Security was super tight at Zero Hour. You weren’t allowed to bring in bags of any sort and you had to pass through a metal detector before even getting into the complex. Heck I was stopped three different times before I even reached my parking spot by police officers making sure I had my wristband on.

Once inside the hangar bay, you were thrown into Microsoft’s world of the Xbox 360. Everywhere around you was Xbox 360 consoles littered about. At every round table, you would find four Xbox 360 consoles networked together for Live play. Each Xbox 360 console was hooked up to a Samsung HDTV LCD Television set. After playing with these monitors, I am determined to pick one up someday!

The goal of Zero Hour was:
1. To introduce the full features of the Xbox 360 to everyone in attendance
2. To introduce the launch titles and companies showcasing future products
3. To allow a select few a chance to purchase and pick up the Xbox 360
4. To watch fellow gamers play video games around the clock

As I walked about, there were plenty of demonstrations being held and deathmatch tournaments taking place. You had many chances to win t-shirts, beanie caps, and games. There were even autographs being given out by Morgan Webb and Adam Sessler of G4.

More importantly, you had the opportunity to sit down on a bean bag and play your favorite launch title. After playing a number of these games, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the Xbox 360. Not only are the graphics razor sharp, the games themselves are super responsive. The game of the day had to be Call of Duty 2. People were waiting in line for hours on end just to play that game.

Friends – the future of console gaming is undoubtedly in HDTV. After gaming in HD, I can no longer play the regular Xbox console. Keep in mind that the 360 is more than just a gaming console. It’s a digital entertainment platform also. You can network the 360 with your existing Windows XP or MCE systems. If you have XP machines, you can stream audio and photos from the XP box straight to your 360 console. If you have MCE, you can use the Xbox 360’s built in Media Center Extender software to access MCE from any room in the house that has a network connection. Portable devices are also welcome on the Xbox 360. Sony PSPs and Apple iPods can be connected to the Xbox 360 for streaming playback.

As I walked about Zero Hour, I had the chance to talk to a few gamers and the stories were fairly common. Many had been there since Sunday night and had played video games all through the night and into Monday morning. Now that’s a hardcore gamer folks. I met one person who flew in from Colorado, drove to Palmdale by 9pm, played video games until 5am, camped out in his car till 7am and then got in line to pick up order forms for the Xbox 360.

Speaking of ordering the 360, people were given specific time slots on when they could order the game console. Once you ordered it, you had to wait until 9pm Monday night to pick it up. The line to pick up the console began at around 6:30pm and I slept on my two bean bags until 8:50 pm or so.

Then as 9pm nearly hit, three semis from BestBuy rolled into the hangar buy accompanied by police offers. The wait was finally over and within 15 minutes after 9pm, I had my Xbox 360 box in my hand and I was on my way out..

Of course I was stuck in security for another 25 minutes but oh well.

You can read more about my exploits here at Krunker.com.