Hidden down a winding staircase from the hustle and bustle of Jamaica Avenue, the store looked like a shrine, with piles of broken PS2s, OG Xboxes, and GameCubes lining the walls. That little store in the Jamaica Colosseum Mall was the same place I once bought it. splinter cell on PS2, apocalypse 3 for Xbox and Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, among others. But dead consoles, as alive as the worlds these boxes produce, were a jarring reminder that sooner or later our dream machines will stop working.
In late 2005, standing on the cusp of a new generation of consoles, I intellectually realized that in time some of the new, cutting-edge Xbox 360s and yet-to-be-released PlayStation 3s would one day die. Maybe ten years from now that shop will be filled with hourglass-shaped white monoliths and glossy black Foreman grilles. But not yet. After all, it was the beginning of a new era.
At the time, my teenage social circle was busy bickering about stupid console wars, debating whether it was at fast food restaurants. Killzone 2The 2005 E3 demo was real or our PlayStation reassurance of friends that we have seen the new generation once SOCOMwe would leave halo and Xbox forever. But we all agreed on one thing: We were all very excited about the crazy new possibilities these new machines promised. HD graphics, better custom music playlists, a result (finally!) halo 2the promise of true next-gen experiences like War Gears. What a beautiful time to live.
In an age of expensive messaging plans and limited social media, the online functionality of new HD consoles will soon mark a shift in our social lives. In fact, that’s why most of us are looking for broadband internet. Combined online, our surroundings would certainly remain as bright as the flashy rings on the Xbox 360.
We’ve all saved enough of the random business we had at the time to buy the 360s and fulfill the desire to escape that beckoned us after the last period. Our afternoons were packed with tour after tour halo 2 (finally Halo 3), nonsense talk, arguing if Korn is better without Head, figuring out how to best implement War Gears cover up tactics halopersuade someone to give lost planet a try, ordering Chinese food (especially leaving a friend stuck on the bill. Now we’re fine, right?), swapping, blowing up burnt Incubus and HIM discographies to copy onto our 360 hard drive lamb of god holinessand saying things like “oh my god, did you see this” mass effect is the game coming out?” “state of unawareness looks crazy!” and “Would you die kindly so I can have your sniper rifle?” Single player or multiplayer, gaming has never been more exciting or promising.
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Gifts under $20, $10 or even $5. This Wish is the catch-all store for all of the above.
But amid the outcry over killing madmen and chainsawing aliens, rumors surfaced on the forums about the sudden failure of the Xbox 360s. IT…