Looking at buying an Xbox, any recommendations?

Hi everyone.
First, I'm a complete gaming novice, bar owning a PS1 when I was a kid! I'm looking at buying an Xbox, probably a 360, definitely not forking out for an Xbox One. Can anyone give a recommendation on a good place to buy one, or a cheap offer? As far as I know I need the Xbox itself, cables and I'd like two controllers, plus obviously individual games. If I'm missing something let me know of course.

In addition, does anyone have Xbox Live, and would you consider it worth it?

Thank you!
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Comments

  • RyanEzio
    RyanEzio Posts: 100 Forumite
    Hi, Xbox 360 is definitely worth the money.


    Amazon is probably the best place to purchase one from.
    You can get a Xbox 360 with a 4GB hard drive for £129.
    Or a Xbox 360 with a 250GB hard drive for £165
    The one with the 250 GB hard drive is more value for money.


    Games are very cheap. Some of them starting from £5 . Ranging to £40 (new games).


    Xbox live gold is great! Memberships cost around £30 for a year. But for that you get Free Demos, 2 FREE games a month and dedicated online gameplay & community.


    I wouldn't bother purchasing the Xbox One as it's just a marketing ploy and many games coming out on that console are on the Xbox 360 anyway!
    Ryan
  • StuC75
    StuC75 Posts: 2,065 Forumite
    What??? I have the 360 and the xbox one (from launch) and haven't touched the 360 since then, despite thinking I might go back to play GTA..

    Yes the same games are out on both, but graphically the difference is major,, even for the launch titles of Fifa and COD Ghosts.. I would dread to see what difference Titanfall would have graphically..

    Games wise the cost isn't too much more - at the weekend I got Titanfall download for £37.90 via Cdkeys code (which I split with my sons xbox one making it cheaper for us both).. Game advertise it as over £42 for the xbox 360..


    The main proviso for someone buying the 360 as a 'new gamer' is in terms of the 'back catalogue' in that there will be a lot of recent games that could be picked up cheaper,,

    However these might be limited in what Online gameplay is available - ie EA Sports turn off servers for previous versions of Fifa (about 2 years after I think?).. They may also be limited in how many people are playing them now and what level of 'glitches' or hacks are in use (e.g. Modern Warfare Hacked lobbies).

    So if you are buying it for online gaming to make the most of xbox live, Then you would be best to keep to the newer titles..

    Prices and deals, well look on google \ amazon for what crops up..

    Are you looking to buy New console or second hand (warranty issues?)..
    RyanEzio wrote: »

    I wouldn't bother purchasing the Xbox One as it's just a marketing ploy and many games coming out on that console are on the Xbox 360 anyway!
  • PenguinJim
    PenguinJim Posts: 844
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    Definitely don't buy a used 360. The hardware may have been banned from Xbox Live, and you will also most likely make use of the warranty at some point!

    Be aware that the latest 360 console ("360 E") is lacking an optical-out, so you may have to shop around for the older "slim" if that's a deal-breaker. (Unlikely, I know, but some people love their sound!)
    StuC75 wrote: »
    Yes the same games are out on both, but graphically the difference is major,, even for the launch titles of Fifa and COD Ghosts.. I would dread to see what difference Titanfall would have graphically..

    Games wise the cost isn't too much more - at the weekend I got Titanfall download for £37.90 via Cdkeys code (which I split with my sons xbox one making it cheaper for us both).. Game advertise it as over £42 for the xbox 360..
    If the graphics were the major factor, then obviously getting a PC (or even settling for a PS4) would be a much better bet. The difference between One and PC Titanfall is also major! Not to mention the choice of control schemes, not having to pay for online play, and getting new games for £20 (instead of £30-35 on 360 or £40-50 on One) - just ten new games is a £200-400 difference between PC and One.

    The OP won't go wrong with the 360. It's got a fantastic controller and a good range of games. You can follow places like HUKD to collect a bunch of bargain games, and sometimes Xbox Live (both Free and Gold) will have decent deals on buying full disc games online via download (called "Games On Demand").

    If you can't wait for a bargain, £170 for a 250GB 360 Slim with one controller, Forza Horizon and Halo 4 sets you up quite nicely, and you can get 1.05% cashback at TopCashBack. Shopto have a wireless controller for £22.85, which is a bargain. You should buy that now even if you aren't ordering the console today! :D

    You should get a free month of Xbox Live Gold when you register your new account through the console (it's easier to use the xbox.com website, but you won't get your free month unless you do it through the console). Make sure you use an email address that won't expire or you'll lose access to in future, as that could stop you from being able to access your account! During that free month, you'll have plenty of time to wait for a cheaper price for a 12-month online code - they often drop to £25-30 from online stores.
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  • Games granger or games fx stores

    Would advise 250 gb slim model not 4gb as xbox 360always updates itself abnd most games take additional spaces for dlc content purchases for examples gta5 takes 7.9 gig to install and 10.00 gig if purchased from xboxlive so 4gb xbox is no good. Or cod ghosts dlc are large also

    Game controllers-can be picked up cheap from many places usally you get 1 controller

    Xblive cupoon....cheaply I pick up my points or membership at gamestop can pay also by paypal and have code in email right away can also as a tip pick up unused cards (example gears of wars free 12 minths subcriprion to xbox) usally for a 10.00 or so

    Best games-thats a tough one because I dont know what you like but amazon is king for cheapest of games I have over 100games for 360 most picked up on 2 for 20 deals at game ect or even cheaper at amazon

    Hope that helps you also xboxone is a good console but would wait till it really takes. Flight plus microsoft has made games non captable unless you put a hdmi out to xbox360 to xbox 1
  • Bigphil1474
    Bigphil1474 Posts: 2,344
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    The main 2 consoles - PS3/4 and Xbox - have lots of other functions. I am definitely on the PS side - use it for watching 3d movies, access to online streaming (i-player, 4od, lovefilm, netflix, Sky Now etc,) as well as playing games. If its just the games, some are exclusive to Xbox, but most are on both. Playstation online access is free, Xbox costs a small amount. Games are similar price & quality when comparing 360 to PS3. If you know other people who play online you might prefer to have the same platform as them - PS3 can't talk to Xbox and vice versa. I've played Fifa online for a few years and my team always upgrade together and stick together (bless) and we're all on PS3 still. Doubt you'll get an unbiased opinion from anyone who knows what they are talking about, best bet is to decide what games you want to play, then whether you want online or not etc. and then choose. Price wise i don't know how PS3 and 360's compare though, so that might make a difference.
  • OlliesDad
    OlliesDad Posts: 1,825 Forumite
    I would definitely agree with the above posters saying that 4gb is definitely not enough. Especially if you get Xbox Live (I definitely recommend it) as the apps will use up 4gb quickly.

    If you do decide to buy 2nd hand, buy from a physical shop rather than ebay\gumtree etc.
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,598
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    edited 26 March 2014 at 7:20PM
    Hi everyone.
    First, I'm a complete gaming novice, bar owning a PS1 when I was a kid! I'm looking at buying an Xbox, probably a 360, definitely not forking out for an Xbox One. Can anyone give a recommendation on a good place to buy one, or a cheap offer? As far as I know I need the Xbox itself, cables and I'd like two controllers, plus obviously individual games. If I'm missing something let me know of course.

    In addition, does anyone have Xbox Live, and would you consider it worth it?

    Thank you!

    The required accessories minus a second controller come with new consoles so no need to worry about them. Game have a new console for £170 with Halo 4 and Forza Horizon ( a shooter and a driving game) or the same console but with a game called Thief. You could sell the games if they aren't your thing.

    Definitely go for a console with a 250GB hard drive, you could get a 4GB console but will need to source a hard drive (would need to find the correct one for the console) so take that into account. I got my 360 with the 250GB from Game a few months ago.

    £30 gets you a subscription from here, no need to pay more than that, be careful as there a few 12 month subs that vary in price, heres the list.
    As you can see 3 are 12 months plus an extra month and 2 have 2 extra months but they range in price.

    Controllers range in price from just under £20 for non official to just under £35 from here, might be cheaper elsewhere but its just to give you an idea.

    I dont know of any offers on consoles but you could check hukd if theres any on there.

    Is Xbox Live worth it, yes I would say, you now get 2 free games a month (not as good compared to what you get with the PS Plus).

    What kind of budget do you have ?

    What games are you into ?

    Why an Xbox 360 ?

    Before you buy anything check out HUKD for console deals, LIVE subscriptions as I just saw 1 on there for about £25 which isn't too bad.
  • misiek404
    misiek404 Posts: 124
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    The biggest upside of buying a console at the end of it's life cycle is the huge library of games. Even if you siphon off the bad and the mediocre you're still left with tons of real gems accumulated over almost 10 years. Also, most of them are cheap as chips these days. Can't go wrong with x360.
  • ifstar
    ifstar Posts: 487
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    360 slim with 250gb hard drive or a ps3 is the way to go if you don't want to pick up an xbox one or ps4. Both will have tons of awesome games for really good prices and will still get new games released over the next few years.


    If you like GTA type games then pick up Red Dead Redemption, think of gta meets cowboys.
  • PenguinJim
    PenguinJim Posts: 844
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    Another vote for Red Dead Redemption. My GOTY 2010. If only it had been released on PC... that game + 1200P + mods. :T
    DCFC79 wrote: »
    Definitely go for a console with a 250GB hard drive, you could get a 4GB console but will need to source a hard drive so take that into account.
    It's not just "sourcing a hard drive", as not just any hard drive will work. Getting a hard drive (HDD) for the 360 Slim requires buying one of the official Microsoft drives for the the 360 Slim (not the original 360 hard drives, as they use a different case).

    Sourcing any old hard drive will work... if you stick a USB interface on it and are happy to only use 40GB of it. :p
    DCFC79 wrote: »
    Controllers range in price from just under £20 to just under £35 from here, might be cheaper elsewhere but its just to give you an idea.

    I dont know of any offers but you could check hukd if theres any on there.
    That £20 controller is an unofficial 3rd-party controller, and aren't usually recommended. Microsoft (amazingly) did a brilliant job with the 360 controller, and it's well worth spending the extra to get a proper one - £22.85, as mentioned a few posts back, is a bargain.
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    Q: Why are some Board Guides sometimes unpleasant?
    A: We very much hope this isn't the case. But if it is, please make sure you report this, as you would any other forum user's posts, to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
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