Joytech Xbox 360 Control Centre

Upside

If the addition of an Xbox 360 to your home entertainment set-up has left you having to juggle cables to free up available inputs on your television, then Joytech's Control Centre is here to help. The Control Centre is, in essence, an HD AV switcher - the Centre can take up to four different sources, and then plugs into your TV (either via component, S-Video or composite). Switching between the four available sources - whether it's an Xbox 360, DVD player, Foxtel box or more - is then just an easy matter of pressing a button on the Joytech Control Centre's remote control.

The Control Center has been designed to mimic the look and feel of the 360 - from its off-white colour all the way down to its curving edges. It can even be stored on its side just like an Xbox 360. It even has its own dedicated input for the 360 - a single connection which carries all the console audio and video information through one cable. The backlit display in the centre of the unit can be customised to display the names of individual inputs.

The Control Centre features four component video inputs, five composite video, five stereo audio inputs and five S-Video inputs. It also has an impressive four digital optical audio inputs, as well as a built-in six port 10/100 Ethernet switch for connection to Xbox Live or other network devices.

Downside

The Control Centre has plenty of component inputs, but it would have been nice to have the option of at least one HDMI connector in the mix.

Outlook

With four HD inputs, the Joytech Xbox 360 Control Centre looks like it could easily become an avid gamer's best friend. Cable juggling is thrown out the window!