Minecraft for xbox help needed

[cathyce2]

My daughter LOVES Minecraft. She currently has the ipod version but recently played a "better" version at a friends house so now she has an xbox and the minecraft game on her wishlist. Other than this or an occasional round of Just Dance on the wii, no one in our family is big on playing video games.

A resale site I belong to has several xbox 360's available, but I'm not sure what I need. They go from 4gb to 250gb, some have kinect and others dont. One has a keyboard.

Can someone please advise me what I need to best meet her request without getting too many extras?

 

[oneandonlytara]

I would suggest 250gb. Space can fill quickly with game saves and the like and also if she'll put the game directly on the hard drive. I don't, because I like to save space for other games, but some do, and 250gb is adequate for this. 4gb isn't worth the price if she'll eventually be playing other games, you'll eventually need to invest in a larger drive anyway. I have a 250gb one that I'll have had for a year at Christmas and have only used about 30gb or so, even with all my Minecraft and other game saves.

I can't speak on Kinect because I don't have it, but definitely look into getting at least one other controller, so she can play with friends. I don't bother with an Xbox Live subscription because I don't enjoy playing online that much and much prefer gaming with friends when they're over. If, for some reason I ever do want to play online, a one month subscription is about $8 I think. One year is about $50. I think there's three month ones too for $24.

 

[ajwolfe]

My kids play a lot of Minecraft and other games on the XBox. I would look into the XBox live subscriptions so she can play with her friends online and such. We love the Kinect at our house, so I would get it if you see a deal on it. Makes games like Just Dance that much funner since you don't have to hold a controller or any type of device.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Here's some basic facts:
1. Kinect is for motion-based gaming...you need a large room to use (or at least long...need some distance from the tv and the person), but can be a lot of fun (I like the Disneyland Game for it, wandering around the park, playing minigames...a is bit of a workout too). Not important for Minecraft...but some dance games might need it
2. 4GB vs 250 GB machines. If you think she might be saving a lot of content or downloading games, then go with the 250 GB. But you can always add an external drive or a 16GB USB stick (only $15 on Amazon) to the 4GB one if she is just a casual gamer.
3. XBox Live. If she wants to play online with friends you will want to get this subscription...think it is around $60 a year...might not be worth it for you...for me it is because it allowed us to return one of our cable boxes (and drop the $12 a month fee off our cable bill) for that TV since the XBox Live Gold allows Time Warner Cable App to act as a cable box. You need to have wifi, or the machine would need to be connected to your modem by an ethernet cable.

So I suggest considering a 4GB system with Kinect and maybe a 3-month XBox Live Gold membership...and think about the 16 GB USB memory stick.

Oh, and don't forget an HDMI cable to hook it up to your HDTV.

 

[texasroni75]

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. DD (13) and DS(10) play the PC version of Minecraft. It is NOT the pocket edition like they play on tablets and ipods - it is a fully-functional version of the game. In fact, it has MORE than the xbox360 version because users can constantly add their own mods to it, and the company updates it frequently too. It cost $26.95 at Gamestop for the PC Game card (it's an activation card and you go online at home and put in your code). My kids have been playing it for nearly a year now and still LOVE it.

So, if your kids already have access to a computer or laptop with internet access at home, you could go that route (unless you wanted the xbox360 anyway).

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I got my son an xbox 360 for this year for Christmas for the exact same reason...minecraft. He has been wanting the xbox version for awhile. I got the 4gb and will cross the additional storage space bridge when we get to it. He is getting an iPad mini as well, so I don't imagine we need a ton of storage for xbox. I am going to go get a refurbished kinect sensor from gamestop and buy the sports kinect game for my younger child, who is a sports nut. Will be fun for him when it is too cold to be outside. I also purchased an extra controller, as suggested by the PP.

 

[DLgal]

Ditto the suggestion to just have the child play on a computer. It can be a desktop or laptop. Way cheaper and actually better than the XBox version.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Hmmm, similar situation here. I bought the 250 something-g Xbox, Minecraft, 2 wireless controllers and a quick-charge package. If they're playing online, do I need the Xbox subscription too? Can I wait and add it later?

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Hmmm, similar situation here. I bought the 250 something-g Xbox, Minecraft, 2 wireless controllers and a quick-charge package. If they're playing online, do I need the Xbox subscription too? Can I wait and add it later?

I believe the free (called XBox Live Silver membership) allows for online gaming with friends, it IS a subscription, but a free one (but you still have to sign up)...the GOLD membership is the one that costs and has additional perks...so you should be able to have them play their friends online for free.

I probably should have included that in my previous post, but forgot how much can be done online with silver since I've had the gold membership for a year now.

 

[3boymthr]

Unless she is planning on connecting with her friends to play minecraft over the internet I would NOT buy an Xbox just so she can play minecraft.

My kids have all the versions of minecraft - apple mobile, android mobile, xbox and PC. The version they prefer, the PC version, because it has more features AND it is playable on a mac, if that is the platform you have because it is an online game that you buy access to via a card from your local gaming store or wally world or target or best buy or...

The biggest problem with the Xbox version is that if she wants to keep playing you MUST have xbox Live which costs an additional $50 per year. If you let your Xbox Live subscription lapse even for just a couple of days her minecraft world is gone.

The PC version costs about the same as the xbox version and it does not require a subscription to keep it going. I paid the one time fee and that was it.

 

[3boymthr]

I got my son an xbox 360 for this year for Christmas for the exact same reason...minecraft. He has been wanting the xbox version for awhile. I got the 4gb and will cross the additional storage space bridge when we get to it. He is getting an iPad mini as well, so I don't imagine we need a ton of storage for xbox. I am going to go get a refurbished kinect sensor from gamestop and buy the sports kinect game for my younger child, who is a sports nut. Will be fun for him when it is too cold to be outside. I also purchased an extra controller, as suggested by the PP.

You will need the larger hard drive, probably sooner than you think. Because for all that you are playing online for minecraft and for all that the games themselves are on a disk, all their history, all their statistics and play profile information and all the worlds they create for minecraft are stored on the xbox hard drive. If you are playing games where your progress thru levels doesn't matter then the 4GB will be adequate, but if they have progress they want to save that 4GB will be gone in nothing flat - probably a couple of months maybe less.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Unless she is planning on connecting with her friends to play minecraft over the internet I would NOT buy an Xbox just so she can play minecraft.

My kids have all the versions of minecraft - apple mobile, android mobile, xbox and PC. The version they prefer, the PC version, because it has more features AND it is playable on a mac, if that is the platform you have because it is an online game that you buy access to via a card from your local gaming store or wally world or target or best buy or...

The biggest problem with the Xbox version is that if she wants to keep playing you MUST have xbox Live which costs an additional $50 per year. If you let your Xbox Live subscription lapse even for just a couple of days her minecraft world is gone.

The PC version costs about the same as the xbox version and it does not require a subscription to keep it going. I paid the one time fee and that was it.

I would much rather let him get it on my Mac but last I checked it wasn't available. Of course? Then I would also be kicked off my computer frequently.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

You will need the larger hard drive, probably sooner than you think. Because for all that you are playing online for minecraft and for all that the games themselves are on a disk, all their history, all their statistics and play profile information and all the worlds they create for minecraft are stored on the xbox hard drive. If you are playing games where your progress thru levels doesn't matter then the 4GB will be adequate, but if they have progress they want to save that 4GB will be gone in nothing flat - probably a couple of months maybe less.

Ok, thx! I see where you can purchase and extra hard drive to Install, so that will be a perfect bday gift in February.

 

[richmo]

...A resale site I belong to has several xbox 360's available, but I'm not sure what I need. They go from 4gb to 250gb, some have kinect and others dont. One has a keyboard.

Can someone please advise me what I need to best meet her request without getting too many extras?

I wouldn't think you'd need a keyboard. Be careful buying used 360's. Make sure you get one of the newer "slim" models. The older ones have a widespread issue where they may overheat after even an hour of continuous play, resulting in the "red ring of death". Google that and you'll see. Once that happens, the unit is toast. Some of the older 360's also don't have HDMI. Kinect is a cool idea, but the games still haven't really followed...plus you could always get one later. I'd also suggest the larger hard drive.

...3. XBox Live. If she wants to play online with friends you will want to get this subscription...think it is around $60 a year......

Yes, it retails for $60. If you're committed to purchasing the Xbox, keep your eyes open the next couple of weeks. The past couple years I've seen Xbox Live memberships for $39 around Christmas. They may be online offers...keep your eyes out on Amazon, Target, TigerDirect. Hopefully a discount will come up.

 

[GOOFY D]

The biggest problem with the Xbox version is that if she wants to keep playing you MUST have xbox Live which costs an additional $50 per year. If you let your Xbox Live subscription lapse even for just a couple of days her minecraft world is gone.

Can you explain this? I have never heard that you must play online to keep playing.

 

[3boymthr]

Minecraft on xbox is an online player game - unlike games like Disney Infinity, you don't buy a disk and you can't resell the game once you purchase it. All you get for $20 is access to the online content of the game. You have to have a wifi or ethernet cord to make a connection to the internet for your xbox. You then buy a minecraft download from microsoft (there may be a minecraft xbox card available at gamestop but my kids bought xbox points and used those). Then you have to connect to Xbox Live and download the game to your Xbox (here comes the need for the larger hard drive - all those downloaded games eat up a ton of space on the hard drive). My kids told me you have to have the Gold subscription to keep it working but double check as PP mentioned the silver subscription. I'm not sure about how silver works, only gold. We probably would have had the gold anyway as oldest DS plays other games such as call of duty, halo, etc. online with his friends. The good thing about the gold is if you have comcast xfinity, or neflix or amazon prime or hulu or...you can also stream content (Verizon Fios does not offer this). Not sure if other cable carriers offer streaming but I know comcast did as DS used it all the time instead of a cable box in his room. We have never let our gold subscription lapse but a friend did for a week or so and her son was devastated when his worlds were gone the next time he logged in.

 

[GOOFY D]

Minecraft on xbox is an online player game - unlike games like Disney Infinity, you don't buy a disk and you can't resell the game once you purchase it. All you get for $20 is access to the online content of the game. You have to have a wifi or ethernet cord to make a connection to the internet for your xbox. You then buy a minecraft download from microsoft (there may be a minecraft xbox card available at gamestop but my kids bought xbox points and used those). Then you have to connect to Xbox Live and download the game to your Xbox (here comes the need for the larger hard drive - all those downloaded games eat up a ton of space on the hard drive). My kids told me you have to have the Gold subscription to keep it working but double check as PP mentioned the silver subscription. I'm not sure about how silver works, only gold. We probably would have had the gold anyway as oldest DS plays other games such as call of duty, halo, etc. online with his friends. The good thing about the gold is if you have comcast xfinity, or neflix or amazon prime or hulu or...you can also stream content (Verizon Fios does not offer this). Not sure if other cable carriers offer streaming but I know comcast did as DS used it all the time instead of a cable box in his room. We have never let our gold subscription lapse but a friend did for a week or so and her son was devastated when his worlds were gone the next time he logged in.

So when you buy the box that has xbox 360 Minecraft on it the front (looks like any other video game), it is not a disc? Are you sure?

 

[mblondie0509]

Minecraft on xbox is an online player game - unlike games like Disney Infinity, you don't buy a disk and you can't resell the game once you purchase it. All you get for $20 is access to the online content of the game. You have to have a wifi or ethernet cord to make a connection to the internet for your xbox. You then buy a minecraft download from microsoft (there may be a minecraft xbox card available at gamestop but my kids bought xbox points and used those). Then you have to connect to Xbox Live and download the game to your Xbox (here comes the need for the larger hard drive - all those downloaded games eat up a ton of space on the hard drive). My kids told me you have to have the Gold subscription to keep it working but double check as PP mentioned the silver subscription. I'm not sure about how silver works, only gold. We probably would have had the gold anyway as oldest DS plays other games such as call of duty, halo, etc. online with his friends. The good thing about the gold is if you have comcast xfinity, or neflix or amazon prime or hulu or...you can also stream content (Verizon Fios does not offer this). Not sure if other cable carriers offer streaming but I know comcast did as DS used it all the time instead of a cable box in his room. We have never let our gold subscription lapse but a friend did for a week or so and her son was devastated when his worlds were gone the next time he logged in.

While this may be an option, this is not the only way to play Minecraft. Last Xmas I purchased the 4GB Xbox 360 (no Kinect) with a Minecraft game (a disc just like any other game...currently $20 in the video game case at Walmart) for DS8 (now almost 10). We do not have the internet at home, so while he cannot connect online with friends, he can play and save his worlds. The 4GB has been more than sufficient for Minecraft, Skylanders (3 versions), Infinity and a TMNT game. His worlds are saved when he exits and he enjoys the full functionality of all of the games. I do take it to my mom's house and connect it to her internet every 6 months or so to get the updates.

We are getting the internet installed right after Xmas and he will get a Gold subscription as a bday present but just wanted you to know that it is possible to play offline and still retain all of their progress.

 

[ajwolfe]

So when you buy the box that has xbox 360 Minecraft on it the front (looks like any other video game), it is not a disc? Are you sure?

You can purchase a game for about $20 with a disc. We've had ours that way for over a year and I still see them on the shelves at stores sold that way.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Can you explain this? I have never heard that you must play online to keep playing.

Doesn't sound right to me...DD doesn't have a gold account (it is my profile with the Gold account) and she has been playing for a year now, and hasn't lost her worlds.