NationStates Jolt Archive


Is the XBox 360 worth it yet?

Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 11:48
I'm thinking of pick up this pack: XBox 360 Premium, plus an extra controller and two games (Kameo and PGR3). Apparently those games are great. Whole thing costs AUD730. Plus maybe Rockstar Ping Pong too, for AUD50.

Whaddya think?
BackwoodsSquatches
26-07-2006, 11:53
Radio controlled controllers means no cords...thats cool.

Not to mention that the 360 acts as a all-in-one media center for your home.
It can play the mp3's from your computer, it can download movie trailers for you, play dvd's..and oh yeah...has some pretty kickass games too.

Did I mention that you can watch movies from your hard drive, on your television with minimal messing around?
Moonshine
26-07-2006, 11:53
I'm tempted by the Wii, myself. Much less expensive (apparently), and that controller looks like it could be fun. I'm fed up of companies charging £300+ for a toy that doesn't do much apart from make pretty pictures. For that much I could be tearing the heads off of daisies with a 200mph nitro-powered winged demon of a toy. ;)
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 11:56
I'm tempted by the Wii, myself. Much less expensive (apparently), and that controller looks like it could be fun. I'm fed up of companies charging £300+ for a toy that doesn't do much apart from make pretty pictures. For that much I could be tearing the heads off of daisies with a 200mph nitro-powered winged demon of a toy. ;)

I thought the XBox was a powerful machine with no game base too, but turns out it has some pretty strong ones. One of the best launches since N64.
Damor
26-07-2006, 12:00
Radio controlled controllers means no cords...thats cool.Weren't there problems with signal with wireless controllers?
I mean, it would suck to play a game were only half your moves are noticed by the console because the connection is too fidgety. (Not to mention inevitably your batteries run out at just the worst possible time)
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 12:01
Radio controlled controllers means no cords...thats cool.

Not to mention that the 360 acts as a all-in-one media center for your home.
It can play the mp3's from your computer, it can download movie trailers for you, play dvd's..and oh yeah...has some pretty kickass games too.

Did I mention that you can watch movies from your hard drive, on your television with minimal messing around?

You wouldn't happen to own a 360, would you?
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 12:02
Weren't there problems with signal with wireless controllers?
I mean, it would suck to play a game were only half your moves are noticed by the console because the connection is too fidgety. (Not to mention inevitably your batteries run out at just the worst possible time)

I've play it with what I'm pretty sure were wireless controllers (I've played the store 360, with the controllers attached to the cabinet, but they looked like they had calibration buttons on them), and I didn't have any problems.
BackwoodsSquatches
26-07-2006, 12:16
Weren't there problems with signal with wireless controllers?
I mean, it would suck to play a game were only half your moves are noticed by the console because the connection is too fidgety. (Not to mention inevitably your batteries run out at just the worst possible time)


I can tell you that both my friends who have them, both have the wireless controllers, and having played them..i noticed nothing amiss.

No more cords...
BackwoodsSquatches
26-07-2006, 12:18
You wouldn't happen to own a 360, would you?


No, but two of my good friends do, so Ive seen and played most of the games for it, and seen most of its features.
Its SO much more than a gaming console.

Lets just say that the PS3 better come large...or not at all.
Moonshine
26-07-2006, 12:27
I thought the XBox was a powerful machine with no game base too, but turns out it has some pretty strong ones. One of the best launches since N64.

It's not that it has no game base, it's that it's £300+ for a games console.

Way too expensive for me. I'd rather spend that much on a PC graphics card and enjoy way cheaper (and better looking) games. Or on a stupidly fast model aircraft. ;)
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 12:28
Lets just say that the PS3 better come large...or not at all.

I've heard that a Sony employee said that the PS3 would make PCs obsolete. Consoles that get that sort of boasting usually end up bombing out.
BackwoodsSquatches
26-07-2006, 12:34
It's not that it has no game base, it's that it's £300+ for a games console.

Way too expensive for me. I'd rather spend that much on a PC graphics card and enjoy way cheaper (and better looking) games. Or on a stupidly fast model aircraft. ;)


Chances are, the 360 displays games better than yourr computer.
The box has a 512mg graphics card.

You probably dont.

Ive seen it....I believe it.
Moonshine
26-07-2006, 12:43
Chances are, the 360 displays games better than yourr computer.
The box has a 512mg graphics card.

You probably dont.

Ive seen it....I believe it.

The Nvidia Geforce 7800GTX is as good as an Xbox 360 on its own in terms of brute force polygon-pushing power (that's without taking your computer's main processor or sound processing hardware into account), and around the same price if you shop around. PCI-Express graphics cards also have the advantage of a high-speed (8.5GB/sec) interface with the computer's main memory, so you effectively have as much graphics memory as you like. Suffice to say it'll laugh at Doom 3 and other such games.

You can also spend another £300 and link two cards together, if you really want to take the mickey, like a friend of mine has.

You don't want to mess with his computer. ;)
BackwoodsSquatches
26-07-2006, 12:49
The Nvidia Geforce 7800GTX is as good as an Xbox 360, and around the same price if you shop around. PCI-Express graphics cards also have the advantage of a high-speed (8.5GB/sec) interface with the computer's main memory, so you effectively have as much graphics memory as you like. Suffice to say it'll laugh at Doom 3 and other such games.

You can also spend another £300 and link two cards together, if you really want to take the mickey, like a friend of mine has.

You don't want to mess with his computer. ;)


Yes, this is assuming that your MB has a PCI-EX slot at all.
The newer ones do.
However, some of us...with gaming machines that are about two years old or so, only have agp slots.
So..that xbox is kicking out more grahpics number-crunching that my card.
However, my system has much more RAM than the 360.

Doom 3 on the highest settings is no big thing.

and that card you mentioned....its a nice card..oh yeah..
However, it alone costs as much as the xbox 360 package does.
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 12:53
Lol, I feel a bit guilty about buying something this big. I just started getting the govt. Youth Allowance. I wanna buy something big now, and then just save. You know, a sort of celebratory first purchase.
Moonshine
26-07-2006, 12:57
Doom 3 on the highest settings is no big thing.


1600x1200 (higher than HDTV) with 8x anti-aliasing? I'd think that it is...


and that card you mentioned....its a nice card..oh yeah..
However, it alone costs as much as the xbox 360 package does.

That is true. However, there's an enormous library of games that you can play with it, and you can actually do work with a computer! Or, indeed, try making your own games...


..and as for the PS3 killing the PC off, see above!
Andaluciae
26-07-2006, 13:06
I'd have to say that the 360 is worth it. I've put in countless hours on it since it arrived in my life. Many great times, hours playing Oblivion...oh. You mean buy it yourself. Sorry, I just mooch off of my roommate.
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 13:10
I'd have to say that the 360 is worth it. I've put in countless hours on it since it arrived in my life. Many great times, hours playing Oblivion...oh. You mean buy it yourself. Sorry, I just mooch off of my roommate.

Lol, I've got Oblivion for PC (more opportunity, IMO, for modding and such). But I look forward to Kameo, PGR3 and Table Tennis.
Pure Metal
26-07-2006, 13:22
Lol, I feel a bit guilty about buying something this big. I just started getting the govt. Youth Allowance. I wanna buy something big now, and then just save. You know, a sort of celebratory first purchase.
i feel kinda guilty too... am saving up for holidays and new car, deposit for my own apartment, that kind of thing, and 300 quid isn't to be sniffed at :-S (much as i would love to have one)

if they dropped the price to 199 i'd really consider it i think (core system with a wireless controller)


i actually want a 360 not really for games but for the hdtv compatibility, and the media centre-ness (laptop's sound is totally busted so would be great to plug 360 into hifi and have music again!)
then again, could do that with chipping my current xbox and getting linux on it... bah, too many choices :(
The Atlantian islands
26-07-2006, 13:52
I;ve got the 360, with Perfect Dark, Hitman Blood Money, and NBA Live..plus my old Xbox games...was it worth it? Hell yeah...and it only gets better as better games come out.:cool:
Jeruselem
26-07-2006, 14:00
I'd consider one if I could have a little more control over paranoid-locked-OS on the XBOX 360, then consoles are always that way.
Marvelland
26-07-2006, 14:01
I'm thinking of pick up this pack: XBox 360 Premium, plus an extra controller and two games (Kameo and PGR3). Apparently those games are great. Whole thing costs AUD730. Plus maybe Rockstar Ping Pong too, for AUD50.

Whaddya think?

I own one (I had a NGC before). Overall, I'm very happy: great graphics, good games, no real problems except some occasional failure loading Tiger Woods 2006. I am no hard core gamer, though (too old perhaps:( ). Wireless controllers are a real improvement, and I use the console as a DVD player too (I didn't have one).

As for games, Kameo is very nice and original (I still have trouble beating that troll... :gundge: ), PGR3 good, but my favorite is Fight Night R3. Awesome.
Mac World
26-07-2006, 14:03
Well some of the good things about the 360 is the amount of games that are out right now and will be out when the Wii and PS3 launch. I'm very skeptical when it comes to Xbox hardware though. I went through 2-3 Xboxes and I've heard horror stories about 360s BSODing. (It's a black screen instead of a blue one.)

Nintendo has always made good hardware. I've been playing their stuff since the 16-bit era and have never had a bad N64, Gamecube, etc. Plus the Wii will be cheaper than the others. About 200-250 USD. Not to mention that the software will be cheaper as well compared to the 360 and PS3 software price. 60-70 USD. I think the controller will be cool as well. If you've got the cash and can't wait for next-gen, then go with 360 or upgrade your PC. Otherwise, I would wait 3-4 months for the other competition to come out to see what they have to offer.
Greater Alemannia
26-07-2006, 15:35
Ok guys, so here's the plan: *pulls down map*

I got $730 on me, I go to the bank on Firday get my 70 Euro changed, whihc should put me up to $800 AT LEAST. Then on Saturday, train to mall, buy XBox 360.

*chambers G-36*

Let's roll.
Moonshine
27-07-2006, 18:52
I'm very skeptical when it comes to Xbox hardware though. I went through 2-3 Xboxes and I've heard horror stories about 360s BSODing. (It's a black screen instead of a blue one.)

The shop I work in has had a small percentage of 360s coming back with some very odd errors, however it is only a small percentage. Much smaller than, say, wireless routers (of which it's almost guaranteed that half of our stock is returned-but-working goods, either because it was the wrong type or because the customer expects the thing to just magically work without any kind of setup, and gets angry and takes it back when it doesn't).
Greater Alemannia
28-07-2006, 09:04
Phase one: complete. Euro changed.