Hey guys. We bought this new 360 as, rather neatly, we saw the advert for it on the side of a bus, and realised that the price had been lowered and the Hard Drive upgraded. I knew their had been a lot of mixed press as to whether the reliability of the 360 could be under-pinned by the great games and online service on offer, but after looking at the improving reviews and browsing some nice games on offer, we thought we'd just go for it.

Not being a family of hard-core gamers, we just wanted something that was good value for money and offered descent entertainment for rainy days and times were the TV listing inevitably let you down on their definition of entertainment. (Apparently, its programmes like "My Family" and "Since you've been gone" by the Beeb....)

This new Xbox 360 has exceeded our expectations significantly. Set up was quick and easy, as is the operation of the console itself. I'm not one for these modern consoles that have over-complicated file systems/firmware like the PS3 (That allows you to run O.S's on it for gods sake... Why?? it's a games console) and the 360 is relatively clean and easy to use. The 'DashBoard', your main menu, is pretty easy to use and offers alot of services. It can be updated several times via the online service of course, as can the firmware etc. Being non-techies, this wasn't much of a concern, though the size of the 360 Software itself can be; a good 5GB or so is already used for the firmware... This may concern some people more than others, but I still think 55 or so GB is a heck of alot of memory. And if you're just storing game saves like us, then you'll probably never fill it.

The Pad's are terrific - very comfortable and just the right size. We love the trigger and analogue sticks, which are very smooth and perfectly situated. Definitely one of the best pads I've held; remains comfy after a good time too. Not so impressed by the battery life - would definitely invest in a rechargeable battery station.

In terms of the overall build quality, I have to say it's no where near as bad as what people say it is. Considering the current price, I really couldn't ask for more in today's current market, though what the internal components are like is for other people business - we just want this to play games! It can get pretty hot however, but in my typical inquisitive ways, after just turning it off, this allows me to warp my records back in shape in they've been left on an angle in my DJ gear... Hey, beats the long "book" method!

However, their are just a few niggles that take this down to 4 Stars. Our first was easy - No Wi-Fi! We couldn't understand why Microsoft haven't just fitted a bridge inside the console, considering they've had, roughly, 5 Editions of this console to tinker with it... And also, considering it's a few years old now, wi-fi is not exactly new technology either. If it did have this, connecting to the Net would be far more easier, and of course, you'll save a few bob from M.S's official Wireless Bridge which is severely cheeky in it's price. If the Wii and PS3 have it, why not the 360?

As a subjective opinion, a BlueTooth/USB reading option would have allowed easier connectivity for transporting data such as Game Saves. Though indeed I do love the old format of Memory Cards, you have to be honest and say this is 2008... Memory Cards, from my experience, can send tempers flaring when they corrupt.

Our only other niggle has been the state of our game discs after a week or two of buying them... If this is the amount of scratches on them now, I seriously hope they stand the test of time a bit longer, given the silly prices of games these days.

The main reason we bought this new edition of the 360 was simple - Value for money. For it's current selling price, the quality of game-play and the looks to go with them are astonishing - being a gamer myself some time ago, the HD revolution is almost scarily good. The games on offer are quite varied; admittedly, a little heavy on the whole "blasting guns" side of things, but pretty good.

But also aside from all this, we wanted a dedicated gaming console, which is why the PS3 didn't enter my mind. Being a gamer of the 90's and still owning an original '94 PS1 from release, I just think Sony have lost the plot. The "PlayStation 3" is quite the opposite; it's a "MediaStation 1" which we didn't want. Yet Sony have many a teen hanging by their every word, simply because it boasts "everything"; Blu-Ray (Which is compromised; Because owners still have to install the games on their Hard Drive at over 5GB a game!) and that daft SixAxis controller. I held one in HMV; it felt cheap and rather tacky; And this is coming from an adult! So, does having "everything" in the name of current technology make it a true 'PlayStation'?... I'm sorry, but If I want to use Windows, I go on my PC. If I want to view Photos, I do so on my PC. If I want to listen to music, I have a CD player and a lovely set-up.

Our opinions on the Wii are simple too; Admittedly, we do like it and have used it plenty of times, but we just felt that the 360 had more depth. With the prices of the consoles also being the same, the features on offer for the 360 just had to win over. But credit to Nintendo, they've achieved what Apple did back in 1998 when Steve Jobbs came back; Refreshed a whole market and brought it back to its roots. And as Apple created new features that would, in 2008, become standard for most modern PC's, the Wii has had the likes of Sony and even dare I say it Microsoft taking a few ideas now... (Motion sensing? Avatars?)

So overall, were really impressed with our buy and it hasn't failed on use yet. With the way it's running, it doesn't sound or look like it will either. In my honest opinion, I believe too many people on Amazon completely exaggerate the state of their products and nit-pick out anything that will make it look bad. Which is quite sad, as it leaves people confused and pondering a purchase... Let it be said from our experience though that this is currently a fantastic console, and I can't comment on it's previous 'reliability'.