Can someone tell me why I SHOULDN'T sell my month-old Xbox 360?

I am a fairly casual PC gamer, and I had never played a current-gen console before. I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas so I was pretty excited about getting to check out what the hype is all about.

I have nothing against the system. Its technical capabilities etc wowed me, considering the last console I played was the N64.

But my main problem is with the games.

Well, basically, none of the games interest me. I like PC games and have played many of the big franchises (Starcraft, Diablo, some WoW, Doom, Age of Empires, and so on), but I'm actually surprised how little the Xbox library interests me. First of all, I don't quite understand why people play FPS games on the consoles when the controls are inferior to the mouse & keyboard. Most of the FPS games on Xbox are available on PC as well. Yes, I'm aware of Xbox Live but the CoD PC online modes seem decent enough.

I like RPGs. Obviously the few RPGs on Xbox are already available for PC (except for Fable 2, which I didn't like). The game I looked forward to the most - GTA4 - I found to be disappointing (technically superb but gameplay meh), but this is probably because I was expecting way too much given all the perfect scores it got.

I like sports games, (FIFA, NBA 2K) so I feel this is the only area that the consoles have the PC beat, since EA Sports isn't even trying to make PC games now.

In short, I want to like the Xbox but I don't understand why I should need one when I already have a PC. So my question is: do you feel like having both a PC and Xbox is redundant? Also, are there any good games coming out this year that's Xbox-exclusive (i.e. not available on PC), besides RE5?

Do whatever you want. The only advice I could have given you was to research before you made the purchase to see whether or not the game library was substantial enough to warrant a purchase. Clearly it wasn't and you cannot blame that on the console makers, because for a lot of us, it is. I run Windows through boot camp on my Mac and did some gaming on it, but my 360 is my main platform for all things gaming. PS - Check out the XBL Arcade. Some of 360's best games (Braid, Geometry Wars 2, Marble Blast Ultra, and Castle Crashers) are on there.DonPerian

You're absolutely right.

I've been playing computer games for a long time (my first "system" was an Apple IIe), and somewhere around Xbox I started switching to consoles. I do 90% of my gaming on 360 now, except for some titles that I can't get on console (Total War, Europa Universalis).

PCs can be a pain in the ass. For the last several weeks, I was on a business trip, so I didn't have my Xbox. I brought along some PC games, and some of them were a nightmare to get up and running. I spent all my free time on one day getting Neverwinter Nights to work, a more difficult quest than any in the actual game. And I know some PC hardware/software nerd's going to come along and say, "Well, if you knew how to...and DirectX10...overclocking...and somethingthing ATI driver...etc etc." Well, you know what, hardware/software nerd? Not everyone has the same hobby as you. For someone who's not into that stuff, PC gaming can be a pain in the ass. Apparently this doesn't apply to you, thread creator. Maybe you get spoiled by a console.

Regarding the mouse/keybard versus controller in shooters issue... A mouse/keyboard is only better than a controller if you're playing in a game against someone using a controller, which is practically non-existent. Shooter mechanics on consoles are adjusted so as to suit the ergonomics of a gamepad. You get the same gameplay experience in a shooter on the console as the PC, assuming you're proficient with both systems.

Anyway, if you don't like shooters on consoles, and don't care about the RPG exclusives/early releases, then I don't know what to tell you.

I've been playing computer games for a long time (my first "system" was an Apple IIe), and somewhere around Xbox I started switching to consoles. I do 90% of my gaming on 360 now, except for some titles that I can't get on console (Total War, Europa Universalis).

PCs can be a pain in the ass. For the last several weeks, I was on a business trip, so I didn't have my Xbox. I brought along some PC games, and some of them were a nightmare to get up and running. I spent all my free time on one day getting Neverwinter Nights to work, a more difficult quest than any in the actual game. And I know some PC hardware/software nerd's going to come along and say, "Well, if you knew how to...and DirectX10...overclocking...and somethingthing ATI driver...etc etc." Well, you know what, hardware/software nerd? Not everyone has the same hobby as you. For someone who's not into that stuff, PC gaming can be a pain in the ass. Apparently this doesn't apply to you, thread creator. Maybe you get spoiled by a console.

Regarding the mouse/keybard versus controller in shooters issue... A mouse/keyboard is only better than a controller if you're playing in a game against someone using a controller, which is practically non-existent. Shooter mechanics on consoles are adjusted so as to suit the ergonomics of a gamepad. You get the same gameplay experience in a shooter on the console as the PC, assuming you're proficient with both systems.

Anyway, if you don't like shooters on consoles, and don't care about the RPG exclusives/early releases, then I don't know what to tell you.

Palantas

pc game controls are horible.

noxboxlive

I have to disagree, seeing as you can customize them to a near-limitless degree, if you're so inclined.

Since games like Crysis require a 6 grand rig to play to full potential, I've given up on PC gaming. Even the games with more average graphics require a rig worth well over a grand, unless you overclock and tweak, and fiddle around with the BIOS settings or whatever. You know what, after a 10 hour day, I dont want to have to stress about this stuff. I want to turn on my Xbox 360 and just play. Also my Xbox cost me a mere £130. Absolute bargain. Plus you dont have to worry about DRM and Securom rubbish that comes attached with lots of new PC titles.

As far as controls go, I always used to be PC biased for FPS games. I never liked playing FPS games on any console. But, once you get used to them, and it happens in like a day, its just as good as mouse and keyboard.

But to be honest with you, if you dont like the Xbox and all it will do is collect dust, just sell it and carry on with your PC gaming!

Like you I was a big time PC gamer for decades before making the leap to the Xbox. I always swore I'd never play a FPS game on a console as the mouse and keyboard is far superior.... and it still is.

I bought my Xobx with the intent on playing platformer and/or 3rd person games as I was going to be stubborn about using a controller for FPS games.

I ultimately succumbed to the FPS draw because so many of the Xbox games used FPS controls. One of the first games I bought was Mass Effect. It took me a few hours to really start to get the feel of the dual stick controls but I found that eventually I was able to muddle through. The aiming and speed of the game was designed to take into account the less precise controller and I eventually found that the game was still quite enjoyable. By the end I wasn't wishing for a mouse and keyboard at all. Since then I've played more and more FPS games on the Xbox and while I still find it somewhat imprecise none of the games I've tried have been frustratingly difficult because of the controls.

If you give it time you may find that you can enjoy those types of games with a controller. However, you need to make that commitment on your own. In the meantime you can try some games like Assassin's Creed or Overlord which use more traditional platformer controls. There are some decent games out there that aren't FP games but it is also true that the Xbox is predominately a FP console.