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My wife and I are thinking of getting an Xbox 360. It looks like microsoft is going to start doing netflix HD, which we want.

What is the best way to get into rockband?

The 360 is a very capable console. Cross-platform games on the console either tend to run at smoother framerates or with slightly upgraded graphics compared to the PS3 (though thankfully that is less and less every time Eurogamer does a cross-platform shoot-out). If you don't necessarily want or already have a good BluRay player, the 360 is a good console to get. They're still kind of loud, especially when accessing the DVD drive. The new firmware due 11/19 is supposed to let you copy games to the HDD so you only need the disc in the drive to boot the game (meaning it's not going to continuously spin up), so that'll save some noise as well. Right now, my mirrored-door G4 Mac that's going to play the role of backup server is louder than the 360, so I think noise complaints are overblown, myself.

The best way to get into Rock Band is to go out and buy the RB2 set, then find a way to rent or borrow the disc from the first game, and pay your $5 to get all those songs onto the hard drive. Seems like a popular way to be.

derFunkenstein wrote:

The best way to get into Rock Band is to go out and buy the RB2 set, then find a way to rent or borrow the disc from the first game, and pay your $5 to get all those songs onto the hard drive. Seems like a popular way to be.

That's cool. I didn't know RB and RB2 were compatible like that.

What does this even come with? Judging by the price, it can't possibly come with two guitars, a mic, and a drum kit.

SpotTheCat wrote:

What does this even come with? Judging by the price, it can't possibly come with two guitars, a mic, and a drum kit.

It's the same price as the RB1 special edition, which came with one guitar, drums and mic, so I'm guessing it's the same.

Ok Which Xbox do I get? I'm very certain I want a hard drive... So, which one is the best value? 60GB/HDMI FTW? 20BG HDMI FTW? Which one is the quietest? I've notice my little brother's original xbox is louder than hell... I don't want one like that.

HDMI is pretty much across the board at this point. If you find any non-HDMI Xboxes still for sale, they're either refurb/used, or incredibly ancient stock and not a good idea either way.

Most of the HDMI Xboxes are the current revision, with the 65nm CPUs and the 90nm GPU. They're cooler and quieter than the first gen (which were also RROD-ville), and the 65/65 versions aren't out yet (The 65nm GPU was expected with the 60GB Pro, but it didn't happen).

A hard disk is a good idea, seems like you already have that in mind. 20GB vs. 60GB is a trickier question. I have a 20GB and it's often full, but there seem to be certain games that really eat that up way faster than most. The 360 eats about 6-8GB right off the bat for system caching, so keep that in mind.

I have a ton of Halo 3 videos stockpiled, so that's a few GB there (around 6 I think), and so I don't have a lot of space to burn. If Netflix HD saves to the HDD like I'm pretty sure they do, the 60GB might be a must-have.

So in closing, grab one of the 60GB Pros. If you have the cash to burn, the Elites still have 120GB IIRC, might not be a horrible idea, depending on how many movies you'll have at once.

I'd get a PS3 for exclusives and stick to PC gaming for cross-platform (and PC exclusives).

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The xbox is a waste of time and money, with an outdated hardware spec, poor reliability history, heat and noise issues, and subscription online model (yuck). Not to mention dumbed down console controls (at least the PS3 allows the option of USB mouse and keyboard for several FPS games on it).

Lastly, games on PC are still cheaper than console (cf Fallout 3 is $50 on the PC but $60 on the xbox360 and PS3).

Voldenuit wrote:

I'd get a PS3 for exclusives and stick to PC gaming for cross-platform (and PC exclusives).

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The xbox is a waste of time and money, with an outdated hardware spec, poor reliability history, heat and noise issues, and subscription online model (yuck). Not to mention dumbed down console controls (at least the PS3 allows the option of USB mouse and keyboard for several FPS games on it).

Lastly, games on PC are still cheaper than console (cf Fallout 3 is $50 on the PC but $60 on the xbox360 and PS3).

I have no desktop system, and I don't really want to get back into it just yet, so I'm getting my first console. I thought about the PS3, but I ruled it out. It's bloody expensive. The best 360 I would get is the 60gb pro. I would like the 60/60, perhaps microsoft will release them to the wild for xmas.

Voldenuit wrote:

The xbox is a waste of time and money, with an outdated hardware spec,

Yes....because the PS3's 7800 GPU is definitely top of the line.

Voldenuit wrote:

I'd get a PS3 for exclusives and stick to PC gaming for cross-platform (and PC exclusives).

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The xbox is a waste of time and money, with an outdated hardware spec, poor reliability history, heat and noise issues, and subscription online model (yuck). Not to mention dumbed down console controls (at least the PS3 allows the option of USB mouse and keyboard for several FPS games on it).

Lastly, games on PC are still cheaper than console (cf Fallout 3 is $50 on the PC but $60 on the xbox360 and PS3).

Biased FUD much?

SpotTheCat wrote:

What does this even come with? Judging by the price, it can't possibly come with two guitars, a mic, and a drum kit.

Yeah, that's the set. $190 is about right.

I think that overall XBOX 360 is a good entertainment unit despite its flaws. Remember that nowdays developers design their games primarily for consoles and then PCs because that is where the money is.
I have had my 360 for almost two years now, the original unit that I purchased died due to RROD. But MS quickly replaced it with refurbished one and it is still going strong, nonetheless I am thinking of getting 360 Elite with 120GB HD because it has HDMI port and soon new firmware will allow running games off of the HD.

Voldenuit wrote:

I'd get a PS3 for exclusives and stick to PC gaming for cross-platform (and PC exclusives).

PS3 exclusives such as "Resistance 2" and "Killzone 2" have yet to prove themselves. The originals were horrid in terms of gameplay and graphics. Don't forget another substandard PS3 exclusive title "Haze".
The only PS3 exclusive which I think is worth looking at is Metal Gear Solid 4 but this game is geared to hardcore gamers, In my view.

Which PC exclusives are you talking about "Crysis" and "S.T.A.L.K.E.R"? Sure graphics are awesome but gameplay is mediocre at best.

Voldenuit wrote:

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The video cards that you mentioned above are hardly considered "killers". Current top of the line cards: 4870, 4870x2 and GTX 200 series are quite pricey. There is a vast difference in price between a "gaming" PC and an average PC that you would have for everyday use. Especially if you want to turn on all the eye candy.

Voldenuit wrote:

The xbox is a waste of time and money, with an outdated hardware spec, poor reliability history, heat and noise issues, and subscription online model (yuck). Not to mention dumbed down console controls (at least the PS3 allows the option of USB mouse and keyboard for several FPS games on it).

If you played Gears of War, Bioshock, Rainbow Six: Vegas and COD4 on 360, I don't know how you can call it outdated. If you have not then I understand your ignorance.
Controls on 360 are great and very comfortable to hold in your hand.

Voldenuit wrote:

Lastly, games on PC are still cheaper than console (cf Fallout 3 is $50 on the PC but $60 on the xbox360 and PS3).

True that games on PC are cheaper to buy but PC is so much more expensive. Besides it is very tiresome to sit in front of PC and play games. I find it much more comfortable to sit on a couch in front big screen TV.

SpotTheCat wrote:

What does this even come with? Judging by the price, it can't possibly come with two guitars, a mic, and a drum kit.

I can't speak to RB2, but the original Rock Band included 1 drum kit, 1 mic, and 1 guitar. If you want the 4-player experience you need to buy another guitar separately, but you can get 3 players going on the "special edition."

michael_d wrote:

Voldenuit wrote:

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The video cards that you mentioned above are hardly considered "killers". Current top of the line cards: 4870, 4870x2 and GTX 200 series are quite pricey. There is a vast difference in price between a "gaming" PC and an average PC that you would have for everyday use. Especially if you want to turn on all the eye candy.
....
If you played Gears of War, Bioshock, Rainbow Six: Vegas and COD4 on 360, I don't know how you can call it outdated. If you have not then I understand your ignorance.
Controls on 360 are great and very comfortable to hold in your hand.

All the cards he mentioned will play the games you mentioned at the highest PC settings (which make them look better than on the Xbox 360).
This obviously leaves out other hardware requirements and different use cases, but if you want to play COD4 and you have a newish PC with integrated graphics and no console, it will be cheaper to buy a video card and the game than to buy an Xbox 360 and the game.

The Xbox 360 is cheaper, that's why you should buy it. What may seem like a simplifacation isn't at all. To be 100% honest with you both consoles are going to provide a great experience. They're basically equal on every front because they both have pros and cons. Any differences are purely opinion based. So I recommend based on price because that's the only true differentiation at the end of the day. You get great games on both platforms, great exclusives on both, each offer a unique online experience, and each have their own media focused benefits.

Skrying wrote:

The Xbox 360 is cheaper, that's why you should buy it. What may seem like a simplifacation isn't at all.

ummm, I guess that's assuming no xbox live.

Skrying wrote:

To be 100% honest with you both consoles are going to provide a great experience.

Probably.

Skrying wrote:

They're basically equal on every front because they both of pros and cons.

Huh? Unless they each have the exact same pros and cons that's false by definition.

Skrying wrote:

Any differences are purely opinion based.

Huh? That's ridiculous. Titles exclusive to either platform are not "opinion-based". BRD on the PS3 isn't "opinion based". You're full of crap.

Skrying wrote:

So I recommend based on price because that's the only true differentiation at the end of the day.

A ridiculous claim.

Skrying wrote:

You get great games on both platforms, great exclusives on both, each offer a unique online experience, and each have their own media focused benefits.

Yet somehow while being "unique" they're also "equal on every front"?

I have a PS3 and a 360. All of the games I've bought have been for the 360 and I can't even bring my self to play anything on the PS3 yet, except for about an hour of MGS4... about a month ago.

Unfortunately, my 360 has RROD'd (I bear no ill will against you PerfectCr ) and it is in the process of being repaired/replaced. Before that, however, I was very much into Fable 2 before the console took my game away.

Then again, it's not like I play 360 that much either. I'm mostly on the computer if I'm at home and when I'm not at the computer I am mostly working. Very little of my time is dedicated towards playing games.

edit: I meant all of the games have been for the 360, and not the PS3. That must have been confusing.

I thought after three years Microsoft would have finally taken care of all the issues...wrong! I went out and purchased an Xbox 360 so I could play sports games (I got the 200 dollar arcade version), and after 2 weeks of perfectly fine usage, my Xbox began giving me "disc unreadable" errors. After googling it, I found tgis is a rather common problem as Microsoft has been using cheap DVDROMs incapable of reading games that stream a lot of data off the disc. I promptly brought it back to BestBuy and thankfully the disc they tested it out with worked fine. I have since purchased a PS3 and am amazed how much higher quality the system is. Quieter, free online gaming, classier looking, and Blu-Ray all make it worthwhile. Do not get a 360 unless you are willing to take the risk.

michael_d wrote:

Which PC exclusives are you talking about "Crysis" and "S.T.A.L.K.E.R"? Sure graphics are awesome but gameplay is mediocre at best.

LOL. Crysis and STALKER are both awesome games. Stop spreading lies. STALKER was the best FPS of 2007. Well asides from Portal.

michael_d wrote:

PS3 exclusives such as "Resistance 2" and "Killzone 2" have yet to prove themselves. The originals were horrid in terms of gameplay and graphics. Don't forget another substandard PS3 exclusive title "Haze".
The only PS3 exclusive which I think is worth looking at is Metal Gear Solid 4 but this game is geared to hardcore gamers, In my view.

Then you may need to expand your view. (Oh yeah, and Resistance had an agregate score of 86.6% from 77 reviews - hardly "horrid", unless you're wearing microsoft-tinted glasses).

There're these titles to look forward to:
Gran Turismo 5
White Knight Chronicles
Heavy Rain (from the creator of Fahrenheit - OMG!)
Little Big Planet
Rachet and Clank
God of War 3
whatever Fumito Ueda makes next - after Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, there's no doubt the man's a genius.

Which PC exclusives are you talking about "Crysis" and "S.T.A.L.K.E.R"? Sure graphics are awesome but gameplay is mediocre at best.

And again with the myopia.

What about Spore? It definitely has its problems, but it's still a significant game in tiw own right. And let's not forget:
Demigod (Chris Taylor + Giant Unstoppable behemoths = win)
Starcraft 2 (*cough* you forgot about THIS?)
Diablo 3 (and THIS????)
Dawn of War II
Master of Magic 2 (with Stardock at the helm, this is going to be awesome)
Red Alert 3
Crysis Warhead
STALKER Clear Sky
Pretty much any MMO except FF XI
Every other RTS out there


Now let's talk about xbox360 exclusives, shall we?

Now that Microsoft has lost Bungie, they've lost their main cash cow. (Thankfully, because they were running the franchise and the developers into the ground with Halo, and it's about time both parties try something new)

The only real exclusives they hold are Dead or Alive (which maybe moving back cross-platform with 5), Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing (admittedly great games, but still lacking the breadth of Gran Turismo). Ninety Nine Nights, which I was avidly looking forward to, bombed (averaged 63% on gamerankings).

Most other xbox360 games are usually cross-platform with either PS3, PC, or both. In which case the PC version is usually the best option, as you can play at a higher resolution, and especially access to user-created mods (when you dissed STALKER, you obviously never looked at the impact of the Realism mod on the game). In the same way that fan-made mods enriched Morrowind, Oblivion, Quake 1/2/3/4, Half-Life (Counterstrike!) etc far beyond the original vision of the developers, I expect the tradition to continue on games like Fallout 3 for PC. Sadly, with MS clamping down on Live! tighter than a chastity belt in a Mel Brooks movie, many of the best mods will be denied x360 users.

Voldenuit wrote:

Considering that killer graphics cards for PC can be had for $100-150 these days (Geforce 9800, Radeon 4830, 4850), it may even be cheaper to stick to PC gaming than to buy a console these days. Especially since everyone needs a PC in this day and age anyway.

The video cards that you mentioned above are hardly considered "killers". Current top of the line cards: 4870, 4870x2 and GTX 200 series are quite pricey. There is a vast difference in price between a "gaming" PC and an average PC that you would have for everyday use. Especially if you want to turn on all the eye candy.

NOw *this* is FUD. A 4830 is capable of running any game on the market (with the exception of Crysis) at 1680x1050 (the most common resolution for midrange systems) at high settings comfortably. And it is still 3-4x more powerful than the GPUs in the x360 and PS3. I game on a 24" 1920x1200 monitor with my trusty 4850 (Fallout 3 on Ultra), and that's still half the price of the xbox360 60 GB.

If you played Gears of War, Bioshock, Rainbow Six: Vegas and COD4 on 360, I don't know how you can call it outdated. If you have not then I understand your ignorance.
Controls on 360 are great and very comfortable to hold in your hand.

If you compare the graphics on the console version to even a midrange gaming system today, I don't see how you can be so sanguine. If you have broken your prescription glasses then I understand your ignorance.

True that games on PC are cheaper to buy but PC is so much more expensive. Besides it is very tiresome to sit in front of PC and play games. I find it much more comfortable to sit on a couch in front big screen TV.

The point is that practically everyone needs a PC, and most certainly TR readers are PC enthusiasts already. Buying a $100 video card is cheaper than buying a $299 console, not to mention paying $50 a year to access online play on the 360. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous costs of upgrading the hard disk on the 360 (something which some ppl seem intent on despite MS' complete lack of interest in growing their video download marketshare) when you can install a standard SATA HDD into a PS3 without any fuss. Oh, and my uATX desktop system? Has 5 TB of disk space.

I would say for gaming, see whether any of the platform exclusives matter to you. Apart from that, the gaming experience on either is great, with the PS3 also making a neat addition as what is arguably the best Blu-Ray player shy of some ridiculous high end stuff.

Have a PS3 myself, bought for my anticipation of the exclusives mainly. Both controllers are great, both consoles have great games, and for cross platform games they are usually exactly the same on either system.

I'd say since you are not too concerned about bluray, get the 60GB 360, and get going on rockband

mattsteg wrote:

ummm, I guess that's assuming no xbox live.

Not all features of Xbox Live require a Gold membership. Silver, which is free, offers chat and video downloading services. Gold has video chat and online multiplayer. A person must ask themselves if they think that is worth the premium on Gold. It would take two years of Gold service to equal a Playstation 3 in cost assuming you bought a 60GB Pro unit, double that if you purchase a Arcade unit and a Elite unit is of equal cost to a PS3. So, entirely depending on how you wish to customize your experience and how long you go into those customizations can make up the cost difference.

mattsteg wrote:

Huh? Unless they each have the exact same pros and cons that's false by definition.

Basically equal has a precise definition? News to me... oh wait it doesn't. It would mean they're around the same considering they both have unique features that one could consider a positive or negative based entirely around a person's opinion. Which leads me to...

mattsteg wrote:

Huh? That's ridiculous. Titles exclusive to either platform are not "opinion-based". BRD on the PS3 isn't "opinion based". You're full of crap.

The number of exclusives is a fact, but the quality of them is not. It's an opinion. One might find Gears of War an amazing series, someone might hate it. Someone might have thought Resistance was amazing, another not. I might not care for Little Big Planet, you might care for Halo 3. Those are opinions. That's why "exclusives" in quanity is useless, it means nothing. If console X has 20 exclusives but you only like 4 of them and console Y has only 10 but you like 7, which is the better choice for you? Console Y because IN YOUR OPINION its exclusives are better. That's an opinion.

While the PS3 might have Blu-Ray it's usefulness is entirely based on opinion. I don't watch movies, you might watch a ton and want them in HD. That's all based on opinion. Then the fact that there is no way to judge how much Blu-Ray's capacity adds to a game and the only logical conclusion is that the addition of Blu-Ray and how much it matters to you... yep again, opinion based.

You must realize that not everyone cares about a feature the same as you. I might not want to play online, I might not wish to play movies, I might just want a cheap console that plays Gears of War and Rock Band 2. You might watch a ton of Blu-Ray movies, really want to play the next Resistance, and want free online multiplayer. See how that was entirely opinion based? It's really that simple.

mattsteg wrote:

A ridiculous claim.

It is the only difference that we can state in 100% fact. The rest of the differences are opinion based. So, judging by the desires of the OP and some guessing I recommended the Xbox 360.

mattsteg wrote:

Yet somehow while being "unique" they're also "equal on every front"?

You forgot "basically" and on purpose, clearly. It's a qualifier. It means that you must take into account other previously mentioned aspects. I might suggest you fully read posts before replying, it'll go along way.

I'll say this: I owned an Xbox 360 for a month and a PS3 for a month. I didn't care for either to be quite honest, but I'm well aware that it's a opinion at the end of the day.

Skrying wrote:

It is the only difference that we can state in 100% fact. The rest of the differences are opinion based. So, judging by the desires of the OP and some guessing I recommended the Xbox 360.

Coming back to the OP, it's worth mentioning that the guitar controller on the xbox360 for Rock Band is wired, while the same controller for the PS3 is wireless.

I'm not entirely familar with Netflix HD. But aside from the small initial selection, will the downloads come with the added features we take for granted on DVD and Blu-Ray releases? Alternate/Deleted scenes, director's commentary, making of documentaries etc. Also, will the OP's internet provider have the bandwidth to supply them with the download volume they desire? (*cough* comcast 250 GB limit *cough*).

Netflix HD will mke its way to PC eventually. Either that or they will kill themselves economically (also a possibility).

Now let's talk about xbox360 exclusives, shall we?
...

I hear they're making Gears of War 2.
And you missed Banjo Kazooie, but that might have been on purpose.
Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery are already out, but they're Holiday 08 releases.

Oh, and my uATX desktop system? Has 5 TB of disk space.

This + Windows media sharing totally negates the need to add an HDD to either console for video purposes. All an HDD in a console is good for in that scenario is for game content.

Not the same old my console is better than your console argument. *sigh*

lordtottuu wrote:

Not the same old my console is better than your console argument. *sigh*

My PSWii60 is about the best console out there...if only my PS3 was backwards-compatible.

I personally wouldn't buy one because of:

1) Its age

2) Reliability record

3) No Blu-Ray player

4) I like PC gaming better

5) I like streaming movies on my PC better than a console

6) Small hard drive that is not replacable by industry standard drives

7) $60.00 games is outrageous

Would just be an extra piece of equipment that does a poorer job at everything than equipment I already have

9) Noisey

10) X-Box live (I don't want to pay to listen to 12 year olds scream and swear at their mothers for more chocolate milk)


There are more reasons but this is a good top ten for me.

Obviously if you don't have a PC some of these don't apply.

If you want a 360, the best 'deal' right now is to buy an Arcade unit for $199, and there is a deal on xbox.com to buy a refurbed 20gig HD for $35 and you get a 3month Xbox Live Gold card with it. You also would need to use HDMI or buy the HD cables separately if you wanted anything more than composite as thats the only cable the Arcade comes with.

I would say go with the 360 based on what your desires are. If you are going to be playing rockband it does not make sense to buy it for PC since it's a social game that you will want to be playing in your living room (this is not to say that you can't hook your PC up to your living room TV). I'm not sure if rockband is even available for PC... I already stream netflix instant play movies through my 360 on to my living room TV. Google VMCnetflix, it's an addon for Windows Media Center. Admittedly it has a few bugs but overall it still functions well.

With Windows Media Center and the 360 as an extender I have been continually impressed by it's capabilities. You can stream all of your music on your PC through your home stereo, run slide shows of the family on to your TV, etc.

Granted there is plenty of hacking that can be done with a PS3 to provide similar functionality to the 360 but non of which are as intuitive and effortless as what comes stock with the 360.

In general I would say 360 and Wii are more social systems, being that the titles that bring them the most revenue are largely focused on multiplayer. Where as PS3 gains revenue largely through single player games (MGS4, GoW). PC is a totally different ball game, it's hard to say that it's not a social system being that it's the main platform for MMO's and RTS games, however based on the peripherals that are usually attached to it, it usually lacks the ability of social play within close proximity (shhh! all you lan party geeks).