL of the media and is easier to get my wife to use one device for all of it than one for Netflix and one for discs.

Considering the Google TV Bluray player for a future purchase and currently trying out a Roku. About to drop cable TV as it has been overpriced for too long.

 

[BigMack70]

[citation][nom]barnett114[/nom]You might as well sell it.[/citation]

This is a pretty clueless statement... using the xbox in this fashion means we don't have to pay for Cable TV. The Xbox therefore pays for itself over and over again every few months.

Why in the world would I sell it? My wife likes it and uses it a lot, and we watch a lot of stuff together on it. My guess is that you're either trolling or you're about 13 years old and spend 100% of your spare time playing console games.

 

[nforce4max]

What would be nice is to see a console that also doubles up as a DVR and not just for playing games and dvd/blue ray. If they would just do that sales would be rather decent and would reach more customers that would have never bought a game console.

 

[captaincharisma]

everyone is just scared to turn it on anymore fearing the next time they do turn it on they will get the RROD LOL

What would be nice is to see a console that also doubles up as a DVR and not just for playing games and dvd/blue ray. If they would just do that sales would be rather decent and would reach more customers that would have never bought a game console.

Sony came out with a DVR addon. i can't remember if it was for the PS2 or OPS3. anyway they tried it in japan and possibly europe and it did not work out

 

[fb39ca4]

The only reason it is doing so is that many people originally purchased it for gaming. Now that most games are overpriced s*** in a translucent green case, they turn to it for other uses because they already have it.

 

[zaznet]

[citation][nom]captaincharisma[/nom]Sony came out with a DVR addon. i can't remember if it was for the PS2 or OPS3. anyway they tried it in japan and possibly europe and it did not work out[/citation]

Same can be said for most add-on devices for the consoles. The only exception I've been seeing recently is the Kinnect for 360 but I suspect they sell more of them WITH the Xbox than as an add-on.

Sony has a Bluray player with Google TV that could add in DVR and Playstation functionality which could be used to replace multiple components. As an add-on device it's not as useful but all integrated together it sure could be.

 

[dlpatague]

Blu-ray or DVDs, anything physical media should just go away. I ripped all my DVDs to my PC and put them in boxes in the corner (might sell them to get rid of them soon). I haven't bought anything on a physical disc in a very long time. Games, movies, or music. Blu-ray isn't appealing to me at all. I'm not so impressed with it and it will eventually go away sooner then DVDs have. To each his own I guess.

 

[gm0n3y]

I'm shocked that 1/3 of xboxes have paid memberships. Pretty much everyone I know that has an xbox is on their 2nd or 3rd one (I'm on my 2nd). This must mean that ~75% of owners are paying. That is impressive to say the least. I think these statistics are flawed. I haven't even turned my xbox on in the past year.

 

[Guest]

I'd love to use my 360 as a media device. Too bad it has such poor support for captioning.

 

[AndrewMD]

Considering the market Microsoft is going after, "a console in every household", similar to their original mission, "a Windows PC in every home", it is a good accomplishment.

At this point it does not matter if you like PC gamming, or a PS/3 or Wii, it comes down to people that own an XBOX and what they are using it for. This article could care less if you have one for a door stop (your own fault) or use it for a night light.. Believe it or not, you are a 1/2 percent of the real people that Microsoft has attracted to this unit. The fact that you have time to write a smart ass reply to an article not geared toward you shows how little you can think.

Half of the time I feel you guys are cutting and pasting the same crap for anything out there and inserting the name of the product.

At the end of the day, Microsoft has been able to do something that no other console maker can do RIGHT now.

 

[AndrewMD]

To the people with Bluray problems.. get over it. Bluray players cost under $100 now. It is not a big deal.

 

[atminside]

because nobody wants to pay 60+ dollars for a game any more and put up with paying for DLC on day one release....cough cough... ME3....

 

[jaquith]

IF you're looking to play movies or a media center then I recommend the PS3 way over the Xbox 360. The PS3 offers free 'membership', NetFlix streams great, and you have a Blu-Ray; not with the Xbox -- fees. I have both.

GoogleTV would be a nice add-on for either the PS3 or Xbox, but I doubt it will ever happen. Maybe the PS4 or Xbox 720?!

 

[__-_-_-__]

[citation][nom]cookoy[/nom]It's like China buying the Kiev aircraft carrier from Russia, and instead of using it for why it was built, convert it to a floating hotel. Is that good?[/citation]
sorry but you are wrong. you are talking about ex-Varyag soviet aircraft carrier.
long story short.
Launched in 1988.
1992 construction halted. structurally complete but without electronics.
Dissolution of soviet union.
Ownership transferred to Ukraine
1998 sold to a private company in hong kong.
Plans to build an hotel.
2002 finally towed into china waters.
The company that bought the carrier wasn't among the successful bidders for Macau new casino licenses.
2005
moored under high security in a Chinese naval base
refitted to be a Chinese navy aircraft carrier.
sea trials in 2011.
it will be used for scientific research, experiment and training.
it will carry about 50 aircrafts.

 

[memadmax]

Why all the thumbs downs?
They speak the truth......

 

[win7guru]

I use my PS3s mainly for media. If X-Box had blu-ray the numbers would be greater.