Buy a media-center extender for $169.99, get a free Xbox 360
(Credit:
CompUSA)
I admit it: That headline is a bit misleading. But let me 'splain. Not many people know that the Xbox 360 can double as a media-center extender, meaning it can stream to your TV all the videos, photos, music, and whatnot stored on your PC. To my thinking, it's superior to all the standalone extender products because a) It's cheaper; and b) It's an Xbox! (As you might have heard, they're not bad with the games.)
All of which brings us to my bit of headline trickery: CompUSA has refurbished Xbox 360 Core systems on sale for $169.99 (plus $15-ish for shipping). Now, the Core model is the baseline Xbox, meaning it has no hard drive for game storage and comes with a wired controller instead of the famed wireless one. Xbox zealots typically scoff themselves silly at the mere thought of buying a Core. But look at it another way: For $170, you're getting a killer deal on a media-center extender, with one of the world's best gaming consoles thrown in. (You can always add a hard drive, wireless controllers, etc. later on if you're so inclined.)
What do you think? Does my take make sense, or am I cuckoo for recommending a Core system? I'm more into media-center stuff than I am gaming, so if you're anything like me (and if you are: get help), this really is smart buy.
Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog. 
I thought CompUSA went out of business?
They did but Systemax bought their website and name.
The next issue is that xboxes look really fugly in a media cabinet. The only gaming station that looks like it belongs in there is a PS3. At least the Wii can tuck away somewhere. On the plus side, an xbox can run XBMC. Still not worth the ugliness though.
You don't get the HDMI port, you still have to buy proprietary headset if you want to go wireless, and 50 dollars a year if you want to play online. That will easily equal the price of a Core PS3.
If you wanted to go with the 20GB (which I don't recommend due to the prince of 5 Dollars per GB of data storage where as the 120GB hard drive only costs about $1.50 per GB) then you'd be saving an extra 100....
It's not a bad price but don't forget about all the accessories it might cause you to buy. It's easy to see that after a wifi adapter being added to the above accessory list you now have the cost of the Standard 80GB (which has a few more features than the 80GB Core version which will soon be the only 2 PS3 types on the market)
If you're in the market for a 360 and don't plan on playing the system heavily but do plan on using it to play games occasionally doesn't sound too bad. Of course a brand new Core system is 30 dollars more, AND the Falcon Chipset is the MOST important asset to a 360. If you don't have the falcon chip you have a 1 in 3 chance of having it die on you this year.
I don't see the point in calling it a media extender. Even though it does call itself that on Windows you still have to remember that prolonged use can mean shorter life cycle.
I really only recommend this idea if you are dying for a next-gen system as cheap as possible for right now. Sorry if this sounds a bit negative but I wanted to give all the information I could. Feel free to shop around for better prices the prices I gave you were from Xbox.com. I personally recommend saving up for a PS3 (as Cnet predicts a price drop in LCD HD T.V.s around the holidays) but ultimately the choice is up to you. PS3 is great but it's not for everyone. I do understand that. Most importantly if you have friends you want to play with go with the console that they will buy most of their online games for. Due to Microsoft's charging for online access the servers between Playstation users and Xbox users are seperated. If most of your friends use Xbox you will not be able to play with them on PS3. Servers are also more stable on the 360 side.
If you're still on the fence I recommend a Wii if you want to play games with your family the most (but dont' care about technology but remember that motion technology in the Wii can even help non gamers and grandparents enjoying themselves together as a family) a 360 if you want mostly online play or a larger selection of titles to select from at the start, and a PS3 for everyone in the middle of those 2 extremes.
I hope this will be helpful. I'm just trying to provide the best guide to help you out, it seems even Cnet's Cheapskate is hesitant to offer something like this.
What the heck you talking about?
The Core, Pro and Elite 360's have had HDMI ports since August last year.
I don't need no steenking wireless to play Live. My 36o is stationary. I usually use WIRED internet connection to get online. Wireless for consoles is totally overrated.
You need "proprietary headsets" to go wireless with your 360? You don't say!
"I don't see the point in calling it a media extender"
The 360 IS a Media Center Extender. The Media Center Extender WAS invented by Microsoft, and they have all the software and hardware you need for an extender into a very nicely packageed 360 box.
Seesh! Why don't you take your consused, jumble PS3 fanboy disinformation elsewhere, dude?
$280 (Core System)
$350 (Old 20GB System Price)
$300 (New 20GB System Price)
$350 (60GB System Price)
$450 (120GB System Price)
(System Price - 280) / (Storage Space) = Cost per GB
Naaaah. You are the one that is nuts.
A core system is excellent value if you don't intend to get on Live, which over 40% of 36o users don't.
A Core 360 plays every single 36o game straight out of the box. It will play your Gears of War, COD 4 and GTA IV etc with the same mind blowing graphics that it does on a Pro/Elite system. Not to mention serve as teh best Media Canter extender out there, at an excellent price, like was pointed out in the article.
"To buy a refurbished one is to buy one that's already failed or had some sort of problem in which caused it to become refurbished"
Nonsense.
Lots of people have returned their perfactly working Pro's and traded them in for Elites, while some have traded in their Cores for Elites, or even 20 GB Pro's for 60 GB Pro's.
Millions of refurbished laptops and PC's are sold every year, with the refurbished PC's coming from all those upgrading to new more powerful PC's and trading in their old ones. The fact that something is refurbished doesn't mean it "failed or had some problem" like you are claiming.
There's also nothing wrong with refurbished products in general. Laptops, PC's, TV's, and many other technology devices normally have low failure rates. I'm very specific about targeting the XBox 360 itself and not the refurbished product market as a whole (I have a lot of used stuff, particularly games). With the XBox 360, there's anywhere between a 15 and 70 percent failure rate depending on who you talk to. Some people say it's solid and other people say its a matter of when, not if, the system RROD's. To me, the risk is way too high, especially considering that refurbished units are probably not using the latest hardware that was supposed to fix the problem. I'd feel totally different about picking up a refurbished laptop from Dell. Any product in which has such high failure rates, complaints, and search results would also equally be avoided since it's not worth the risk.
The original XBox in my home is refurbished (new ones were sold out at time of purchase, so I opted for refurbished). Don't think for a second that I'm arbitrarily picking on the XBox 360 because the same reliability standard applies to all products.
Huh?
"Obselete" my eye.
A refurbished Core 360 has the same CPU, the same GPU, chipsets, etc as a new Core/Pro 360. Furthermore it plays exactly tesame games in the same way as a new 360. There is nothing obsolete about it. its just not new, and thats why you are paying a lower price for it.
1. No one ever corrected me on the HDMI ports being added so I never knew. Wow what a concept.
2. There is no mention on if THESE 360 have HDMI It may or it may not if it does then cool if not then boo!
3. Not everyone can use wired. Not everyone wants to use wired, some people DO want it. So I listed that
4. I use a generic USB headset for online communication OR the blutooth I used for my cellphone on the PS3. I felt it was worth a mention so I mentioned it.
5. The reason why I don't see the point in calling it a media extender is because of the lack of reliability. Deal with it. I wasn't wrong you missed my point entirely.
6. 360 Fanboys have MUCH more disinformation than I provided. I didn't provide any disinformation except the HDMI port. So shut up, and deal with it. I gave the facts. Yes I'm biased but most people I know hate their 360. My room mate is selling it, most people go through 2-5 360s. The hardware IS NOT FREAKIN RELIABLE and the online costs ARE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR SOME PEOPLE.
It took a few hours to set up right but I got media streaming to work just perfectly with my PS3 and I have little to no problems with using it. If you have a slower computer you might have some issues but there are some other ways to do it. The fact you can install Linux on a PS3 and you can't do it on the 360. There are many reasons to get a PS3 and relatively fewer reasons to get a 360. HD DVD is dead Blu-Ray will not only lead the way for HD movies but also for games like MGS4 and RPGs that are just too big to be handled by 4 or even more DVDs. Games like DCU Online will revolutionize how people think about Comic MMOs, Avatars is a freakin Mii rip off and the 360 has less and less exclusive great games after every release while the PS3 is brimming with bright new IPs.
When you start attacking me personally when I'm providing information then deal with it. I will provide the information and attacking my arguments and then giving me a personal attack is not only against the rules but at the same time it just gives me 1 less reason to be nice about this. The 360 doesn't even have HALF the processing power the PS3 does which means that when games are crunching physics they can't even dream of the physics that the PS3 is capable of. Games like M.A.G., Heavy Rain, will change how people think about gaming. Home will create an entirely different way to interact with your gaming friends while providing nearly infinite possibilities.
The PS3 is a quality buy that will last you for years to come, you'll be lucky if Microsoft doesn't release their next console in the next 2 years because there's a limit to console's potential and the 360 is FAR closer to it's limits with 9 GB dics, and 3 3.2Ghz processors compared to the PS3's 25-50GB storage capacity, and a single 3.2 Ghz proccessor with 7 useable Vector Proccessors that are used to process data much better than the 360 can handle. In fact it is so powerful it is being implemented in super computers because it is just that powerful.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/playstation-three1.htm
You called me a fanboy so I took the fanboy gloves off. This is not a personal attack on you but a reply to your comment with reasons why the 360 is a lackluster choice. I was trying to be nice but if you're not willing to give the same courtesy then then I'll tell people the truth about this system. Deal with it. I did not lie in one instance in this post. I did not personally attack anything, and none of my claims are unfounded bias. I wanted to provide a clear buying guide for people but now I'm going to tell consumers how outdated this tech really truly is.
P.S. for 40 dollars more than a 360 120GB HDD you can get 500GB. Tell me which one will give you better bang for your buck.
So, if you want the best experience on a multi-platform game, I would recommend the 360 version. It is usually what the developers are putting all their effort into. Most Japanese and some European developers lead with their PS3 version, however.
Some developers love the PS3 some don't like it as much. Most developers that get the hang of it love working with it from what I've heard of Developers. Rockstar has announced that they will be going PS3 exclusive after La Noire because of the abilities that the PS3 does much better than the 360. Also what ever company is developed for first, the other console will usually see a slightly better make. That's what developers have announced. It isn't always the case but it's a rule of thumb.
The PS3 has a superior tech point, but you have to know how to develop for it right. The PS3 DOES have more power than the 360. 1/3 of the 360's processing power is just used for routing data to the vector processors for crunching. Yes the PS3 is different to program for. That's because they wanted to do something different, something that could surpass putting 3-4 proccessors in.
I personally hate the 360 controller I can't currently afford paying 50 dollars a month just to access online, have no 360 friends, can't afford to get a 360 and all the damn overpriced accessories, and it was pretty much a decisive fact that the PS3 version was slightly better than the 360 version for GTA and it's only going to continue from there. There aren't enough 360 titles that me or my room mate really want to keep his 360 for. We all want the PS3 exclusives much more and he's selling his for a second PS3 for a reason.
- by northbit August 20, 2008 1:05 PM PDT
- Anyone defending xbox regarding faulty tech is crazy. Its laughable how the young uninformed masses who worship a console?? get all worked up when anyone says anything negative about it. Sony isnt everything it could be , but at least it doesnt have a 33 % return/failure rate.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(19 Comments)