Which 360 Should I Buy?

TMNTGal · 09-19-2007, 03:03 PM

Well Halo 3 is drawing near and I really want to play it. It's the only reason why I have to buy another damn system...

Same old story, exactly why I bought the GC and XBox as well. I was iffy about them at first since there didn't seem to be many games that were of interest. I waited a long time and finally bought both as they were on sale and bundled with games I wanted to play. I didn't discover Halo until the platinum edition was released. Yeah you're probably thinking I must have been living under a rock... I don't know, I may have heard the name mentioned but I never payed attention to it.

I saw it for only $20 at the store so I figured it was worth trying for that price, if I hated it I could always dump it on eBay. Well lo and behold I absolutely loved the game. It was just plain fun and I liked the story. Once I finished playing it I got H2. Also loved it, so that convinced me to try the novels. Loved reading those as well so I definitly want to play Halo 3. I can't think of any other games on this system that I'd even want to play. I really haven't been looking up VG news. If anyone has recommendations send them my way.

Well anyway I started looking up info on the sytems and I keep finding conflicting information. I'm not interested in online gaming. What's it for besides finding people to group with and shoot at each other? Boring.

I don't care about large amounts of memory capacity. I have saved so many games and music on my regular XBox and the memory meter hasn't gone down at all it seems. As long as I don't have to bother buying memory cards all is well. I do want wireless controllers but I heard the core system doesn't support this. Is this true? I also hear it is not compatible with Online stuff. I suppose I would not mind trying one of those 30 day trials but It's not really important. Is there anything else online thats worth it? I don't own an HD TV but I plan to at some point, (either that or I'll get a projector) I hear the core system is not compatible with these TVs. Is this also true?

Basically I still have no idea which one I should buy. There's what Core, Pro and Elite? Should I bother buying any accessories such as a cooling fan? What about Warranty? It seems everyone I have spoken with has had their systems break down.

If anyone can help me decide soon I'd appreciate it.

Peanut · 09-19-2007, 03:12 PM

Buy a Pro/Premium. That way you'll get everything you need, and everything you want, without hassle. Core doesn't come wireless and has no hard-drive, so you'll have to buy a memory card. The Elite SKU is for high-end users ONLY. You won't need the 80GB drive, and the HDMI won't matter to you, as you don't own an HDTV.

Pro is your way to go. Remember, you automatically get an Xbox Live account, it's just that without paying you get Silver. With silver you can download stuff like trailers and demos and Xbox Live Arcade games and stuff, you just can't play online, which you said you don't even care about anyways!

So, yeah. Pro. That's the only way to go. As far as accessories, you don't need a cooling fan, or a warranty at this point, as every 360 now has a 3-year blanket warranty. If you've got the extra cash for one, I'd say throw down a year or two warranty on it anyways, for convenience, but otherwise, you don't have to. If you take care of your 360 (off the floor, well ventilated, breaks between playing) you won't have any problems. You might want to look into getting a Play & Charge Kit, as it's a huge inconvenience to have to swap out batteries, but that's really cheap and worth it.

Also, I'm a huge Halo fan as well. And not for the online, like most people, but for the story. I've also read all the books and I'm totally hooked on it. I'm glad to see there's someone here who also enjoys it as much as I do.

ferret · 09-19-2007, 03:27 PM

Yeah DO NOT make the same mistake as me and get the core. The Premium is way better. Wireless controller, headset, harddrive, hd/av cables; all those would cost you more if you buy them seperate. The hard drive alone is $100 (or at least, it was...)

TMNTGal · 09-19-2007, 03:37 PM

Thanks so much for the input guys. That was a faster reply time than I could have hoped for!

*Dr. Doom* · 09-19-2007, 03:38 PM

I wish they had the Pro in black, too.

Janus Prospero · 09-19-2007, 07:04 PM

I agree with Peanut that you should go Premium unless you were planning on getting the 120GB hard-drive anyway, in which case I'd go for the Elite as it saves you $80 and you get a free HDMI cable. But you only really need that if you plan on downloading a LOT of content.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

Buy a Pro/Premium. That way you'll get everything you need, and everything you want, without hassle. Core doesn't come wireless and has no hard-drive, so you'll have to buy a memory card. The Elite SKU is for high-end users ONLY. You won't need the 80GB drive, and the HDMI won't matter to you, as you don't own an HDTV.

The Elite hard drive is 120 GB.

Also from what I've read the new Premiums have HDMI and the improved heatsink found on the Elites.

Peanut · 09-19-2007, 09:34 PM

I meant 120. I was thinking about the PS3 differences while I was writing it. And yes, new 360 Premium's are released with HDMI ports and the improved heat sinks.

TMNTGal · 09-19-2007, 11:38 PM

I plan to check out Game Stop tomorrow to purchase the system. Thanks for that extra bit of info, that sounds even better.

*Spitfire* · 09-20-2007, 12:08 AM

Why not go with the Halo 3 360 and you can get the Halo 3 headset, controller, and 3 different kinds of faceplate with it!

Yeah on my truck today we just got all this Halo 3 crap. There's a Halo 3 item for everything. The controller is sorta neat Todd McFarlane drew it and it comes with a little Master Chief figure. The faceplates are stupid though. There's like 3 different ones, and only one of them looks good.

TMNTGal · 09-20-2007, 12:59 AM

Yeah I thought about that one but it's an extra $50... It does look nice but I still have to buy an extra wireless controller and that rechargable battery thing. I looked at the specs it seems to have the HDMI port but not the cable. Who prices a cable at $50 anyway.

It would be nice to have the port even though I won't use it until I get a new TV. My current TV is big enough for now so I guess it's not that important.

Hmm, which is better the Play and Charge Kit or the Quick Charge? There are so many accessories for this thing, it's kind of annoying to look through all of this.

Do you see what you are doing to me... damn you Master Chief!

Is anyone hoping we get to see MC's face? Sure we got some tidbits about him in the books but it doesn't say much. I'd really like to see him but at the same time I don't want to be dissapointed.

Janus Prospero · 09-20-2007, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMNTGal

Hmm, which is better the Play and Charge Kit or the Quick Charge? There are so many accessories for this thing, it's kind of annoying to look through all of this.

Well, I don't have the Quick Charge Kit, so I can't comment on how quickly it does or does not charge.

However, with the Play and Charge Kit, it doesn't really matter since you can both play and charge at the same time. I also find the cable to be sufficiently long for your average gamer, as opposed to the PS3's budget cable.

Jed · 09-20-2007, 12:09 PM

I have the quick charge kit and two batteries. I use one battery till it's empty then charge it and just put the other one in it, just rotating the battery everytime one runs out. The charging only takes a little while, I've never kept on eye on it so I don't know how long.

Peanut · 09-20-2007, 12:21 PM

I'd go with play and charge, because there's never a chance that you won't be able to play because of a battery being dead.

And as for seeing Master Chief's face...well, I hope not. The descriptions of him in the books are good enough for me. I just don't think taking off the mask would do anything except alienate people. We all have our own idea of what he looks like under there.

愛 · 09-20-2007, 12:41 PM

You mean Master Chief being a woman? LOL REMEMBER THAT VIDEO?!

*Dr. Doom* · 09-20-2007, 01:42 PM

ROFL, YES!! It was all weird and yuri. I hope that's the ending of Halo 3.

TMNTGal · 09-20-2007, 02:55 PM

LOL yeah I saw that one too! What were they smokin'?

Hmm, Samus and MC would make a cute couple.

*Dr. Doom* · 09-20-2007, 03:55 PM

Peanut · 09-20-2007, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Doom

ROFL, YES!! It was all weird and yuri. I hope that's the ending of Halo 3.

I hope your death is slow and painful.

*Dr. Doom* · 09-20-2007, 06:45 PM

Only if it's somehow in spite of you.

*Brodie* · 09-20-2007, 10:57 PM

There's usually a time in everyone's life when they stop thinking about anime porn.

09-19-2007, 03:03 PM	#1
TMNTGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,061	Which 360 Should I Buy? Well Halo 3 is drawing near and I really want to play it. It's the only reason why I have to buy another damn system... Same old story, exactly why I bought the GC and XBox as well. I was iffy about them at first since there didn't seem to be many games that were of interest. I waited a long time and finally bought both as they were on sale and bundled with games I wanted to play. I didn't discover Halo until the platinum edition was released. Yeah you're probably thinking I must have been living under a rock... I don't know, I may have heard the name mentioned but I never payed attention to it. I saw it for only $20 at the store so I figured it was worth trying for that price, if I hated it I could always dump it on eBay. Well lo and behold I absolutely loved the game. It was just plain fun and I liked the story. Once I finished playing it I got H2. Also loved it, so that convinced me to try the novels. Loved reading those as well so I definitly want to play Halo 3. I can't think of any other games on this system that I'd even want to play. I really haven't been looking up VG news. If anyone has recommendations send them my way. Well anyway I started looking up info on the sytems and I keep finding conflicting information. I'm not interested in online gaming. What's it for besides finding people to group with and shoot at each other? Boring. I don't care about large amounts of memory capacity. I have saved so many games and music on my regular XBox and the memory meter hasn't gone down at all it seems. As long as I don't have to bother buying memory cards all is well. I do want wireless controllers but I heard the core system doesn't support this. Is this true? I also hear it is not compatible with Online stuff. I suppose I would not mind trying one of those 30 day trials but It's not really important. Is there anything else online thats worth it? I don't own an HD TV but I plan to at some point, (either that or I'll get a projector) I hear the core system is not compatible with these TVs. Is this also true? Basically I still have no idea which one I should buy. There's what Core, Pro and Elite? Should I bother buying any accessories such as a cooling fan? What about Warranty? It seems everyone I have spoken with has had their systems break down. If anyone can help me decide soon I'd appreciate it. __________________

09-19-2007, 03:12 PM	#2
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	Buy a Pro/Premium. That way you'll get everything you need, and everything you want, without hassle. Core doesn't come wireless and has no hard-drive, so you'll have to buy a memory card. The Elite SKU is for high-end users ONLY. You won't need the 80GB drive, and the HDMI won't matter to you, as you don't own an HDTV. Pro is your way to go. Remember, you automatically get an Xbox Live account, it's just that without paying you get Silver. With silver you can download stuff like trailers and demos and Xbox Live Arcade games and stuff, you just can't play online, which you said you don't even care about anyways! So, yeah. Pro. That's the only way to go. As far as accessories, you don't need a cooling fan, or a warranty at this point, as every 360 now has a 3-year blanket warranty. If you've got the extra cash for one, I'd say throw down a year or two warranty on it anyways, for convenience, but otherwise, you don't have to. If you take care of your 360 (off the floor, well ventilated, breaks between playing) you won't have any problems. You might want to look into getting a Play & Charge Kit, as it's a huge inconvenience to have to swap out batteries, but that's really cheap and worth it. Also, I'm a huge Halo fan as well. And not for the online, like most people, but for the story. I've also read all the books and I'm totally hooked on it. I'm glad to see there's someone here who also enjoys it as much as I do. Last edited by Peanut; 09-19-2007 at 03:30 PM.

09-19-2007, 03:37 PM	#4
TMNTGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,061	Thanks so much for the input guys. That was a faster reply time than I could have hoped for! __________________

09-19-2007, 03:38 PM	#5
Dr. Doom Allons-y! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Castle Doom Posts: 4,535	I wish they had the Pro in black, too. __________________ I love you, Pickle.

09-19-2007, 11:38 PM	#8
TMNTGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,061	I plan to check out Game Stop tomorrow to purchase the system. Thanks for that extra bit of info, that sounds even better. __________________

09-19-2007, 03:27 PM	#3
ferret Thug Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 90	Yeah DO NOT make the same mistake as me and get the core. The Premium is way better. Wireless controller, headset, harddrive, hd/av cables; all those would cost you more if you buy them seperate. The hard drive alone is $100 (or at least, it was...)

09-19-2007, 09:34 PM	#7
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I meant 120. I was thinking about the PS3 differences while I was writing it. And yes, new 360 Premium's are released with HDMI ports and the improved heat sinks.

09-20-2007, 12:08 AM	#9
Spitfire Writer • Director Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 12,035	Why not go with the Halo 3 360 and you can get the Halo 3 headset, controller, and 3 different kinds of faceplate with it! Yeah on my truck today we just got all this Halo 3 crap. There's a Halo 3 item for everything. The controller is sorta neat Todd McFarlane drew it and it comes with a little Master Chief figure. The faceplates are stupid though. There's like 3 different ones, and only one of them looks good. __________________ Check out my online portfolio http://www.christopherpelletier.com/

09-20-2007, 12:59 AM	#10
TMNTGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,061	Yeah I thought about that one but it's an extra $50... It does look nice but I still have to buy an extra wireless controller and that rechargable battery thing. I looked at the specs it seems to have the HDMI port but not the cable. Who prices a cable at $50 anyway. It would be nice to have the port even though I won't use it until I get a new TV. My current TV is big enough for now so I guess it's not that important. Hmm, which is better the Play and Charge Kit or the Quick Charge? There are so many accessories for this thing, it's kind of annoying to look through all of this. Do you see what you are doing to me... damn you Master Chief! Is anyone hoping we get to see MC's face? Sure we got some tidbits about him in the books but it doesn't say much. I'd really like to see him but at the same time I don't want to be dissapointed. __________________

09-20-2007, 12:09 PM	#12
Jed Stone Warrior Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 956	I have the quick charge kit and two batteries. I use one battery till it's empty then charge it and just put the other one in it, just rotating the battery everytime one runs out. The charging only takes a little while, I've never kept on eye on it so I don't know how long. __________________ I am Frank-Zappa-as-imagined-by-the-editor-of-a-famous-rock-&-roll-magazine. I am an anachronism who makes the ugliest music on the planet. I have no right to call myself a member of the human race. I am tasteless, untalented, pompous, arrogant, cruel, insensitive, vulgar and not a fun guy because I don't use drugs.

09-20-2007, 12:21 PM	#13
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	I'd go with play and charge, because there's never a chance that you won't be able to play because of a battery being dead. And as for seeing Master Chief's face...well, I hope not. The descriptions of him in the books are good enough for me. I just don't think taking off the mask would do anything except alienate people. We all have our own idea of what he looks like under there.

09-20-2007, 12:41 PM	#14
愛 Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 7,449	You mean Master Chief being a woman? LOL REMEMBER THAT VIDEO?!

09-20-2007, 01:42 PM	#15
Dr. Doom Allons-y! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Castle Doom Posts: 4,535	ROFL, YES!! It was all weird and yuri. I hope that's the ending of Halo 3. __________________ I love you, Pickle.

09-20-2007, 02:55 PM	#16
TMNTGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,061	LOL yeah I saw that one too! What were they smokin'? Hmm, Samus and MC would make a cute couple. __________________

09-20-2007, 03:55 PM	#17
Dr. Doom Allons-y! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Castle Doom Posts: 4,535	__________________ I love you, Pickle.

09-20-2007, 06:45 PM	#19
Dr. Doom Allons-y! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Castle Doom Posts: 4,535	Only if it's somehow in spite of you. __________________ I love you, Pickle.

09-20-2007, 10:57 PM	#20
Brodie Certified Teacher Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Bizarro Metropolis Posts: 6,495	There's usually a time in everyone's life when they stop thinking about anime porn. __________________ Stupendous Monster