@welshbloke, My e74 link was specifically chosen as it is a xbox specific site. e74 seems to definately be an underlying problem that has become more pronounced since the launch of NXE and/or Jasper.
As for 'the PS3 crowd' I assume you are refering to Joe80 and myself...both of us own the 360 so please don't lump me in. It is a simple fact that if you want wireless online gaming with decent media storage you can be better off with the PS3. I think I was pretty clear in implying that if it was something the OP wants he should be cognisant of the price. If you want a single player, non media centric, wired experience the Xbox is a good choice (though you risk the issue of high defective rate).
If the OP buys an 360 I say great...just do it with your eyes open and don't look back...enjoy the console(s) you choose.
I think you need to put this into perspective. What this appears to me is people are looking for the next RROD on the Xbox. What I would say to anyone looking to purchase a 360 is that make sure it is one of the new ones which if you are buying at retail and not off a friend or Ebay it will most likely be.
I suspect that failures of the new units are very small but it does not take many to break a story on failure for the 360. That is the RROD legacy that it has yet to overcome. The problems the 360 has now I would venture are no worse and probably better than those for the PS3.
The 360 is cheaper even a HDD model do not let the PS3 crowd confuse the issue by introducing all its features then declaring the is 360 more expensive it is not.
If you want to go online and play multi player then yes you will need Gold. You do not have to pay it all in one go and you can stop paying it anytime you like. I have 2 machines one has Gold the other Silver, tbh I play so few games online that I probably should drop the gold account.
If you require a wireless solution may a suggest you investigate home plugs. They are far more robust and very simple to setup, although not wireless they are damn close. I switched to them for all my needs at home and have no radio related issues and get perferct throughput and low latency.
@Joe80,Just checked Dell.com...doesn't seem so. I took advantage of the SONY card...great deal. BTW...since we are talking price I'm as exposed as reasonable on the April PS3 future...big announcement coming on March 31st according to Kotaku...SONY goes into a new fiscal year...maybe a price drop?
@PhilHarrision, Forgot controller recharger definitely a required purchase as well, another $20-30. I'm definitely done with Live too. Doesn't Dell have all systems for like 20% off or something?
@Joe80, And you'll have to be hardwired or pay for a wireless dongle. You can get a PS3 for 299 with the SONY card too so it is a superior value imo. Can't say I will renew my LIVE subscription next time it comes up personally...I like single player games.
@apujanata, I must say Blue Dragon wasn't that great and MGS4 is not best PS3 exclusive. I don't see why you would say 360 is much cheaper unless you don't plan to use the HDD at all nor play online? Because if you go for the 60gb you only save $100 and then you need to pay for Live.
@Joe80, No. My friend have both PS3 and X360 (no Wii for him yet), so friend's ownership doesn't count (if it count, I wouldn't have 2 Wii). I am leaning towards X360 now (was leaning toward PS3 during launch period, but changed my mind on 2008) because : - It is much, much cheaper (and I don't need Blu-ray player) - There are some exclusives I like on X360 (Blue Dragon) and PS3's exclusive didn't interest me (MGS4).
If X360 didn't have any H/W problem, I would have bought it this year (didn't have money on Christmas 08). Now I might buy DSi instead, or maybe Wii Ware games (now that I can play game from SDHC SD Card).
@soupsoup, One of the reason I haven't bought X360 yet is because that console is plagued with problems. RROD, Disc scratching, loud noises, and E74. I keep on delaying the purchase because once a problem was fixed, another problem surface (or became big enought that I became aware of it).
I know that PS2 early build also have problems, but it is not as bad as X360. Even XBOX is better designed and build then X360.
I would really like to have X360 in my house, and doesn't have to go to friend's house to play it's games, but I am not going to spend money on it until the system is almost H/W problem free. I prefer spending my money on buying games, not repairing console or buying extended warranty. I also hate the vacant gaming time, time between having a console issue (broken down) and getting it back on working status (repaired and arrive at home, available to play).
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As for 'the PS3 crowd' I assume you are refering to Joe80 and myself...both of us own the 360 so please don't lump me in. It is a simple fact that if you want wireless online gaming with decent media storage you can be better off with the PS3. I think I was pretty clear in implying that if it was something the OP wants he should be cognisant of the price. If you want a single player, non media centric, wired experience the Xbox is a good choice (though you risk the issue of high defective rate).
If the OP buys an 360 I say great...just do it with your eyes open and don't look back...enjoy the console(s) you choose.