I would like to continue my in depth look at all three video game consoles. Today we are going to take a look at the Xbox 360 by Microsoft. The first thing you should know when looking into buying this console for yourself or family member, is the are multiple versions of the 360. One nice thing about the Nintendo Wii is there is only one to choose from, so eliminates a lot of confusion.
The Xbox Arcade is the cheapest of all the skus of the Xbox. At $199.00 it is even cheaper than the Wii. But with this price reduction you also have a reduction in features. There is no hard drive in the Arcade version or headset. Which means if you would like to play online and download movies or demos you would need to purchase it separately for about a hundred dollars.
The most practical version of the Xbox 360 is the Pro model. This basically comes with everything you need to be a serious gamer. It includes the hard drive as well as the headset, but an extra controller will cost around $50.00 plus a rechargeable battery pack would be another $20.00 addition.
As far as online goes, it is not free like Wii or PS3 online, the service will cost about $50.00 a year for Xbox Live. Now it does cost but it is by far the best online experience of the three consoles. Also Xbox 360 does not play Blue Ray movies at all. You can however download Hi Def movie through Netflix right on your Xbox.
The best part of the whole Xbox 360 Experience is the games. They have the most and probably the best games available. From shooters to family friendly titles, Xbox has something for everyone. But by the time you buy your Pro Bundle (which does include two games) an extra controller, battery pack and Xbox Live you are looking at about $420.00 before tax.
The point of all these articles is that there are pros and cons to every system, and every system has hidden money you will be spending that adds up rather quickly. Next time I will cover the Sony Playstation 3.
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