Quite frankly, Microsoft's warranty replacement process is not bad at all. I had a 360 back in 2 weeks, and that was going through Ontario and then somewhere in the US (Texas I believe). Just go play an old game for a couple weeks if it red-rings. I think you'll survive.
Well, I'm not reading this entire thread, but I think I know what it's generally about.
I'd just say, if you want a 360, wait until the RRoD and other technical issues seem to have died down a bit. I doubt that they'll ever actually be solved, but they should at least be able to get the failure rate to something lower than 30%
Here's a google page. I really don't feel like sifting through them at the moment and posting all of them, but it's generally accepted by almost everyone that the 360 has a 30% failure rate.
Looks like one retailer is the source for every article on that page. I wouldn't have chosen a link if I were you either, presenting speculation as fact might have made you look bad.
I'll say that the failure rate of launch machines was higher than is acceptable but the machines in circulation now don't have the same problems. If you happen to be unlucky however, you've got the 3 year warrantee to cover you.
I'm surprised the 360 has such a stigma against it, even once the issues have been solved, whereas the ps2 gets a free pass. I don't remember Sony offering to replace my console when the laser went for the 2nd time.
Go to the next page. And then the next one. And also the next one. They all say that.
Oh, and go ask the people in the "My 360 broke. Again." thread if they think 30% is a reasonable estimate.
Also, while I don't doubt that they've improved it some with the newer systems, I highly doubt that is completely fixed.
I also highly doubt that the PS2 had as high of a failure rate as the 360.
Here's a google page. I really don't feel like sifting through them at the moment and posting all of them, but it's generally accepted by almost everyone that aliens killed JFK.
Go to the next page. And then the next one. And also the next one. They all say that.
Oh, and go ask the people in the "Aliens. Killed. JFK." thread if they think it is a reasonable estimate.
It's all anecdotal evidence, since Microsoft hasn't released a report about failure rates (to my knowledge). The fact of the matter is, there's a chance your console might break. Falcons supposedly break less often, but I don't know the exact statistics or anything. I've had mine since last August and I've never run into any problems with it, and I think the failure rate has decreased since then, so I'd say that if you want one enough, take a shot. There's no surefire way to guarantee it won't break, and anecdotal evidence does little to nothing for you.
The Elite makes some sense as I was at Target today and noted that the 120 gig drive is near 180 bucks as a stand alone. I'm a marketplace whore though and really hate the 20 gig limitation on the pro model (but I ain't paying near 200 bucks for a 120 gig drive, that is massively insane). Also w/r/t hardware issues, mine died twice but both times the repair was under two weeks. The DVD drive is loud which could be a deal breaker for some folks.
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
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Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited December 2007
Yeah after my launch 360 was stolen a few weeks ago, I hauled off and bought an Elite. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the HD space, but I'll probably come up with something eventually. My old HDD was down to around 3GB free when it was stolen just from savegames and downloads.
The Launch 360 I owned never red-ringed, though the DVD drive was starting to get wonky by the end. Basically a magnetic latch wasn't witching and the drawer wouldn't open, so I had to do the time-honored paperclip trick.
I've been very happy with the console, and have pretty much given up PC gaming in favor of console gaming by now. I bought a Wii for my girlfriend (also stolen) but we rarely used it. I don't think it had been plugged in for several months when it was stolen. I'd originally planned to buy a PS3, but I really can't justify it at this point due to the fact that it has, like, three exclusives that I can't play on the 360 and costs $500.
Yeah after my launch 360 was stolen a few weeks ago, I hauled off and bought an Elite. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the HD space, but I'll probably come up with something eventually.
Yeah after my launch 360 was stolen a few weeks ago, I hauled off and bought an Elite. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the HD space, but I'll probably come up with something eventually. My old HDD was down to around 3GB free when it was stolen just from savegames and downloads.
The Launch 360 I owned never red-ringed, though the DVD drive was starting to get wonky by the end. Basically a magnetic latch wasn't witching and the drawer wouldn't open, so I had to do the time-honored paperclip trick.
I've been very happy with the console, and have pretty much given up PC gaming in favor of console gaming by now. I bought a Wii for my girlfriend (also stolen) but we rarely used it. I don't think it had been plugged in for several months when it was stolen. I'd originally planned to buy a PS3, but I really can't justify it at this point due to the fact that it has, like, three exclusives that I can't play on the 360 and costs $500.
the Boston metro area seems pretty bad for console theft
i had my first Wii stolen way back in December '06 when i was still in Somerville.
the Boston metro area seems pretty bad for console theft
i had my first Wii stolen way back in December '06 when i was still in Somerville.
Yeah the detective told us that there's been a rash of breakins in the East Cambridge area. Our house was almost certainly broken into by a shady contractor we hired to do some work for us, so it's probably not directly related to the current epidemic. But yeah; it fucking sucks. We put bars on our windows this last weekend.
Still, losing my old 360 meant that I could upgrade to the Elite (with fully-functioning DVD drive!) so it's not a total loss.
the Boston metro area seems pretty bad for console theft
i had my first Wii stolen way back in December '06 when i was still in Somerville.
Yeah the detective told us that there's been a rash of breakins in the East Cambridge area. Our house was almost certainly broken into by a shady contractor we hired to do some work for us, so it's probably not directly related to the current epidemic. But yeah; it fucking sucks. We put bars on our windows this last weekend.
Still, losing my old 360 meant that I could upgrade to the Elite (with fully-functioning DVD drive!) so it's not a total loss.
nice :^:
i was lucky in that i paid for my Wii with my Amex card, and Amex covered the cost of the theft. took a little bit of paperwork, but i recovered the cost of the system and some controllers. around february i was able to buy a new system again.
i definitely hung around craigslist for a long time, though, trolling for possible suspect sales, the detective in my case pretty much confirmed that recovering the stolen system would be like a needle in a haystack.
the Boston metro area seems pretty bad for console theft
i had my first Wii stolen way back in December '06 when i was still in Somerville.
Yeah the detective told us that there's been a rash of breakins in the East Cambridge area. Our house was almost certainly broken into by a shady contractor we hired to do some work for us, so it's probably not directly related to the current epidemic. But yeah; it fucking sucks. We put bars on our windows this last weekend.
Still, losing my old 360 meant that I could upgrade to the Elite (with fully-functioning DVD drive!) so it's not a total loss.
Dude, no joke, the SAME thing happened to me about 6 years ago, when I was still living with my parents. They had the kitchen completely redone and extended and it took the whole summer to complete. Shortly afterward, about two months after the kitchen had been finished, the house was broken into.
The thing that convinced us that it was someone who worked for the contractors was the fact that whoever broke in went straight to the basement, where we had a rec room, and stole my brand new PS2, all my PS2 and PS1 games, and my mother's jewelry box, which sits on her bedroom dresser. Nothing was ransacked, the theives knew exactly where to go and what they were looking for. My parents' laptop was in the kitchen virtually right next to the back door that was kicked in, none of my DVDs were stolen, none of my computer equipment in my bedroom was taken... It had to be them.
Sorry to help derail the thread, but I had to share my similar story of woe. My parents' homeowners insurance paid us back for almost everything, though. I compiled a list of every game I could think of that was missing, and they essentially paid back what amounted to about $30 for every game gone, plus the full value of the PS2 and some estimated dollar amount for my mother's jewelry. So, thumbs up to them.
Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited December 2007
So I guess what I'd say is that now is not the time to buy a 360 if the 360 in question is a "used" model being hawked in the Boston area because seriously the DVD drive is for shit on that 360.
Oh yeah, while the RROD gets the attention it does bear mention that my THIRD 360 DVD drive is kinda sketchy. I keep getting errors with brand new games where the screen whites out and gives an error message "Please insert DVD into XBOX 360 Console" which is the dumbest error screen anyone could have programmed.
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
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Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited December 2007
Yep that white-screen message, "This is a game disc and only playable on Xbox 360 consoles," was fucking mend-bending.
I guess the logic was failing to recognize it as a 360 disc and was booting it like it would a video DVD at which point the default message was taking over.
Thanx for the info. That might be worth the $100 price tag upgrade just in case.
Having purchased one, I can tell you that it does indeed come with a data-transfer cable, a special disc with a transfer program, and rather detailed instructions.
However, there are restrictions, such as that you can only transfer the old drive's contents ONCE and anything on the new drive is erased (IIRC). So don't save anything important on the new drive before doing the transfer.
Also, if you're in the US, WalMart.com is selling the 120GB drive for $155. However, you'll probably have to order online and pay shipping; don't expect the retail Wal-Marts to have that price nor price-match the website (though you can always ask). This is because Wal-Mart is still in the Stone Age of online commerce, and operates its website as if it were almost entirely separate from the retail chain.
HarshLanguage on
> turn on light Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
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TheMadjaiSir Madjai of SanSanMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
edited December 2007
Hey all,
I'm looking into a buying a used 360, and need to know how this is going to work. Is there a memory clearing feature that I can create my own XBL account afterwards? Do I "transfer ownership" in some official way?
Anyone bought a used 360 out there?
TheMadjai on
"Yeah, TheMadjai knows whats up." --Lardalish
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Android: Netrunner, Warhammer: Conquest, Star Realms
I wouldn't suggest anyone buy a used 360. The newer models all have revised hardware so you're paying a bit more for peace of mind that it's not as likely to break.
I wouldn't risk buying a used 360. At this point you might as well buy an arcade instead and pick up the accessories used to save money.
I thought about that, but the HD itself is not cheap, and I want backwards compatibility.
Where are you looking at buying your used system from?
EB/Gamestop does not include a Hard Drive with ANY used 360s.
And, in general, I'd recomend against buying from some dude on craigslist, or whatever, when the 360 has as many potential issues as it does. If you buy used, yu'll want to have some kind of a guarantee.
Evander on
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TheMadjaiSir Madjai of SanSanMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
edited December 2007
I'm looking to buy a 360 on CL.
I want to play Catan, and Caracassone, and Culdcept on XBL, immediately, but I'm not abundantly wealthy.
I'm aware of the potential hardware issues that come with buying an unknown system, but the savings are enough to assuage those fears.
TheMadjai on
"Yeah, TheMadjai knows whats up." --Lardalish
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Android: Netrunner, Warhammer: Conquest, Star Realms
I am poor, but all this recent SF stuff (Turbo HD and SFIV) have pushed me over the edge. I need an XBox 360. I will likely buy an Arcade pack in the new year, if I don't get one for Christmas. I know I'll regret getting the hard drive eventually, but if I can somehow manage to force myself to stay away for Live Arcade, how important is the hard drive? I don't need it to save if I have that memory card, do I? Do any games actually require the HD? Besides Live, what will I be missing out on?
I am poor, but all this recent SF stuff (Turbo HD and SFIV) have pushed me over the edge. I need an XBox 360. I will likely buy an Arcade pack in the new year, if I don't get one for Christmas. I know I'll regret getting the hard drive eventually, but if I can somehow manage to force myself to stay away for Live Arcade, how important is the hard drive? I don't need it to save if I have that memory card, do I? Do any games actually require the HD? Besides Live, what will I be missing out on?
I was in the same situation you're in. I decided to get the 360 when I heard about all the Street Fighter stuff they were getting. I'd go with the Premium system. While I'm sure you can download games onto your memory card (Super Turbo HD) you end up using most of the space. Something else might come along making you buy the HDD.
But in either case, remember to grab the Hori EX2 joystick. See you online!
I am poor, but all this recent SF stuff (Turbo HD and SFIV) have pushed me over the edge. I need an XBox 360. I will likely buy an Arcade pack in the new year, if I don't get one for Christmas. I know I'll regret getting the hard drive eventually, but if I can somehow manage to force myself to stay away for Live Arcade, how important is the hard drive? I don't need it to save if I have that memory card, do I? Do any games actually require the HD? Besides Live, what will I be missing out on?
I was in the same situation you're in. I decided to get the 360 when I heard about all the Street Fighter stuff they were getting. I'd go with the Premium system. While I'm sure you can download games onto your memory card (Super Turbo HD) you end up using most of the space. Something else might come along making you buy the HDD.
But in either case, remember to grab the Hori EX2 joystick. See you online!
I am poor, but all this recent SF stuff (Turbo HD and SFIV) have pushed me over the edge. I need an XBox 360. I will likely buy an Arcade pack in the new year, if I don't get one for Christmas. I know I'll regret getting the hard drive eventually, but if I can somehow manage to force myself to stay away for Live Arcade, how important is the hard drive? I don't need it to save if I have that memory card, do I? Do any games actually require the HD? Besides Live, what will I be missing out on?
I was in the same situation you're in. I decided to get the 360 when I heard about all the Street Fighter stuff they were getting. I'd go with the Premium system. While I'm sure you can download games onto your memory card (Super Turbo HD) you end up using most of the space. Something else might come along making you buy the HDD.
But in either case, remember to grab the Hori EX2 joystick. See you online!
Hells yeah you will.
Some games have improved load times if you have a HD drive by using cache. Honestly, I'd find it hard to recommend the arcade to anyone seeing as you get so much more for your money with the premium.
Honestly, I'd find it hard to recommend the arcade to anyone seeing as you get so much more for your money with the premium.
I agree.
The Arcade deal falls apart if you want to do anything other than play XBLA games. You're missing out on all of the media features of the 360, as well as DLC for games. Map packs usually run from 300MB-1GB+ per game (GoW has three or four hundred megs of free maps, Halo 2 has half a gig of free maps, Halo 3's map pack is even bigger, GRAW 2 has a gig of free maps, I don't remember how big Rainbow 6 Vegas' maps are), Forza 2's car packs run 40 and almost a hundred megs each, and the two tracks come in at over 300MB. Live Arcade games alone are hitting 100MB and above now. One 256MB card isn't going to cut it.
Also, you're going to have to spend even more money to get a component cable if you want HD, since the Arcade only ships with composite. I don't think Arcade's are shipping with HDMI ports yet either, which bones you if you ever want to upgrade.
Yes, all 360's now have HDMI ports as it's cheaper for MS to use the same case mold and mother boards.
You can buy an arcade and then buy a used hard drive pretty cheap. I've seen them on ebay for $20. And if you're going to use HDMI then getting the arcade isn't a problem. And you can always buy a 360 Component cable from Monoprice for $10.
If you can find a cheap hard drive (and a cheap copy of Forza, since it's not included either) the Arcade would be worth it. If you're getting the hard drive at MSRP, it's not.
I kinda wish I got an Arcade just because that way I wouldn't have this tacky-looking chrome drive tray, but it's no big deal.
My futre plan is to find a hard drive for cheap, sometime in the near future. My TV doesn't have HDMI, but I will be finding component cables. I need my games to look as good as my setup allows.
The hard drive thing is not that big a deal to me at the moment. I don't play FPS games, so all those map packs really don't matter to me. Right now, all that I really want to download are Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD (which isn't out yet), Symphony of the night, and Pacman Championship Edition, which comes with the Arcade pack. I know that will change once I start browsing on Live a bit, but by then, I'll likely be ready to find a good deal on an HD.
My futre plan is to find a hard drive for cheap, sometime in the near future. My TV doesn't have HDMI, but I will be finding component cables. I need my games to look as good as my setup allows.
The hard drive thing is not that big a deal to me at the moment. I don't play FPS games, so all those map packs really don't matter to me. Right now, all that I really want to download are Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD (which isn't out yet), Symphony of the night, and Pacman Championship Edition, which comes with the Arcade pack. I know that will change once I start browsing on Live a bit, but by then, I'll likely be ready to find a good deal on an HD.
Don't over think this dude. The price from arcade to pro isn't that much...Just save up for another week and buy the console that you can grow into. It's a safe bet from you coming on here bitching about how you should of just got the pro from the start because you want to utilize the new-to-canada video marketplace and all the other junk they have to download.
Don't over think this dude. The price from arcade to pro isn't that much...Just save up for another week and buy the console that you can grow into.
In the US the official price of the Pro is $349 while the Arcade is $279. That's a $70 dollar difference. With the links I posted above anyone can get an Component(HD) cable for $10. And you can find the hard drives on sale at ebay for around $20. Even with shipping you can still come out ahead.
Have people taken into account the cost of the free arcade games you get with the Arcade model.
I mean, its 5 and 5 demos right? Thats not too shabby. If the extras to upgrade it to a premium cost less than the difference then Id say go for arcade for the free games. i mean why not?
Not exactly. The Arcade comes with 5 XBLA games (lets not count the demos, since you can download them for free). Any other current model comes with Forza 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Even if you assume that all 5 XBLA games are worth playing (simply put, they're not, other than Uno and Pac-Man: CE) and that they're all 800pt games (I don't think they are), that's ~$50 in XBLA games verses two full games.
That being said, I bought an Arcade. I bought it for $60 off on Black Friday from Amazon, and picked up a new 20gb hard drive for $50. I think I got a good enough deal to justify buying the Arcade instead of a Premium - I can pick up cheap headset if I need to, and HD video cables are dirt cheap if you buy 3rd party.
Posts
Aliens killed JFK. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=aliens+killed+jfk
Here's a google page. I really don't feel like sifting through them at the moment and posting all of them, but it's generally accepted by almost everyone that aliens killed JFK.
Go to the next page. And then the next one. And also the next one. They all say that.
Oh, and go ask the people in the "Aliens. Killed. JFK." thread if they think it is a reasonable estimate.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
The Launch 360 I owned never red-ringed, though the DVD drive was starting to get wonky by the end. Basically a magnetic latch wasn't witching and the drawer wouldn't open, so I had to do the time-honored paperclip trick.
I've been very happy with the console, and have pretty much given up PC gaming in favor of console gaming by now. I bought a Wii for my girlfriend (also stolen) but we rarely used it. I don't think it had been plugged in for several months when it was stolen. I'd originally planned to buy a PS3, but I really can't justify it at this point due to the fact that it has, like, three exclusives that I can't play on the 360 and costs $500.
Fill it with 24,000 copies of "Cotton Eyed Joe."
B.net: Kusanku
the Boston metro area seems pretty bad for console theft
i had my first Wii stolen way back in December '06 when i was still in Somerville.
steam | Dokkan: 868846562
Yeah the detective told us that there's been a rash of breakins in the East Cambridge area. Our house was almost certainly broken into by a shady contractor we hired to do some work for us, so it's probably not directly related to the current epidemic. But yeah; it fucking sucks. We put bars on our windows this last weekend.
Still, losing my old 360 meant that I could upgrade to the Elite (with fully-functioning DVD drive!) so it's not a total loss.
nice :^:
i was lucky in that i paid for my Wii with my Amex card, and Amex covered the cost of the theft. took a little bit of paperwork, but i recovered the cost of the system and some controllers. around february i was able to buy a new system again.
i definitely hung around craigslist for a long time, though, trolling for possible suspect sales, the detective in my case pretty much confirmed that recovering the stolen system would be like a needle in a haystack.
steam | Dokkan: 868846562
Dude, no joke, the SAME thing happened to me about 6 years ago, when I was still living with my parents. They had the kitchen completely redone and extended and it took the whole summer to complete. Shortly afterward, about two months after the kitchen had been finished, the house was broken into.
The thing that convinced us that it was someone who worked for the contractors was the fact that whoever broke in went straight to the basement, where we had a rec room, and stole my brand new PS2, all my PS2 and PS1 games, and my mother's jewelry box, which sits on her bedroom dresser. Nothing was ransacked, the theives knew exactly where to go and what they were looking for. My parents' laptop was in the kitchen virtually right next to the back door that was kicked in, none of my DVDs were stolen, none of my computer equipment in my bedroom was taken... It had to be them.
Sorry to help derail the thread, but I had to share my similar story of woe. My parents' homeowners insurance paid us back for almost everything, though. I compiled a list of every game I could think of that was missing, and they essentially paid back what amounted to about $30 for every game gone, plus the full value of the PS2 and some estimated dollar amount for my mother's jewelry. So, thumbs up to them.
sketchyblargh / Steam! / Tumblr Prime
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
I guess the logic was failing to recognize it as a 360 disc and was booting it like it would a video DVD at which point the default message was taking over.
If one wanted to upgrade to the 120GB HDD down the road will Microsoft help you transfer your games and purchases for said upgrade?
LIZ: Different.
VOICE-OVER: It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
I'm pretty sure the 120 GB HDD comes with a transfer cable, so it should be no problem at all.
Edit: Beat'd.
LIZ: Different.
VOICE-OVER: It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
Having purchased one, I can tell you that it does indeed come with a data-transfer cable, a special disc with a transfer program, and rather detailed instructions.
However, there are restrictions, such as that you can only transfer the old drive's contents ONCE and anything on the new drive is erased (IIRC). So don't save anything important on the new drive before doing the transfer.
Also, if you're in the US, WalMart.com is selling the 120GB drive for $155. However, you'll probably have to order online and pay shipping; don't expect the retail Wal-Marts to have that price nor price-match the website (though you can always ask). This is because Wal-Mart is still in the Stone Age of online commerce, and operates its website as if it were almost entirely separate from the retail chain.
> turn on light
Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
I'm looking into a buying a used 360, and need to know how this is going to work. Is there a memory clearing feature that I can create my own XBL account afterwards? Do I "transfer ownership" in some official way?
Anyone bought a used 360 out there?
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Android: Netrunner, Warhammer: Conquest, Star Realms
I thought about that, but the HD itself is not cheap, and I want backwards compatibility.
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Android: Netrunner, Warhammer: Conquest, Star Realms
PSN = Wicker86 ________ Gamertag = Wicker86
Where are you looking at buying your used system from?
EB/Gamestop does not include a Hard Drive with ANY used 360s.
And, in general, I'd recomend against buying from some dude on craigslist, or whatever, when the 360 has as many potential issues as it does. If you buy used, yu'll want to have some kind of a guarantee.
I want to play Catan, and Caracassone, and Culdcept on XBL, immediately, but I'm not abundantly wealthy.
I'm aware of the potential hardware issues that come with buying an unknown system, but the savings are enough to assuage those fears.
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
Android: Netrunner, Warhammer: Conquest, Star Realms
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
I was in the same situation you're in. I decided to get the 360 when I heard about all the Street Fighter stuff they were getting. I'd go with the Premium system. While I'm sure you can download games onto your memory card (Super Turbo HD) you end up using most of the space. Something else might come along making you buy the HDD.
But in either case, remember to grab the Hori EX2 joystick. See you online!
Hells yeah you will.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
PSN = Wicker86 ________ Gamertag = Wicker86
I agree.
The Arcade deal falls apart if you want to do anything other than play XBLA games. You're missing out on all of the media features of the 360, as well as DLC for games. Map packs usually run from 300MB-1GB+ per game (GoW has three or four hundred megs of free maps, Halo 2 has half a gig of free maps, Halo 3's map pack is even bigger, GRAW 2 has a gig of free maps, I don't remember how big Rainbow 6 Vegas' maps are), Forza 2's car packs run 40 and almost a hundred megs each, and the two tracks come in at over 300MB. Live Arcade games alone are hitting 100MB and above now. One 256MB card isn't going to cut it.
Also, you're going to have to spend even more money to get a component cable if you want HD, since the Arcade only ships with composite. I don't think Arcade's are shipping with HDMI ports yet either, which bones you if you ever want to upgrade.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
You can buy an arcade and then buy a used hard drive pretty cheap. I've seen them on ebay for $20. And if you're going to use HDMI then getting the arcade isn't a problem. And you can always buy a 360 Component cable from Monoprice for $10.
I kinda wish I got an Arcade just because that way I wouldn't have this tacky-looking chrome drive tray, but it's no big deal.
The hard drive thing is not that big a deal to me at the moment. I don't play FPS games, so all those map packs really don't matter to me. Right now, all that I really want to download are Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD (which isn't out yet), Symphony of the night, and Pacman Championship Edition, which comes with the Arcade pack. I know that will change once I start browsing on Live a bit, but by then, I'll likely be ready to find a good deal on an HD.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
Don't over think this dude. The price from arcade to pro isn't that much...Just save up for another week and buy the console that you can grow into. It's a safe bet from you coming on here bitching about how you should of just got the pro from the start because you want to utilize the new-to-canada video marketplace and all the other junk they have to download.
real men don't play on less than 20gb
In the US the official price of the Pro is $349 while the Arcade is $279. That's a $70 dollar difference. With the links I posted above anyone can get an Component(HD) cable for $10. And you can find the hard drives on sale at ebay for around $20. Even with shipping you can still come out ahead.
I mean, its 5 and 5 demos right? Thats not too shabby. If the extras to upgrade it to a premium cost less than the difference then Id say go for arcade for the free games. i mean why not?
That being said, I bought an Arcade. I bought it for $60 off on Black Friday from Amazon, and picked up a new 20gb hard drive for $50. I think I got a good enough deal to justify buying the Arcade instead of a Premium - I can pick up cheap headset if I need to, and HD video cables are dirt cheap if you buy 3rd party.