What does a "videogamer" like myself do?
 

So I'm getting a little tired of the SNES in my house. Enjoy the new NBA Live, Tiger Woods games enough to want to give one of these newer systems a try.

I see the XBOX and PS2 are stil $149? Still? Shouldn't the XBOX be $99 now that the XBOX 360 is out? Is a pricedrop for either coming soon?

To me, it seems somewhat reasonable to get a XBOX and a couple games for a little over $200 (according to this week's BB or CC prices) but then again how outdated will it be by the end of this year?

It'd be great if they just lowered the system prices $50 and I could splurge and not feel that bad about it...

I have a 360, but never owned an original XBox. My advice....

Get the original XBox. Even at $150, you'll still be ahead of the game. (no pun intended) Backward Compatibility on the 360 (ability to play original XBox games) is terrible. That means you're stuck with high-priced 360-specific titles and those XBox 1 titles that are compatible.

But with an XBox 1, even if you pay $150, you'll have access to the entire library of XBox games. Many have dropped in price to $20... and then there are the used games.

The XBox 1 is more hackable (in terms of added functionality). At this point in time... as much as I love PGR3, I'd rather have an XBox 1, PGR2, and homegrown patches/hacks like XBMC.

I don't know... at this point, if he's waited this long, he should just wait a few months more, at least until E3, but maybe until the PS3 comes out, for the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube generation of consoles to come down in price. Of course, it will be very outdated by the end of the year, but there're a ton of games for those systems that are worth playing, and the games for the new systems won't be hitting their stride, IMHO, for at least another year or so. As long as you don't have to have the latest and greatest, that's the way to go.

heck, there are still PS1 games that I want to finish playing, but when it comes to upgrading consoles, I'm weak...

Microsoft still loses money on every Xbox sold for $149. If absolutely nobody buys an xbox at $149, maybe they'll drop the price. If $99 is your limit, get a Gamecube.

If your main system is currently an SNES, I really don't think being outdated has worried you too much these past 12 years or so, why start now?

i agree with the guy above. The harddrive in the Xbox will make it difficult to reach $99. There are some insane deals on the Gamecube right now and some of the best game of last generation can be had for less than $20.

Hold on, though. For most people, I'd recommend getting a Gamecube, but he says he likes the new NBA Live and Tiger games, and I'd hardly recommend a Gamecube to a sports game fan (especially because of the memory issue). I guess it depends on what games he wants to play.

Do people really think the Xbox won't reach 100? I guess with the new consoles coming it at the higher pricepoints, that might be true. I'd think the HDD wouldn't be a huge price deterrent, though, since isn't it just an IDE drive? Those things are dirt cheap now.

Clear some things up.

I just play SNES these days for fun. Did play a ton of Dreamcast, PS2 and N64 years ago and now am starting to play a little more XBOX. To me, it seems reasonable to even wait for the initial XBOX 360 pricedrop at this point. I don't mind outdated games, but I also wouldn't mind some amazing sports games (hopefully next years will be even better).

On that note, I primarily play/would play sports titles, so the XBOX seems to be the way to go.

I'm torn between picking one up this week for $149 plus some games or just waiting more for an XBOX 360 pricedrop. I guess fans of sports games can answer this...to me it doesn't seem like NBA Live 2006 on the XBOX 360 is LIGHT YEARS ahead of NBA Live 2006 on XBOX.

NBA Live hasn't come out for the 360, you'll have to wait for 07 for the EA games.

But, you are correct in your assumptions that the sports games weren't that far ahead of the current gen when compared to the 360 titles.

I just wanted to say, don't get rid of the SNES. Mine is currently hooked up to the TV right beside the Xbox. There is room in my heart and home for both.

If I recall correctly, Madden, NBA Live, AND Tiger have all come out on the xbox 360. Unfortunately they lack a lot of the modes featured on the regular xbox.

Getting back to the original topic, usually price drops occur before E3 which is in May.

Just Madden, Tiger and FIFA...all of which are lacking in the 360 realm compared to the xbox/ps2 versions.

NBA Live is DEFINETELY out on the 360. However, NBA 2K6 is a MUCH better game on the 360.

It seems like budget is an issue, I guess a XBOX would be your best bet. They have GREAT sports games, and are known for it. The HD is nice too. However, I feel after this year, there will be little to no new games released.

I love my 360....

There won't be a price drop on the original Xbox. They have even gone so far as stopping production on it. You are better off just saving up and getting a 360.

Get a DS

I was going to say, Liver and Onions, are you just trying to block out memories of NBA Live for the 360? It's been out since day one, and was even the first demo available online. I agree, though, that 2K6 is a much better game.

It's hard to judge the current crop of sports games for the 360. My favorite is 2K6, but that's pretty much Xbox 2K6 with better graphics. I prefer that because it has all the features, while the EA games like Madden have totally different gameplay, but lack the features and polish of the last gen. EA will eventually get it right (one would hope) but it might be a few years down the line. So at this point, the 360 isn't worth getting for "superior" sports games, especially if you don't have an HDTV, but who knows a couple of years from now, when the pricedrop you're waiting for will come.

You mention mostly EA games. But one of the compelling reasons to get an Xbox is that we will never see an NFL 2K game again.

That must be it :) Playing FIFA was more than enough EA for this first round of games that I blocked out the rest of the sports lineup.

You can always get a refurbished Xbox for around a little over 100 bucks with a warrenty at EB/GS and do it that way,imo your missing out on 100s of game's if you skip Xbox or PS2 especially if you like sport's game's.

I disagree he'd be missing out on sport's titles. Since next gen systems will likely have just as many and most just as good (once you know, they aren't rushed out *cough* EA *cough*), especially with the yearly upgrade model that seems to be followed.

That may be true sometime down the road, but at this moment (and for at least the next 6-12 months) An original XBox offers a better value for the money.

The 360 has NBA Live, NBA 2K6, NHL 2K6, Tiger Woods, FIFA, and Madden. If you count skateboarding as a sport, then you can add Tony Hawk to the list as well.

Yes, but with Tony Hawk, it's not so simple like it is with the other sports where you only want the latest one. The older TH games are worth having because the levels and goals are different. Also, I didn't like the direction the series went starting with Underground (driving cars, the horrible control when you get off the board, destruction, sneaking, etc.). I haven't played American Wasteland yet though.

There were also a few other extreme sports games that I liked this generation: Aggressive Inline, Wakeboarding Unleashed, and SSX 3. None of those will be on 360, although the inferior SSX On Tour is supposed to come out this spring IIRC.

From what I've seen and read, the 360 sports games are no more advanced in terms of gameplay than the current gen's sports games. In fact, when it comes to Madden, I'd rather play the Xbox version for the features and faster frame rate.

BTW, do you have an HDTV or a monitor capable of HD resolutions? It's not a requirement for the 360, but you will appreciate it more, just as you would appreciate a big action film on DVD if you have a good sound system.

Oh, Amped 3 is on the 360 as well.

I'd wait until you can get the current gen, especially if Sony and Nintendo launch with their Xbox Live Arcade-like features.

I'm pretty much addicted to Tiger Woods Golf 2005 or whatever and will probably buy an XBOX now just so I can play that.

I would also go along w/ getting the XBOX now. Tons of great games on it. When I bought my XBOX, I got it from Gamestop and it was refurbished. I've had it for a couple of years now and it still hasn't had any problems so that could be the way to go. You could use the little extra of money you save to get a game or two.