[JD]

My littleuns have saved up for an xbox360
What one do I get them? I see they are pretty dear for the mid to top one but is that cause of putting photos etc on the hard drive? I see the basic model looks cheap though, why's that? Do you need to pay the top, is it to do with game memory? Or can a nine year old get the £150 one and be happy?
Appreciate the non banksy related help as its been one of those days.

[carlito]

jd if they're 9 years old..get them a wii they'll enjoy it more as the games are generally aimed at a 'family' audience

if u get the basic 360 without a hard dirve you'll need to buy a memory card to save games on..the hard drive is useful if you're downloading games etc....you'll enjoy the 360 more as it'll get you into online gaming etc...Halo 3 rocks but not really for little kiddies go down Game and have a little play on a 360 and a wii and then decide

[Greg]

id just get the basic model, the hard drive is pretty useless unless your downloading demos and stuff... just buy the basic pack and a memory card for saving games...

[a4mnt]

I think if they want a 360, then get them that. Kids are pretty clued up and i'm sure they must know all about Wii's as well as 360. Basic model should be fine and you can always buy an add on hard drive if you think they need one - ebay must have loads. Plus the 360 can also be a dvd player if the kids don't have one.

Carlo's suggestion of getting them to try both will alleviate any disappointed purchases though.

[stuey09]

Got my daughter a Wii and I She loves it

[manty]

Wii is a brilliant console for the family, and the best game ever for everyone to make a complete prat out of themselves is Rayman raving rabbits, you can have upto 4 players, lots of mini games, its just brilliant :-)

[gbh]

Mr H may well be the best suited for X Box advice, sure he'll chime in when seeing the thread title.
I'm just about to buy an elite pack in the next couple of days.

[Daniel Silk]

[gbh]

scrap that, I'm getting a wii

[Photoxtc]

That was too funny silky!!! wii's all around!!! ;D ;D ;D

[bowser30]

Game world direct do a modded 360 for 280/300 with the HD and if you have a dual layered DVD writer and a little patience the games are a piece of p*** to copy.Stealth chip included so it doesn't affect your online gaming.10 discs at 2 quid each = 20 quid, 10 games at 40 quid = 400 quid.I know which 1 i'ld go for : )

Purely for back up reasons though ; )

[manchestermike]

I had an XBOX360 - sold it for a PS3, they're miles better (and I mean miles...)

I've also got a Wii which is class, it's not as good as the PS3 but my missus prefers it due to the great games on it...

Seriously, why buy 3 year old hardware with the 360 - either get a PS3 or a Wii

[carlito]

manchestermike said:

I had an XBOX360 - sold it for a PS3, they're miles better (and I mean miles...)

I've also got a Wii which is class, it's not as good as the PS3 but my missus prefers it due to the great games on it...

Seriously, why buy 3 year old hardware with the 360 - either get a PS3 or a Wii

awwww no this is going to get geeky now...name one ps3 game that comes close to Gears or War or Halo 3 Mike....

[jfury]

Xbox 360 is better than all the others as far as I am concerned - you can download game demo's before you even buy the game free, you can download extra levels/maps for games (there is a cost for this) the online play is better than anything else out there and the Xbox 360 arcade you can download old school games such as Street Fighter 2, mortal kombat etc.

If you are going on line and or want to make use of all the features which is probably why you would go for a 360 then nothing else compares. If you want all these features you need the pack above basic as it has the hardrive/ remote control and wireless controller etc - the basic does not have any of this and to buy seperate will cost you alot more in the long term. Xbox is about online play if you don't use that you will miss out on 50%-70% of the available features and the same again for the games. Example Halo you can complete in 12 hours say then you will spend the next 12 months playing online making it far more value for money. Another example is Project Gotham playing online against 7 other players plus you will be able to download extra cars and tracks when they become available which again extends the life of the game.

If you are no going online then the choice of what to get becomes a little more difficult.

Anyway hope that helps

[manchestermike]

carlito said:

manchestermike said:

I had an XBOX360 - sold it for a PS3, they're miles better (and I mean miles...)

I've also got a Wii which is class, it's not as good as the PS3 but my missus prefers it due to the great games on it...

Seriously, why buy 3 year old hardware with the 360 - either get a PS3 or a Wii

awwww no this is going to get geeky now...name one ps3 game that comes close to Gears or War or Halo 3 Mike....

Well, as both Gears of War and Halo 3 are utter toss first person shooty wank which I wouldn't buy if they were the last two games on earth... but I imagine Resistance Fall of Man is pretty similar.

Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo will destroy everything before them ;D

Plus... the best version of ProEvo2008 which is basically the only game you need any way.

Plus you get a free blu-ray player

[carlito]

manchestermike said:

carlito said:

awwww no this is going to get geeky now...name one ps3 game that comes close to Gears or War or Halo 3 Mike....

Well, as both Gears of War and Halo 3 are utter toss first person shooty wank which I wouldn't buy if they were the last two games on earth... but I imagine Resistance Fall of Man is pretty similar.

Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo will destroy everything before them ;D

Plus... the best version of ProEvo2008 which is basically the only game you need any way.

Plus you get a free blu-ray player

lol .... I'm not actually one of the this is better than this brigade..I'll just buy both (when I have some money ) ... I'm waiting for MGS 4 as I can see this being the game to finally win over all those sitting on the fence at the mo..i.e. me
graphics wise from playing both there seem's little to tell the 2 machines apart, if Blu Ray properly takes off it's defo a big selling point of the PS3

[misteraitch]

manchestermike said:

I had an XBOX360 - sold it for a PS3, they're miles better (and I mean miles...)

Are youy mad Mike???

I've yet to see anything that convices me to buy a PS3 for home

I went to the E3 game convention last year in LA and have to admit that I was pretty dissapointed with the PS3 stand - it's only saving grace is the blu-ray player - that's it [IMHO]

Ok so it came out a couple of years after the 360 but it's not much better in terms of hardware. Sony have seriously lost this console battle.

I suggest you purchase a 360 standard model (unless you play online a lot - then i'd suggest the elite model) and a Wii

Rant over - I'm back off to play work ;D

[raniator]

Future proof yourself... get the 360 with the hard drive. Your kids are gonna get older, it won't take long before they get into online gaming, and downloading demo's etc... then the hard drive in invaluable.

Have you got a HD TV? The 'Elite' model has HDMI output which is good if you have...

I've probably just reiterated what other people have said... but that's my 2 pence...

[jfury]

Just to let you know you wont need the elite to use HD as you can use component cable connections for HD on any of the other models.

[njr911]

XBoX + Gears Of War = many lost weekends.

I love mine and am looking to got into Halo 3 properly this week. I'd say go for the premium pack.

The wireless controllers are worth the extra money. You can pick it up for £200 now.

Check Hotukdeals.com for good deals

[raniator]

True... but HDMI is the 'best' way to do it...

Although, having said that... like someone else has stated, I would get a PS3 rather than a 360.

I don't want to get into a geek argument, as this is just my opinion... but I think they are better. Yes, there are a lack of games at the moment but it's getting better. The games, side by side, are graphically superior. PS3 has a Blu-ray... say no more.

I've got a PS3, love it... when the Wii came out, I was desperate to get one... I searched high and low and eventually found one. Played it quite a lot for a fortnight, hardly touched it since...

I've used my PS3 at least every other day since having it - not just for games, but watching DVD's (has software upscaling to HD which actually works), Blu-ray of course, downloading demo's and movie trailors... playing music etc... it's more than just a games console...

I don't think it's fair to say 'Sony has lost this console battle'... it's not a battle... the 360 came out first. The PS3 is technically superior, is suffering a slow-ish start, but will soon catch up... and probably overtake.

At the end of the day, it's up to the individual... and what they want to achieve. These next-gen consoles are more than just games machines...

[manchestermike]

Someone please explain to me these first person shooters... to me they're an utter snore fest. I can't imagine anything worse than Halo 3... give me a good sports / driving game any time

[Aza]

For me the xbox is the best console.
I have a PS3 but have not bought a single game since the 2 i bought with it at launch.
If a game comes out on both consoles I will always buy the xbox version due to the better online set up and better control pad.

Now if anyone fancies playing Halo 3 my gamertag is Azzzza

However there are some great exclusive PS3 titles that will eventually come out! If you have the cash buy both!

[Aza]

jd - for the kids i would definitely recommend the Wii, awesome console! but if you go for xbox that get a package with a harddrive. Downloading demos and cheap arcade games will in fact save you money in the long run

[spirit]

manchestermike said:

Someone please explain to me these first person shooters... to me they're an utter snore fest. I can't imagine anything worse than Halo 3... give me a good sports / driving game any time

Exactly what part of blowing the crap out of everything in your path with ridiculously outrageous weaponry don't you like? ;D

[corblimeylimey]

I used to work for a games magazine publisher, one of the best jobs I've ever had, tons of yet to be released games thrown at you, every games console kicking about connected to large TVs with sofas to sit on. Although I wasn't on editorial (I was in production) when ever I was at a loose end I could play. We also produced PC games magazines too, IMO nothing beats a car racing game between a LAN of about 7 computers all with steering wheels & pedals etc, you can all see and shout at all the other drivers, great fun.

[manchestermike]

aza said:

For me the xbox is the best console.
I have a PS3 but have not bought a single game since the 2 i bought with it at launch.
If a game comes out on both consoles I will always buy the xbox version due to the better online set up and better control pad.

Now if anyone fancies playing Halo 3 my gamertag is Azzzza

However there are some great exclusive PS3 titles that will eventually come out! If you have the cash buy both!

Suppose it's a case of what you prefer... I much prefer the PS3/PS2 pad to the XBOX one, seems to sit better with me...

I don't play much online to be honest, but when I did on my XBOX it was always quite laggy, this hasn't happened on the PS3 (yet).

Looking forward to Pro Evo and Smackdown now... ;D

[Aza]

Yeah for sure! I pretty much only play online, and for me every aspect of the xbox online experience is better.
Saying that i did put in many hours playing Resistance Fall Of Man! Great game

[raniator]

Resistance Fall of Man online is excellent... I've wasted many many hours playing that. Can't see myself ever getting bored of it... until FOM 2 comes out :0)

[JD]

Wow what fantastic help . Thanks a lot everyone +1,s at at rate of 1 hour when i can.
thanks for all your time