Xbox 360 $299 and $399!!!

[quote name='MaxBiaggi2']That's a projection, a guesstimate if you will. It may have little in common with the actual number of systems eventually shipped with and without a hard drive. Never underestimate the ignorance of consumers. I believe far more of them will buy the bare bones edition than the article suggests.[/QUOTE]

Actually if MS produces the systems they can make those numbers come true. You just create 80% of the systems with the hard drive.

The 15-20% that buy the cheaper system will end up spending more money for the same things as those who were smart and bought the value package at $399.
 
[quote name='Daddy']Wow i dont wanna be an a**[/quote]

Too late.

[quote name='Daddy']Q1. $460 to get into a system (the $299 is a joke with the "pricepoint driven" configuration that they're working to put out) with a single game is a crock of shit when I'm not guaranteed that all of my titles (like shipwreck, I have more than a couple XB games) will work. Some of them, yes, most of them, maybe, though all of them, not sure? No thanks. I'm taking my $50 from my pre-order back and if I end up having issues with my current Xbox, I'll apply it to keep it going for a year from when I send it in.

They've said all along that the backwards compatibility required the HD. Can they guarntee every hobunk title every made will run..NO..but they have said those that do will require the HD as that's how that generation of games were developed.. He can take his 50 bucks and enjoy gaming on the old system while all his buddies are on the 360.[/quote]

With 200+ Xbox titles, and plenty of them unplayed in my library, I'll be doing just fine. And they're not "hobunk" titles, as you put it, feel free to look over my collection and identify which ones are "hobunk" and which ones aren't, since I'd be ever so curious to know.

And frankly, I want to see how the launch titles are reviewed and see before I jump onto the 360, even if I was to decide to pick one up in the first go of the launch window (first 6 months).

I'm sure plenty of my buddies will have both, or games that'll worth on both, so I don't think I'm really too bad off there. Thanks for caring.

[quote name='Daddy'] Plus, the whole issue with "no HD-DVD drive now, though maybe in the future" sort of screws you if you buy now, since what happens when they do ship a Xbox 360+ (or whatever they call it, 360A, Mk. 2) with an HD-DVD drive in 12-18 months from launch, or whenever they do it, what happens with the games? Do you need to look for the box to say "only plays on Xbox 360 w/HD-DVD drive"?

Answer=Is he for real? Like MS is going to eventually launch the HD DVD and allow games developed for 360 to NOT WORK on it? Get a clue. If and when the HD DVD comes out I would think it to be next gen since it's not slated for 360 now. We're talkin 2years out from things I've read.[/quote]

Yes, I'm for real. MS will happily make people buy the Xbox 360+ with the HD-DVD drive in it, for all the features it'll provide, and leave anyone who bought it out of the gate buying another one. Depending on how well it sells before it comes out, it might force them into a retrofit kit, or something else like it, though don't count on it.

Since one of the big reasons MS is pushing the 360 is for media convergence, they'd want to have the most compatible standard out there. HD-DVD only really has two backers out there, MS and Toshiba. BluRay just picked up two more converts to the format:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050817-5218.html

As I picked up the Xbox a whole year after it launched, I don't have any remorse about waiting until then for the 360, or later.

And I did cancel my $50 pre-order on the 360, and I would've been the first person at that store to get one, on launch day, since I had the first pre-order. Oh well. Someone else can have mine.

[quote name='daddy']Now back to daddy= i hope this has informed you guys about 360 and i'd hate to see you guys miss out on what looks like a solid system. Dont cancel those pre-orders before you know all the facts....read up in Sept issue of (gaming mag name slips my mind,but has Ghost recon on the cover) where they talk about the cache and how it makes the game have ZERO load time if you need some "official" proof of what i've posted since i'm sure you ll only believe that. Hope I've turned some of you back to 360[/QUOTE]

You didn't inform me one bit of facts I already knew. You just made yourself look a bit foolish in the process in trying to play king debunker. Try again another time. I have all the facts I'm concerned with, and they won't change between now and launch time to make me think differently.

It's also money I'd rather spend in other areas at the moment, so, thanks for caring and trying to make me bad about my "hobunk" titles.
 
I'm with you Shrike. Thanks to CAG I have enough of an unopened library to wait it out a bit and see how the "next generation" landscape developes before I spend my hard earned cash.
 
From what I understand, any future HD-DVD (or BluRay) add-on, or "360+" will be for playback only. All games will continue to be made in DVD format. I plan on keeping my Xbox when I get the 360, so backwards compatibility is a non-issue.
 
One question I have not seen anywhere on the web, or in gaming mag's is, If I am playing halo 2, or a new game that was made for the xbox 360 and xbox, will I be able to game with a friend who only has an xbox. While it may be a simple question with a simple answer considering you can roll you live account from your xbox to the xbox 360. For newer games, that may have better graphics, ai etc... that will have sku's for xbox 360 and xbox, like a madden, can i game with someone on a regular xbox?
 
[quote name='h2dk']From what I understand, any future HD-DVD (or BluRay) add-on, or "360+" will be for playback only. All games will continue to be made in DVD format. I plan on keeping my Xbox when I get the 360, so backwards compatibility is a non-issue.[/QUOTE]

We'll have to wait and see on that one. At least near 2x the capacity of a DVD-DL disc, that begs to have some extra stuff tossed in there.

fuck, I'm fortune telling as much as the next guy, though Sony's waiting on the PS3, which will ship with BluRay, and I'd expect MS to counter sometime down the road.

Remember how everyone in Japan bought PS2's for use as cheap DVD players out of the gate? I could see the same thing with the PS3 & BluRay movies, for all we know. Won't be an issue for this year, anyway.

[quote name='ryanbph']One question I have not seen anywhere on the web, or in gaming mag's is, If I am playing halo 2, or a new game that was made for the xbox 360 and xbox, will I be able to game with a friend who only has an xbox. While it may be a simple question with a simple answer considering you can roll you live account from your xbox to the xbox 360. For newer games, that may have better graphics, ai etc... that will have sku's for xbox 360 and xbox, like a madden, can i game with someone on a regular xbox?[/QUOTE]

A good question. We'll have to wait and see on that, won't we?
 
So, I think I'm leaning towards definitely buying the 360 now. I told my wife about the price last night and she basically convinced me that I should get it. She reminded me that my $500 in GameRush credit really came from only $100 in actual cash (no Blockbuster-to-Blockbuster flipping involved, I just was able to buy a lot of games cheap from other stores that had high trade-in value at GR). In addition to that I have close to $1400 in Pricegrabber rebates that should be sent out by the time the X360 hits. I'll only use about $300 of that Pricegrabber money to buy some games. So for $100 out of pocket and some time required to do the reviews, I should be able to get a X360 and 4-5 launch titles. It's still going to be sad to see all my GR credit disappear in one big swoop though.
 
This isn't surprising to me. They're just trying to make some money early on. I'd like to know what their plan is though. Like...how many units do they wish to have sold by the time the PS3 launches? I'm wondering if they plan a price cut to go with the launch of the PS3 plus the release of Halo 3. Who knows? Should be fun to watch at least. Personally, I think what you get with the Core System is crap. I'm not interested in the 360 at all.
 
Jesus fucking Christ......for those who cry about a $400 system.....dont get it and stop saying Microsoft has no clue. Wait it out and see what happens.......im just sick of this forum making my keyboard all wet with tears flowing through my monitor like kids watching Santa get gunned down by the L.A.P.D on live TV.
 
[quote name='lowgear26']Jesus fucking Christ......for those who cry about a $400 system.....dont get it and stop saying Microsoft has no clue. Wait it out and see what happens.......im just sick of this forum making my keyboard all wet with tears flowing through my monitor like kids watching Santa get gunned down by the L.A.P.D on live TV.[/QUOTE]

It's a message board. The purpose of it is to discuss your thoughts on various topics. If you are sick of this forum, go to another one where people all have the same feelings and thoughts as you. I'm sure it will be a wonderful place.
 
[quote name='lowgear26']Jesus fucking Christ......for those who cry about a $400 system.....dont get it and stop saying Microsoft has no clue. Wait it out and see what happens.......im just sick of this forum making my keyboard all wet with tears flowing through my monitor like kids watching Santa get gunned down by the L.A.P.D on live TV.[/QUOTE]

I don't think I like how your brain works, lad.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Too late.



With 200+ Xbox titles, and plenty of them unplayed in my library, I'll be doing just fine. And they're not "hobunk" titles, as you put it, feel free to look over my collection and identify which ones are "hobunk" and which ones aren't, since I'd be ever so curious to know.

And frankly, I want to see how the launch titles are reviewed and see before I jump onto the 360, even if I was to decide to pick one up in the first go of the launch window (first 6 months).

I'm sure plenty of my buddies will have both, or games that'll worth on both, so I don't think I'm really too bad off there. Thanks for caring.



Yes, I'm for real. MS will happily make people buy the Xbox 360+ with the HD-DVD drive in it, for all the features it'll provide, and leave anyone who bought it out of the gate buying another one. Depending on how well it sells before it comes out, it might force them into a retrofit kit, or something else like it, though don't count on it.

Since one of the big reasons MS is pushing the 360 is for media convergence, they'd want to have the most compatible standard out there. HD-DVD only really has two backers out there, MS and Toshiba. BluRay just picked up two more converts to the format:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050817-5218.html

As I picked up the Xbox a whole year after it launched, I don't have any remorse about waiting until then for the 360, or later.

And I did cancel my $50 pre-order on the 360, and I would've been the first person at that store to get one, on launch day, since I had the first pre-order. Oh well. Someone else can have mine.



You didn't inform me one bit of facts I already knew. You just made yourself look a bit foolish in the process in trying to play king debunker. Try again another time. I have all the facts I'm concerned with, and they won't change between now and launch time to make me think differently.

It's also money I'd rather spend in other areas at the moment, so, thanks for caring and trying to make me bad about my "hobunk" titles.[/QUOTE]

Actually if you READ instead of tryin be "all cool" i said those were answered in another forum, secondly i would image if the Hard drive could swap out then the Disc drive could as well, i HIGHLY doubt they would screw people over that bad. As far as information if i didnt tell you anything you didnt know WHY then did you not answer to ANY post within the 12-13 pages prior when everyone was talking about the HD drive affecting development and saving games???? Every post before this one was bashing the crap out of 360 (and dont say you werent there b/c you were replying all day) NO ONE before the post i made had any clue about Cache to RAM ...otherwise someone would have said something instead of watching page after page of people talking about hardware and specs they know nothing about....So if you think i'm an ass then you must be way far off then I am, the idea of the post was to inform, even said 2 times in my post it wasnt to make anyone look dumb or piss anyone off....you shouldnt goo on the attack and call me an ass when i went out of my way to help people understand the Hardware...nice job
 
Personally, after the initial shock has set in and passed, I still am going to cancel my pre-order. I think everything is being done very sloppy, and that it's all too rushed. The ghetto system is useless, and the premium system isn't worth the $400+ in my eyes.

I would have definitely thrown down the $400 if the premium pack came with a 6 months - 1 year Xbox live "gold" service, and full backwards compatiblity, but it doesn't. Like I've said before, one step forward, two steps back.

All of the things I've come to expect a next-gen console should have as standard are missing.....

Instead we get AA battery wireless controllers (upgradeable for more $$$ to rechargable battery pack, even though this is the "premium" system) , a DVD remote which shouldn't even exsist because DVD function should have been accessable through the console controller, no free Xbox live trial, limited backwards compatibility, possible HD add-on later down the line, a hard-drive that will turn into a large memory card due to it not being the standard, a wired headset, and a console that's not wi-fi enabled unless you plan on dropping another $100.

I still want an Xbox 360 though for The Elder Scrolls 4, but it looks like I'll be waiting for a price drop.
 
[quote name='Daddy']Actually if you READ instead of tryin be "all cool" i said those were answered in another forum, secondly i would image if the Hard drive could swap out then the Disc drive could as well, i HIGHLY doubt they would screw people over that bad. As far as information if i didnt tell you anything you didnt know WHY then did you not answer to ANY post within the 12-13 pages prior when everyone was talking about the HD drive affecting development and saving games???? Every post before this one was bashing the crap out of 360 (and dont say you werent there b/c you were replying all day) NO ONE before the post i made had any clue about Cache to RAM ...otherwise someone would have said something instead of watching page after page of people talking about hardware and specs they know nothing about....So if you think i'm an ass then you must be way far off then I am, the idea of the post was to inform, even said 2 times in my post it wasnt to make anyone look dumb or piss anyone off....you shouldnt goo on the attack and call me an ass when i went out of my way to help people understand the Hardware...nice job[/QUOTE]

You know what's really funny? None of my issues with the 360 had anything to do with the hard drive not being a standard peripheral on the base model.

I already knew that it was going to be optional and I had made the leap of logic that the developers wouldn't be making the assumption that it's there. If MS has caching schemes in mind to take advantage of it, they'd most likely write something on the OS of the 360 to do it. With 512MB of RAM in the system, that's plenty to allocate for caching, and if the HD is there, MS probably does something with it. Doubt they wouldn't.

Actually, if you read my complaints about it, it's because of the following:

1) HD-DVD on the horizon sometime in its lifecycle, which for me, is an issue.
2) Questionable backwards compatibility that MS is being much too coy for my tastes about. All those "hobunk" titles, you mentioned.
3) Price to get into the system with the peripherals and setup that I'd want, and that's money I'm deciding I'd rather not spend.

Also, I'm not bashing the 360, it's a fine piece of hardware. Just not for me at the moment, with the current peripherals as configured right now.

Plus, if you think me calling you out by leaving a post in there about you not wanting to look like an ass, and replying to it, that's your issue, not mine. Try some grammar, it might do you some good.

I honestly don't think you answered much of anything, at least in some sense of a coherent thought pattern. I know I'm not way off, I'm just not looking at the console as something I want at launch, until it's made its way into the console cycle a bit, and see where they go with it.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I'm not going to wager that the opposite will happen, although lionheart4life's post made me a little more comfortable that there is, at least, a remote possibility of getting the "de-lux" version.

Not real money, anyway.[/QUOTE]

They have updated their site and it now says that the free Xbox will be the "complete premium edition". They have also updated their specs to include the headset, media remote, HD cables and the size of the removable hard drive, which were not on there before. They generally give prizes with a value of at least $50 per referral, so I figured this would launch around $400. Now where did they get their advance notice of the price point to set it at 8 referrals?
 
[quote name='Daddy']...the idea of the post was to inform, even said 2 times in my post it wasnt to make anyone look dumb or piss anyone off....you shouldnt goo on the attack and call me an ass when i went out of my way to help people understand the Hardware...nice job[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Daddy']First off, these idiots obviously have no clue that the connection between a "mechanical" hard drive to the processor is the SLOWEST connection inside a console or PC. You want fooking load times a** cache to your HDD, you want blazing fast load times cache to the ENORMOUS amount of dedicated RAM in the system. (This will be for the 360 and PS3...so shut your hole fan boys)[/quote]

[quote name='daddy']My Answer: Hey fooknut, why should MS even host the issue of this since I CAN NOT GO OUT AND BUY "SPACEBALLS" ON HD-DVD...WHY....BECAUSE THE Fookin FORMAT DOES NOT EXIST!!!!!. And dork boy when the final Next Gen Media source is out and it is not Blue Ray...your fooked. All you have is KILLZONE 5 with 2Gigs of space used on a 25Gig disk that you paid an extra 200 dollars for because your PS3 was sooo next gen. I've never heard of a game even fully uncompressed being more the 2-3 Gigs, and that is a pc game with expansion packs, you dorks think a 6-8 Gig game will be out in the next 5 years..below me.[/quote]

[quote name='daddy']MY Answer: Kill yourself now.............Please. This is a new console you penal swashbuckler, people are going crazy over the PS3 because Sony CLAIMS they can play there PS1 titles on it.... Who fooking gives a crap, get your big boy suit on and buy some new games.[/quote]

[quote name='daddy']MY Answer: Proof this guy clearly was neglected to inform his own cavern of spooo that he does not have a clue what he is talking about. Developers have been working on the 360 for 1-2 years now......................and I THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THE FooKING SPECS ARE!!![/quote]

[quote name='daddy']Holy sheite there a ton of a**holeioes out there that I hope don't get the 360...these are the same whiney babies that play Halo 2 everynight.[/quote]

how informative :roll:
 
Ahh thats better Shrike....well I know that part your the only person who DIDNT refer to the HD....go to almost any message board out there....95% is abou the HD right now....the 512 IS PLENTY to cache too....I can see everyones feelings on the system from a price standpoint however.... thing is you still need an extra controller,another year of LIVE,the VGA cables (if you have PC monitor or projector/VGA to DVI connector and some games....i'd say at least 2 games....so we are talking another 300 bucks...id say 800-1000 is what you ACTUALLY have to spend on this system
 
[quote name='doraemonkerpal']how informative :roll:[/QUOTE]

Umm perhaps you missed the part where I stated they were answered in another forum....LOL
 
[quote name='MaskedPlague']Yeah, I wonder if this is true.

That took all of one day.[/QUOTE]

Coming soon to a XBox 360 game case near you:

HD Recommended for optimum performance
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Coming soon to a XBox 360 game case near you:

HD Recommended for optimum performance[/QUOTE]

Seriously - and a few months after that you will get:

HD Required, biatch!*









*You dumbass.... why would you even consider buying the non-HD version? hahahaha. Loser.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Seriously - and a few months after that you will get:

HD Required, biatch!*

*You dumbass.... why would you even consider buying the non-HD version? hahahaha. Loser.[/QUOTE]

That's when we'd know WSB, Moxio, OTM, or some of the other art-crafty folk around here are doing box art for the 360 games. :D
 
[quote name='shipwreck']It's a message board. The purpose of it is to discuss your thoughts on various topics. If you are sick of this forum, go to another one where people all have the same feelings and thoughts as you. I'm sure it will be a wonderful place.[/QUOTE]

Hey Genius.....I just voiced my opinion and made a comment. Your statement just validated my posting in this forum to begin with. FYI there is no better forum than a CAG forum.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']That's when we'd know WSB, Moxio, OTM, or some of the other art-crafty folk around here are doing box art for the 360 games. :D[/QUOTE]

heh, I'd love to see that. I bet any one of them could come up with cooler covers than what will ultimately be released... :D
 
[quote name='javeryh']heh, I'd love to see that. I bet any one of them could come up with cooler covers than what will ultimately be released... :D[/QUOTE]

No question there.

Especially with the HD Required, Biatch! on the box. :lol:
 
I know this is Cheapassgamer.com but with all the stuff you get for $399.99...it's a good deal. Especially when you KNOW SONY will screw you worse. Hell Sony is already taking features out (i.e. router) and you know other stuff will be dropped before it launches.
 
I'm just seeing the new announcement of prices and i'm still in. I've got one preordered at EB already with $50 paid now i gotta start saving to get the $400 system at launch. Anyone called and confirmed with EB what system you want? I'll do this tomorrow to make sure i get the fancy one. I didnt like a couple things i read, mainly hard drive not being standard so developers prolly wont fully take advantage of it now but i'm still in and looking forward to the system.
 
I think that the problem most people have is that there are two packages, not the actual price. Nobody wants a bare-bones 360, it just means limited HD support. I would have bought one on launch for the full 400 bones. Now it's a waiting game.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']I think that the problem most people have is that there are two packages, not the actual price. Nobody wants a bare-bones 360, it just means limited HD support. I would have bought one on launch for the full 400 bones. Now it's a waiting game.[/QUOTE]

What this also means is that shelf space will be even more limited for Xbox 360 systems. Instead of having, say, 20 Xbox 360 $399 models, a store may get 15 $399 models and 5 $299 models.

Imagine getting to a store and hearing "Yea, we just sold the last $399 model, but hey we have PLENTY of the $299 model to go around!!". I'd rather they scrap the $299 model and just send out tons of premium models.
 
[quote name='Mr. Anderson']I think that the problem most people have is that there are two packages, not the actual price.[/QUOTE]
The horribly priced accessories are also pretty pathetic. $150 for extra controllers is unacceptable, when I could buy three extra current-gen controllers for half that price. $100 for a Wi-Fi adapter is excessive, too. The DS, PSP, Revolution, and PS3 have (or will have) that functionality built in.

If the $400 pack was the only option, and the accessories were about half the price, I think most people would be perfectly fine with that launch price.
 
It would have been nice if Microsft had one console somewhere in the middle instead of the two extremes.

Price: $349.99 - $399.99 Xbox 360 console with one wireless controller, 20gb hardrive with backwards compatibility, and built-in wifi. That would have made me buy it at launch.
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']It would have been nice if Microsft had one console somewhere in the middle instead of the two extremes.

Price: $349.99 - $399.99 Xbox 360 console with one wireless controller, 20gb hardrive with backwards compatibility, and built-in wifi. That would have made me buy it at launch.[/QUOTE]
it has all of that minus the wifi for the price range you were looking for, and don't the current wifi adapters work with the xbox 360...i thought msft said all accesories for the xbox will work with the 360...so if people are that hung up on wifi, then you should have it now, and can use the current adapter for the 360
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']It would have been nice if Microsft had one console somewhere in the middle instead of the two extremes.

Price: $349.99 - $399.99 Xbox 360 console with one wireless controller, 20gb hardrive with backwards compatibility, and built-in wifi. That would have made me buy it at launch.[/QUOTE]

Agreed... just charge $349.99 and have one system, instead of two systems where one is a piece of garbage and the other is excellent.

I will probably keep the $299 model in the back at my store, and try to convince as many people as possible to get the $399 model... you're just getting fucked up the ass with that shitty model.

- Wired controller
- No backwards compatibility
- Have to buy a $40 dollar memory card
- No Xbox live... not even a Silver membership (is this true?)
- No headset for Xbox Live

Who would honestly, in their right mind, not want to spend $100 more? The $299 is just a waste to manufacture.
 
Dunno if it's been said, but the Gratis Free Xbox360 program is for the $399 model.

Click my sig and get crackin'! (or head over to the conga line and do it there; your choice!)
 
I would rather not read through all pages of the thread so if this solution is already suggested sorry :p. The way I see it, they should have put a small like 5 or 10 gig hard drive in the $299 model, and then the 20 gig in the $399 model, I imagine that would solved most of ya'lls reluctance to buy.
 
[quote name='guardian_owl']I would rather not read through all pages of the thread so if this solution is already suggested sorry :p. The way I see it, they should have put a small like 5 or 10 gig hard drive in the $299 model, and then the 20 gig in the $399 model, I imagine that would solved most of ya'lls reluctance to buy.[/QUOTE]
That doesn't really work... Hard drives aren't like electronics, where they get progressively cheaper. The cost stays about the same, a 10gb drive costs the same as a 100gb drive to make. The reason they're doing this at all is because the hard drive was a major cost problem for the Xbox, it never got cheaper throughout the life of the system, and it won't get cheaper for 360, either.
 
I'm not sure if it's mentioned already, but you'll still need 2 accessories if you get the $399 model. You'll need to pay $20 for the charging cable and $12 for the rechargable battery for the wireless controller. Without these 2 accessories, you'll be buying regular batteries all the time for the wireless controller and if batteries ever run out during a play session, you're totally screwed. $399 packs in a bunch of fluff accessories and leaves out some of the most important ones.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']That doesn't really work... Hard drives aren't like electronics, where they get progressively cheaper. The cost stays about the same, a 10gb drive costs the same as a 100gb drive to make. The reason they're doing this at all is because the hard drive was a major cost problem for the Xbox, it never got cheaper throughout the life of the system, and it won't get cheaper for 360, either.[/QUOTE]


True. In fact the 10GB drives usually cost more to make, since they are done in smaller quantities most of the time.


[quote name='neonglow']I'm not sure if it's mentioned already, but you'll still need 2 accessories if you get the $399 model. You'll need to pay $20 for the charging cable and $12 for the rechargable battery for the wireless controller. Without these 2 accessories, you'll be buying regular batteries all the time for the wireless controller and if batteries ever run out during a play session, you're totally screwed. $399 packs in a bunch of fluff accessories and leaves out some of the most important ones.[/QUOTE]


I can't believe they are not going to include the charging cable.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']I am starting to feel the same way. I'm losing interest in the "newer and better" games when they simply aren't fun to play anymore. As it stands right now I purchase more classic games than the newer titles, even though I own every system available.[/QUOTE]


Me as well...maybe we are TOO OLD for videogames? (Just thinking...I'm what...25 now?...my contra days are over; red falcon wins!)
 
[quote name='guardian_owl']I would rather not read through all pages of the thread so if this solution is already suggested sorry :p. The way I see it, they should have put a small like 5 or 10 gig hard drive in the $299 model, and then the 20 gig in the $399 model, I imagine that would solved most of ya'lls reluctance to buy.[/QUOTE]


I believe the issue is not only the hard drive but also the wifi and the controllers.

It's like the caveman syndrome...MS is going backward in development from teh XBOX (should the 360 be called the 180?). Anyway: wifi is not expensive now...you can get a wifi router for about 30 bucks on any given rebate day (I recently got a netlink wifi router for a whopping 10 dollars without rebates by price matching a staples ad at bestbuy). Any computer you buy nowadays gives you a free wifi adapter (it's standard like the modem and/or ethernet connections were/are). It doesn't make sense to have an "adapter" and not have teh capabilities built into the hardware.

The controllers were supposed to be wireless standard, but now there are wired editions with the core system. It makes me wonder if the "blue tooth" capabilities aren't built into the system as well (that's how the wireless controllers were supposed to connect right?).

The hard-drive was standard in the xbox, it should be standard in the xbox 360. Teh reason for the additional cost is because the bloody thing is removable instead of built into teh damn system. Who needs to take a 20 gig harddrive to their "friends house" that could be done on a memory card? The harddrive was an essential part of the xbox, it made the use of memory cards null.


The planning and marketing of this console (the xbox 360) almost reeks of arrogance and overconfidence "build it and they will come", when the xbox wasn't on THAT strong a foot. I like the original xbox, but honestly I think I've outgrown the politics and nonsense of the game "industry".

Give me a NES and CONTRA and I'll be happy for the rest of my life.
 
[quote name='Noodle Pirate!']I won't pretend to know how games are programmed, But is my theory hypothetically possible?

Can programmers program extra stuff into the game that support HD but have them like features on fps for pc? LIke cranking up the textures and anti aliasing and such? - that will support the hd and its features giving you a better gaming experience? put them in like the options menu, for those who have hd, turn up all the effects and abilites. For those without the hd, they can keep it at the default requirements.

Or is it something that totally changes the game and they will have to make seperate versions , one that looks better and one that doesnt?
Im not quite sure what the hd adds to current xbox games atm, aside from saving files, downloading extra levels, patches, trailers and stuff like that.

If it totally changes the game and they either have to program for one version or the other, that does seem incredibly stupid of them to allow non HD360's to exist; its just gimping themselves before the race starts.[/QUOTE]


I've read every post up until this ond and the rest of the page and didn't see a reply. So I apologize if there's one in the next few pages I haven't read yet... anyways, to answer...

programmers can branch... say like "if hard drive in system... do this code"... "else, do this code"... it's not as simple as that, but they can program for both cases (hard drive and no hard drive). As far as anti aliasing, that's a process dependent on the CPU or GPU (most likely GPU), which won't be "better" with a hard drive. As far as textures go, a hard drive probably wouldn't help much in this case. Textures are stored on the DVD when shipped... so you won't get "bigger and cleaner" textures if you have a hard drive. I assume load times won't even be noticeable because of the crap load of memory in the 360... reading from memory is BLAZING fast compared to reading from disk(hard drive).

In short, a hard drive won't make your game look better considering the amount of ram in the 360 (no need for caching game data on the hard drive).

The benefits from the hard drive are what you have listed... saved games... patches... which will be a HUGE deal IMO with this gen since MS is pushing online gaming even further. More mmo's are coming this gen as well as patches. Heck, even Itagaki (arrogant head of Team Ninja for dead or alive/ninja gaiden) said he's probably gonna have costumes downloadable later via live for doa4 because they don't have enough time to make more costumes between now and launch. So already, patch updates will be coming. I believe this is where the people get pissed about the hard drive. If it was standard, we wouldn't have to worry about "can we get backwards compatibility" or "damn, I want that patch!" or "I wanna play the mmorpg!" Of course you can buy the memory cards (40 BUCKS each) that can probably store your data, but a hard drive for 100 (I still think it is overpriced, but not horribly) will be a better bargain.

As far as programming something completely different, no. I've never programmed for a gaming console, and I'm sure it's harder than I'm thinking it is to program depending on a hard drive and not depending on a hard drive for one game. In theory, it shouldn't be a big road block and I doubt it is.

As far as my opinion goes, 400 isn't bad for the console. I'm just pisssed at how they can justify these "premium" version goes for 400 when you can buy the "standard" + the extra crap in the premium for 564 (price check on that, I remember someone saying 264 for the extras"). Maybe they're banking on idiots to buy the standard and later realize they need the extras... then microsoft makes money off of that.

As far as the PS3 goes... I'm ticked about it having so much stuff in it. 2 HDMI outputs... seriously now? I hear people like the 6 usb ports, but I figure 4 is fine. On the good side, the controllers are rechargable through the usb ports and built in wifi. I read somewhere back like 924920 pages that we'd be happy if the ps3 was priced at 400... well I'm fine with the 360 w/ stuff at 400 and would be fine with the ps3 at 400. The 360 has the hard drive, the ps3 has the wifi + controller charging through usb + blu-ray drive (I personally wouldn't care between DVD/Blu-ray, but it's nice to have blu-ray). So I'd say the console itself... the ps3 comes with more and would be more justifiable at 400 than the 360 + hard drive and other stuff (this is also assuming just a controller comes with the ps3). Of course I highly doubt the ps3 is gonna come at 400. I'd bet 500. But I'm not an analyst, so whatever.

That's about that... once again I apologize to anyone who has already replied to his post. Have a good night!
 
[quote name='neonglow']I'm not sure if it's mentioned already, but you'll still need 2 accessories if you get the $399 model. You'll need to pay $20 for the charging cable and $12 for the rechargable battery for the wireless controller. Without these 2 accessories, you'll be buying regular batteries all the time for the wireless controller and if batteries ever run out during a play session, you're totally screwed. $399 packs in a bunch of fluff accessories and leaves out some of the most important ones.[/QUOTE]
Uh, no, you are wrong. Every Wireless controller comes with a cable and the rechargable battery. The thing you can buy seperately is a charging station that lets you plug an extra battery into it to always have a battery at full charge, not really needed for most people.

Not to mention the charging station COMES with an additional rechargable battery.
 
Everyone is too spoiled in here deals wise...with all the money you saved between EB,BB, Curcuit city and every other deal posted throughout the year youd think youd have an extra $100? The graphics chip in the 360 is worth more than the whole price of the system, your gettin a deal here weather you see it or not, your blaming the extra $100 bucks as too much b/c YOU want a few games and an extra controller on top of the system?!!??! HELLO....WELCOME to next generation, if you havent been playin video games from the beggining you wouldnt know this happens EVERYtime a system launches. The system thats a hundred bucks less doesnt have a save option...UMMM did your PS2 when you bought it? NOOOO....the XBOX was the one that came with a HD...that was what 300-400 when it launched....if you were a PS2 fanboy you got a memory card or the HD add on and you paid for that shizzle. So now you can get a NEXT GEN 360 for $299 w/o a save option and your complaining? WOW, a little spoiled at first I agreed with the price points being odd, but when you think about it MS was the only one with a HD option out of the box in the past anyway. If you cant afford the system after all the deals youve taken advantage of from this forum alone I dont know what to tell ya. The 360 is next gen...NOW....not in fall 2006 with a cell chip they can barely make work...or in even 2007 the way things are lookin now or a REVOLUTION in 200?......you gotta pay to play simple as that
 
[quote name='Daddy']Everyone is too spoiled in here deals wise...with all the money you saved between EB,BB, Curcuit city and every other deal posted throughout the year youd think youd have an extra $100? The graphics chip in the 360 is worth more than the whole price of the system, your gettin a deal here weather you see it or not, your blaming the extra $100 bucks as too much b/c YOU want a few games and an extra controller on top of the system?!!??! HELLO....WELCOME to next generation, if you havent been playin video games from the beggining you wouldnt know this happens EVERYtime a system launches. The system thats a hundred bucks less doesnt have a save option...UMMM did your PS2 when you bought it? NOOOO....the XBOX was the one that came with a HD...that was what 300-400 when it launched....if you were a PS2 fanboy you got a memory card or the HD add on and you paid for that shizzle. So now you can get a NEXT GEN 360 for $299 w/o a save option and your complaining? WOW, a little spoiled at first I agreed with the price points being odd, but when you think about it MS was the only one with a HD option out of the box in the past anyway. If you cant afford the system after all the deals youve taken advantage of from this forum alone I dont know what to tell ya. The 360 is next gen...NOW....not in fall 2006 with a cell chip they can barely make work...or in even 2007 the way things are lookin now or a REVOLUTION in 200?......you gotta pay to play simple as that[/QUOTE]


hmmm you are right sir , thats why I pre-ordered the $400 version yesterday .I figure since the ps2 was 300 when I got it and got a memory card and an extra controller that came out to 350 at the time. Seeing as how with the $400 xbox 360 im getting HD cables(thank the lords) a WIRELESS controller and some other stuff .

so when I put together my spending limit I see I am going to be spending $50 more dollars on a next gen system I think that sounds reasonable. I paid 350 on accessories on the ps2 and xbox so im am gonna be paying $400 on the 360 with a lot of accessories.
 
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