Should I get a 360?

ddahcmai

I'm sure there have been threads like this before, but the search function wasn't being useful at all, so I apologize if this is redundant to most of you. My original xbox (not a 360) just died, and instead of going and getting a new one of those, I'm considering a 360. However, I keep hearing about the red ring of death all the time and it makes me a little nervous, as well as the fact that they're still pretty expensive.

I have a fully hd capable tv, so I'm also wondering which model is the best for me. I know the elite model comes with cables and everything, but is there a better way to go around getting all that instead of paying $450 or whatever it is? I'm not really a hardcore gamer, more an occasional one, and I'm having a hard time justifying spending this much money on a system that I'm worried will both break down and not be worth it for my playing style. So pretty much, is RROD a huge problem, which model should I get, and as a casual gamer, is a 360 even worth it?

Thanks!

Fizban140

I bought a 360 at launch and it still runs perfect, I moved and left my 360 and got a new one over a year ago and it still runs perfect. The RRoD isn't a problem as far as I know. Although I do know several people who have had it happen to them, but they just mailed it in and got it fixed for free.

I am not really a casual gamer, and I am not sure what you mean by that exactly since it is an incredibly broad term but if you like the games on the 360 then it is worth it for you. Do you like Halo, GTA4, Orange Box, Oblivion, CoD4, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Mass Effect? Are you looking forward to Gears of War or Fable 2? If not I wouldn't get one but it all depends on you.

I would also buy a used pro system, whatever the one with a wireless controller and hard drive is.

Gdiguy

ddahcmai wrote: »

I'm sure there have been threads like this before, but the search function wasn't being useful at all, so I apologize if this is redundant to most of you. My original xbox (not a 360) just died, and instead of going and getting a new one of those, I'm considering a 360. However, I keep hearing about the red ring of death all the time and it makes me a little nervous, as well as the fact that they're still pretty expensive.

I have a fully hd capable tv, so I'm also wondering which model is the best for me. I know the elite model comes with cables and everything, but is there a better way to go around getting all that instead of paying $450 or whatever it is? I'm not really a hardcore gamer, more an occasional one, and I'm having a hard time justifying spending this much money on a system that I'm worried will both break down and not be worth it for my playing style. So pretty much, is RROD a huge problem, which model should I get, and as a casual gamer, is a 360 even worth it?

Thanks!

Hopefully someone can just link one of the 30 threads, searching when you can't search for "360" is going to be a pain

Short answers: yes, 360 is awesome. RRoD is not as big of an issue with the newly built ones (I say 'newly' meaning basically any one you can purchase on shelves now), and with the warranty even if it happens it's a relatively painless couple of weeks 360-less.

I would say probably 75%+ of the people here have the Pro/Premium (the one with the 20gb hard drive, whatever they're calling it now, that's currently being discounted/sold off and will be replaced in a month by the same package with a 60gb hard drive instead). HD space basically depends on what you're going to use it for - for typical gaming/occasional downloading of demos & live arcade games, 20 gb is more than enough. If you want to be able to download movies off netflix & (soon) install games to the hard drive, you can probably wait until the 60gb model is available; unless you really really think the extra space is worthwhile, the Elite is probably not worth it (all of them come with general cables, the 20/60gb comes with component cables & an hdmi port, which I believe is all that the elite has)

As for playing style, you're going to have to get a bit more specific... for some people, Rock Band makes it worthwhile by itself, but the live arcade has a ton of great puzzle/little game-type stuff that I honestly play more than full 360 games at this point

ddahcmai

For clarification, by casual I mean I don't get to play that often. I work 60-70 hours a week and am usually too busy or tired at nights to game for hours on end. Mostly it's pick up and play for an hour or two. I'm not talking about the games I play or the way I play them, it's really just me finding a way to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a system I can only use for 5 hours a week.

Organichu

IMO the 360 is perfect for casual playing. It has fast start up times (IMO anyway, and I'll grant I've never seen a PS3 boot up), its controller is perfectly suited for gaming that allows 'pick up for half an hour and put back down' games (fighting, shooters, sports), and it's cheaper.

I'm really happy with the 360 and I am very much a "not play for hours on end" kind of guy.

joshgotro

streaming media over wi-fi is also an amazing feature

Kate of Lokys

Pick up a marked-down 360 Pro. They're only $300 now, and the 20GB hard drive they come with is plenty of room for arcade games and Rock Band/Halo 3/whatever DLC. It also comes with a regular (wired) headset, one wireless controller, and composite/component cables. The only thing you'll need to buy separately is an extra controller (if you want one), maybe a quick-charge battery pack if you don't already have a good set of rechargeable AAs, and an HDMI cable (which you can get for like $4 on monoprice.com, for the love of God don't spend $50 to get one at a Wal-Mart or Best Buy or whatever).

When you pick up your XBox, just make sure it's the Zephyr model, not one of the old ones. It's dead easy to tell: pull it out of the box right there in the store, and check to see if it has an HDMI port. If it does, it's a newer model, which means it's much less likely to RRoD on you.

Also, get Rock Band. It is the only game I own for my 360 (a necessary concession to convince my anti-gaming parents to buy me one as a graduation present in the first place), but I do not think it is possible to get bored with it. Rock Band is capable of entertaining any crowd from 18 year old male hardcore gamers to 30 year old married women who think all video games are either World of Warcraft or Pac-Man. Seriously, my sister's bachelorette party was shaping up to be the lamest thing ever (I'm talking six women crying into their embroidered handkerchiefs and eating low-fat ice cream while watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding), so I slipped out, drove home, and tossed my 360 and Rock Band into my car, and when I got back we proceeded to spend the next five hours straight rocking the fuck out to The Killers and Nine Inch Nails. Rock Band will also get you laid, cure acne on contact, and whisper winning lottery numbers into your ear if you play it late at night. It is that awesome.

enderwiggin13

Agreed, get the pro model with the HDMI port. You can grab an HDMI cable for a couple bucks online instead of paying out the nose for the Microsoft or, god forbid, Monster ones.

vonPoonBurGer

Kate of Lokys wrote: »

Rock Band will also...(snip)...whisper winning lottery numbers into your ear if you play it late at night. It is that awesome.

Yeah, but those lottery numbers are cursed, and if you use them you'll be plagued with misfortune and eventually wind up on a mysterious island where nothing seems to make any sense whatsoever. Other than that though it's a truly awesome game with exceptionally broad appeal, and it's probably the single best purchase I've made for my 360. I've downloaded quite a lot of songs for RB and I've still got 8-9 GB free on my 20GB drive, so I'll add my vote to the "Pro w/ 20GB" camp.

illig

a new 20GB HDMI console is $300... that's not a lot of cash for a really good console (with a large game library, and the ability to play most of your classic Xbox games)

if you're cheap, buy a used 360... if it RRODs, you can fix it yourself quite easily... or send it back to Microsoft

ddahcmai

Alright, thanks for the advice everybody, I went with the $300 pro.

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely despise Rock Band and want to destroy every guitar hero type game in the world. But that's just because I play, you know, real instruments.

Thanks!

Raneados

ddahcmai wrote: »

Alright, thanks for the advice everybody, I went with the $300 pro.

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely despise Rock Band and want to destroy every guitar hero type game in the world. But that's just because I play, you know, real instruments.

Thanks!

woah woah woah

plenty of people play both calm down

ANTVGM64

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely despise Rock Band and want to destroy every guitar hero type game in the world. But that's just because I play, you know, real instruments.

That's like saying you want to kill everyone who plays Grand Turismo because you drive, ya know, a real car.

soupeh

ddahcmai wrote: »

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely despise Rock Band and want to destroy every guitar hero type game in the world. But that's just because I play, you know, real instruments.

Thanks!

Well whoop-de-doo.

Played guitar for 17 years myself and I think guitar hero is a fucking blast.

Dehumanized

ddahcmai wrote: »

Alright, thanks for the advice everybody, I went with the $300 pro.

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely despise Rock Band and want to destroy every guitar hero type game in the world. But that's just because I play, you know, real instruments.

Thanks!

don't be this guy

but congratulations on your purchase. hope you have lots of fun with it!