X Box 360 - The Many Variations Of Xbox 360 Consoles
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
What often makes the Nintendo Wii such a simple solution for present-seeking parents is that there are no choices to make. There’s only one Nintendo Wii, and that Wii always comes with one complete controller and a game. It’s very simple. Xbox 360’s are not so simple.
There are currently three different models of Xbox 360 available: Arcade, Pro, and Elite. Each vary significantly in features, options, and most importantly, price. We’ll start from least to greatest, because you need to decide how far you’re willing to go.
The Arcade model is the cheapest, costing around $200 to buy, which seems like a good deal at first. The console comes with five games, most of which are the party variety, and meant to be played online. However, a huge drawback is that the Arcade console comes with no internal memory. Now, memory cards have their uses. But with the Arcade, memory cards are the only memory-saving option.
Either way, if you are going to go that road, memory units cost $20 for a 64MB and $40 for a 512MB. The 512 memory unit is a no-brainer, since it costs twice as much as the 64MB but comes with eight times as much memory. Also, entire 120GB detachable hard drives are available for around $150, so that is an option as well.
Next is the Pro. Pro’s generally cost around $300, and come with 60GB of internal hard drive memory. In many cases, what it actually really comes down to is memory, and chances are that the Pro is exactly what you need. Not too much, not too little, and at an affordable price. But if you really want to get the most out of the system, there is always the Elite.
Xbox 360 Elite’s are easily distinguishable from the rest, as they are black all over. They are also the ones with $400 price tags, and even more if it’s a bundle. The Elite comes with 120GB of internal hard drive memory, for only a hundred bucks more than the Pro. I guess that’s supposed to be the appeal. That and the fact that it’s black, I suppose.
But even once you finally get your Xbox, the money spending decisions may not be over. You should probably be informed that each Xbox 360 comes with a Silver Xbox Live Membership. With a Silver Membership, you can download demos and content, etc. But if you or the recipient of the Xbox wants to play online games, you will need a Gold Membership, which each Xbox 360 comes with a one-month trial of. Initially, after that, you would have to pay $70 to sign up, and $50 every year to renew. Fortunately, however, there are now membership cards in stores for renewing or subscribing to memberships that cost only $40 for thirteen months. Bottom line, if you are buying for someone who may want to play their games online, you should consider picking a card up.
It may sound like a huge hassle, but in the end it will be worth it.
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