XBox question please

melb

Is the Xbox Pro the same as the Premium. I've just bought the latter for my son and he wants the same as his friend. also I've asked this before but he wants to be able to play games with his friends. does he need to do this on a computer or on a TV. thanks

Traveller1981

Yep they are the same.
If you mean play games with his friends who are in their own homes, then you need to buy an Xbox live subscription (RRP £39.99 but can be got cheaper), and you will need to wire your xbox into a broadband router to connect to the internet, or buy the xbox wireless adapter (around £60) and connect it wirelessly to your broadband router (provided a. you have broadband, b. you have a router, and c. it is wireless).

HTH

DCFC79

Basically if your son wants to play on LIVE then he will need the premium console as it has a hard drive for game saves etc, you would also need to buy a subsription but the price can vary from £25 to £40 depending on where you get 1 from, Traveller1981 mentioned the wireless adapter, personally i would only get this if the router is in another room or is downstairs, if the router is in the same room as the 360 then you could use the cable that comes with the console to link the 360 to the router

donnajunkie

there was a time when the premium was older than the pro and you needed to avoid the premium because older models were more prone to the ring of death. however now they have brought out a newer 60gb console there is no need to worry about getting saddled with an older model. you can also look at the manufacture date on the back and i think anything after mid 2007 is new enough. the safer versions also have a 175w output instead of 210w on the older consoles.

melb

thanks very much to all replies - I'm still a bit puzzled. We have just switched to Sky for our broadband and OH has just bought a router which is for the computer in one room My son has a very old very small TV in his room and we are going to buy him a new TV for christmas. The XBox is for his birthday in a couple of weeks and thought until he gets the new TV he'd be able to use his old portable that he used for PS2. Presumably he can still use this for the normal games but if he wants to play online with his friends will he have to take the xbox into the room with the computer. Also, after we'd bought the Xbox (special offer at Asda) he got out an Argos catalogue and said this is the one I want which was an Xbox Pro. If his friends have Xbox pro will he still be able to play with them online? I know about the extra cost for the subscription, thanks. sorry to be a dummy - but I just am one when it comes to anything in the slightest technical or gadgety.

Jakg

He can play with his friend fine as long he's connected to the internet.

trets77

as long as it is a Xbox 360 he can play his friends online.

like previous poster said the pro just comes with more accessories , but they can purchased separately,
if you have brought the cheaper xbox 360 Arcade
http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/hardware/x/xbox360arcadesystem/default.htm
you will not get a hard drive or headset , which will be needed for online play . don't despair they can be purchased separately.

hopefully you have purchased this pack which should have everything you need except the Xbox Wireless adapter

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/hardware/x/xbox360prosystem/default.htm




you need to have a good speed broadband connection (anything less than 1MB will be pushing it) . if you have problems connecting to Xbox live , the Xbox live helpline is good , or you may need to get assitance from your broadband provider to open up some ports or tweak some wireless settings . i had this problem and my ISP (British telcom) fixed it by remotely changing some hub settings.

the wireless adaptor allows the xbox to link to Xbox live wirelessly via your Hub / router . if you can plug the Xbox direct into your router ( if it is close enough) with a Ethernet cable then you don't technically need the wireless adapter.

as said you will need to sign up for a years subscription to Xbox Live Gold to play on line. you will most probably get a months free trial included in the Xbox , so you can see it is all working correctly before splashing out.

you only need to use the computer if you don't have a wireless router/hub. you can plug the xbox into the computer via Ethernet and then it will get the broadband the same way your comp does. a lot of hassle !!! best to just get the wireless adapter.


the only type of different xbox 360's are the standard and the black elite, (which is really only different in that you can use HDMI to go into the TV). the standard 's best TV option is Component ( which i use ) . if you get a new tv make sure it has component inputs . any worthwhile retailer will be able to advise you here.

you will notice a big difference in picture quality using component.

donnajunkie

trets77 wrote: »

you will not get a hard drive or headset , which will be needed for online play .

as said you will need to sign up for a years subscription to Xbox Live Gold to play on line. you will most probably get a months free trial included in the Xbox , so you can see it is all working correctly before splashing out.

you dont have to have a headset to play online. that is used for talking to people and listening to them while playing online but you dont have to do that if you dont want to. i dont myself because i find all the banter off putting and therefore it makes me play worse.

as far as the free 1 month trial goes check out post number 6 on this thread for a tip.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1250967

trets77

donnajunkie wrote: »

you dont have to have a headset to play online. that is used for talking to people and listening to them while playing online but you dont have to do that if you dont want to. i dont myself because i find all the banter off putting and therefore it makes me play worse.

as far as the free 1 month trial goes check out post number 6 on this thread for a tip.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1250967

true but if the lad wants to play his mates , he will probably want one.

melb

thanks a lot - it is the Premium I have bought so will have a look in the box I think it has all the bits. I'll look through all your very kind suggestions tonight when I'm at home. thanks again