[Bobby_M]

Hi guys,


I've been into computer gaming in the past when I actually had time to get involved. My fav games were Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, the Command and Conquer series all the way up through Generals, and most recently GTA vice city.


Since I'm a ways away from building a HTPC in my theater, I'd like to take a short cut to gaming my big screen and I figure XBOX is the best way right now. I'm running 5.1 sound right now along with a Z1 projector so I'm looking forward to my first surround sound, widescreen gaming.


Here are my questions.. What accessories am I going to want right off the bat.. I'm pretty sure I should pick up the component video and optical audio kit, right?


Does the new $149 pricing still include any games or the LIVE kit?


How much does the LIVE service cost and is it absolutely worth it? I'm used to getting this ability for free with PC gaming. I do have DSL with a network connection near my theater so implementation should be easy enough.


Finally, based on my previous favorite PC games, and my widescreen/5.1 setup, which games should I get to keep the buyers remorse in check?


Thanks for any help guys...


Bobby

 

[dschroll]

Yes, you'll want to get the HD kit. That should cost $20. The kit itself comes with component cables, but no optical cable, so you'll want an optical cable. Also the component cables are pretty cheapy, so you may want to upgrade those as well.


The $149 only includes the console and the controller and the basic cables....That's it.


the XBOX Live starter kit costs $70 and it comes with a year of service, the headset, and a game. I can't say whether it's worth it as it all depends on how much online gaming you do. I usually only game with one or 2 friends online, but it's worth it to me because it allows me to game and chat with them. So, it all depends on how much gaming you do and who with.


Other people here are definitely better at recommending games for a PC gamer than I am as I am not one. Still, Halo is a good solid bet. Most XBOX owners who like FPS seem to enjoy that one.

 

[JamisonBWolsh]

There are Bundles you can buy:


At Costco:
http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?t...=10036726&log=

At sams club:
http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_s...cfkjdgoodflg.0


at Game stop and Best buy: Offers usually 149.99 plus one free game (games changes as the weeks go on...



IF you are going to buy an XBOX soon.. I would suggest buying the Special Edition HALO edition. This Xbox is much better looking than the original... I just bought my 1st xbox (halo special edition) yesterday at Best buy. FOR 29.95 more at best buy, you have the option of trading this xbox for XBOX 2 when it comes out.... (a great deal IMO)

 

[FrankJ.Cone]

I woudl recomend buying the Halo edition for $20 more its cheap and if you buy at several places as previously mentioned you get a free Plat hit. I think this week if you guy at Target they have 12 different games to choose from.


Even if you do not want to play halo, buy it and trade it in at EB, they ahve a special right now where you trade in Halo 1 and prepay for Halo 2 for only $25. So you end up $5 ahead.


Halo sadly is not 16:9 but over a hundred others are. I have one of my XBoxes connected to a Z1 and you will be blown away with how good it looks with the HD pack.

 

[Garasaki]

A good game to pick up is Colin McRae Rally 04. It's only 20 bucks MSRP, it's pretty fun (if you like rally racing) and it has a replay feature that's awesome. Also is presented in 480p widescreen....


I hear a ton of good things about "Top Spin" as well...it's a tennis game. I think it'll be the next game I buy. Don't know if it's presented in any HDTV modes, but supposed to be a good fun game. Also playable on live.


I can't comment too much on Live...I don't use it yet. But a lot of games are live enabled and I think it'll become more popular. Additionally, I think we'll see a lot of games with downloadable content coming out too!

 

[NVboy]

Quote:

Originally posted by JamisonBWolsh There are Bundles you can buy: At Costco: http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?t...=10036726&log= At sams club: http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_s...cfkjdgoodflg.0 at Game stop and Best buy: Offers usually 149.99 plus one free game (games changes as the weeks go on... IF you are going to buy an XBOX soon.. I would suggest buying the Special Edition HALO edition. This Xbox is much better looking than the original... I just bought my 1st xbox (halo special edition) yesterday at Best buy. FOR 29.95 more at best buy, you have the option of trading this xbox for XBOX 2 when it comes out.... (a great deal IMO)

Where did you see information for trading up to the Xbox2? That is REALLY hard to believe, especially since it probably won't see the light of day for at least a year, at a price point far higher(probably double) what it is now.


Has anyone seen the Halo Special Edition Xbox at Target? They don't list it on their website & I just assumed they didn't have it. If they do, $169.00 plus a free Platinum Hits game would be worth it.

 

[JamisonBWolsh]

The Halo edition is VERY hard to find... you have to be lucky (like me) to find it... The shipments to stores for these is almost over...



As for the trade in for XBOX 2..... you have to pay the difference for what you pay for the xbox. For 29.95, that is worth it. Though...the xbox 2 MUST enter the market before the 2 years is up... This plan also protects your xbox should it fail....

 

[ShakinEakin]

This is a great system to add to any setup. I just upgraded the standard video/sound connections to the HD version, and wow, it's a lot of fun.


Plus you might want to look into modding it to allow some addiontial features, such as running XBMC. Take a look at www.xboxmediacenter.com. It's a little more (time and $) to setup, but it does a lot of the same things you would use your HTPC to do, such as streaming music that is stored on your desktop or central server.


Have fun! The only problem you might have is finding the time to play!!

 

[hollismb]

I gotta tell ya, I ONLY play online these days. I've got a bunch of single player games sitting around that I've never even touched. You gotta have Xbox Live....

 

[NVboy]

Quote:

Originally posted by JamisonBWolsh The Halo edition is VERY hard to find... you have to be lucky (like me) to find it... The shipments to stores for these is almost over... As for the trade in for XBOX 2..... you have to pay the difference for what you pay for the xbox. For 29.95, that is worth it. Though...the xbox 2 MUST enter the market before the 2 years is up... This plan also protects your xbox should it fail....

The one BB that had these no longer has them, but there are tons of other stores out there that have them. Pretty much every store I go to still has them. So, this is more of a tradeup policy, similar to CC's speaker tradeup? I assume the $29.95 is the price for their 2 year service plan? I hadn't realized they offered any kind of tradeup whatsoever. Maybe I'll have to check out a few of the other local BB's.

 

[Villanman]

Quote:

The Halo edition is VERY hard to find

I guess that depends on where you are.

Not very hard to find in my area.

 

[Bobby_M]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I just ordered a used xbox with Halo from gamestop for $119 and free shipping.. and I found an HD kit for $13. I found a couple Halo green systems, but they just wouldn't fit with all my black gear on the rack. I think I'll pick up the GTA double pack used next. It's nice to just get into Xbox now that it's been out a while. There are a ton of good games under $20 now. By the time I catch up, today's new games will be cheaper.


Bobby

 

[FrankJ.Cone]

I'd recommend you keep your eye out for Panzer Dragoon Orta. Its Sega's graphic masterpiece for this generation and simply amazing to see on a FP. Around here its usually $20.

 

[mrcalypso]

Also check out xbox live. There are alot of great games online like rainbow six,splinter cell2, ghost rechon, mechassault,crimson skies, project gotham racing2, toca 2, rallisport 2 and a bunch of good sports game like nba 2k3, nfl2k3

 

[ChrisFB]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bobby_M I found a couple Halo green systems, but they just wouldn't fit with all my black gear on the rack.

You aren't alone in the aesthetics requirement. It's a lot easier to swallow an ugly beige box tucked out of the way in the office than an odd looking component on display in the living room or home theater.


Enjoy your new system.


FYI - if you are interested in some free online gaming through system link you can check out http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/. The client must be running on a networked PC for your Xbox to link. It can be controlled via the Xbox directly but you'll need a modded xbox to do this. Some friends and I are planning to play semi-regular matches of Crimson Skies, Halo, and Project Gotham Racing 2. It works very well on most games and supports voice.

 

[bmonkey]

I'll second the modchip suggestion. I'm waiting a little bit before I build out my HTPC (moving houses) and I'm running a modded xbox as a media player and game console (obviously). Running xbox media center is just hot, and the new builds are very stable making it a nice and easy media player platform.


I haven't played PC games since the likes of Doom, Quake and Quake II, so we're in a similar boat there. The top three games that have logged the most hours on my xbox are:


Halo

Ghost Recon

Top Spin


All are awesome both single and multiplayer. Top Spin, although a tennis game (not up my alley) is pure crack and not to be missed.


Note that none of these games are widescreen and only play in 4:3 480p. True HD games are few and far between, and methinks we'll need to wait for xbox2 to get the performance we really need to enjoy a nice 720p or 1080i framerate. Or at least until I build my HTPC with a ATI X800.


//wv

 

[A.C]

will mod'd consoles be detected and/or blocked by XBL? that is my only real concern with mod'ing my box.

 

[ragedogg69]

when the mod is on: yes


your xbox sends a packet with your bios, then the server bans you.

 

[ShakinEakin]

You can get modded chips that have an on/off control. That way you can startup in a "stock" mode when you want to play XBL.

 

[owr084]

Or if your modchip is off and you have changed out the harddrive, then live can detect the change. AFAIK, no one has been banned yet for changing the hard drive, but boxes have been scanned so the potential is there. If going live is the most important thing to you, either don't mod your xbox or buy a second xbox and keep it unmodded...


RBB

Quote:

Originally posted by ragedogg69 when the mod is on: yes your xbox sends a packet with your bios, then the server bans you.