Need help with XBox 360

[MrsPete]

My daughter wants a new video game system for Christmas, and I am sooo out of my element. I'd appreciate any help on these questions:

- She's had a wii for years, but she wants more mature games. Fine.

- She says she wants an XBox 360 but is a little fuzzy on why that particular system. I've figured out that I should get the one with the 250 memory rather than the 4 G memory. Beyond that, I'm a bit in the dark.

- I'm thinking no to the Kinnect /movement add-on. It's pricey and it might be a next-year's gift. It doesn't look like it'll hinder her choices all that much?

- She isn't all that interested in on-line gaming. She just wants to play games by herself /with real friends in our house.

- We went to Best Buy yesterday, and I kind of liked the PS2 (is that right?) because it incorporated a BluRay player, and I can imagine her liking having a two-in-one item for a dorm room in the not-too-far-away-future. How do the two compare?

- WOW, it's expensive. Is it likely to go on sale at Thanksgiving (or afterward)? Any hints on who might have a good deal, or a good bundle?

- Is this something that's likely to sell out? Should I just go ahead and buy it so that I'm covered? It's the only thing she's requested, so I do want to get it. I just want to feel secure in knowing that I paid as little as possible for it.

 

[rgf207]

I have all 3 sets (PS3, XBOX360 & Wii). There are a few things to consider

1. There will be tons of XBOX bundles for the holidays. You will certainly find Black Friday deals and a bunch of deals throughout the holiday season. A lot will be bundled with the Kinect. You should get the 250GB version as that has tons of room to save games, videos etc. The XBOX systems usually don't sell out.

2. Xbox live, which is their online service is not free. It's $10/month. They have a silver version which is free but it's extremely limited and you can't do much of anything on there. Consider that cost because once you get the XBOX i guarantee that live will soon follow.

3. Although it's not announced yet, Microsoft will be releasing a Nextgen console probably next year. That means the the XBOX360 will become obsolete. Keep that in mind.

4. The Kinect addon requires a lot of space in the room where the system will be installed. The recommend something like 15 feet between the TV and the player. That's a lot IMHO. Keep that in mind.

5. The Sony PS3 has the built in Blu-Ray player. Also keep in mind that sony will also be releasing a nextgen console in the next year or 1.5 years which would render the PS3 obsolete too. Also, the PS3 is geared towards older gamers. Men 18-35 range. Another thing to keep in mind

6. Lastly (for now). Nintendo is releasing a new console on Nov 18. Called the Wii U. It's nextgen. Don't expect to get your hands on it this holiday season though. It's going to fly off the shelves. It's pretty cool.

 

[luvmy3]

I don't know how old your dd is, but mine is 14 and the only games she plays on the Xbox are the Kinect games. If your dd likes first person shooter type games then her not having the Kinect won't hinder her choices though.
Also we don't have 15 feet so while it may be the recommended distance its not required. 4 of us can play at a time without any problems.

I picked up the 4GB with Kinect bundle and a GC promo a couple years ago (not on BF). Stores will be running deals soon, but you'll probably get the best one on BF.

 

[HM]

I agree that the Kinect is important. And I agree that you should wait for some bundles. We bought a set from my DH last November from Best Buy with the Kinext and three games.

 

[Scurvy]

How she mentioned what kind of games she's interested in? That makes a big difference in which console would be right for her.

Whether Kinect is important or not depends entirely on what kind of games you want to play. There are lots of great Kinect games, but there are also lots of great games that don't use it. It is something you can easily add later so it's not essential to get it to begin with. That said, I suspect most of the black Friday/ Holiday bundles will include Kinect so you might get a much better deal if you just go on and buy it to begin with.

If she isn't going to be playing online then the free online membership that comes with every console will be fine.

It won't sell out, though some specific bundles might.

A previous poster mentioned that the newer generation of Xbox will likely come out next year. This is true, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the 360 will be obsolete. They will likely continue to support the 360 for quite some time, even if they don't continue to release major new games for it after the new console has gained users. What will likely happen is that the big game releases will be for the new console, with smaller games being released for the 360 and the newer one until the newer one has a large fan base. The online servers and marketplace for the 360 should be kept up for quite a while and the accessories will still be produced and sold.

You are thinking of the PS3, not the PS2. If she truly has no preference and you don't think she will ever be interested in Kinect, then the PS3 might be a better choice because of the Bluray. But Kinect is better than Move, in my opinion. I have the PS3, Wii and 360 and almost never use my PS3 except for Little Big Planet games. I prefer the 360 and when games are available for multiple consoles I always ge them for the 360.

If you don't mind her knowing you might get a console, I would suggest having her look through the games available for each system so she can be sure that she wants the 360. If she says she is, then I would suggest with getting that or giving her money to choose her own. I would not get a different system because it seems more practical or is less expensive. The systems are different enough that most of the time, if someone prefers one of them they are going to be somewhat disappointed if someone gives them a different one.

 

[LilyWDW]

I own a 360 with Kinect. I do not play first person shooters (except Mass Effect but it's more of a RPGFPS), but I do play a lot of RPGs and story driven games. I also have the Kinect and love it. I would suggest that if you get a 360 to get the Kinect. You will be able to get some great bundles this holiday season. Amazon has already had sales on them in their pre-Black Friday events.

I also do not think you need to pay for Live to make the 360 worth it. I don't have it and I can play whatever I want just fine. Live does come in handy when you play FPS games, but otherwise it's not a huge deal.

What I suggest you do though is to get in a site like Gamespot or Amazon and look at the games available for the 360 and PS3. Figure out which system will have more games that your child would want to play.

 

[3boymthr]

I got the X-box for oldest DS last year for x-mas.

Definitely watch for Bundles. I got the 250 GB system with 2 games plus a game download and 3 months of online access (plus each game came with an additional 30 days of online access so 5 months total) from Best Buy Thanksgiving Day for $199 less ebates discount and a Best Buy coupon (I can't remember how much this was for but something like $10.) I did not get the Kinect. DS only wanted to play shooting or driving type games plus he has the system in his bedroom and there just wasn't the space for the kinect. He does not miss it at all.

The X-box and PS3 systems only come with one controller. If she plans on playing against friends you will absolutely want to get her an extra controller. Budget $40 for a wireless controller and $30 for a wired one but watch for sales before Thanksgiving as Target had a $10 coupon for them in their Toy catalog. Don't go aftermarket on these unless you buy high-end, as DS learned to his regret the aftermarket don't work right with all the games (they might work fine with one game but not with another).

On another note, don't write off the X-box Live option if you have any of the following:

Netflix
Amazon Prime
Comcast X-finity

These services all offer free streaming of TV and movies thru the X-box, but you have to have X-box Live to access them. Other online movie services may be available but these are the ones DS has mentioned. We have both Amazon Prime and X-finity and DS uses them constantly thru his X-box - although the Live subscription costs money in the end it saved me money as I didn't have to have his room wired for Comcast nor pay for an additional digital box and remote control ($15/mo for us ).

They may also offer the same services for the PS3 but we don't have one of those so I can't say for sure.

Also, there are some downloadable games that you can buy for the X-box thru X-Box Live. My kids just bought Minecraft which they LOVE. It's pretty cool as it's a two player version.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If she wants a 360 then look for Kinect bundles, starting now.

In fact I think it was ToysRUs maybe, that had a bundle already with the release of a Halo game.

Get the ads, get online at Gottadeal to help you look for the bundle sales.
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

Forums..
http://forums.gottadeal.com/forumdisplay.php?154-Black-Friday-Discussion

I do have to say if she has a HDTV to play on, the PS3 is really cool.

I have a non HDTV and playing games on it sucks. It is hard to read the writing and some of the game falls off the page.