Well months ago I sold my almost brand new X360 to a friend of mine. It sounded like a great deal at time because 1. I sold it for more than I actually paid on it 2. I would be screwed should it get the red ring of death and 3. I was hoping to get a gaming PC soon. Time has passed and well, I guess I'm giving up on PC game for some time.

You see, I though the X360 shared many games with PC but now I look at things the other way around, if you get what I'm saying. The X360 true exclusive games (Gears 2, Haloes, Rare games, possibly Alan Wake) worth more to me than the PC true exclusive games (Diablo III and...?). To make things worse for the PC, I can run DIII in a rather average gaming PC. Plus I don't want to keep pirating good games forever, it feels so much better to own the actual (physical) thing instead. The X360 games library is vast and rather cheap.

Now, down to business.

I'm thinking on buying an X360 Arcade, but I heard there is some big deal concerning the chipset inside the console and the red ring of death. It would be complicated to get my console fixed if I was to ever get the damned ring. Is there more than one chipset model running as far as Arcade X360s are concerned, like the older ones got a "bad" one and the newers a "good" one? And even if them all still have the bad chip, is there some wild guess on when they will update to a better chipset?

Still on the ring business, is there some specific thing to do in order to prevent hardware failure, like buying an extra cooler? Which position is recommended to keep the X360, or such issue is irrelevant concerning a possible overheating? And the disc scratching stuff? As far as I remember my X360 never scratched discs, is it a consequence of some specific action, so to speak?

I didn't manage to get my PS3 online even providing a USA address. In the other hand, my Wii works flawlessly. It is very likely that Live isn't still official on my country, but someone do know if is it possible to get a membership working even still?

Well I guess that's it. Thanks in advance, guys.

your best off getting the new model arcades, and deffo use the installs if you have HD, its recomended to get a cooler fan they are only 14.99.

Don't worry so much about the RRoD, if it happens, it happen. Sending your 360 in for a repair is absolutely free to you and takes about a week for complete turn around.

Don't worry about buying special accessories for cooling, they aren't worth it and there have even been some that increase your chance of the console breaking. Just keep it in a space where air can move and you'll be fine.

As for scratching discs, NEVER move your 360, on or off, with a disc in drive. Pay attention to that and your discs will be fine.

Just buy a new 360-- you will have the newest chipset and you'll be in good hands.

Right - so I assume all the current (new) Arcades on sale feature the Jasper chipstet?

If I buy an X360 on the United States, could I send it to repair in another country with official assistance like it happens with iPods? The X360 have been officially released in my country...

Twes, I'm sure the service is like that in the US...but definitely not so in Brazil, so I'm sure he really has to worry about if it might happen or not, because getting it fixed won't be as easy. I think you can get the repair itself for free, but I'm pretty sure you'd have to pay a huge sum for shipment if that ever happened

This.

I had a launch console and had to replace it once after almost 3 years (got in within a few weeks of my warranty expiring; whew!), but I have friends with multiple incidents.  The big difference between me and them?  They moved their console around a ton.  Upstairs, downstairs, to the daycare, to a friends or a relatives . . . boom RRoD.  I placed mine under my TV with my other components and left it alone.  Never had problems.  But I DID move it when my TV lamp when out into my bedroom and guess what started happening?  GPU problems and eventually a RRoD.

So don't move your console around a lot.  I know it sounds like walking on eggshells, but its not that big of a deal because we don't move our other a/v components around a lot either.  You'll be fine.

He didn't mention in his opening post he was in Brazil so I just assume he's in some place that he could get it repaired. I didn't respond to his other post since I don't have anything to say to it because I don't know the answer to that.

Fret not about RRoD my friend, i've never gotton one myself, but i've checked, MS has got your back on that for 3 years regardless.

As for the Services for Online, i have no clue on that one however you dont need to worry, if you get a 360 your getting a great gaming machine with great games that surpass PC exclusives to come in my honest and humnle opinion, enjoy jumping in.

Well, I think this "It would be complicated to get my console fixed if I was to ever get the damned ring." gave it away...though I already knew where he lived...and the woes of shipping in Latin America

he lives in brazil, he doens't have 3 or even 1 year warranty.