The Xbox 360 has enjoyed an impressive life cycle that began way back in 2005, but as time passes and the console ages, it has become apparent that change is needed.
If you are a long-time fan of Microsoft’s console but you want a change, why not sell your Xbox 360 for money and invest in one of the alternatives. Here are a few ideas of what to pick for your next gaming experience and reasons why selling your old console will not leave you without a way to have fun.
Find New Ways to Play
The Xbox 360?s controller is an excellent interface for seasoned game fans and everyone is hoping that Microsoft will retain its basic design for its next major console launch later in the year.
However, it has been less successful with the motion-based Kinect peripheral. If you want engaging motion gaming with a better system, why not sell your Xbox 360 and instead get the new Wii U from Nintendo?
It may not have an obvious appeal for some gaming fans, but the tablet-style controller delivers some very impressive capabilities that can provide asymmetric multiplayer and cooperative experiences that simply cannot be replicated on any other console.
Go Mobile
Mobile gaming has come on in leaps and bounds of late, but if you want the best in portable play then it is probably worth picking up a tablet.
The bargain-basement Android tablets such as the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire HD are good investments thanks to their low prices and large libraries of gaming software.
There are even accessories coming soon which let you augment the touchscreen controls with full physical-controller support, so you do not need to just play casual games on a modern tablet.
If you have been keeping an eye on the games industry then you may be aware of the Kickstarter phenomenon, with crowd-sourced projects quickly gaining traction in both the hardware and software spheres.
Thanks to Kickstarter, there are a number of open-source independent consoles being produced to tempt you to part with your money. The Android-based Ouya is set to go on sale in the summer, supporting a large array of interesting games and benefitting from full HD output via HDMI.
You could even save up some cash and wait for the release of Valve Software’s Steam Box later in the year. It is expected that this will bring PC-style gaming to the living room and could even give the next-generation dedicated consoles from Sony and Microsoft a run for their money.
In essence, you need to make sure that you do not limit your gaming to a single device. Some of the best experiences around are not necessarily on mainstream consoles and it pays to look at some of the alternatives and try some experimentation.