Xbox 360 Elite bundle now includes better games
(Credit:
Microsoft)
The high-end version of the Xbox 360 Elite will soon begin shipping with two of that platform's top titles bundled in at no extra cost. Halo 3 and Fable II will be included with the $400 console, replacing Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda.
What's the impact? First off, most first time Xbox 360 buyers will be getting a far better deal: Halo 3 and Fable II are both 360 exclusives that garnered positive reviews when initially released (though Halo 3 is arguably the weakest entry in its series). Also interesting: instead of the family-friendly movie tie-in games found in the previous bundle (targeted at holiday shoppers), the new bundled games are strictly M-rated--the gaming equivalent of an R rating. While I'd say they're more of a "soft M" compared with the much more explicit antics of a Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil 5, or Dead Space, it suggests to me that Microsoft is ceding the kid-friendly market to industry leader Nintendo, and consolidating its strength among adult gamers--who, as George Will will tell you, make up 75 percent of the market.
The Xbox 360 also remains the only game console with native support for streaming Netflix video on-demand. By comparison, the identically priced PS3 plays HD Blu-ray movies, but the current configuration doesn't include any games. (For that you need to step up to the $500 version, which includes a larger 160GB hard drive and a copy of the game Uncharted.)
So what do you think? Is the refreshed Xbox 360 bundle a good deal for new gamers? Or would you recommend that they go with a lower-priced configuration? Or opt for a Wii or PS3 instead?
(Source: Major Nelson via Gizmodo)
John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002. 
I do disagree with the comment about Halo 3 being the weakest in the series. Mr. Falcone did state ?arguably? though?
E74 and RROD are hardly user error when MS themselves issued free repairs to their defective counsel. I'll never understand the loyalty these xbots have to there unit but to each his own. I say you have the best already just wait for the games to release on the PC and you'll have saved your self allot of grief. You already have free online, wifi, and PS3 library you know is nothing to underestimate. I would much rather have better selections of quality exclusives than the random crap exclusive just to expand a dull library with repetitive games.
This is nothing less then MS desperate attempt to get more suckers to buy there unit. Or maybe after the E74 error the units aren't moving as much.
Sure Sony is in it for the money too but at least you get what you pay for.
PS. Halo 2 was the weakest of the three.
All that said, I'm a PS3 fanboy that's considering picking up this bundle. Why not?
and ps. The 360 comes with basically the same features as ps3, photo viewing, can be a media center, I own both the only thing not included is built in wi-fi and you don't need to buy the 100 dollar microsoft one there are many cheaper ones out there that work perfectly fine. I use a 30 dollar one and I've never had a problem with it.
Is that why Halo 3 continues to sit at # 1 in the most played games on XBOX Live even up to now, a full 18 months after launch?
And won lots of Game of The Year Awards in 2007, including Time Magazine's?
http://www.switched.com/2007/12/11/halo-3-tops-times-video-game-of-the-year-list/
" it suggests to me that Microsoft is ceding the kid-friendly market to industry leader Nintendo,"
No it doesn't.
It merely
Nothing of the kind.
It merely suggests that Microsoft wants to induce gamers ("casual" or "core" to buy even more 360's. Going after "hardcore" gamers, and going after casual gamers need not be mutually exclusive. There will almost certainly be a more "casual" 360 bundle for the holidays, possibly including one with Gametrak "Freedom" 360 motion controller, bundled with a casual motion control game.
360 Elite
-160 hard drive(not user upgradable)
-1 controller
-2 terrible games
-RROD
-E74 error
-$50 sub to Xbox LIVE
-DVD player
PS3
-80 harddrive(user upgradable)
-1 controller, motion sensing.
-Built in wifi
-built in internet brower
-Blu Ray player
-built in Digital Optical for surround sound
-Free PlayStation Network
-Less then 0.01% failure rate.
-the elite is $400
-wi-fi adapter: $100
-controller rechargable battery: $12 each
-xbox live: $50 a year
the 360 doesn't even have a blu-ray player.
you do the math.PS3 comes out in the top with better hardware at a cheaper price.
Reality:
Halo Metacritic scores based on 86 reviews: 94!!
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/halo3?q=halo 3
Halo 3 Metacritic scores easily trump Killzone 2 scores:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/killzone2?q=killzone 2
Not to mention, Halo 3 sold more in just 12 days in the US alone(3.3 million), than Killzone 2 has sold in over a month worldwide!
Fable II garnered a solid Metacritic score of 89 as well.
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/fable2?q=fable II
"this is still a rip off"
A rip off ? Naaah.
Giving away a FREE copy of the festest selling game in US history(Halo3) and winner of plenty of Game of the Year awards in 2007, plus one if the best WRPG's ever made(Fable II), at exactly the same price as a $400 Eliteis about the best deal going in gaming right now.
This argument isn't ever going to end, I've already seen that you two are being too stubborn to let it.
I don't need to tell you about the xbox advantages, as it seems you own stock in Microsoft. Chill out, it isn't worth the heart attack over what video games a person buys.
1. The Blu Ray player
2. I don't have to pay another 50 bucks to play one the internet.
3. I don't have to purchase downloadable games twice. (I can download up to 5 systems 1 purchased title with the PS3.)
All in all you get more bang for your buck with PS3 even without a game included. Xbox 360 with adding Halo 3 and Fable 2 should sell better then the package they have now.
It's seems logical for me to pick up another PS3 before this package, just do to the lower overall cost of of a PS3 being added to my current line up.
"1. The Blu Ray player "
You don't need Blu Ray to play games. It's superfulous to the needs of gamers. In a recession, the Arcade 360 at just $200, is a steal for most gamers. That is why the 360 continues to slaughter the PS3 in monthy sales in NPD. Most gamers don't give two hoots about Blu Ray, especially when its coming in a $400 package.
"2. I don't have to pay another 50 bucks to play one the internet"
Groan! the usual $50" red herrring from the PS3 fanatics.
Show me anyone who is actually paying $50 for XBOX Live 12 months subscribtion.
Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Card plus 1 Month Bonus has been going for less than $ $40.00 and even much lower, at plenty of retailers:
http://gamerdeals.net/blogs/cheap-xbox-360/archive/2009/01/09/cheap-xbox-live-12-month-and-points-cards.aspx
"3. I don't have to purchase downloadable games twice"
Who the heck makes you download games twice on the 360 then?
As I said before, I own all 3 systems now.
I currently own the Xbox 360.
All I was saying is that if I was to purchase a 4th system the PS3 was a better choice for me. I have 4 1080p televisions in my house. The Blu Ray player is right for me because Microsoft?s add-on I paid 199.99 for is dead and only Blu Ray disc continue to be in production. I understand you don't need it for games, but what a nice bonus for full 1080p movies.
Secondly, I currently pay 49.99 a year for x-box live (call me a fool) but that's what they charge me a year. I'm not bothered by that amount. If I was to buy a second x-box there will be a fee to use it properly with the other one in my house as well. Bringing my total about 100 bucks a year. Let's face it, why have 2 Xbox with only one truly on line.
As for your "Who the heck makes you download games twice on the 360 then?" comment. Imagine downloading Bomberman to the 1st x-box. Now I could move it over to the other x-box with the same account but can I be playing on-line with both? Or would I have to pay for an account and the same game? Maybe you know more about this then I do. But, the one thing I know is I can download 1 game on my PS3 and apply it to 4 other PS3 systems and play it on other accounts.
Maybe this changed on X-Box or you know a way to even the odds. Please let me know.
Leggo-
Is that why the 360 easily continues to outsell the PS3 evey NPD month, and outsold the PS3 by twice in Nov/Dec last year.
You Sony rent boys just crack me up.
as you know the xbox 360 has 1080p on it right? you just need to set it on 1080p with the HDMI cable. you PS3 fanboys don't know antything about the xbox 360's features.
Not quite.
PS3 Vs Xbox 360: GPU Specs:
Triangle Setup
Xbox 360 - 500 Million Triangles/sec
PS3 - 250 Million Triangles/sec
Vertex Shader Processing
Xbox 360 - 6.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 2.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 16 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 1.5 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 12 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 1.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 8 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
PS3 - 1.0 Billion Vertices/sec
Filtered Texture Fetch
Xbox 360 - 8.0 Billion Texels/sec
PS3 - 12.0 Billion Texels/sec
Vertex Texture Fetch
Xbox 360 - 8.0 Billion Texels/sec
PS3 - 4.0 Billion Texels/sec
Pixel Shader Processing with 16 Filtered Texels Per Cycle (Pixel ALU x Clock)
Xbox 360 - 24.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 20.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 40 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 18.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 36 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 32 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
PS3 - 16.0 Billion Pixels/sec
Pixel Shader Processing without Textures (Pixel ALU x Clock)
Xbox 360 - 24.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 20.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 40 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 18.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 36 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 32 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
PS3 - 24.0 Billion Pixels/sec
Multisampled Fill Rate
Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Samples/sec (8 ROPS x 4 Samples x 500MHz)
PS3 - 8.0 Billion Samples/sec (8 ROPS x 2 Samples x 500MHz)
Pixel Fill Rate with 4x Multisampled Anti-Aliasing
Xbox 360 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 4 Samples x 500MHz / 4)
PS3 - 2.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 2 Samples x 500MHz / 4)
Pixel Fill Rate without Anti-Aliasing
Xbox 360 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 500MHz)
PS3 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 500MHz)
Frame Buffer Bandwidth
Xbox 360 - 256.0 GB/sec (dedicated for frame buffer rendering)
PS3 - 20.8 GB/sec (shared with other graphics data: textures and vertices)
PS3 - 10.8 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for textures and vertices)
PS3 - 8.4 GB/sec (with 12.4 GB/sec subtracted for textures and vertices)
Texture/Vertex Memory Bandwidth
Xbox 360 - 22.4 GB/sec (shared with CPU)
Xbox 360 - 14.4 GB/sec (with 8.0 GB/sec subtracted for CPU)
Xbox 360 - 12.4 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for CPU)
PS3 - 20.8 GB/sec (shared with frame buffer)
PS3 - 10.8 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for frame buffer)
PS3 - 8.4 GB/sec (with 12.4 GB/sec subtracted for frame buffer)
Shader Model
Xbox 360 - Shader Model 3.0+ / Unified Shader Architecture
PS3 - Shader Model 3.0 / Discrete Shader Architecture
Xbox 360 has the advantage in most cases.
And where it matters, most multiplatform games have for the most part, run better on the 360 than the PS3.
In terms of opinion. I would personally Prefer an Xbox 360 for a few different reasons, Most my friends have one, Makes gaming with friends easier. Xbox Live, Does have a bigger majority of players....Regardless of most of the 10 year old cursing kids running around. The RROD is true, a major flaw for the 360 and even with the new chip set its still prone to breakage... But easily countered with proper hardware attention, An after market cooler, and intermediate breaks between gaming sessions. And the other...E74 i think that error is also another flaw... which cant really be avoided beside crossing your fingers during a system update. Personally Halo 3.... *Cough* well after playing Halo 2 for god knows how long i have grown sick and tired of it, I honestly wouldn't and don't care if i ever play Halo 3. Fable on the other hand was a great game and i have played the second one, currently own it as well, Its not bad. NOT GREAT But not bad. And a 160GB hard drive.... Worth Justifying 400 Dollars for.... In my opinion if your a casual gamer, Definitely NOT.
Now on The PS3 I will admit, I honestly over all like the PS3 better, If you really find the need to you can upgrade the hard drive to what ever size ya need..... and if your feeling saucy you can even put an SSD in it. Because of its Raw power as a few people have said, it SOME what gives the game creators leeway and more chances then none a better aspect for graphics so in time probably expect the PS3 to be Top if not already in visual effects. With a Blue-ray drive installed already, You don't need to get yet another gadget to watch your beautiful 1080P movies. And the Failure rate on the PS3 may not be 0.01% But its still significantly smaller then an Xbox 360 even with with hardware attention and aftermarket cooling supply's.
over all because this isn't a pissing contest i would say Nay on the Elite Xbox for the main reason being i cant justify a 400Dollar price tag for significant hardware/software issues. 2 main stream games that i personally wouldn't pay much for, a 160GB hard drive and still no in box 'Play and charge' Connector, and a WiFi Adapter. The main fact is sure the 360 has a bigger selection but most people don't care, they see a shiny new game that looks fun it don't matter if its exclusive or not their going to get it, Simple as that consumers/Casual gamers are idiots plain and simple.
In short Xbox Elite Vs Xbox Pro, Go pro hands down 60GB is enough for most people for a while, and use the money you saved to get a controller for multilayer, perhaps a Xbox live card, and a Wifi adapter for not much more then the elite.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/04/20/nbcolympics-com-using-silverlight-3-smooth-streaming-for-winter/
(Add in streaming through netflix :P )
Fable 2 is an experience worth playing. It's better than Fable 1 which was already good. Just the AI of the dog alone makes the game worth buying; the fact that you get it for free here is just an excellent bonus.
I'm a fan of both the PS3 and the 360. The Elite is the best 360 and I'm partial to black consoles anyway because they look better in a home entertainment system. If you don't need BluRay (which you REALLY don't if your TV is less than 62") and you don't need built-in WiFi, this is a fantastic deal.
Oh and one last little thing - everyone needs to stop whining about Microsoft charging for XBox Live Gold - all you're doing is paying for the servers, the bandwidth and the people to maintain it. It's less than half what you'd pay to play World of Warcraft. Sony saying they will allow 3rd parties to run their online network for them has resulted in an almost across the board worse experience online for me on the PS3. Only Resistance 2 and KillZone 2 have really solid online play and that's pretty sad compared to the dozens upon dozens of excellent online games I can choose from on the 360. I pay more for one month of my internet ISP (AT&T UVerse) than I do for a year of XBox Live Gold. It's simply not a bad deal.
I was looking at 360pro vs. 360elite vs. ps380g/160g. I didn't really consider the arcade version as I know that I would need a HD in the long run and the extra $150 for it (if you buy seperately) is really a rip-off. When I looked at the ps3, it would really surprise you with a $400/$500 tag price if you would compare it to $200-$400 360 price, and the $250 wii. However, it does contain everything you need. The only possible extras are a controller. Some don't really care about wifi but i do need it and the extra $100 for 360 is again a rip off. Another thing that pushed me back from 360 was the hardware reliability. As I want to get something that would last a long time. Xbox experience: I own an xbox1 and got RRoD after sometime and 360 frozes often when playing. My father-in-law's 360 got broken easily. (he's not even playing it all the time.)
While xbox now has good Jrpg games. And the ps3 losing exclusives. It clearly shows why 360 is leading ahead. The 360's 1yr headstart is also a reason for its popularity. (People who has it would tell their friend to get one so that they could play online.)
One of the ps3's pros is also its cons. Its online playing. The good: It is free. The bad: i find it hard to connect, often get error code that claims to be that the server is busy/full i think. Probably, the extra $50 is worth it. (It would really be more appealing and reasonable to me if the price for xbox live is at $20-$30 because you already bought their hardware as it should be a privilage for this kind of service.)
Even all through the hardware/box/bundle issues. The really biggest issue is the games. The 360's library is bigger than the ps3's. Considering that multiplatform games before looked better in the 360. But it is now getting more even as devs are cracking of the ps3 becomes bigger. 360 exclusive games that i want: last remnant, ToV, star ocean, Naruto. Ps3 exclusive games that I want: Disgaea3, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone2, Metal gear Solid 4, Heavenly Blade, Naruto. I also anticipates god of war 3 and gran turismo 5.
Most gamers say that blueray is not needed in gaming. But the really big space that the blueray could store would really pay off in the upcoming FFXIII. It was announced that it would be multiplatform. (another exclusive loss.) If you ever heard that the demo was over 5gb already. which only has roughly an hour of play. I wouldn't be surprised if it would need two Blueray Discs. But I'm really thinking about the 360version. :? Still, the blueray is a good addition.
I've also considered the noise of the 360. It was like a jet thrusters. The quieter ps3 is a big plus as my time of playing often involves my 16months old baby asleep.
So, last month after a lot of research and thinking. My heart fell on the ps3. (Even though I had to do more thinking when the RE5 xbox360 elite bundle was out.) I am happy with it. Although i would be more if the online xp would be faster.
I love both system and has respect for them. It's just that the ps3 has more of my qualifications.
360: Halo3, Halo Wars, Fable 2
Ps3: Resistance, Infamous
I strongly suggest getting this bundle if you got interest in xbox360. Otherwise, ps3 has been getting good deals like in gamestop, they would give you $50 giftcard when you buy one. I got mine in bestbuy when they had a deal that let you choose a game between Killzone2, LittleBigPlanet, and MBL 09. I chose Killzone2...:)
Sure you get two games, but the price of XboxLive will get you are free game every year on PS3.
You wouldn't see it, even if the truth hit you between the eyes would you? You face is too firmly stuck in Sony's backside.
" I can get a PS3 for this price, with better features, better games, and better reliability."
You can get a PS3 and be lstuck with crappier games, a smaller games line up, smaller number of AAA titles, and a crap online system that is not even on the same planet as XBOX Live, or get a 360 and get by far the best games line up and the best online system this .generation. It's no surprise the 360 continues to SLAUGHTER the PS3 in monthly NPD sales every month.
Poor PS3 fangirls.
How about Fallout 3's and GTA downloads...didn't come to the PSN.
Don't forget the games(which actually sell in the top 10, which the PS3 games hardly ever crack), Left for Dead, Dead Rising, Gears of War 1&2, Mass Effect 2, Fable 2,
Yes, PS3 gets some of the great games that are on the 360, but only after waiting at least 6 months or more. Those games are old news by the time PS3 players are salivating over them.
The DLC you talk about is nothing short of MS throwing money down to have exclusive crap. Big whoop they should save there loot and produce something better than the Frankenstein they sell.
By the way have you noticed that PS3 library consist of a higher percentage of highly rated games than 360? Of corse not you rather have quantity over quality, or maybe you just buy every game ever made for the 360. You guys wish your exclusives were even half as good as PS3. Well maybe next year you'll get the SIMS Halo edition.
Also, your argument over quantity vs quality, is pretty stupid. If you had the PS2 then the the games one there were more quantity over quality compared to the Xbox, but then it was about the size of the games library. PS owners have turned into the first Xbox owners, better features, better games, Sony just buys everything, etc. Show me one link that shows the PS3 games are better rated overall, besides a PS3 magazine.....you can't because it's in your head.
You want to talk about a features that are important, how about that my harmony remote works with the 360 and your stuck with the PS3 remote that is crap. At least I can control my 360, TV, DVD player, and surround sound system with one remote.
You tell me what GOY hasn't been on both systems? Looking better on the PS3 I might add.
Your just mad cause while your playing expansions we are getting games like God of War, Grand Torismo 5, uncharted 2, ect.
But can you speak up next time I can't here you over your crapbox sounding like a landing 747.
PS3= Quality
Xbox= $200 dollar paper weight
Go ahead try to convince yourself you have a better system its ok
Those "specs" are from Microsoft and proven to be fake many times. They twist the 360's advantages to big it up, and do the opposite to the PS3 specs.
Look at the platform exclusives, it's clear the see the PS3 easilly outperforms the Xbox in all areas.
Those specs are are solid and are as valid as they come. The proof is easy enouh to see in how multi-plat games almost invariably perform much better on the 360 than on the PS3. The PS3 is an overpriced piece of equipment, which is outperformed by the 360 in almost every mutlti-plat game.
Of course the PS3 fangirls will much rather swallow poison than admit the truth.
You can't tell how good a console is by looking at multiplatform titles. Coders have to cater for the craptastic Xbox360, with it's PS2-era DVD drive and lack of standard HDD,
You can only really tell how good a console is by looking at the platform exclusives, and PS3 is 100x better than that respect, with it does not have to cater for the Xbox limitations.
Since most PS3 games are multi-plat games, multi-plats are gonna play a major part in every PS3 owner's gaming experience.
What are some of the top selling game on the PS3 in America so far? Cod Waw and CoD 4, both multi-plats, and both better on the 360.
"You can only really tell how good a console is by looking at the platform exclusives"
Is that why the non exclusives like the CoD games sold better than exlusives like Killzone 2?
GTA4 alone looks way better on PS3 then 360 along with many, many other games. So go spew your nonsense somewhere ells cause nobody is buying it.
Sale rates my butt, that's all you xbots buying the same unit after yours craps out because you're to proud to admit you got yourself screwed.
Don't worry my friend at work gets it worse while i see him from my desk looking up fedex website for his 360 delivery status. LOL (> o <) Keep waiting justdon't throw away the coffin.
And yeah ps3 is really reliable. I can't see myself not playing ps1-ps3 games on its original console because im sure by the time of ps4, it'll still work. Although please sony, have a better bandwith with you PSN. My PSN experience is really not that great compared to LiVe.
- by SaT_161 April 22, 2009 9:11 AM PDT
- Awesome, I was thinking on buying an Elite 360 but the games included where kinda lame, also the Xbox 360 has this thing that lets you use the 360 to watch cable tv by setting up your computer with Media Center or something like that, it works with Internet Tv as well.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (69 Comments)XBOX360 FTW!