I want an Xbox 360

[ubercaffeinated]

Alright folks, today is my birthday, and I've decided to get myself a 360. I'm tired of watching all my favorite RPGs go to the 360. I love the PS3, but come on, all the games I want are going to the 360 without release dates for the PS3. :/

Which version of the Xbox do I want? Arcade? Pro? Elite?

I'm assuming from the reading I've done that I need to pick up the Jasper version.

Do I get a gold account for multiplayer gaming?

Does any version of the xbox come with built in wireless or do I need to shell out another hundred bucks for a wireless network adapter? (wired internet connection is not a possibility for my set up)

Thanks in advance!

 

[purbeast0]

get the cheapest one that comes w/a hard drive.

if you want to game multiplayer, yes get xbox live gold. you can find 13 months for < $40 easily by searching online.

wireless is not built in. if you have a place to put it i recommend getting some kind of wireless bridge instead of the official MS adapter because it's like 1/2 price and you can hook more than 1 console up to it (i have my xbox360 and ps3 hooked to a bridge).

 

[Dorkenstein]

None of them have built in wireless. Take it from me and get the elite, you'll be glad you did when hard drive installs start gobbling up precious space. I wish I had. I don't have a gold account but I also wish I did, just can't afford it. Some games come with a free 48 hour trial of Gold, so you can get a taste for it and go from there.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

Only downside (aside from the small hard drive) is that it doesn't come with the component/optical a/v dongle, so if he wants HD + surround sound he either needs a way to get audio to his receiver via HDMI (some receivers do it, some TVs will pass the audio along via optical), or he needs that cable.

 

[ric1287]

elite + usb powered ethernet bridge + ~$40 live account = best gaming environment ever.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

Only downside (aside from the small hard drive) is that it doesn't come with the component/optical a/v dongle, so if he wants HD + surround sound he either needs a way to get audio to his receiver via HDMI (some receivers do it, some TVs will pass the audio along via optical), or he needs that cable.

Forgot about the cable situation, OP if you have a standard definition TV it won't change anything, but if you have an HDTV you can go to Wal-Mart and find an HDMI cable for under $20. Link Still puts the price with tax around $330-340 for the whole package.

edit: Not sure if you have surround sound or not OP, let us know what kind of setup you plan to play on.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

Only downside (aside from the small hard drive) is that it doesn't come with the component/optical a/v dongle, so if he wants HD + surround sound he either needs a way to get audio to his receiver via HDMI (some receivers do it, some TVs will pass the audio along via optical), or he needs that cable.

Forgot about the cable situation, OP if you have a standard definition TV it won't change anything, but if you have an HDTV you can go to Wal-Mart and find an HDMI cable for under $20. Link Still puts the price with tax around $330-340 for the whole package.

edit: Not sure if you have surround sound or not OP, let us know what kind of setup you plan to play on.

i game on a 32 inch 720p sony. no surround sound yet, but will eventually will get one. will pick up an hdmi cable from monoprice, and i guess a 360 pro. i'll shop around for wireless alternatives.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

A free month doesn't really come from the new console, it's a free month with a new live account. At least that's how I understand it. If you went out and bought a new 360 but use an existing live account you won't get a free month. Somebody correct me if I'm off.

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Here would be my advice for your situation.

-Arcade console for $200 (sorry, no chrome disc drive )
-Wireless adapter for $70 used at GameStop Link
-20GB HDD + 3 months XBL gold $30 Link


You're looking at $300 + tax for a jasper console with wireless connectivity, 20GB HDD, and + 4 months of XBL gold (1 month comes free with console, at least it did with mine). The hard drive should have enough space on it to install 2 games on it and store arcade games from the marketplace + gamer pics, themes, etc...

A free month doesn't really come from the new console, it's a free month with a new live account. At least that's how I understand it. If you went out and bought a new 360 but use an existing live account you won't get a free month. Somebody correct me if I'm off.

I think its both actually. Otherwise you could just keep making a new account every month.

IE: You get 1 month for BOTH creating a new account and a new xbox

 

[FoBoT]

i got a xbox 360 for the family for christmas , we opened it dec 24 and today i come home to find red rings blinking on it
wtf

 

[jhh979s]

I'd go with a 360 Arcade and THIS.
20GB HDD and Controller for $40 is hard to beat. And it is easy enough to upgrade to a 120GB HDD yourself. Did it yesterday and it worked great. $55 WD drive off the egg and about 10 minutes of your time.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i got a xbox 360 for the family for christmas , we opened it dec 24 and today i come home to find red rings blinking on it
wtf

Read the FAQ it should point to the different kinds of errors that make lights blink, some of which are things like loose cables. You may or may not have won the RRoD lottery.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: jhh979s
I'd go with a 360 Arcade and THIS.
20GB HDD and Controller for $40 is hard to beat. And it is easy enough to upgrade to a 120GB HDD yourself. Did it yesterday and it worked great. $55 WD drive off the egg and about 10 minutes of your time.

yes, but these 20 gig hdds are sold out pretty much. i haven't been able to find any for cheap atleast, making the 60 gig version seem more and more worth it.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i got a xbox 360 for the family for christmas , we opened it dec 24 and today i come home to find red rings blinking on it
wtf

Ouch! Dude... that's just wrong!

 

[Schfifty Five]

I saw on Slickdeals that Dell was selling the Arcade for $158 + tax/free shipping.

Add a HD and find a used/discounted wireless setup and you're good to go.

Just curious, why is a wired connection not possible?

 

[Bman123]

I am thinking of jumping on that arcade deal from dell.
I dont know if I am gonna get the 80gb PS3 or the 60gb madden combo 360.

 

[BoberFett]

I would not recommend the 20GB hard drive. At all. I made a mistake when I bought mine. When it was 20GB vs 120GB, I should have gotten the Elite. The 20GB just isn't enough space. A few downloads and a couple demos and the thing was getting full. I have several GB worth of free maps just for GRAW and R6. Now I bought a 120GB upgrade which cost me $150. I should have just started with the Elite.

Now that it's 60GB vs 120GB, I think the Elite doesn't have quite the lead it did. The only real advantage now is a bit of extra space and an included HDMI cable (I think). 60GB is really a lot of room. You could download everything on Live, install several retail games to the hard drive, and still have space left.

If I were buying right now, it'd be a Pro.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: jhh979s
I'd go with a 360 Arcade and THIS.
20GB HDD and Controller for $40 is hard to beat. And it is easy enough to upgrade to a 120GB HDD yourself. Did it yesterday and it worked great. $55 WD drive off the egg and about 10 minutes of your time.

Does Microsoft allow you to put your own hard drive in there? Will they ban you from XBox Live if they find out?

 

[nycxandy]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: jhh979s
I'd go with a 360 Arcade and THIS.
20GB HDD and Controller for $40 is hard to beat. And it is easy enough to upgrade to a 120GB HDD yourself. Did it yesterday and it worked great. $55 WD drive off the egg and about 10 minutes of your time.

Does Microsoft allow you to put your own hard drive in there? Will they ban you from XBox Live if they find out?

It's a propriety hard drive. However, there are ways around it which I won't discuss but Microsoft will ban you if they find out.

 

[erwos]

You can put in a new drive, but it can only be 20gb, 60gb, or 120gb. And it has to be of a few very certain WD models. IMHO, it is not worth it. Suck it up and take the hit.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I recommend getting a 60GB holidy bundle version. You're guaranteed to get a Falcon that way pretty much. (65nm chipset instead of 90nm) It'll have lower heat, lower power consumption, and likely be quieter.

If you buy it used, it may have heat issues in the future and could potentially be lacking HDMI natively.

The reason I like the 60GB version is because the new Xbox firmware allows you to rip games to your hard drive. It still requires your game to be in the drive for verification, but this makes playing games a little faster and much quieter. With Xbox Live, you can download demos and rent movies....which can fill up a 20GB drive fairly quickly. Most downloads are around 1GB to 1.5GB.

I highly recommend budgeting for the rechargable battery packs as well. You can buy a quick charge or play and charge set to go with your controllers. Otherwise 2 AA batteries last about 25 hours of play.

Check Slickdeals for the RedOctane coupons from back in December. You might still be able to get a deal on the 2 guitar bundle of Guitar Hero World Tour for $80. Aside from that, Gamestop usually has a decent number of games under $20 each on the used racks.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
I recommend getting a 60GB holidy bundle version. You're guaranteed to get a Falcon that way pretty much. (65nm chipset instead of 90nm) It'll have lower heat, lower power consumption, and likely be quieter.

If you buy it used, it may have heat issues in the future and could potentially be lacking HDMI natively.

The reason I like the 60GB version is because the new Xbox firmware allows you to rip games to your hard drive. It still requires your game to be in the drive for verification, but this makes playing games a little faster and much quieter. With Xbox Live, you can download demos and rent movies....which can fill up a 20GB drive fairly quickly. Most downloads are around 1GB to 1.5GB.

I highly recommend budgeting for the rechargable battery packs as well. You can buy a quick charge or play and charge set to go with your controllers. Otherwise 2 AA batteries last about 25 hours of play.

Check Slickdeals for the RedOctane coupons from back in December. You might still be able to get a deal on the 2 guitar bundle of Guitar Hero World Tour for $80. Aside from that, Gamestop usually has a decent number of games under $20 each on the used racks.

You mean Jasper?

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

if you have a wireless laptop or computer near your xbox you can use that instead of spending 100 bucks on an adapter. I got the arcade and then just bought my friends 20GB hard drive for 20 bucks. See if you can get that used.

 

[Onita]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
I recommend getting a 60GB holidy bundle version. You're guaranteed to get a Falcon that way pretty much. (65nm chipset instead of 90nm) It'll have lower heat, lower power consumption, and likely be quieter.

If you buy it used, it may have heat issues in the future and could potentially be lacking HDMI natively.

The reason I like the 60GB version is because the new Xbox firmware allows you to rip games to your hard drive. It still requires your game to be in the drive for verification, but this makes playing games a little faster and much quieter. With Xbox Live, you can download demos and rent movies....which can fill up a 20GB drive fairly quickly. Most downloads are around 1GB to 1.5GB.

I highly recommend budgeting for the rechargable battery packs as well. You can buy a quick charge or play and charge set to go with your controllers. Otherwise 2 AA batteries last about 25 hours of play.

Check Slickdeals for the RedOctane coupons from back in December. You might still be able to get a deal on the 2 guitar bundle of Guitar Hero World Tour for $80. Aside from that, Gamestop usually has a decent number of games under $20 each on the used racks.

Just get regular rechargeable batteries, rather than the pack that can only be used in the 360 controller, imo.