[360] Don't own a 360 but wanna try it out?

My local arcade is beta testing one of these machines that let you play on an X-Box 360 for a limited time. Apparently it's not intended for arcades, but rather they're to be used on College campuses. At first I thought the machine was a ripoff since you pay one dollar for ten minutes of gameplay, but then I realized why this is a good idea. If you don't own an X-Box 360 and just want to try out one of the games, this machine allows you to do it without having to buy or rent a console and the game. Instead, you pay a buck (or a few bucks) and gain access to a full game for a limited time. Also, this machine is supposed to be able to connect to X-Box Live, so I guess some people might find a use for it even if they do own a 360 and don't mind spending some cash.

The machine at my arcade had four different games on it: DoA4, Hollow Tube, Crimson Skies, and some racing game (Gran Turismo?). I was mostly interested in checking out DoA4 where I found that I had enough time to experiment a bit in Sparring mode and then check out Story Mode. Afterwards I talked a bit to the lady who runs the place about how some games probably worked better on this system than others. DoA4 was kind of obvious since it's an arcade game, but also because of the simple fact that there aren't many menus. With Halo 2, on the other hand, if you want to do multiplayer with friends then you have to spend part of your time going through menus to set up a game.

I guess that explains why this machine is not intended for arcades, but I still think certain games work a little better in this situation. Say you and a friend want to play a fighting game, you can both put down money for some time and not have to worry about knocking each other off when you win. Depending on how you play, you could probably save some money this way.

Anyway, the company that makes this thing is called FragIsle International, and unfortunately their website is blank "due to preliminary negotiations". The lady at the arcade also mentioned Sony, so perhaps they're going to try putting multiple consoles in these things. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Grawl

Why do that? Many toy stores have a running Xbox 360 there with some kind of Demo DVD inside.

Because the FragIsle's machine isn't loaded with demos, it's running full games. IMO those store kiosks are only good for showing off a console's appearence and basic features.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Lukage

Full games that really don't appeal to people that much. Why not make one of the very limited selection of four games...popular?

As I said in the original post, the machine is being beta tested. Though I'm pretty sure Halo 2 is reasonably popular with the crowd MS is trying to appeal to.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.