X marks the box

By BILL HUTCHENS
SCRIPPS HOWARD
EVEN WITHOUT A GAME DISK in its tray, the Xbox 360 does more than any other game console before it. The all-in-one media center launched this week, offering both casual and hard-core gamers new ways of connecting with each other.
"It's all about that big worldwide virtual couch," said Scott Henson, product-unit manager in Microsoft's Advanced Technology Group.
During a recent preview at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters, Henson demonstrated some of the system's features.
Xbox 360 has plenty to offer aside from advanced graphics processors and central processors that run the world's most visually complex videogames.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE POLYS
Polygons are the building blocks of most game environments, characters and vehicles. The ability to juggle 3-D models built with polygons has long been a measure of a console's processing power. "A single bridge has as many polygons in it as an entire (race course) did in 'Project Gotham Racing 2,' " Henson said while demonstrating the car-racing game "PGR3."
WHAT'S WITH THE X:
Look down from the screen for a moment. Notice the large "X" button in the center of the Xbox 360 controller. Press it, and you'll open up a world of online possibilities.
That X button takes you to the Gamer Guide, the launching pad for your online connections. Maybe you're having a great round of "Project Gotham," and you want to challenge a friend to a race. Pull up the message center, and either type in a quick invite using the Xbox controller or record a voice message with an Xbox 360 headset.
Send the message to your friend. If he's using his 360, he'll get it. Maybe he's sitting in front of the TV, using the 360's DVD player to watch a movie. So long as his broadband Internet service is up and running, a pop-up notice on the TV screen will tell him he's got a message waiting. (Or, if he's chosen to block message notification so he can enjoy a movie, a light will flash on the face of the console.)
KNOW YOUR ENEMIES
In addition to the invite, that message will give a wealth of information about the sender, including how much and how well she's played all the games in her library.
Each online gamer will have a reputation score (up to five stars), a cumulative ranking given by opponents and teammates. Go on a team killing rampage while cussing out your partners via the 360 headset, and your rating likely will suffer. Win and lose graciously, and you'll probably hover in the four- or five-star range. Every gamer starts out with three stars.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Every game has a possible 1,000 points players can earn by reaching set goals. Win every race in "PGR3," for instance, and you might earn several hundred points for that game. Those points are then added to an overall Gamer Score, an accumulative number that reflects your gamer cred.
These numbers are public if you use Xbox Live, Microsoft's broadband gaming service.
XBOX LIVE
With the original Xbox, the service costs about $50 per year -- on top of whatever you pay your broadband cable provider. For Xbox 360, there are two levels of service. "Gold" is the subscription service that adds the online gaming capabilities at a cost of $50 a year. Starter kits with headsets and other extras will sell for $70. But "Silver" is free (again, you need broadband service) and opens up the messaging center, the Gamer Score and reputation information and several other features including Xbox Live Arcade.
SINGLE-SERVING GAMES
If you're not in the mood for long-haul gaming, that X button can send you to the arcade for some bite-size gaming morsels. Xbox 360 will launch with half a dozen quickie games, including arcade classics, new space shooters and puzzle games. Alexi Pagitnov, the Russian creator of "Tetris," has contributed a new puzzle game called "Hexic" to the lineup and has another on the way, said Greg Canessa, group manager for Xbox Live Arcade.
Canessa said he and his group scoured the Internet and the libraries of established game companies for the best single-serving games. From time to time, Microsoft will make new games available for $5 to $10 each. These can add as much as 200 points to your Gamer Score, depending on how well you play.
MEDIA CENTER MONSTER
During the racing-game demo, Henson paused the game to load some custom music tracks. He navigated to the 360's main menu, flipped to a page that let him select devices from a list -- and then plugged an iPod Nano into the 360.
The mating of Apple and Microsoft hardware didn't cause the universe to implode, but it did make the music stored on the Nano available as background audio for the game.
Xbox 360 owners can connect DVD players, digital cameras, PCs -- just about any device that supports the use of USB cables.
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY
Some gamers have had their Xbox 360s reserved for months. Others are taking a "wait-and-see" approach with the $400 system.
Jon Manley, 14, of Tacoma, Wash., said he'll wait for the price to drop before getting his 360. "I just can't afford it right now," he said.
A longtime Xbox player, he said the updated graphics, high-quality games and that Xbox Live connectivity are what draw him to Microsoft's consoles. But $200 is a much better price point, he said.
Nathan Buck, 21, of Fort Lewis, Wash., said he'll wait awhile, too.
"I don't think they'll have any left if I go try to get one on the first day," said Buck, who hasn't reserved a 360.
Still, he said he hopes to pick one up before Christmas.
"I've seen from the demos, it just has better graphics," Buck said.