Faceplates Explained

I should have explained this when I mentioned the "carbon fibre" faceplate for the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 is a very plain white looking thing, but one of the neat things about it is that the front faceplate comes off and Microsoft and other companies have begun releasing dozens of different designs for it that you can buy separately for about $20 apiece. Some have game characters on them, others are just weird, abstract designs, some are wood-grain, and the one I bought is of an imitation carbon weave. It's purely aesthetic.

The reason I wanted the carbon fibre one so much is because the white X360 sticks out like a sore thumb in my living room. The muted black/gray weave of the carbon faceplate, however, allows it to blend into the darkness that otherwise is the cubbyholes and shelves of the unit my tv sits on.

Unfortunately, it doesn't add any speed increase to the console, nor does it decrease the weight. But, I guess you can say there is an added secondary reason to have it in that I most often play racing games on the X360 so this kind of fits the racing motiff. That and I ride a carbon mtn bike. But my number one reason was to keep it from standing out in my living room.

Here's a link to the faceplate.