This console is a real piece of crap on the outside but what it lacks in aesthetics and fan noise it makes up for in experience. The newest software (late 2011) has actually made a difference in my giving it a 8 rather than a 6. This is coming from someone using the system without the Kinect peripheral that the new software was designed to take advantage of. The Play Station is far and away the better piece of hardware, but the combination of games and services on the Xbox 360 make it a better system all around in my mind.