360 elite question

[darth los]

Do any 360 owners feel burned that the elite version is coming out and you've already invested so much in the original 360 like i did? I feel that MS rushed the 360, which in hindsight looks like the "prototype",to market in order to get a year head start on sony. I think the hurt themselves on two fronts by doing this. First, So much was made about the PS3's pricepoint yet the HD dvd driveless elite costs a mere 120 bucks less, so that's quickly becoming a non issue. It looks like the ps3 is the better deal. Anyone try out the blu-ray player on one yet? Second, moves like these (ahem, microtransactions anyone) hurt customer confidence in their product which is never good for business. I wish i could say nickle and diming, but it feels like they're ten and twentying us to death.

[CoinReturn]

You know, not really.When I first heard about it, I thought the HD-DVD drive would be included. I think MS saw that Blu-Ray would eventually win out in the next-gen format war. Now we see that the only difference is HDMI output and a way bigger hard drive. Sure, those things are nice, but they don't change the gameplay experience. And how is the price-point a non issue? There is are 3 different models to choose from, while the PS3 has axed its 20GB model, forcing you to buy their "elite" version. If anything, MS should be applauded for giving consumers a choice.

Microtransactions sucked in the beginning, but MS has cleaned up its act considerably, charging a much more fair amount than previously. Plus Xbox Live Arcade is starting to get some really great games, and they are selling really well. This is great news, and hopefully MS will put it at the forefront of their online strategy. Live Arcade is a great outlet for independent game devs to get their voice heard.

As for PS3 being a better deal, thats arguable. Sure, it plays Blu-Ray movies, but when 85% of the game library can be found on their competitor's console (at better framerates, as well), it loses a bit of its luster. Motorstorm and Resistance ain't gonna cut it.

[Danny]

i aint to bothered, bigger memory space is not going to sell a console for me, thats a pc gamers affiar, i stick to a nice looking console, with a cool controller adn great games, memory capability doesnt seem to big a deal, if i can save games on it i dont need bigger one.

[darth los]

You know, not really.When I first heard about it, I thought the HD-DVD drive would be included. I think MS saw that Blu-Ray would eventually win out in the next-gen format war. Now we see that the only difference is HDMI output and a way bigger hard drive. Sure, those things are nice, but they don't change the gameplay experience. And how is the price-point a non issue? There is are 3 different models to choose from, while the PS3 has axed its 20GB model, forcing you to buy their "elite" version. If anything, MS should be applauded for giving consumers a choice.

Microtransactions sucked in the beginning, but MS has cleaned up its act considerably, charging a much more fair amount than previously. Plus Xbox Live Arcade is starting to get some really great games, and they are selling really well. This is great news, and hopefully MS will put it at the forefront of their online strategy. Live Arcade is a great outlet for independent game devs to get their voice heard.

As for PS3 being a better deal, thats arguable. Sure, it plays Blu-Ray movies, but when 85% of the game library can be found on their competitor's console (at better framerates, as well), it loses a bit of its luster. Motorstorm and Resistance ain't gonna cut it.



On your last point about the library i agree with you. However, i do have a problem with companies charging you for stuff that could have easily been included in the retail package. For example I bought oblivion and freaking loved it, but slowly and steadily these new downloads started coming out. Now it's arguable that shivering ilses is an expansion and therefore justified in having a 30 dollar price tag and it's a valid point. But the rest of the stuff, including knights of the nine, has me about 90 dollars into this game and they could have easily included this content. I refuse to pay another 30 bucks for the expansion out of principle ( don't get me wrong, it's taking alot of willpower):elol: . I love my 360 and have no plans to get a ps3 due in part to the points you made earlier, but the fact remains if a person "chooses" to get their 360 equiped with the same or similar capabilities as the ps3 it would far surpass 600 bucks, that's all i was saying. Furthermore, i'm well aware that they all do it but that still doesn't make it right. Corporations are inherently money hungry.:p

[CoinReturn]

Yeah those Oblivion downloads were a rip off, except for Shivering Isles, like you said. That game was testing the waters with the whole microtransaction thing, seeing as it was the first game to charge for downloadable stuff. The deals seem to be better now, the map pack recently released for Gears of War was easily worth the $10 I paid for it.

[darth los]

Is the online play for gears really worth it? I own the game but stayed away due to rumors of bugs and people cheating. Give me aheads up.:D As it pertains to the microtransactions where do you think the market will go? Obviously if people don't buy them they'll be included in the game, but as I can attest to, when you're really into a game it's hard to say no.

[Cody]

im a little ticked. the hardrive sucks on the reg.

[darth los]

Why is that? 20 gigs not enough space? Well considering the 120m gigs u could have it does seem rather paltry.:barf:

[Dommm]

I have to stand and say I love my 360 in the lady love kinda way, but i did feel a bit miffed at the 120 gig hard drive, I do feel this should have been on the orignal

[Exatreides]

I have about 5 gigs of my hard drive full up with TV shows (mostly babylon 5, south park, and jericho.)

but I can't download the episodes for b5 since my hard drive is to small. 495 megs for each episode :(. but for only 160 points a episode, thats not bad at all.

Gonna get the new hard drive when I get paid.

Never had any need or desire to get the ps3, and I don't think I'm going to.

[Danny]

yeah, if you can get the 120gig drive seperatly then whats the point of getting rid of your 360 for another one?, my brothers got a 360 now so we cna use the two to exchange the info over the cables from the 12gig to 120gig, if i ever need to, the biggest stuff on the uk marketplace is shivering isles and the fear demo, everything else is just short movie clips and the same simpsons and pirates movie trailers that have been on there since january:rolleyes:

[darth los]

Are you kidding 480 bucks for a black paint job is a steal and these fools are giving it away so cheaply... BWHAHAHAHAH!!!:evil:

[Danny]

yeahhhh, but then theres the fact tat , unless you stay connected to xbox live forever, all your downloads, gamerpicks, themes, videos, games ,stuff you had to pay for will not work after the transfer, adn soem games like obliviona dn saints row aint working either, so i do believe ill be quite happy sticking with my 12gig which has only jsut gotten down to 10 gigs today after a year of owner ship, i think itll last.;)

[darth los]

Isn't it convienient how they neglect to inform people about that?:rolleyes: but like you said that's business.

[Danny]

aye its a funny old world how people allways forget to mention the downsides to a enw consoel aint it?:rolleyes:

[darth los]

And that's a seperate issue from the red rings of death, which i'm sure they knew about pre-launch.:rockbrow:

[MikePizzoff]

i aint to bothered, bigger memory space is not going to sell a console for me, thats a pc gamers affiar, i stick to a nice looking console, with a cool controller adn great games, memory capability doesnt seem to big a deal, if i can save games on it i dont need bigger one.

Hells, we've been through this before. The new 360 is not going to have more memory than the other one. It will have more disk-space (bigger hard drive). There's a huge difference between memory and disk-space. If it were to have more memory people would be VERY pissed (more so than now) about it.

[Danny]

:rolleyes: i dont mean memory in that way i grew up with memory cards so i just call the capacity memory as an all purpose slang term for were you save your games, there explanation done.

[capncnut]

Microtransactions sucked in the beginning, but MS has cleaned up its act considerably, charging a much more fair amount than previously. Plus Xbox Live Arcade is starting to get some really great games, and they are selling really well. This is great news, and hopefully MS will put it at the forefront of their online strategy. Live Arcade is a great outlet for independent game devs to get their voice heard.
A friend of mine recently bought a 360 because they saw me and another pal having a shufty on the arcade (the weirdo really likes that Rootbeer Tapper game btw :confused:). I have to admit, I'm too busy nowdays to play much but to some folks, Live is the console's greatest feature and more consumers are beginning to think this.

[Danny]

aye i agree, i downloaded symphony of the night and for the roughly 4 quid cost its better than some 360 games taht cost way more -cough-amped 3-cough.


-oh and nice to see ya back man:D

[capncnut]

oh and nice to see ya back man:D
Snoogans. :sneaky:

My only conditions were a namechange, free HPotD merchandise for life, £10,000 pounds and a packet of chocolate hobnobs. Not bad considering...

[Danny]

you should've held out for some dr.pepper.:D

[capncnut]

Oh, I was going to but I was told that even a CAN of Dr Pepper was completely out of the question. Don't blame 'em really. :D

[MinionZombie]

I'll keep the jiffy bag of warm Lilt to myself then, eh? :):p:D

Anyway, I recently got a Core Console, and it suits me fine, I won't bother getting into this live business for a good while yet, or at least until I get the hard-drive at a later stage (I'm fine right now with a memory unit and my four, currently, games).

I have a question though, you get this silver membership for free - can you download demos of games with that?

[Danny]

the only thign you cant do on silver is play games online you can download movies, themes gamer pics, demos full games, trailers, makings of and loads more.
not bad for free huh?
and try getting a pre-owned hardrive, with the occiasional updates that improve the OS and ackwards compatibility its worth it for a rpeowned one, ive seen them for 40 quid in the station:cool:

[capncnut]

Here you go MZ, from ol' Gatesy's gob itself.


Xbox 360™ and Xbox Live® feature two levels of membership, the premium Gold service and the free — yes, free—Silver status that is available to all Xbox 360 owners (if you purchase the Core system you will need an additional memory unit or hard drive). All you need to do is plug in to your broadband Internet connection, register for Xbox Live Silver (accepting the Terms of Use), and you're online with Xbox Live Silver. Silver membership — the perfect introduction to the new Xbox Live online gaming and entertainment service.

Silver-level access is free of charge for all Xbox 360 owners (except those who have previously been banned from Xbox Live and Korean users under the age of 14) — there's no reason not to try it, even if you're just the slightest bit curious. It's an instant membership that's only a few clicks away (Note that there is a limit to the number of Silver level signups per console).

Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace
You'll find the the Xbox Live Arcade in the Marketplace, where you can purchase great casual arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man or Small Arms. Just download them to Xbox 360, and they're yours to play again and again, they're perfect for casual gamers or anyone who loves great game play. Try Xbox Live Marketplace free with Silver!

Besides arcade games, other goodies are all available in the Xbox Live Marketplace, and even Silver-level members can jump right in and start shopping. You don't even need a credit card, because Xbox Live offer gift cards at retail stores and other locations. Upgrade to Xbox Live Gold and you’ll also have access to exclusive Gold member content.

Movies & TV Shows
You can also tap into hours and hours of movies and TV shows. Xbox 360 is the only gaming console to provide HD and standard-definition TV shows and movies direct to you! Check out Xbox Live Marketplace to find your favorite movies and TV shows to download.

Online Community
Voice chat, text messaging, and Friends Lists are ready to go — and because you're always just a click away with the new Xbox Live, you're always ready to communicate with other Xbox 360 users. And now with the new Xbox Live Vision accessory, you can hook up with friends and chat to your heart's content. See who's online and send audio and video messages

When you upgrade to Xbox Live Gold, enhance your gamer profile with access to online multiplayer games. Silver members begin by picking a gamertag, an online "handle," and building a gamer profile, just like Gold subscribers. That means you get to choose a gamer picture to distinguish yourself from the crowd, put up your personal motto, choose a Gamer Zone.

Of course, Xbox Live is primarily an online multiplayer service, and you need an Xbox Live Gold Membership to do that. When you upgrade to Xbox Live Gold, enhance your gamer profile with access to online multiplayer games, plus services like TrueSkill™ Matchmaking, and a personalized gamerscore and reputation.

Silver membership is available to everyone with broadband Internet service, and it's the perfect introduction to the new Xbox Live and everything it has to offer. After all, millions of members can't be wrong. Once you see what's online, you won't believe what you've been missing. Even if you've never tried going online with Xbox Live before, it's never been easier to start.

[MinionZombie]

Now, with my free silver thingy, do I have to pay for anything I download? Being new to the SexBox, all their explanations are a bit confusing to me at times, especially as they're littered with distracting self-chuffing sentences. :D

Also, what's this refurbished HDD idea Hellsing? Flesh it out as I'm a SexBox n00b.

[capncnut]

Yes, think top up cards with a code MZ-san.

[MikePizzoff]

MZ - The free things on LIVE are as follows:

-Demos
-Trailers
-Behind The Scenes vids
-Interviews
-Certain TV shows and movies at random times (gotta keep checking)
-Arcade trial games and the occassional free arcade game (again, keep your eyes open)
-Movie trailers
-Certain themes for the dashboard
-Certain gamer pics
-Add-ons for games (sometimes they cost money, depending)
-Music videos

Things that aren't free:

-Full arcade games
-Certain add-ons
-Most TV shows
-Most movies
-Certain gamer pics
-Certain dashboard themes

I think that pretty much covers it.

[MinionZombie]

-Demos
-Trailers
-Behind The Scenes vids
-Interviews
-Certain TV shows and movies at random times (gotta keep checking)
-Arcade trial games and the occassional free arcade game (again, keep your eyes open)
-Movie trailers
-Certain themes for the dashboard
-Certain gamer pics
-Add-ons for games (sometimes they cost money, depending)
-Music videos

So I'd pay absolutely squat for those with the free silver membership? Sweet, it's all I was really bothered about, game demos like, try before I buy without having to bother with those magazines...Total Film is the only magazine in my life...well, save for the rare issue of Nuts. :D

[darth los]

The main thing about gold is if you're an online gamer who likes to play games with other people. If it's not your thing than not having gold is not a problem at all. Anything that they can charge you money for (like games, expansions,movies etc.) is covered by the silver membership. So it's really not that big a deal. If you are gonna get gold it's best to buy the year membership. If you break it down it's a much better value than to keep getting the one or three month packs and it comes with an extra month.:D

[Danny]

Now, with my free silver thingy, do I have to pay for anything I download? Being new to the SexBox, all their explanations are a bit confusing to me at times, especially as they're littered with distracting self-chuffing sentences. :D

Also, what's this refurbished HDD idea Hellsing? Flesh it out as I'm a SexBox n00b.

bascially we all know people who mistreat there consoles right?, its a damn shame but it happens, so if someone turns there 360 from vertical to sideways or something and wrecks the insides, hey gotta send it back, or trade it in on the sly, however the hard drive is fine, so its sold as pre-owned for about 40 to 50 quid, adn its totally worth it, you can save any of the stuff without it and its worth it, everything from playing your own music whilst playing any game to ,if you wish, downloading full games for on your 360 (i recommend castlevania, its the sht!), long and short of it is if you see one, and i recomend ebay, get one.

[MinionZombie]

Sweet, I'll keep an eye out for pre-owned ones, any difference between them and brand new ones, aside from being fingered by some stranger beforehand?

[Danny]

if it was a premium package one it might have had some songs, themes and vids on but your not missing that much really.

[darth los]

if it was a premium package one it might have had some songs, themes and vids on but your not missing that much really.



you're right hells, what comes on the hard drive is really nothing to write home about. I couldn't delete those things fast enough.:p