Xbox 360

[rachealb]

My son's #1 xmas item is the XBox 360 (he is 14, likes games like Halo, Oblivion). He has had one at his dads for a long time, but I have never played/used one, not familiar with it much at all, so I have a couple of questions:

 

1. I know there are three different levels you can buy, Arcade, Pro and Elite. Pretty sure these mostly have to do with memory, but are there any other differences?

2. Can I get the lower end one and get more memory for it?

3. Is it worth it to buy the Elite?

4. Are there good deals for Xbox around BF (that I could get without standing in line for three days), or am I better off to get something whenever I think the deal is good?

5. Refurbished or new? (son would not care)

6. Is a deal like on Geeks.com today a good one (149 plus free shipping and a couple lower end arcade type games, Arcade version), or should I hold out for a better deal?

[tokanm]

I know my DS is a video game addict His 360 is the middle one. The basic one cannot store things in memory and you cannot go online with it. My son plays all those shooter type games too. Also iirc Game Stop had a better warranty with the used ones than the new ones

you have to be careful about that red ring of death thing.

He plays lots of games online with the Xbox and amazon has deals all the time where you can buy the 12 mos subscription cheap.

[scrabbler]

1. Unless he doesn't care to download any additional patches etc, you should not consider the Arcade version. It is the cheapest because it is the most limiting.

 

2. You can add memory but the hard drive you can purchase runs about $150, so basically you should upgrade immediately.

 

3. If he is a gamer, he will appreciate the Elite. Plenty of storage for maps and patches and other fun stuff.

 

4. Seems like not many deals on any of the major game systems Wii etc....however, I guess one never knows for sure.

 

5. I personally would never purchase a refurbished unless it had a heck of a warranty. Have owned an Xbox 360 since it came out and ds loves his games...which means we have owned at least 4 xbox 360s and are finally pleased with the Elite (knock on wood) that it hasn't died on us as of this writing.

 

6. I wouldn't buy the Arcade version. I am pretty sure for Halo and Oblivion, there are patches, maps, upgrades etc for which he would need the memory.

 

Which one does he have at Dad's?

[JohnnyLaRue]

Check GameCrazy or Gamestop. I dunno if Blockbuster has their game section still open or not as the local one in town shut their game section down and toss the used games in with the DVDs.

[littlesdcen]

I think the new ones in the stores now dont have to worry about the red ring. We have 2 bought ds8 the Pro. then ds11 the arcade. After a week of xbox live had to go buy a hard drive for the arcade version. Another 100.00. So i would go with the pro to begin with. They have had it over a year and not begin to fill the memory. Keep checking Dell they run good deals on the pro. for like 249.00. I dont know about BF deals. But since sony just droped the price of the ps3 i wonder what xbox will do???

[nickysmom]

I have the middle one since last Nov and it still works perfect. Bought an Elite simply because I wanted the Black case in the living room so it matches the other electronic crap (yes I am anal that way) anyway it was brand new and I had the RROD in 30 days with it. So there is really no rhyme or reasoning to the RROD.

 

However I would get the middle one since it has the 60 GB HD now that should be plenty of room for your ds.

[alleyc]

My son is a Gamer , has the Elite .. got the ring red of death and sent it back was replaced for free.

[Deal Grabber]

I got my son the arcade version last year when C.C. had it for $199 but external harddrive for free.So its just like the $299 version and its just as good.he has live downloads movies songs everything.The secret to not getting the red ring is to leave the xbox on the tv stand upwards not lying flat.Hes never had a problem with his.

[lilac100]

I've got two x-boxs one lay down and one standing up they have both been returned for the red rings. Anyway you really need one with the hard drive. My newest one is an elite (sent in after 3 months for RROD) and it's nice with the HDTV connection has awesome picture on the HDTV I've got but looks good on the regular tv too. If you buy the memory seperately it is $100 just for the hard drive so you might get a better deal getting it with the xbox. You can also look on ebay for refurbished hard drives.

 

Microsoft is really good at dealing with the red rings of death now. You have I believe a 3 year warrenty just on the red rings. No problem sending them in. It takes 2-3 weeks to get the xbox back. Both of mine they repaired and sent back but sometimes they just replace your old unit with a new one.

[guilliam]

We have 2 xbox 360s. 1 arcade that we bought on sale from Dell for $179 and then we bought a refurbished harddrive for $30. The other is an elite. Both have been sent back for the RROD. lilac100 is correct, took about 2-3 weeks to send it in and get it back. Not sure if they repaired ours or replaced since they just replace the insides and you keep the same case and serial #.

 

DS19 said they are dropping the price of the elites soon. Not sure where he heard it, but he usually knows before they do it.

[Mikesgirl]

Walmart's ad has the xbox360 elite rolled back to $299 was $399 the ad starts on Sunday Aug.30th

 

HTH

[guilliam]

Walmart's ad has the xbox360 elite rolled back to $299 was $399 the ad starts on Sunday Aug.30th

 

HTH

That's probably where he seen it then. He worked at Walmart up until this past Sunday was his last day. He's starting college.

[littlesdcen]

Just read an article that said they were decreasing elite to 299 to compete with Sony. The Pro is supposed to be 249 untill gone. They are gonna phase it out and the ardade stays 199. Hope this info helps. Anyone wanting a pro i would grab one up soon.

[rachealb]

thanks for the great info guys- glad to see the price dropping some! I think the one at his dads got the RROD and they have not sent it in because he dad doesnt feel like dealing with it- I told him to bring that one home then and we will send it in!!! Dont see that happening, but worth a try

[jeninpa]

I have heard that one thing that will cause the RROD is putting your 360 in an entertainment stand. It needs to be out in the open as much as possible. DS14 always takes his out and stands it up before playing it. Ours is a newer one, just got it 12/27/08 and I heard it is suppose to be a bit improved,lol. Definitely don't get the arcade version unless you are buying it for a kid under 6!! lol

 

DS14's favorite games are Halo 3 & Call of Duty 5. He played Halo Wars like 2X's & Saints Row 2 a few times. There is a new Halo coming out & the Madden games are good. DS14 also said the new UFC one is good. If your kid likes the Resident Evil games that is also a good one for the 360.

[Mikesgirl]

I keep my xbox in the entertainment stand but to help keep it from getting hot we got a little 7" fan and turn it on while we play the xbox it has seemed to help. My xbox has been in the entertainment stand for almost 2 years without RROD but we only played it once before we realized how hot it was getting and bought it a fan to sit next to it.. The fan I got is like $7 at walmart.. :)

[guilliam]

I keep my xbox in the entertainment stand but to help keep it from getting hot we got a little 7" fan and turn it on while we play the xbox it has seemed to help. My xbox has been in the entertainment stand for almost 2 years without RROD but we only played it once before we realized how hot it was getting and bought it a fan to sit next to it.. The fan I got is like $7 at walmart.. :)

We did the same thing

[Cinnamonhuskies]

My son got a refurbished Pro for $149 in November at TigerDirect.com and hasn't had a problem since. Now that the price has dropped, he wants to buy an elite and his brother gets the other one for his room.

[neboo]

Can get the Elite at Target for 299 right now and if you look around you can find one that comes with Fable 2 and Halo 3. Also, you get a free controller this week when you buy an xbox at Target.

[bpr]

Forget the Arcade version. You will need the hard drive and it will cost a fortune to buy the memory cards. The PRO(60GB) version is going away. It is $249 right now, but once it is gone, it is gone. They will only have the Arcade and Elite soon. The Elite is $299 now, not bad, but around BF, there will be some good deals. They usually add a few games in the box, like last year, basically for free. Then watch for Dell.com to put it on sale at 20% off, and you've got a great deal. You'll have to watch Dell, the sale comes and goes quickly.

[bpr]

As for the ring of death? I've still got one of the first 360's on the market. No problem and it has always been laid flat. Some say the first ones were messing up disc if you set it up on it's end, but I can't say either way.

[Dlions720]

Wait a bit for the new holiday bundle and get it from dell. They are one of the few places that actually put the unit it self on sale. Sometimes as much as 30%.

[rachealb]

Well, here we go again with the Xbox 360. My son's dad (probably- he did something really lame and I think he is feeling bad so being nice) has finally told my son that he will send in their broken Xbox 360 and get it fixed (RROD) and then give it to my son, so that is off his list (for now- hoping it wont be the day before xmas and I find out it is not happening). He also says he can have all their games, and I think there are a lot. Which is really great, saves me a ton of money, but here's the catch- I have been hitting it hard shopping lately and scoring deals and now I dont know which games he has!! ARGH! I told him to make me a list, but some were clearance, some with gift codes (like amazon), I even ordered one this afternoon with the gift code I won from Sears. I know I shouldnt complain, but now my whole plan is messed up! And now hubby says a new nicer tv would be a good present for him instead, and I am so not standing in line for a week to get one!!!!