Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro (20GB)

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1219 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 6 stars

  It's a Competent System, but Technical Issues Hamper It Too Much

  by Hellrazr360 on September 20, 2007

  Pros: Plenty of great games offered, excellent Xbox Live service and Dashboard interface.

  Cons: Prone to technical issues, games only use DVD-9 rather than HD-DVD.

  Summary: Microsoft were the first to step up and make the jump to the next generation of gaming with their second iteration of the Xbox. While many thought lowly of the ...

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  Summary: Microsoft were the first to step up and make the jump to the next generation of gaming with their second iteration of the Xbox. While many thought lowly of the early release, the system has gone on to selling rather well, while managing to get the largest gaming library between the 360, PS3 and Wii. The 360 is a great system, however its very prone to technical issues and as a result, the system is a very questionable purchase.
  
  I guess the first place to start would be the console's appearance, which strikes a mix between cool and just average. Since Microsoft are the way they are, the system looks very computer-like, but also has somewhat of an Apple-like touch to it. There haven't been many great-looking home console systems, but the 360 isn't half-bad, at least it looks better than its bulky predecessor.
  
  Next let's talk about the Xbox 360 Dashboard and its interface. The Dashboard is used as the 360's own selection of menus, which are divided by slides that you access by pressing left or right on the controller or remote (provided you have one). There are five slides that make up the Dashboard: System, Media, Games, Xbox Live and the update added Marketplace slide. There's plenty to access from the Dashboard and its several menus, but it's very easy to find what you want to. Plugging in your MP3 player and listening to the music off of it while you play games is easy as one, two, three and the Xbox Live selection of downloads is also very organized. It's a creative idea and the Dashboard turns out to be one of the 360's strongest attributes (and it's more creative than the rehashed PSP menu interface on the Playstation 3).
  
  Now for the games and accessories, which are probably what make the 360 a stand-out console. There are several games, and the release of Halo 3 is nearly upon us, which puts the 360 in a great position as far as games are concerned. The game selection is both large and great, with titles like Gears of War, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, BioShock, and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion already making a big splash in the water along with Halo 3, Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Too Human and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare looking to make the experience even better, the 360's definitely got the goods to make it last. With the accessories, there's a few good options, although they're nearly as good or robust as the games. The main attraction for accessories would have to be the $150 steering wheel (which comes with Project Gotham Racing 3) and the Guitar Hero II controllers, which are both great products respectively. While there are other accessories like the HD-DVD drive (King Kong HD-DVD movie included) and larger hard drives, it's a bit of a shame there aren't a few more reliable and necessary add-ons.
  
  Speaking of the HD-DVD player, it's only an add-on, none of the four 360 SKU's come with it. If you're interested in purchasing it, the player costs an extra $200. This may make the 360 seem like a less-than advanced console than the PS3 (which it is in a sense), it's nice to have the choice in whether you want to buy an HD player with it or not (unlike the PS3 which you have to buy it as it is with the Blu-ray player included). However, for you HD junkies out there, the 360 does fall short of what you might expect. The main reason behind this is that the games aren't available in HD. While you can hook your 360 up to an HDTV to get the optimal experience (and in a few cases the only way to get a great experience, like Dead Rising's text issue), the games are played in DVD-9 rather than HD-DVD. So, when considering the HD-DVD player add-on, you'll want to reconsider and ask yourself if the $200 is worth it if you can only watch movies in HD but not movies. Whatever route you go I leave as a choice for your taking.
  
  So with all this in mind, the 360 sounds like a system with only minor faults and one that you should rush out and purchase ASAP. However, the 360 has several issues that ultimately amount to one huge Achilles Heel: the factor of reliability. As far as unreliable consoles, the 360 could quite possibly be the worst in history; this IS including the PS2. Just to give you a realistic idea of how "reliable" this console is, have a look at the list of issues I alone have encountered:
  
  -Three Flashing Red Lights "Red Rings of Death" (system failure)
  -Prompted updates from Xbox Live causing the system to freeze up frequently and possibly cause the Red Rings issue.
  -Consistent freezing only on certain games (works for Guitar Hero and Oblivion, but freezes on Saints Row, BioShock, Forza Motorsport 2 and DiRT).
  -Having to download a single demo as many as three or four times to actually be able to play it without the system freezing.
  -Downloaded videos from Xbox Live Marketplace randomly freezing at certain points.
  -Screen goes black, Dashboard slide sound can be heard but nothing shows on screen, hitting the eject button brings you back to the Dashboard (essentially, the game technically freezes but the system doesn't).
  
  And that's not even naming most of the issues that you'll read about in several other areas. Where the PS2 primarily had the "Disc Read Error" issue, the 360 has so many awkward and unforgivable issues that it maks a purchase of one rather scary. While you might hear that the failure rate of 360's is about 33%, the amount of people you'll encounter who say they've had no issues and have owned theirs for over six months is going to be exceedingly slim. For me, the longest one of my 360's has lasted was just under a full year, the other two I've had lasted six months (the first) and six weeks (the second). And no, there have been no adjustments made to the hardware to make the system work. Instead, Microsoft has treated us to extended warranties that basically replace broken systems with systems that'll eventually break. Oh, and they took the time to add HDMI outputs to the 360's but not any means to make the hardware more reliable.
  
  There's a great system, an excellent one in the 360 and really, it's a great system through and through. However, until the technical issues are finally resolved, it's simply a purchase that may want to be reconsidered, even if the system has Halo 3. If you think luck is on your side to get a 360 that won't eventually break, go ahead and spend a few hundred dollars on this bad boy, just do so with caution.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Now on my 3rd Xbox 360

  by cshaw88 on April 10, 2007

  Pros: Solid game selection/media streaming

  Cons: Still produces a lot of heat and noise

  Summary: I'm now on my 3rd Xbox 360, and I'm starting to wonder if I made the wrong choice in the next gen console war. Thankfully I've been ...

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  Summary: I'm now on my 3rd Xbox 360, and I'm starting to wonder if I made the wrong choice in the next gen console war. Thankfully I've been able to return all of them to the store where they were purchased.
  I can only wonder how long my latest xbox will last, probably just until the warranty expires. Bye the way, all of them were placed in cool, well ventilated areas.

  Updated
  I don't have to wonder how long my 360 will last, it just died (after 7 months). Never in my life have I seen such poor quality in a device. At least microsoft has extended the warranty to 3 years and will pay for shipping.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 3 stars

  Buyer Beware

  by zenoflip on February 24, 2007

  Pros: Everything you would want in a gaming console

  Cons: Lot's of well documented hardware bugs

  Summary: Alright. Have never owned a PS system, nor do I work for Sony. Just wanted to get that out of the way.
  
  This is the scenario:
  
  Owned a classic xbox
  
  
  
  ...

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  Summary: Alright. Have never owned a PS system, nor do I work for Sony. Just wanted to get that out of the way.
  
  This is the scenario:
  
  Owned a classic xbox for several years...solid console, never an issue...bought a 360 last november and enjoyed 4 months of solid gameplay. No issues whatsoever...had tons of fun...really enjoyed the gaming experience. About 4 weeks ago, I begin experiencing what many users are experiencing: screen freeze. Just search on xbox 360 screen freeze online. None of my troubleshooting solves the issue; new ventilation schemes, switching game, music and audio discs, removing the hard drive, clearing the cache, etc., etc... I gave in to the inevitable and called "customer support" and was asked to send my box in. OK. Hassle, but things happen. That was just under 4 weeks ago.
  
  Fast forward to yesterday. I waited just over 3 weeks and received a "new" replacement unit, with new serial. I was psyched. No more issues, back to the fun. Thank you MS for being so considerate.
  
  So...bring home the "new" replacement unit a day ago, methodically set the system up to avoid any issues (going as far as keeping the box outside of my media cabinet on a adjacent nightstand...incredibly ugly, but extremely well-ventilated), and viola, the new system begins freezing almost immediately. At one point, I was able to get about an hour of contiguous gameplay, but other than that, nada...freezes up within several minutes.
  
  So now it looks like I'll need to send in my second Xbox for replacement within a month.
  
  I love the xbox when it isn't crashing. Be very careful when investing this much money in a console. I am actually considering the PS3...a lot more $$$, but in the long run, I'd pay the extra $200 for no more hassles.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Xbox homerun in my eyes

  by bigmarvMT on February 10, 2007

  Pros: Software, Xbox live

  Cons: Extra trigger buttons insead of black and white buttons

  Summary: First thing I'd like to state is all those that doubt Microsoft you obviously don't know what your talking about. Do you know that nearly 95% of the ...

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  Summary: First thing I'd like to state is all those that doubt Microsoft you obviously don't know what your talking about. Do you know that nearly 95% of the computers in the world run Windows? Also I would highly doubt that you can find a computer anywhere that doesn't have a single piece of Microsoft software on it. Microsoft isn't the richest or the biggest software juggernaught on the planet by turning out crap. One of the downfalls is when your on top you get more critisism than anyone else.
  
  This is the case with the Xbox 360. The idea of wireless controllers is great and ones that run off either double A's or litium ion is also clever. Then the functionality of main software is not only intiuitive but very state of the art. Truly to appreciate this you must use the network and connect to xbox live, plus doesn't hurt to have a PC running Vista. You can use the 360 as gateway to all your media as well as earning Microsoft points to download additional stuff or even watch movies. Now some of their games have had some bugs and some original Xbox games don't work yet, but the newest games coming out have the bugs worked out and through software updates more and more original Xbox games are being ported over every month.
  
  The innovation of this device is truly next generation, where Sony is selling hype and false promises to be next generation. Now for those old enough to remember all of Sony's bungles you know there are too many to count. Beta max, mini disk, early diskman versions, UMD, micro SD, camera's that write to floppy or CD. The list is endless. I remember mini disks were supposed to replace CD's but you can't even buy a mini disk anywhere in this country (except ebay). Or how abut the revolutionary technology behind the PSP that uses universal media disks you can watch movies etc. but most of the major studios don't even make them anymore and that's brand new. Or how about how Sony said the PSP would support a memory standard that could be shared with a digital camera...kinda handy how they picked a technology that only Sony digital cameras use. The PS3 is no different Blu Ray has been in the working for over 10 years now and truly nothing revolutionary about it it simply uses a smaller point to the laser so data can be written to a disk smaller, kinda like a fine point pen. Problem with this, unstable and disks are too fragile to last. That's why it took 10 years to be developed. Just watch 5 years from now HD DVD will be the standard and blu ray will be another technology to add to Sony's ever growing list of flops probably can put it right next to cell processor.
  
  If you still believe the Xbox 360 is crap and PS3 is so great play Blazing Angels on both systems and see which is superior, probably won't take long to throw the PS3 controller down and go to the 360.
  
  Microsoft is number 1 for a reason and it's because no one has ever been able to compete with them eventually Sony's blunders will catch up to them and Xbox will be number one in console market as well.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  I love it!

  by xgabeadx on February 10, 2007

  Pros: Great Games, Window Media Center, Wireless Controllers

  Cons: DVD player is loud.

  Summary: I love this system. I was deciding between the xbox 360 and the playstation 3. However after waiting for so long and playstation 3 having problems I went ahead and ...

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  Summary: I love this system. I was deciding between the xbox 360 and the playstation 3. However after waiting for so long and playstation 3 having problems I went ahead and got the xbox anyway. Graphics are great. Comparable to playstation 3. Buy time playstatiion 3 is able to use if full advantage we will see another xbox. The media center is terrifice. When I download movies on my computer I can watch them on my 37" lcd screen through the media center. I have a wireless remote that works well. Controllers are comfortable. The only thing that sucks is the loud dvd player, but they are getting ready to release a quieter on so I ll be switching! Buy this system it is worth the money.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  after i blew my money on the ps3 i went out and also purchased an xbox 360 was the best thing i did

  by tacobell247 on February 10, 2007

  Pros: very good games, amazing online service, best controller ive held and the marketplace

  Cons: the console is a litle loud

  Summary: i would not trade my xbox 360 any current console today considering i was very disappointed with my purchase of the ps3 i think i should have stood in line ...

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  Summary: i would not trade my xbox 360 any current console today considering i was very disappointed with my purchase of the ps3 i think i should have stood in line for the 360 after finally playing one the controlls are very good, the games ive played so far are some of the best that ive played and the xbox live service allows you to download extra game content. i would defeninly purchase this console for the next gen of gaming.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Awesome games, Xbox live is a major bonus

  by qjkbanks on January 24, 2007

  Pros: Wireless controllers, expanded Xbox live, Great game play, 5.1 surround

  Cons: Crappy quality, very poor service

  Summary: I got my Xbox 360 on 01/15/07 and it stopped working on 01/19/2007. I called customer service and they told me I have to send it ...

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  Summary: I got my Xbox 360 on 01/15/07 and it stopped working on 01/19/2007. I called customer service and they told me I have to send it in to get it repaired. I only had the thing for 4 days. I got is as a gift so I couldn't return it to the store.
  
  I bought a wireless adapter the second day I had the system and the adapter didn't work. Come on Microsoft! You can't build the 360 with the same quality you built the original Xbox? My original Xbox is 3 years old and I never had one problem with it.
  
  I swear if the 360 didn't have a Gears of War I would get a different console.
  
  I love the games and the Xbox live features. I have been memeber of Xbox live for 3 years. They've really expanding the features and with internet TV coming to Xbox live it might be worth it to hang onto the system. That all depends on of course how much Microsoft will charge.
  
  However, Microsofts willingness to put out a product that they know is faulty, just like their operating system is criminal. Lawsuits, I think they should happen when a company knows their products are bad, but sells them anyway. The Xbox and Xbox 360 are the only Microsoft products I have in my house. I refuse to buy a computer that run Windows. They are so lucky Apple, Autodesk, or Adobe don't enter the console wars. Of course we know neither one of these companies would do it because of the huge capital outlaw and the massive losses they would see. But it would be nice to have a quality product that works as well as it plays.
  
  So now I wait for my repair box to be delivered so I can ship it to Microsoft and get a refurbished model back instead of a new one. Oh, you didn't know that? Well that is what happens when you buy a brand new 360, and it doesn't work. You send it to Microsoft, they try to repair it and if they can't rather than ship you a brand new sytsem, they ship a refurbished one. Yeah...that is what I said when I found out. Based on this, I am going to lower the rating score!
  
  My suggestion, wait another couple of generation of the 360 before you buy one.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Some good games, but options mssing in Standard package

  by nycphilorican on January 20, 2007

  Pros: True next Gen games w/ great graphics and gameplay, Xbox live has almost flawless execution

  Cons: External HD-DVD, Hard drive size, outputs, peripharals can make the system pricey, backward compatibility

  Summary: I will not bore you w/ tech specs and what not. Most people could care less about how powerful their systems are. They want to know wll they enjoy something ...

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  Summary: I will not bore you w/ tech specs and what not. Most people could care less about how powerful their systems are. They want to know wll they enjoy something they are investing in. Just know that all games will look great and the game play will depend on how polished the game companies want to be.
  
  I bought the Xbox 360 for Christmas and have been enjoying it ever since. The graphics for all games are top notch and the game play for some of the games need some tweeking but nothing to complain too much about. This is the only system out there that has TRUE next Gen Gaming and graphics. Therefore, you will get the most bang for your buck right out of the box instead of waiting 6 moths to a year for more than one great game to come out for the competing systems.
  
  I have not had any problem w/ the system so far so I am not sure what glitches people are talking about. I have talked to a few friends about this and they have not had any problems. Do not let a few lemons deter you from getting the system.
  
  Some complain about the hard drive being too small. I do not download movies and such w/ it so it's size is fine for me right now. For the average gamer it will mostly be used for saves, map pack updates, and demos. So you have more than enough space.
  
  I would recommend an Xbox 360 but I would tell the buyer to wait a bit. I believe that the Xbox will soon ship w/ HMDVI out standard on machine and the HD-DVD will come standard. It stinks for those of us who bought it early but what can you do. Backward compatibility is an issue so the majority of the xbox games do not play on the Xbox 360. Please check Microsoft website to see which Xbox games work on the Xbox 360. I bought and Xbox games and it does not work on the Xbox 360, so now I have a nice green coaster box.
  
  My score for the system would have been a 9 for the Xbox 360 if HD-DVD was standard and if it had full backward compatibility. Something I believe Microsoft dropped the ball on. But for you patient ones, you may get the HD-DVD satandard onthe system.
  
  I currently have all three major systems out. (Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii) I play more games on my Xbox 360 more since there is only one game i enjoy on Wii and my PS3 is currently a $600 PS2 right now until they get a better library of games.
  
  Hope this was helpful and Happy Gaming!!

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  Hardware Error

  by closelook on December 10, 2006

  Pros: great when it works...

  Cons: hardware failure after 5 months (very common problem!)

  Summary: Once the 3 red lights come on (hardware failure) you are left with the option to pay $139 or just throw it away. Checked on the web and found many ...

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  Summary: Once the 3 red lights come on (hardware failure) you are left with the option to pay $139 or just throw it away. Checked on the web and found many other users with this problem. Bougth in June 06 a system that just arrived at CircuitCity. New and old system still have problems with bad soldering and overheating. I might try PS3 now.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Xbox 1.5 my ass, this system will be great.

  by DarkKnight369 on June 1, 2005

  Pros: Powerful, removable hardrive, streaming capabilities, xbox live, Great Games

  Cons: Online Market place prices might get out of hand, not completely backwards compatible

  Summary: Xbox 360 is going to be a great gaming machine. As far as the next gen goes, I think Xbox 360 and PS3 will be neck and neck, with the ...

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  Summary: Xbox 360 is going to be a great gaming machine. As far as the next gen goes, I think Xbox 360 and PS3 will be neck and neck, with the PS3 maybe having slightly better graphics(the Revolution has a clever library donwload idea, but I do not think will live up technically to Microsoft and Sony). However Sony promised much with the PS2 as well and failed to deliver. Xbox has what PS3 doesn't and won't: Xbox Live. Xbox live is and will be the best online gaming experience. Don't forget the magnificent games that are exclusive to the Xbox such as the Halo Franchise, Perfect Dark Zero, and Ninja Gaiden. What will Sony deliver, another Grand Theft Repetitive Auto, in yet some other crappy city. More and more game developers are signing on with Microsoft because the realize the potential of the system and the market presence it will have. Don't get me wrong Sony probably will be a good system, but at a hefty price tag. Including Blu-Ray isn't a wise choice, it is not the next gen DVD standard. For those of you who know anything, Companies like Toshiba and Sony are trying to come up with a cross between blu-ray and HD-DVD to avoid a repeat of the Beta/VHS wars. So don't count on Blu-ray being the standard as all it is doing right now is jacking up the PS3's cost.

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  3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

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