Well guys, I did it - I bought a Xbox 360! (lengthy first impressions)

I picked up the Halo 3 Xbox 360 yesterday. (and tossed down another $100 for the insanely overpriced, but necessary WIFI adaptor) But it was all paid for with Best Buy gift cards I have been stockpiling fo a while, so in essence, it was all FREE!

Anyway, my first day impressions:

I went down to Best Buy, looked for th Halo 3 Boxes and found one with Lot 734, Team FDOU, 8/24/07 on the stickers.

(Everyone suggested to get that one to combat the RROD issues, so I hope it turns out to be the right one)

I got home, tried to hook it up to my 480i TV, but it turns out the 360 only supports 480P, so I had to use the standard Composite hookup.

I put the console HORIZONTAL (flat) on the top shelf of my entertainment center, all by itself. It's got about 12 inches of clearance on all sides (except the bottom of course and there's about 6 inches of clearance on top) My top shelf is totally open in the front and in the back there holes for the wires to pull through, but I drilled several large holes all around the back of the cabinet to make sure more heat can get through it. Room temperature is around 68 degrees.

I then turned it on, signed up for Xbox Live Silver and configured the WIFI. I was online in about 10 minutes. Piece of cake.

I was fumbling around the dashboard trying to find where everything was. I immediately noticed I only had 10 GB of free space on my 20 GB drive! So I kept browsing around trying to find out what was taking up 10GBs, and then I came across a bunch of playable demos and game trailers! Very cool stuff!

Then I went on Xbox Live and came across tons of other Free Demos - so I spent a good hour or so downloading demos and trying them out. I must admit this is a very cool feature. My favorite was the Lost Planet Online Demo - there were a few games up and I played a couple matches. Took me awhile to get used to the controller (I'm a Keyboard/Mouse purist for FPS games) but I got the hang of it and it was fun.

I then took a break and popped in my Transformers DVD to see how that looks - again, the Xbox's DVD player is very nice - very bright, crisp images, even in the standard resolution. I'm curious to see what this thing looks like in a higher HDTV mode... time to start stockpiling Best Buy gift cards again!

Some things I noticed during my first day:

1. Even with good circulation, the console get's hot. Even this newer Halo model I have. I can feel warm air on all sides of the console and the back of the console is hot to the touch (the metal grill part I mean). I hope that is a good thing - meaning that the hot air is OUTSIDE the console, and not inside. Still, I have fears that this thing is gonna eventually cook itself. I'm half tempted to get one of those cooling add-ons, but I've heard some horror stories about them too.

2. The fans inside the console are pretty loud while playing games and using the Dash Board. However, when in DVD mode the noise dropped dramatically and you could barely hear any noises. The DVD player itself is virtually silent when spooling data and fetching graphics and stuff.

NowI have some questions for you guys:

1. Supposedly I have a GOLD-trial membership for 1 month, even though I only signed up for the Silver on XBL. Does this mean when my month is up, I won't be able to download anything anymore? Are the free demos available to all memberships? Or just the Gold members?

2. How long do you think I have until the dreaded RROD shows up? Or is it possible it might not with this newer console I have?

3. Is there anything I can do to keep the console cooler, aside from keeping in a refrigerator? :)

Thanks guys.

Well to bad u bougth the crap game Halo3 ohh i mean Halo2 with upped graphicsCrazyFox_444

I didn't buy a game yet. I just played with some demos that it came with. Halo 3 doesn't come with it.

Well to bad u bougth the crap game Halo3 ohh i mean Halo2 with upped graphicsCrazyFox_444

dear god buddy go away..

1. You should have been given a free month upon creating an account through the dashboard. Don't hold me to it, I don't remember for certain

2. If you get RROD send it in, I don't think you will though, it's less likely with the newer models.

3. Just give it sufficent space, don't crowd things around it. You'll be fine

I picked up the Halo 3 Xbox 360 yesterday. (and tossed down another $100 for the insanely overpriced, but necessary WIFI adaptor) But it was all paid for with Best Buy gift cards I have been stockpiling fo a while, so in essence, it was all FREE!

Anyway, my first day impressions:

I went down to Best Buy, looked for th Halo 3 Boxes and found one with Lot 734, Team FDOU, 8/24/07 on the stickers.

(Everyone suggested to get that one to combat the RROD issues, so I hope it turns out to be the right one)

I got home, tried to hook it up to my 480i TV, but it turns out the 360 only supports 480P, so I had to use the standard Composite hookup.

I put the console vertical on the top shelf of my entertainment center, all by itself. It's got about 12 inches of clearance on all sides (except the bottom of course and there's about 6 inches of clearance on top) My top shelf is totally open in the front and in the back there holes for the wires to pull through, but I drilled several large holes all around the back of the cabinet to make sure more heat can get through it. Room temperature is around 68 degrees.

I then turned it on, signed up for Xbox Live Silver and configured the WIFI. I was online in about 10 minutes. Piece of cake.

I was fumbling around the dashboard trying to find where everything was. I immediately noticed I only had 10 GB of free space on my 20 GB drive! So I kept browsing around trying to find out what was taking up 10GBs, and then I came across a bunch of playable demos and game trailers! Very cool stuff!

Then I went on Xbox Live and came across tons of other Free Demos - so I spent a good hour or so downloading demos and trying them out. I must admit this is a very cool feature. My favorite was the Lost Planet Online Demo - there were a few games up and I played a couple matches. Took me awhile to get used to the controller (I'm a Keyboard/Mouse purist for FPS games) but I got the hang of it and it was fun.

I then took a break and popped in my Transformers DVD to see how that looks - again, the Xbox's DVD player is very nice - very bright, crisp images, even in the standard resolution. I'm curious to see what this thing looks like in a higher HDTV mode... time to start stockpiling Best Buy gift cards again!

Some things I noticed during my first day:

1. Even with good circulation, the console get's hot. Even this newer Halo model I have. I can feel warm air on all sides of the console and the back of the console is hot to the touch (the metal grill part I mean). I hope that is a good thing - meaning that the hot air is OUTSIDE the console, and not inside. Still, I have fears that this thing is gonna eventually cook itself. I'm half tempted to get one of those cooling add-ons, but I've heard some horror stories about them too.

2. The fans inside the console are pretty loud while playing games and using the Dash Board. However, when in DVD mode the noise dropped dramatically and you could barely hear any noises. The DVD player itself is virtually silent when spooling data and fetching graphics and stuff.

NowI have some questions for you guys:

1. Supposedly I have a GOLD-trial membership for 1 month, even though I only signed up for the Silver on XBL. Does this mean when my month is up, I won't be able to download anything anymore? Are the free demos available to all memberships? Or just the Gold members?

2. How long do you think I have until the dreaded RROD shows up? Or is it possible it might not with this newer console I have?

3. Is there anything I can do to keep the console cooler, aside from keeping in a refrigerator? :)

Thanks guys.

Netherscourge

1) silver is free. the demos are free on both silver & gold.

2) you shouldn't have a problem because the new consoles hav the new chip in that should have taken away all the overheating problems.

3) make sure that the consols extraction points are open & are not blocked e.g the console is in a confined space.

welcome to the world of xbox 360!!!

[QUOTE="CrazyFox_444"]Well to bad u bougth the crap game Halo3 ohh i mean Halo2 with upped graphicsNetherscourge

I didn't buy a game yet. I just played with some demos that it came with. Halo 3 doesn't come with it.

if you have the money the first games id buy are

1)halo 3 its great

2)oblivion

3) pgr4 or forza 2

4) dead rising

5) doa4 or virtua fighter 5

thats how id start your collection if i was you. if you can only afford 1 game then get halo 3 and in november make sure you pick up mass effect, assasins creed, and cod4.

1. You get a free month of the gold one but silver is free? Silver will allow you to talk and download demos and that still i think once gold runs out. But gold is what allows you to play games online.

2. Well there is a chance you wont get the RROD. But there is always the chance you will one day - lets hope this day never comes.

3. A fan blowing on it wouldnt be a bad idea, but please, please, please do not get one of those intercooler things. Most people find it makes matters worse and it will muck up your warranty.

forget the troll....

as for your questions:

1. You can't play online games with a silver, but all the free stuff is just that, free ! With the Silver membership, you can download anything free. You can buy points while you are a silver member. With those points, you can buy themes, pics, etc.

2. Some people have had them, others haven't. I've had my Elite since release, and haven't had a single problem with mine. It could die tomorrow, or it could last ten more years.

3. The console will get hot. Period. I wouldn't use external coolers unless it's licensed by Microsoft. Maybe a laptop cooler that hooks via USB ? You can always upgrade the fans inside the 360, plenty of people swear by that. It will, however, void your warranty.

forget the troll....

as for your questions:

1. You can't play online games with a silver, but all the free stuff is just that, free ! With the Silver membership, you can download anything free. You can buy points while you are a silver member. With those points, you can buy themes, pics, etc.

2. Some people have had them, others haven't. I've had my Elite since release, and haven't had a single problem with mine. It could die tomorrow, or it could last ten more years.

3. The console will get hot. Period. I wouldn't use external coolers unless it's licensed by Microsoft. Maybe a laptop cooler that hooks via USB ? You can always upgrade the fans inside the 360, plenty of people swear by that. It will, however, void your warranty.

-F34R-

dont listen to anything after 3.

I have some more newbie questions for you guys:

1. Are the achievement points you get in games the same points you use on XBL to "buy" stuff with? Or are those another type of points?

2. If I were to buy a bigger hard drive, like the 120 GB, will I lose all my settings for XBL and log-in and stuff like that? Or is that saved on the XBL servers?

3. My 360 came with a Wireless controller and a USB cord + a batterypackto hook up to it. Does this thing charge my controller only when the console is on? Last night I turned off my console with the controlelr plugged in to the USB with the charger cord - the console stayed on, even though there was no display and there was a red light on the controller - does that mean it's charging? After about half an hour, the console turned itself off and the light when off on the controller. I'm assuming it finished charging and shut off? There was no manual/instructions on how the controller charges or how to turn off your console and keep it charging. It was kinda of confusing to figure out.

Thanks again.

I have some more newbie questions for you guys:

1. Are the achievement points you get in games the same points you use on XBL to "buy" stuff with? Or are those another type of points?

2. If I were to buy a bigger hard drive, like the 120 GB, will I lose all my settings for XBL and log-in and stuff like that? Or is that saved on the XBL servers?

3. My 360 came with a Wireless controller and a USB cord + a batterypackto hook up to it. Does this thing charge my controller only when the console is on? Last night I turned off my console with the controlelr plugged in to the USB with the charger cord - the console stayed on, even though there was no display and there was a red light on the controller - does that mean it's charging? After about half an hour, the console turned itself off and the light when off on the controller. I'm assuming it finished charging and shut off? There was no manual/instructions on how the controller charges or how to turn off your console and keep it charging. It was kinda of confusing to figure out.

Thanks again.

Netherscourge

1) achievement points are just to show off and have no value.

2) you dont need a bigger harddrive unless you plan to dl alot of the movies or tv shows off the marketplace.

3) the play and charge kit only charges when its on yea.

I have some more newbie questions for you guys:

1. Are the achievement points you get in games the same points you use on XBL to "buy" stuff with? Or are those another type of points?

2. If I were to buy a bigger hard drive, like the 120 GB, will I lose all my settings for XBL and log-in and stuff like that? Or is that saved on the XBL servers?

3. My 360 came with a Wireless controller and a USB cord + a batterypackto hook up to it. Does this thing charge my controller only when the console is on? Last night I turned off my console with the controlelr plugged in to the USB with the charger cord - the console stayed on, even though there was no display and there was a red light on the controller - does that mean it's charging? After about half an hour, the console turned itself off and the light when off on the controller. I'm assuming it finished charging and shut off? There was no manual/instructions on how the controller charges or how to turn off your console and keep it charging. It was kinda of confusing to figure out.

Thanks again.

Netherscourge

1) When you sign up for xbox live on there and only get silver at first it gives you a free month of gold xbox live. That means you have everything silver gets, but you can also play online. After that month is over, then it will go back to silver but the only thing you cant do with silver is play online.

2) I hope it doesnt come up for you but it might, Ive had my Elite for about 2 months now and its working perfectly and before I got it I had a launch console and it worked for about a year and a half.

3) Just keep it in an open space and turn it off when youre not playingbut still play it regularly.

Welcome to the xbox community. Add me if you want, my gamertag is Wrath Arcane. Hope to see you around!

1. You should have been given a free month upon creating an account through the dashboard. Don't hold me to it, I don't remember for certain

2. If you get RROD send it in, I don't think you will though, it's less likely with the newer models.

3. Just give it sufficent space, don't crowd things around it. You'll be fine

Relived

elite was a newer model and still had lots of RROD problems, we can all hope this just stops at some point, but if you take care of it, i believe you will be fine i still have a launch console and i have never had a problem (knocks on wood)

The xbox360 runs hot, thats just the way it goes.

The falcon helps a ton.

Put your console horizontally, if you can. Much better

The falcon will increase the 360's life by a ton, so I wouldnt worry for a long time.

Get xbox live gold using credit, if you can.

That way, you dont have to constantly pay monthly fee's using live cards, use credit per year.

You can delete all those demos and movies off your harddrive as well, so you really get 16 gigs out of 20.

Achievement points are much different.

You achieve them by doing things in games, and they add to your total "gamerscore"

Just gives games soem value, you'll figure it out when you play a game.

You can delete all those demos and movies off your harddrive as well, so you really get 16 gigs out of 20.

Shmiity

Yea - I deleted the Madden 07 Demo that came with the Hard Drive and then downloaded the 08 Demo in it's place.

I also downloaded one of the NBA demos - man I can't believe how life-like their players faces are! Heck, then even MOVE like they do in real life.

I just got a 360 yesterday as well, and I have to say I am not at all dissapointed. I bought the new package with the two free games and Halo 3 and all of them are simply amazingly stunning. I do, however, live in fear of the red rings -_-. I read your post and ran to place my 360 horizontaly, was that a good thing?

I also messed up with the XBL trial. I gave them my CC because I thought my free month of gold would start regardless, so I paid for the first month and never got it free :( . I sent Microsoft an e-mail, I am hoping they will help me fix this.

Ultimately, it is an amazing counsole. I wish I had not trash talked about it so much when it was released. I am here, eating my words.

If you have any cash left, I would gettin these games in order.....

BIOSHOCK ( you will fall in love with the atmosphere, Flat out incredible experience)

The Orange Box (Deal of the year, need I say more?)

Mass Effect (Looks super, Made from Bioware a.k.a. Legendary developer)

Call of duty 4 (For your multiplayer needs)

I wouldn't bother getting Halo 3 because you will likely get bored of it in 2 - 3 days. Very mediocre game in my opinion.

I would agree with Bioshock and Orange box.

But however, I wouldnt Buy Bioshock, because theres nothing left after the campaign, so you may just want to beat it and return it.

Orange box is 5 games in 1, so its an awesome buy.

Also, use Metacritic.com cause they average all the reviews on games, and you can look at all the top reviewed 360 games.

If you have any cash left, I would gettin these games in order.....

BIOSHOCK ( you will fall in love with the atmosphere, Flat out incredible experience)

The Orange Box (Deal of the year, need I say more?)

Mass Effect (Looks super, Made from Bioware a.k.a. Legendary developer)

Call of duty 4 (For your multiplayer needs)

I wouldn't bother getting Halo 3 because you will likely get bored of it in 2 - 3 days. Very mediocre game in my opinion.

perfection1000

Don't forget Oblivion ;)