[Xbox 360] Sell or unsell me on getting one!

[Felon]

As for the OP, I have an Xbox, so that's what I can speak to. I can tell you that I have no regrets. Like you, I'm not crazy about laying a couple thousand for a new PC.

As to HDTV, here's the bottom line: nobody who has an HDTV will tell you it's not a big deal.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

As to HDTV, here's the bottom line: nobody who has an HDTV will tell you it's not a big deal.

Haha, too true.

I have a 360 and don't have an HDTV and its fine. In fact, I've even had it hooked up to a nice HDTV while at a friend's place and yeah, its beautiful...but that doesn't mean its the ONLY way to play. The 360 is just fine with a normal TV no matter what anyone says to the contrary.

 

[Goobermunch]

As to HDTV, here's the bottom line: nobody who has an HDTV will tell you it's not a big deal.

Meh, it's not that big of a deal.

But it's a pretty big deal.

I have gone through both. I played a lot of Madden '08 and all of BioShock on an SDTV. I've played a chunk of Assassin's Creed on an SDTV. I've played a ton of Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Portal, CoD4, and a smidge of Oblivion on HDTV.

HDTV makes a big difference. It's much much prettier. But, I don't think re-playing BioShock on HDTV will significantly alter the things I loved about the game. Maybe that's just me.

--G

 

[drothgery]

I have a 360 and don't have an HDTV and its fine. In fact, I've even had it hooked up to a nice HDTV while at a friend's place and yeah, its beautiful...but that doesn't mean its the ONLY way to play. The 360 is just fine with a normal TV no matter what anyone says to the contrary.

But is it noticeably better than an original Xbox or a PS2 on SDTV?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

But is it noticeably better than an original Xbox or a PS2 on SDTV?

Of course it is.

But that doesn't mean its required to have an HDTV. I could see the argument making a lot more sense for the PS3, but first hand experience tells me that the 360 does just fine on an SDTV. There's nothing at all that makes it impossible to play games on an SDTV, and, to me, its ridiculous to say you HAVE to have an HDTV to enjoy the games. Especially since I enjoy them without one all the time.

 

[drothgery]

Of course it is.

But that doesn't mean its required to have an HDTV. I could see the argument making a lot more sense for the PS3, but first hand experience tells me that the 360 does just fine on an SDTV. There's nothing at all that makes it impossible to play games on an SDTV, and, to me, its ridiculous to say you HAVE to have an HDTV to enjoy the games. Especially since I enjoy them without one all the time.

It's more out of curiousity that I'm asking. I didn't even think about getting a 360 until I got an HDTV because I think a 20" widescreen monitor is too small to play console games on, and it seemed to me that a 360 would be overkill at SD resolutions.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I got a 360 in December -- first console I've owned since the original NES -- and am enjoying it. I'm not using the online play, nor HD (though it is hooked up to an HDTV ... I don't want to spring for a second cable, or swap the cable box back and forth).

I only have a few games to this point -- finished Halo 3, and am currently rotating between Oblivion and Mass Effect with periodic side trips to Forza. I really picked it up for the shooters (Halo 3 was perfect, as far as I'm concerned) and Forza (great with the wheel, and another hobby of mine is tracking my car, so this is off-season practice), but the RPGs have been enjoyable too.

YMMV. It got to the point where I couldn't quite get the games I wanted for the PC, and the 360 seemed to have more of what I wanted than the PS3. But if I were interested in a different set of games, the PS3 might have been a better choice -- I think it depends on what kind of games you prefer.

Edit: I should point our that a big part of my decision for the 360 was driven by various driver reviews of Forza 2 vs. Gran Turismo, where it seemed the Forza physics engine was better regarded by folks with actual track time. The upcoming GT release could change that, of course.

 

[Xath]

Not sure what you mean here. If you're comparing to the PS3, the PS3 version is better unless you have a 360 Elite (as the PS3 has a larger HDD and has the wireless guitar).

Mostly referring to the PS2 and upcoming Wii versions, neither of which will have the online multiplayer or download capabilities. I largely discount the PS3 in my discussion because it's just too much of an investment for me at present. It doesn't do enough that's "different" than my PC or 360 for me to want to shell out the money for one.

 

[Agamon]

Love my 360. Rock Band is the best, but I play my share of Halo 3, Burnout Paradise, Guitar Hero 3, NHL 08 and the games on Marketplace are great (and inexpensive), too. Just make sure you have some time to waste, because it does that in spades...

 

[Aus_Snow]

Done.

Thanks for all the advice, again. I'm already pretty happy with it. Luckily, it's definitely one of the later models, using less power, running cooler, etc. And a very good price, with a fairly recent game thrown in. Yay! Time to catch up on lots of gaming goodness.

Notes so far: it's actually pretty compact for what it's capable of, the controllers are nicer to use than the PS2's, a recharger thingy is a good investment (I think), I like the interface, really looking forward to checking out all the online stuff that's available (must get update to be able to play original XBox games, for one thing), games can be gotten fairly cheaply here and there (I was relieved to discover).

Oh, and it's fine on SDTV. . . for now. HDTV was going to be the next 'big' purchase anyway.