So my Xbox 360 displayed a demi red ring of death. I have a E 74 error. Apparently there is a "towel trick" that you can do to fix the system, but I have heard that it is only a temporary fix, delaying the inevitable.
I could send my Xbox off to the mystical void of Microsoft, and trust that their elves will effect a proper repair (for $100 + postage and handling), or I can find a local hack-artist who will fix my rig for somewhere between $70-$100, trusting that they'll do something meaningful.
Or I can by a new rig.
EB Games is having a Black Friday sale (even though we don't have Black Friday here in the Great White North), a 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect for $199. So I'm thinking "Why spend $100 (give or take) on the old rig, when I can pay $200 and get a new rig. But only 4 gig! Sheesh. Does anyone know if I can peel the HD off of my ole white Box and stick it to the new black Box? Or could I go out and buy a pile of cheap USB drives and use those for additional memory?
You should be able to swap out the HD without any problem. I upgraded my 360 from a 20Gb drive to a 120GB a couple years ago.
Yup, the harddisk is just plug and play.
Or swap and play.. or plug and swap.. well you get my point. ;)
The towel trick is not something I would advise. These tricks have been floating around on the internet for ages, while the actual hardware in the Xbox has changed over time.
My Xbox died once before. Sent it to M$ via UPS or DHL and got it back with a new motherboard. Been playing ever since again.
I would go for the cheaper option myself.
Don't waste your money on the Kinnect. I barely use mine and I wish I never bought it. Not because something is wrong or it's too hard to play, it's just not used that often and a waste of money. I'd get the 250GB version instead with an extra controller.
I'd only get the Kinect for Jr. He's an active little bugger with the attention span of a gnat.
So I go into the local EB Games, primed to purchase, and the clerk told me that I was wasting my time with the 4 gig package. He said that I can swap HD's, but not from an old Core model (which is what I have) to the new design. I asked if I could use USB thumb drives for memory and he said "don't bother". I ended-up not buying a new rig. The clerk tried to push me towards another package (with a big HD) for $50 more (and comes with 2 games that I'll never play), and said that the new design is more quiet and hardy (don't break-down nearly as much as the old 360s) and it does come with built-in Wi-fi, but I was already sour that the advertised package was basically a tease to suck you in and then force you to buy a HD (at a later date) for $150. So I walked.
Unless yer planning on downloading a TON of movies and games the 4 GB should be fine. I bought a 20GB model long long ago and I doubt I've filled more that 4 GB. Most of my games are on disk. I have a few XBL Arcade titles. No movies.
Apparently you can use the old drives in the slim models, but you have to take the drive out of the old style case. Doesn't seem like it's too difficult
http://flicktitio.us/how-to-replace-the-hard-drive-in-an-xbox-360-slim-4gb-arcade (http://flicktitio.us/how-to-replace-the-hard-drive-in-an-xbox-360-slim-4gb-arcade)
Another thing to keep in mind re the 4GB model is that it will not play original Xbox games which need a HD but if you are able to swap in your old HD that shouldn't be a problem.
In any case, with Christmas sales coming you will likely be able to get a deal on a new 360 somewhere other than EB Games. You might also be able to pick one up on Kijiji.
Quote from: Barthheart on November 28, 2012, 02:59:12 PM
Unless yer planning on downloading a TON of movies and games the 4 GB should be fine. I bought a 20GB model long long ago and I doubt I've filled more that 4 GB. Most of my games are on disk. I have a few XBL Arcade titles. No movies.
Interesting. I'd probably only be using the HD to save game progress.
Quote from: mirth on November 28, 2012, 03:05:33 PM
Apparently you can use the old drives in the slim models, but you have to take the drive out of the old style case. Doesn't seem like it's too difficult
http://flicktitio.us/how-to-replace-the-hard-drive-in-an-xbox-360-slim-4gb-arcade (http://flicktitio.us/how-to-replace-the-hard-drive-in-an-xbox-360-slim-4gb-arcade)
Thanks mirthie.
Quote from: Shelldrake on November 29, 2012, 05:28:48 AM
Another thing to keep in mind re the 4GB model is that it will not play original Xbox games which need a HD but if you are able to swap in your old HD that shouldn't be a problem.
In any case, with Christmas sales coming you will likely be able to get a deal on a new 360 somewhere other than EB Games. You might also be able to pick one up on Kijiji.
I haven't been able to play original Xbox games on my Core either.
I may get a slim 360 in an Xmas sale, or I may go bankrupt. But if I do the latter, then I'll buy the Xbox right before I file!!
Quote from: Centurion40 on November 30, 2012, 02:15:04 PM
.... or I may go bankrupt....
That's not sounding too good... :(
Overly dramatic!
I'm sitting on a little X-mas fundage, and I was considering buying an X-Box 360. If I have a PC and a Wii, what exactly am I getting with the Xbox 360 that I can't get on the PC? I also considered looking into the Wii U, but I just can't justify the extra cost for a tablet (which I have) and a system that barely surpasses the Xbox 360, but is $100 more expensive.
That being said, I like Nintendo's games best.
Or... are these things very unreliable. It seems like they are always breaking down.
^Depends on what your expectations are. If you are looking for strategy titles the 360 doesn't offer much. If you like shooters or RPGs there is certainly a huge library of games on the 360.
If you are looking for a console that daddy can play after the kids go to bed then the 360 is the way to go. For times when you don't want to think too much and just want to have some fun the 360 is the answer. Not only will you have fun but you will be addicted to tallying up your GamerScore, a nice little challenge that is absent from PC gaming and the Wii. You will look at completing games or measuring your progress in one in a brand new way thanks to the achievement and GamerScore system on the 360. I cannot stop raving enough about how much fun I have had ever since I got mine about a year ago.
Unlike my PS3, Wii, and PC, the 360 has succeeded in stealing all my game time away from my other outlets. I rarely PC game anymore as I don't find my hunger being satisfied in the way it is after a session on XBOX.
You have to approach console gaming with a different mindset than most of us grog'ers do when it comes to wargaming on PC. We are all set in our ways for sure. Console gaming is not for everyone our age. Once one get's over whatever hurdle they face when it comes to getting enthused about console gaming the XBOX 360 has the winning formula for capturing your attention and keeping it.
Here is a roadmap of a typical gaming session I enjoy on my XBOX on any given night:
- Fun to play shooters for an hour or two such as Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- Other nights 2 to 3 hours on an RPG/Strategy hybrids such as Operation Darkness
- Fun family type games to play with the kids like F1 Race Stars, Disneyland Kinect, Gunstringer, any of the Lego series
Edit and addendum: I know STEAM games have achievements but I find that system ho hum. Microsoft has found a formula that really satisfies your competitive spirit with their achievement system.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on December 05, 2012, 12:31:20 AM
...
Or... are these things very unreliable. It seems like they are always breaking down.
I've had my Original style Xbox360 for about 7 years now and it has never had any problems.
W8, thanks for the lengthy response.
I am most interested in console RPGs (outside of what I can get on the PC) and for using it to play certain styles of games not available on PC. I'm kicking around switching my PC version of Far Cry 3 to using my X-Box Gamepad (bought it to play some PC games that needed it), because it seems more handy than the keyboard and mouse combo. But I also worry about loosing accuracy in the game. Still, you can't beat having all the hotkeys right there at your fingrtips.
What RPGs are offered? I'm a classical RPG type guy. I also like certain games like Nobunaga's Ambition/Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
I have not considered the PS3, but I'm also willing to be persuaded.
My pleasure, anytime. I love talking about this subject. :)
If by Classical RPG guy you are referring to Japanese style RPG's there is not much unfortunately on the XBOX 360. You'd be better off with the PS3 which has more titles in this genre. You can get some titles though on XBOX like: Resonance of Fate (I have this for PS3 and it's a great Japanese RPG), Record of Agarest War, Star Ocean TLH (XBOX exclusive), Magnacarta 2, Enchanted Arms, to name a few.
If you mean something like Skyrim or Oblivion type RPG's those are available on XBOX. I guess when we're talking XBOX RPG's it's in reference to Mass Effect 3, Skyrim, Fable III, and Game of Thrones type games.
Nobunaga and Romance, now you're talking my passion. Too bad though that the only games you can get on XBOX are the Dynasty Warrior series. Nobunaga and Romance are Playstation 2 exclusives but the only current games you can get for the PS3 are Japanese imports. Nothing got released for North America so far which is too bad. But the PS3 has region free coding which means you can import those Japanese games but you'll need someone to translate either the manual or at the very least the menu commands.
As for ingame accuracy, whether it be shooting and aiming or just trying to perform basic actions I find that the XBOX controller is so much better than the PS3 controller.
I miss my Xbox. :'(
There there. It will be all right. Everything is going to be ok. Santa will get you a new XBOX. Well, hopefully? :)
I can relate though, in that if I ever lost my console I'd be devastated. Might even have to sell one of the kids in order to raise the money for a replacement. Let's hope it never comes to that.
I wouldn't mind. What would one fetch on the open market?
Kid or XBOX?
I'll take the 5th.
Cent40,
Just saw a flyer from The Source showing an Xbox 360 bundle (250GB plus headset plus games) for $200 starting Dec 26. Give yourself a late Christmas present dude - you deserve it! :)
Good tip Shellie, thanks! It may be a better deal than trading-in the dead one 360 to EB Games. I think that their 250 gig bundle starts at $250.
EB Games matched The Source's $199 deal. What's sweet is that EB Games also accepts trade-ins (including dead 360s) for store credit, so at the end of the day, I picked-up the 250 gig 360 bundle (with some racing game that I'll never play and free Skyrim download- that I'll never use) for $136.48. :)
^ Nice!