Seth should get himself:

just wait, you'll be there. (btw a silver membership is free and comes with the purchace of the console. That way you can get all the updates and buy DLC for your games)

None of that online doodadery for me!

ScreaminLobster, gold account. I'm thinking I might invest in a name change, just 'cause nobody I've run into knows about lobsters screaming. xP

btw, everyone should share their gamertags here so we can add one another (which you can do even if you have silver).

Mines BostonD

it's a silver membership cause I'm poor

Whee!!!

I've officially joined the 21st century, and I suspect my cousin, Roman, is in for some big trouble, while my new girlfriend may be working for the feds...oh my!

Thanks all for your input, I'll be calling in sick now.

:P

I've been a 360 guy since a bit after launch, so here's my $.02:

My Xbox ties the room together. Seriously. I'm currently running a 20gb current model networked to my PC. The 20gb is fine for game playing, and should allow you to download all the DLC you want without compromising your save space.

Even the 120gb is too small if you plan on running media locally. The console isn't really set to be a one stop media outlet, though when you network the device to a PC you can play almost all media (www.tversity.com) without fear of running low on HD space. I have to say that the xbox's media capability is what seals the deal for me. My PC is out of the way, so running my media through my display in the living room is what makes it well worth while. Now that Nov. 17th is approaching, we'll get streaming netflix and the ability to rip games to the HD. I'm considering upgrading to a 120GB in order to allow for the space necessary to rip those disks.

You're better off with a wired connection to the Internets. The adapter is expensive and runs at sub-par speeds for online play.

Xbox marketplace is rather secure, too. No fear of getting your house taken apart by the internet. I swear.

RROD? Newer models don't have the "fatal" flaw. Even so, good care made my launch system last 2 years. That isn't a terrible track record for consoles. Seriously, PS2 disk read errors eventually killed most of those machines, too.

Seth, it's totally worth it. Go Pro my friend. And try Gears of War, I think you'll really enjoy it :D

They have a Pro with 60gb but the deals not so sweet, like around $299 with a $50 rebate.

So I'm in the bank thinking about this, and the 20something guy in front of me's in a royally good mood, giggling, flirting with the teller, it's his birthday and he's going to the Casino. How much is he taking out? $4000, after being talked down from 5. Ugh. I think I'll just go home and punch my Xbox in the air vent.

Yeah, that sounds like a deal to me.

I'm running HDMI and always have so I can't compre it to non-HDMI. I don't know what kind of monitor you'll be running it to so that would be where your real decision on that comes from.

I run the wired cable but I was thinking about the wireless. Hearing about the performance issues with it (coupled with the price) I may hold off now.

20gb would probably be plenty-fine - although I hear now you have the option of "installing" games to cut down on wear and tear on the system and I guess there would be a much smaller limit of games you could leave installed with 20gb. Of course I have 60gb and I haven.t tried this yet.

WHAT?! No! Not Eden! Fight the good fight! I'll kill Eden... I'll hunt that fiend down in the wastes and take over his army of eyebots!

Er... um...
$250 with $100 rebate. I saw that. I'm actually considering going for it so that I'll have a 360 all of my own. As it is, my younger brother has kept the 360 that we bought together at our dad's house, but I live with our mom, so I'm totally bumming when I want some Chrome Hounds or Oblivion.

Speaking of Chrome Hounds, what are you thinking in terms of Live? It's $50 yearly in order to have a Gold membership, just like with the original XBox. That gives you access to multiplayer in games where online play is just an added bonus (Halo, Gears of War, Chrome Hounds, etc.), rather than the only option (Final Fantasy XI).

If you're just planning on playing Fallout and GTA, I wouldn't recommend getting Live (unless you'd like to play GTA's online deathmatches), because even without it, you can still access the XBox Live Marketplace to download new goodies.

Don't buy any of the wireless products besides the controllers (the controllers are great). I have the wireless adapter and it is very flaky. For $100 I expect a rock solid wifi connection, the xbox adapter does not provide that. The PS3 wireless is flawless in comparison.

I had a very good reason to buy a wireless headset (my cats have consumed more than 5 headsets grrrrr). It is crap. Poor sound quality, hard to use, and poor battery life. Mine sometimes causes weird feedback.

Buy your xbox 360 and play fallout 3 until your eyes bleed. President Eden commands it!

$250 with a $100 rebate is a pretty sweet deal.

The newer Xbox360 models come with HDMI capabilities, or so they claim (I will check mine tomorrow if it has it or not). Older versions came with a Standard/HDTV cable to connect to your TV.

The standard 60gb HDD (they've increased this a couple months ago from 20 to 60) should absolutely be enough for your needs. Unless you plan on doing a lot of downloads of movies/trailers/demos and retaining them for a while. I believe I still have 9gb free on mine at home.

The wifi adapter is absurdly expensive, and if you can get away without having to buy one then go for it. The wifi adapter runs retail of $99.99, so there goes your rebate. Of course you can find it cheaper if you shop around online, but you're still looking at $50+ for one.

One interesting note that I just read is that the Xbox360 Arcade will not support the original Xbox games?

Also if you have Netflix, you will also be able to stream movies from them through an interface they are introducing into the Xbox in just a couple weeks.

So my vote for awesome budget gaming would be the Xbox 360 pro with $150 rebate, its a wicked good deal and most of the xboxes which had RROD problems were made in the first year and its a known problem which I hear is not so bad to get support for. (no clue about 175 watt things or falcon chips, I wouldn't stress about it though)

20gb on your hard drive is fine for gaming, it will definitely hold all the save games you could ever want and a bunch of game demos and stuff besides.

no clue about the HD options because I got my xbox hooked up to a computer LCD, but I would read the box carefully or ask Eric because he is pretty likely to know off the top of his head.

the wireless network adapter is overpriced but necessary if you need to connect via wifi, I would recommend just plugging it into the wall using a normal internet cable, there is a jack on the back of the xbox for you to do so.

oh, and added bonus: runs hot enough so that regular use should stifle mold growth

So.....They're selling the XBox360 "Go Pro" for $250 with a mail in rebate offer for $100 and my interest is piqued.

I've done some research, but I'm still iffy. So I'm looking to trusted people I know for feedback; you.

This is the 20gb version (even though they say it only fits like 14gigahoozits of downloaded tv, music, etc., games which I'm fairly certain will sustain my play style forever. The "Arcade" appears too limited, and it's so ea$y to jump to the 20gb hd. And then Pro & Elite seem like overkill.

Couple questions:

Is the $150 price tag an indicator that a far better deal/package/set of hardware is just around the corner and I'm buying into a soon to be bad deal? (I'm not really in any rush, at all, except when Eric comes in, bloodshot eyes and all googly over Fallout, or Jay stops painting, or Cassidy is all like, "sure I like Monpoc, but FALLLOUT!!!!")

Do they all have an HDMI port these days? Is that as worthwhile as some suggest?

What about a wireless network adapter? Critical for online play, useless otherwise?

I hear I want the set with 175w power core because it has the "Falcon" 65nm chip which is better for overheating issues, but possibly has nothing to do with...

...the dread "RROD" Red ring of death. As I won't be playing all the games all the time, but will be playing one or two very specific titles until my eyes bleed, am I going to have to accept that I will be sending it in for repair/replacement regularly? This seems absolutely insane to me when it comes to game consoles. I still use my PS1 and XBOX 0, and my Genesis actually got moldy before it broke (never actually confirmed brokeness, due to untouchable grossed out mold issue). But in terms of this being a game "computer" I guess maybe I could live with system failures. Is everyone just used to this now, or is it more myth these days. I'm ok with keeping it in a very open space and always running a fan directly at the system...if that would actually help.

So, any feedback from y'all? Price great now not tomorrow? 20gb HD fine for a guy who is not going to be downloading Buffy the Anime Rockstar Complete Five seasons...ever? HDMI port critical? 175 watt thing an unimportant superstition?

Should I save my nonexistent cash for a computer from one of the latest two decades or a PSIII? Or, just keep painting and mock Jay some more?

Remember, if you've only owned your system a month, that's like 5 years and 11 months less time than I play systems.

Help me choose my poison.