xbox 360 now? later?

April 5, 2007 1:12 PM

Should I get an xbox360 now or later?

I figure unless reviews for mass effect tank horrendously, I will be getting a 360 when that comes out. The question is, should I get it now so I can be playing gears/oblivion or is a price drop even remotely likely between now and then?

Also, is the 20gb hard drive going to be enough if all I want to download is demos and extra content (no movies/music/tv) or do I want to track down an "elite"?

Speak up also if you have good reason to believe mass effect is going to totally suck.

posted by juv3nal to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I'm waiting on confirmation that they've switched to the 65nm processors, which should cut down on some of the current overheating/power use issues. (Hoping for a concurrent price drop too, although that's optimistic.) Not sure when to expect that specifically, but it's supposed to be sometime this year.
posted by metaly at 1:38 PM on April 5, 2007

If you're going to be REALLY upset by a price drop after you buy it, then keep an ear out for release dates for the black xbox360s. chances are the old ones will drop when that happens. but to be honest, I'd be hardpressed to think of a good reason to deny yourself having fun for the sake of a whopping 50 bucks.
posted by shmegegge at 1:42 PM on April 5, 2007

The Elite may very well drive prices down, as could the process switch, but I wouldn't say it's terribly likely; they've commented that wouldn't be the case.

However, the Elite specs will find their way into Premium 360's towards the end of the year, presumably, or perhaps without an associated price increase. Money for nothing.

Even if there is a price drop on the 360 Basic/Premium, the VERY most it'd be is $50, and that's really stretching it. It's up to you if you want to wait so long—I'm considering picking up a 360, too, lately.
posted by disillusioned at 1:43 PM on April 5, 2007

I wouldn't expect a price drop until fall at the earliest, and maybe not even then -- they won't need a price drop to goose sales when Halo 3 hits the market.

The 20 GB is plenty if you're not downloading video and you're not interested in maintaining a library of demos. One reason you might seek out the Elite, though, is the HDMI output, if you've got a display that will take it.

Mass Effect looks awesome.
posted by jjg at 1:44 PM on April 5, 2007

I'm also looking at getting a 360 (honestly, I might just go to best buy in an hour when I get out of work, and make it happen this evening) for Oblivion, mostly, although I'm looking favorably at Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas.

As others have said, the likelihood of a price drop in the near future is pretty slim. I don't even believe it will happen when the Elite drops at the end of this month, given what we know about the pricing of the Elite.
posted by Inkoate at 1:55 PM on April 5, 2007

If you do intend to use video and other piggy applications, it might be best to pick up a core 360 and wait for the Elite's hard drive to be available as an upgrade. I think this'll result in more cost but it will be spread over time.
posted by chairface at 2:00 PM on April 5, 2007

I would have said now, but my XBOX just fried last night and freezes at startup. If you do a web search on "XBOX 360 freezing" you'll get a scary number of hits. I used to brush this off as a loud minority, but since this has happened to me I'm not so sure. Microsoft's support document on this issue is not comforting and reminds me of the dark days of PC gaming (i.e. unplug and replug everything, pray it works). I really don't think that they know why this issue is happening. This is not the sort of thing I'd want to read if I was considering buying a console.

So while I think the system is good, I'd wait for a real hardware revision. Hopefully they get things right next time!
posted by phatboy at 2:28 PM on April 5, 2007

Well, you can wait for a possible fall price drop, then tell yourself you'll wait for the xmas price drop, then tell yourself you'll wait for the, etc etc. Unless you have some proof of a real drop in the immediate future you might as well just buy it today. Or if money is that tight, I'd buy used. Or buy less accessories. Or buy the accessories used. Or rent instead of buy games.

This isnt like buying a macintosh. The price drops are slim and the hardware is exactly the same. Waiting for 100 dollars off and a shift to the fasted duo core just doesnt happen in the console world.
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:28 PM on April 5, 2007

I got mine this past Xmas and am very happy with it, I have heard anecdotally that there are less problems with the later models. I agree with others, the price is not going to drop that much. Also keep in mind that Microsoft has extended the warranty to one year and they're now promising a 5-day turnaround time for any repairs. I love it by the way, and am very excited about Mass Effect as well. Highly recommend Oblivion, Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas as well. I download the occasional movie or TV show and have a ton of demos & XBLA games and I've nearly maxed out the 20 gig drive. The 120 gig seems like way too much for me though, I'm planning on buying someone's used 20 gig drive on ebay once everybody else starts buying their 120 gig drives. That way you can just swap between 2 20 gig drives.
posted by mattholomew at 2:39 PM on April 5, 2007

Response by poster: Hmm. Sounds like I might as well bite the bullet.
Wow this year is an atrocious one for my gadget spending.
posted by juv3nal at 2:44 PM on April 5, 2007