Xbox 360 Elite System Console Includes 120GB Hard Drive

I made the mistake of buying this version of the Xbox 360 for the 120GB hard drive. I thought I would be able to copy video files to the 360. It turns Microsoft only allows you to copy music and pictures to the 360. If you want video, you have to buy it on Xbox Live, or hack your console.

If you're in the market for a 360, save yourself some money. Buy the cheaper version with a 20GB hard drive. On any version you can stream video from your XP or Vista PC as long as you have Windows Media Player 11 installed and configured for sharing across your network.

In hindsight, I should have bought a Playstation 3, which allows you to copy video to the hard drive easily. You can also upgrade the PS3 hard drive without voiding the warranty. The 360 hard drive, however, uses a proprietary input.

I just want to make this simple for everyone, since the issues are really that: simple.

The XBOX 360 has great games that anyone will NO DOUBT enjoy. Drive Noise, HD capability, additional cost for accessories that some people feel should be included--I can deal with these considering the GREAT games I mentioned.

The question is can you deal with the constant threat of one day turning it on and getting the Red Rings of Death (RROD)? Even if one had the luckiest break of getting a perfect unit that will never die (which no one will ever know of course), spending $400 on something thats supposed to be state-of-the-art should not give you this kind of dread--or have you go through months of non-use due to exchanging units through Microsoft. Most of us are not millionaires who can just buy XBOX after XBOX either.

So to me, NO, its not worth it just because of RROD.

The worst part is, Microsoft, BY NOW, should have admitted their design flaws and replaced their console with a reliable version--even if they had to go back to square one--considering their many loyal customers. Just that fact alone convinced me that I will not buy another 360. That really is an insult to us XBOX fans if you think about it.

I will keep playing the Wii with the kids and get a PS3 in the near future.

Microsoft and Xbox fans the world around: I owe you an apology.

I have been scowling at Xbox and Xbox owners since it hit the market. "It's not as good as Playstation - it won't last" I always said. Then the Xbox 360 came around, and I skulked into a corner, clutching my Playstation 2. "PS3 is around the corner - it'll show you..." A few months after PS3 hit shelves (more than a year after Xbox 360 came to market) I took posession of a new Playstation. The PS3 made me change my mind. Months later I had six games, and a Blockbuster Video (tm) membership card collecting dust. There was nothing to play! No new games on the horizon, nothing catering to my interests. I finally broke down, grabbed the credit card and bought an Xbox 360 Elite.

With a heavy heart I say: I love it.

I now have nearly three times that of my Playstation 3 collection just a few months later. I have just as many Xbox peripherals as I do the Playstation, and the recent blockbuster, best-selling titles I have purchased for the Xbox instead of the Playstation. This is because of the enchantment of the Xbox "Achievement" scoring system, rewarding the player with (unfortunately useless) global points for making various accomplishments in every Xbox 360 title.

I have begun researching the PS3's "barely used" resale value.

Besides playing games - and there are tons to choose from - the Xbox is well-built to use the internet. Though I myself am not a big online-gaming enthusiast, I can still use it to upgrade games, download visual content for background themes and the like. I have even begun downloading TV shows. The system allows you to establish 1-on-1 chat rooms, which I use often to talk to my brother who lives cross-country. We can catch up on current events while playing two different games. The PS3 allows you to chat, but you can't do anything else while chatting.

Unfortunately, the Elite has one major limitation. In fact, the feature that makes this system "Elite" is it's biggest drawback - the 120 gb harddrive. My PS3 only has 40 gb's, and I've already packed it with MP3's and movies (honestly - what else is it good for??) What drew me to purchase the Elite Xbox (besides it's black color which blends much better into home-entertainment setups) was it's large storage capability. However, Microsoft has made it impossible to download or copy any music content onto the Harddrive. The only way to import music is to "burn" it from a CD. Obviously the intent here is to discourage piracy, but it has also alienated any iTunes subscribers or the like. I probably would have been just as happy with a standard Xbox 360. I still have over 100 gigs available!

Thus the benefit of the Elite is to be able to download lots of game content, pictures, videos, etc. This comes at a cost, as very few of these downloads are free. Take that into consideration before you buy.

System malfunctions seem to be rare - a few game crashes here and there. I am sympathetic to earlier owners of malfunctioning systems. As of this writing, May 2008, I'd say you'd be "good to go" buying one of these systems.

Microsoft I apologize. I've complained about a fair amount of money I've given you over the years, but I have to confess - you did this one right. I look forward to many, many more hours of hardcore, balls-to-the-wall gaming.

Look for me online - my gamertag is "Vipera Raddei!"

Alright, so I already had a PS3 and a Wii in the household (Christmas gift to the little lady)but I would still look at the xbox 360 and salivate on the great titles I would miss out on that would be exclusive to Microsoft's machine. So after wrestling with myself for quite some time, I finally bit the bullet and got myself an elite. My first impressions were how surprised I was that the 360 is actually slightly smaller than the PS3. The finish on it isn't exactly black, more like a dark grey (or maybe it just looks that way next to my super black and glossy ps3). Setting up an account was easy enough, and from there I browsed all the game demos and videos pre-installed finding most of them pretty worthless, but they were free. Handling the controller is surprisingly comfortable, more so than either the PS3 or the Wii.

I also bought a game, Mass Effect, to try out my new toy. So I boot up the game and try to enjoy the opening cinematics but its being drowned out by the insanely loud disk drive. I'm sitting about eleven feet away so I found that to be incredibly annoying. But when it comes down to it, it is a minor gripe. Everyone kept telling me how much better the 360 was then the PS3, but in my opinion, they are just different. I chose to buy a PS3 first because I knew that blu-ray would win out and I like watching my favorite films in high definition glory.

So when it comes down to it, I'm very glad I purchased a Xbox 360. I'm also glad I purchased a PS3. Both pieces of technology should keep buyers happy for years to come, as I know I am.

I believe that this "360" version was a better buy to begin with. Of course we got the best money could buy when it came out but should my brother have to of sent the first one he bought in to the company so they could send him back a newer version of the same problem? No, I don't think so. The best way to get the "360" with the better processor is to check the manufacture date on the box before buying. Your best bet right now is to get the best money can buy with the lastest date. Overall we have not experienced any "red ring of death" in our current system but I still don't actually trust the product. Just take my advice and wait awhile and by that I mean a long time because the one we bought from here is still not the one with the processor or motherboard or what have you that this system needs.