340°

GamePro Review: Xbox 360 Arcade a good deal for $199

Free demos, movie rentals, and downloadable content are nice to have on a console. But if you're looking to play high-definition video games on the cheap, Xbox 360 Arcade is an excellent option, thanks to its newly reduced price.

cheapndirty5719d ago

I am going to the Arcade model as a second one for watching Netflix upstairs. I can take off my 20gb HD from my 2006 Pro model and move my Live membership back and forth. And if I ever need a har drive I know that there are going to be used 20gb hard drives on craigslist for 10.00.

RememberThe3575719d ago

Well it sounds like your just set then.

joydestroy5719d ago

never thought of it that way. makes look like an even better deal for 200 i suppose then.

Spread Butt Cheeks5719d ago

buy a memory card and save your account on it. its easier to move that to another account rather than moving a hdd. the memory cards are cheap too.

TheMART5719d ago

Uhm...

The Arcade 360 COMES WITH A MEMORY CARD...
That has been in there since it upgraded from the old 'core' model about a year ago.

Come on dudes, that is common knowledge!

MNicholas5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

What's the point of a $199 price point and free demos if

1) You have to buy a hard-drive ($100 for a measly 20GB) to play online and save downloaded demos and movies
2) You have to pay $50/yr to play online with your friends

The minimum cost of this system in your first year is

$199 (Base hardware) + $100 (Hard-drive) + $50 (Online): $349

Add another $50 every year to keep playing online with your friends.

After 2 years you've spent $399

After 3 years you've spent $449

After 4 years you've spent $499

After 5 years you've spent $549

If you add the wireless card, you're looking at $649 over 5 years when you can get all that plus a larger hard-drive and the world's top rated Blu-Ray player for $399.

Does it make sense to spend $649 when you can get much more for $399?

TheMART5719d ago

"1) You have to buy a hard-drive ($100 for a measly 20GB) to play online and save downloaded demos and movies"

Wrong. You don't need the HDD to play online. You can do that with the memory card that comes with the Arcade.

The demo's not everyone needs them. Movies, same thing. You're talking about a game device first.

"2) You have to pay $50/yr to play online with your friends"

Yes, thats why XBL is not gimped and PSN is with cross game chats, invites and semi introduced Trophies.

"The minimum cost of this system in your first year is

$199 (Base hardware) + $100 (Hard-drive) + $50 (Online): $349"

No its not. First the HDD isn't needed, just pointed it out. Second, you can choose to go online. The 50 bucks is worth the hassle. I would annoy myself to death with a free gimped PSN.

"If you add the wireless card, you're looking at $649 over 5 years when you can get all that plus a larger hard-drive and the world's top rated Blu-Ray player for $399."

You don't need the wireless card.

With the PS3 you pay for all the shiat you don't need. Thats why the 360 Premium even is 140 bucks cheaper.

BTW you have to spend extra $$$$ on the PS3 instantly. The 40GB for sure, you run out of space because of forced game 5GB installations like GTAIV, DMC4, Hot Shot Golf, etc etc. So another 100 bucks to upgrade the HDD to be able to play all your games instead of deleting, install again for 25 minutes etc etc.

You're right on one thing though. The BluRayStation 3 is a cheap movieplayer.

MNicholas5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

you can't play online with your friends.

Even if you never download demos or movies and never use Wifi, your minimum cost over 5 years is

$199 (Based hardware) + $50x5 (cost of online play) = $449.

Some of what you don't get for paying $449 to Microsoft:

-80 GB Hard-drive
-Wifi (wireless online play)
-Continued unlimited online play with your friends after year 5
-Web browsing wirelessly on your TV
-World's top rated Blu-Ray player

aliveinboston5719d ago

You are absolutely right man! The $199 model will not allow you to play online with your friends unless you pay $50 every year to Microsoft ON TOP OF what you pay for your internet access to Verizon or Comcast or whatever it is.

Unless you buy the hard-drive you cant even download movies and demos!

It's crazy that people think this is a good deal.

And what's worse is that it has a crummy outdated DVD player.

It's a cut-rate gimped console for sure. There's an old saying "penny wise, pound foolish" meaning you try to save a buck but end up spending a hell of a lot more. This console is for people who are too dumb to think beyond this week. You know ... the rent-a-center types.

IdleLeeSiuLung5719d ago

People forget that this unit is not intended to compete with the PS3. It is to compete with the Wii and from that standpoint this seems like an excellent value.

Consider this is a $200 unit and you get HD gaming + superior online play if you wish with an upgrade path (albeit a little expensive) this is an excellent value compared to the Wii.

The Elite is what is competing against the PS3 and the pro is somewhere in between. People complain about the online play costing money, but hey you are paying for premium features. If you don't want premium online features in online play, then go buy a PS3.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 5719d ago
Silogon5719d ago

No it's not. They're asking you to buy inferior, broken, faulty hardware for 200 bucks! Why not buy yourself a Dreamcast and call it a day? The xbox 360 won't be a deal at 100 bucks, let alone 200 or 300 or 400. It is probably the biggest piece of $#*T system ever manufactured. I've seen Nyko LCd screens with more lasting power.

JUUKENS HOT5719d ago

and is a great machine firstly

and 360 is rubbish just like vista microsoft garbage

morganfell5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

Yeah it seems like a great deal then you add 4 years of Live which you will need, then you realize you can't download squat without a HDD, The you really are in the crapper with an over priced nickel-and-dime-me-to-death RROD toaster.

And yes, juuken is smoking hot.

Dyingduck5719d ago

First of all, 200 USD bucks may seem CHEAP at first but let's see...

+ 4 Years of LIVE (typical lifespan of a casual console*) = 200USD, so how much does it cost now?

+ Now what did you get with 400 USD? A toaster and a mircowave oven and a lawnmower and a door-stopper and a disc-scratcher WITHOUT ANY CAPABILITY TO DOWNLOAD SQUAT...

+ 200+200 = 400...that sounds like the NEW 80-GBs SKU PS3 price tag...with free PSN/HOME, quieter, more reliable gaming console + BR player...grrr say what?

*RROD not taking into account, LOL

morganfell5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

They never get this right. They can neither add nor subtract. Jethro Bobine looks like an MIT grad compared to these bots.

chfthnder265719d ago

yo u stupid man the 360 is a very good deal for 200 bucks play all the games and upgrade if u wantsome people dont want to play online or pay for a hi def dvd player that they dont want so stoppin talkin sh*t cuz u r blinded by sonys lies dont try to get other people to follow in your steps see i can say this cuz i own both but i bought the ps3 on my own terms not because some fanboy was talkin crap about the 360 the good thing about the xbox lineup is choice u can get an arcade system like i did and upgrade if u want also u can play online for free with a silver account on xbox live but if u want to download demos and movies u need a hdd and a gold account but u sony fanboys think u cant

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5719d ago
Zerodin5719d ago

Lol, look at the butt hurt droids.

pwnsause5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

take a look at this picture Zerodin very closely. This was taken on a Sunday afternoon at a walmart at amherst, which is a suburban region of Buffalo. whose butt hurt now? i would not pay for this P.O.S. even if its for $200 lololololololol I rather pay my $500 just so i can have Quality in my living room instead of a P.O.S. system that sounds like a Jet Engine and Burns houses down.

Sez 5719d ago

ah.. you did pay for a P.O.S it called the PS3.

morganfell5719d ago (Edited 5719d ago )

You mean the console with free online, built in wifi, built in Blutooth, built in HDD - expandable at my choice of drives - non proprietary headset, non proprietary play and charge cable, and the ONLY next gen removable storage medium? Altogether less than my 360 when I add 4 years of live you little idiot.

I love xbox bags of crap like you that failed math class. You are the type of imbeciles that wind up working some dead end low rent job until you are 70 and then fall and break your neck on the steps of your single wide.

Thick heads like you that can't do simple addition and see that with all the items required for a normal gaming experience the 360 easily costs more than the PS3. No, brain dead hicks like yourself certainly can't think long term investment strategies when they can't calculate the cost of a gaming console over a 4 year period. Enjoy your crappy, disappointing and hopefully brief life.

From past posts of mine, some references for village idiots such as yourself:

HDD

PS3 - Industry Standard SATA
360 - Proprietary

Charging Kit

PS3 - Industry Standard USB cable
360 - Proprietary

Wireless Headset

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - Proprietary

Wireless Keyboard for gaming

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - None (not supported)

Wireless Mouse for gaming

PS3 - Industry Standard Bluetooth
360 - None (not supported)

Next Gen Removable Media Player

PS3 - Industry Standard Blu-ray
360 - None (Still accepts HD DVD Betamax equivalent)

Wifi adapter

PS3 - Built in
360 - Proprietary

External Storage for saving network downloads

PS3 - Industry Standard (I use a WD Passport)
360 - Can't save network downloads to external drive

Memory Cards

PS3 - Not necessary but transferring game saves and HDD items can be done via Industry Standard HDD or jump drive

360 - Proprietary Memory card

Device to copy files to HDD

PS3 - stream via free Tversity, copy directly using Industry Standard external HDD, jump drive, or disk media

360 - function not available (ripping music excepted)

It is just another manner in which MS forces hidden costs on gamers to which dullard bots are oblivious. It also shows the 360 wasn't a very industry friendly nor well though out console.

On the other hand the PS3 costs are up front and it was designed with longevity and integration in mind. It easily trumps the 360 as the living room media hub.

We know what we are paying for up front and acknowledge it. Whereas idiots like you are either oblivious to the additional costs to make the 360 a full experience of else they are aware of it and just living in denial. Your post alone shows what an imbecile you are and verifies your stupidity is without bounds. Allow me to quote myself since you are obviously worth little more than that:

"Another drone living in denial, shelling out his 50 bucks a year and sticking his head in the sand. It is a common sense deduction but when your head is down and buried all we see is your exposed ass...which is what you have been showing.

What is puzzling is how eternally ignorant xbots are composed of all the school dunces that flunked math. Someone should conduct a study on that fact...

I bought my launch 360 for $399. Then I allowed for at least 4 years of Live since MS drops their consoles AND customers at that point so now I am up to $599. Then I added a next gen movie player...that lost the war because MS was stupid. That brought me up to $778. Then I decided I wanted the play and charge kit. That was another $19. That took me to $797. With taxes I was over $800.

Do I need to keep going and talk about how I was forced to buy the proprietary charge kit from MS instead of an industry standard USB cable I had laying around at the house?

Do I need to talk about how there was only one wireless headset available (two if you count colors and a HALO logo - whoopty do) and it was proprietary instead of an industry standard?

Do I need to talk about how I had to pay a fortune for a BS 120GB HDD instead of an industry standard that was half the price for twice the storage?

Do I need to talk about how I had to spend money on a WiFi attachment instead of having one built in?

Do I need to talk about how Microsoft's utterly stupid DRM policy ripped me off for items I had purchased for a year and a half? When the DRM fix was finally available I still have roughly $80 worth of items that are still not available. Of the ones I do have 3 of the most prominent are for games no one plays any longer. That makes the value of those items forfeited by me en toto.

And I won't mention that out of 3 months lost of Live time as I awaited the return of consoles, MS only reimbursed me for 1. Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it. Another $100 pissed away.

While I am talking standards, do I need to mention the lack of an HDMI on my launch 360? I guess the fact 3 of them died until I got a 4th model is some sort of HDMI blessing in disguise. That is, after all, the sort of idiot logic you espouse.

You really need to keep your trap shut before you make a bigger ass of yourself. Imbeciles like you that think trigonometry is a painful knee condition should avoid any console debates relating to the expense of a full gaming experience.

SpecialSauce5719d ago

$200!!! i dont know if the Wii will survive. at least xbox is a next gen console. unlike the Wii witch is just a PS2 with a motion controller.

CNIVEK5719d ago

...the Wii is just a GAMECUBE with motion controller. ;)

badkolo5719d ago

well at 199 you can have a console that plays great online and has mostly better multiplat versions of games if not then equal to the ones for the ps3 and for 200 cheaper plus it has exclusives as well and the new dash etc...

for 199 its a better deal then the ps3 but now the elite is another story. smae price minus wifi and blueray so the elite sucks when compared to the ps3, but like i said for 199 you can have a system that up till this day still has the better library and all multiplat games either are better or exactly the same.

as a gaming machine for 199 its a steal.

Show all comments (44)
120°

Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Video games are no longer just a simple past time. Today's games are evolving into true works of art. Offering intriguing narratives, cinematic setpieces, and profound messages, games can entertain us for hundreds of hours.

Read Full Story >>
wealthofgeeks.com
Chard10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

I never got around to mass effect - I’m skeptical that it would hold up if I were to try it now

Furesis9h ago

I would say it does. The combat is a bit shit for todays standards but everything else is great.

anast8h ago

It's worth a play through today.

gold_drake1h ago

the first one is abit the odd one out but after u finished it, believe it it gets tremendously better and better

90°

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron - Coming Back for a New Generation

Originally launched in 2011, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is coming to Nintendo Switch, so It's time to look back at the original.

jznrpg1d 4h ago

Still have my ps3 copies. Bought it at launch and another one when I found it cheap and in perfect condition about 10 years ago. I wouldn’t buy it on Switch but if they made a PS5 version I would. I still have one of my PS3 Fats hooked up so good to go either way.

darthv721d 4h ago

Id play it again on the switch. I wished my 360 version was bc but this is still a good way to play.

150°

Fallout 3's Reveal Led To Death Threats And Bethesda's First Security Guard

The artist behind Fallout 4’s Deathclaw reveals just how bad things got back when Bethesda took over the series

anast1d 6h ago

People are stupid I get it. No one should feel unsafe,

But I think they need to talk about why they cut so many corners during the development process and why none of their games ever look current. And why they think all of this is okay while they charge full price.

LucasRuinedChildhood1d 5h ago

As much as Bethesda deserve criticism, that's not really relevant to the reveal of Fallout 3 in 2007.

VenomUK1d 2h ago

The default angle Kotaku always go for is to highlight the worst in gaming.

I would’ve focused on the creative.

anast8h ago

The game went downhill at Fallout 3's release. This is when they started to cut corners.

gold_drake1d 1h ago

there is no "but". the hell lol
you dont send death threats, period.

anast8h ago

Usually, you have good comments but this isn't one of them. It just rides the mob. We can do both condemn the actions and not let them use it for other things.

I can say I received a death threat and everyone needs to shut up. People are not honest and will use horrible things to their advantage.

Armaggedon20h ago

Not all games “look” current.

anast8h ago

Their games always look like the gen before it.

gold_drake2h ago

mh ok thanks, i still think ur wrong in this mate.

anast46m ago

No problem. I'm not here to convince you. I'm only stating an actuality. What your words do if we look at them like events.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 46m ago