Wasn't there a rumor that future versions of the 360 will include HD-DVD drives? I don't even want to think about how much that would increase the price. I was probably going to wait for the HD-DVD version anyways, so here's hoping for the HD-DVD and price drop by the time PS3 comes out.

With no Zelda this holiday season, and 360 being too pricey for me, I guess I'll be sticking with DS gaming for awhile.

I have a question. I thought all Xbox games were made to use the hard drive. How can the non-HD version of Xbox360 be backwards compatible without one? Anybody know?

You need the HD to play Xbox games on the 360

HD is also needed to play FFXI, and possibly Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

Which begs the question: what's the point of the $299 console?

To deceive you into thinking that it launched at $299 like the systems before it had.

Wow, even happier I bought the PSP. I will wait for the first price drops (at least)

I think the HD seperate is a bad idea. That hurt the PS2 and some developers quit making games that needed it. Perhaps they see a way around that, but it seems like a very poor decision to me.

Regarding the Game Boy Micro, I don't necessarily think it'll be a failure. Many of the same doubts plauged the launch of the DS, and it's become an incredible success, even outselling the PSP both in hardware and in software. It's pretty obvious who the Micro is marketed at - it's aimed squarly at young professionals. It's a cool gadget toy for grown up gen-xers on the scale of the iPod. I guess for all the bashing at Nintendo for being such a "kiddy" company, them taking steps to reach out to a broader audience is still criticized. Hm.

Nintendo reps have also said that it's not going to be a replacement for the SP. And it's not the first time that Nintendo has done this - remember the Game Boy Pocket? it's release revitalized Nintendo's lagging GB sales.

The only beef I have with the system is the price - for $30 more you can get a DS that still plays GBA games and has a very nice screen comparable to that of the Micro.

Ummm...the DS has outsold the PSP? Certainly not in North America!

http://forum.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=59413

There used to be a time when consoles stuck around for more than 3 years before they were obsolete. Now the prices are going up with a shorter time span. Talk about a rip.

Arguably though a PSP without the Spiderman umd, 32mb memory card (most people need to buy a bigger one straight away anyway) is still a perfectly functional PSP, with all the important features inline with it's value pack brother.

However here we have a non value pack 360 which is basically a neutered version of the value pack. No backwards compatibility, no downloads, no patches (if you don't think that games of the complexity of next gen are going to need occasionally patches I want to take what you're taking), no multimedia/soundtracks.. no hardcore gamer is going to settle for that. And by hardcore I mean someone who browses this forum, maybe reads game reviews occasionally, and buys more than 2 games a year..

The price announcement for the 360 has just guaranteed more time I'll be spending with my XBOX.

maybe the sp will drop in price then ill buy that since i only have a original gba and hate playing it in most conditions


the impressions of the micro say it has a lcd similar to ds

hmm i dunno

I just found out that the Hard Drive is a SATA (Much faster and a higher throughput starting at 150MB/s), not a plain IDE like the one in the Xbox. The price for a 20GB SATA drive is about $65~75, so to get the drive and the rest for $100 is pretty much a bargain.

I'm not in favor of the MS bundle anyways since it doesn't have the hd-dvd drive. It'd be more enticing, if they was included at launch it for $400 bills. I think, Sony might be able to getaway delaying the PS3 launch longer and watch how MS sales goes. I shall hold out for the PS3, whatever its release

Strong agreement. It is quite a deceptive way to make people think they are getting a bargain on the "value pack."

PS3 and Xbox360 are both way cheaper than a gaming PC of equivalent speed/graphics. Plus no driver issues. I still say these systems are a bargain even at these prices. These systems are so much more than Neo-Geo and Saturn of there day. Although, the $60 game prices are too high. I think $39.99 should be the highest for new games. I'll be getting both systems for sure.

I guess I'm the only one here that will be picking up a GBA Micro on launch day.

Mark my words, it doesn't matter that the technology is old or that it is priced at $100. I'm just annoyed that you can get a silver one with a silver faceplate. I hope you can purchase the silver faceplate as an accessory soon. The silver/silver looks slick.

Every kid is going to want one after the first one shows up with it on the playground. You won't be able to find on in stores come Christmas. And the investment cost that Nintendo put into the Micro is most likely very minimal, it has no new technology. It won't take long to recover those costs.

And regarding the $60 game prices...I might be wrong, but I vaguely remember that back in the day, SNES games were $60 too, no?

I doubt it matters. Barely any games made substantive use of the Xbox HD and it was always there. Devs were either too lazy or too busy shoving lousy licensed music to implement custom soundtracks.

We barely know anything about the Revolution and it already looks like a breath of fresh air.

Cartridges cost many, many times more than optical discs to manufacture.

this seems more like a marketing play on Sony's part.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

Sadly true. Just more proof that as a whole north american gamers tastes have drifted far from my own. I really think the bulk of them wouldn't know a good game if it bit them in the as as they're too busy playing the 900th GTA clone or hip hop racing game.

yes, because they told amazon to put that up there...

I completely disagree. We can argue all day about games, but the sale of DS vs PSP has FAR more to with the technology and the "must-have" or "cool" factor than it does with the games. Say what you will about the DS' games, the unit just looks bulky and unattractive while everyday I see crowds of kids and parents gather around the kid playing the PSP in my waiting room. When GTA comes out, then there will be a game to move the system, but right now Sony doesn't really need one.

Hey, that the reality of gadgets. Nobody buys the ipod because it's so much better than other MP3 players on the market, or purchases a Razor because it does things no other cell phone can do.

Sorry to continue the hijacking of this thread, but felt that needed to be said.

Well, my friends were going to buy this at launch, but I don't think they have any idea of what it's actually going to cost them. I'll just let them know the deal, but I think they will buy it anyway. They don't have an HDTV, and right now they haven't hooked up the broadband at their new house. Plus, they have no problem running the wire, and don't have a wireless router. This may be fine for them.