GamePro Review: Xbox 360 Arcade a good deal for $199

RememberThe357 - 490 days 6 hours ago

Well it sounds like your just set then.

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joydestroy - 490 days 4 hours ago

never thought of it that way. makes look like an even better deal for 200 i suppose then.

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Spread Butt Cheeks - 490 days 2 hours ago

buy a memory card and save your account on it. its easier to move that to another account rather than moving a hdd. the memory cards are cheap too.

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TheMART at Xboxkings - 489 days 15 hours ago

Uhm...

The Arcade 360 COMES WITH A MEMORY CARD...
That has been in there since it upgraded from the old 'core' model about a year ago.

Come on dudes, that is common knowledge!

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MNicholas - 489 days 14 hours ago

What's the point of a $199 price point and free demos if

1) You have to buy a hard-drive ($100 for a measly 20GB) to play online and save downloaded demos and movies
2) You have to pay $50/yr to play online with your friends

The minimum cost of this system in your first year is

$199 (Base hardware) + $100 (Hard-drive) + $50 (Online): $349

Add another $50 every year to keep playing online with your friends.

After 2 years you've spent $399

After 3 years you've spent $449

After 4 years you've spent $499

After 5 years you've spent $549

If you add the wireless card, you're looking at $649 over 5 years when you can get all that plus a larger hard-drive and the world's top rated Blu-Ray player for $399.

Does it make sense to spend $649 when you can get much more for $399?

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TheMART at Xboxkings - 489 days 14 hours ago

"1) You have to buy a hard-drive ($100 for a measly 20GB) to play online and save downloaded demos and movies"

Wrong. You don't need the HDD to play online. You can do that with the memory card that comes with the Arcade.

The demo's not everyone needs them. Movies, same thing. You're talking about a game device first.

"2) You have to pay $50/yr to play online with your friends"

Yes, thats why XBL is not gimped and PSN is with cross game chats, invites and semi introduced Trophies.

"The minimum cost of this system in your first year is

$199 (Base hardware) + $100 (Hard-drive) + $50 (Online): $349"

No its not. First the HDD isn't needed, just pointed it out. Second, you can choose to go online. The 50 bucks is worth the hassle. I would annoy myself to death with a free gimped PSN.

"If you add the wireless card, you're looking at $649 over 5 years when you can get all that plus a larger hard-drive and the world's top rated Blu-Ray player for $399."

You don't need the wireless card.

With the PS3 you pay for all the shiat you don't need. Thats why the 360 Premium even is 140 bucks cheaper.

BTW you have to spend extra $$$$ on the PS3 instantly. The 40GB for sure, you run out of space because of forced game 5GB installations like GTAIV, DMC4, Hot Shot Golf, etc etc. So another 100 bucks to upgrade the HDD to be able to play all your games instead of deleting, install again for 25 minutes etc etc.

You're right on one thing though. The BluRayStation 3 is a cheap movieplayer.

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MNicholas - 489 days 13 hours ago

you can't play online with your friends.

Even if you never download demos or movies and never use Wifi, your minimum cost over 5 years is

$199 (Based hardware) + $50x5 (cost of online play) = $449.

Some of what you don't get for paying $449 to Microsoft:

-80 GB Hard-drive
-Wifi (wireless online play)
-Continued unlimited online play with your friends after year 5
-Web browsing wirelessly on your TV
-World's top rated Blu-Ray player

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aliveinboston - 489 days 11 hours ago

You are absolutely right man! The $199 model will not allow you to play online with your friends unless you pay $50 every year to Microsoft ON TOP OF what you pay for your internet access to Verizon or Comcast or whatever it is.

Unless you buy the hard-drive you cant even download movies and demos!

It's crazy that people think this is a good deal.

And what's worse is that it has a crummy outdated DVD player.

It's a cut-rate gimped console for sure. There's an old saying "penny wise, pound foolish" meaning you try to save a buck but end up spending a hell of a lot more. This console is for people who are too dumb to think beyond this week. You know ... the rent-a-center types.

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IdleLeeSiuLung - 489 days 10 hours ago

People forget that this unit is not intended to compete with the PS3. It is to compete with the Wii and from that standpoint this seems like an excellent value.

Consider this is a $200 unit and you get HD gaming + superior online play if you wish with an upgrade path (albeit a little expensive) this is an excellent value compared to the Wii.

The Elite is what is competing against the PS3 and the pro is somewhere in between. People complain about the online play costing money, but hey you are paying for premium features. If you don't want premium online features in online play, then go buy a PS3.

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kevanio09 - 490 days 2 hours ago

Yes, obviously that's true. The console cannot play 360 games. Its just a huge 200 dollar paperweight.

/Sarcasm

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Captain Tuttle - 490 days 1 hour ago

Funny stuff.
Bubble

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DJ - 489 days 20 hours ago

Which can run you $100~180, depending on the size. Better to just get the Pro system and not worry about that issue.

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TheMART at Xboxkings - 489 days 15 hours ago

DJ

Stop the spam. Specific those 'certain' games. You keep saying that to try to make it look bad.

The only game at this point in time getting hurt just a bit is Burnout Paradise, which has not all the online parts included without a HDD on the 360.

So if that isn't even your game and you won't play it, no hurting at all. And even if you are going to buy Burnout Paradise, no major problem if you ask me. You won't miss what you don't have.

YOU DJ FAIL ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE. AS ALWAYS.

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DJ - 489 days 20 hours ago

"there's really NO EXCUSE for ANY gamer to not know the answer to your question."

I'm pretty sure you didn't look into his question very well. He was referring to the fact that Arcade 360s don't play certain 360 titles since it lacks a hard drive. Microsoft and Sony have undergone so many SKU changes that it can get a bit tricky understanding the differences between them.

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Captain Tuttle - 489 days 20 hours ago

What 360 games can't you play on an Arcade?

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sak500 - 489 days 18 hours ago

DJ the hardcore ps3 fanboy answering questions about xbox360. Hmmm sorry haven't been reading your post of the late but till long time you've been battling TheMart on N4G.

Only one or 2 games might not work on arcade if you want to play online. Simple. ALl games are playable on arcade in offline mode. Yes i believe even oblivion. That's the technology of next gen not relying on any hyped up storage medium to play same or lesser quality games.

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cheapndirty - 489 days 14 hours ago

All games can play on the Core/Arcade model. It comes down to "saves" you can only hold so many saves on a memory card before you would have to delete some saves or choose not to save. Again, ALL GAMES PLAY. If the game needs more DLC to be useful and the card is full..well, you know what to do.
I think heard that the Arcade/Core model will not PLAY CERTAIN ORIGINAL XBOX GAMES. You need the hard drive to play those for the emulation software.

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JUUKENS HOT - 490 days 7 hours ago

and is a great machine firstly

and 360 is rubbish just like vista microsoft garbage

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morganfell - 490 days 6 hours ago

Yeah it seems like a great deal then you add 4 years of Live which you will need, then you realize you can't download squat without a HDD, The you really are in the crapper with an over priced nickel-and-dime-me-to-death RROD toaster.

And yes, juuken is smoking hot.

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Dyingduck - 490 days 3 hours ago

First of all, 200 USD bucks may seem CHEAP at first but let's see...

+ 4 Years of LIVE (typical lifespan of a casual console*) = 200USD, so how much does it cost now?

+ Now what did you get with 400 USD? A toaster and a mircowave oven and a lawnmower and a door-stopper and a disc-scratcher WITHOUT ANY CAPABILITY TO DOWNLOAD SQUAT...

+ 200+200 = 400...that sounds like the NEW 80-GBs SKU PS3 price tag...with free PSN/HOME, quieter, more reliable gaming console + BR player...grrr say what?

*RROD not taking into account, LOL

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morganfell - 489 days 20 hours ago

They never get this right. They can neither add nor subtract. Jethro Bobine looks like an MIT grad compared to these bots.

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chfthnder26 - 489 days 19 hours ago

yo u stupid man the 360 is a very good deal for 200 bucks play all the games and upgrade if u wantsome people dont want to play online or pay for a hi def dvd player that they dont want so stoppin talkin sh*t cuz u r blinded by sonys lies dont try to get other people to follow in your steps see i can say this cuz i own both but i bought the ps3 on my own terms not because some fanboy was talkin crap about the 360 the good thing about the xbox lineup is choice u can get an arcade system like i did and upgrade if u want also u can play online for free with a silver account on xbox live but if u want to download demos and movies u need a hdd and a gold account but u sony fanboys think u cant

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pwnsause - 490 days 5 hours ago

take a look at this picture Zerodin very closely. This was taken on a Sunday afternoon at a walmart at amherst, which is a suburban region of Buffalo. whose butt hurt now? i would not pay for this P.O.S. even if its for $200 lololololololol I rather pay my $500 just so i can have Quality in my living room instead of a P.O.S. system that sounds like a Jet Engine and Burns houses down.

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vega75 - 490 days ago

ah.. you did pay for a P.O.S it called the PS3.

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morganfell - 489 days 20 hours ago

You mean the console with free online, built in wifi, built in Blutooth, built in HDD - expandable at my choice of drives - non proprietary headset, non proprietary play and charge cable, and the ONLY next gen removable storage medium? Altogether less than my 360 when I add 4 years of live you little idiot.

I love xbox bags of crap like you that failed math class. You are the type of imbeciles that wind up working some dead end low rent job until you are 70 and then fall and break your neck on the steps of your single wide.

Thick heads like you that can't do simple addition and see that with all the items required for a normal gaming experience the 360 easily costs more than the PS3. No, brain dead hicks like yourself certainly can't think long term investment strategies when they can't calculate the cost of a gaming console over a 4 year period. Enjoy your crappy, disappointing and hopefully brief life.

From past posts of mine, some references for village idiots such as yourself:

HDD

PS3 - Industry Standard SATA
360 - Proprietary

Charging Kit

PS3 - Industry Standard USB cable
360 - Proprietary

Wireless Headset

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - Proprietary

Wireless Keyboard for gaming

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - None (not supported)

Wireless Mouse for gaming

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - None (not supported)

Next Gen Removable Media Player

PS3 - Industry Standard Blu-ray
360 - None (Still accepts HD DVD Betamax equivalent)

Wifi adapter

PS3 - Built in
360 - Proprietary

External Storage for saving network downloads

PS3 - Industry Standard (I use a WD Passport)
360 - Can't save network downloads to external drive

Memory Cards

PS3 - Not necessary but transferring game saves and HDD items can be done via Industry Standard HDD or jump drive

360 - Proprietary Memory card

Device to copy files to HDD

PS3 - stream via free Tversity, copy directly using Industry Standard external HDD, jump drive, or disk media

360 - function not available (ripping music excepted)

It is just another manner in which MS forces hidden costs on gamers to which dullard bots are oblivious. It also shows the 360 wasn't a very industry friendly nor well though out console.

On the other hand the PS3 costs are up front and it was designed with longevity and integration in mind. It easily trumps the 360 as the living room media hub.

We know what we are paying for up front and acknowledge it. Whereas idiots like you are either oblivious to the additional costs to make the 360 a full experience of else they are aware of it and just living in denial. Your post alone shows what an imbecile you are and verifies your stupidity is without bounds. Allow me to quote myself since you are obviously worth little more than that:

"Another drone living in denial, shelling out his 50 bucks a year and sticking his head in the sand. It is a common sense deduction but when your head is down and buried all we see is your exposed ass...which is what you have been showing.

What is puzzling is how eternally ignorant xbots are composed of all the school dunces that flunked math. Someone should conduct a study on that fact...

I bought my launch 360 for $399. Then I allowed for at least 4 years of Live since MS drops their consoles AND customers at that point so now I am up to $599. Then I added a next gen movie player...that lost the war because MS was stupid. That brought me up to $778. Then I decided I wanted the play and charge kit. That was another $19. That took me to $797. With taxes I was over $800.

Do I need to keep going and talk about how I was forced to buy the proprietary charge kit from MS instead of an industry standard USB cable I had laying around at the house?

Do I need to talk about how there was only one wireless headset available (two if you count colors and a HALO logo - whoopty do) and it was proprietary instead of an industry standard?

Do I need to talk about how I had to pay a fortune for a BS 120GB HDD instead of an industry standard that was half the price for twice the storage?

Do I need to talk about how I had to spend money on a WiFi attachment instead of having one built in?

Do I need to talk about how Microsoft's utterly stupid DRM policy ripped me off for items I had purchased for a year and a half? When the DRM fix was finally available I still have roughly $80 worth of items that are still not available. Of the ones I do have 3 of the most prominent are for games no one plays any longer. That makes the value of those items forfeited by me en toto.

And I won't mention that out of 3 months lost of Live time as I awaited the return of consoles, MS only reimbursed me for 1. Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it. Another $100 pissed away.

While I am talking standards, do I need to mention the lack of an HDMI on my launch 360? I guess the fact 3 of them died until I got a 4th model is some sort of HDMI blessing in disguise. That is, after all, the sort of idiot logic you espouse.

You really need to keep your trap shut before you make a bigger ass of yourself. Imbeciles like you that think trigonometry is a painful knee condition should avoid any console debates relating to the expense of a full gaming experience.

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