Microsoft announces Xbox 360 Arcade, goodbye Xbox 360 Core
By Ryan Block 
posted Oct 23rd 2007 12:36AM
posted Oct 23rd 2007 12:36AM
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Will it play Doom?
yep, doom is $10 on xbla
so...are they the real games or demos?
Real, full versions, NOT demos.
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/10/22/officially-announcing-the-xbox-360-arcade-finally.aspx
Demo or not, the games packed with this version totally suck monkey balls! Who actually still plays Pacman in this day and age? That game and the others belong back in the retro scene from 25 years ago. Three of the games belong in the PDA market, not sure how they were ever pitched to M$ and picked up, we've been playing them for $10 on PDA's for the past 5 years. The only decently fun game is UNO, and that's only because of multi-player.
As to not being backward compatible, that's the same underhanded trick $ony pulled with their latest PS3 40GB model. What scammers! Hmm, pay $50 less and you'll need to buy a PS2 or original XBox if you want to play the hundreds of titles that are already available (not to mention lose the rack space for the extra system). They're being nothing but money whores.
They're cheap extras, bundled at the minimum price point. If you want better games, you can buy them.
And unlike the 40GB PS3, if you want B/C later on, you can add a hard drive and get it. Choice, you know?
Choice? Because not everyone has a hard drive, developers can't make games that use a hard drive.
The same thing happens with the DVD, if they put in HD-DVD into every console from the start, then they could make games that could go up to 30GB. But the 360 was rushed to the market before that could happen.
OMG...
I hate to say it but this may really hurt Sony...
well, except that it doesn't come with HD-DVD.
I guess you have to add another ~ $150 if you wanna watch HD with it...lol
Does anyone know if this new version allows you to add a hard drive yourself?
Yes it will be just like the core, except with the wireless controller and the 256 stick, it will be upgradeable to both hard drives
Yeah you can add a Hard drive, they are pricy but you would save money in the end by purchasing one separate.
plus another 120 bucks for 120 gb hdd. so whats that like 550 to even come close to ps3. 150 bucks less for a 40 ps3, i recently figured out which system i'm wasting my money on. just cant beat the storage space on the blu-ray disc and it's built right in, dont need to make room for a big ugly add-on unit for hddvd.
learn to add, and it's actually 180 on amazon
180 + 270 = 450 which is less than a 80GB PS3, or you could get 29 GB drive for $90 for $360(cheaper than a 40GB PS3) and still have money left over to pay for XBL.
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-20GB-Hard-Drive/dp/B000B6ML32
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-120GB-Hard-Drive/dp/B000OYKQBU/
lol...
if you're paying $120 for a 120GB hard drive then you're getting raped...
unless the 360 requires 2.5" drives
lmao
Um yeah if you get a hard drive and an arcade, it still ends up being the same price as an elite, so why not get an elite? And, I hate to point this out, but even though it's still $50 cheaper than an 80 GB PS3, the PS3 has Blu-Ray for games and the Xbox has DVD. So, that extra $50 is WELL worth it IMO.
Hi,
There's no backwards compatibility on this...
Check out the comparison chart at the bottom of this page:
http://www.xbox.com:80/en-US/hardware/compare101.htm
I think you need a hard drive for backwards compatibility
It can be. You just need a hard drive to play original XBox games (though I'm not sure why they didn't mention that).
You need hard drive to get backwards compatibility.
Thanks for clarification guys. I didn't know this before... It's not stated on their comparison page...
"Oh our god you guys,..."
Is it just me or does this not make sense to anyone else? I think I get the point, but I still think it's really goofy.
Same, I had to read it a few times.
Yes, it's supposed to be "Oh, my God". Move along, nothing to see here...
Alternatively, if you notice the words 'we' and 'us', you might infer that this article is written by a spokesperson (one), from a group (many).
Logically, they would refer to their God as 'our'.
I do believe that they were trying to make fun of Futurama and Bender's quote:
"Oh... Your... God!" -- Bender J. Rodriguez
I think that it's a case of the jounalistic 'we' taken to a ridiculous extreme.
engadget, I love you, but you guys are trying too hard.
Unless of course "our" refers to the Engadget community... in which case it would be wrong unless your one of those crazies that thinks there is a God even if you know there couldn't be.
Perhaps enclosing portions of the articles in 'sarcasm' tags would've made it less confusing?
Um.............your god is not mine!
cool box!
obv, backwards compatibility requires a hard drive cuz the old xbox 1 had one in all systems. its not the same as the 40 gig ps3 which cannot do backwards compatibility no matter what
actually, the reason the 360 requires a hard drive for B/C is to store emulation software, although for the life of me I can't figure out why, I'mpretty sure it wasn't bigger than a cupola MB's ( although, since the original memory cards where small, this might be a legacy system to cater to that front).
Actually it's for both, the emulation software, and because xbox games assume a hard drive cause there was one in the xbox. And i'm sure you can get used 20GB hard drives off ebay from the people that upgraded to the 120GB hard drive (which I may be doing soon).
If they had Lumines, Geometry Wars, Hexic and Puzzle Quest, I'd totally hit that.
...you'd never call her back
look at the wii and ask why is it selling so well when its the goofiest thing ever? cuz its targeted towards the same people. casual gamers.
hooray reply system
Because it has WiiSports bundled.
And because WiiSports was caught up by mainstream media and every mom knows that Wii is WiiSports and WiiSports is great.
Or did I miss PacMan on Colbert Report? ^_^
I gotta say this is a good move. The core felt like it stopped selling, and now this new bundle is a competitive move towards the cost of the Wii and of course the new 40 GB playstation 3.
I agree with you.
some places stopped selling the core do to low Core sales...but this should revive the low end 360 pack.
with the PS3's new lower cost bundle, and now the 360....you would think nintendo would stop being money whores are lower the Wii at least 50 bucks.
They're selling their consoles as it is? Stop payin and they'll start lowering.
The core was kind of a waste, it was TOO low end, This is much better. (I don't know why I'm acting like I just heard about this)
Because it's new and exciting information?
Because it includes games. IMHO.
If you were ever shopping with your own money and wanted to buy something relatively expensive, I'm sure you had the thrill: you fork big buck and buy something just to find that it is pretty useless unless you fork off more bucks.
Price of new game is $60. Arcade costs about 5 games; Premium - 6 games; Elite - 8 games.
That's pretty big investment to make on a whim.
I still think they should've added a hard drive of some sorts to Arcade. If they want to push the marketplace for "family friendly" content, you're not helping much when you force them to buy a $100 add on in order to see it.
Then it'd be a Premium pack, just like the one they already have. Your point is?
I think Engadget is totally biased towards Apple and against Microsoft.
Read the language of this blog post compared to blog posts of Apple's official release statement about a product that we already knew about and there is a HUGE difference in sarcasm level and tone of voice.
Absolutely true - I notice this every time they write an MS related article. What ever happened to journalistic integrity? Check out xbox360fanboy.com for a non bias article.
(That last part was a joke).
after buying my ps2 i played my ps1 games maybe 5 times, it's not a big deal besides there arent to many people without a ps2 already. and you could probably buy one in a pawn shop for cheap if your that despirate
Glad this article is about play stations...
@ crank regarding your earlier reply
emphasis on wasting...there's no games for the ps3...meanwhile I'm broke and sad that there are so many games coming out that I can't get for the 360 :(
TF is amazing...I guess you'll get that on the ps3 as well...but it's sooooooo much fun
The no-games-for-the-ps3 excuse is getting old. The third party titles alone should keep anyone busy until MGS, Grand Turismo, LittleBigPlanet and others. Off the top of my head heres some exclusives to keep you busy: Ratchet, Uncharted, Folklore, Warhawk and Haze.
Has anyone split one of these open yet?
is that sarcasm?
@ joseph
WHAAAAT???
Holy crap, azayzel, I haven't read anything that ignorant in a while. Because one of the most influential and instantly recognizable is 20 or so years old, it's instantly awful! How old are you, because there's a good chance you're over 20 too (though after reading that I wouldn't be so sure).
Microsoft's current answer to the Wii....
I say current, because there will probably be another 4 Sku's this time next year.
PS3 ftw!!! hey that felt kinda good. now i know why people troll :D
The core is intended for family use. It's a perfect bundle to attract parents at Christmas time. It will sell very well.
"I think Engadget is totally biased towards Apple and against Microsoft.
Read the language of this blog post compared to blog posts of Apple's official release statement about a product that we already knew about and there is a HUGE difference in sarcasm level and tone of voice."
OMG they may be biased sometimes (or most), but the article is just funny because its been in the stores and been unboxed...for a week and Microsoft is JUST announcing it... Get it... FUNNY.
Every editor on every website has an opinion on what their favorite system is. And, like most, it comes out in their writing. Writing politically correct, gender neutral content is boring and very unnatural, so I would rather they not do that. Instead, I actually care what they think. If I disagree, I can reply in this forum, right?
LOL DAMN YOU REDMOND!!!! i had no idea.....
here's to crossing my fingers that the arcade will b a descent price in canada and not come with a sticker that says $280USD $530CDN. for no reason. sigh.
I'd buy an xbox if bestbuy wasn't charging a $100 difference on the cdn/us models.
Future Shop in Canada has it listed as $299, $20 more then the US.
WICKED.
still it should be 20 LESS not more... that's $40 overpriced as I see it...
but better than insano price as usuall
The Xbox 360 is still too hardcore.
An "Arcade" edition won't change the fact that the Xbox 360 is still not for mainstream gamers. Halo 3 is good for all types, but games like BioShock, GoW, Mass Effect are too hardcore for most people.
The PS3 will outsell the Xbox 360, in the long run, because it appeals to a broader audience. It will have a good mix of casual, mainstream and hardcore games. It will also have the best mix of Japanese and Western style games. This was key to the PS1's and PS2's success and it will carry over to the PS3. The Wii leans a little too much towards casual, Japanese style games, and the Xbox 360 too much toward hardcore, Western.
In the past year, the Xbox 360 has sold about 6 million, while the PS3 has sold about 5 million. The reason for the PS3's low sales are obvious: price. The Xbox 360, on the other hand, isn't selling well because of it's limited appeal. The popularity of the 360 on the tech sites is a dead giveaway to it's hardcore nature.
I'll be getting bioshock/halo 3 for the xbox when I buy it, and I'm buying an arcade.
i ahve no use for the drive, it's stupid as far as I'm concerend.
i have an xbox1 with xbmc. I don't need xbox360 to play movies or any of that. xbox1 trumps it in that feild.
as for demos. meh
the arcade is a perfect price point for 20 soemthigns like em that aren't trying to show off their 133t black xbox coolness.
the fact I don't live with my parents shows that off.
The XBOX 360 isn't selling as well because it has been out longer.
The PS3 isn't selling well, because of price, as you said.
After they dropped the price so much on the PS3, i wouldn't even consider buying for at least another year, who knows, it might drop again, and I won't take that chance.
The PS3 is considered a joke by everyone I know. it had the fan base, but they blew it (at least for me), the 360 has been pretty much the same price since it came out, no SIGNIFICANT price changes.
And as for it being a Blueray player, so what? HD-DVD isn't crippled, so I consider it the better choice.
For the record I don't have a PS3 or a 360. I do plan on buying a 360 though.
Lousy xbox360 core console + lousy games = still lousy.
Xbox 360 "Go Pro" Bundle already on sale on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Pro-Value-Bundle/dp/B000W91YTA/ref=sr_1_23/002-8453682-6563228?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1193155177&sr=8-23
Seriously...one more bad word about Pac-Man and I'm going to post another Digimarc article!!
ummm... I don't see how this helps the 360. The 360 still ends up being $60 more than the PS3 at the low end and it doesn't even come with a Hard-Drive. The PS3 is still a better Deal. I just bought a PS3 based on the rational below:
Low End
40GB PS3 = $400
Xbox 360 Arcade ($280 no hard-drive), plus HD-DVD player ($180) = $460
Cost Difference: PS3 is $60 cheaper!
Comment: Now you can put that extra money to something more useful like buying an extra game or two movies.
Average
40GB PS3 = $400
Xbox 360 ($350 with 20GB hard-drive), plus HD-DVD player ($180) = $530
Cost Difference: PS3 is $130 cheaper!
Comment: Now you can put that extra money to something more useful like buying TWO extra games or FIVE movies.
High End
80GB PS3 ($500), plus HDMI Cable ($60), plus Blu-Ray Remote ($40) = $600
Xbox 360 Elite ($450 with 120GB hard-drive), plus HD-DVD player ($180), plus HD-DVD Remote ($30) = $660
Cost Difference: PS3 is $60 cheaper!
Comment: Sure, the Xbox 360 comes with an extra 40GB of Hard-Drive space but... really now... You you can put that extra money to something more useful like buying an extra game or two movies.
I hope this helps anyone who is still on the fence.
your comment makes no sense. you assume everyone will go out and buy an hd dvd.
alot of peopel could care less and download isntead. physical media sucks, and I refuse to suppor the riaa witch burning squad. so the arcade = 280. not 400+.
just 280. not all of us are hardcore 14yr old gamers that need extra garbage just to play a few hours of a game
Your logic is pretty flawed. Not everyone who plays games is concerned with movies. I have had a 360 for a year and a half and have not purchased an HD-DVD player.
Also, your comment about a $30 HD-DVD remote is false. The HD-DVD player comes with a remote.
Hello dj-kenpo and jharr,
Well... if you remove the HD-DVD Remote from the 360 and add the Blu-Ray Remote to the PS3. The PS3 still ends up being cheaper!
And... on an other note. Yes, I'm aware that some people don't want to jump on the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray bandwagon yet. That's Fine. You've got other cheaper choices like the Wii or the Xbox 360 Arcade without the add-on.
Anyway... The Xbox 360 Arcade is a cheaper deal if you only care about the gaming aspect and need to have that gaming in HD.
I gotta go with the 40GB PS3 on this one. Microsoft needs to come out with a built in HD-DVD drive. They should also put at least a 20GB hard drive in these base machines. How much could that cost?
Enough so that it's a wasted expense to people who aren't interested in a home theater gaming platform. Microsoft got it right by leaving the HD-DVD drive out. Then people (like me) who can wait to see which format wins the war. HD-DVD wins? Fine, I'll buy the drive. BluRay wins? That's cool too. I'll wait 3 months until MS releases the external BR drive and buy that. What are you Sony fanbois gonna do if BluRay loses?
... continue playing games on my 50GB disc format? Is that so hard to comprehend? It's not like UMD games vanished when movie studios stopped pressing movies.
However, with the movie sales the way they are (I've seen up to 5:1 ratios)... it doesn't look likely.
Does anyone know if these have the 65nm CPU in them?
Like I've been saying since this was first leaked, at last MS has released a Core that's worthwhile. Good move on their part, even if it is a bit late.
Hell, worked out great for me. I traded my old, HDMI-less system in at Gamestop on Sunday. It was a premium when I bought it, but I took the hard drive off and stuck a wired controller on it and traded it in as a used "core" system for $150. Between that and a couple games I wasn't playing, I managed to pick up the new Arcade this morning for about 80 cash. Stuck the hard drive back on, resynced my old wireless controller, good to go.
Now I just need a TV with HDMI...
I dont care how much the ps3, Wii or any other consol is untill bungie makes halo 3 for another consol im playin my 360. when it breaks ill buy another.
If you buy this system for Halo 3, be ready to buy a Hard Drive if you expect to get online... You have to patch first.
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/hddvdnow/default.htm
buy the way,buy xbox hddvd drive and get 5 free movies,
Are you guys even going to bother correcting your articles about how 360 Arcade includes demos, when clearly it doesn't?
I have to wonder how anyone would actually unbox one and try out the games, yet fail to notice they're the full games. Seems like the kind of thing that's almost impossible to screw up on, isn't it?
Oops - of course I meant "nothing but demos" not just demos, as it also has a slew of demos on the disc.
A Ha! caught red handed redmond!
I also like engadget showing their sarcasm through links on redmond. So clever. yeah
you may have mis read my comment i've been playing online. i dont have the arcade version."and for the people that do want hd movies,look at my previous post. 5 movies for free." also ps3 only has like no exclusives that are only for ps3. and untill sony can get some systems in houses game manufactures are not going to waste tons of money producing ps3 exclusive games with the hopes people will guy spend 400 on a console to play 1 game. so if your on the fence about what system to buy.
i hope this helps. 360 4 eva
can u hook up pc mouse and kboard to 360?
ok. so i bought mine yesterday, the 24th. my mom won her 360 in a contest. i ended up buying a 20g hdd and a bunch of other things for it, since she won a core model. i recently moved out of the house, and took all the things i purchased for it with me. i already had hdd, compnent cables, headset, 3 wired controllers, and keyboard. oh and a usb hub to plug it all in before some stupid ignorant fool attempts to make a sarcastic comment. she bought a 64m card for it when we got it, so i was looking at getting a core model and a memory card. the extra games were bonus, and so was the controller sans wires. this was what i bought and am happy. oh I traded in my ps2 to get it. those would be sarcasm tags.