XBox 360 Elite

[Pyrex]

And HDMI is only valuable if you've got a true 1080p HDTV and are willing to shell out another $100 for a 3' long cable!

HDMI cables only cost $100 when they say "Monster Cable" on them. There are plenty of $10 HDMI cables out there...

 

[John Crichton]

Right, but those cables stink. They would be the same quality of the one that will certainly be packed with the Elite. Gotta spring for a bit more than that if you are hooking up to a good HDTV. I'd say at least $25 will get the job done for an HDMI cable hooked up to a TV under 40".

That said, there are some cables from Monster that certainly increase sound/picture quality with the right equipment.

 

[Vigilance]

A lot of the games I'm liking are (to the best of my knowledge) primarily single-player: Oblivion, Mass Effect, GTA IV, and so forth. A friend claims that XBL "makes the system." Is XBL still worth it even if I'm not engaging a lot in the multiplayer? What's the price for an account?

If you dont want to play multiplayer games, XBL is free. That's the XBL Silver account. You can download content, like game updates, or XBL games, like Frogger or whatever, you just can't play with others without going to XBL Gold.

 

[Vigilance]

Well, considering the 120 gig hard drive costs what, $180 sold separately, the Elite starts to look like a good valuel.

Still, it's funny, Sony releases an expensive console packed with stuff in it (and uses standard hard drives/peripherials), people hate them for it. MS releases an expensive console with extras that cost even more than Sony's added up, and people love them for it and can't wait to buy it.

I think the Sony hate goes way deeper than just the price, for me anyway.

I believe the statement by a Sony rep that "people will pay 500 dollars for this console even if we don't make games for it" and "If Steve Jobs slapped an Apple logo on the PS3 he could sell it for 2,000 dollars" and "leaders don't react" had a lot more to do with that.

And of course, there's plenty of reasons to hate the company behind the rootkit that have nothing to do with the PS3 too.

I mean, I really don't care for MS, but Sony makes them look GOOD.

So I think it's more a case of Sony being the worst of two evils than anyone loving MS

Still, as someone who's thinking about getting in the door with a Core 360, the options make it much more likely that the 360 will be my "next gen" console of choice when I decide to expand beyond the Wii and the DS (now Nintendo is a company I can actually LIKE).

And it might just be the even more awesome 360 Marvel Ultimate Alliance that gets me to do it too. Damn you and your downloadable characters!!!!!!!!

Chuck

 

[freebfrost]

How does that work? Does the PC see the Xbox as a removable hard drive?

It recognizes it as a connected Xbox 360 actually. Kinda cool.

 

[freebfrost]

Right, but those cables stink. They would be the same quality of the one that will certainly be packed with the Elite. Gotta spring for a bit more than that if you are hooking up to a good HDTV. I'd say at least $25 will get the job done for an HDMI cable hooked up to a TV under 40".

Yup, I tried one of the cheap ones with my PS3 and my Aquos - it did stink. Once I grudgingly paid for an expensive one, I was pleased by the result.

YMMV.

 

[John Crichton]

Yup, I tried one of the cheap ones with my PS3 and my Aquos - it did stink. Once I grudgingly paid for an expensive one, I was pleased by the result.

YMMV.

Yeah, my TV is only 32" and the boxed cables never look good enough.

I actually did buy a Monster HDMI cable (I think I got it for $80) and it runs from my HDMI splitter to the TV. At the moment, my TV only has one HDMI input but I have 2 (actually 3 if you count the DVD upconverter collecting dust) devices that look so much better using that input method.

 

[Arnwyn]

By all means, please provide said simple, clear-cut economic analysis.

Sure, if I get a chance while at work today and I'm bored of posting in other threads.

But, really man, c'mon... all you have to do is get your annual cash outflows for each option, apply a reasonable discount rate (most appropriately a savings interest rate you're able to get at your local bank), present worth them, and then compare. Any spreadsheet can do that, for pete's sake.

 

[Felon]

But, really man, c'mon... all you have to do is get your annual cash outflows for each option, apply a reasonable discount rate (most appropriately a savings interest rate you're able to get at your local bank), present worth them, and then compare. Any spreadsheet can do that, for pete's sake.

I don't currently have a cash outflow for each option. This will be my first console since the original Playstation.

 

[John Crichton]

This will be my first console since the original Playstation.

Not a bad call if you are looking for the console with the best selection of "next-gen" games right now. I'm quite pleased with my 360. I just wish it wasn't as loud as a harrier taking off...

May I be so bold as to suggest buying Crackdown, Dead Rising, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Oblivion with it?