ArsTechnica has a longish review of the new XBox 360 (link). Of course I’m most interested in the Marketplace, and so from the article comes this bit of relevant reporting:

First, all of the games are Live aware, so you can send and respond to messages and invitations from every game. The older system had that though, but the fact that this feature is now universal is a nice touch. The real draw here though, is the Marketplace.

In theory the Marketplace is a shopping area you get to through the dashboard that allows you to access all sorts of content.

Microsoft now has a direct window into your living room, and not only that, they have a way to sell you any kind of content they want. Songs? Videos? Movies? It’s all possible.

All in all though, you can’t help but think that the Marketplace is the future of gaming. You can get content for your games, try your hand at some old-school shooters, or demo the latest game before you plunk down your US$60 at the store for it. It’s all here, and it’s easy to get into and use.

That makes two for two.