Xbox 360 Memory Upgrade Program

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
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360 Program

Wow. I feel bad for the people who bought the HDD separately at full price for the past few years. I'm also surprised that a 20Gb HDD is so cheap. I know my 80Gb on my computer was $65 a few years back, but... nothing. A dollar a Gb is just less a rip.
 

sactoking

Diamond Member
Sep 24, 2007
7,648
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So, you could buy the Arcade for $199 and the 20GB disk for $20, bringing your total to $219. Compared to the $259 model, you'd be missing out on:
1. a headset
2. a network cable
3. an HD A/V cable
4. Backwards compatability with Xbox

Seems like the Arcade and $20 upgrade could be a better deal than the standard unit for lots of people. Am I missing something?
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
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4. Backwards compatability with Xbox
I think you get that as soon as you buy the 20 GB HD, it's not like the PS3 where BC requires an EE or EE + GS chips from the PS2.

For new buyers, the $299 model has 60 GB now instead of 20 GB, so you get better use of the Fall update's ability to run games fully from the HD. You also have the HD as soon as you open the box, instead of waiting weeks for MS to mail you one.

But yes, this is a great deal for putting together a fully usable 360 cheap, for as long as this lasts. It's almost as good as the $199 closeout they had on the 20 GB 360 Pro.

It's an especially good deal for anyone who already owns an Arcade unit.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
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Originally posted by: sactoking
So, you could buy the Arcade for $199 and the 20GB disk for $20, bringing your total to $219. Compared to the $259 model, you'd be missing out on:
1. a headset
2. a network cable
3. an HD A/V cable
4. Backwards compatability with Xbox

Seems like the Arcade and $20 upgrade could be a better deal than the standard unit for lots of people. Am I missing something?

Couple of errors there -
1. With the Arcade, the hard drive will cost you $30
2. I think you could do BC with the Xbox on an Arcade/Core as long as you get the hard drive

That HD A/V cable is probably retardedly expensive. Although if the SD A/V cable supports optical out, you could just use HDMI.
 

sactoking

Diamond Member
Sep 24, 2007
7,648
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Ahh, I missed that the Arcade HD was $30 with 3 months of Gold. I read it as "You can get the HD for $20 or the HD and Gold for $30", not "Pro users get the HD for $20 and Arcade users get the HD and Gold for $30".

Why is BC tied to the existence of the HD? I'm not 'in the know' on the 360/Xbox tech specs.

Can you use a commercial HDMI/optical cable with the 360? Like, I know the Apple store sells good quality HDMI for ~$20.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
It's in the sticky FAQ, but the 360 uses standard $5 HDMI cables just like the PS3. The gotcha is if you want to use optical digital for audio instead of the HDMI cable, then (unlike the PS3) you need a proprietary cable for the 360 AV connector to get the optical digital.

> Why is BC tied to the existence of the HD?
Because BC for 360 is a code library plus a set of extra code for each game, it is not a general-purpose emulator. You can't even try to run an xbox1 game unless it has its own "profile" mini-port. MS currently only lets you download these files to a HD.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
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I don't suppose they'll give me a discount on the 120 GB. Hell give me a cheap 120 & I'll donate my 20 GB to some underprivileged Arcade owner.

Viper GTS
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,741
456
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Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
It's in the sticky FAQ, but the 360 uses standard $5 HDMI cables just like the PS3. The gotcha is if you want to use optical digital for audio instead of the HDMI cable, then (unlike the PS3) you need a proprietary cable for the 360 AV connector to get the optical digital.

You can hack your way around this. The default A/V cable with optical audio out just physically blocks the hdmi port and not disables it. You can pry the plastic casing off of the console end of your A/V cable, then it's thin enough to fit the HDMI next to it.

http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

It sucks but it's not a hard problem to take care of if it's a deal breaker for anybody.
 

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
It's in the sticky FAQ, but the 360 uses standard $5 HDMI cables just like the PS3. The gotcha is if you want to use optical digital for audio instead of the HDMI cable, then (unlike the PS3) you need a proprietary cable for the 360 AV connector to get the optical digital.

> Why is BC tied to the existence of the HD?
Because BC for 360 is a code library plus a set of extra code for each game, it is not a general-purpose emulator. You can't even try to run an xbox1 game unless it has its own "profile" mini-port. MS currently only lets you download these files to a HD.

http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50