Switching to the XBox 360

[Dr. Kamolly]

I was thinking of quitting PC gaming and going to the console. I like the 360, it's right in the middle, of prices, technology, and has quite the game library.

I had some questions though, does the regions issue with regular DVDs go with the games, for example, if my console is from a region 2 country, say the UK and my games are from the US, would the games run on the consoles??

Also, does the built-in drive in the XBox run DVD movies or do I have to buy the HD DVD drive??

I hear about the XBox 360 Elite, and that it has a HDMI cable in its package, isn't that the HD cable with the premium package or is that something else??

Also, 50£ for a game is bit pricey for my taste, where can you get good deals on games??

[Ticien]

I am pretty sure that an xbox from the UK would run US games...may want to have someone else verify that though. The built in drive DOES run regular DVDs, but NOT HD-DVDs. You will need to shell out more money for that, in the US its $200. AFAIK the premium package comes with a component video cable, HDMI cables are used to achieve 1080p resolution and are useless unless youre watching HD-DVDs on a newer HDTV. There are no games out for the 360 that run in that resolution. To answer your question about getting good deals: I am not sure what shops there are in Egypt, but there are stores around here that sell used games. You can get some pretty good deals by buying used games from gamestop or eb games, http://www.gamestop.com is their site, you CAN order online, though off the top of my head I am not sure where they will ship to...

[azminisk8r]

dont give up pc, do both, almost everything sony makes only is for the ps3 and pc so use the PC for that and use 360 for great online play and awesome graphics

[intergalacticman]

why would it not run US games??

[Ticien]

dunno...maybe its weird like when you cant play Japanese games, for formatting or something.

...maybe the system slips up when the letter 'u' is missing from words

[Redundant]

I was thinking of quitting PC gaming and going to the console. I like the 360, it's right in the middle, of prices, technology, and has quite the game library.

I can understand your frustration. Playing a game on the PC can be anoying if there is a lockup or you PC wants to update. I'm going to buy an Xbox 360 soon but I may wait for the 65nm processors.

I had some questions though, does the regions issue with regular DVDs go with the games, for example, if my console is from a region 2 country, say the UK and my games are from the US, would the games run on the consoles??

Games shouldn't have any region problems. DVDs will though; a region 2 console will not play region 1 DVDs.

Also, does the built-in drive in the XBox run DVD movies or do I have to buy the HD DVD drive??

No, the 360 has a DVD-ROM drive and can read all CDs and DVDs. The HD-DVD drive is only used for movies that are on HD-DVD media; it is not used for games.

I hear about the XBox 360 Elite, and that it has a HDMI cable in its package, isn't that the HD cable with the premium package or is that something else??

HDMI is not useless. It is currently the only way to achieve 1080p on the 360 (component can only go up to 1080i; yes, there is a difference). Most games have to upscale to get to 1080 resolution and new games, such as Halo 3, will be/are able to use 1080p, hence why the HDMI cable is available. It's also a better way to connect your 360 to an HDTV (almost all current ones have it)

Also, 50£ for a game is bit pricey for my taste, where can you get good deals on games??

I don't know the out-of-US retailers so I can't help you there.

My answers are in red text.

Speaking of the Elite, I think it will be the only version to come with a 120GB drive (although it will be available separately for the other models). The white models will probably be updated with HDMI sometime this year but will not sport the big HDD. It is said that MS will also update the 360 lineup with 65nm processors (it currently has 90nm ones) but I do not know when this year they will actually do it.

-Redundant

[Dr. Kamolly]

Thank you very much guys. Your input is much appreciated.

[Canadian Eh?]

I was thinking of switching from getting a Wii to an XBox 360 so this thread helped me too! Thnx!