Xbox Music Mixer

MMMMMMIX UP YOUR XBOX!

Since Microsoft first announced that they were coming into the console market, a lot of people scoffed at the idea. Many people thought that Microsoft was just getting into the console market to dominate it like they do the PC market. So far Microsoft has been very impressive, launching a nice console that had features that no other console at the time had. To help prove that they were in the console race for the long hall, they have released a few major features to the Xbox. Last year it was Xbox Live, which allows players to play online with each other, in a very nice community environment. This time it is the Music Mixer; but what does this new feature add to your Xbox? Read on to find out!

The Xbox Music Mixer takes your Xbox and makes it more of a party hub. This program takes your Xbox’s music capability and expand upon it three fold. When players load this program and get to the main menu, they have several choices: Music player, Karaoke, Slide Show, Rave Mode, and Xbox Live.

The Music Player allows players to listen to music, create new music groups, and import songs from your computer. First of all it lets people play music; it groups up all the songs by many different areas, such as genre, artist, band, or the soundtrack it is labeled under. Next Players can create as many soundtracks their hearts desire. The best feature is the ability to import MP3s, JPEGs, and WMA’s files from your computer to the Xbox. First of all you will have to have Windows XP, Windows Media Player 9, and the Music Mixer Tool installed on your computer to do this. I transferred a ton of songs over from my PC to my Xbox and it was completed in a matter of seconds. Microsoft deserves a round of applause for letting gamers finally bring their collection of MP3s over to their Xbox. If that wasn’t enough players can choose a “visualization” to entertain them, there are two different types 3D or 2D, and some are even interactive!

Karaoke is another main feature of the Music Mixer. All players need to do is grab a microphone adapter and microphone (included with the game, or you can use the Xbox Live communicator) and start singing. This game comes preloaded with a few popular songs; so you can get your karaoke fix immediately. If that isn’t enough people can import their favorite songs and sing them as well. The voice stripping isn’t the best but it works nicely for the price of this game.

If you have been aching to dazzle up your family album the Xbox Music Mixer will help you! First transfer all of the photos from your computer to the Xbox. Next goto the slide show menu and create the ultimate album using your own pictures and putting it to music! You can add special transitions to make the show go even smoother and impress your friends.

Rave mode allows you to create works of art with music and videos also adding special effects. You can become the ultimate VJ, by creating the wackiest creation then trying to impress all of your friends with it. The last feature is the Xbox Live component, which allows players to download new karaoke songs, Rave videos, and visualizers.

The Xbox Music Mixer is rated E for everyone.

Pros:
Putting your MP3’s on your Xbox! That one factor is one of the biggest reasons to get the Music Mixer. The ability to hook up your PC to your Xbox to transfer any MP3, images, and other things is also very nice. Also the ability to download new content over time is a nice treat as well.

Cons:
The karaoke is not the best one around, while it has some nice features, people who are hard core into it are better off if they bought a dedicated player. The User Interface for this is really not up to snuff. The developers should have stuck with the whole Xbox theme, but they created their own UI and it is sub par, and at times, hard to navigate.

Verdict: 8.3
Honestly this game is worth its weight in gold alone due to the ability for people to move their MP3s, JPEGs, or MP3s to the Xbox and add them to the soundtrack collection. This is a nice addition to your Xbox and can provide some interesting entertainment at parties. If you are looking for something interesting this holiday season, this will definitely spice up your Xbox!