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Forums - Microsoft Discussion - Some Questions about the 360.

jpain333 on 03 May 2008

well I can tell u 20GB is good enough for "arcade games, additional content and multiplayer"....you get buy a gold membership via Live, just sign up then it will give you the option to choose gold/silver...

you can also buy wired controllers or if you check the accessory section they sell charger kits I think for a pair of controllers..

I doubt there is built in wireless but again the accessory section in the store should keep you covered on that..

thats what I can help you with...am sure others will answer the rest...



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Munkeh111 on 03 May 2008

I am thinking about getting a 360 later this year as well, so I am in the same position as you.
I don't get question 1, both have an HDMI port, and you have a cable, to why is that a factor convincing you to get an Elite (I am going for the Premium because I don't think the difference is worth £60)

And also rechargable batteries, what is the best solution? I intend to get a black controller as well, and get a quick charge kit and an extra battery for the while one, as well as a play are charge black one, though that does seem like a bit of a waste (its like £70 for the extra controller and accessories)



The_God_of_War on 03 May 2008
Machina-AX said:

Hi,


I'm seriously considering purchasing a 360 either at the end of the year or the start of next year, so at the moment I'm just carrying out some preliminary research so that I know exactly what I will need to buy when the time comes, so I can get everything at the same time and be ready to go.

To this end could some 360 owners please help me out by answering some of my questions. You don't have to answer them all, any help at all is greatly appreciated.

Just so you know - I live in the UK (not sure if that makes any difference to the answers)


1 - I own a HD TV (42 inch, 1080p), which I use my PS3 and Wii on atm, and I will obviously want to get the most out of the 360 graphically. I already have a spare HDMI cable, so my question is: Is there any difference between the Elite and Premium consoles in respect of their HD capabilities other than that the Elite comes with a HDMI cable?

Nope.

2 - Are there any other differences between the Elite and Premuim consoles other than the colour, the HDMI cable and the size of the Hard Drive?

Don't think so, no.

3 - I will be making use of Xbox Live for arcade games, additional content and mutliplayer. I'm quite a tidy person and I like to keep my PS3 Hard Drive uncluttered. Is 20GB sufficient space for my purposes? With the PS3 20GB is pretty much enough space for me, so are the sizes of games and downloadable content on the 360 the same size, roughly, as those on the PS3?

Yes, you shouldn't have any space problems.

4 - When it comes to Xbox live I will obviously need to go Gold. Can you purchase this via the 360 online? Or do you have to buy one of those cards I see for sale in computer stores?

You can indeed purchase it through the 360 online.

5 - When it comes to internet access I will need to have wireless access. Am I correct in assuming this is not built into the 360? If so, is the official wireless adapter thing the best option?

It's not built into the 360, which is f***ing ridiculous. You have to buy the official adapter which is £50-60.

6 - I won't be wanting to use disposable batteries. I loath wasting money on them for my Wiimote. With this in mind is the official play and charge kit my best option here? Is everything included with it that will enable me to never have to buy batteries or anything else for my controller(s)?

Yep, if you buy the play and charge kit, you won't ever have to buy batteries. I don't think the kit comes with the 360 though.

7 - To all UK 360 owners. I obviously have concerns about the RRoD, but my mind will be at ease if I have an extended warranty. What is the current standard warranty period for both the Elite and Premuim consoles? If I wanted extended coverage where would be the best place to buy it from and do MS do their own extended warranty scheme?

Every 360 has a warranty of 3 years. MS extended it because of the RROD problem. Heh, one good thing about the RROD, I guess!

8 - Finally, is there anything I may have missed out that I will need to look into? You probably know already, but you have to pay £40 every year for Xbox Live Gold.

To all PS3 and 360 owners, is there any other hardware/accessory feature (beyond those already mentioned) that I might use for my PS3 at the moment that is not included with the 360? Are you asking for things the PS3 does that the 360 doesn't do? Blu-Ray, built in internet browser and PSP Remote Play, I guess.

Thanks in advance to all who help me out. My pleasure!

btw a buyers guide with similar Q&As would be a great addition to the game guide thread ^^


 



  

mrstickball on 03 May 2008
Machina-AX said:

Hi,


1 - I own a HD TV (42 inch, 1080p), which I use my PS3 and Wii on atm, and I will obviously want to get the most out of the 360 graphically. I already have a spare HDMI cable, so my question is: Is there any difference between the Elite and Premium consoles in respect of their HD capabilities other than that the Elite comes with a HDMI cable?

None. There's no difference between an HDMI capable Arcade, Premium, and Elite. Aside from the free HDMI Cable with the 360.

2 - Are there any other differences between the Elite and Premuim consoles other than the colour, the HDMI cable and the size of the Hard Drive?

No. The Elite is black, comes with the HDMI cable, and the 120gb HDD. That's about it. There *used* to be a difference when Prems didn't come with HDMI-Out, but since Falcon launched, all of them are HDMI capable.

3 - I will be making use of Xbox Live for arcade games, additional content and mutliplayer. I'm quite a tidy person and I like to keep my PS3 Hard Drive uncluttered. Is 20GB sufficient space for my purposes? With the PS3 20GB is pretty much enough space for me, so are the sizes of games and downloadable content on the 360 the same size, roughly, as those on the PS3?

For a few XBLA games, it'll be fine. In general, XBLA games are smaller than their PS3 counterparts due to the size limitations. The biggest games you'll find are just below 150MB, but most games are 30-100MB. More than enough space.

4 - When it comes to Xbox live I will obviously need to go Gold. Can you purchase this via the 360 online? Or do you have to buy one of those cards I see for sale in computer stores?

You can buy gold subscriptions via XBL, XBM Points, anything. You can buy it all online or offline. However, if you buy offline, such as Ebay (and other places), you can tend to get much better deals - 1600point cards go for $20 USD on XBL, but can go for $10-$15 if you look hard enough. Likewise, it's $50 USD/yr for XBL Gold purchasing via XBL, but $35-40 if you know where to look offline.

5 - When it comes to internet access I will need to have wireless access. Am I correct in assuming this is not built into the 360? If so, is the official wireless adapter thing the best option?

No 360 comes with a built-in wireless router. You can use the official one, but from what I've heard, you can just buy an el-cheapo router from the store(s) and hook it up with an ethernet cable for about 1/2 the cost.

6 - I won't be wanting to use disposable batteries. I loath wasting money on them for my Wiimote. With this in mind is the official play and charge kit my best option here? Is everything included with it that will enable me to never have to buy batteries or anything else for my controller(s)?

I use the official Play & Charge kit. I've had it for 2 years and never had to replace a battery on my wireless controller. You have multiple variations of the Play & Charge kit from various sources. Some come with 2 battery packs, and 1 charger, and are quite cheap. I am unsure of how the P&C kits are for elites (ie, the black color).

7 - To all UK 360 owners. I obviously have concerns about the RRoD, but my mind will be at ease if I have an extended warranty. What is the current standard warranty period for both the Elite and Premuim consoles? If I wanted extended coverage where would be the best place to buy it from and do MS do their own extended warranty scheme?

MS Warranty should be the same everywere: 3 years for RROD, 1 year for everything else. Unsure about extended coverage, but from what I've seen, the MS warranty covers more than most other extended warranties.

btw a buyers guide with similar Q&As would be a great addition to the game guide thread ^^

I'll put one together sometime soon.


Now Munkeh111:

And also rechargable batteries, what is the best solution? I intend to get a black controller as well, and get a quick charge kit and an extra battery for the while one, as well as a play are charge black one, though that does seem like a bit of a waste (its like £70 for the extra controller and accessories)

You could just buy 1 P&C kit, and when your not playing, plug in it. The batteries on the wireless controllers have a monstorous lifespan. I've charged my wireless controller maybe 4-5 times since I bought my 360...They last (usually) for 20-40hrs of play time. So charging it when your not playing is easy enough.



Back from the dead, I'm afraid.

Chrizum on 03 May 2008

Wow, great topic, as I am also thinking about purchasing an Xbox 360.

I have one more question though: do you need credit card for gold and for purchasing things on live? What ways are there to pay for gold and for games/downloadable content on live?



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Munkeh111 on 03 May 2008

@ mrstickball, can you charge while the 360 is off? (the ps3 was criticised for not doing this, and I thought it was a feature of the 360) and you would just recomend a play and charge kit for each colour (otherwise there would be a white back to a black controller)



mrstickball on 03 May 2008

Munkeh - As long as the X360's power source is plugged in (ie, electicity going to the 360), yes, you can charge the 360's wireless controllers via the Play & Charge kit.

And yes, I'd just get a P&C kit for each color controller. To be frugal, you *might* be able to find just the battery packs, and/or just the power cord. Reason I say this is I've seen kits for $15 USD that include the charge cord and 2 battery packs (as opposed to paying $30+ for 2 cords + 2 packs).

Chrizum - For buying content on Gold, you have only 2 ways to pay for it.

#1. Submit Credit Card information to Microsoft via XBL for purchasing Gold subscriptions, or Microsoft Points. You can have multiple CCs, and info as you wish.

#2. Buy in a "store". I say "store", because you can buy them at any retail electronics store, and Ebay. Again, buying offline can be GREAT because some stores have 2 for 1 deals every so often. So all of a sudden, that $10 copy of Ikaruga becomes $5..PSNetwork doesn't have the cards, therefore doesn't have the steals of the century (I know of a few NeoGAF members that have bought $100+ of XBLA games and content for half price just buy being smart about the offline deals for the MSP Cards).



Back from the dead, I'm afraid.

Chrizum on 03 May 2008

Mrstickball: thanks, much better than how's it done on PSN And how do I subscribe for Gold, do I need a credit card for that?



Skeeuk on 03 May 2008

@Machina-AX

well if you want the full xbox experiance

  • xbox 360 elite     £250 approx
  • xbox live              £39.99 reccuring yearly
  • plug & charge      £14.99
  • wireless net        £69.99
  • hd player             £49.99

so for £426.94 your all set

regarding what ps3 has that xbox doesnt

  • built in bluray player
  • free online
  • free plug & charge
  • web browser including bbci support (youtube works ace)
  • psp remote play
  • quick change hardrive
  • direct to print imaging
  • alternate install operating system
  • folding home

i hope that helps a bit, ps even the new arcade consoles have a hdmi port so your spare one will do just fine



...not much time to post anymore, used to be awesome on here really good fond memories from VGchartz...

PSN: Skeeuk - XBL: SkeeUK - PC: Skeeuk

really miss the VGCHARTZ of 2008 - 2013...

DOATS1 on 03 May 2008

i have a 360, love it, got it in february i think. only major qualms i have with it is it's noise, which is noticable in the night, when i have the volume down, to avoid waking others, and the inability to store media files locally on the hard drive, unless it's downloaded from the marketplace or if music is ripped from an audio cd.