At DigitalLife 2005, I was able to get my hands on the controller and speak one on one with a Microsoft representative before the mass of public invaders crowded up the whole space.  Aside from taking some close up pictures of a few of them, I got to fiddling with the entire media aspect of the Xbox 360. It was already connected to a Windows Media Center PC for convenience and its USB ports were equipped with a few cables that would be used later in this demo.  Once I got the controller in my hand, I noticed that it was very familiar since the design is so similar to the current S controller for Xbox.  I got to tinker around with the Xbox Live interface where you can do an infinite number of things not found in the current version of Xbox Live. 

For example, customizing your entire dashboard and checking out a side by side comparison of games with people on you friends list.  For some extra fun the rep showed me some of the arcade games that you can purchase online for retro fun.  He says they will range from about 5-10 dollars a game.  Additionally, they will be stored on your 360’s hard drive.

Then I was able to take my iPod and hook it up to one of the available USB ports to listen to some John Mayer while I continued to check out the rest of the dashboard features.  The Microsoft rep went on and hooked up his PSP to show me how easily the Xbox 360 recognizes other hardware.  When I was done, I selected the Windows Media Center Logo and then I was able to browse the PC on hand for pictures, movies and other High Def content. 

I was able to demo two games as well Project Gotham Racing and Kameo.  I will share my impressions of those games more in depth.  The bottom line is that the Xbox 360 is a beast of a machine with such ease of use, it has completely blown away my expectations.  This console appeals to every type of gamer, not just the hardcores.  Heck, even my 19 month old son took part in the action.