but u get a used HD wich is yuckie :P

Alright I will admit I bought a Xbox 360 Arcade.

I know everyone remembers me trading in an Xbox 360 for a PS3 and vice-versa for about 3 times I did it. And at the end of it all I bought the PS3 80GB. I then went to Best Buy days later after purchasing the PS3 80GB and found out that most of the Arcades have the new 65nm CPU installed in them. So behold I bought a Xbox 360 Arcade and it came with a 256MB Memory Card (so no need to save big games or anything, just game saves) that day and walked out paying $280. Went home and found out it was indeed the new heatsink and 65nm CPU :)

As a result I bought a headset and a 20GB HDD from my friend days later. I got the 20GB HDD for $40 from a friend and I bought a headset and Halo 3 the following day.

I must say I'm satisfied with my Xbox 360 Arcade because:

A) It has the 65nm CPU and as a result quiet DVD-Drive (Ben-Q) and discs come out totally cold, not hot like most Xbox 360 discs did with Elites and original launch units.

B) I can buy extra things when I felt like buying them (HDD, Headset)

Again satisfied with my Arcade purchase :D

Your last sentence is the key!  If the sales person tells you it is a gimpier version which by all practical purposes it is though it explains the cheaper price tag then you can decide to buy it or not.  I am sorry but I just don't see what is so confusing.  I mean quite literally the difference in the sku's is the hard drive as in one has it, another has one with 20 gigs and finally the third one has a 120 gig.  The rest like the 5 free games from the arcade or the black finish of the elite is just preference.  In the end which ever system you get for the most part you will be able to play about 95% of the games with the prospect of just picking up that hard drive if you wanted to get that other 5% or all the other bells and whistles.  I mean in time the pro might seem like a gimp version once we start filling it up and those people will *gasp*  buy the 120 gig hard drive if they so desire.  Hey I am not saying is the best deal or value but those are the options available and quite frankly don't think is that hard to follow. 

 Fair enough I suppose ^^ I'm just not down for having to buy add-ons to do certain things. So the only difference between all these models is Hard drive? Or is there more? Also do you need a hard-drive to play online?

I think it will become more of a problem as the generation goes on, particularly when DVD's start to show their space limitations.

The Arcade is $70 cheaper (in the USA) and has no HDD but comes with a 256MB memory card and free downloads of "Pac-Man Championship Edition, Boom Boom Rocket, Luxor 2, Feeding Frenzy and UNO" (thanks Best Buy). I think it's a different color.

That's the whole difference.  The memory card lets you play online from what I understand.  

The issue with Arcade / Core is:

a) the supposed low entry they give seems false as MS uses Live, DLC so much as being main drivers for the console (and therefore themselves essentially making the Core/Arcade seem like a cheap / subpar choice)

b) the cost of ugrading with HDD seems too high if you decide you want DLC, etc. so they seem like the wrong entry choice unless you know you're not going to want to upgrade.

c) they represent a pretty obvious steath approach where once you commit to 360 you will very likely ugrade and sink more money into the console - that's not a good consumer response to generate


Ultimately I think whatever the price these units will not compete well with the Wii - and ultimately that's the problem with them. They're not really wanted by those who will buy a Wii (cheaper or not) as the games the Wii buyers want are on the Wii. Conversely if you look at core 360 owner they are going to want DLC for map packs, games, etc and will view the Core/Arcade as 'the option for idiots'.

If I was MS I'd quietly drop them from the range if they don't sell when price is same as Wii - and I doubt they will but you never know.

i do read and thats why i have an elite^^. and d never buy a core cause when i wonna upgrade it cost more

I think the reason for poor Arcade sale is also due to a lot of misinformation by store clerks.  I have been at Best Buy so many times and overheard the salepersons telling customers that 360 Arcade can not play a lot of 360 games.  I often heard something like oh if you want to play Halo3 you are going to need Premium / Pro.

Personally I think Arcade is a nice 2nd console for person that said already have PS3 or Wii and only interest in a few of the 360 Exclusive games.  It also for gamers that are not looking to heavily spend time on Live and such.  While we might think that it is dumb for people that buy Arcade sku but that's $80.00 they don't need to spend for Premium/core for features they won't used.  There are still people that buy system just so they can play Madden or Halo3.

Not everyone lifestyle is like your or mine.