Our first part talked about the merits of going back to explore the recently cheaper, PS2. However, if you’ve got an HDTV and really want to show it off or already explored the last generation, there are options for you. While it’s not impossible to walk away with a next-gen system and some quality games on a modest budget, the costs of accessories, online fees and other costs can add up quickly.
The large amount of options the next generation of consoles offers makes it that much more important that you set goals for yourself for knowing what you want your system to accomplish.Does online competitive/co-op play mostly interest you or would you rather avoid the internet dregs of humanity in favor of the single-player experience? Do you see yourself watching movies a lot or are you just playing games?
While Sony’s PS2 price drop makes very accessible to everyone, Playstation 3 has the exact opposite problem. Being $400 in today’s economic climate makes it almost impossible to recommend. If Blu-ray is a must to you and all of your friends own PS3s, then maybe it’s worth considering, but otherwise, the small number of exclusives to the PS3 and large number of exclusives you’ll be missing out that are on the 360 combined with the PS3’s price make it very hard to recommend. For the cost of the PS3 console alone, there are many options for the 360 and Wii that allow you to walk away with not only the console, but quite a few games as well for the same money.
Microsoft offers multiple SKUs of their Xbox 360 system. The cheapest is the Xbox 360 Arcade for $199. $199 will get you a small amount of memory for save games (either built into the system or a memory card), a wireless controller, and regular
composite cables. Depending on where you shop, you might be able to get a bundle that was a holdover from the holiday season that nets you Sega Superstars Tennis and some arcade games.
The downside is that the absence of a hard drive is a serious obstacle for most gamers looking to maximize their next-gen experience. Thankfully, with the introduction of the 120GB hard drive, there are plenty of opportunities to find the original 20GB hard drive on the cheap, both new and used, but the overall cost is still pricy compared to what storage space traditionally goes for on the PC. A hard drive is mainly important for how much online content you’ll want to download, like demos, downloadable game add-ons, and is necessary for backward compatibility with supported original xbox games. Also, keep in mind that for the full hi-def experience, you’ll need to purchase a HDMI, component, or VGA cable kit.
Speaking of overpriced accessories, pray that wiring your Xbox 360 to the internet is convenient because a wireless adapter from Microsoft will set you back $100 alone (ironically enough, the same price now of a Playstation 2). Even so, their Xbox Live service adds another $50 a year to the overall cost of the system. There are cheaper options available online however: retailers Newegg.com and Amazon frequently sport cheaper prices for accessories and XBL membership costs respectively. If you’re trying to save money though, it’s worth keeping in mind that really the primary reason to have gold is for Netflix and playing games online – you can still buy arcade games and downloadable content, rent movies, chat with friends, and get achievements without buying a gold membership.
The Xbox 360 “Pro” version (otherwise known as the “standard”) comes with a 60GB hard drive, a headset for talking online, and a component cable to best take advantage of the HD capabilities in lieu of an HDMI cable, all out of the box. Amazon currently offers a bundle which also includes copies of both LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, all for $300. If your budget is $400, getting an Xbox 360 Pro and a few classic and “cheap” games in their library (Crackdown, Dead Rising, and Oblivion) is quite realistic and affordable. Also, getting the system with the hard drive allows you to look back to some of the original Xbox’s greatest hits, provided their on the backward compatibility list (provide a link to the list here). On a whole, most gamers who are serious about their next-gen video game experiences should probably opt for the more comprehensive Xbox 360 “Pro” bundle.
It goes without saying that the 360’s most tangible benefits have to do with the online experience. Xbox Live Arcade offers a variety of fun game downloads for between $5 and $15 a piece normally (Castle Crashers, Pac-Man C
hampionship Edition, and Street Fighter II HD Remix). Netflix subscribers get even more out of the deal as one can instantly view hundreds of movies instantly by streaming them through their Xbox 360 for only $8.99 a month. Nothing says recession like staying in all weekend watching movies and playing games. However, not everyone wants to use their system for all this online stuff and just want to play more casually oriented games – then maybe the Nintendo Wii is a bit more your speed.
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