Questions regarding xbox 360

duckster

Hello,

I'm not a gamer, but I'm trying to start somewhere.
I'm thinking of getting the xbox 360.

1) I'd like to know what are the different types out there? (i hear about the 'arcade' one and the 'elite' one for example)
2) What is the difference between each? (is it just that the elite one got an internal harddisk? or so I heard)
3) Any recommendation on which type to get for lebanon?
4) Is there a restriction on where to get it from? (regions, etc.?) if so, should it be european, american, etc?
5) how much do the games cost on average? is it cheaper to order them from outside?
6) how good is online playing in general over our dsl?
7) how much bandwidth does it consume on average per hour of online gaming? (fps versus non fps and stuff like that)
8) I read here that pc graphics are better? I had imagined that having a device that is entirely dedicated and its graphics processors to gaming would result in better performance than pc.

thank you

edit: arg, this should have been posted under gaming, some moderator please remedy. thnx

elchebib

Hello and welcome to the world of gaming:

1) Yes, there are 2 different versions currently on the market, Elite and Arcade.

2) Difference is mainly that the arcade doesn't have the hard disk. The elite version comes with a 120 GB of disk space. If you're getting, be sure to get the elite version

3)Definitely get the elite version

4)Since the Xbox 360 depends on DVD for gaming, each console follows the region encoding for that DVD region. So a European Xbox would only play european games and DVDs and so on.

5)Original games costs about 80 USD and can be found at places like Virgin megastore. Pirated games can be found all over the place for as cheap as 5000 LBP. Such places include Nino. However, in order to play pirated games, you should mode your console. Be aware that modding your console will prevent you from playing online. If you do play online with your modded console, your console will banned and will be locked from going online.

6) From my PS3 experience, our connections in Lebanon are decent for most online play. I'd recommend getting the 512 kbps from Ogero if you don't need the unlimited night downloads.

7)Its very hard to know for sure how much an online playing session costs in terms of KBs.

8) Definitely graphics on the PC would put all consoles to shame. PCs are easily upgradable whereas consoles usually have their 6-7 years life cycle.

Any other questions you have, I'll be glad to answer.

duckster

thank you :)

- but I found that the arcade one is much cheaper. is it just the HDD difference? if so, what's the big deal? what can it help with? and can't I save games on its internal memory or memory card or something?

- what is the average price of an arcade and an elite in lebanon currently?

- i'd really hate to buy a new 360 and have it modded. I prefer keeping it as is and being able to play online normally. but $80 for a game is quite a lot ... any other solution? cheaper games and such

- I understand that PCs are upgradeable, but xbox is a dedicated machine for graphics ... i'm just speaking logically. Plus, graphics on xbox seemed quite nice when I checked them online. Maybe it's just that I haven't been a gamer on a PC either in order to appreciate where PC gaming has got to?

Joe

Xbox has better graphics than an average PC (understand a work station dedicated to do 'office' stuff). However if you're willing to spend money on a good graphic card, processors and such, you can get to specifications far better than any consoles. (Adding such components to the console would make its cost too high to be market-viable).

And about the prices, here's an idea: I don't know about Lebanon, (probably not), but abroad there's a huge market for 2nd-hand games. Games are expensive enough so that you don't store them.

Good quality 2nd-hand games are usually sold for 20-30 euros in Paris, I don't know about other countries. Anyway, if you know someone abroad, you could ask them to look into it. ;)

battikh

^^ even new games, when they get a bit old they become very cheap.
i bought mirror edge (new, not used) for my ps3 for just 16$.
but also, have no idea about lebanon...

elchebib

- The difference between the 2 is the availability of the HDD. And yes, the HDD is very important because games these days offer downloadable content (DLC) that you can buy online and download and install to your console. And for that, you need the HDD. In addition, if you're going to buy the arcade version, and in the future you needed an HDD, you'll need to pay 100 USD or more for 120 GB version.

- I don't know the average price of both versions in Lebanon. You can call a shop called Nino at 01-739999 to ask about the prices of both versions of the Xbox 360.

- Yes, gaming is an expensive hobby in Lebanon. And for the Xbox 360, there is no alternative because of the rampant piracy in Lebanon. You can buy online at several sites including www.dvdboxoffice.com where games cost about 70 USD. However, you should take into account that they ship for free using regular mail, which means you will have to wait for a month to receive the game given it arrives.

- Yes, the graphics on the console are excellent. I think the posters above me did elaborate on the issue.

As a suggestion, if you're really going into gaming and want to have original games, I'd suggest you go with the PS3. Both consoles are great and offer a variety of games; however, because the Xbox 360 has been pirated and has many pirated games and the PS3 doesn't, the PS3 is a much easier option for you to find and buy original games. Games usually cost around 70 USD and they usually appear on the Lebanese market about 1 week after they are released abroad. I can provide more info if you want to.

battikh

can't you upgrade the hdd yourself on the xbox as we do on the ps3?

elchebib

battikh wrotecan't you upgrade the hdd yourself on the xbox as we do on the ps3?

Yes you can change or install a new HDD on the Xbox. However, unlike the PS3 which uses a standard laptop drive, the Xbox 360 uses a proprietary HDD made specially for the Xbox 360 and it costs around 100 USD or more for the 120 GB version.

duckster

Thank you for the help guys.
I got the elite and the modern warfare game

I expected the console to have wifi, turns out it doesn't - needs an adapter.

duckster

Q: 1 month of free xbox live gold membership was provided as well. What happens after that? should I keep renewing or can I still play online without it?
i.e. what is the gold membership for if I can still play normally without it (downloading demos maybe?)

elchebib

If you're planning to play online, then you should renew your gold membership.
Gold accounts allow you to play online, download demos earlier and purchase games earlier than the regular silver accounts. Also, silver accounts are not allowed to play game online.