As an
Xbox 360 Premium owner, my brother and I thought a plain Jane Arcade version would be the perfect birthday gift for a friend. We went halfsies on it, and it didn't end up costing too much. We figured it'd be nice to have more friends to play with, after all.
The BasicsThe Arcade version lacks a few things, including a headset, a hard drive, and an HDMI cable. The version we bought never came with an HDMI port, so my friend has one that is slightly better. When we purchased a 120 GB hard drive upgrade, the 20 GB was given to our friend so that his Arcade version is the equivalent of our old Premium edition.
The funny thing is, a headset was included with the 12 month Live kit he bought anyways, so no loss there either. Plus, he plays on a SD TV, so the loss of a HDMI cable wasn't a deal breaker. Plus, HDMI cables can be had for cheap if you look at the right places.
While the older version of the Arcade version included a single wired controller, this new version comes with the same ergonomic wireless controller as the other Xbox 360 packages. I find the standard XBOX 360 controller easy to use on games that utilize the analog sticks. The digital D-pad, though, feel ambigous (can't really use charge characters in Street Fighter games).
In many ways, the Arcade version is a great value for money. Also, not to mention that it comes with several Arcade games for you to download and own. A 256 MB memory card does come in the package in lieu of a hard drive.
Fitting InSo where does the Arcade version fit in? The new Pro version now packs a 60 GB hard drive, and packs a bit more for $300. I’d say the Arcade version is the perfect version to buy as a gift, since $200 is a low price point where friends can pool money together and buy for someone.
We saved enough to purchase Fable and Fable 2 for him, and for Christmas, we were able to get him Forza and Left 4 Dead. He bought the HD-DVD add-on to purchase those cheap HD-DVDs on clearance at Fry’s Electronics.
The Arcade edition is only $199, a reasonable price for a gifting a next-gen console. The PS3 does not have a version this low in price. The next step up is the XBOX 360 Pro, which includes a 60 GB HDD, which is $100 more. If you purchase the Arcade edition with a 120 GB HDD ($150), you’re $50 ahead when compared to the Elite edition ($400). This makes the Arcade version very attractive if you purchase some of these upgrades separately instead of a bundle.
The XBOX 360 is a great value for those looking to “build” a cheaper alternative to the Elite package or to purchase as a gift for someone without breaking their own bank. It’s still a XBOX 360, and is not really watered down in any meaningful way.
The XBOX 360 ItselfThe console itself is a nice design compared to the PS3. It’s relatively small, and has an attractive and simple profile. It does not come with a hard drive, and instead bundles a 256 MB memory card for your Live profile, downloaded arcade games, and save games. As stated before, we bought ourselves a 120 GB hard drive upgrade and gave our 20 GB to our friend.
There are two USB ports on the front, which is concealed by a self-closing spring-loaded door. There is also another one accessible in the rear. Microsoft was anticipating on the HD-DVD format to prevail, and have their external USB HD-DVD drive be a hot seller, and this is where the drive would hook up to. The rear USB port is also what you will need to upgrade your smaller HDD to a larger one.
There are also two memory slots to allow for you to copy your profile or some saved games to take with you to a friend's place. Some games do not allow you to copy or move the saves, but those that do require you to move the data and not copy, since it can be used to cheat. Same goes for your XBOX Live profile, since they do not want your friend to be able to play for free under your login while you do the same at home.
The controllers are pretty nice for box standard controls. Thankfully, they are the same wireless controllers that comes with the more expensive XBOX 360 packages. The older Arcade XBOX 360 package included a wired controller. The bundled controller is ergonomically designed for the analog sticks. The digital pads feel more analog than anything, so it isn’t great for fighting games (such as Street Fighter IV and SSFII HD Remix). It seems to connect to the console easier than the PS3 and the Wii. If it’s the first time you are pairing the controllers to the system, just hit the Connect button on the console while the controller is searching.
Despite not being the best for fighting games, I found myself preferring the analog sticks over the D-pad for them. That said, the digital directional pad is very poorly designed, and feels very numb and ambiguous. Overall, though, the controllers are very ergonomic, and feels very good for dual-analog joystick games. The buttons and right-stick are placed perfectly for your thumb to reach. My friend actually prefers the digital pad, however, but he uses Zangief, who don't have any charge moves, and mostly 360s (which makes the ambiguous d-pad just fine for his needs).
InstallationMy friend does not have an HDTV, so it didn't matter that an HDMI cable was not included. Instead, he purchased a component cable to use on his analog SDTV. The graphics look great still, and even though he can't take full advantage of the HD-DVD drive he purchased, he can still enjoy the movies and TV Shows (Heroes Season One on HD-DVD). He's of the mantra "I don't need no stinkin' HDTV"!
The included composite video/audio cable just didn't do any justice compared to the component connection.
The power brick is less hefty than the original power brick my brother and I have, but then again, the newer version is less power hungry, too. This is a great benefit for those going green.
The DashboardThe Dashboard has changed since the original debut, but since this version of the XBOX never had the old one before, I won't mention it. The interface of the Dashboard suits the multiple options you can have with your XBOX. With more and more things you can do with your XBOX, the old Dashboard's blades started to get cramped. They've expanded the menus, allowing you to move up/down and sideways.
One of the most exciting new feature is the ability to watch streamed NetFlix movies and TV Shows as long as you have an account with them. I have yet to try this, since I do not have an account with NetFlix, but it's a very exciting prospect.
Dealing with friends, messages, and parties have gotten a bit easier, though it still confuses me sometimes. There is a bit of lag when in some of the gray background areas.
All in all, it's functional and colorful, which draws a lot of attention. It's a very lively experience.
The GamesThe games are what make a console successful. So far, our library for the XBOX 360 is much larger than the PS3, and includes Halo 3, Left 4 Dead, Rock Band, Guitar Heroes 2, 3, and World Tour, Army of two, Forza, Gears of War 1 & 2, Fight Night Round 3, NBA Live 07, Call of Duty 5, and more. Not to mention the already large library we have for the original Xbox which all seem to work on the Xbox 360. This also doesn’t include downloaded games such as Street Fighter II HD Remix, Uno, and Duke Nukem 3D.
My friend started out with Left 4 Dead and Fable 2, while owns several original XBOX titles such as the original Fable and Halo. We really want him to get Halo 3, but since, he bought Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Street Fighter IV, and Forza. Being a Halo fan, I was shocked he did not add the game to his library!
The downside to the Xbox 360 is the DRM. The games and downloaded content you purchase on the 360 requires you to be on the same system if you wish to play the content offline. If you replace the system or move it to your friend’s Xbox, you’re required to sign in your Xbox Live account while playing. This is not ideal especially for those with failing systems.
So far, my friend does keep his profile on his memory card, since he plays with us on our XBOX 360. It makes perfect sense to keep it on a portable device than on the hard drive.
The downloadable content for the disc-based games can add game play value as well. We've been trying to keep up with all the new music that came out for Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero 3, but have since stopped. We've spent over $100 just in new DLC music! Microsoft must be happy about that.
My friend have purchased a few games online, including Lumines and Duke Nukem 3D. He since tried to get us to purchase Lumines, but we have not gotten around to do so.
Media CenterWhile you can use the XBOX 360 to extend your Windows Media Center, I don't really do this since my Media Center is already connected to the same TV as my XBOX. However, you don't need to do this to stream video and audio to the XBOX. As long as you have your music and video library shared in Windows Media Player, your XBOX can see it, and can play them off the PC.
Currently, you can play MP3s, WMAs, WMVs, AAC, and MP4 files. With MP4, the XBOX does support 5.1 surround sound, while the PS3 still lacks this feature.
It's a feature I don't really use, since I have a Windows Media Center PC already, but it's a plus for those who don't.
My friend purchased the HD-DVD drive so he can take advantage of the cheap HD-DVDs at Fry's Electronics. It may be a dying format, but he can always use the HD-DVD drive on the PC and rip the contents to something more lasting (such as the MKV file format).
The UpshotThe XBOX 360 Arcade package is still good value for money, since it's still in essence the same next-gen console in their pricer packages. I found it to be a great package if you're looking to purchase a next-gen console as a gift, since it doesn't break the bank if you go halfsies with someone. Also, a 60 GB hard drive can now be had for $99, which is still an acceptable price for the person receiving the XBOX as a gift.
Plus, now you will have one more person to play with online!
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