Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter is really real, out this week in US for $100
By Ross Miller 
posted Nov 10th 2009 5:24PM
posted Nov 10th 2009 5:24PM
Update: Check it -- GameStop has it listed right now in stock. Huzzah!
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100 bones is still way too much. Drop the price down to 30, and I would consider it.
I agree, this is a rip off. Especially when you consider that you can buy one of these and save 30 bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124279
Or just run a bunch of Cat 6/5e cable.
That's exactly what I did with the added bonus of never having to worry about lost signal and its much cheaper. Cat 6/5e is the only way to get a true uninterrupted signal at the highest speeds available.
Isn't the Apple Airport Express not much more?
Between this, the hard drive and XBL Gold, for one year....that's nearly an additional $300 on top of the $199 Arcade model.
Anyone feeling snuckered? Oh wait, XBL is $50 a year....over 5 years that's $250. Yikes, this get worse by the second.
I think it's a smart price. They try to overprice all their accessories to make back money lost on the console. It's expected.
Cheapest wireless-N bridges will cost you about $70, so $100 isn't too bad for something that you know will work painlessly. $80 would be ideal.
This isn't for people who can run Cat5 cable. Of course that's cheaper.
You might as well buy a hackable router that can use DD-WRT or Tomato firmware for 35-50 bucks and use it in wireless ethernet bridge or wireless client mode. It's a hell of a lot cheaper and you can connect other device to the router as well.
Just buy this TRENDnet gaming adapter:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156258&Tpk=trendnet%20gaming
I have one for my 360 and it work beautifully.
@xcrunk: Your attempt to cut down Xbox 360's pricing is a bit flawed. Sure, the arcade is 199. Adding an HD (abt $125), XBL for 1 year ($35-50, depending on the deal you can find), and this (We'll say $100, but you can easily use a ethernet cord, which I currently use). That does come up to about 375 Not to mention no second control. Or you can spend $400 for the LE one, get a 60 dollar game, a harddrive that is twice as large, a second wireless (estimated at $50), a wireless headset (estimated around $40-50) and suddenly the price for the system and accessories isn't so bad.
Now, don't get me wrong. The price per month for an xbox live account (if you take a $50 subscription at about $4.15 a month) is less than the 0 for Playstation's. But I own both, and I can easily tell you the perks you get for that 4 dollar difference is worth it and more.
I just think it's fair to get the numbers out there, if you're going to compare.
@ guy943,
Anyone who has a gaming system within a room can run Cat5 cable, it may not be pretty, but its still cheaper and possible. Saying that it is for people who can't run it is incorrect. Before there was wifi, what do you think people did? Personally, buying this means you have to already have a wireless N router, which in itself cost about the same as this adapter, and ultimately limiting this adapters use to only an xbox. Cat5 is overall cheaper no matter what way you look at it. Wireless is convenient and that's about it, i'm just not ready to throw away the ol' Cat5 and shell out 100/80 bucks for this. I'll pass.
yea but, what is the average bandwidth of internet providers, per modem?
I completely agree. If USB support worked, you could nab one on NewEgg for $20...
@Catinthehat422: Some people "can't" run cable. When I lived with my parents, I was forbidden from running my CAT5 cable down the hall from the computer room to the living room where the big screen TV was. Every time I wanted to play on Live, I had to run my 100 ft cable down the hall and then pick it up and put it back when I was done. Getting a wireless g adapter was the simplest solution and totally worth the ~$75.
Before there was wifi, I imagine most people only had Internet in one room. Not everyone can run cables throughout their house and running it through the walls takes money and expertise (and maybe the landlord's go-ahead).
@guy943,
I understand what you mean now that some people "cant" run cat5. I'm sure there's tons of people in that predicament, I was just throwin my 2 cents at the mess.
I know that before there was wifi, i personally ran cat5 everywhere, enough for 3 computers to be hooked up and have one spare line open. Then again I suppose it depends on how much free time someone has and the need for the "clean" look. One way to avoid having to spend the cash on this adapter is to put your router/modem in the same room as your television and xbox. Then run your cat5 throughout the house or just use the wifi from each computer ( I'm pretty sure that all computers these days have wifi built in, or at least should) that way you still get the best of both worlds.
You do bring up a valid point though, just buy the adapter and get on with the gaming. Game on my friend, game on.
wow...what a deal!!!
o wait...nevermind
$80 is still way overpriced
Xbox360 Exclusive.
Or just integrate wifi like your competitors. Cheap asses.
Exactly
You'd still pay for it.
@Chispito
but not as much us $80 and without having to consume space
they're not being cheap. they're doing what basic economics tells them too. they've determined selling them at a higher price will offset any lost customers. until people stop buying them, they will not change the price. the whole point of a business/firm is to make as much money as possible.
I have the original adapter. Don't really see any reason for this other than possibly streaming hd video. Mine works fine with Netflix though. This should be much cheaper by now.
Bloody rip-off.
Just get Cat5 cable and amazing you have a connection that is better than wireless.
That's a big "duh" and is ignoring the reason most people buy this adaptor: They can't easily run an ethernet wire to their 360.
For 100 bucks you can buy the cable AND hire someone to run it for you.
Exactly. You can buy 1000ft of cat5 cable for less than $100... I actually thought about using the leftover cable from networking my house to make cables for people's xbox's. Since most people's TV isn't near their computer/router they need a long cable, and a 25ft+ cable from best buy is $30 or more.
Yeah but I think a lot of people don't want to have a CAT cable running from the computer room, through the hall, across the living room, to the XBOX, or have to tack it to the wall/route it through the wall
maybe except for the fact that some of us live in these things called apartments. My landlord wont let me run 50 feet of cable through my walls to my xbox.
No thanks MS, Ill keep my $100 that you are trying to steal, I play games fine online.
Nobody is "stealing" anything from you...
I have both my xbox360 and ps3 connected to LAN with wire.
I agree, TOO MUCH!! But perhaps Amazon and some other online retailers will knock some off, they often do after a while. Just don't jump on it right now, wait a while and see. And the old one may be sold for even less now online.
Worse price than even the tomtom iPhone car kit
Is this dual-band?
As dual band as your mom.
That's way cheaper than what it costs to buy it in the UK. Have you done the currency conversion on that? Crazy...
Actually it's more expensive in the US.... have you done the currency conversion on that? :P
It sells for £49 in the UK, which is cheaper than the US equivalent.
Its a cow, you cant expect it to know math!
100$ , Lulz!
Wow! A major rip off!
It'll be funny cause they will see low sales and then think that nobody wants wireless included on their Xbox 360 so the next gen Xbox wont have it.
Costco link still says $87.99, although it still says "Scheduled to be released Nov. 10". WTF? (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11501393&search=XboxAccess&Sp=S&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_Cata&SessionID=043adaf3-adcb-4b5f-8e47-7f01546625d0)
I would like to point out that I said it would cost $100 back in September when Engadget first wrote about it. :)
Too bad XBox is extremely over priced and sucks ass! PS3 WOOOO
The console itself is good and worth the price, the proprietary accessories are rip offs though.
I totally disagree... when I had an Xbox is was constantly overheating even with 3 house fans blowing on it. Xbox Live is a joke since you have to pay for it... no Blu-Ray support. It just sucks 360. I would never EVER EVVVVVER buy another Xbox again. Playstation is the way to go. Should of never sold my PS2 for the XBox 360 should of got a PS3.
I thought they fixed the overheat problems with Jasper.
MS is being too overconfident. Or maybe they made enough profit they do not care what potential position they will be in come this time next year.
Truthfully I think MS realized it does not matter if you are in first or even third. Since the console market has grown greatly over the years. Plus they probably only concerned with their natal.
BTW I did not come in here trying to defend them. I think their price poiint is an insult. BUT on the other hand it is a luxury item. Just offering it is good enough for MS I guess. (shrugs)
Unfortunately for them, the "luxury" item argument no longer applied once PS3 went down to the same price. They could get away with that while the PS3 was at $400. But now they just look like plain old greedy price gougers. And the old one is $80? Good grief! The price needs to be chopped in half for both tems! I'd be willing to pay $40 for the old and $50 or maybe even $60 at the most for the new one, but honestly the PS3 actually is now a better deal. With that extra $100, I'd just get the 250GB PS3 and a game(maybe used but still).
I'm looking to get a new console for the holidays, and MSFT may have made up my mind for me.
I guess MS figured all the hardcore gamers who need uber fast wifi would not care about their system anyway. They are marketing noobs with those price points.
I'm a gaming noob LOL! But I'm also looking at my costs. I don't have a lot of free cash this year. Since the PS3 is all in one for several things, it's better for me financially. I actually like the Xbox 360 a little better, but I can't justify the extra costs this year.
I own a PS3 and find your fanboyism...disturbing. COurse I also own a xbox 360 and did not pay for it. (won it in 2005 mountain dew launch contest) So Getting something for free that still works may make me favor it a little.
That price is insane. But then again, the 360 has always being stupid expensive for its accessories.
Hey but at least they charge less for the console and "give" you to choice of those accessories instead of forcing you to have them :|
Lets see 360 Arcade + 120GB HDD + Wireless = $450 bucks :) Wow...what a deal :P HAHAHAH
Thats if you need all that. I know plenty of people that don't . One is my local barber shop. Arcade console, E-Cable, and everyones happy.
Not exactly... To elaborate, you'll have to have an 'n' router/WiFi network to benefit from the speed this adaptor can achieve, but even if you run a WiFi network on the older standards (b/g) this will still connect, although it will only work as though you had a 'g' adaptor.
Wow. That is a rough price to take.
$199 for an XBox ($99 if you took the WalMart $100 gift card option) and then $100 to get wireless? Is it so high because it is "N" and they have a $30 or so one for B/G?
Can anyone tell me if this would work for a 20gb PS3. I got the PS3 for free when I bought a TV but it does not support WiFi.
This won't work, but you could get something like this and it would work fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124279
I got mine from Woot.com when they had them refurbished for $33, so you can do much better for the price. It's a great little box though.
I screwed up. Bought a Belkin N. not realizing that the xbox wireless adapter is only for G. So yeah Ill be dumping $100 this week:(
Your router should output all the wireless ranges: N,G,B. So your current 360 wireless adapter should still work.
blah blah. expensive.
The old one was 120 MSRP. Computer WLAN cards are cheaper, but this is specifically made for the console and by the manufacturer. You all act surprised...
Yes, it can be hard to run wires to places. It rarely ever is simple. Man up and make your own solution.
are you serious? "Man up"?
It can be difficult to run a wire to some's command center (aka parents basement).
you could get blu-ray player for $100
hmm. No surprise here, but this just added that much value to my ps3.
How?? Because it has built in Wi-Fi?? My 20gb ps3 is wired along with my 360. Yeah, I wold love to play Modern Warfare 2 online using Wi-Fi.. Joy.
You answered your own question, followed by other info no one cares about.
I got a wireless N USB adapter for under $10 from newegg for my superior gaming machine, a PC.
My PC can also use blu-ray drives too.
I have a gaming PC, but for it to truly be superior to a console you're gonna have to shell out quite a bit of cash.
Assuming you have a more than a couple of wireless devices anyway, you may as well go for a bunch of powerline adapters at this price.
preordered at amazon for 87.99 plus some coupon codes i had from MW2
You can get wireless game receiver for like $50, why would anyone buy this?
I personally like the fact that the adapter costs as much as the entire system did a couple days ago. (Wal-Mart $100 gift card on $199 system). You're doing it wrong MS.
It's just how the business works. Look at the demographic. They already bought a 360 ($300) an average of 7 games per console ($420) maybe an additional controller or two ($40-$80) and a bunch of them pay for a Live subscription ($??) They can get another $100 out of enough customers to make it work.
Only if they paid full prices for each of those things...which I really doubt.
I have moved to PS3....keep on taking out accessories ...I don't need it anymore!!
Isn't this the same thing?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10501&cs_id=1050105&p_id=6146&seq=1&format=2#description
It costs $12.75, plus shipping, that is still less than $20.
MICROCRAP--YOU CAN KEEP YOUR OVERPRICED POS...
ps3 comes with it free. Bill Gates get with it. The same bullshit reason HD format didn't make it because they didn't include it in the 360
not bashing, just mentioning... a guy i know was telling me the wifi on his ps3 sucked and he needed to get wired for cod mw2 MP. i told him "i use wifi with my xbox and it works fine." He goes "ya but the wifi on ps3 sucks." So i say "they include the wifi adapter but it sucks? hmmm" any truth to this? just curious. ps3's always seemed kinda cruddy to me. oh snap! did i just say...
Sweetness, time to find the first gen adapter in a bargain bin or online.
Since MS is robbing me with this, is it really a crime if I steal it first?
Didn't buy the first one, won't buy this one. Bought the Netgear WRT print server w/ 4 port switch instead and attached my PS2, Dish, 360 and Vonage box all with one appliance. When Netgear releases an N-version of the print server, I'll get that instead.
But the Netgear MoCa is SWEEEEEET tech...
Product of the year
My PS3 has a wifi connection built in. Come to think of it, nearly every digital gadget I own has one built in. I wonder why microsoft wouldn't do that? Oh yeah, the illusion of it being cheaper.
"Discounted". *snicker*
I have the b/g version, and Hulu via Playon wasn't very good. Ran some Cat5e, and I'm so much happier.
Anyone wanna buy a very-slightly-used b/g adapter?
LOL. $100! Is the 360 becoming the most expensive console to own now? (That, plus XBL gold membership cost).
NOBODY READS PAST THE 1ST PAGE!
I'm sure Microsoft will add Wi-Fi to it's next system. I don't know anyone that's like: "No wi-fi, no deal!" Thats just an excuse for Xbox hate. Just like cornballs running out of the woodwork claiming Battlefield to be favored more than MW2.
Please.
What happens when Microsoft adds wi-fi? then what??
"Whut?? No Blues Rays?? Uh-Uh, no deal!"
Both console have been out for a while. and if blu ray and wi-fi STILL not included in the 360, then guess what?
ITS. NOT. THAT. SERIOUS.
Complain about the 360 not having games or something. -Oh, wait...
I checked Futureshop/BestBuy Canada when I read this yesterday and nothing. And today? I found a listing had popped up overnight. It's on Futureshop's site. Thanks for keeping tabs on this Engadget! Great reporting!
What do you need a N connection for anyway? I don't play online so idk if it even makes an actual difference.
ps - this is a massive rip off. You have to be an idiot to pay $100 (or even half that) for this.
Look, the WiFi adapter for the 360 has been around for almost as long as the 360 itself. They've sold lots of them too. It's not an item that people don't want. They even sold the B/G version for $99us. This thing isn't "NEW", it's just been updated with N and the price dropped a bit. Better, they dropped the B/G version $20 and sometimes more.
If you really think that there's not a market for this, just look at all the 3rd party wireless gaming adapters (which are crap by the way) sold my Linksys, Netgear, etc. Those cost more than Microsoft's and the configuration isn't done through the console itself. You have to connect it to your WIRED network, go to it's web page, config it, then you unplug it's wired cable and connect it to your console. Total PITA.
I'm getting one of the B/G versions now that they're discounted even though my house is wired. I can't count how many times this thing would have been used outside my home.
$100? like microsoft needs the money? sorry. given the number of devices in my media center that wanted net connections, it was far easier and cheaper to put a gig switch there and spare my precious airspace. ethernet cable dropped thru the floor to the basement through the same hole the cable tv comes up through, no big fuss there, connected over to the main switch and onto my house network.
people paying $100 for this crap have too much money to burn and too few braincells to use.
I think it's worth the price since I will not need an external power adapter for the wireless.
I use the old one now, and have problems streaming Netflix in HD, (router upstairs tv downstairs of a brick home)
I hope this will be better
Dammit $80 is not a discount. They should e $40 or less.
Anyone know if this is running at 5Ghz and 2.4, or just 2.4?
No one is arguing that MS marketing doesn't work. We all know they are making money. No one is arguing the 360 isn't a good system. The point is, the 360 only appears to be cheaper. Having to pay $100 for a wireless adapter is crazy. Not to mention that insane amount of money they must make off of XBL Memberships.
It's not like the built-in PS3 wi-fi supports wireless N?
Null and void if you use that argument on here.