Buying an XBox 360

[ferraroso]

Hi guys! I hope everybody is ok!

Recently I just finished my PhD, so I finally have some time to go back into gaming!!
I live in Japan and I saw that both the XBox 360 and its games are amazingly cheap now, so I was thinking about purchasing one. However, I've never had a Microsoft console, so I ask to all of you XBox specialists out there:

Which of the dozens of different models of XBox 360 should I buy?

I appreciate everyone's help!

[kamikazekeeg]

*EDIT*
Oh right, forgot about this version, but the last version they did was the Xbox 360 E, which looks more like an Xbox One.  Looks like you can still buy them new for about 150 on Amazon (Probably under 100 refurbished through Gamestop) and would probably be the best one to buy so you don't have to worry about red rings from an older system.

https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-E-4GB-Console/dp/B00D9EPI38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489539301&sr=8-1&keywords=Xbox+360+E

[marvelvscapcom2]

Good 



Pretty Good 



Bad 


Hope this helps  

 

[burningdoom]

Since we're talking about it:

I've had a launch model for years and years. I've been lucky. I JUST started having issues with it, recently. And it does still work, it's just making some strange noises.

But yeah, red rings of death were notorious on the original white models. Just avoid those, and you should be okay.

[kamikazekeeg]

Since we're talking about it:

I've had a launch model for years and years. I've been lucky. I JUST started having issues with it, recently. And it does still work, it's just making some strange noises.

But yeah, red rings of death were notorious on the original white models. Just avoid those, and you should be okay.

Yeah I got lucky that I had a white one for like 3 years, until something like 2009/2010, where it didn't get a red ring, but the disc drive died on it.  I then just bought the cheaper Arcade version to replace it, putting the older HDD in.  I've had that one since then and it still works totally fine.  I had just put it away back in the box like last year when I got my PS4.

[emporerdragon]

As others have said, getting the most recent model is the best option.

But you might want to look at what games you are looking at getting before making the console decision. This is because the One has limited backwards compatibility. Right now, about 15% of the 360 library (retail + arcade) is backwards compatible. Titles available range from major releases like Bioshock, Mass Effect, and Red Dead Redemption to smaller, random titles like Mars: War Dogs and Meet the Robinsons.

Here's an easy list of what's BC right now:
http://www.xboxachievements.com/browsegames/backwardcompat

So, if most of the games you want are on that list, a One might be the better option as then you'd also be able to pick up any of the major new releases as well.

[bikingjahuty]

The original model is a total POS. There are a very small amount of people that still have working original 360s, but nearly everyone I knew had theirs RRoD or have some other hardware issue within two years of owning one. I had an Elite and the disk drive stopped working after about a year, and then after fixing that it went RRoD 6-months later. That is when I jumped ship to the PS3 which is still going strong for me. I bought a slim 360 about a year ago and it has been reliable so far, however I barely play it so I'm not sure how reliable it really is. I have heard the slims are substantially more reliable though.

[Flashback2012]

MvC2 sums it up pretty well. Stay away from anything that looks like the original design as those are largely garbage. The redesign units from around 5 or so years ago aren't bad and the Xbox ONE lookalike units are probably your best bet. As for the XBONE and it's BC capability, it's not something I've looked into so I can't really comment on that. Given my druthers, I would prefer to play games on their native unit to avoid any potential issues.

[burningdoom]

^ The backwards compatibility is just as mediocre as 360's was.

There's a list of select games that are compatible, and it's not nearly close to the entire library.

[emporerdragon]

^ The backwards compatibility is just as mediocre as 360's was.

There's a list of select games that are compatible, and it's not nearly close to the entire library.

Hence why I said to look at the games that he wanted to play. While only 15% of the library is backwards compatible currently, most of the major titles/series are on that list (Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Borderlands, Dark Souls, Fable, Fallout, Gears of War, GTA, Mass Effect, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Witcher, & XCOM to name a few), so if a person was just going for the greatest hits so to speak, a One is a viable option.

Performance wise, I really haven't noticed anything beyond 1-2 odd textures on any of the BC titles I've played.

[doafan]

https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/scale_small/2/26636/2352653-xbox360_core1.jpg

Bad 

Da' fuck ?, I guess/want to believe that you had bad experiences with yours cause I do have the core version and until today my little fella is working like a charm and am talking that I purchased this one almost when it was released 

[ferraroso]

I appreciate all the replies! Thank you, guys!

Since I've never owned any XBox, to tell the truth, the only game I've always REALLY wanted to play on the console was Ace Combat 6... Haha!

So, if I understand it well, there are basically 3 different models, am I right?
Yesterday, I saw a model 1 XBox 360 with 160GB HDD for ¥2,900 (around US$25.00) with a one month warranty. I'm guessing that this would be a good deal. What do you guys think?

[burningdoom]

^ The backwards compatibility is just as mediocre as 360's was.

There's a list of select games that are compatible, and it's not nearly close to the entire library.

Hence why I said to look at the games that he wanted to play. While only 15% of the library is backwards compatible currently, most of the major titles/series are on that list (Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Borderlands, Dark Souls, Fable, Fallout, Gears of War, GTA, Mass Effect, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Witcher, & XCOM to name a few), so if a person was just going for the greatest hits so to speak, a One is a viable option.

Performance wise, I really haven't noticed anything beyond 1-2 odd textures on any of the BC titles I've played.

Not really, though. I mean, yeah, there's some. But there's a lot of big key titles missing, like the Halos for example.

I went through my entire physical 360 collection (which is about 50-60 titles) and ran them through my XBox One just to see what would work, about a month back, and it really was a small fraction of those games.

The amount of games missing from that backwards compatibility list is way bigger than the amount of games on it.

[kamikazekeeg]

I appreciate all the replies! Thank you, guys!

Since I've never owned any XBox, to tell the truth, the only game I've always REALLY wanted to play on the console was Ace Combat 6... Haha!

So, if I understand it well, there are basically 3 different models, am I right?
Yesterday, I saw a model 1 XBox 360 with 160GB HDD for ¥2,900 (around US$25.00) with a one month warranty. I'm guessing that this would be a good deal. What do you guys think?

For 25 bucks, you can't really go wrong, but that's gonna be a crapshoot to buy such an early model system.  I'd personally recommend one of the later 2 black model systems.  You have a better chance at getting away from quality issues.

[emporerdragon]

The amount of games missing from that backwards compatibility list is way bigger than the amount of games on it.

As I said, they're only 15% of the way there. But let's be honest, how may people are actually upset that they can't play Barbie Puppy Rescue or Battle Vs. Chess on their One?

Anyhoo, we're getting off topic here. If the Ace Combat games are the main ones desired, then a regular 360 is the way to go. I probably would jump on that $25 option. Even if it doesn't last super long, you'll still get your money's worth.