sid369

As the title suggests. I loved playing video games when I was kid. Remeber the Atari stuff. Its been almost ten years that I have not played any video game. I am a student so I want to make a wise decision here, as money is a concern. I have heard rumors that a new version of the Xbox 360 might be coming at the end of this year, but its not confirmed. Should I wait or should I buy one now. Also if I buy one now and the newer version comes what will I be missing. I know I have waited more than a year, however, now I am getting this urge to get into games again. So any suggestions?

RayM1971

If I were you, I'd look into a Nintendo Wii, especially if money is a concern. As far as graphics and game selection, you can't go wrong with a 360. But the Wii is a blast and the upcoming games should be terrific.

vhgong

I would get a PS2 and wait for the new version of 360. PS2 still got some life in it and a good library of games.

devynal

The new version of the Xbox 360 uses a 65nm processor as opposed to 90(?) which will reduce heat/energy consumption. An HDMI port will also be added to the back. A 120gb hard drive will be available but it's not known if it will be bundled or be sold separately. The rest of the architecture is identical.

fujishig

I thought the HDMI port was just a mock up?

Fandango

It was a dev kit.

DodgingCars

What kind of games do you like? What's the last game you really dug? I think the Xbox 360 looks like an awesome system, but I think it doesn't really fit my gaming personality anymore. I grew up on Atari 2600 and NES and my gaming interest waned with PS1 & PS2 (I owned both).

I ended up buying a Wii for the prospects of a new style of gaming (Wii-remote), party games (Smooth Moves, Wii Sports), and for the ability to download classic games from NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and TG16. I only owned a NES, but I got to play friend's SNES, N64, and Genesis growing up. Wii also lets you play Gamecube games. This is exciting, because I like Nintendo's franchise titles: Zelda, Mario, Wario, Metroid, etc and will be able to grab some of those pretty cheap.

Before making your decision, decide what kind of gamer you are. If Xbox 360 is more your style, then pick one up now... there's already great games out for it.

RichC2

I'd wait, there's kind of a quiet period til June. The back library is a fantastic amount of fun though.

Still, the system is very much worthwhile, and the online support is fantastic. I'd wait for the cooler chipset though, you've already held off this long .

Josh H

I'd wait. There's sure to be a price drop or something sometime this year. If you've waited this long I'd hold out until the price drop (and/or the new rumored chipset is out).

Chris_D

I'm waiting for the 360 with the bigger HDD, and quieter dvd drive.

Tarantino

I'd go for it now. There are a ton of fun games to play and XBox Live never gets old.

= J

jiggawhat

If you've waited this long, you might as well wait till summer for the price cut(hopefully!).

mbs

I wouldn't wait. If you wait for rumors about a new system (which microsoft has said are only "research projects"), you could be waiting a long time. There is always a risk with technology, but if you would enjoy it now, I don't see this being a bad time to buy in and start having some fun.

You could wait 10 months and see no new model, so I say buy now. If MS had actually announced a date (or even confirmed a new model would ever appear), I could see waiting. But a new model is just as likely that no new 360 comes out at all in 2007.

On the price cut... My opinion is that unless Sony lowers the price on the PS3, we won't be seeing a cut on the 360.

CKMorpheus

If you desire instant gratification (As I did), I would buy the 360 at Best Buy with a 50 dollar 2 year replacement plan, and whenever (if ever) this new updated model is released, just bring it back with the PRP and say the games are loading slower. So long as the system has no physical damage you will get store credit for the entire purchase price (Plus tax, minus replacement plan) and you can put that towards the new model, which will probably be the same price.

RichC2

I doubt the price cuts myself, but coulda swore I heard MS saying the 65nm was due this year... damn idle speculation.

Chris_D

I justify waiting based on my ps2 game backlog. If I had nothing to play on my current systems I'd grab a 360 this weekend. Even with that being the case, the HD gaming goodness is still tempting me...

kakihara1

Dude you could be playing Blue Dragon!! You should buy one today Chris D.

james2025a

I am in the same boat. I have been looking at possibly getting a 360, but don't know whether i should hold on for the moment. I have spent some time recently checking the number of incidents where peoples 360's have overheated and it just seems like it happens too frequently. My nephew bought a 360 and the first thing that i noticed was how hot it became very quickly. I have never seen a conole/computer get as hot as quickly. And after reading about the release of possibly a new version of the 360 later this year it has stopped me from getting one at the moment. Personally i am going to wait. I am going to pick up games between now and the release of the new system. Sure i won't be able to play them for quite a while....but when i eventually get the new 360 then i will have a good choice of games and hopefully will be able to play it in full HD. In the meantime i am gonna stick with my PC and PS2 to get me through.

Save Ferris

Id get one right away. Theres tons of value to get out of it.

Pros:
1 HD gaming goodness
2 Great game catalog
3 Get in on the online gaming nights with the rest of us--instant friends/rivals

cons:
1 Overheating? With a warranty you can get a new xbox in a few weeks. (comes with 1yr already)
2 New chip coming out? If your xbox works fine then who cares. If not see #1

I think its funny/sad that nobody is even considering the ps3

Josh H

I think you have to add third con of a potential price drop coming pretty soon. I'd be amazed if there wasn't a drop by June as Sony is going to have to drop the PS3 price to get them moving off store shelves faster.

I'd also note that I'd at least wait to make sure you get a free game with purchase. Stores have been having those bundle deals pretty regularly lately, so it's a good idea to keep an eye out and make sure you get a free game IMO.

kakihara1

Josh the ones I've seen at Wal-Mart come with COD2. I don't know if it's the game of the year addition but I would have to guess that it is.

james2025a

Well i personally believe that the PS3 is a better machine than the 360. However, there is too much against it at the moment for it to be a considered choice for many consumers. The price for a start is too high, the immediate numbers in stores was a problem for the people that did want to buy it right away (although saying that it has been pretty damn easy to pick them up here in PR since the beginning really) and finally the initial line up of games. If there had been a better choice of games released with the system then i would have considered it, but none of the games so far have shown any great potential and have not shown any real difference between the 360 versions. The PS2 had games that were exclusive to it that made me want to own that system over an Xbox, but more and more games are coming out on both systems. So just doing the maths shows that its better to go 360 for the moment. The playing field will level off, but it will probably take at least 2 years to get to that stage. Once more people start adopting HD in their homes then the fight for the next gen will truly begin.

Michael Corvin

That is a pretty flimsy stance. It all hinges on Sony dropping the price. It sounds beneficial to move units, but a drop so soon after launch could have quite the opposite effect on the general consumer. It could be viewed as a negative. You would get into the "If it is such a great machine, why drop the price so soon?" type scenario. In fact Sony execs have been ballsy enough already to say that there will be no price drop the first year.

The ONLY way MS will drop the price is IF Sony does first. As it stands there is already a substantial $200 difference. There is no need for a further gap, especially if MS is making money on them right now. I think the more likely scenario is a pack-in (Perfect Dark, Kameo, PGR3) with a hard drive upgrade.

I don't think anyone should sit back and wait. Run to Wal-Mart and get Burnout for free with it(I think that is still going on) and enjoy the hell out of it.

Josh H

Its not flimsy at all. Sony has to get them moving or they are going to die a horrible death. They are not going to fly off shelves at $600 a pop regardless of what games come out.

There will be a price drop, if not by June by the fall. But I think by summer is more likely.

But I guess if you have the $400 to spend and there are several games that are "must buys" for you then just bite now on one of the free game deals. Only Gears of War is a must buy for me, and $400 is way more than I'd ever spend on a game console with the limited amount I play these days so a purchase doesn't make sense for me right now. I'll probably pick one up at the tail end of this gen when they are $200 and have more games out that I want to play.

Michael Corvin

Flimsy was the wrong word.

Even if they drop the price, I doubt it will be something completely drastic. Probably more along the lines slow increments of $50-$80 which I don't see helping either.

Fact is, with both a solid online component & achievement points, MS has put Sony in the same corner that Nintendo always sits in. Why buy a third party game on the PS3 when online play is superior on Live and I can get nerd points on the 360? The difference is, Nintendo survives because their systems are cheap, they actually make money on them and can basically survive on 1st party titles alone.