The package contents for the Xbox 360 have been revealed. The one feature that I have been most eagerly awaiting - the one that’s kept me sitting on the edge of my seat chewing my fingernails - seems to be less cool then I was hoping. Still gonna buy it all? Sure - but it won’t be as useful - that’s for sure.

Wireless connectivity - that’s where it’s at. People are willing to look over its speed deficiency because it’s so darn effortless. Your original Xbox connects to the network via a 100 Mb/s cable - 100 million bits per second. 802.11b, the standard wireless connection protocol, runs at 11 Mb/s. Yeah - 90% slower, but we still don’t care - we don’t have to muck with cables. The newer 802.11g standard, which the Xbox 360 supports, as well as most all new cards and peripherals, runs at 54 Mb/s - now that’s cool. The best of both worlds, practically!

I was so looking forward to being able to take my Xbox 360 and projector to a friends house, plugging them into each other, and into power, and being able to join in on the Halo parties. No network cables, no controller cables - just power and data. Sigh.

Why am I so down? Because the wireless adapter is OPTIONAL. That’s why. OPTIONAL. It doesn’t work out-of-the-box. That’s as good as nonexistant in big groups. You’ll invite people to a LAN party, and they’ll say:

“Uh. Where do I plug in? Wh…. why are you looking at me that way? Hey, that’s my 360! Hey SToP NOwooooo pleaSe!!

[CRUNCH]

…and we’ll be JUSTIFIED because it’s THEIR fault that we have to dig out a network switch and string SIXTEEN OR MORE cables all over the house just to get everybody to play in the game that was working fine BEFORE THEY GOT HERE!!

Now, I have a network card in my PC, and can’t wait to pump music wirelessly to the Xbox 360 and have it come out through the nice speakers around the TV, as opposed to through the underpowered, old-n-busted speakers next to my computer. Obviously, I’m going to get the adapter. But why should my friends get it? Because of the every-other-month LAN party we throw down? It’s gonna cost like $40 - is everybody really going to buy it?

Yes. At least, it’ll be required for our LAN parties, anyway. I just don’t want to deal with cables any more. I oppose them for ethical, moral, economic, and personal reasons. They’re evil - EEEEEEEEVVVIILLLLLL. This little gadget is a major part of the XBox 360 for me, since the group I run with prefers System Link to Xbox Live (26 year-olds to 14-year olds any day, but that’s a subject for another entry). I consider NOT buying the adapter to be like kissing with one lip: you’ve bought half of the Xbox 360. You’ve got pants with only one leg. You’ve loaded only one barrel in a double-barrelled shotgun. Did the Doom marine ever do that? No. And neither should you.

$40 in exchange for simple set up, peace of mind, freedom from tripping over cables, and a happier wife (nobody hates cables running over and through living room furniture more than her)? Sign me up. And I’m hoping you all are going to sign up, too. Otherwise, there’s going to be trouble.

P.S. As an aside, It’s never actually been confirmed that the Xbox 360 will do System Link via the wireless connection, right? Please, someone tell me that it can. Anyone.