Questions about Xbox 360 live . . .

[janey99]

DS11 is trying to convince me that DH will turn cartwheels on Christmas morning if this item is under the tree (like he himself has no vested interest in getting it). I know nothing about it. Help, please?

We already have the Wii - will getting Xbox be redundant? DS tells me there are many great "more mature" games for Xbox with incredible graphics.

If both systems are on the same TV, is it easy to switch from one to the other? DS says you only have to switch one easily accessible wire.

It seems you need a separate $80 wireless component to use the Xbox wirelessly? I believe our Wii has that embedded in the system.

The Netflix thing - does anyone use this? What types of movies are available - is it all movies including new releases, or just a selection? If you already have a Netflix subscription, will it cost anything extra to stream movies through the Xbox?

What is the real difference between the Platinum subscription that comes with the system and the Gold subscription that costs extra?

In addition to what's in the box and this alleged $80 wireless component, what else do you need? DS says at least one extra wireless controller. He also says the HDMI wire that you need is something we already have for the Wii (the "one wire" that you would need to switch to go from one system, to the other). True?

Anything else a total gaming luddite needs to know in order to decide whether to get this?

Thanks so much!

Jane

 

[dpmfloyd]

an xbox is far superior than a wii. more mature games, better graphics - and more features. the streaming netflix is great, BUT not every netflix movie is available to stream. log on to your netflix account and search through the 'watch it now' titles - those will be the ones you can view on the xbox. it costs nothing as long as you have at least a 2 unlimited movies a month plan (i'm sure you do).

as far as the wireless component, it's pricey. i'd strongly suggest running an internet wire to the xbox - playing games and using netflix over the wireless is daunting. if you cant run a wire - then go wireless, but do anything you can to run a wire!

you'll definately want to get the gold subscription. it costs $50, BUT i believe you can find deals on the web, i think amazon.com had it for $40.

you'll also want to get an extra controller (another $40-50). these controllers use batteries, but you'll save money in the long run if you buy the recharging station ($40 at amazon).

as far as i know, the wii doesnt use an hdmi wire. the xbox does. BUT the xbox does come with video/audio wires that can be used for a hi-def set. hdmi is great, but you can hold off.

any other questions, please feel free to ask me!

 

[Papa Deuce]

an xbox is far superior than a wii. more mature games, better graphics - and more features. the streaming netflix is great, BUT not every netflix movie is available to stream. log on to your netflix account and search through the 'watch it now' titles - those will be the ones you can view on the xbox. it costs nothing as long as you have at least a 2 unlimited movies a month plan (i'm sure you do).

as far as the wireless component, it's pricey. i'd strongly suggest running an internet wire to the xbox - playing games and using netflix over the wireless is daunting. if you cant run a wire - then go wireless, but do anything you can to run a wire!

you'll definately want to get the gold subscription. it costs $50, BUT i believe you can find deals on the web, i think amazon.com had it for $40.

you'll also want to get an extra controller (another $40-50). these controllers use batteries, but you'll save money in the long run if you buy the recharging station ($40 at amazon).

as far as i know, the wii doesnt use an hdmi wire. the xbox does. BUT the xbox does come with video/audio wires that can be used for a hi-def set. hdmi is great, but you can hold off.

any other questions, please feel free to ask me!

Definitely NOT daunting. I was able to do it with no problems at all, and I am usually terrified to do this. It took just a few minutes to set up, and I am watching netflix every single day. I do admit, that about once per hour show I see maybe a 2 second glitch in the wireless.

Also, if you want to use Netflix, you don't have an option. You MUST pay the $50 yearly fee. But that gives you access to all that the gold membership offers, not just netflix... Most people would have bought the gold membership anyway, so pretty much the Netflix feels like it is "free".

 

[puffkin]

Just wanted to add that I got DH a PS3 for Christmas which is similar to the XBox in many ways. Since it didn't come with a HDMI cable and I know he will want to take full advantage of the BluRay I needed to also get the cable. You can find them on Amazon and other websites for dirt cheap. I think I paid $6.99 for an 8ft HDMI on Amazon with Free Super Saver Shipping. No need to spend a lot of money on the cables, they are all the same!

I don't believe that the Wii uses HDMI cables, so you can probably have both hooked up on the same tv at the same time (ours will be on different tvs). The Xbox will just be on a different Input than the Wii.

 

[dawson5]

Invest in wireless headsets. My boys all had the cheap ones with the wires, came with something and every single one of them broke. Middle son received his wireless one in a package deal last Christmas and it's still going strong.

Hulu is free for movies. Oldest just set it up last night, I think it uses TVersity. If you decide to buy the wireless antenna for gaming, you need a wireless router also. We have a long ethernet cord as a back up also. If you use the xbox to stream movies, I would use the ethernet cord for that. Your streaming pleasure is only as good as your wireless connection.

As for the gold membership. Buy it online at wal-mart and pick up in stores (free ship to store). Middle son bought a year for $40, I think they bumped the price up since then though.

If you get gold for them (hubby & son) when your son is online playing, stick by him for a while. They are playing with a lot of people and all kinds of things are said. You can do some blocking of people but reporting them is useless.

 

[Papa Deuce]

If you get gold for them (hubby & son) when your son is online playing, stick by him for a while. They are playing with a lot of people and all kinds of things are said. You can do some blocking of people but reporting them is useless.

And be REALLY careful about getting the camera for XBOX Live....


On the brightest of days, I used to see the "moon" while playing UNO on Live....

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I bought a XBOX360 for under the tree this yr. Now granted, I bought the Limited Edition Modern Warfare with 250GB's at 399. (OUCH). However it did contain the game MW and an extra controller, along with the mega memory was a deal for me.

DO NOT buy the Arcade version for 199., buy the Elite for 299. Here is the site.
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/compare101.htm

Looks like I have to get a cable to go "online" as well.

So what is the deal with Netflix? I am already signed up for movies. So you are saying that if you want to get Netflix movies to your XBOX it is seperate from an actual membership? Or is this included in the online yearly fee?

 

[Papa Deuce]

I bought a XBOX360 for under the tree this yr. Now granted, I bought the Limited Edition Modern Warfare with 250GB's at 399. (OUCH). However it did contain the game MW and an extra controller, along with the mega memory was a deal for me.

DO NOT buy the Arcade version for 199., buy the Elite for 299. Here is the site.
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/compare101.htm

Looks like I have to get a cable to go "online" as well.

So what is the deal with Netflix? I am already signed up for movies. So you are saying that if you want to get Netflix movies to your XBOX it is seperate from an actual membership? Or is this included in the online yearly fee?

Netflix is part of the $50 Live "Gold" membership.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Netflix is part of the $50 Live "Gold" membership.

OK.

Now how is the movie selection? Is it the same as the "play now" feature that is with my NF subscription?

 

[Papa Deuce]

OK.

Now how is the movie selection? Is it the same as the "play now" feature that is with my NF subscription?

Pretty much. If you can add it to your instant play queue, you can stream it to your TV... at least as far as I can tell. I have been using it for 2 -3 months, now. We use it most every day. The thing is, by and large, you will really want to add all your items that you want to watch on your computer. I haven't found a way to add them directly through the XBOX. Netflix does have some ready to go for you by genre as "suggestions", but I haven't found that very useful. I just watch what I put there.

We LOVED watching the whole "Harper's Island" series over this last weekend.

 

[SideshowBob]

OK.

Now how is the movie selection? Is it the same as the "play now" feature that is with my NF subscription?

Yeppers... that is what feeds it.

 

[MELISAZACK]

So, let me see if I understand what you all are saying. If I have Xbox live and a GOLD membership I can download the Netflix feature and get the movies for FREE?? or do I still have to pay the $8.99 /month membership to netflix and I just have the previliage to stream them through xbox????

 

[SpecialK]

You still play for Netflix

 

[janey99]

I'm glad I asked these questions - it seems not clear to others as well!

Thanks everyone who posted opinions and clarifying info - it is really helpful.

Mystery - we sound like we're in the same boat. I was looking at the elite version, not really convinced we need the Modern Warfare MEGA version, especially with all the add-on fees anyway.

Jane

 

[CathrynRose]

I bought a XBOX360 for under the tree this yr. Now granted, I bought the Limited Edition Modern Warfare with 250GB's at 399. (OUCH). However it did contain the game MW and an extra controller, along with the mega memory was a deal for me.

DO NOT buy the Arcade version for 199., buy the Elite for 299. Here is the site.
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/compare101.htm

Looks like I have to get a cable to go "online" as well.

So what is the deal with Netflix? I am already signed up for movies. So you are saying that if you want to get Netflix movies to your XBOX it is seperate from an actual membership? Or is this included in the online yearly fee?

* It also comes with a head set. We got the same thing. Ouch is right.

* If you've got another cable laying around, it will work.

 

[N.Bailey]

First off, yes, I do think your husband would be doing cartwheels if you get him an Xbox 360 IF he likes to play games. What's available on the Wii isn't really exciting for most grown men (not saying a good game won't come out from time to time, I'm speaking overall). If you like shooting type games, the Xbox 360 is superior to the PS3. If you're more into the Japanese role playing games, you'd probably be better off getting the PS3 (though there are exceptions on both systems).

The graphics are unbelievable, truly. It will knock your socks off.

I believe both systems can be hooked up to the TV at the same time and it would only be a matter of choosing which to turn on. I hesitate with saying this only because our Wii is constantly being moved (hubby won't give up the TV lol, so if you want to play the Wii, you go elsewhere). We have 2 Xbox 360 systems and 2 Live accounts, so my son can get online and play with my husband and their clan. If you want to do this (in the future as it's an expense, you'd also need 2 copies of each game).

I concur with the poster who said run the wire if and whenever possible. Wireless will work and we do have a wireless router, but all wireless routers come with wires too. You have a faster speed when you use a wire. Keep in mind, to play Live, you do need a high speed connection (which most of us have now anyway). We run the wireless to the kids computers upstairs, but aside from that, we run the wires for everything else (2 Xbox' and my computer).

As for the Netflix thing. It was really an added bonus for Netflix subscribes to be able to use their Xbox' to view movies on the TV. There are other options available to do this as well. The Roku came out at right around $100 and was really a huge success. Since that time, other devices were added so that Netflix subscribers could stream thru them too. It would NEVER be advisable, IMO, to get an Xbox for Netflix, or to buy a Gold membership for it either. If however you have both of these, yes, I would at that point recommend you take advantage of it IF you're interested in a Netflix plan. Here are 2 links (not operated by Netflix) that keep up with instant watch titles. The first is all the available titles (and this is on Netflix site too, but it's difficult to navigate the site to find them all), and the 2nd link is what will be streaming soon. The 3rd link is from Netflix and bookmark it because I'm not sure how to find it otherwise, and it relates to anything that's newly released. The 4th is a message board that only discusses movies if you're interested in that.
http://instantwatcher.com/
http://www.streamingsoon.com/
http://netflixcommunity.ning.com/forum
http://www.netflix.com/AllNewReleases?lnkctr=NavAllNewReleases

Keep in mind, joining Netflix will also get you hard copies sent via the mail, so new releases can be added to that queue. Actually, that's originally the only thing that Netflix offered. When they added instant watch, they didn't raise the price (and personally, I watch more on instant watch than on DVD).

If your husband wants to play games with others online, you will need to buy the Gold membership. The free membership is only for game downloads and stuff like that. You also cannot watch Netflix without the Gold. I think it's silver and gold though, not platinum.

You could pick other things up thru out the year. I don't think you need an extra controller right away (most games aren't 2 player anyway). You can also buy batteries till you get around to picking up a charger later on. I just pulled this link from ebay. If you buy this membership kit, you will get Live, a headset, and chatpad (hubby loves this thing) and a game. It also says access to facebook and twitter, but that's just a new feature with Live and you'll get that regardless of what Gold membership you buy. It is a wired headset and most people use the wireless. Just see what's available and buy what you can at Christmas and plan on some other purchases thru out the year.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Xbox-360-Li...tZVideo_Games_Accessories?hash=item35a540fca8

 

[N.Bailey]

snip

We LOVED watching the whole "Harper's Island" series over this last weekend.

I loved this too. It's a classic who done it. I really enjoyed watching it.

 

[shortbun]

wireless headsets, a cooler for the Xbox to avoid overheating and seeing the Red Ring of Death(you fried your xbox). I restrict DS from talking to anyone he doesn't know. All his pals have provided their monikers so I check from time to time. Wireless controllers a must and yes, they will be gaga over it. Xbox360 and Wii just don't compare. My son's best friend sold his Wii this summer for money to buy an Xbox.

 

[wmjivey]

To start with I am a known cheapskate. Have you looked at the PS3? same price no online fee, netflixable and it is a Bluray. For me it is the more bang for the buck. The majority of the games are the same, free internet is big, Bluray is really big. No brainer for this man.

 

[N.Bailey]

I just thought of another thing that should probably be mentioned.

There are a lot of downloads available for games that have already been released. If it's just a fix or something minor, you can download that on Live for no charge. If however, the developer has created new maps and such, you will normally have to pay for these upgrades. They are around roughly $5.00 each. You buy points to make these types of purchases.

Some people might not like this, but when you invest $60 into a game and it's run it's course and now is boring everyone, new maps might be released that will cost $5.00 (or there about), and it's almost like having a new game. In the end, we've found it's cheaper than constantly buying new games all the time. It's also nice because when you find a game that you love, you're willing to invest more into so you can get more enjoyment from it.

That said, if your husband starts playing with a group of guys that he enjoys playing with (and this will likely happen), they all must purchase the upgrade to continue playing with one another. You cannot play with someone on Live if they don't have the same upgrades as you. This really isn't a problem though because my husband's group is normally ecstatic when the upgrades are released.

The guys my husband is playing with, them and their entire families are now planning on taking a cruise together next year. I'm not sure we'll be able to go because we have 2 kids heading off to college next year. I'm just leery of committing.