Falcon report 2008

[tst313]

Not much talk on whether the old stock is gone and the falcon boards are now out. Any suggestions? Costco, etc?

 

[gorcorps]

Just double check the labels and lot date... there's info all over the web on what to look for to get one.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: tst313
Not much talk on whether the old stock is gone and the falcon boards are now out. Any suggestions? Costco, etc?

I was at costco today look slike they got in newer bundles. the box clearly says "Go Pro" on it and the bundled game is Call of Duty 4.

I didn't get a chance to look at the labels to confirm all were falcons but it was noted that most xbox marked go pro are falcons.

Plus figuring in that ms shipped a bunch out the atleast for me around christmas 360s were very hard to find, you have high probability of getting a falcon.

if it says 175w on the label its a falcon.

 

[randay]

no problems here but its only been like 4 months. also the DVD drive still seems like an area for concern.

 

[RandomFool]

I bought a 360 from gamestop just after christmas that turned out to be a falcon. I'd guess that the majority out there at big retailers are falcon. Maybe some smaller places that don't sell systems as quickly might have a old ones sitting around.

 

[Bibble]

I bought a 360 on December 26 at Radio Shack and it is not a Falcon.

 

[CKDragon]

Originally posted by: Bibble
I bought a 360 on December 26 at Radio Shack and it is not a Falcon.

*Insert Radio Shack joke here about stock sitting on shelves for 6 months and how it's amazing they're still in business*

 

[erwos]

There is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that Falcon has mostly fixed the problems that the original design had, but not completely.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: CKDragon

Originally posted by: Bibble
I bought a 360 on December 26 at Radio Shack and it is not a Falcon.

*Insert Radio Shack joke here about stock sitting on shelves for 6 months and how it's amazing they're still in business*

I was gonna reply something to that affect. I think Sprint keeps em alive somehow. I remember the good old days whenI would go to the Shack to get replacement speaker drivers, or circuit boards for various projects. Now I just get the occasional watch battery.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Oyeve

Originally posted by: CKDragon

Originally posted by: Bibble
I bought a 360 on December 26 at Radio Shack and it is not a Falcon.

*Insert Radio Shack joke here about stock sitting on shelves for 6 months and how it's amazing they're still in business*

I was gonna reply something to that affect. I think Sprint keeps em alive somehow. I remember the good old days whenI would go to the Shack to get replacement speaker drivers, or circuit boards for various projects. Now I just get the occasional watch battery.

I believe that RS stays in business because of the crazy amount of ipod accessories they carry (at least my locations).

 

[EvilComputer92]

Radioshack was where I used to buy RC cars. I think the only computer part I got from them was a $2000 Pentium 2 Compaq back in 1998.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: herkulease

Originally posted by: tst313
Not much talk on whether the old stock is gone and the falcon boards are now out. Any suggestions? Costco, etc?

I was at costco today look slike they got in newer bundles. the box clearly says "Go Pro" on it and the bundled game is Call of Duty 4.

I didn't get a chance to look at the labels to confirm all were falcons but it was noted that most xbox marked go pro are falcons.

Plus figuring in that ms shipped a bunch out the atleast for me around christmas 360s were very hard to find, you have high probability of getting a falcon.

if it says 175w on the label its a falcon.

An Xbox 360 with "Go Pro" on the outside of the box is not guaranteed a Falcon. I've seen some that are 203W.

I got one for Christmas that says 175W on the label, but does not say "Go Pro" on the box. It came bundled with Forza and Marvel.

 

[blazerazor]

I have a 203w one that was bundled with Marvel/forza, same with my brother and law.

sad cause I really enjoy having a working xbox. So what is the killer? Heat. Should I get one of those 3rd party fans? Or does it matter? Cause I like to keep it on, since i play in short bursts having a kid and all.

Is it best to never turn it off, since its new and if it breaks it will break within the first 90days if I dont turn it off. ???

 

[CKDragon]

Originally posted by: blazerazor
I have a 203w one that was bundled with Marvel/forza, same with my brother and law.

sad cause I really enjoy having a working xbox. So what is the killer? Heat. Should I get one of those 3rd party fans? Or does it matter? Cause I like to keep it on, since i play in short bursts having a kid and all.

Is it best to never turn it off, since its new and if it breaks it will break within the first 90days if I dont turn it off. ???

Am I correct in assuming it has an HDMI port since it came bundled with Marvel/Forza? If so, you have a Zephyr model and I think you'll be fine regardless.

Concerning the RRoD issue, there are three revisions that you need to concern yourself with. There's the new Falcon that everyone wants, there is the Zephyr model (first with HDMI) that was originally only in the Xbox 360 Elite but started appearing in the Pro & Arcade systems, and then there's the OMGMYHOUSEISONFIRE version that shipped from launch until the Elite came along in April 2007.

I personally bought a launch day 360 Elite Zephyr from April 28th, 2007. I've been "working from home" since October and my 360 has probably averaged 3-5 hours a day since then. It froze a single time while playing Saints Row back in July. Other than that it has been rock solid.

Now, one person's story may not mean a lot to you, but there has been a lot of anecdotal evidence on the web to suggest that the Zephyr models are not the ticking time bombs that the OG 360 was. Microsoft has not, and most likely will not, release hardware failure statistics for each individual model because they don't want to draw more attention to it than absolutely necessary.

Based on my experience, I'd be confident in buying a Zephyr and I'd advise using your 360 however you normally would and don't worry about it until something happens.

 

[beat mania]

Originally posted by: erwos
There is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that Falcon has mostly fixed the problems that the original design had, but not completely.

175w version, still freezes once every few days.

 

[jpeyton]

I have one manufactured in 2006.

I decided that enjoying games now is better than asking "what if" questions and twiddling my thumbs.

 

[tst313]

I saw the new bundles at costco today too. $439 for 2 wireless remotes, charger, and Call of Duty4. Only problem is, I really couldn't see any of the labels with their packaging.

 

[CKDragon]

Originally posted by: tst313
I saw the new bundles at costco today too. $439 for 2 wireless remotes, charger, and Call of Duty4. Only problem is, I really couldn't see any of the labels with their packaging.

If you're even remotely interested in CoD4, that's a pretty good deal.

And honestly, if you're buying at Costco, what does it matter what model you get? You're able to return it no questions asked with an immediate in-store exchange. You might lose an hour or two for the trip to the store, but it's good practice to regularly visit Costco, anyway.