Help - trying to buy an Xbox - v.confused

ShoulderChip

Hi there,

I am looking to buy an xbox360 as I have a wii but want to experience GTA 4, as well as games like call of duty/pro ev and maybe halo.

I went into HMV today and got quiet confused by all the options there, and was about to buy an xbox360 with pro ev + two other games for 260euro and then get an extra controller for 40 euro.

I chickened out at the last minute as I was unsure as what exactly i was buying,

i dont know what the hard-drive is far,
i dont know if there is a better way of getting online then spending the hundred euro on the wireless adapter.

I also thought that I might be able to find someone who is selling theirs and that way, i could get a few controllers and games and maybe the wireless yoke in one bundle, but could not find any on here or ebay.

I then thought that with the sterling i might be better going to amazon, but they wouldnt ship it over here.

so basically my question is,
do ye have any ideas of where i could get a console with a few controllers and games at a good price.
do gamestop do second hand consoles maybe?
and do i need agood hard-drive?


thank you very much.

VinylJunkie

Buy a xbox with a 20gig hard drive. Not sure of the prices but im sure you could get a bundle with a few games. I got mine last xmas with gears of war, halo and cod4 in smyth's.

Wireless -> Only useful if your xbox is not positioned beside your router as you get the Ethernet cable in the box. I only need the wireless if i bring my xbox downstairs to the bigger tv.

20gig -> plenty of room for game saves and a few downloaded arcade games.

Hard drive are all the same as far as i know its just the size that differs! I also wouldn't buy off e-bay you don't know what your getting id rather buy off a reputable store.

Hope it helps
Sean

ShoulderChip

Cheers for that Vinyl Junkie, there may be no need for the wireless after all,

thanks.

cian1500ww

Basically there is several different versions of the the 360, the first being the arcade which is just the absolute basic setup you would need. No hard drive, wired controllers etc. The benefit of the hard drive is that it stores your games saves, and downloaded content from xbox live such as demos, videos etc. The bigger the hard drive the more space you will have for storing these. There is also a pre version which at the moment comes with a 60GB hd as opposed to the previous 20GB. If you have your router nearby then you can just connect it via. ethernet if not you'll probably have to go for the wireless adapter. Gamesnash.ie do a bundle with the 60GB Pro console, extra wireless controller and 3 games for €345. The reason its that bit dearer is mainly due to the bigger hard drive which comes with it which would be of benefit to you if you decide to install your games to the hard drive, download videos and demos, music etc.

No matter which one you get I'm sure you'll find it A1

murpho999

Also, if I were you I would not go for one with a 20gb hard drive.
Because of the New Xbox Experience menu system you now have the option to copy games from the disc to the hard drive. You will still need to have disc in machine to play game for licensing purposes but the disc will not be spinning.

This will lead to much quicker load times and a lot quieter xbox.

It really is the way to go and would go for the 60gb disc at minimum but the 120gb with the Xbox Elite machine would be ideal if your budget can stretch that far.

As for wireless network adaptor I would definitely recommend it. €100 in shops is a rip off. Have a look at e-bay, I got a second hand genuine adaptor for about €40. You can also get new ones there cheaper but just watch out for fake chinese ones.

Hope you make a decision soon and have great fun with your xbox!


Each game is around 6.7gb so a 20gb is really not enough.

Y2J_MUFC

Don't buy the wireless adapter. €100 is an absolute rip-off for it. A much cheaper option is to buy a long (if needed) ethernet cable and tack it to the skirting board so its pretty neat. I got a long cable in Maplin for €20. That left €80 for whatever else, plus, cable is the most reliable way by far.

If you didn't know what the hard drive was for, I'd suggest getting a 20GB one. It will let you save games comfortably and at the same time, you will be able to download a couple of demo's from Xbox live. No need in paying for extra if you are not going to use it.

You could probably just pick up the standard console without the hard drive and buy the hard drive online (as many people are switching from 20gb to 120gb - there should be tons of these 20GB going pretty cheap - no need to pay over the odds for something you aren't going to use).

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

You have had some excellent advice so far.

One minor update though is that the Arcade version now ships with wireless controllers ( when it first came out it was wired )

Definitely echo the thoughts on the 20gb console - if you are going to use the console for online play / downloading games etc then a 20gb is not the way to go ( the 60gb console replaced the 20gb console at the same price level ) There are still some 20gbs out there - in fact Dunnes were selling some off over the weekend and they can be got a few euro cheaper than the 60gb but they are cheaper for a reason....

Obviously we don't want to appear biased here but we would recommend steering clear from EBAY / Buy + Sell etc for second hand consoles and in particular XBOX 360s as there was a spate of breakdowns on the earlier productions ( google "the red ring of death" ) The older the console the more likely you will run into problems so unless it is from the last year or so we would be saying it is too much a risk. Buying a pre owned console off the likes of Game etc does come with a guarantee and may be the best way forward for you if you want to keep the costs lower.

FutureGuy

I'd go with the 60 gb new model. It's quiet, its far less likely to encounter problems compared with the older models and you can put 6-7 games on the hard drive with plenty of space left over for multimedia.

Don't get the wireless adaptor, it can drop the signal. Get an ethernet cable that matches your skirting board and you will enjoy an better connection. Use the 100 euro you just saved to get COD4, ProEvo2009 and GTA4 second hand for your money.

Get an xbox live gold card from an online store (just got mine for 35 euro as opposed to 60 in shops) and enjoy the incredible online experience.

Furp

I would also recommend the getting the Xbox 360 Pro console which comes with the 60gb hard drive. the 20gb version should be gone buy now so check that you are getting the 60gb one. I would get the wireless adapter but I'm biased as I have one and running cable to my router was not an option.

Current offers I know of are Xtravision:
http://www.xtravision.ie/xvList.asp?actn=nr&tp=g&pn=1

They give the Xbox 360 60bg Gears of War 2 and Need for Speed undercover for €279.97 +€40 rental vouchers

Gamestop which are giving.Xbox360 60gb + Kung Fu Panda+Lego Indiana Jones+Sega Tennis+PGR4 +3 used DVDs and an Extra Wirless controller all for €259.99 (not a bad price but the games are a bit hit and miss)

Smyths also does excellent offers but you will need to go to the shop to see what they are.

ROC1977

cian1500ww wrote: »

Basically there is several different versions of the the 360, the first being the arcade which is just the absolute basic setup you would need. No hard drive, wired controllers etc. The benefit of the hard drive is that it stores your games saves, and downloaded content from xbox live such as demos, videos etc. The bigger the hard drive the more space you will have for storing these. There is also a pre version which at the moment comes with a 60GB hd as opposed to the previous 20GB. If you have your router nearby then you can just connect it via. ethernet if not you'll probably have to go for the wireless adapter. Gamesnash.ie do a bundle with the 60GB Pro console, extra wireless controller and 3 games for €345. The reason its that bit dearer is mainly due to the bigger hard drive which comes with it which would be of benefit to you if you decide to install your games to the hard drive, download videos and demos, music etc.

No matter which one you get I'm sure you'll find it A1

Arcade model now comes with a wireless controller. You can pick these up is zavvi for 180 euro with 2 games. 256mb memory card. No HD cable just the scart.

Check out Argos too.

Turncoat

@OP : I bought my 360 60 gig version two weeks back from game stop. It came with gears of war 2 : special ed and another 60 euros for the wireless adapter which comes with a three month gold xbox live membership free

thebigcheese22

Heya i'm a student and as ya could imagine fairly broke atm! i was deprived as a kid and never had a console so this chritmas im finally gonna get one at the tender age of 19! :P

I was just wondering do ye think I should get an arcade or pro? I want to use it for Xbox live (hopefully thru my laptop connection) and I was wondering is the arcade 360 just as good for Xbox Live?

Thanks a lot!

amacachi

thebigcheese22 wrote: »

Heya i'm a student and as ya could imagine fairly broke atm! i was deprived as a kid and never had a console so this chritmas im finally gonna get one at the tender age of 19! :P

I was just wondering do ye think I should get an arcade or pro? I want to use it for Xbox live (hopefully thru my laptop connection) and I was wondering is the arcade 360 just as good for Xbox Live?

Thanks a lot!

Pro. Arcade has basically no space for storage so you'll not be able to download demos, videos, some games, some game add-ons etc.

Bolgey

does anyone know the deal that symths are doing with the xbox 360 pro? i've heard it comes with halo, gears of war, pgr4 and some other racing game.

amacachi

Bolgey wrote: »

does anyone know the deal that symths are doing with the xbox 360 pro? i've heard it comes with halo, gears of war, pgr4 and some other racing game.

I got it yesterday in Dundalk, got those three games as well as Forza Motorsport 2, Kung Fu Panda, Lego Indiana Jones and the extra controller.

Forza 2 is probably the best game ever, almost completed it on a mate's console at the start of the year, after having to start over :P

Bolgey

amacachi wrote: »

I got it yesterday in Dundalk, got those three games as well as Forza Motorsport 2, Kung Fu Panda, Lego Indiana Jones and the extra controller.

Forza 2 is probably the best game ever, almost completed it on a mate's console at the start of the year, after having to start over :P

great deal and how much was that bundle, btw, was the controller official and sorry with the questions, but when does that deal end

amacachi

Bolgey wrote: »

great deal and how much was that bundle, btw, was the controller official and sorry with the questions, but when does that deal end

No problem. Don't know when the deal ends. It's an official controller.

Bolgey

amacachi wrote: »

No problem. Don't know when the deal ends. It's an official controller.

sry last question: how much was it

amacachi

Was thinking that no-one had said how much it was :P

It's €299.99. Ya get two €5 vouchers for Smyth's as well.

Bolgey

amacachi wrote: »

Was thinking that no-one had said how much it was :P

It's €299.99. Ya get two €5 vouchers for Smyth's as well.

cheers mate

I've a 20GB hard drive, if I had a choice, I'd go for something bigger - what with NXE allowing you to download games to the HD and also to future proof it a bit.

Also, you'd be mad not to go online if you're getting an Xbox. X-Box live is where the console really shines above the others.

Moojuice

I got my first xbox off Adverts.ie, got a great deal, it had the ususal RROD problem but not until at least a year or two afterwards, so nothing to do with the conition of the console. Have a look at adverts.ie as there are some good deals on there. The stores can sometimes do decent packages coming up to Christmas. I traded up to an elite, no real need for one unless you like black and need the bigger harddrive. Best console out there IMHO.

Bolgey

does anyone know what deal xtravision is doing on the xbox 360 pro?

koHd

Gamesnash.ie wrote: »

Obviously we don't want to appear biased here but we would recommend steering clear from EBAY / Buy + Sell etc for second hand consoles and in particular XBOX 360s as there was a spate of breakdowns on the earlier productions ( google "the red ring of death" ).

Moojuice wrote: »

I got my first xbox off Adverts.ie, got a great deal, it had the ususal RROD problem but not until at least a year or two afterwards, so nothing to do with the conition of the console. Have a look at adverts.ie as there are some good deals on there. The stores can sometimes do decent packages coming up to Christmas. I traded up to an elite, no real need for one unless you like black and need the bigger harddrive. Best console out there IMHO.

Yea don't be totally afraid of buying from ebay or any reputable auction site with seller ratings. As long as you research the ratings of the seller and make sure they are genuine you should be fine.

I bought my Xbox 360 from a guy on Ebay two years ago. Got the RROD after about a year. But MS are so ashamed of their cock up with this problem, they ask no questions and fix every single RROD console for free. All you need is the console number which is at the bottom of the machine.

But as I said, be careful to make sure who you buy from is a trusted seller.

faceman

If you have an option travel to Newry to pick one up, it'll be far cheaper

The wireless modem is handy if runnng cables isn't an option. I never had any problems with it. Think you can get them for 60 quid now

amacachi

faceman wrote: »

If you have an option travel to Newry to pick one up, it'll be far cheaper

The wireless modem is handy if runnng cables isn't an option. I never had any problems with it. Think you can get them for 60 quid now

I priced round Newry, no cheaper than in the south.

thebigcheese22

Bolgey wrote: »

does anyone know what deal xtravision is doing on the xbox 360 pro?

Tis 279 of a Pro with Gears of War2 and NFS:Undercover, with 40 worth of rental vouchers

hokeypokey

would it be worth it to get an xbox from an argos up north?

amacachi

hokeypokey wrote: »

would it be worth it to get an xbox from an argos up north?

What's the saving? I priced them around Newry and the biggest price difference was about a tenner, and I found no decent bundles down there, so in my opinion, no.

hokeypokey

amacachi wrote: »

What's the saving? I priced them around Newry and the biggest price difference was about a tenner, and I found no decent bundles down there, so in my opinion, no.

I think you save about 20 in argos...

amacachi

hokeypokey wrote: »

I think you save about 20 in argos...

Fair enough, decent bundle though?

Bolgey

game are doing a great bundle atm, you get an xbox pro with GOW 1,2 and farcry 2 for 265 euro.:D

hokeypokey

amacachi wrote: »

Fair enough, decent bundle though?

na theres nat really any good bundles, but all games are around a tenar cheaper on average.

amacachi

Good bundle in Smith's as mentioned earlier in the thread. If you're gonna be up North then it's worth getting the games there, but for the console I wouldn't bother. Any problems and the saving is lost on petrol, let alone the hassle.

nigeloconnor

Hi all,

I am thinking of getting an Xbox too for Christmas and have read everyones comments, I think Game or Smyths have the best bundle at the moment.. Just called Smyths there and they have a 60GB with extra controller and 6 games for €300, Game have 2 controllers and 4 games for €259, dont know what the games are though, they said games of their choice..

I have a question also.. Is it possible to plug a USB Hardrive into the Xbox and play movies?

Thanks to all.

koHd

nigeloconnor wrote: »

I have a question also.. Is it possible to plug a USB Hardrive into the Xbox and play movies?

Thanks to all.

Yes that is possible.

You can also stream directly from your PC or laptop to the Xbox with an ethernet wire. This allows you to watch internet tv on your tv, via the Xbox.

nigeloconnor

Will any XBOX allow harddrives to be plugged in and played? As in do you need Xbox Pro or elite to do this?

Thanks

ROC1977

all 360's work the same. WMV or AVI/DIVX only will play on the 360 unless you transcode via your PC with Tversity.

jonski

Smyths have a deal of an Xbox 360 pro 60 gb hd extra wireless controller , halo 3 , pgr4 ,gow , forza 2 plus something about 2 €5 vouchers with loyalty card for €279.99 .

thebigcheese22

jonski wrote: »

Smyths have a deal of an Xbox 360 pro 60 gb hd extra wireless controller , halo 3 , pgr4 ,gow , forza 2 plus something about 2 €5 vouchers with loyalty card for €279.99 .

Does anyone know if you can put down a deposit for an Xbox in Smiths? i know ya cant in game or gamestop. And also when dya think i shud buy one before they all sell out?!

amacachi

thebigcheese22 wrote: »

Does anyone know if you can put down a deposit for an Xbox in Smiths? i know ya cant in game or gamestop. And also when dya think i shud buy one before they all sell out?!

I'd be very surprised if they all sell out.

seanybiker

thebigcheese22 wrote: »

Does anyone know if you can put down a deposit for an Xbox in Smiths? i know ya cant in game or gamestop. And also when dya think i shud buy one before they all sell out?!

nah ya cant bud. I annoyed me girlfriend so much that she gave me my xbox 360 a few days ago instead of christmas, she said that she asked in smyths could she book it or put a deposit on it cos it asnt in the first time she went in and me man said no.


regarding the wireless adapter for it. If you have wireless on your PC and have a laptop you can use the laptop to bridge the connection to your Xbox

thebigcheese22

Right I've pestered the old folks to buy it this week so no need to buy a deposit :P God i love Christmas...

duffmagic

Hi,

I'm finally thinking about upgrading my previous generation xbox with the 360. Obviously I'm both poor and not too avid a gamer.

I found with my old one, i got a rake of games but invariable got bored of all but Halo(1/2) within a week. For that reason, I don't value these bundles with 4+ games of varying genres. I've decided that my new game of choice (singular) is likely to be, in descending order:

• Call Of Duty:World at War (maybe an older version is better?)
• Gears Of War
• Halo 3

Can anyone else who exclusively plays FPSs, recommend one of the above?

Also, I'm assuming the minimum hardware I need is the Pro with 2 controllers.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a suitable package deal? Perhaps my best option is to get a basic Pro package including 2nd controller and buy the game with the vouchers that usually come therein?

Thanks in advance!

ROC1977

call of duty 4 is the best FPS on the 360. I'm not a big fan of Halo but some/alot swear by it.

mcgovern

ROC1977 wrote: »

all 360's work the same. WMV or AVI/DIVX only will play on the 360 unless you transcode via your PC with Tversity.

It will also play some HD formats as well as those.

But if you are hoping to plug in a hard drive direct and play from that, it must be formatted to FAT32, the 360 will not recognise an NTFS drive. You can of course stream the data from an NTFS drive through a PC/laptop to the 360 no problem.

Wetbench4

Whatever you do, don't waste your money on the official 360 wireless adapter. I got a Belkin wireless gaming adapter for half the price and it works perfectly with the 360 and xbox live. I also use it with TVersity to stream my music and movies downstairs to the xbox. Never had a single problem in the year and half i have it.

http://www.elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=ECE917322

rg2007

duffmagic wrote: »

Hi,

I'm finally thinking about upgrading my previous generation xbox with the 360. Obviously I'm both poor and not too avid a gamer.

I found with my old one, i got a rake of games but invariable got bored of all but Halo(1/2) within a week. For that reason, I don't value these bundles with 4+ games of varying genres. I've decided that my new game of choice (singular) is likely to be, in descending order:

• Call Of Duty:World at War (maybe an older version is better?)
• Gears Of War
• Halo 3

Can anyone else who exclusively plays FPSs, recommend one of the above?

Also, I'm assuming the minimum hardware I need is the Pro with 2 controllers.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a suitable package deal? Perhaps my best option is to get a basic Pro package including 2nd controller and buy the game with the vouchers that usually come therein?

Thanks in advance!

halo 3 and gears of war are great fun, but not many play gears online any more, and the campaign is very short but good, havent played 2 so i wont comment, but ill be getting it for christmas! halo 3 is great fun online and the campaign is spot on! but call of duty 4 is the best game on xbox 360, its amazing, youll get addicted in a heartbeat to its online and the campaign is excellent, game of choice for a lot of people, and world at war is no way as good. as for bundles i wouldnt know, smyths and game would have the best though

duffmagic

Thanks for the advice rg2007. I'll definitely be getting COD4. I may also get Halo3 just for the co-op and offline head to head.

theteal

duffmagic wrote: »

Thanks for the advice rg2007. I'll definitely be getting COD4. I may also get Halo3 just for the co-op and offline head to head.

cod4 is a no brainer, so addictive, i still have non-gamer friends knocking over to play it online - my rep takes a bit of a hit coz they suck but it's all in good fun! halo 3 is excellent, never bothered going online though, maybe someday. . .
pick up a copy of gears 1 on the cheap, it has to be experienced, it was a cornerstone achievement in the life of the 360. then splash out on gears 2, it's epic, campaign is very good, i can't stop playing horde now, haven't even tried the other modes yet

happy gaming, you won't be disappointed

ROC1977

Halo 3 is an average game at best. Graphics are ok , gameplay nothing new, finished the game and never played it since. COD4 much better FPS. Like the lads said COD4 is the best FPS on the 360. I wouldn't go as far as saying the best game, but def the best FPS. Then you have the Orange box which is a must buy for FPS fans.

For me best games on the 360 are COD4, Soul calibur 2, Prince of Persia, Fifa 09, Dirt, Gears of War 2, Bioshock, Rockband1/2, Guitar hero 2.

Thats to name a few. 360 has loads of top titles compared to any other system.

Never mentioned one FPS which I don't think anyone else has recommended. LEFT 4 DEAD. top 4 player CO OP multiplayer game, or even CODWaW.