XBOX 360 warranty question

[JerodKing]

So I've decided to buy a console beyond my Wii, and I want a 360, but I wanna pick up a used one for cheap. But my question is if I buy one off Craiglist and the person never registered their 360 and don't have a receipt, can I still register it and get the remainder of the 3 year warranty? Is there anyway for MS to know when it was originally purchased?

And a different note, I am kinda pissed that MS decided to not have all models include the HD, even stupider than Sony ditching rumble, since now games can't be made to take advantage of it. So my question is if I really don't plan on getting much downloadable content, is there much reason for me to get one with a hard drive, or should I just say screw it and get a memory card?

[xekushnr]

So I've decided to buy a console beyond my Wii, and I want a 360, but I wanna pick up a used one for cheap. But my question is if I buy one off Craiglist and the person never registered their 360 and don't have a receipt, can I still register it and get the remainder of the 3 year warranty? Is there anyway for MS to know when it was originally purchased?

And a different note, I am kinda pissed that MS decided to not have all models include the HD, even stupider than Sony ditching rumble, since now games can't be made to take advantage of it. So my question is if I really don't plan on getting much downloadable content, is there much reason for me to get one with a hard drive, or should I just say screw it and get a memory card?

Yes, they will cover it. I dont know if they can tell when the console was bought, but the serial code tells them when the box was made. It will be very very unlikely for you to buy a launch console, but even if you do, you will still be covered longer than Sony's warranty. I bought mine used, and when it died I had it sent out with absolutely no problems. They sent a new box to me with a 1 month free card of XBox Live for the inconvenience. I didnt activate it because I had another 6 months left at the time, and now I've lost it. I'm going to have to tear the room up soon to find it because I have less than a month left.

Anyways, if you are going to play online I would advise you get an HDD. In order to play online you need to have the latest patch for the game you are playing, and the patches take up a lot of space. I'm not sure if it will even let you save patches to the MC. Plus its great having my music on there, and you can download demos of most games before they come out, so you can decide whether to buy them or not. And the DLC, and the Xbox Live Arcade games you can download...you're going to want a hard drive.

[s13jus10]

yeah, you're definitely going to want the HDD. it may not seem like it now, but in the long run, you're going to find yourself out of memory on that tiny 256mb memory card that the arcade version comes with and saying to yourself, "man, I should've just got the one with the harddrive".

but if you have to have a 360, I would recommend picking one up brand new. I mean it is completely up to you, but unless you find one for like dirt cheap, I would suggest just forking up the extra cash for a brand new system. a brand new pro 360 comes with a built in HDMI port, headset, component cables, ethernet cable, etc as well as Forza Motorsports 2 & Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and that full 3 year warranty. sorry if I sound like a salesman, it's just second nature.

if you do find one on craiglist, you should make sure the system works well. are you picking it up, or having it shipped over from somewhere? if you're having it shipped, I would request the seller to take pictures of the 360 "in action" to be safe. you've got to be very careful when dealing through craigslist, there's no middle-man to back you if something goes wrong with the transaction, unlike eBay.

also on a side note, Sony didn't "ditch" the rumble, they just delayed it to make sure the SIXAXIS motion sensitivity worked correctly. but the rumble is coming soon. it's already out it Japan

[C-Kwik]

The necessity for a HDD can be very dependent on which games you might consider playing. As an example, over time, you can expect Halo3 to have new maps available (they just released the first new mappack for a small fee, but will be free in the spring of 08). You won't be able to play any of these new maps without the HDD.

[xekushnr]

yeah, you're definitely going to want the HDD. it may not seem like it now, but in the long run, you're going to find yourself out of memory on that tiny 256mb memory card that the arcade version comes with and saying to yourself, "man, I should've just got the one with the harddrive".

but if you have to have a 360, I would recommend picking one up brand new. I mean it is completely up to you, but unless you find one for like dirt cheap, I would suggest just forking up the extra cash for a brand new system. a brand new pro 360 comes with a built in HDMI port, headset, component cables, ethernet cable, etc as well as Forza Motorsports 2 & Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and that full 3 year warranty. sorry if I sound like a salesman, it's just second nature.

if you do find one on craiglist, you should make sure the system works well. are you picking it up, or having it shipped over from somewhere? if you're having it shipped, I would request the seller to take pictures of the 360 "in action" to be safe. you've got to be very careful when dealing through craigslist, there's no middle-man to back you if something goes wrong with the transaction, unlike eBay.

I would have to agree. If you're only getting it for a little cheaper, you might as well buy a new one in the store.

[MinisterofDOOM]

So my question is if I really don't plan on getting much downloadable content, is there much reason for me to get one with a hard drive, or should I just say screw it and get a memory card?

There are a couple of things to consider there.First is what C-kwik said: games. If you plan on getting games with DLC (some of which is free, like Nissan's car pack for Forza 2) then you may want to consider a hard drive.Also in the way of free downloads are game updates. I'm not sure where they generally sit in terms of size, but a lot of games get patches and content updates from XBL.

The other point is price. Byte for byte, 360 Memory Units are MUCH more expensive than going with an HDD model. The price difference between the Arcade (no HDD, but a 256 MB Memory Unit) and the 20 gig is only $70. But a memory unit will cost you $50 for 512 MB or $40 for 64 MB.

The Arcade model also lacks other accessories that the other models include (headset, HD cables, and a couple other things IIRC).

And lastly, without a hard drive the 360 has no backward compatibility with Xbox games. That might not be an issue for you (it isn't for me) but it's worth noting.

MS has done a great job of making the Arcade look cheaper on paper and then using astronomical accessory pricing to haul in the money from "thrifty" console buyers.

[s13jus10]

I would have to agree. If you're only getting it for a little cheaper, you might as well buy a new one in the store.

plus, IF something goes wrong with your 360, instead of blaming yourself for buying a used system, you can just blame Microsoft

[JerodKing]

Yeah those are some good points for getting the premium pack. I'm still not sure about getting one used though, there's one on Craiglist now for a premium with an extra controller and like Madden 07 for 220, thats nearly 200 off the cost new.

[SketchyRollin564]

The necessity for a HDD can be very dependent on which games you might consider playing. As an example, over time, you can expect Halo3 to have new maps available (they just released the first new mappack for a small fee, but will be free in the spring of 08). You won't be able to play any of these new maps without the HDD.

random question, but is it like this for all the DLC? After its been out for a few months, it becomes free?

[xekushnr]

random question, but is it like this for all the DLC? After its been out for a few months, it becomes free?

I dont know about all, but most. All the mappacks I have seen usually start at 400-800 points ($5-10) and within a few months when I check up they are free. Happened in Gears of War, CoD3, and I believe Rainbow Six: Vegas, off the top of my head. I believe all the map packs I have seen have become free.