xbox360 Questions

[inglioti]

Hello there again escapist,

I was looking into buying an xbox, but in common with their operating systems, microsoft has released far too many confusing models and specifications and too much crap which wikipedia cannot un-fathom.

Anyway, I have a PS3, and I love it to death. However (don't laugh at me - I'm 20 and above all that), my father has taken it upon himself to remove my PS3 because I "play it too much." Being a spiteful, cashed up and passive aggressive son, I'm thinking of buying an xbox to try out all those games which I've never had the opportunity to play. At the forefront of that list is Mass Effect, and Mass Effect 2.

My questions are these:
1. xbox Arcade versus xbox Elite - what's the difference? I know the elite comes with lots of extras, but I'm never (underline never) going to play on xbox live, as I have a library of PS3 games to do that with... for free. I know the elite has a larger HD, but I'm going to be playing a relatively small amount of games on my xbox. However, I've heard that for some reason the xbox just can't handle actually playing it's own discs and the only way to save the integrity of the data on the physical disc is to never use it and just install it on your xbox. Inso fato - is the elite the only way to go?
2. Any other exclusives I should get if this pans out? Not at all interested in Halo or Gears, or 'hardcore' shooters at all really.
3. Is this a good idea? Apart from the fact that it is a giant waste of money... I'll be working full time for the next 6 weeks making good money an hour and all i have to spend it on is uni books and beer.

Thanks!

 

[Angry Caterpillar]

1) Arcade sucks ass, just trust me. You'll end up upgrading anyways.
2) You've got Mass Effect covered.
3) Sure, 360s are great in my (biased) opinion.

 

[Weaver]

There are 3 tiers of 360s
Arcade, regular and elite.

The arcade has no hard drive and is literally a sham since you won't be able to save your fucking games so there's no point in getting one. The regular and elite have hard drives, the elite's being larger.

I don't think it's a good idea to be honest.

 

[azncutthroat]

1. xbox Arcade versus xbox Elite - what's the difference? I know the elite comes with lots of extras, but I'm never (underline never) going to play on xbox live, as I have a library of PS3 games to do that with... for free. I know the elite has a larger HD, but I'm going to be playing a relatively small amount of games on my xbox. However, I've heard that for some reason the xbox just can't handle actually playing it's own discs and the only way to save the integrity of the data on the physical disc is to never use it and just install it on your xbox. Inso fato - is the elite the only way to go?

Allegedly, the Elite has a superior chipset (ergo, has a lower risk of RRoD). Of course, M$ isn't exactly known for quality control, so results do vary. Installing games to the HDD supposedly reduces wear/tear on the optical drive. The only disc I lost to my 360 was a laser-scratch on my Halo 3 disc when the 360 got tipped over. My Elite, personally, was bought in fall 2008. Also, I've yet to hear from any of my friends (2 of whom also own Elites, 1 older and 1 earlier type) of a disk breaking.

2. Any other exclusives I should get if this pans out? Not at all interested in Halo or Gears, or 'hardcore' shooters at all really.

Off the top of my head... Crackdown, Alan Wake, Blue Dragon, Fable 2, Forza, Beautiful Katamari Damashi, Ninety-Nine Nights, and Infinite Undiscovery.

[/spoiler]

3. Is this a good idea? Apart from the fact that it is a giant waste of money... I'll be working full time for the next 6 weeks making good money an hour and all i have to spend it on is uni books and beer.

Probably not such a good idea... personally, I'd invest in a good/upgrading PC.

 

[Valkyrie101]

The only difference AFAIK is the size of the hard drive (or lack thereof in the case of the Arcade, which is why you shouldn't get one). Premiums (regular) are 60GB, Elites are 120 GB.

Exclusives you might want to look at: definitely Mass Effect 1 & 2, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell Conviction.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

Go with the Regular (Premium) as it actually comes with a Hard Drive which is a decent 60GB (which got me through about 4 years of playtime. And my Xbox is the only console I play.) Mass Effect 1&2 for your RPGs, Alan Wake if you liked Silent Hill or any thriller/horror games. There are also some really great indie titles on XBLA such as Castle Crashers (not sure if that's available off PSN).