I am getting an XBOX 360 for Xmas. Wondering what the essentials are to play this machine the way its meant to be played. I already have gotten a 2nd wireless controller.

Do I need things like:

Plug and Play Kits?
Cooler for XBOX?

Things like that, all suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.

XBOX Live gold subscription.
Battery charger for wireless remotes http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...m-20/ref=nosim make sure you use dvdtalk link if you purchase through Amazon though.

The quick charge kit is worth the money. It comes with one battery pack, so buy another.

I have the remote but don't use it. A cooler (well, the Nyko Intercooler) might do more damage than it could possibly provide benefit.

The best accessory (IMO) is the HD-DVD drive at $200. However, it certainly isn't needed for the typical 360 experience. Just a cheap way to HD-DVD if you already have the 360.

I actually bought the Nyko quick charge kit because it was $5 cheaper than the Microsoft one and came with 2 batteries instead of 1. I know some people are a little wary about third party accessories, but I've had it for a month and it's been great so far.

What I recommend:
- Rechargeale batteries for wireless controller. I guess a Quick Charge Kit, but I have rechargeable AA's.

- HD-DVD: Excellent "accessory", comes with a remote and King Kong (I think, unless that has ended)

That is it.

i have a camera, lame thus far.

i absolutely swear by the wireless head set

Plug and play kit. Quickcharge kit. (that will give you 2 rechargeables to keep one always charged and be able to charge a second while playing).

VGA Cable if your TV can use it, gold membership
HD-DVD drive if you're into it

Stay far away from the Nyko Intercooler......

Read this : http://evilavatar.com/forums/showthr...highlight=nyko

Which is better to have?
$15 - Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit
$27 - Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit
$?? - new set of of rechargeable batteries

I have a maha battery charger laying around somewhere and I've already bought and opened the Play & charge kit, but I can pawn the play & charge kit off to someone if standard rechargeable batteries are good enough.

I just use the rechargeable batteries. No problems here. Sometimes they are a little hard to get out of the back plate.

I used rechargable batteries until I got my wii. Since the Wii doesn't offer recharge packs, I picked up the plug and play and now the Wii gets the rechargables.

Must own accessories:
1600 Marketplace point card

Buy marketplace points. If you can wait, every few weeks/months there's a good deal on them. For the 1600 point one you can use a Best Buy gamer gift card, buy it for $14, then use the $5 coupon to make it $15 and give them a $1 bill. Still cheaper than online.

I love the play and charge kits. I don't know anything about the third party ones but $5 is not enough of a difference to me.

DO NOT buy the intercooler or any fans or anything.

DO buy a warranty, if you can get one that extends it beyond the 1-year warranty.

Wireless adapter if you need one...

It's nice to hear that some people have gotten ones that work. You read the xbox forums and there are a lot of issues with this right now.

You just saved my ass big time I was just about to buy one. Thanks

You don't need a cooling unit; you need enough space to keep the unit cooled.

I have no idea why people are talking up the quick charge kit. I have rechargable batteries and they work great and last a long time. I keep a charger in the wall and always have fresh batteries available. I can't really see any huge advantage to the other solutions.

Is the HD-DVD worth it to run component via 1080i? My TV only goes up to 1080i and doesn't have a port for a VGA cable.

I've been debating this also....

The only advantage I see would be that you could go ahead and make the jump from DVD to HD-DVD and in the event you get (which you will) a 1080p TV then you'd be all set... Get a jump start on your HD-DVD collection now. The X360 HD-DVD player would be the only way I'd go at this time....

I truly doubt I get a 1080p TV for at least another four years. Kinda kills the HD mood to sit here and think about that.
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Maybe it's personal preference. I pesonally like the M$ charger. It's simple and an easy quick change when the battery does run out of juice. Especially good for quick changes while playing online.

I can tell a big difference on my 50" Panasonic plasma. Everything is scaling to 720p but it looks a lot better than regular DVDs. You do get used to it though. I watched Superman Returns tonight and realized that I wasn't ooooohing and aaaaaahing at the picture the whole time. Then I flipped the disc and it looked like crap. For one thing, blacks are actually black with the HD-DVD version. The regular version was a lot of dark gray in dark scenes.

For $200, I think it was very much worth it.

I haven't bought one because of this issue. If it were 1080i or 1080p over HDMI I would have preordered one. My 1080p TV did not come with a VGA port, unless I wanted to spend $500 more.