Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade 256 MB Matte White Console (PAL)

I just wanted to share my experience with the XBOX 360. I have the old xbox and going for the new one I went straight for the XBOX 360 elite with the 120gb and improved chipset after seeing so many broken white 360's on ebay for spares and repair.

I unpacked it all and set it up - its very easy to do but you will need to connect it to the internet to let it update itself to the latest software (you dont have to but its best to). Even though the Elite package is the best you can buy I was slightly annoyed that you have to buy extras such as a wireless adapter (and these are not cheap either) and a second controller for two player. You can connect to the internet wired if you like by using the included network cable. If you want to play against other people online you then have to buy a xbox live gold membership - more money!! I suggest looking on eBay for xbox live scratch cards as I found you can buy a months membership cheaper on ebay than most shops.

Even though the Elite is the new, more reliable chipset they are still prone to overheating which then causes the motherboard to warp and this is what causes the 360's to crash and get errors (known as the red ring of death or RROD for short). To stop this happening I bought a clip on external fan unit which is advised to protect your investment. Its a shame Microsoft havent improved the cooling system if heat is such a problem and built in wireless would be a massive bonus (like other consoles now have). I didnt find the fans / console noisey like some people have mentioned but i guess that depends on how close you are to it, ambient noise and size of the room etc..

You can play most original old xbox games on the 360 - there is no need to buy one of the "xbox 360 update disks" advertised on ebay, these dont do anything important. If it needs to the 360 will download an update / patch automatically the first time you play an original old xbox game. Playing old xbox games is a bonus if you dont want to fork out full price for a 360 game. You cant play the original xbox games over xbox live on te 360 - only local play.

A good point of the 360 is most of the games are full 1080p HD (or at least 720) so you get a nice crisp gaming experience. A good quality HDMI cable is included and you also get component leads should you want to use those. Colin McCrae Dirt is an amazing HD racing game. Overall an OK console but the constant spending on extras and XBOX Live membership is annoying and you cant help like you are being fleeced for every penny.

To save money on the wireless adapter dont buy a £50-£60 official xbox adapter buy a wireless bridge (about £25) this gives you a wireless access point to which you can connect any wired device so just buy the bridge and connect the xbox to it with the included cable and you are done.

I hope you will vote "YES" for my honest review. I like to write proper reviews not ones saying "great item now visit this website and get one for free!" which if you dont know are a con and I dont know why ebay hasnt removed them by now.

Well to begin with - the build quality is not that great, Microsoft really blew it this time. The components are soldered as close as they can, without proper ventilation which result in a massive heat during work time, no adequate cooling, numerous fails in design (like the drive on top of the CPU - blocking the hot air from going up). All in all get the new X360 Slim. With each one of the older phat 360's you'll get sooner or later a hardware error and following the "repair" guides will result in a temporary fix. Stay away from the old 360's no matter how cheap they might get.

Well to begin with - the build quality is not that great, Microsoft really blew it this time. The components are soldered as close as they can which result in a massive heat during work time coming out of it, no adequate cooling, numerous fails in design (like the drive on top of the CPU). All in all get the new Slim, with each one of the older "fat" 360's you'll get sooner or later a hardware error and following the "repair" guides would take a lot of your time and it will result in a temporary working condition. Stay away from the old 360's no matter how cheap they might get.

i love this xbox - i had one when they 1st came out and this is my 4th console now - ive never had the famous ring of death on any of them and ive not had one on this - the xbox is very cheap to repair if it does break down and the grahpics and controller are amazing.
the controller is so comfortable and so easy to use.
i would recomend getting a 60gb xbox hdd for this though as the drive is very noisy so the best solution for that is to copy the games to the hdd and when you run out of room you can delete a game or two (or just get the 120gb and that should be plenty)
once you do this the xbox barly makes any noise at all, it does tend to get a bit louder (the fans) if you have been using the xbox for more than 3 hours but thats to be expected
overall i love the xbox 360 and having had a ps3 in the past too i prefer the xbox on repair cost alone (the blueray drive to fix is £90!!)
i baught this product as it was the cheapest working console and it allows me to play final fantasy 13 (and 13-2 when its out) if i could get these games on pc then i woudldnt have bothered with the xbox 360 as i use my pc for gaming (with the xbox 360 controller)
whet i like about the xbox 360 is i can connect it to my moniter via VGA and it supports 1080p
i cant think of any dislikes other than it being very noisy runing a game on fly (if run off the hdd it barly makes a noise)