Xbox 360 Arcade Console with Bonus Game Review

Customer Ratings:

If you take nothing else away from this review, understand that the Arcade bundle is simply an Xbox 360 without a hard drive and some games thrown in. The games are nothing to go crazy about, but you can't beat the price.

The fact that this version doesn't have a hard drive is important because backwards compatibility (the ability to play old Xbox games) relies on emulator software which gets installed to the hard drive. If you hear someone saying that the Arcade version can't play old Xbox games, they probably don't realize that all you have to do is install a hard drive. Microsoft is running a promotion where you can get a 20GB hard drive with a free Gold Live subscription for around $30. This is way cheaper than retail.

It's also worth mentioning that some industrious individuals have figured out how use an inexpensive (~$60) 120GB (Western Digital BEVS) hard drive rather than paying four times as much for Microsoft's version. If you're interested I suggest googling "HDDHackr".

It appears that Microsoft has made some improvements on the Xbox 360 since they first came out, especially in cooling to help prevent the dreaded "Red Ring of Death" (RROD) which results from your console overheating. This is a great reason to buy one of these new consoles rather than a used one or old bundle.

If you've got the money, check out the Pro or Elite. If you're like me and would rather put that cash into a premium drum set for Rock Band 2 or rechargeable wireless controllers, the Arcade version is a great option.

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I bought my Arcade from Amazon two days ago, chose one day shipping and got it yesterday. BTW, it is a jasper, came with 150W power brick, TEAM: FDOU, mfg 10-23-2008, Lot 0843x (package was picked up by carrier from Phoenix, AZ).

This is my first XBOX360 console. I never had one in the past due to the bad reputation it had from the RRoD issue. I did have a PS3 but sold it a few months ago due to financial problems. I was regretting it until now.

Now the review:

I have to say I'm impressed by the size, looks and feel of the controller (which BTW is wireless). I like it much better than the PS3 controller. Although that was much lighter it didn't provide the same accuracy in FPS games I can tell the analog sticks really make the difference. One annoying thing though, the controller anaglog sticks start squeaking after playing less than one hour (I bought the Orange Box and Fallout 3).

The console didn't come with a HD cable so I bought a component cable to go with my 26" HDTV.

The graphics on this are gorgeous. It's been a while since I played on my PS3 but I can tell the images look crisper on the XBOX360 (might be due to contrast). I didn't experience any hickups while playing the orange box unlike on the PS3 which was unplayable at times (frame rate drops).

I also purchased a separate 60GB HDD that came with a 3-month XBOX LIve GOld subscription. From what I can tell, there's no more waiting unlike the PSN which was very very slow. I'm not going to renew the subscription since I rarely have time to play.

Now to the bad part:

Let me start saying the console is fairly quiet WHEN playing from the HDD (the new update allows you to install games locally), as quiet as my previous 40GB PS3. It does not overheat either. I played three ours both Half life EP2 and Fallout3 and the console was amazingly cool no slowdowns or hangs).

HOWEVER, the console sounds like a vacuum cleaner when playing from the disk. It is very very annoying. I don't know if it scratches disks yet but we will see in time. BTW, I thought it scratched my disk for a second but then I realized that circle who looked as a scratch was present on other disks too (which were unopened at that time)

Overall, I like it a lot and don't regret buying it. I don't care about blu-ray anyway, the movies are so expensive so are the games and if it breaks it will cost a fortune to replace/repair. I'm not going to start about the game selection which its huge. I can finally play some oldies like Doom3, Quake4 which are unavailable on the PS3.

Now that It's confirmed Amazon has Jaspers you could hunt for one of your own. (God, I was so lucky being able to cancel my order for the 60GB bundle and getting this)

I'm not giving it five stars due to the controller squeaking issue and DVD drive noise.

Cheers!

PS: I'm keeping mine horizontal.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Arcade Console with Bonus Game

First, buy the arcade console. It is the cheapest way to get into a 360. Then follow this link to build your own hard drive, as Microsoft will rip you off on the same thing in there package: ( )

now you have a nice console without spending a fortune. The console will die within a year if used daily, or last a little longer if used lightly. Microsoft will repair it for you when it breaks for free if it shows a E74 error on the screen or if you get three flashing red lights on the console. It is only covered for three years however. This WILL happen in time.

My 360 is the very expensive Elite model (unfortunately), and just died a second time so it is back to Microsoft for another free repair. This takes about 3 weeks which is pretty bad. My brother in law's 360 just came back from his third repair, my other brother in law had his repaired once so far, and my friend just got his back from his first repair. So you see everyone I know with a 360 has had to get there system repaired. It will happen to you too.

Xbox 360 has the best games out for it and the most people playing the system online, otherwise I would tell you to get a PlayStation 3. When the next generation game systems come out we all should boycott Microsoft for these shoddy systems they sold us. My original Nintendo still works just fine and it's like 25 years old. Microsoft you should be ashamed!!!

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Arcade Console with Bonus Game

Just to start out:

I've owned numerous xbox 360, 2 premiums and 1 elite. I've either sold them off, or had them 3rrod and then sold them.

I finally decided to try out a new arcade with the jasper chip.

I must say from the get-go I was highly impressed with the new system. A few things had been changed, the top plate where the HD goes has been redesigned, the power brick has been redesigned, the frontplate cd drive has been redesgined, and finally the back has had some tweaks as well.

This thing is DEAD quiet when playing games from the harddrive, and does NOT get hot at all. I booted up World At War and played for about 2 hours straight...it was BARELY warm on the back; my previous 360s would have been INSANELY hot.

This is a great buy for people getting into 360s or people who want a new unit to pair their old harddrives with.

I recommend it 110%

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We purchased an XBOX 360 when they first came out. We were so happy with it, we decided to get a second one, an Arcade this time. I was tired of having to move the 360 from the media room to the living room every time we had friends over to play Rock Band, and I figured the back and forth couldn't be good for the system anyway. It was an added bonus that we would now have the media center extender in both rooms, and I would be able to play my games on the 360 when Mike was playing the PS3 or the other 360 in the media room.

We're a dual income, no kids family, so we have disposable income and spend a good deal of money on electronics. When our 360 Arcade broke, it was a mild inconvenience, an annoyance more than anything. Purchased in January of 2008, and broken by March of 2009. It lasted all of 14 months, two months past the warranty period. It wasn't the RRoD, so to fix it, we would have to pay $100. Microsoft would warranty the repair for all of three months. We're very lucky, we can afford to fix our 360, or even just buy a new one. But not everyone is in our situation, and that's what makes me angry about this.

There are kids everywhere who begged and pleaded with their parents for this console, and it was a big deal that they got it. Maybe it was a Christmas/Birthday combo gift, or the only present the entire family received. Some people don't have $100 to spend fixing a broken console, not to mention not everyone has something else to play while it's off for repair. It is NOT COOL that Microsoft will not do the right thing and stand behind their product.

That being said, when the 360 is working, it's a wonderful console. The interface is very intuitive and it has wonderful features that make it much more than just a gaming system. I can't say that we won't buy the next generation console, because we will. And, I guess that's the problem, the reason Microsoft can continue to sell and manufacture substandard merchandise is that we let them.

EDIT: Microsoft has, after this review was originally written, agreed to extend the RRoD warranty to include the E74 error message. Thank you, Microsoft, for standing up and doing the right thing.