Would an Xbox be worth it?

[Tilted_Logic]

I've been browsing a lot of stores lately now that it's the beginning of the holiday season around here, and I'm seeing a lot of deals on Xbox 360s. I've never really felt the urge to purchase one before as I've had friends go through more than 3 in a few years just from RRoD. With that sort of technical issue I wasn't compelled to spend a few hundred bucks, but now that the prices are cheaper and the tech has improved with the 360, I'm wondering if it might be a worthwhile investment.

So Escapists, what's your opinion? I'm not looking for fanboyism, I just want to know what sort of thoughts people have on the Xbox. I've been more than happy with my ps3, but I find that most of my friends tend to have an Xbox and the allure is starting to get to me.

I'll point out a few facts of interest:
- I suck at shooters with a controller. I'm dreadful, and I'd pretty much be sticking to PC unless it's an Xbox exclusive.
- I'm a little fuzzy on what Xbox Live restricts, but that's a tipping point for me. Do I have to subscribe to even have access to online multiplayer games/friends?
- I don't frequent game stores. Usually I visit a physical store about once a year, (due mostly in part to digital download for PC/PSN) so while I could of course increase the amount of times I'm in one, my Xbox game library would probably be scarce for a while.

So with all that in mind, would the Xbox have something to offer someone who rarely purchases physical games, sucks at shooters and is wary of paying for Live?

(Sorry, I know this thread has been done before, I just wanted some fresh input.)

 

[Joccaren]

Honestly, I'm pretty sure you'd be better at putting the money into upgrading your PC if you need to. Otherwise just buy more games for your other platforms. The PS3 has better specs than the 360, even if only just, and the 360s tech hasn't improved that much, as far as I know its only the HD space that has, though I could be wrong.
-Unless your playing racing games or button mash fighting games, the controls are pretty much always better on the PC anyway, and those games you can play on your PS3
-No, you need to pay for XBL Gold to play online, XBL Free does not let you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live
-I believe you can download games from XBL, but the small hard drive sizes and large Internet usage make it somewhat impractical.

Honestly, unless you have a lot of friends that play on the Xbox, I'd just stick to what you've got at the moment.

 

[Shru1kan]

No online MP without gold, friends and one on one voice chat are in. Cross-game chat is a built in feature that the PS3 does not have.

Xbox marketplace has a good selection of digital download games, ranging from Resident evil 4 to Fallout New Vegas.

However, most of the exclusives are indeed shooters. It just comes down to your preference. I see that you have a PS3, and that should be more than enough. If I were in your situation, I wouldn't. But then again, I'll never be in your situation because I don't suck at shooters.

 

[Smeggs]

If you suck at shooters with a controller then I would reccommend you not buy the console that has basically built its reputation on shooters.

 

[Space Spoons]

In all honesty, saving your money and putting it toward a PC upgrade or something is probably your best choice. As I see it, having a lot of friends that play on Xbox is the only conceivable reason to own one, if you don't particularly care for console-exclusive shooters. Most everything else you can get for the PC, usually with the DLC and multiplayer intact (as opposed to placed behind a price gate like with the 360).

As I've said, though, if you know a lot of people that play on Xbox, it's something to consider. It really is quite fun.

 

[TilMorrow]

Well the Xbox 360 is a good console. The RROD problem was mostly due to a console design error than software error as it was the Xbox form of protecting itself whilst also informing its owner there was a problem. But the soldering problem should be fixed in most consoles in circulation so chances of RR occurring should be low.

XBL and XBLA have loads of games for sale, whether they be full games such as Obilivion or Halo 3 or arcade games such as Limbo and Mr. Explosion Man (I have the weird feeling that I got this wrong) but the only drawback is online MP requires a gold account subscription. Although, a gold account comes with the added benefit of special XBL market place deals every week. Also, I find the Xbox controller makes it easier to play shooters but I don't know if it will be the same for you.

Bottom Line: If you really want an Xbox 360 and have a few friends on that console, then get it.

[sub]Oh god, the Xbox controller was horrible to hold though. I don't know how I played using it before.[/sub]

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

I say you should, there are plenty of great non-shooters for the console, the RRoD is a thing of the past and chances are you won't get a malfunctioning one. I definitely recommend you get one, and if you're wary of paying monthly for a Gold membership, they actually have codes you can purchase at retail stores for memberships. Hell, they even have MS point cards so you don't have to rely on credit cards to purchase games and DLC. I say buy, but that's just my opinion.

 

[LostCrusader]

Only if you have friends that use Xbox as well. I also tried the multiple consoles with a PC a year or two ago when I bought a PS3 after owning a 360 and a decent gaming PC. It is now a glorified paperweight because my friends are all on the 360.

The chat is the main feature that I use on my 360, but that will require a gold subscription. I don't see how you not frequenting game stores makes much of a difference, the XBL store offers just as much as the PS3 store (as far as I can tell, it is after all a paper weight).

 

[Waaghpowa]

So with all that in mind, would the Xbox have something to offer someone who rarely purchases physical games, sucks at shooters and is wary of paying for Live?

(Sorry, I know this thread has been done before, I just wanted some fresh input.)

In my opinion, no. An Xbox costs the same as a PS3 out of the box, but you have extra fees on the side to pay. I will list my reasons why, I realize you already have a PS3.

Xbox controllers cost 60 dollarsand aren't rechargeable out of the box, you need double A batteries. And the Play and charge kits cost 30 bucks. PS3 controllers cost 55, come wireless and rechargeable batteries built in.[footnote]I'm talking about Canadian dollars by the way.[/footnote]

Xbox live is required for online play and Netflix, which is silly because you're already paying a sub for netflix, why pay a sub for a sub? (Assuming you have netflix). Also as a long time PC gamer, I think it's silly to pay for online play that is mostly peer to peer.

Hard drives are proprietary with an Xbox. You CAN use their cases and install your own hard drives, but you have to fiddle with firmware, or so I've heard, which you don't want to do at the risk of bricking something or getting banned. PS3's use ordinary 2.5 inch hard drives that are used in laptops. You could walk into and computer parts store and buy a 500 gig one for 50 bucks and install it yourself.

Game wise, it seems that Sony has a more diverse line of games available. Chances are you'll find something you like. Seeing as you say you suck at shooters, PS3 might be better to stick to as most of the better exclusive games I've seen on the Xbox have been shooters.

So that's my opinion. If you're dead set on getting a console, I would suggest a PS3 for more value for your money but you already have one. In which case, upgrade your PC or save it.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I've always like the Xbox. I find it hard to not recommend it if I'm being honest. Though you make some points that seem like you're wanting to be talked out of it rather than actually looking for recomendation to get it.

PS3 has a lot to offer and you already have one. So is an Xbox neccessary? Maybe not. But even with PS3's online being free, LIVE is still better. And if your friends are on the Xbox most of the time, that's kinda where you want to be anyway.

Most of the Xbox exclusives are shooters of some kind. You may say you suck at console shooters, but the Xbox controller is so well designed and comfortable to use, it may actually convert you. And even if not, most of the Halos are worth playing even if you only go through the single player. Don't believe the haters. they're good games, at least if you're into sci-fi.

If you see a good sale, maybe a Black Friday special or something, it's definately worth looking into. At full price though, you don't sound like you really want it that bad. I'd also bet money that after this holiday season there will almost have to be a price drop on the system. At this point, with the aging hardware I think they're getting close to exhausting the market of players willing to pay full retail for an Xbox 360.

EDIT: a point I forgot to make, you shouldn't really worry about the RRoD. The 360 slim is solid. I've had my slim since they started offering them and so far it's been holding up fine. And I had 6 of the old style 360s crap out on me so it's not like I can be called lucky in the hardware department.

 

[crom jr]

I own a 360 and I say no...

all my friends have 360, big woop, we all play different games, so being in chat with them is useless... the only time chat comes in handy is the rare time we all decide to be playing the same game at the same time...

xbox gold is a huge ripoff, Ive been buying memberships for like 4 years now, I could have bought a PS3 with that money....

the xbox live store, and ps3 store are basicly the same, people will tell you that xbox live is better than ps3's online, but they will never tell you why... (I dont care what system you have, if the game is made by EA the online is poop cross platform)

 

[blizzaradragon]

Well since the good exclusive games on the 360 are all shooters, I would definitely say that you can easily live without. Pretty much anything else that's good on the 360 you can also get on either PS3 and/or PC. Plus since Xbox Live costs money to play online whereas Playstation Network is free, unless you REALLY want to play with those few friends who have a 360 online then you're essentially pissing away money. Not to mention that Microsoft has a horrible practice of making EVERY developer charge money for their DLC, so you have to pay for stuff that other platforms are getting for free(such as pretty much any DLC from Valve).

In short: You're more than good with a PS3. If anything, use that money you were going to use for a 360 and either put it towards upgrading your gaming setup or put it towards a gaming PC/upgrading your current computer.

 

[Birdman1604]

I have a 360 and enjoy it, but at this point in time I'd say make do with what you have and save your money for the new generation. They're bound to be expensive...

 

[Tilted_Logic]

Thanks for all the input.
I'm sure if I gave it some more time I could improve my shooting skills with controllers, but most of the games I've got for the ps3 aren't of that genre, so I haven't got much to practice with. And while I appreciate the appeal of an Xbox controller, my hands are tiny, so the ps3 is in that perfect Goldilocks zone, whereas I'm thinking the Xbox controller might be too big.

I guess I came into this pretty bias already; I haven't been entirely convinced on my own that an Xbox would be worth it, but if I have to continually pay just to access multiplayer aspects of games count me out.

Thanks though for the opinions, maybe I'll get a used one dirt cheap on Ebay to mess around with.

 

[StBishop]

[...] the 360s tech hasn't improved that much, as far as I know its only the HD space that has, though I could be wrong.

You are.

They've upgraded the CPU and GPU, also it's an integrated unit. There's less heating issues (major cause of RRoD), it's got more RAM, and is all around quieter, cooler, faster, and smoother.

-Unless your playing racing games or button mash fighting games, the controls are pretty much always better on the PC anyway, and those games you can play on your PS3
-No, you need to pay for XBL Gold to play online, XBL Free does not let you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live

Yeah, you can't be in a party or play online without live. It's less than the cost of one game for 14 months at the moment.
You can still purchase games, movies, download demos etc with a free, 'Silver' membership.

-I believe you can download games from XBL, but the small hard drive sizes and large Internet usage make it somewhat impractical.

Your options are the barebones 4GB or a 250GB unless you're buying a special edition (Gears of War, Starwars Kinect bundles) then it's 320GB.

What small hard drives?? Yeah there's the 4GB but it's exactly what it says on the tin: barebones. No one really buys them unless they are literally getting it for Kinect.


Anyway, OT: If you have a disposable income, get one, play Mass Effect 1 and a few other good games, (I don't think Jade Empire was available on PC, it can be emulated in most regions by the 360, check your region first over at [link]www.xbox.com[/link]/whatever_region_you_live_in I don't know that it's really worth it if you're not looking to blow cash.

Most of the Exclusives that pop to mind are all shooters. Gears, Halo, ME1. Was Alan Wake exclusive? It's also a shooter sort of.

I don't think you need both consoles, I never ended up replacing my stolen PS3, I even have a few PS3 games sitting around on the shelf. I will get one, but it's not top priority for exactly the same reason a 360 shouldn't be top priority for you. There's no need.

 

[StBishop]

So with all that in mind, would the Xbox have something to offer someone who rarely purchases physical games, sucks at shooters and is wary of paying for Live?

(Sorry, I know this thread has been done before, I just wanted some fresh input.)

In my opinion, no. An Xbox costs the same as a PS3 out of the box, but you have extra fees on the side to pay. I will list my reasons why, I realize you already have a PS3.

Only in some regions. Xbox 360 250 GB is less than a PS3 120GB in Australia.

Just sayin'.

Xbox controllers cost 60 dollarsand aren't rechargeable out of the box, you need double A batteries. And the Play and charge kits cost 30 bucks. PS3 controllers cost 55, come wireless and rechargeable batteries built in.[footnote]I'm talking about Canadian dollars by the way.[/footnote]

Again, not in all Regions. 360 controller + Plug and Charge kit = < $100 AUD (cord is about 3m [approx 10 feet])

Dualshock 3 = $100AUD (also the cord is about 20 cm [less than a foot])

Xbox live is required for online play and Netflix, which is silly because you're already paying a sub for netflix, why pay a sub for a sub? (Assuming you have netflix). Also as a long time PC gamer, I think it's silly to pay for online play that is mostly peer to peer.

No comment, no Netflix in Australia.

Hard drives are proprietary with an Xbox. You CAN use their cases and install your own hard drives, but you have to fiddle with firmware, or so I've heard, which you don't want to do at the risk of bricking something or getting banned. PS3's use ordinary 2.5 inch hard drives that are used in laptops. You could walk into and computer parts store and buy a 500 gig one for 50 bucks and install it yourself.

I've not heard of these cases allowing you to use your own hard drive in a 360 but I assume you're right about them being a fuck around. The standard 360s, that's 'Three Sixty ESS'(A normal 360 cannot be found new in AUS anymore, only the 360s') comes with a 250GB HDD.

The PS3 slims (again, only type sold in AUS anymore, the 'Fat' ones are valuable and rare now.) cannot have their hard drive replaced. They're proprietary and can't be changed unless you send them to SONY. While a 4GB 360s can be upgraded in your lounge room by your grandma if you buy a bigger HDD from Microsoft.

Game wise, it seems that Sony has a more diverse line of games available. Chances are you'll find something you like. Seeing as you say you suck at shooters, PS3 might be better to stick to as most of the better exclusive games I've seen on the Xbox have been shooters.

I agree about finding more stuff if you're not into shooters. There's not much difference between the 360 library and PS3 library to be honest. But if you don't play shooters the difference is more noticeable.

So that's my opinion. If you're dead set on getting a console, I would suggest a PS3 for more value for your money but you already have one. In which case, upgrade your PC or save it.

Agreed, you already have a functional PS3, unless there are specific games on the 360 which you want, there's no point getting another console which shares 90% of it's library (probably more) with the console you already have.

 

[Waaghpowa]

-

I've changed a hard drive in a fat PS3 exactly as I described, so unless Australia really DID get a totally different unit from Canada, you can still change it. There was never a time I can remember when you couldn't.

I did leave a foot note saying that I was listing costs in Canadian dollars, I'm well aware of different regions having different price schemes. For some reason, Sony stuff tends to cost more in the European/Australian areas, or so I've noticed. I figured everything I listed would be helpful considering the OP is a fellow Canadian.

 

[Joccaren]

You are.

They've upgraded the CPU and GPU, also it's an integrated unit. There's less heating issues (major cause of RRoD), it's got more RAM, and is all around quieter, cooler, faster, and smoother.

Well, honestly, the heatflow upgrades seem to be the only major ones, but good to know they've made at least some minor improvements to the other hardware.

Your options are the barebones 4GB or a 250GB unless you're buying a special edition (Gears of War, Starwars Kinect bundles) then it's 320GB.

What small hard drives?? Yeah there's the 4GB but it's exactly what it says on the tin: barebones. No one really buys them unless they are literally getting it for Kinect.

320Gb is barebones for me, I have a 2Tb hard drive filled up with movies and games from my PC. In reality it does come down to how many games you are likely to play. The 320Gb wouldn't even hold half of my games folder, so to me it is barebones.

Anyway, OT: If you have a disposable income, get one, play Mass Effect 1 and a few other good games, (I don't think Jade Empire was available on PC, it can be emulated in most regions by the 360, check your region first over at [link]www.xbox.com[/link]/whatever_region_you_live_in I don't know that it's really worth it if you're not looking to blow cash.

Most of the Exclusives that pop to mind are all shooters. Gears, Halo, ME1. Was Alan Wake exclusive? It's also a shooter sort of.

I don't think you need both consoles, I never ended up replacing my stolen PS3, I even have a few PS3 games sitting around on the shelf. I will get one, but it's not top priority for exactly the same reason a 360 shouldn't be top priority for you. There's no need.

ME1 is a shooter, and he prefers to play them on the PC so that would be the better choice of platform to get it on for him. And yes, Jade Empire is available on PC, the port was made by 2K however. It can be obtained off steam last I checked.
If most of the exclusives are shooters, its definitely not worth getting, as he doesn't like shooters on consoles, and instead prefers them on the PC.
And ME1 is not an Xbox exclusive. It is also on the PC, as is Halo 1 and 2 and Gears of War 1. Mass Effect 2 is also on the PC, however Halo 3 and I believe ODST are Xbox Exclusives, as are Gears of War 2 and 3 and Alan Wake.

 

[StBishop]

Well, honestly, the heatflow upgrades seem to be the only major ones, but good to know they've made at least some minor improvements to the other hardware.

They definately were the most significant improvements, but to be honest, they were always the biggest problem.

320Gb is barebones for me, I have a 2Tb hard drive filled up with movies and games from my PC. In reality it does come down to how many games you are likely to play. The 320Gb wouldn't even hold half of my games folder, so to me it is barebones.

There's the benefit of not installing games on 360. While the PC and PS3 require an installation the 360 does not, so it doesn't need quite the same amount of storage as those two. Also it's incredibly easy to stream music from your PC to your 360, same with movies and pictures. So there's no need for a large hard drive. I use less than 60GB of mine and I have 2 profiles which both have saves for over 30 games each and about 12 games "installed" to the HDD because, while it's not necessary (and in the case of Skyrim, actually bad) to install games, it sometimes helps reduce load times.

ME1 is a shooter, and he prefers to play them on the PC so that would be the better choice of platform to get it on for him. And yes, Jade Empire is available on PC, the port was made by 2K however. It can be obtained off steam last I checked.
If most of the exclusives are shooters, its definitely not worth getting, as he doesn't like shooters on consoles, and instead prefers them on the PC.
And ME1 is not an Xbox exclusive. It is also on the PC, as is Halo 1 and 2 and Gears of War 1. Mass Effect 2 is also on the PC, however Halo 3 and I believe ODST are Xbox Exclusives, as are Gears of War 2 and 3 and Alan Wake.

Agreed on ME, wasn't aware it was on PC.
Thanks for the info on Jade Empire port.
I agree 100% about the shooters being almost all (Remember Halo Wars?) shooters.

Also, I always forget that some people play almost all of their games on PC. I always just assume it's pretty much only First person games and Strategy games, because that's how I use my PC.

 

[StBishop]

I've changed a hard drive in a fat PS3 exactly as I described, so unless Australia really DID get a totally different unit from Canada, you can still change it. There was never a time I can remember when you couldn't.

Oh really? Cool, I'd been told otherwise. I heard they replaced the HDD's with proprietary ones for the Slim.

I'm pretty certain that we have the same PS3's here. Except we're PAL and I believe all of North America are NTSC.

I did leave a foot note saying that I was listing costs in Canadian dollars, I'm well aware of different regions having different price schemes. For some reason, Sony stuff tends to cost more in the European/Australian areas, or so I've noticed. I figured everything I listed would be helpful considering the OP is a fellow Canadian.

Yes, I saw that. I didn't realise the OP was Canadian too. My bad I suppose.
I would guess that the price difference between Europe and Australia vs North America and Japan would come down to the aforementioned PAL/NTSC formats.

And on the price difference in general: you're telling me. I mean, a 320GB PS3 on Christmas Sale is $450.00 and they were ~$1,000.00 at launch.