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*** Official *** XBox 360 Hardware DISCUSSION Thread

post #1 of 440
11/18/05 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
It's only days away so it's natural for a bunch of threads to start popping up here and in the Software forums. I'm opening this thread for all discussions related to the new box. For now I'll leave the other 360 threads here because they deal with specific issues although I would suggest that the discussions migrate to this thread. If you want to discuss your impressions, questions, etc. regarding this latest unit please use this thread to simplify matters.

Thank you.

Let the games begin (mine with be coming from EB next week and I'm anxious to see how it looks on the BIG screen in HD).

Note: I've created a separate thread for posting reviews of your XBox 360 units as you get them. Kami started the ball rolling several days ago.
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post #2 of 440
11/18/05 at 3:24pm
I'm sure you are considered one of the coolest grandpas EVER!
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post #3 of 440
11/18/05 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
Peter Pan had nothing on me, Guo!

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post #4 of 440
11/18/05 at 6:57pm
As a new projector owner I dislike the new cables. I like the way the xbox1 gives you a BOX you can plug cables into that you plug the other end into the TV. Now with the 360 I either have to get double female connectors x 3 to bridge between the Component cable attached to the 360 and my 25' long component cable leading to the projector, or i gotta take the 360s cable to my receiver in and the 25' cable to receivers component out.

Bleh

Sam
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post #5 of 440
11/19/05 at 12:54am
Finally played the the 360 at a Walmart kiosk. I played Kameo, COD 2, and watched part of a trailer for NBA 2K6.

COD 2 was very nice looking and pretty close to the PC version. Lots of bump and normal maps on everything. Nice looking particle and smoke effects and subtle but beautiful lighting. Nothing jaw-dropping, but certainly no slouch.

Kameo was even better looking than COD, IMHO. Lavish environments were the best part, with architecture that reminded me a little of WoW. The enemy designs were great I thought, while the main character was just so-so. The gameplay felt like pretty standard stuff (wasn't this title started back in the N64 or early GC days or something?), but the visuals at least were a step up from the current gen. A $500 step? I don't know, but I have to say it was probably the nicest looking console game I've seen to date.

The 360 controller was nice as well -- I prefer it to either of Microsoft's previous models.

I liked what I saw. I guess I was kind of hoping it would blow me away. Instead, I left with the distinct impression that the XBox 360 was something that I could do without. I wasn't totally underwhelmed, just kind of lukewarm -- never had a "wow" moment like in every previous generation.

I think I'm going to wait to see what the two competitors have to offer, maybe even wait for the first round of price drops and/or pack-in deals before I decide on a next-gen machine.



David
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post #6 of 440
11/19/05 at 10:01am
mind you the kioskes are running outdated builds. Final builds are a decent amount better than any of the stuff you see at the kioskes. Not to mention... the NBA2K6 trailer is horrendous compared to what the actual game looks like...

I was very unimpressed with the demos given...
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post #7 of 440
11/19/05 at 10:13am
I thought the same thing DaveB. The game did remind me of WoW with a bit of Lord fo the Rings tossed in. Of course, I only played the first 5 minutes of the game but that level did look great.
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post #8 of 440
11/19/05 at 11:33am
Here's the problem with the kiosk setups...

On the cable that ships with the premium version there is a tiny little switch on the connector to the console. "TV" and "HDTV" - The default, of course, is TV.

I think the greater majority of kiosks were running in 480i or at best 480p which isn't too nice on a 720p native LCD.

I have no proof of this, just a theory of why so many report jaggies and poor graphics. Just look at the screenshots in my "review and you'll see it's not the case. You see any jaggies?
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post #9 of 440
11/19/05 at 12:39pm
Anybody else here preorder one at Sam's Club (online)? I haven't heard any kind of shipping news yet and am beginning to get a little anxious.
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post #10 of 440
11/19/05 at 7:19pm
Matt-

I ordered at sam's club online earlier this week. I received an email saying it would ship before xmas. The latest news is that it will ship 12/15. If you ordered before this week or even before this month, I dont know when they will ship.
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post #11 of 440
11/19/05 at 7:47pm
I ordered at the beginning of September, so maybe I'll luck out. I just wish I'd hear something...I haven't received any emails since my order confirmation.
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post #12 of 440
11/20/05 at 7:20am
Just an FYI for those buying in Canada. Noticed a flyer from Superstore that bundles the uber-system with one of three launch titles (PGR3, Kameo, or Call of Duty if I recall) for C$538. Save C$20 basically vs. buying those titles and the box separately. Every little bit helps. Covers about half the cost of an extra controller.
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post #13 of 440
11/20/05 at 3:23pm
saw cod2 (demo) a few days ago at best buy, looked pretty good, was on a small tv, but it looked to be about the same quality as a high end pc game. i'd imagine that cod2 isnt the flashiest of games available, people say kameo looks great. i think i'm going to hold off for PS3 because of the exclusive titles, but i want to see what this thing can really do.

CJ
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post #14 of 440
11/20/05 at 6:03pm
Well I'm planning to camp out after work for a midnight opening. Hopefully I'll be able to pick one up... might need to skip out of work a few minutes early. Anyone else doing the midnight thing?

Chris S.
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post #15 of 440
11/20/05 at 9:45pm
Damn...if I wasn't financially preparing myself for my new apartment -- I'd pick up an XBox 360 on Tuesday in a SECOND. Well, there's always next time to get in on the launch date of next-gen systems!
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post #16 of 440
11/21/05 at 11:22am
will i be able to play the T2 Extreme Edition HD disc/files on the 360?
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post #17 of 440
11/21/05 at 6:17pm
Well that was a big bust... Got there at noon and the line was already around the building with 100+ (I counted) people in line. O'well, maybe I'll hit Target real early on the way into work.

Chris S.
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post #18 of 440
11/21/05 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Well that was a big bust... Got there at noon and the line was already around the building with 100+ (I counted) people in line. O'well, maybe I'll hit Target real early on the way into work.


i assume you mean midnight?
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post #19 of 440
11/21/05 at 8:26pm
Here's the lowdown on my chances of getting one:

1. Best Buy near my office (also the busiest Best Buy in the greater Milwaukee area): a line of 45 people for 40 systems. A friend of mine happened to be #13 in line and got there at 2:45pm. Strike one.

2. I went to another Best Buy which won't be selling systems until they open in the morning. The cheapest bundle they are selling is almost $700.00 and comes with a bunch of crap I don't want and/or need. Strike two.

3. I went to the Target right next to that Best Buy and saw 20 people standing in line. I thought, "Aw, that's not too bad. Plus, it's 10pm so I'd only have to wait 2 hours." Went inside and was told that they have 6 premium systems and 14 core systems. However, those people have to wait in line until SIX THIRTY IN THE MORNING to receive a ticket voucher which enables them to grab a system when they open at 8:30am. Strike three.

I now don't anticipate getting a 360 until sometime in late January or February. I knew that the demand would be high for this, but I had no idea it would be this crazy!
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post #20 of 440
11/21/05 at 8:59pm
There's apparently lineups at some Best Buy's as long as 300 people, and they are only getting around 100-150 systems.

Riot??
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post #21 of 440
11/21/05 at 10:30pm
I just happen to go buy my local Best Buy around 6:30pm to return an item and there were already 100+ people in line. The store doesn't open until 9am on Tuesday! I might live in California but it was in the 40s last night! There is no way in hell would I camp out in that kind of weather for almost 15 hours.

Besides a store employee told me on Sunday that they only expect around 30 units at most. There are going to be a lot of cold people and tired people on Tuesday who will have wasted 15 hours for nothing.

On another note is supply going to be constrained until after Christmas?

I haven't been keeping up on the news so sorry if this subject as been discussed before.
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post #22 of 440
11/22/05 at 12:20am
On another note is supply going to be constrained until after Christmas?


This is incredible marketing strategy to hype up sales before the holiday season.

I stopped at Wal-Mart on my way home from work (11:45PM) and was told they only received 48 systems and all the ticket holders had been camped out there by the layaway desk since before 7AM. So I left there and hotfooted it to the Wal-Mart closest to my house (about 5 minutes away). I got there right at midnight and discovered they only had 8 systems in and all 8 ticket holders were (get this) store employees. What a sham. Looks like I'll be waiting until Feb - March too.

On a related note, last week I was reading in the paper where a Microshaft spokesperson said they expected no shortages on release day.
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post #23 of 440
11/22/05 at 4:30am
Quote:
i assume you mean midnight?

Correct. But I don't have a problem waiting till Feburary or later. Maybe once Gears of War streets I will be fanatically sold on the system. But then again we've got our first kid due in Feb... crap, I'm off to ebay!!
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post #24 of 440
11/22/05 at 5:02am
Quote:
I knew that the demand would be high for this, but I had no idea it would be this crazy!

Ditto. I remember thinking "gotta rush out to buy the Xbox" when it first came out but there were tonnes. When PSP launched earlier in the year there was lots of doomsday predictions that demand would outstrip supply but lots were kicking around. I was thinking it would be the same today with the 360 but it's looking like a legitimate sellout. It was mentioned above that this is excellent strategy and, if that's the case, I agree it's brilliant. Pound up the demand by not having enough, then have a surprise influx of units just prior to Christmas. Lots and lots of people will be dive in thinking it will be their last chance for months.

Just for laughs I'm going to have to drop by some stores to see what's remaining. It will be interesting to check eBay for outrageous auctions.
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post #25 of 440
11/22/05 at 5:25am
I really think the best solution is to scour the reputable online sites. I hit CircuitCity.com on Friday afternoon and was lucky enough to get a premium bundle relatively easy (checking out without Windows error messages was the real challenge). I say this not to rub salt in anyone's wounds, but to show that with a little luck and persistence I think that the odds are better on CC.com, or Amazon, or other big online sites.
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post #26 of 440
11/22/05 at 6:09am
does anyone know when the second wave specifically hits? is it variable depending on region?

also, can anyone tell me if the T2 extreme HD disc works?
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post #27 of 440
11/22/05 at 6:11am
Thread Starter 
So...

Let's hear experiences from those of you who camped out and got one of these puppies (after you've had a chance to catch up on your sleep or when you can pry yourself away from the controller). And don't forget to post your initial hands-on impression over in the Xbox 360 review thread!
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post #28 of 440
11/22/05 at 6:36am
My local paper had an article about the Xbox 360 and talked with local retailers and the spokespeople said they would keep getting the xbox 360 in, in WEEKLY shipments.

I feel sorry for the poor saps that are going to get screwed on ebay, it is a scammers paradise for the time being.
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post #29 of 440
11/22/05 at 6:37am
And let ebay begin. Already going for a small fortune with tons of listings available.
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post #30 of 440
11/22/05 at 7:06am
I went to Walmart yesterday at 4pm. The line had begun at 7am that morning. I was #25 inline, and two minutes later 4 people showed up. Come to find out there were only 26 premium systems! I snagged one, woo hoo! They also had 22 core systems. While we were checking out this guy shows up at 12:15am and offers $200 for a ticket. No one bit. A few minutes later someone with a premium system in hand got the guy to shell $800 for it right there on the spot! I would have done it for $800, but there were no other offers.

I will be online tonight with NFSMW or Halo 2. Look for me as RICHUT96...

Peace, love, and XBOX 360.
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