Xbox 360 Fanboy

come one guys! seriously! its time to include the hdd in all skus!

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Looks like the Toys'r'us one was quickly pulled.

Why Microsoft continues to offer these consoles without a hard drive boggles the mind. If they're trying to compete with the Wii, maybe they should just stop marking up the hard drive by 1000%.

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Toys R Us link doesn't work.

Amazon link says that the controller is wired.

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These core consoles are intended for the non-hardcore gamer... I guess the people who don't play online...

on a side note, they need to start having games that "require HDD's".

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No hard drive, but at least this comes with half a gig of storage; at least core purchasers will be able to save games now. I might get one myself as a backup system if/when my current consile red rings and goes to repair (assuming the new sku is a falcon).

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I will consider buying this as my second 360 if:

- has HDMI output
- falcon chipset

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Most people who are interested in the core will probably not be worrying about the handful of games that come out that require a hard drive... and by the time they do, they can pick up the 20GB.

The memory card is a BIG plus since you'll be able to get online and store game saves without having to dish out any additional money.

And don't forget it still doubles as a media center extender (which still costs a good penny or two) and cd/dvd player.

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Fact is, because Microsoft offers these Non-HD equivalents, they require all games to be playable without an HD.

Which in turn does not allow developers to assume that the HD will be available and optimize the games as such.

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My 2nd 360 just died out-of-warranty so this should make a fine replacement. Hopefully it has all the latest hardware fixes. I'll probably wait for someone to crack it open and report on whats inside before I buy one though.

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They can put in different hooks that tell if the system uses a hard drive to improve load times and other things... obviously this requires more time and I'm not sure how many would bother with it, but as an example, Oblivion uses it in this way.

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@9 - It died some other way than the RROD?

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A seriously weak SKU.

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Some of you idiots still don't get the point of the 360 Arcade, do you? For the very casual gamer, not looking to spend much money (meaning they don't need a HDD).

There are people who only want a 360 for the arcade, believe it or not. Or people who only rent every once in a while, so they don't need much storage.

Personally, for thirty more dollars than the Wii, I think it'll be a big hit this holiday. The ones that don't want to spend as much money can still get a fully featured 360 for cheap (relatively speaking).

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@Tony , I know that some games do use the hard drive when it's available but the overall game quality still suffers due to having to ensure the game itself will run on a drive-less system.

@Matthew,
Strong language.

If they want the Xbox for the Arcade only, a 512 mb MU isn't going to cut it. That's 10 games max.

Calling us idiots? We're the ones that KNOW a 20gb hard drive does not cost what Microsoft charges for it.

Microsoft is chasing higher profits at the cost of game quality and performance, and we're calling foul.

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Microsoft should just announce the darn thing, is is not a secret any more.

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@xenocidic

I actually meant to pull out idiots, but it was too late. It just gets on my nerves when people ask why this doesn't come with a HDD; it does, it's called the Premium. But the rest of my point stands.

The arcade gams that come with the system come on a disc, and there are current and future arcade releases on discs as well. Plus, the customer can purchase more memory cards as they see fit, or they can delete a title they haven't played in a while then redownload for free if they get the urge. This bundle is for the CASUAL gamer that doesn't play that many games.

The rest of your statement really has nothing to do with the topic, though. I was confused.

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Hrm so is this Arcade Unplugged Vol 2?

there hasn't been any other offerings than the Vol 1, as far as I know.

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I can see why they keep it a secret or I can see the logic in keeping it a secret. They don't want to discourage sales.

The people who are savvy Internet users will know of stuff like this anyway because of leaks like this one. Average Joe will know nothing about it.

But it seems like they are going after a target market, the casual gamer. Which are the average joe's. So why not announce this and build it up? I guess they need to clear out remaining red ring core systems still.

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If MS wants to attract the casual gamers, this isn't a bad idea but:

- Bundle Arcade vol 1 with this along with those other games. (Make those games "Vol 2 or put them all on 1 disc).
- Put the games on a 512mb memory card, the way Geo wars is on 512mb cards today.

and please, please price your HDDs fairer. Make the 20 gig $50 and offer a 60-80gb drive for $100, and offer the 120 for $140.

Finally for crying out loud, make the HDMI "kit" $30.

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This is perfect for me. I've had a 20gb harddrive. Just never a enough money to buy a 360, so this arcade core is perfect for me. Now I will finally get to play my Halo3 24/7 instead of just on the weekends.

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