Discount Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle (OLD MODEL)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $275.99
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

I own a PS3 and I am happy with it. I wasn't going to get a Xbox 360 until this bundle came along. I mostly got it for the included Halo Reach and the new Xbox 360 Slim console, which doesn't seem to have the overheating issue or Red Light of Death that older Xbox 360 consoles had.

Pros:

-Comes with a 250GB hard drive. This is necessary to play games smoothly. Installing the game to the hard drive makes the Xbox 360 run quieter and cooler.

Built-in Wi-Fi. You no longer have to buy an adapter to connect wirelessly. It's built into the system.

Built-in Kinect port. This Xbox 360 Slim has a special port just for the Kinect so you don't have to buy an adapter.

3 Free Months of Xbox Live Gold. Xbox Live is the reason to get the Xbox 360. Its extensive online service is more user-friendly than PSN, but you will have to pay $60 a year after your 3 months are up (Amazon has some deals to get a Xbox Live membership around $45-50) for it.

Halo Reach (downloadable token). There is no physical disc. Instead, they give you a code that you download from the Xbox Marketplace to your hard drive.

Fable 3. It's an RPG game. Not my kind of game, but if you enjoy role-playing, you might like it.

Official Xbox headset. It's a mono headset, which means there's only one earpad to hear voice from. It works fairly well, but I have the Astro A40s so I don't use it.

Cons:

Have to pay to play online.

Does tend to get hot when playing from the disc.

Fans run much louder than the PS3.

To summarize, this is a great bundle for someone who doesn't have a xbox 360 or would like to have both systems. If you already have a xbox 360, there's really no reason to get this one. Most Xbox 360 owners will probably already have Halo Reach and Fable 3 isn't really a console seller. Now, I can game with friends on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 with ease.

Also, I purchased the One-day shipping (which was $10 bucks for me) and it really did come the next day, just in case you were wondering about pushing your delivery date up.

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I scored this at Target for the Black Friday deal of $199.00. Still worth it at $299.00 though. Easy to set up, has HDMI and WIFI, although I oppted to run my eithernet wire into the back of it via my router so my signle would always be strong.

Also a little trick the sales guy said was when installing, DON'T enter your 3 month XBOX LIVE code when prompted. The system itself comes with a 1 month trial, so you end up with 4 months of XBOX LIVE GOLD!! Enter the code after your 1 month expires.

Already played Call of Duty MW3 on it with 3 other friends, LOTS OF FUN!!! Havn't tried the 2 games that came with it yet.

The sound a picture is amazing when run through a sony 5.1 surround amplifer(HDMI)and played on a 46" Sony Bravia 240hz lcd. I was extremely happy after the hookup and downloads.

ron

Best Deals for Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle (OLD MODEL)

Being a first time Xbox owner, I want to say that this is a great buy. I was about to buy a Xbox 250gb without any extras for the same price. You get two games valued at at least $25 each plus a three month Xbox live card again valued at $25. So you're basically paying $225 for the Xbox itself. I was able to receive $50 Amazon credit with my purchase which is another awesome thing. Also, no tax in California? I mean c'mon, great deal.

The games, Halo reach is a download which took about an hour but it is almost 7gbs. From what I've played so far it's pretty fun. Pretty easy to get into without knowing any background information. Fable III, I love how cinematic this game is. Love the graphics and love how your actions shape your world. Also came with DLC which I thought was pretty neat.

Now, the Xbox itself IS matte black which I rather prefer to the shiny black which can get real messy with fingerprints. I leave it on its side on a raised platform to keep it from overheating which i hear can occur often but finding something to leave it on wasn't really a problem. Wifi built in which is awesome.

This is my first review on anything, so if my structuring is wrong or off I'm sorry xD

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle (OLD MODEL)

My advice to current XBox owners: Never purchase a new console. Always send your old one in for repairs. This will help you avoid the aggravation I have been forced to endure.

Back in February, my old XBox console started having longer load times and randomly freezing up. Realizing that it was several years old, likely on its last legs and long out of warranty (meaning I'd have to pay to have it repaired) I decided to purchase the newer S model. I also bought the hard drive transfer cable, moved all of my content to the new one, then ran the license transfer process to assign all of my downloadable game licenses to my new console.

Except... it didn't work. For some reason all of my content is still assigned to my old console. If I purchase something online, my download queue shows the message "Assigned to other console" and will not download it. Even if it's a new item I've never purchased before, it still gets assigned to the old console. Also, I now have to be signed in to XBox Live to play any previously downloaded games on my hard drive. If I'm offline, it shows up as the trial version, since the paid unlocked version is still assigned to my old console.

I have tried clearing the cache. I have tried deleting my profile and downloading it again. I have tried deleting the latest system update from my console and downloading it again. I am unable to attempt the license transfer again because of Microsoft's ridiculous limit on how often it can be performed. Which I understand is to prevent chronic miscreants from jumping to new consoles without penalty every time their current one gets banned, but in my particular case it kind of completely sucks.

Microsoft has proven themselves spectacularly useless in helping me get this fixed.

The first support representative I talked to was very friendly and assured me the problem would be fixed, but it could take up to 72 hours. Perfectly satisfactory answer. I wait three days. Nothing happens.

I call back and am told by another equally friendly support rep that, no, it actually takes up to 25 days. Why the first guy told me 3 he does not know, but all right, fine, I will wait 25 days, what other choice do I have.

25 days pass, and... still nothing. At this point I am exceedingly tired of this nonsense. Back into support chat where friendly support rep #3 helpfully asks for... my console ID for the new system. Because apparently they need it to do a manual license transfer. And they cannot obtain it on their own. And for some reason did not, oh, I don't know, actually ASK me for it during one of the previous two chats. So now I am waiting ANOTHER 25 days for them to resolve this. In the meantime I am stuck with a not insignificant amount of purchased content that I must be connected to XBox Live to even use. I'm sure anyone who has ever purchased a PC game with invasive DRM that requires a persistent online connection can understand my frustration with that.

At this point my confidence in Microsoft's ability to fix this is pretty much zero. It feels as if they are utterly incompetent and dragging their feet every step of the way. I have been a loyal Microsoft customer for years, and am not asking for anything big. I just want my content back, the content which I own a license to use. I just want what is mine. That is not too much to ask.

I will post an update on April 20th, which is the end of my current 25-day waiting period.

I wish I had paid for a repair and gone without my old console for a few weeks. I deeply regret buying this new one.

This could happen to you.

UPDATE, 5/10/2012:

See the comments section. Amazon has a 1000-word limit on reviews. And oh my gosh is there ever more to tell. Seriously, get popcorn.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle (OLD MODEL)

We have had an Xbox 360 in our home since the system first came out and I can easily say that the last 6 years with this console has been the best 6 years I have had yet with a videogame system and that is saying something as I have had just about every console released since Pong was released back in the mid 70's. Microsoft, a company that I was never too fond of given the fact that I am an Apple computer user, has really done an outstanding job with this system. While there were some hardware issues with the earlier consoles, I can safely say that the Xbox 360 S is a top notch console with none of the problems that plagued earlier models. Its superior in almost every way to previous models.

My single favorite aspect to this system is without a doubt Xbox Live and all of the things that come along with the service (you get 3 months included with this holiday pack). Basically Xbox Live gives you the ability to play games online and lets you download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and movies. Out of all of the things that MS has done, putting so much focus on the development of Xbox Live is, in my opinion, the smartest thing they have done yet in regards to this console. Xbox live has really become a fantastic part of the Xbox gaming experience. In fact, I couldn't imagine Xbox without Xbox Live. In particular, both my son and I love Xbox Live Arcade. There is now a massive assortment of games on Xbox Live Arcade and the nice thing about the games, besides the lower cost, is that they dont require the time investment that most of the regular Xbox games require. Its a more casual gaming experience and I really appreciate that, especially during my busy season with photography as I simply dont have the time to invest in big games during that time of the year. I love that every game available on Xbox Live Arcade has a demo available so you can actually try it out before making up your mind on whether or not to buy it. Xbox Live also has an on demand game section, which are regular disc based releases that you can buy and download over Xbox live. I personally dont buy on demand games as the prices really aren't competitive and I just cant justify buying a download version of a game when I can actually buy the physical version for the same price or less. Of course, buying the physical copy gives you the ability to sell it later on. This isn't possible with downloaded versions. Given that aspect alone, on demand games should be at least 5-10 bucks cheaper than the physical version and unfortunately that just hasn't been the case and this is one area where Xbox live can be significantly improved.

Xbox live also offers additional services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Zune, and LastFM. We currently use Netflix and ESPN and we love both services. Its important to note that Microsoft recently announced that 40 additional entertainment partners will soon be joining the Xbox Live experience including Comcast, HBO GO, Syfy, Verizon FiOS, Bravo, and Xfinity. This really isn't surprising given the fact that Microsoft has stated many times that their vision for the future of Xbox lies in it becoming a hub for entertainment in your home, not just a videogame console. With the announcement of 40 additional entertainment services being added, MS are now one step closer to making this a reality and I expect the list of services will only continue to grow over the coming years. Basically this gives people the ability to individualize their TV experience through Xbox live. I only watch about 5% of the channels I receive through cable, and pay a hefty price to be able to do so. So I am very interested in where this console is going in this regards.

I also really like that MS has been focusing more and more on the family side of gaming as my wife enjoys gaming and we have an 11 year old son. In particular, we really enjoy Family Game Night which highlights a different family game every Tuesday. The number of games suitable for younger children has increased substantially over the last few years and the console itself has parental options that allow you to lock out certain content from your children. This includes games, movies and TV shows. I travel a lot so these options are very important to me. I dont have to worry about what content my son is accessing while I am away.

As for regular gaming, Xbox certainly doesn't disappoint. There are so many great games available that I literally dont have time to play all of them. Just look at the games released, or being released, in the last quarter of 2011. You have Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Battlefield 3, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Saints Row 3, Batman Arkham City, etc. Those are just the high profile games. Of course, Xbox has a huge catalog of titles already available and many of those games can be purchased for 20 dollars or less. You can even play a large number of original Xbox titles on the 360, many of which are amazing games and could easily be found for 10 bucks or less at used game stores. Most people have a limited amount of time that the can devote to playing games and given the sheer number of great games available....well, lets just say that the vast majority of people will have the same problem I have, that you dont have time to play all the games you want to play.

For those that are looking to get their first console, this holiday bundle is a great deal. It has the 250 Gig HD and comes with 2 of the biggest games released this past year, Halo Reach and Fable 3. Its important to note that the you dont get the physical copy of Halo Reach. You get a code that gives you the ability to download it from Xbox Live On Demand.

Bottom line Microsoft has really done a remarkable job with their Xbox gaming system. They have had a few bumps along the way but overall the Xbox is a top notch gaming system that now offers far more than just gaming. Whether your looking for casual gaming, hardcore gaming, online gaming, family gaming, or even motion based gaming, the Xbox has more than enough to fit the bill. As I stated originally, the last 6 years with the Xbox 360 has without a doubt been the best 6 years I have ever had with a console. Xbox 360 has become a staple in my house in regards to my families entertainment. Whether its for gaming, movies or TV shows, the Xbox doesn't disappoint. I really couldn't possibly give this console a higher recommendation. Its just a top notch entertainment device.

5 Stars!!