Cons: Why the hell should we pay an extra $30 to watch movies?
The Bottom Line: I'm only recommending this because it's neccessary to watch movies, and it does it's job fine. But it loses points because of the cost.
Shaunpm60's Full Review: Microsoft DVD Movie Playback Kit for Xbox
One of the benefits (and selling points) of consoles in this generation is the fact that you can watch DVD movies on your console, as well as play games (except the Gamecube, of course). The PS2 was first out of the gate to let gamers play movies on their system, and it was a huge selling point for Japanese gamers at the time of launch. The Xbox was lauched with DVD playback capabillites as well, except you have to have the remote to watch movies. Now, to me, that seems like a bit like blackmail. Yes, you can watch movies, but you'll have to shell out $30 for a remote to do so. SONY DIDN'T DO THAT! PS2 owners could buy the remote OPTIONALLY, not manditory.
So, is this stupid thing worth $30? Honestly, no. Maybe $15, but not $30. Perhaps the price has something to do paying into the "DVD consortium", but the controller and infared sensor really could have sold for a lot less. The sensor is small, and can be placed in any control socket of the Xbox. The remote itself is rather basic. Shaped similar to the RCA DVD remotes (I know this, because we have an RCA DVD player in our house, and the shape is very similar), the Xbox DVD remote provides basic functions for DVD playback. For $30, they at least could have made it a universal remote, so I could get more use out of it. But, if you want to watch movies on your system, own an Xbox, and don't want to buy a seperate DVD player, maybe this will be of value.
In terms of video playback (which would be better suited in describing the console's abillities in another review), the Xbox plays movies just fine, and seems to play movies without as many problems as the older PS2 systems come across. I have noticed that the video quality seems a little lighter coming out of the Xbox than the PS2, but that's really nothing major to worry about.
Final Thought
Well, if you want to watch movies on your Xbox, you'll have to buy the remote. It seems like a con job on Microsoft's part, especially when Sony doesn't pull the same crap. The remote provides the basic functions you need in a DVD remote, and it's fairly sturdy, but I still can't justify the cost of $30. If you can find it for $20 or less, that's great, but to play the movies, you have to pay the price.
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