Microsoft's latest assault on the gaming market is the first of the so-called next generation of consoles. The Xbox 360 has an impressive list of technical specs, ranging from three symmetrical processor cores, each running at 3.2Ghz, to a custom 500 MHz ATi graphics card and high definition video output. In terms of games, the Xbox 360 will be able to match and in many cases outperform a cutting edge PC costing ten times the price. The Xbox 360 comes with all sorts of media centre capabilities, ranging from being able to store and stream audio and video from its detachable hard drive wirelessly, to USB connectivity with your iPod. Another major draw of the console is the Xbox live service. For a fee (and you'll have to have broadband internet) you'll be able to play other Xbox users around the world, in an impressively seamless service. 

The Xbox 360 feels like a next-gen console. Plug in any launch game and prepare to be astounded by scenes of mind-boggling graphical beauty. The system smoothly pumps out obscene numbers of polygons onto the screen. The textures are rather sharp, even in standard definition. The blur effects included in many of the games - Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero deserve special mention here - give the whole experience a cinematic look that just hasn't been seen in any game before. Playing the games in high-def (you can buy a VGA cable separately and plug it into your PC monitor if you don't feel like splashing out on a high-def TV) does make a huge difference: the graphics will become up to ten times sharper, depending on what level of high-def you output at.

The media centre capabilities are also fantastic. Not only can you plug in a host of third party accessories via the USB ports, you can also store a host of video and audio on the hard drive. The hard drive will also allow you to download emulators for original Xbox games (for which you don't need an Xbox gold subscription). The good news is that the games that are emulated at the moment look a heck of a lot better on the 360. For instance, you can now return to play Halo 2 in glorious high-definition, with anti-aliasing smoothing out a few of the more jagged edges. 

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is capable of unsurpassed graphical feats and has enough bells and whistles to keep most gadget freaks busy for a good little while. If you're a PC gamer, then you'll probably be pretty damn pleased with what the 360 has to offer. Consoles like the 360 will continue to narrow the gap between PC and console gaming. If you're looking for a next-gen console experience, the 360 will exceed your expectations.