Report: New wireless adapter for Xbox 360 to cost $100

Wireless connection to Xbox 360? It'll cost you.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft plans to offer a new 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter for the Xbox 360 for $100, reports Ars Technica, citing unnamed sources. The publication also said that Microsoft's current 802.11g wireless adapter will cost $79.99 when the new adapter is released. It's currently on sale for $99.99.

A Microsoft spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail message to me on Wednesday that the adapter would "seamlessly connect with (the user's) home network with the highest wireless 'N' technology." The company wouldn't divulge any details on price or availability.

According to Ars Technica, its source said that the new 802.11n wireless adapter "will feature two antennae for better reception, and should help deliver the bandwidth needed to stream 1080p video instantly." The source didn't say when it would be released.

Although a $79.99 wireless adapter will appeal to some, it's a hefty price to pay for last-gen wireless technology. And $100 for an 802.11n wireless adapter just to connect to Xbox Live without cables seems rather steep as well. That said, we have to keep in mind that, so far, these prices are unconfirmed.

Updated at 1:52 p.m. PDT to include Microsoft's comments.

Check out Don's Facebook profile, Twitter stream, and FriendFeed.

[stepyourgameup]

Another reason to buy a PS3.

[DrtyDogg]

Yes Sony's wireless N adapter is so much better. . .

[markdoiron]

I'm always for saving a little coin. But, I don't have my house wired with Ethernet, so a $100 N adapter may be just the ticket. And you should "sic" that "antennae." Insects have antennae. Radios have antennas. --mark d.

[jaguar717]

Do computers have mouses?

[cdwilliams1]

Or visit Home Depot - 100 foot RJ45 cable, $19 bucks.... possibly a bit unsightly but still faster than wireless-N for a lot less!

[kewell82]

Only if you get a gigabit switch/router. Wireless-N can handle 300 mb so if you get a 10/100 switch then it won't be faster than wireless-N. But you're right, the cable is faster as long as the hardware is gigabit capable.

[Stormspace]

You only get half speed on wireless since it isn't full duplex. So you only get 77mb per sec each way. Ethernet is 100 both ways

[Stormspace]

Did a little more research and 11N has a Maximum theoretical limit of 200MB, or 100MB each way. However CNET labs tests of differing routers place the max speed at 10 feet at around the 77MB mark I mentioned earlier. Still, a wired connection is more reliable. Also if you run the router in mixed mode so your DS and Wii will work wirelessly you will further degrade the speed you are getting. So, unless you are prepared to cut off your older devices or you find a way to bring them up to N clients, you'll be stuck with 40-50MB per sec.

[timber2005]

@Stormspace - Do a little more research yourself. There is only one RFC you need to read.... but here's the wikipedia short.

IEEE 802.11n-2009 is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11-2007 wireless networking standard to improve network throughput over previous standards, such as 802.11b and 802.11g, with a significant increase in the maximum raw OSI physical layer (PHY) data rate from 54 Mbit/s to a maximum of ***600 Mbit/s***. The current state of the art supports a PHY rate of 450 Mbit/s, with the use of 3 spatial streams at a channel width of 40 MHz.[1] Depending on the environment, this may translate into a user throughput (TCP/IP) of ***110 Mbit/s.***

And wireless is full duplex in N isn't it? I thought that was the point of the dual/tri antenna.

[Stormspace]

I saw the wiki entry and dismissed it, because well it's wikipedia. Instead I went to cnet labs where they were doing real testing with n draft equipment. As for full duplex on N, that's news to me, but it will still suffer in mixed mode.

[kaibelf]

This is the most useless debate I've seen on here in forever. No 360 online-enabled game uses nearly that much data anyway, so who cares? You're playing Halo, not hosting a data center. Christ.

[cowatson]

@cdwilliams1 depending on the router, N can be faster than hardwire. I wonder though if the antenna is cheaper than a wireless access point/bridge for N? Also, will this be N draft or actual N? I thought N was still in draft form.

[kewell82]

It is now a standard.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10351215-94.html?tag=mncol

[kewell82]

What a rip off! All though I am excited that we are moving towards wireless N technology.

[ausernamenoonehaschosen]

Yeah, a rip off, considering it should come standard on the newer models. It is like MS to make you pay for items like this. N is not draft anymore, btw.

[bensobel]

Does PS3 come with wireless N?

[sticks1839]

PS3 is wireless G. Is the N standard even official yet?

[kaibelf]

N went official last week.

[percychow]

Rip Off, Old-Tech... perhaps... BUT IF you are the other 80% of the world that NEEDS true plug and play compatibility (no software, no cds, no downloads), then $100 might be worth the premium.

One could spend less, like maybe $20 to $50 for a USB/PC wireless adapter, but that's a "hack" workaround that may or may not work as efficiently as the MS unit.

So, the question is... say you buy the $20 unit, tried a few hack sites to make it work... and you can't. You just burned $20 and a few hours of your life.

FWIW - I got the old "g" wireless adapter new for $80 off EBAY. You really don't have to pay full price if you look around.

[Zoobie]

How does summarizing something from Arstechnica count as a legitimate post on C-Net? I guess Don didn't have any ideas of his own today...

[thomsonr2000]

The price is steep but I see myself getting one. I stream alot of video to my XBOX 360 for viewing on tv and the N would make quite a difference.

[styymy]

$79.99 is still pretty steep on the soon to be old adapter. After more than four years, the $99.99 wireless adapter gets a $20 price cut. You can get one in the $60 range if you shop around though. I currently use it, but not sure if I'll upgrade immediately. A wired connection is more reliable but I haven't had any major issues gaming or streaming Netflix.

[clbowens]

I bought a wireless-N card for my laptop about a month ago for $20. And that was regular price!

[dananapatman]

I didnt know the xbox 360 was such a rip off. Console 299 plus 99 for wireless? Plus 199 for hd dvd add on then batteries or recharge kits then you have to buy a blu ray player on top of that. I dont see the value in this system that everyone argues with me about.

[kaibelf]

First of all, you're assuming that everyone wants all that useless junk. The console's 299, 99 more IF you want or feel you just MUST have wireless. Do you seriously need a blu-ray player? If so, then get one instead of using netflix like everyone else, but I don't know a single person who NEEDS or even WANTS HD-DVD. You don't HAVE to opt for the wireless controllers, and if you do, the battery packs are about 12 bucks, and last quite a long time (mine have been good for almost 2 years).

As for the value, it's the must better xbox live marketplace as opposed to Sony's weak offering, and the much larger/better library. A console is, and always has been, ONLY as good as the games on it, and the 360 just has many many MANY more good games. Sony came in an entire year later, has a very thin book of exclusive titles, and for a very long time was much MUCH more expensive, so I don't understand why you would feel the 360 to be a tough sell by comparison. Unless, of course, you're one of those people who assumes that technology development happens for free, and fully-featured systems and devices should cost nothing. Just sayin'.

[newPCgadgets]

I bought an Xbox 360 security kit from newpcgadgets.com for my dorm room to protect against theft.