While I was away from the site I managed to get a replacement 360 from the States.  After the third one died I was fairly miffed at Microsoft, but once I got the new Slim up and running, with my old saves restored, I was back where I was a couple of years ago -- loving my 360.

How great can a product be that after having three of them fail you are happy, excited even, to get a fourth one?  I've had two Mitsubishi's in my life, an Eclipse and a Pajero (Montero in some markets).  After having electrical problems with the first one I swore I'd never buy another. I buy the Pajero and what do I find? Electrical problems. I swear, I'll now not only ever buy a Mitsubishi ever again, but I'll campaign against them when ever someone asks my advice.

But here I am loving my 360. It charges for online, it steals my saves, it sells me games online then, when licensing agreements change, takes them away.But I still love it. I've had four of them while my original PS3 shows no sign of slowing down... but still.

So what makes it so great? The controller is not as comfortable as the Dual Shock (what with that battery pack on the back), but the sticks are so much better than those found on the Sony competitor. Having the sticks be concave makes sure that when the action gets frantic in a game your thumbs don't slide off.  Having them off center, also balances the weight of the controller.  And, at least when the controller is new, it has those four little dimples that help you keep the orientation of your thumbs. The controller is the most important part of any console, after the software, and Microsoft nailed it.

Also on the plus side is the GUI. I think the latest version of the desktop is the best so far. Clearly organized, with the stuff I use the most in the most obvious places.  What was genius though is Microsoft's courage to keep changing it. It makes the console always seem new -- even though the hardware is almost archaic at this point.

The built-in HDMI has mostly closed the gap with the PS3 in terms of graphics. Most developers use it as the lead platform, so it makes sense the graphics were comparable, but without HDMI it was impossible to tell before.

Finally, what I love about the 360 is the SILENCE. It is quieter than a Wii now (since the Wii does a lot more disc access). While my PS3 is healthy, if I have it on for more than 5 minutes it sounds like an Apache getting ready for take off.

Paying for online play is more complicated for me than it is annoying (because of my bi-continental tendencies) so I won't bash them for that, but I will lay out my quibbles with MS:

• They seem to be taking the XBOX into the multiverse of media. Along with the Kinect, that's fine if they want to expand the base on the back end of the console cycle, so long as it doesn't take away resources from the core gaming group.
• Which leads to my second gripe. Where are the games? More importantly where are the developer relationships and in-house development programs?  Microsoft once had a solid stable of in-house talent, now they seem adrift.
• This is not on MS, but it's fans.  You haven't won anything. There are 61 million PS3s, 66 million 360s. It got a years head start and everyone has had to own at least 2 360's. And Japan hates you. Oh and the Wii.

So that's my story. I'm happy to have a 360 again, hopefully this will be the last one.