XBox 360 - Is it worth it?

  • Thread starter Pako
  • 76 comments
  • 3,017 views
Pako

Pako

Staff Emeritus
16,455
United States
NW Montana
GTP-Pako
GTP Pako
I am well equipped with a decent Gaming PC, a Wii, and now a PS3. I have a decent collection for all three, but lately I've been questioning whether or not I should get into the 360. A couple of draws include cheaper games than the PS3 as well a few exclusive titles like Gears of War, Lost Planet, and PGR3/4. Are these selling points worth the purchases of a 360? I would say probably not, but maybe there is something I'm missing. Where is the error in my thinking and is the 360 worth more than the few advantages that I have listed?

Thanks.
 
Pako
I am well equipped with a decent Gaming PC, a Wii, and now a PS3. I have a decent collection for all three, but lately I've been questioning whether or not I should get into the 360. A couple of draws include cheaper games than the PS3 as well a few exclusive titles like Gears of War, Lost Planet, and PGR3/4. Are these selling points worth the purchases of a 360? I would say probably not, but maybe there is something I'm missing. Where is the error in my thinking and is the 360 worth more than the few advantages that I have listed?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Pretty much, the only reasons you'd want a 360 is for the games and maybe Xbox Live. If you feel that the games are worth the purchase, go for it.
 
Well, for one you have the pending Halo title, which will make you infinitley more popular at a party, TD:U ; a lot of fun cruising with your friends, 👍 and then there is Dead Rising, the ultimate zombie game. :D I love using the sythe.
 
It's probably only worth your while if there's exclusive Xbox 360 titles that you're willing to buy a brand new system for.

I don't know if it's your cup of tea, but I agree with the previous poster, Dead Rising is a humungous big bag of zombie killin' fun. So many zombies to kill, and so many gruesome, imaginative and funny ways to kill them.

But I doubt it can justify the purchase of a $400 console all by itself.


KM.
 
If he's got a badass gaming rig (and I know he does! :D), a Wii, and a PS3, I'm sure he's got a little extra cash to burn. :D You can actually pick up a pre-owned premium 360 at EB Games/Gamestop for about $280+tax, so that's just something to think about. I originally bought a 360 for PGR3, which I later got tired of (actually thinking about picking it up again since it's cheap now), TD:U, Forza 2, and Halo 3. TD:U was worth the wait and it's such a great game, especially for only $40 brand new. PGR3 is fun, but the single player gets boring after a while. Dead Rising wasn't but my cup o' tea really, but it is a good game, and definately worth checking out. Gears of War is amazing. I'm renting it right now, but I'm gonna buy it pretty soon. It's that good. Tony Hawk's Project 8 is pretty cool too, especially with the new slow-mo trick mode. It looked pretty damn good even on composite cables, so I imagine it looks 100 times better over component or VGA.

Hope that helped 👍
 
I like it. I'm at the point where I can no longer be satisfied with only one console. I missed out on a lot of good stuff last-gen... not gonna happen this time. I'm getting them all.
 
I am very proud to have a Xbox 360. If you like incredible online service, get it. Otherwise, the games are very fun. GoW, Rainbow Six: Vegas. I'm very addicted to PGR3!
 
Gears of War is amazing. I'm renting it right now, but I'm gonna buy it pretty soon. It's that good.
Click to expand...
It's a very pretty game, but I just don't get the hype. I got bored and frustrated with it quicker than with any other game I've bought in the past year apart from that ****ty Scarface game.

But a huge part of that is my inability to play fast-twitch aiming games with an analog stick. I'm sure that if Gears of War was a PC game, I'd enjoy it a lot more, but I still think it wouldn't be as awesome and fantastic as so many people and reviewers seem to think it is.

I'm gonna stick with my PC for FPS games and go with other games like Dead Rising on my Xbox360.


KM.
 
I'm not one FPS on consoles really...Halo being the exception, but there's just something about GoW that I really like. I can't quite place my finger on it yet, but It's good, whatever it is. Hopefully I can figure it out before I have to take it back to Blockbuster on Tuesday.
 
Well, I think you are missing out on a lot of good stuff by going without the 360, but all of this really comes down to how much money you want to spend and what games you want to play. Games like GoW, RS:V, GRAW I and II, Dead Rising, not to mention the standard racing titles like PGR3/4 and Forza Motorsport 2. Beyond that title wise, a lot of formerly exclusive titles are jumping to the 360 in the near future, including Guitar Hero, Virtua Fighter 6, and if the rumors are true, MGS4 as well.

...Then there is of course the other good things that come from XBOX Live, the new IPTV services, downloadable HD movies, and HD-DVDs, etc. If you can afford it, it is worth a try. Otherwise, I wouldn't call it an absolute necessity if you already have a Wii and a PS3. But once Halo 3 drops, I wouldn't want to be left behind...
 
I picked one up to ease the pain of waiting for the PS3. Call of Duty 3 over Xbox Live has given me some of the best gaming fun I've had in years. Gotham had me yawing within the first ten minutes, and Gears of War is (aside from the lovely graphics) pretty unremarkable. If you don't already enjoy Halo 2, I see little reason to purchase a 360 now that you've got a shiny PS3 in your setup. :)
 
YSSMAN
Well, I think you are missing out on a lot of good stuff by going without the 360, but all of this really comes down to how much money you want to spend and what games you want to play. Games like GoW, RS:V, GRAW I and II, Dead Rising, not to mention the standard racing titles like PGR3/4 and Forza Motorsport 2. Beyond that title wise, a lot of formerly exclusive titles are jumping to the 360 in the near future, including Guitar Hero, Virtua Fighter 6, and if the rumors are true, MGS4 as well.

...Then there is of course the other good things that come from XBOX Live, the new IPTV services, downloadable HD movies, and HD-DVDs, etc. If you can afford it, it is worth a try. Otherwise, I wouldn't call it an absolute necessity if you already have a Wii and a PS3. But once Halo 3 drops, I wouldn't want to be left behind...
Click to expand...
Well, Rainbow Six and GRAW 2 will be on the PS3, fyi. And it's Virtua Fighter 5. ;)
 
I was just fine with my PS2 and GT series (since I wasn't a gamer) then Sony screwed itself over with the PS3 and GT shot itself in the foot with GT4. My PC had F.E.A.R. and the BF series which was ok but I'm always using my PC for something else like PS or stuff I can't mention. Anyway, It was fun because it was really really cheap gaming. Now, I got sucked into the 360's whirl wind (no pun intended) and I've pretty much written off my PS2 stuff. I'm currently trying to sell my DFP in order to get a 360 steering wheel. If you can afford it I'd say it's worth it. :dopey:
 
I would say it is worth is, especially if you get the Premium pack and you can go online without paying a ridiculous £60 for the wireless adaptor.

The graphics of the games, especially Gears of War and Lost Planet, have improved quite a bit over the launch titles you may have seen/played before your PS3, so no worries there if they won't match the graphics of your gaming rig. The older games are cheaper too, as you say, but if you want the real-deal you'll have to pay more to get the latest stuff.

It's just a same you have to pay £33 for the Yearly Gold subcription, as it's free on both PC and PS3...
 
...Ah, but therein lies the issue with a "free" service with the PC and the PS3. Now I'm not looking to get into a full-on debate here, however I would care to point out that when you are paying $50 a year for XBL, you are pretty much given a guarantee to you by Microsoft for a high-quality internet experience with few(er) lag issues, better technical support, more active policing of those members, and a slew of free content that would otherwise cost you money over on the PS3 or even the Wii.
 
If you can afford all 3 consoles, tnen buy them. Why limit yourself ? You can't go wrong with a 360, the online system is really advanced and there are several exclusive games that are worth the extra cash. Think about it, the 360 will be there for another 4 years at least, the system will cost you probably 300-400 bucks, so less than 100 a year, 19 cents a day ;) So it's cheaper than a cup a of coffee to won a 360 :D
 
Well, I almost picked one up at best buy...... I had the Premium version in hand with GOW and Lost Planet in the other along with a second wireless controller. Don't know why, but I put it back, went to Star Bucks and ordered a Venti Quad Breve no flavor and logged in 4 and a half hours into Ridge Racer 7 on the PS3. I might wait for the price to drop a hundred bucks or so before I jump on the 360 wagon. There's no doubt that I'll have one sitting next to the PS3 and the Wii, I guess it's just hard to justify as a 'must have' console at the moment while I have two perfectly good next gen consoles that still have that ever so pleasant new sterile chemical plastic smell. I really appreciate your comments and suggestions. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next month...., but I don't think I want to miss out on Gears of War or Lost Planet along with a small handful of other titles. By the way, Best Buy here had two 20gb and one 60gb PS3 models just chilling on the floor......

:cheers:
 
It really just depends. Xbox Live is a great network even with the 50 dollar a year fee, which I suspect will drop in the near future. The games you mentioned are great fun (I personally think GOW is a great experience and shouldn't be missed), and there are a lot of them out there.

Then again, you have a Wii, PS3 and gaming PC rig. As everyone has said, it just matters how much you like the games that are out for it.
 
I'm going to go in a different route here.

Windows XP Media Center 2005 + XBOX360's capability to be a Media Center Extender = teh win

I do this right now, and it rocks.

Trust me when I tell you that the XBOX360 is worth it not only for the games but for the extra things that it can do that the other console can't. The Meida Center Extender being one of them. The second is (I don't know if the PS3 does this) the seemless ability to actually USE USB devices on your 360. Sure the PS2 has a USB slot but I can only think of one peripheral that uses it--and even then it is a limited use to just a USB flash drive for GT4 photos. USB mice and keyboards (among other things) easily work with the 360--which means you won't have to buy 3rd party crap hardware when you can just use quality Logitec or Microsoft mice/keyboard peripherals. Among other USB devices like a Sandisk Cruizer Micro...etc.

The games, well, unless you like 360 specific games like Halo and PGR3 the PS3 can pretty much do everything else including online play. I'd imagine Sony has a similar thing to XBL (I don't and never will own a PS3 so I wouldn't know).
 
JCE3000GT
I'm going to go in a different route here.

Windows XP Media Center 2005 + XBOX360's capability to be a Media Center Extender = teh win

I do this right now, and it rocks.

Trust me when I tell you that the XBOX360 is worth it not only for the games but for the extra things that it can do that the other console can't. The Meida Center Extender being one of them. The second is (I don't know if the PS3 does this) the seemless ability to actually USE USB devices on your 360. Sure the PS2 has a USB slot but I can only think of one peripheral that uses it--and even then it is a limited use to just a USB flash drive for GT4 photos. USB mice and keyboards (among other things) easily work with the 360--which means you won't have to buy 3rd party crap hardware when you can just use quality Logitec or Microsoft mice/keyboard peripherals. Among other USB devices like a Sandisk Cruizer Micro...etc.

The games, well, unless you like 360 specific games like Halo and PGR3 the PS3 can pretty much do everything else including online play. I'd imagine Sony has a similar thing to XBL (I don't and never will own a PS3 so I wouldn't know).
Click to expand...

Yes, the PS3 can use other USB devices, even more than the 360.

As for the Media Center thing, that's a big 👍 👍. On the PS3, you have to copy your music over, photos, and videos over, taking up valuable space on your HDD. On the 360, you stream them. Speaking of music, there's universal custom soundtracks, so if you want some of your favorite music to jam in the background of, say, NFS Carbon or FNR3 (which I don't think you can on the PS3), you can do so very easily. And, yes, it can stream while doing this.
 
DWA
I thought that was unlikely or really early in the works?
Click to expand...

Nope, any 360 owner with a Media Center PC can do it. All you need is Media Player 11 installed on your XP Media Center box basically.

Duċk;2540382
Yes, the PS3 can use other USB devices, even more than the 360.

As for the Media Center thing, that's a big 👍 👍. On the PS3, you have to copy your music over, photos, and videos over, taking up valuable space on your HDD. On the 360, you stream them. Speaking of music, there's universal custom soundtracks, so if you want some of your favorite music to jam in the background of, say, NFS Carbon or FNR3 (which I don't think you can on the PS3), you can do so very easily. And, yes, it can stream while doing this.
Click to expand...

Yea, the 360's dashboard is rather brilliant idea. At first I was skeptical because I like the original XBOX way of doing soundtracks during a game, but now I'm convinced that it is indeed cool. I just reduce the game's internal music to 0 volume and play what's on my 1GB SanDisk Cruizer Micro (eBay $12.95). I have a rather wide range of music genres on that flashdrive. 70's & 80's, Pop, Rock/Industrial, Techno, and some Ragnarok Online music. :sly: 👍 Nothing like listening to Rammstein or some 80's music while racing some PGR3. :)
 
YSSMAN
...Ah, but therein lies the issue with a "free" service with the PC and the PS3. Now I'm not looking to get into a full-on debate here, however I would care to point out that when you are paying $50 a year for XBL, you are pretty much given a guarantee to you by Microsoft for a high-quality internet experience with few(er) lag issues, better technical support, more active policing of those members, and a slew of free content that would otherwise cost you money over on the PS3 or even the Wii.
Click to expand...

Not trying to get into a debate but you do know with the interent browser you can can access a near unlimited amount of content for free. where this free XBL content you speak of is I sure havent seen it. but paying for picture packs? Pictures, no limitations, video. mpg and mp4 videos from google videos and many other psp/ps3 multimedia sites. Converting any video to work on PS3. I'm guessing you dont have a PS3 or just did not know this. If anything its a high quality XBL experience not internet. I haven't had a single lag issue that wasnt game related (Marvel Ultimate allians).

Wy not just connet a pc to to a TV? Thats what I use for a montitor in the first place making pc-360 streaming pointless and I have XP ME. And I have a few SD cards and MS's plus a card reader on my pc nd PS3 making video file transfers a breeze.

yeah its worth i guess. I didn't pay for mine but i use it every now and then
 
Well...., I ended up getting one today with an additional wireless controller. It came with Madden '07 and I picked of 'Gears of War' which was one of the main reasons to getting the 360 in the first place. Cool game, very cool game...

Anyways, if you have XP SP2, you can download the Zune player software that will allow you to stream content from your PC to the 360. Works without flaw. The 360 had to download a little patch for certain file types, but so far so good.

Thanks guys for the input.

:cheers:
 
Congratulations, you should enjoy it. I'd recommend picking up Test Drive Unlimited as soon as you can, that is a great game to progress through, and one which after finishing you'll still find yourself playing again and again.

To be able to stream content from my PC what would I need to connect it to the 360 with (I have XP SP2 and it's connected via ethernet at the moment for live access) and what steps would I need to progress through to connect it? (Sorry for the partial hijack Pako ;))
 
Congrats, Pako!

If you are to go online, feel free to tell us your Gamertag. :)
 
Pako
Anyways, if you have XP SP2, you can download the Zune player software that will allow you to stream content from your PC to the 360. Works without flaw. The 360 had to download a little patch for certain file types, but so far so good.
Click to expand...
You don't happen to have Zone Alarm as your firewall, do you? I can't seem to find the options in it to enable the sharing. Disabling it and using the Windows Firewall instead works, however, but I'd rather not use that firewall to be honest.
 

Latest Posts

Back