This is not meant to be flamebait so you MS bashers need to find another thread.  I own this and other consoles but really would like to land on JUST ONE SYSTEM.  This thread pertains to my recently purchased premium 360 and is a follow on to my initial thoughts about the system and half a dozen games I picked up.  My premium works fine, it isn't noisy, and it was easy to hook up.  Well done, MS.  I'm playing in SD through the RGB component cables on a SD TV so HDTV for me, at this point, is irrelevant.  There are a few things that I think are really keeping the XBOX 360 from becoming the defacto next-gen standard and I want to offer these up given that, at this point in time, the 360 is in the best possible position to put a nail in the competition's coffin if MS executes.  Keep in mind these suggestions are to "round out" the 360 so it appeals to a broad audience and gives that audience NO REASON to look elesewhere for their entertainment.

1)Do something very publicly and consistently to address all the concerns about quality.  It concerned me greatly before I bought a console.  That will go a long way toward getting people off the fence and into the 360 camp.

2)Create a "lableling law" or something for the back of the boxes that sets and absolutely set in stone process for lableling how games will play. 2P co-op on one game box means online or system link but not local.  2P co-op on another box means split screen while co-op on yet another game means all on the same screen.  It gets worse than that, even, in that games like Kameo are 2 player co-op only after completing the game in 1-player mode.  I have a diverse group of gamers in the house and I'm trying to make everyone happy with game purchases.  Nothing disappoints or irritates me more when I buy something that isn't exactly as described or doesn't perform in the manner it was purchased for.

3)Open up the dang platform hardware!  The controller ports, for example, are a means to access the box.  The whole technical process (i believe it is a chip in the controller itself?) of limiting access to the 360's controller ports is nothing more than a money grab and we users KNOW it.  My family wants to play guitar hero with a wireless guitar.  No dice because there isn't one.  My daughter wants to use her high-end metal dance pad for DDR.  Can't do it.  No way.  No how.  Why you ask? The ports are locked down tight which severely hampers 3rd parties from developing innovative (and cost reasonable) controllers for the 360.  Again, this is nothing more than a money grab.  This means I have to keep my PS2 around for these two games -- just for that purpose.  Guess what?  When the PS3 comes down in price to an affordable level, I'll probably buy one since I'll have backwards compatibility and the ability to use her current metal pad and wireless guitar.  Wake up, MS!  I'd slam the door shut on my PS2 and probably and chance of a PS3 in the future if not for this one major point.  An opportunity to give guitar heroes and dance matters a platform to do EVERYTHING they want seems to be a no-brainer but has escaped the realm of common sense on this platform in the chase for more licensing and peripheral bucks by MS.  Try looking at the BIG picture and think LONG TERM instead of cutting off your nose just to spite your face.

4)Spend some money attracting more family friendly developers to make more games like Viva.  Good first effort, but you have to keep them coming (along with FPS, Sports, racing, etc.).  How about a wii-sports type of game on XBL and other similar "lite" content?  I know people like shooters but you have to keep them balanced with everything else.  I realize MS doesn't decide what third parties will write ultimately, but MS can do a lot to attract family type games by waiving or reducing royalties, assisting with development, marketing, project management, etc....

5)Encourage existing game developers to broaden the appeal of existing games by polishing the game design.  Nintendo, for example, does a great job with most games in walking the user through the key controls on screen so that games are more "approachable" and are essentially turn-on-and-play.  This is usually done by playing through a level with all sorts of help early on.  Gears, for example, would have benefitted greatly from having a tutorial on using cover, aiming, etc.  I know the hardcore gamers jump right in and work it out anyway, but for the average gamer, this would have really helped.

6)Broaden the playability of games by designing some controls into the content of the games.  The 360 has a "family" control -- what not extend that into the games themselves?  It would be cool if developers could design their games in such a way as to allow the family setting to shut off the heavy blood, gore, and language to essentially turn an M title into a Teen title.  Parents would most certainly appreciate it and it would again help the console be "more well rounded" by meeting the needs of more diverse audience.

Since I have just 5 hours on my new premium and haven't hit xbox live yet, I'm not yet fully informed as to all the aspects of the 360 but, in my opinion, these are some major areas to improve and slam the door on the competition...

Please, don't use this as a flame thread or flame bait.  I'm really hoping some folks at microsoft get more comments like this and they act on them in a positive way to better the console over time.  I also posted this on the official xbox forums in hope a MS-type will pick it up and contemplate it amongst some decision makers. 

Well thought out commentary.

1. I think they're trying to make the best of a bad situation. When my Xbox died, I got through to customer service in less then a minute, and minus some line noise the experience was flawless on Microsofts end. Of course UPS delayed the package for a week. When the new chipset comes out, I think this will be the last of the problems.

2. I totally agree with this. It is very confusing. It should be standardised for all consoles. Of course, the Xbox does this much better then the Wii. On the Wii, 4 player means that all four of you can share one Wiimote. You have four Wiimotes? Sorry.

3. I think that using USB is a step in that direction, but overall M$ is a bohemoth that wants to protect their investments. I would like to see a PS2 > 360 adapter for Guitar Hero and DDR.

4. I think that success of DDR and GHII as well as the Wii is pushing Microsoft in that direction. They address a lot of those games in Xbox live though.

5. All games should have an on screen training. When you rent games you don't get the manual. If you lose the manual your in trouble. A training routine would be very easy to create.

6. Wait so you would have an option of blood or no blood? Bad language or good language. Jack Thompson is out of business!!!

Enjoy your box!!!

I would have to agree on this one, As i have said before ,I said I am getting an 360 in a few weeks, but I have changed my mind, and waiting to get a newer model when the store shelves are down, So i will make my purchase when MS sells 12 million Worldwide, This will ensure a newr SKU and a system that shouldnt break down.

I agree on 1 to 3 :)

Some great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to write out your thoughts on it. I agree with all of them.

Mr Stick -- I appreciate your commentary, as always.

On the warranty issue I wasn't necessarily thinking about more warranty coverage or something like that -- more of a marketing offensive. Talk about average response times to fix, answer the phone, return machines. Talk about no cost round-trip shipping. Talk about special scenarios where Microsoft bends the warranty rules to make customers happy. Talk about a total commitment to customer satisfaction. AND, talk about it in an open way rather than denying the apparent pink elephant in the room. I highly doubt repair issues are as high as reported -- fanboyism at work.

there are other things MS can do as well -- free content on XBLA as compensation -- free points when you get your refurbed unit back -- all kinds of things that, from a dollar perspective -- aren't huge, but do add to goodwill and customer satisfaction.

Concerning the "spending on family content" of $500M. I'm unaware of how that money was spent but if that is indeed the number, someone should be shot for the content produced vs. money spent, lol. Point taken, though. They have spent some time, money, and efforts on family -- 3rd parties just haven't stepped up and that's where it has to happen unless microsoft wants to go HARD first party family oriented like Nintendo does.

How about this as a potential solution: Focus on XBLA as a means to deliver family friendly games -- casual sports, acradey-type stuff, etc. and guarantee the developers of said content a minimum amount of sales from the game so they know their risks going in. Of course there would have to be quality and quantity controls so it's not just rubbish, but that would be a whole lot less expensive than buying rare and making them produce Viva. (though that was a solid move).

Family Friendly:

I have two young daughters (3 &4), and both love the 360. Viva is at the top of the list (tied with Lego Star Wars), but another great source for family friendly titles is XBLA. Marble Blast Ultra, 3-D mini-golf, Boom-Boom Rocket, etc. are all great games and very affordable. Be sure to get hooked up to live and check it out.

I think the biggest thing that will attract main-stream family developers is time as the 360 becomes the console that moves the most Software. Recent numbers on this site are showing that the 360 is moving in that direction. Take a look at the recent batch of family movie game tie ins. Just about all of them have a 360 version (Cars, Shriek III, Meet the Robinsons, etc.) I know these aren't high quality gaming experiences, but at least the 360 seems to have escaped the "gaming machine for adults".

If you still want more family friendly titles don't forget to check the original X-box library. Quite a few will run on the 360 and are also very cheap:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

Despite all of the above, I do agree that the 360 will never touch Nintendo in this area, which is why many of my friends who have kids have gone with the Wii60 solution: Get both.

Funny story about that: I brought my kids to my friends so they could see the Wii and check out the controllers. All the children had a blast with Wii sports for about 30 minutes. My oldest daughter saw the 360 in the den and asked if they had "The Pinata Game". Once that was mentioned, the entire gang moved to the den and played Viva for over an hour.

Perhaps the Wii controller appeals to a slightly older demographic, but my kids are already 360 fangirls.

Russ,

Thanks for your input.  I see you are a new poster.  Welcome... 

Microsoft spent $500mil (or so) on Rare, the largest family-friendly company in the history of gaming, sans Nintendo.

They've never made an M rated game, and exactly why Nintendo bought them. No other studio (again, sans Nintendo) has gone to that kind of length.

As stated, there's a wealth of great 'lil titles on XBLA that are very kid-friendly. Also, you have all the new great family-friendly RPGs with colorful characters, Idolmaster, lego star wars. Just check MS's family page for upcoming and current family-oriented titles.

I agree with possible solutions for warranty work like free XBLA stuff, but actually, I did get free MS points + gold membership for my box getting repaired. More would be better though :)