I believe Crackdown has everything reside in memory, so installing doesn't gain much, except for maybe faster initial load time.

MS screwed IBM on the die shrinking profits, and the rights to manufacture the CPU, I hear. Thus, no one is working on making the X360 45nm, to my knowledge. I don't believe there will be a model newer than the Jasper until AMD finishes its CPU/GPU combo chip.

That probably won't be in production until like... 2011? Maybe late 2011, even.

If you like Tales, get Tales of Vesperia as well. Unless of course you understand Japanese, then you can just import the Japanese PS3 version. ToV is out of print now so it's price already went up in the resale marketplace (I got it immediately after the price drop to $30) and it's been a few months since the PS3 version has been out in Japan. It's unlikely that Bandai Namco will localize the PS3 port for NA. Especially when ToV is a year and 4 months old in North America and still no word on a NA PS3 release. Namco did the same thing with Tales of Symphonia. PS2 port for Japan, GC exclusive in North America and Europe. I advised those interested in the game to get it for 360 while it was still cheap and in print ($30. Amazon even had a very brief sale for $15 just before it went out of print) but no, people don't want to listen.

Shortcut is most likely. In the end it'd probably run better too considering a smaller spread on the data on the HDD.

They have used Chartered for a while but since Global Foundries are also part of the same IBM fab alliance they could transfer to them relatively easy. I don't believe they have to wait until Fusion releases, CPU companies often tape out a year ahead of the release of a new model. The lessons which need to be learnt have most likely been learnt by now.

You like Halo? Sweet.
Its okay, just install it.

Yeah, I know. Even the PS2 manual warns of this.

At the crazy speeds the 360 reads the discs, that's just stupid.

What's the advantage of installing a game? Shorter load times?

Yeah. In Mass Effect, I heard it solves lots of graphical problems, too. Plus, your disc should spin much less = less scratches.

Another benefit of installs: I have a copy of Tomb Raider Underworld that is scratched all to shit. It would crash before I got to title screen. I rented TRU and installed it to the HDD. My scratched up copy works flawlessly, now.

If you can get somebody's damaged games, and you manage to install that same game (renting or borrowing or what have you), you've just gotten yourself a new game for a fraction of the cost. I have a friend who has a scratched up copy of Oblivion. If I rent it and install it and I convince him to give me his copy I could own that game for the price of a rental! I don't want Oblivion, though.