what to look for when buying an xbox 360 (possibly secondhand)

babel2

im looking to buy an xbox 360 (my first) but im not really sure what to look for? i think id be happy with either a 60 or 120 gb but after that im lost as to hdmi cables and the such, ive no idea...are there different types of xboxs etc?? im really looking towards second hand on places such as adverts.ie and donedeal.ie because im not sure some shops offer as good a value...
help!

confused.

DjFlin

I think your best bet would be to get a brand new one. Gamestop are currently selling the 250GB model for €185, which is a pretty good deal.

I wouldnt get a used one for a couple of reasons. Mainly because older models have high failure rates. Plus, all new models have built in wifi.

I'd recommend getting the 250GB model, because its cheaper to get that now, rather than upgrade in the future. As far as HDMI cables go, they're all pretty much the same, just ask for one in whatever shop you get the 360 in, it shouldn't cost more than €15.

As far as games are concerned, that depends on what genres your into, shooters, platformers, etc?

.E_C_K_S.

Maybe it's better OP to find out how much you are willing to spend. As the previous poster said the 250gb Xbox Slim is 185 euro and that's a great deal. HDMI cables are cheap anyways(I'm sure there was a stickied thread before on it)

Here ya go: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055569697, a little outdated but all information should be relevant.

tadhgmorris

defo try to get new. Warranty and all. but the xbox has been prone to major f up's . but newer versions i believe are better.

the ps3 is a great machine has the blue ray. and has free the online gaming. and i believe i may be wrong has its own browser.

if its an older model of the xbox it wont even be wireless for networking to your pc. kind of mad. all in the ps 3 has offered better value and didnt rip folks off on the online gaming. though i am not much of an expert now being honest.

DjFlin

tadhgmorris wrote: »

defo try to get new. Warranty and all. but the xbox has been prone to major f up's . but newer versions i believe are better.

the ps3 is a great machine has the blue ray. and has free the online gaming. and i believe i may be wrong has its own browser.

if its an older model of the xbox it wont even be wireless for networking to your pc. kind of mad. all in the ps 3 has offered better value and didnt rip folks off on the online gaming. though i am not much of an expert now being honest.

You get what you pay for. Xbox Live never goes down for any longer than a day, and that has only happened 3 or so times since its launch, and MS always give away free games in reparation.
The PS3 is a sort of "Jack of All Trades, Master of none" console. It can do a lot, game, browsers, etc, and it does them okay. Xbox may do less, but it does what it does perfectly.

The PS3's installation process confounds me, its just like a PC, you have to install half your games before you play them. Installation is entirely optional for Xbox users. and Xbox Live handles updates much better than PSN too.

PS3 does have BluRay though, which Xbox doesn't. You can rent HD content from Xbox's Zune service, or stream it from your PC, but if your looking for BluRay, your out of luck.

As I already said, the older Xbox have high rates of failure, but its not a problem with the new ones. I've had mine since it launched and have had no problems with it.

.E_C_K_S.

Lads, let not let this turn into a PS3 V Xbox 360 thread. The OP has stated xbox so until he replies this is a thread on the best deal for the xbox at the moment.:D

babel2

WALSHY16291 wrote: »

Maybe it's better OP to find out how much you are willing to spend. As the previous poster said the 250gb Xbox Slim is 185 euro and that's a great deal. HDMI cables are cheap anyways(I'm sure there was a stickied thread before on it)

Here ya go: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055569697, a little outdated but all information should be relevant.

to be honest €200 would be the max i intend on spending as im not exactly minted but would you think gamestop would bargain in hdmi cable into the price seeing as im paying such an amount? does anyone have any experiences with bargaining in a gamestop?

punk77

DjFlin wrote: »

As I already said, the older Xbox have high rates of failure, but its not a problem with the new ones. I've had mine since it launched and have had no problems with it.

This is not entirely true.The earlier xbox models e.g. xenon,falcon etc. are prone to getting RROD but this is not true of the Jasper which is arguably the most reliable of all the xbox incarnations including the new slim.

Keith186

babel2 wrote: »

to be honest €200 would be the max i intend on spending as im not exactly minted but would you think gamestop would bargain in hdmi cable into the price seeing as im paying such an amount? does anyone have any experiences with bargaining in a gamestop?

I'm not sure which cable comes with the new Xbox's but it might be a HDMI one already. If not you can get them cheap anyway, mine was less than €10 so you'll be under budget.

Pick up a 2nd hand game cheap too, there's lots of good ones if you haven't really played much Xbox before or you could rent a game in Xtra vision to see what ones you like.

DjFlin

The Xbox comes with a standard scart cable I'm afraid. The Elites used to come with HDMI, but not anymore. But as Keith said, you should be able to find a cheap one.

Look around GameStop and Game. I used to work in Game, and we used to do deals where you'd get an Xbox Bundle with a HDMI Cable, Charge Kit & a game. I'm sure you'll find something nice.

punk77 wrote: »

This is not entirely true.The earlier xbox models e.g. xenon,falcon etc. are prone to getting RROD but this is not true of the Jasper which is arguably the most reliable of all the xbox incarnations including the new slim.

I agree, but my point was that if OP buys second hand, he'll have no way of knowing if hes getting Falcon or a Jasper model. Its like a game of roulette :pac:

punk77

DjFlin wrote: »

I agree, but my point was that if OP buys second hand, he'll have no way of knowing if hes getting Falcon or a Jasper model. Its like a game of roulette :pac:

There are 2 ways to check this: 1. Check the date of manufacture on the back of console.Elites produced from late 2009 on are Jaspers. 2. Check the power supply.The Jasper is the only Elite that has a 150w PS.

DjFlin

punk77 wrote: »

There are 2 ways to check this: 1. Check the date of manufacture on the back of console.Elites produced from late 2009 on are Jaspers. 2. Check the power supply.The Jasper is the only Elite that has a 150w PS.

Again though, OP cant exactly walk into a store and check the consoles before buying them.

punk77

DjFlin wrote: »

Again though, OP cant exactly walk into a store and check the consoles before buying them.

Why not???

Renno123

DjFlin wrote: »

The Xbox comes with a standard scart cable I'm afraid. The Elites used to come with HDMI, but not anymore. But as Keith said, you should be able to find a cheap one.

Look around GameStop and Game. I used to work in Game, and we used to do deals where you'd get an Xbox Bundle with a HDMI Cable, Charge Kit & a game. I'm sure you'll find something nice.



I agree, but my point was that if OP buys second hand, he'll have no way of knowing if hes getting Falcon or a Jasper model. Its like a game of roulette :pac:

hey ive been lookkng for something similar, id a look around game. what do u reckon the likely hood of them being willing to either throw in a console or cable if im paying that much. ive had experiences where shops are more than happy to throw in something if u are spending a lot,.. and these days 200 euro is no joke.. jusy asking from ur experience of working there.


also, anyone know what the difference is between the cables? is there a standard one included.? whats the difference? im not that fussy.. i just want to be able to play the game when i but the xbox
thanks

Renno123

babel2 wrote: »

im looking to buy an xbox 360 (my first) but im not really sure what to look for? i think id be happy with either a 60 or 120 gb but after that im lost as to hdmi cables and the such, ive no idea...are there different types of xboxs etc?? im really looking towards second hand on places such as adverts.ie and donedeal.ie because im not sure some shops offer as good a value...
help!

confused.

hi babelz
im in a similar pozish as ur self. have u tried online? im considering those deals off ebay.

DjFlin

punk77 wrote: »

Why not???

As I said, I worked in Game before. And we didn't let customers take consoles out of their boxes to check serial numbers...

Renno123 wrote: »

hey ive been lookkng for something similar, id a look around game. what do u reckon the likely hood of them being willing to either throw in a console or cable if im paying that much. ive had experiences where shops are more than happy to throw in something if u are spending a lot,.. and these days 200 euro is no joke.. jusy asking from ur experience of working there.

Honestly, it depends. Act like your on the fence about getting one, ask about whether they can throw in the HDMI cable. If they say no, say something like "Oh, HMV/Game/Gamestop said they'd throw it in..."

Stand around the 360 area looking thoughtful, eventually someone will approach you. Or, if you see a staff member wearing an actual shirt helping people, go to them. The shirt means they're a manager (In Game, dunno about other shops), and managers are more inclined to help you out. At least, mine were.

Renno123

DjFlin wrote: »

As I said, I worked in Game before. And we didn't let customers take consoles out of their boxes to check serial numbers...




Honestly, it depends. Act like your on the fence about getting one, ask about whether they can throw in the HDMI cable. If they say no, say something like "Oh, HMV/Game/Gamestop said they'd throw it in..."

Stand around the 360 area looking thoughtful, eventually someone will approach you. Or, if you see a staff member wearing an actual shirt helping people, go to them. The shirt means they're a manager (In Game, dunno about other shops), and managers are more inclined to help you out. At least, mine were.

thanks, will do. sure ive a few questions i can ask them aswell

minidazzler

DjFlin wrote: »

I think your best bet would be to get a brand new one. Gamestop are currently selling the 250GB model for €185, which is a pretty good deal.

This a million times. MS just bricked a bunch of Xbox's for terms of service violations so you can bet a good few of them will be up for sale soon.

And of course, brand new gets you a warranty.

TeddyTedson

Don't get a second hand one anyway. Look out for the ring of death.
Get the new slim 250gb one from a shop. Then when it breaks you can bring it back to the physical shop and get a replacement.
You need to hope it's less than a year old though when it breaks, or else you have to pay to get it repaired.

longhalloween

Have a look here. I bought from them a few time and never had a problem.

http://www.shopto.net/XBOX%20360/HARDWARE/

Generally better value to be had from bundles as you get the latest console and a game, sometimes an extra controller too for a package price.

TeddyTedson

Harvey Norman have them for 195e at the moment.

babel2

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Harvey Norman have them for 195e at the moment.

are they the new slim 250gb ones?

TeddyTedson

babel2 wrote: »

are they the new slim 250gb ones?

I checked it out for you. They're 185e and yea it's the 250gb new slim one.

babel2

TeddyTedson wrote: »

I checked it out for you. They're 185e and yea it's the 250gb new slim one.

you sure? because online its this...?
http://www.harveynorman.ie/xbox-360-250gb.html

TeddyTedson

babel2 wrote: »

you sure? because online its this...?
http://www.harveynorman.ie/xbox-360-250gb.html

In the leaflet they posted in my door it's a picture of the slim one. I don't think the white one was ever sold as a 250gb. Just the old phat elite.

TeddyTedson

I double checked it. It's definitely the slim in the picture and it says it has built in wifi which only the slim has so it must be it. What a bargain.

Renno123

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Harvey Norman have them for 195e at the moment.

hmm sounds cheap.. but does this come with 2 controllers or any games?

babel2

went yesterday to harvey normans and they claimed they were out of stock...id say youd be extremely lucky if they actually exist for that price? in the end, bought the halo reach bundle in gamestop which is buy far the best deal around

Renno123

babel2 wrote: »

went yesterday to harvey normans and they claimed they were out of stock...id say youd be extremely lucky if they actually exist for that price? in the end, bought the halo reach bundle in gamestop which is buy far the best deal around

well done Babe2
ah well norman might have been personally out of those offers, who knows.
can u tell me more about this deal? Im desperate to get 1