Well… sort of. You see, even if you decided upon reading this that you absolutely had to have one and rushed to your neighborhood game store at 9 am with money in hand… well, lets just say you'd have a better chance getting Guns ‘N’ Roses to release another album than buying a 360. Due to a massive supply shortage, Microsoft was unable to deliver sufficient quantities to retailers, and hundreds of thousands of eager gamers were left in the dark, with no flashlight in sight. Unless you had the foresight to reserve one at a game store months ago, or you camped out Star-Wars style at Toys R’ Us, or you paid twice the retail cost online, you most likely are waiting well into the new year to get one.

Needless to say, this was a startling disappointment to the gaming community, which had been amped up by the last E3 game convention and an MTV special on the 360. Rumors have been running rampant as to how Microsoft could have bungled the availability of the system to this extent. While some say Microsoft had been traumatized by the abysmal sales and subsequent surplus of the original X-Box (because of it, multiple price drops were necessary, and they lost money whenever a system was sold), others wonder whether this shortage is a marketing ploy to create buzz and increase demand.

Another theory is Microsoft is so determined to get a head start on Sony’s Playstation 3 that they refuse to back down from their own release date, even though it became apparent production would not meet the necessary quantities for a successful launch. Whatever the reason, the only thing that could save the 360 from such a disastrous beginning is quality gaming and innovative features.

The X-Box 360 is rectangular shaped and colored white, and is able to lay horizontally or stand vertically, giving it the appearance of a mini PC. It has slots for memory cards and USB ports for controllers and which enables you to connect other media devices. The X-Box 360 contains a sliding-disc tray and a removable top panel where the 20GB external hard drive snaps into place. The hard drive is essential; it saves your progress in games, allows downloads from the Internet such as extra levels and music, and allows the 360 to play most original games. (The emulator that allows backwards compatibility must be updated through Microsoft’s website before it works.) The back of the system’s AV inputs also can be used for S-video and component cables, as the 360 supports 5.1 surround and HD technology.

Around the power button in the front of the console is a unique feature called the ring of light. Broken up into 4 quadrants which glow green when a controller is being used in the corresponding slot, the ring is also used to denote system errors by flashing different combinations of red. There were rumblings of the ring of light even playing a function in certain games, but that remains unclear at this time.

The X-Box 360 has a boatload of options to choose from, backing Microsoft’s claim of it being the total entertainment system. Similar to the original X-Box, it can play both CDs and DVDs (region 1 only), and Microsoft wisely didn’t require the need of a DVD remote to do so this time. You can connect a digital camera or personal audio player through USB and play music using your home audio set up.

Even in games like Kameo - a cute little adventure title - the crisp visuals and vibrant colors bring you into that fantasy world. While standing on a dingy bridge with a menacing castle stronghold, I turned the camera upward toward the darkened heavens full of ash and smoke. Seemingly thousands of feet above flew a hundred dragon like creatures whose red as blood bodies stood out ominously against the black sky as they flapped their wings majestically. Moments like that is what I expect from my next-generation game console.

Man can not game on graphics alone, and the upgrades to the game’s A.I. soon become apparant. In the amazing Call of Duty 2 both the enemy units and your brothers in arms read and react to situations realistically; you may never want to play an X-Box or PS2 war game again. The constant sway of battle, flanking of entrenchments, retreating, and regrouping, seeking higher ground and better cover, and shouts of imminent danger are all standard occurrences for almost every firefight.