No clue !! Please help

Geminijosa

Hi guys.
I have absolutely no idea about games consoles, but my son has a really old Xbox 360, and wants an xbox one for his birthday next month. He is such a sound young fella and understands if I don't have the money to buy him good stuff (i know...says every mother ever!). But.. this time round, I can afford to treat him, so I want to get him something he'll be really happy with.

I've been searching adverts, done deal, ebay etc for one, but i've no clue what the difference is between a 500gb & 1tb with regard to what he needs. Its a bit like buying a PC i suppose, depends on what you use it for.

So, I've figured out that all his friends have GTA, fortnite and black ops (if that's what its called!) but his machine won't work with fortnite, and he says its not worth me wasting the money for games on his old Xbox 360..its grand (like i said, a sound young fella).

Can any of you help point me in the direction of what I need to get for a teenager to play these games? We have high speed always-on broadband (if that makes a difference). I was hoping to spend about €200 on a second hand console, and maybe €100 on games. Will that get him anything decent? or am I in cloud cookoo land? Should I just get him a proper bundle straight from the shop with games included?

If i sound old...it's because i am

Any and all advise appreciated.

Thanks
Cal33

CatInABox

Hey Cal33,

The Xbox forum is filled with helpful folk who'll be along with more info on deals soon enough, I haven't kept up with what's a good deal for a while now!

Your plan of getting a second hand a second hand console sounds ideal, so I'll focus on what you might not know. 500gb and 1TB are the size of the hard drive on the inside, but all it effects is the number of games that you can install at any one time. It just means that he might have to delete a game if he wants to install a new one, nothing more.

There's now three different Xbox models out there, the Xbox One, the Xbox One S, and the Xbox One X. The X is the most powerful and crazy expensive, so I'll ignore it. Of the other two, the S is the more recent release, and is a refined, smaller version of the Xbox One. I'd recommend going with the S if you can, but it's only personal preference, and it's not a problem if you can only get an Xbox One.

As to the games, I'd buy a 1 month subscription to Xbox Game Pass (€10), which will give him access to over 100 games for the month, and then let him pick out any games he wants himself with whatever is left?

JoyPad

Apart from what was said above, two more things:
1. To play with friends online, he will require a XBox Live subscription. Not sure if he currently has one, it's the same that is needed for 360.
2. If you can find a better deal on a 500Gb, don't worry. You can add an external hard drive later, and increase the amount of games he can keep downloaded.

Geminijosa

Thanks a million CatInABox. That information alone is priceless to someone like me who knows nothing at all !

So I can just buy him the console (spend the full €300 if need be) and for €10 a month, he can pick and choose whatever games he wants to play? Or did I read your post all wrong?

What i took from your post was, I can buy him the console, pay €120 a year, and he can play all the latest games on and on..Is that correct?

Thank you so much for your reply. I really do appreciate it. I'll start looking for an xBox S. What gb/tb should I be looking for though? Or am i fooling myself that €300 will get an xbox s?

CatInABox wrote: »

Hey Cal33,

The Xbox forum is filled with helpful folk who'll be along with more info on deals soon enough, I haven't kept up with what's a good deal for a while now!

Your plan of getting a second hand a second hand console sounds ideal, so I'll focus on what you might not know. 500gb and 1TB are the size of the hard drive on the inside, but all it effects is the number of games that you can install at any one time. It just means that he might have to delete a game if he wants to install a new one, nothing more.

There's now three different Xbox models out there, the Xbox One, the Xbox One S, and the Xbox One X. The X is the most powerful and crazy expensive, so I'll ignore it. Of the other two, the S is the more recent release, and is a refined, smaller version of the Xbox One. I'd recommend going with the S if you can, but it's only personal preference, and it's not a problem if you can only get an Xbox One.

As to the games, I'd buy a 1 month subscription to Xbox Game Pass (€10), which will give him access to over 100 games for the month, and then let him pick out any games he wants himself with whatever is left?

Darren 83

There is some great deals on Xbox one in smiths €300 if the budget allows
Xbox one s 1tb
Sea of thieves
State of decay
Rare game play

Geminijosa

Thanks for that JoyPad. Is the XBox Live subscription in addition to the Xbox Game Pass (€10/ month) that CatInABox explained below?

JoyPad wrote: »

Apart from what was said above, two more things:
1. To play with friends online, he will require a XBox Live subscription. Not sure if he currently has one, it's the same that is needed for 360.
2. If you can find a better deal on a 500Gb, don't worry. You can add an external hard drive later, and increase the amount of games he can keep downloaded.

Geminijosa

Thanks Darren 83. Much appreciated. I looked at Smiths. €300 will get me a 'starter bundle', 3 months of Xbox Game Pass and 3 Months Xbox Live Gold.

But what will all this cost me in the long run?

CatInABox said Xbox Game Pass (€10) per month
JoyPad said "he will require a XBox Live subscription"

Any of you have an idea what the Xbox Game Pass & Xbox Live Gold costs per month?

Kind regards
Cal33

Darren 83 wrote: »

There is some great deals on Xbox one in smiths €300 if the budget allows
Xbox one s 1tb
Sea of thieves
State of decay
Rare game play

ED E

There are two Xbox Live accounts:
Silver (free)
Gold (Paid)

To play with others you need gold, if you stop paying you revert to silver until you pay again (so playing offline progress is still kept etc). You can hop in and out of gold if needed on a month by month.

When he said Game Pass he just meant gold. There used to be ways to buy a years worth for about half price (€50/year) when I had a 360, others will advise if this is still possible.

Oh, look here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057903964


As Fortnite is the biggest game going BY FAR at the minute and is Free then you can not worry too much about games as thats a good 200hrs+ before needing to look elsewhere. Spend the money on the better console and other games can be Chrimbo etc.

This deal two weeks ago was
Xbox One *S* (so the middle one)
Rocket League
3 Months Gold subscription
€125
A STEAL. If you hunt you might find other such deals.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057898801

dor83

If you have parcel motel, addresspal, parcel wizard or any of the mail forwarding services you could get one of the bundles from amazon.

Xbox Live and Game Pass are separate services and need to be paid for individually, Live is €60 per year direct from Microsoft but can be gotten quite a bit cheaper online and it covers for playing online as well as giving 2 Xbox One and 2 Xbox 360 games per month.

Game pass is €10/month but can be gotten for €42 for 6 months if you buy it as a gift and send it to yourself and it's kind of like Netflix for games(you need to download the games instead of streaming them). It doesn't include every game and generally it is older games except games which are published by Microsoft(Halo, Forza, Gears, etc.) so won't include the likes of GTA or Black Ops but it does have over 100 games (including some big games like Fallout, The Division, Tomb Raider, etc.)and is well work the price.

Geminijosa

Lads, ye really are flipping great! Ye have no idea how helpful ye are being right now ,,

@ED E...what a deal, but FML (see..i'm not that old,..lol) ...I clicked on your link at the bottom, all ready to buy what you suggested..

Xbox One *S* (so the middle one)
Rocket League
3 Months Gold subscription
€125

...and all i see is millions and millions of options for Ps4, Xbox etc.

If you can give me the direct link, this old gal would be eternally grateful.

ED E wrote: »

There are two Xbox Live accounts:
Silver (free)
Gold (Paid)

To play with others you need gold, if you stop paying you revert to silver until you pay again (so playing offline progress is still kept etc). You can hop in and out of gold if needed on a month by month.

When he said Game Pass he just meant gold. There used to be ways to buy a years worth for about half price (€50/year) when I had a 360, others will advise if this is still possible.

Oh, look here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057903964


As Fortnite is the biggest game going BY FAR at the minute and is Free then you can not worry too much about games as thats a good 200hrs+ before needing to look elsewhere. Spend the money on the better console and other games can be Chrimbo etc.

This deal two weeks ago was
Xbox One *S* (so the middle one)
Rocket League
3 Months Gold subscription
€125
A STEAL. If you hunt you might find other such deals.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057898801

dor83

cal33 wrote: »

Lads, ye really are flipping great! Ye have no idea how helpful ye are being right now ,,

@ED E...what a deal, but FML (see..i'm not that old,..lol) ...I clicked on your link at the bottom, all ready to buy what you suggested..

Xbox One *S* (so the middle one)
Rocket League
3 Months Gold subscription
€125

...and all i see is millions and millions of options for Ps4, Xbox etc.

If you can give me the direct link, this old gal would be eternally grateful.

That deal was a very limited one and sold out very quickly. they're not available at the moment and it's unlikely to come back as they were probably just clearing old stock.

Geminijosa

Thank you dor93.

So, from my reading of all the advise so far..

Buy the console bundle (xbox one) from smyths for €300, giving him 3 months of Xbox Game Pass and 3 Months Xbox Live Gold.

Then just before xmas (for his xmas present) he'll come at me for Live (€60 per year direct from Microsoft) and Game pass (which can be gotten for €42 for 6 months) . Obviously dor93, i'll be back asking you about that then !

Lads, ye are pure gold !! Thank you all so much. That's birthday and xmas sorted. A happy mammy, and a happy young fella who really deserves it! I really appreciate all your advise.

Cal33

dor83 wrote: »

If you have parcel motel, addresspal, parcel wizard or any of the mail forwarding services you could get one of the bundles from amazon.

Xbox Live and Game Pass are separate services and need to be paid for individually, Live is €60 per year direct from Microsoft but can be gotten quite a bit cheaper online and it covers for playing online as well as giving 2 Xbox One and 2 Xbox 360 games per month.

Game pass is €10/month but can be gotten for €42 for 6 months if you buy it as a gift and send it to yourself and it's kind of like Netflix for games(you need to download the games instead of streaming them). It doesn't include every game and generally it is older games except games which are published by Microsoft(Halo, Forza, Gears, etc.) so won't include the likes of GTA or Black Ops but it does have over 100 games (including some big games like Fallout, The Division, Tomb Raider, etc.)and is well work the price.

erkifino

Give your local tesco a look. 200€ for 500GB and a game.

Not the best deal there has been but reasonable if you can get it.

Geminijosa

Fair enough. I'll keep searching. With all the info you guys have given me, i've an idea of what i'm looking for now at least. Thanks

dor83 wrote: »

That deal was a very limited one and sold out very quickly. they're not available at the moment and it's unlikely to come back as they were probably just clearing old stock.

Faker74

Cal, just to clarrify one of the points made above, Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold are not the same thing.

Xbox Live Gold is required to play games online, it is a subscription service and the standard cost is EUR 6.99 a month or an annual subscription for EUR 59.99. Though there can be sales at different times of the year so you might get a better price than that. (This service also comes with an offer called games with gold which gives you 4 free games every month, these tend to be older games and there is no option to pick which games you want, but you can play them for as long as your subscription is active.

Game Pass is basically like Netflix for xbox games, again its a subscription service, EUR 9.99 a month. Same way Netflix doesn't have every new movie or every movie ever released, Games Pass has a large selection of games (over 100) but you can't be guaranteed it will have every game he'll ever want. You mentioned Grand Theft Auto for example, and that isn't in game pass.

Geminijosa

Thanks for that erkifino, never thought of Tesco . II'll be there over the weekend, worth a look !

erkifino wrote: »

Give your local tesco a look. 200€ for 500GB and a game.

Not the best deal there has been but reasonable if you can get it.

Faker74

Oh Also, if you are looking for a new console, keep and eye on Argos, they do great bundles every now and then. Though just had a look at their site and there aren't any great offers currently.

Geminijosa

Faker74, thanks.

Seriously, you guys are brilliant. Never expected such a response to my question. Thank you all.

Looks like there are a few 'hidden costs' to buying a games console. Thanks for the tips. But, if I buy now, with 3 months 'free', i can just buy subscriptions as xmas pressies...its a win-win

Cal33

Faker74 wrote: »

Cal, just to clarrify one of the points made above, Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold are not the same thing.

Xbox Live Gold is required to play games online, it is a subscription service and the standard cost is EUR 6.99 a month or an annual subscription for EUR 59.99. Though there can be sales at different times of the year so you might get a better price than that. (This service also comes with an offer called games with gold which gives you 4 free games every month, older games and there is no choice, but you can play them for as long as your subscription is active.

Game Pass is basically like Netflix for xbox games, again its a subscription service, EUR 9.99. Same way Netflix doesn't have every new movie or every movie ever released, Games Pass has a large selection of games (over 100) but you can't be guaranteed it will have every game he'll ever want. You mentioned Grand Theft Auto for example, and that isn't in game pass.

Darren 83

Shop around for Xbox live, I get it from cd keys they just send a code can be gotten for around €40ish I wouldn’t buy from GameStop or Microsoft.

Geminijosa

Thanks Darren 93. Just looked at their website . They seem to be more games rather than consoles, but i'll get the best deal i can on an xbox s and come back here to re-read regarding the best deals on games.

Darren 83 wrote: »

Shop around for Xbox live, I get it from cd keys they just send a code can be gotten for around €40ish I wouldn’t buy from GameStop or Microsoft.

Tilikum17

You can get 3 months (plus 3 months free) from Smyths now for €20.

Might get it myself.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/...nload/p/602798

Geminijosa

Based on all the suggestions, I think smyths is my best option, for both console and games right now. Thanks Tilikum

Tilikum17 wrote: »

You can get 3 months (plus 3 months free) from Smyths now for €20.

Might get it myself.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/...nload/p/602798

Tilikum17

Tilikum17 wrote: »

You can get 3 months (plus 3 months free) from Smyths now for €20.

Might get it myself.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/...nload/p/602798

Then maybe buy a 2nd hand Xbox one S 1tb on donedeal/adverts.

gmisk

cal33 wrote: »

Thanks Darren 83. Much appreciated. I looked at Smiths. €300 will get me a 'starter bundle', 3 months of Xbox Game Pass and 3 Months Xbox Live Gold.

But what will all this cost me in the long run?

CatInABox said Xbox Game Pass (€10) per month
JoyPad said "he will require a XBox Live subscription"

Any of you have an idea what the Xbox Game Pass & Xbox Live Gold costs per month?

Kind regards
Cal33

You can get an xbox game pass 3 month for 19.90 atm online and Smyths do deals
I got an xbox one s on the recent offer on here for 125 euro, so keep an eye out on bargain alerts. This was just the 500gb one, you can plug in an external hard drive to boost things though, just make sure its USB 3.0
Cex is good for cheap second hand games.
I also ordered a load from game.co.uk mad cheap and they have 25 percent off atm.

Faker74

Tilikum17 wrote: »

You can get 3 months (plus 3 months free) from Smyths now for €20.

Might get it myself.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/...nload/p/602798

Not to add to confusion but that offer runs until next week, but has to be redeemed before September 15th!

So if his birthday is before the 15th, no worries, but the subsrciption needs to be redeemed before then or its money wasted!

Geminijosa

Thanks gmisk. I'll keep an eye on adverts/boards for an xbox one s, and check out Cex and game.co.uk too.

gmisk wrote: »

You can get an xbox game pass 3 month for 19.90 atm online and Smyths do deals
I got an xbox one s on the recent offer on here for 125 euro, so keep an eye out on bargain alerts. This was just the 500gb one, you can plug in an external hard drive to boost things though, just make sure its USB 3.0
Cex is good for cheap second hand games.
I also ordered a load from game.co.uk mad cheap and they have 25 percent off atm.

Darren 83

Not sure if I can post about this so sorry mods delete if it’s against rules. Google game sharing on Xbox one!

Geminijosa

His birthday isnt till next month @Faker74, but I'm his mammy, and i'm a soft touch, so if i buy it tomorrow, he gets it as an early b-day present tomorrow evening!

I'm off to Smyths straight after work tomorrow lads for the console, ...I'll work out the rest of the games/live/game pass afterwards. I'll save this thread for all the great tips/advise.

In fairness, ye've been great, thanks again !! Wait till i tell him that a load of gamer's online told me what to buy . How cool am I ? lol !! cool:

Cal33

Faker74 wrote: »

Not to add to confusion but that offer runs until next week, but has to be redeemed before September 15th!

So if his birthday is before the 15th, no worries, but the subsrciption needs to be redeemed before then or its money wasted!

TitianGerm

You can get a 1TB One S for £189 from Simply Games. Not sure if they charge for delivery. That's about €210 using Revolut.

http://www.simplygames.com/p/xbox-one-s-console---1tb-xbox-one

Fortnight will be a free download.

COD Black Ops 3 is €27 in GameStop but Argos had it as low as €20 so keep an eye on it.

https://www.gamestop.ie/Xbox%20One/Games/51610/call-of-duty-black-ops-iii

http://checkargos.com/product/7233478

CD Keys is usually cheap enough for Xbox Live but the 6 month offer mentioned above is better at the moment.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/video-games-and-tablets/digital-downloads/xbox-one-digital-downloads/xbox-one-memberships/xbox-live-3-months-gold-membership-digital-download/p/602798

I'd suggest EA Access over Game Pass if he prefers sports games. Access is usually around €25 and has lots of games included.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G2M1E5O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CLXFBbPSDAQ8X

Also get a set of rechargeable batteries in Argos. It'll be a better option long run than buying normal batteries.

Does he have a headset for his current Xbox? He'll probably look for one of he wants to talk to his friends when playing online. These would be an excellent but at the £70 but at £30 they are a steal.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01J58A21O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4SXFBbMDDQE3J

Everything I've mentioned above should come in just under the €300 you mentioned.

If you've any other questions fire them in here.

Geminijosa

Thanks Darren 83,

I'm sure he knows far more than I do about the best sites to get the best deals etc... I just want to buy the best console for my budget, and you guys have been wonderful by pointing me in the right direction!!

He's the kinda guy that will appreciate whatever I buy him, but now I've a little confidence that what i'll get him is what he actually wants. And when he asks, i'll tell him a load of cool gamer's online gave me advise !

So for that ...thanks again to each and every one of you that replied to my question. As you can tell from my profile, i'm not a regular poster, I just normally search boards for advise/tips on stuff I'm not familiar with, and this is one thing that I seriously hadn't a clue about. I'm overwhelmed by the help I've been given tonight.

I'll be telling my son to visit boards.ie for gaming tips in future, that's for sure!

Kind regards
Cal33

Darren 83 wrote: »

Not sure if I can post about this so sorry mods delete if it’s against rules. Google game sharing on Xbox one!

Darren 83

If it helps I've a code for a months Xbox live If you want it.