After picking up my Xbox 360 HD-DVD attachment I got a horrible sinking feeling in my gut.
The feeling that I just shelled out 200 bucks for a technology that might not be around in a year. I really didn't even know what I was getting into with this gadget.
Before unpacking the drive, I started worrying how this thing would connect to my 360. I already have the wireless adapter and the camera attachment so I wasn't sure how it would all work together.
Here's the good news: the wireless adapter snaps onto the back HD-DVD drive and then plugs into its USB port. There's another port to handle the camera. Then the whole drive, and whatever is attached, plugs into the rear USB (or front ports) on the 360. Cool, a bonus USB port!
Then I had to unplug it all. You have to install the software first and attach the drive during the installation process. Weird.
Now the bad news: you get another power brick to deal with. Thankfully it's not as bad as the planet-sized 360 brick. Couldn't Microsoft find a way to build this brick into the design? I swear I have 95 things plugged into power strips behind my TV. At least two more plugs to go before I see New Year's.
Now, some more good news: you get the Xbox 360 Universal Remote (the big one) packed in the box and an HD-DVD copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong! That would have been completely cool if I didn't already own the remote pack-in (the little one) from last year and the same big remote that I bought during the 360's launch.
Think about it. Universal Remote: $30. King Kong: $25. Adjusted cost of HD-DVD attachment: $144. That sinking feeling was going away.
All it took was watching 5 minutes of King Kong and my stomach was doing happy back-flips. The picture and the sound was astonishing. This thing is amazing. Really amazing.
I've lived with an HDTV for almost four years now and this HD-DVD player is one of the most satisfying examples of High Definition I experienced since I first started watching digital television. It's that good... and it's not even connected with a pure digital connection (it uses the 360's component cables, not HDMI or DVI). The box says "HD-DVD has six times the resolution of standard DV" and it shows.
Keep in mind, you must have an HDTV and your 360 connected with the HD component cable to get any benefit... but you already know that.
I popped in two more movies: Mission Impossible 3 and Polar Express (to get a taste of live action and animation) and before I knew it hours had passed.
Movies are good again!
If you have an HDTV and an Xbox 360, the HD-DVD drive is money well spent. It's half the price of a stand-alone player and the pack-in bonuses are great. And thanks to the astounding picture and audio I'm already saving a ton on antacids!
Smashing action from Xbox Live
Here's a game that I've been anxiously awaiting. If you like Poker and Tetris-type puzzle games, then you might love the new Xbox Live release Poker Smash! You can catch a glimpse of the gameplay on YouTube. Available NOW!
