old guy needs help understanding different XBox options

I can't quite find any clear answers on the retail sites, so thought I'd try this crowd ...

My kid wants an XBox 360 for his birthday in a couple weeks. I see that there are 2 basic configurations: the 4GB and the 250GB ... the 250 is about $100 more than the 4 ... and I don't grasp what exactly I'd be getting for that extra 100 bux ... I mean, disk is cheap, they can't really be charging a hundred bux for just a hard drive, can they?

I'm trying to do my due diligence ... went to Microsoft's own XBox site ... it sucks, can't easily compare specs between the different configurations.

Another pain point is I can't find a clear explanation about the "Xbox LIVE" service ... is this service MANDATORY to play games online? Is it a subscription service? I'm fine with paying to purchase & download games, but I'm not interested in any kind of subscription. I tried to suss out the details on MS's website, but every single statement there is caveat'd with "Xbox LIVE Gold membership and additional subscriptions and requirements may apply."

I hate weasel words like "may apply" ... either it applies or it doesn't, and my $@! decision to spend money is largely dependant upon that application or lack thereof.

If anybody can provide a clear & detailed explanation of the differences between the Xbox 4GB & the Xbox 250GB, along with an explanation of any requirements for online use, I'd really appreciate it.

Well I can tell you about X-Box Live.

X-Box Live Gold is required to play games online, and the subscription also lets you participate in weekly sales and such. You can still download games without a subsription. Silver Membership is free. Silver lets you go online, buy games, chat with friends and such.

spend the extra $100. your kid will thank you for it because he has space to do a lot more things compared tothe 4gb harddrive

The $100 difference is indeed the hard drive, and believe me the extra space is worth it. If you kid decideds to install a game or two to decrease load times/save discs the entire 4gb will be gone. Not to mention updates, save files and everything else they'll have to download just to get started playing. You want the Xbox 360 Slim 250gb model go for the holiday bundle if it's still available (two free games).

As for Xbox Live Gold, it is a subscription service, most people choose to buy it in year-long increments, you can either buy the subscribtion card in store  or charge it to your credit card, if you do the credit card though it will automatically renew every year unless you sstop it. Gold is required to play games online and for most of the services offered by xbox live. Basically if you want your kids to be able to play online/with friends (they probably want to play Call of Duty or the like, right?) then you'll need to get Xbox Live Gold. You will get Silver for free by registering, but that only gets you the ability to access the marketplace and buy more crap.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the guys that took the time to post a cogent response ... y'all helped me a lot :-)

I can't quite find any clear answers on the retail sites, so thought I'd try this crowd ...

YUP SITE SUCKS FOR THAT.

My kid wants an XBox 360 for his birthday in a couple weeks. I see that there are 2 basic configurations: the 4GB and the 250GB ... the 250 is about $100 more than the 4 ... and I don't grasp what exactly I'd be getting for that extra 100 bux ... I mean, disk is cheap, they can't really be charging a hundred bux for just a hard drive, can they?

yup you got it right. MS thinks their HD is the holy grail even though i can go any store and buy 1-2tb easy under 100. With saying that you can go amazon/ebay and buy non official one for 30-50.  OR you can get usb drive. Ms will only let you use up to 16gb...

I'm trying to do my due diligence ... went to Microsoft's own XBox site ... it sucks, can't easily compare specs between the different configurations.

nothing to really compare 4gb or 250gb...

Another pain point is I can't find a clear explanation about the "Xbox LIVE" service ... is this service MANDATORY to play games online? Is it a subscription service? I'm fine with paying to purchase & download games, but I'm not interested in any kind of subscription. I tried to suss out the details on MS's website, but every single statement there is caveat'd with "Xbox LIVE Gold membership and additional subscriptions and requirements may apply."

to play online in games it. you need xbox gold. it's $60 bones for 12 months at retail. but amazon and stuff has it on contant sell for $35-40.  PS3 offers online free but, don't think it be up to par with xbox though. not saying it's bad but there speed and quality of updates and stuff is above ps3.

I hate weasel words like "may apply" ... either it applies or it doesn't, and my $@! decision to spend money is largely dependant upon that application or lack thereof.

If anybody can provide a clear & detailed explanation of the differences between the Xbox 4GB & the Xbox 250GB, along with an explanation of any requirements for online use, I'd really appreciate it.

muleheadjoe

IF the boy can hold out till end of the year IEXTREMELYsuggestwaiting because next generation of consoles is on it's way. PS4(playstation 4) is due out this end of year. it's looking pretty good. SO ya it may be little more expenive then consoles now but, well worth the investment IMO. 

I can't quite find any clear answers on the retail sites, so thought I'd try this crowd ...

My kid wants an XBox 360 for his birthday in a couple weeks. I see that there are 2 basic configurations: the 4GB and the 250GB ... the 250 is about $100 more than the 4 ... and I don't grasp what exactly I'd be getting for that extra 100 bux ... I mean, disk is cheap, they can't really be charging a hundred bux for just a hard drive, can they?

I'm trying to do my due diligence ... went to Microsoft's own XBox site ... it sucks, can't easily compare specs between the different configurations.

Another pain point is I can't find a clear explanation about the "Xbox LIVE" service ... is this service MANDATORY to play games online? Is it a subscription service? I'm fine with paying to purchase & download games, but I'm not interested in any kind of subscription. I tried to suss out the details on MS's website, but every single statement there is caveat'd with "Xbox LIVE Gold membership and additional subscriptions and requirements may apply."

I hate weasel words like "may apply" ... either it applies or it doesn't, and my $@! decision to spend money is largely dependant upon that application or lack thereof.

If anybody can provide a clear & detailed explanation of the differences between the Xbox 4GB & the Xbox 250GB, along with an explanation of any requirements for online use, I'd really appreciate it.

muleheadjoe

If you buy that 4gig, you will just buy a HDD later on and get ripped off. best deal is to get HDD. plus, 4gig doens't save a whole lot.

secondly, xbox live lets you play on the internet. it's that simple. whether you have internet or not, Xbox live is a middleman that you pay to play xbox 360 games online. it's mandatory to have GOLD to play online. silver lets you buy games from them. $60 a year adds up over the years. Xbox live is even more useless if you have a 4gig, especially for downloading games or playing Halo 4 which needs a HDD.

if i were you, i would have your kid right down his fave titles and see what systems those games are on. marketing is targetted to kids, but the games are what he wants to play.

This is literally the worst time to buy a console.

1 of the new consoles is already announced with Microsoft's follow up to the Xbox 360 being unveiled in the next few months.

Wait until both are out and then decide if you want the cheaper Xbox 360 or the new console at the end of the year.

1. Get the 250 or you'll regret it

2. XBL subscription is pretty much mandatory

3. You might want to hold off on getting a 360 as this generation is coming to a close, with both the next Xbox and PS4 coming out this year.