Microsoft Xbox 360™ Premium Console

Way late to the game(s)...

Finally got one of these (the Arcade version) about 4 months ago after I won a hundred-dollar gift cert to Amazon. So, it was 100 bucks out of pocket. Of course, only one wireless controller and no hard drive, but about a year ago, I (wisely, surprisingly) bought a refurbed hard drive and wireless controller combo for $29 from Circuit City - may they R.I.P. So overall, a cheap intro to the 360 world.

The system itself boots up quickly and I like that the controllers can power up and turn off the system from across the room. The HDMI port is now on all versions of the 360. I'm a bit upset that the Pro version and Elite version got price drops last week. I mean, I finally get on the bandwagon and could have waited a bit to get more. But we're not "power-gamers" at my house, so the Arcade model gets the job done. Halo 3 and Burnout are getting a workout, but I've already shelved the Sega Superstar Tennis game that came in the box with the unit.

Bottom line, if you don't have one of these already, think about going to Target by Saturday -- you'll get the Pro version for $249 and also get a free second wireless controller. Great deal.

I have to say the Xbox 360 premium is a bit noisy when playing games but overall its a pretty good system. However, the line of separate accessories is tedious and wallet busting. Wished the Xbox Live was free just like the PSN network. Upcoming games for the system is a bit short but I'm going to guess major game studios are going to start tugging at the PS3 exclusive titles for this system. The graphics are on par and gives you the pleasure of playing backward-compatibility of old Xbox games.

I don't consider the hardware problems to be "handled well". I sent in my pristine 1 year old 360 with RROD failure and got back a beat up piece of junk that failed in 5 days (less than 2 hours run time!). Currently considering exactly what to do. Ebaying my games and controllers and buying a PS3 is sounding better every day.

I'm an electrical engineer too, and the only 360s that other guys have here at work that haven't failed are either brand new or have seen less than 10 hours of run time since new. The failure rate is completely unacceptable, and judging by my experience they can't even repair it successfully either. Folks, MS allocated $1 BILLION for repair of these pieces of junk. I was one who minimized the problem in my mind, but bought an extended warranty just in case. Don't make the same mistake I did.

My next home computer will be running Leopard, and my next game console certainly won't be built by Microsoft.

i just bought me a xbox 360 and i have to say that its great!!!!! wayyyy better than ps2.the graphics r great also.as soon as i bought my xbox 360 i was up all night playing games, i couldnt get enought of it lol.cant wait to but more games and stay up all night and play lol.

The battle of next-gen consoles: Nintendo Wii vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 vs. Sony Playstation 3

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is a gaming machine that boasts a stellar graphical prowess, although not as powerful as the Playstation 3. However, it would take at least an HDTV and a keen eye to spot the difference between the graphics of the two. Online gaming and a massive library of games are the 360's best points. Thanks to the acquisition of once-exclusive titles such as Final Fantasy (XIII), Devil May Cry, and Grand Theft Auto, the 360 almost has all of the "major" gaming titles, except for some Nintendo and Sony exclusives. Its medium, the HD DVD lost to the PS3's Blu Ray Disc in the battle for the next gen media, but still there are a lot of games to be released for the 360. I doubt support for the 360 will die so soon, as the BD format is still far from being the most popular medium of today. With a price of just slightly below the PS3, gamers can have a choice of opting for the more powerful but less-games-at-the-moment PS3. The Xbox 360 may have a ton more games, but certain hardware problems like the infamous "red ring of death" has plagued owners over the years. There are also reports of the 360 scratching the game discs due to certain design flaws.

Overall, the Microsoft Xbox 360 is a great console for you if you like to play online games a lot and if you want to play a wide variety of games shown in stellar graphics. Hardcore gamers can feel very much at home with the 360. Hardware problems can pose a problem though, although only a minimal percentage of owners have experienced such.

My sons had been asking for this Microsoft Xbox 360™ Premium Console for a year now. Everything in the world was compared to an Xbox 360. Oh how life would be so much better if only we had an Xbox 360. Peace would come to the Middle East, all suffering would end, no more hurricanes, floods or days over 75 degrees. They just knew that all that was missing in their lives was a Microsoft Xbox 360™ Premium Console. So, I relented this summer and bought one from CompUSA so we can all relax now. Everything's going to be okay.

I'm not a gamer and probably never will be. I was first impressed by how small the 360 is and how simple it was to set up. Their first choice in games was "Crackdown" and from the beginning I could see what a huge difference there was in the depth of the animation and clarity of the game. Their second choice was "Assassin's Creed". Now the graphics and details of the 360 really took off. I found myself wondering through the room and stopping to watch the game for five minutes like it was a TV show.

I think the only drawback we've found is that the box gets really hot. We solved it be building a wire shelve where it now sits so it gets full air rotation around it. No problems since then. Now the kids are venturing online. They haven't had the guts to join in a battle yet, but they have enjoyed downloading some demos of other games.

I doubt their world will be perfect now that their beloved Microsoft Xbox 360™ Premium Console has entered their lives, but at least for the time they have on it, they feel that way. Isn't that what games and toys are supposed to do anyway? If just for a brief time, take us away from reality and let us dream.

So many reviews but how do I decide on what console to get? First of all, what are your needs and which of them are the most important to you? Do you want a console that has a large collection of games that interest you, allows you to move, browse the internet, play against others online, watch high definition movies...?

Out of all the consoles that we own (PS2, original Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3), the Xbox 360 receives the most game time. Why? Because my husband plays Halo 3 on Xbox Live every night, we have a decent collection of games for it, it allows us to talk to our friends and family that own an Xbox 360 through a headset, and there are lots of cool Xbox live games to play. It is the ultimate gaming console because of Xbox Live.

We did have to turn it into Microsoft because of the red ring of death, but that was a quick call. A box arrived about 3 days later to house the broken xbox 360 and about 3 weeks later a new refurbished one was sent back out to us. We've been playing that for 6 months now. We wouldn't hesitate to buy another one either.

The Wii is just fun for the whole family all around. It's great for parties and has an edge over the others in terms of educational value. The only drawback is the graphics are not as good as the Xbox or PS3.

The PS3 is comparable to the Xbox 360 in graphics, allows you to browse the internet, and has a Bluray player. The Blu Ray is excellent so it wasn't difficult to make the purchase since my family is a movie and video game buff. We have yet to own a game on the PS3 since purchasing it in December of 2007, but our Bluray collection is slowly growing.

I doubt you will go wrong with either of those consoles..it just depends on what you want.

Here are some helpful links to make the most out of your xbox 360:
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/support/systemuse/xbox360/digitalmedia/pc.htm via xbox.com

http://lifehacker.com/search/xbox%20360/ via Lifehacker

I first purchased a 360 in early 2007: it lasted until about October of 2007 before I got the dreaded red-ring-o-death. I was fortunate enough I bought after Microsoft had decided anybody with a red ring get the console repaired/replaced for free. Although it took them three attempts just to ship me the stupid box to send it back in.

Consoles are really all about games, not so much technical specs (look at NintendoDS versus PSP sales-wise). So the question(s) should be "are the games good" and "is it easy/fun to use" and to both of those questions I would answer and a definitive "Yes".

Let me start by saying I have been a pure PC gamer for the last eight years. So it did take a while to re-adjust the game pad. It was sort of like trying to learn how to touch-type on keyboard, but much easier since there so many fewer keys/buttons to memorize. I just kept playing Gears of War and the different games I rented until the game pad felt natural (though I still have trouble in some first-person shooters). Yes, it's different then a keyboard/mouse but PC gamers CAN re-adjust given some patience and persistence.

I mainly bought a 360 because so many of the best games were coming out for it first and so PC games had horrible DRM that could potentially screw up a Windows install. That and I can easily trade in old games for new ones and by used copies cheap, something you can't really do with PC games (it's not as easy as just walking in and planking it down anyway).

I never got into the Halo games (I didn't own the original XBox and never bothered to buy them for the 360) so I won't really talk to them. Odds are you have already read all this to know about them anyway. I did enjoy games like Gear of War however. Where the 360 really shines of course is in the muli-player: it's really the best thing going right now. Since everybody has a microphone and everybody has the voice-chat capability it all just kind of blends and integrates perfectly.

The 360 also has non-game playing features like being a UPnP compatible device: if you share out your media with a UPnP server (e.g. TVersity -- recommended) you can now stream this media, music/video/photos, over the the network. I've coupled TVersity with another program called Miro to deliver all my content extremely easily. This took me a while to set up and get it working correctly but once it was the setup has been working perfectly. And in case someone hasn't heard, the 360 now support non-WMV formats such as XViD/DiVX and MP4 video formats, prefect for podcasts and re-encoded movie libraries.

I haven't actually played either Grand Theft Auto IV or Assassin's Creed but have read in multiple media accounts and directly from other 360 owners that these can cause the system to lock-up, likely from over-heating. There's really no excuse for this kind of quality issue. Either the consoles need to be fixed or the games should never have been released. These are after all $60 games for a ~$300 console. Consumers really shouldn't have to deal with this.

It seems a large majority of 360 owners are happy enough with them they are will do deal with this despite. I think this is mainly because of the large community that has sprung up with the XBox Live scores and unlockable achievements.

The Xbox 360 is one of the cornerstones of modern gaming. The 360 premium is one of the most popular and widespread. It has excellent graphics capabilities, a better selection of games than any other console save for PC and some killer hardware.

There are a variety of accessories for the 360 that make it fun too. Webcams, unique controllers and audio headsets make it easy to play hardcore games or stay in touch with friends across long distances.

As far as online play goes, there is simply no comparison. Xbox Live is easy to use, cheap (about $6/month) and has a ton of features like arcade game demos, regular game demos, video and movie rental/purchase and dozens of other features.

While not all 360s come with HDMI capability, the core system (20gb) does. It also includes wireless capability, though the HD DVD player is extra.

Now for the ugly part: because it was rushed out the door to beat the competition, the 360 has a very high failure rate. Exact figures vary, but most reliable data puts the failure rate for the 360 at around 30%. The good news: they come with a one-year warranty and if you experience the "Red Ring of Death" (General Hardware Failure categorized by a red ring in place of the green lights on the power switch) your warranty is automatically extended to three years.

Xbox customer support is excellent and getting your 360 repaired is usually quick and painless. If your 360 is out of warranty you'll need to pay for the repairs, but it's usually not more than half the cost of a new 360, plus you get a free month of Xbox Live.

Overall, the 360 is a good buy. It's got excellent games, great hardware and an online system that can't be beat. Just make sure you register your 360 and be prepared for the possibility that it might need a little maintenance.

The Xbox system is THE online system to own. Better than the PS3, far better than the Wii. If you are looking for a system that has the most competitive and complete online experience, the Xbox 360 is the system you are looking for.

Friends list, private chat, cross game invites, voice chat standard on all games, gamerscore, and an all around seamless online experience are what make the Xbox system stand out from the other two.

The Xbox live experience has yet to be matched by either Sony or Nintendo and, in my own opinion; it provides the most enjoyable experience of the three. I live far from my friends and the Xbox provides a means for us to get together and do something we all love, in an environment without the technical frustrations of the PS3 or the friend code madness of the Wii. We can all jump into a game of halo and catch up on each other's lives with in game voice chat.

Graphics on the system are on par with the ps3. Game selection is wonderful for the system. Games like Gears of War, Bioshock, Rock Band, GTA IV and others; it is unlikely that you would not find something you don’t like.

The Xbox provides the most cohesive and seamless online gaming experience and I would recommend the system to any gamer.

Really good system. The graphics are absolutely amazing and the standard wireless controllers that come with it make me really stoked. Halo 3 alone is enough reason to warrant getting an Xbox 360. I camped out to get mine when it first came out and I think it was well worth it. The only issue I have is not with the machine itself, but with the games available for it. There aren't a lot of games for it that appeal to me. That's not that big of an issue though; I've found about eight that I love and could play forever. I hear that the Xbox live feature is a big highlight of this console, but I've never tried it. I never had high-speed internet while I had my Xbox 360, so I kinda lost out on that one. The best thing I ever did with mine was when I linked it up with my old Xbox and had an eight player Halo 2 party. That was rad!

The Xbox 360 is one of the greatest gaming consoles ever made.

That being said it does have some flaws.

1. Not all xbox 360 consoles came HDMI capable(my xbox 360 for example). This isn't THAT bad, but I still would like to have an HDMI connection to my sweet HDTV.

2. Xbox live costs money. It's not an extreme amount of money, but it's just a stupid ploy to make us pay for something else constantly. That being said xbox live is pretty cool, and I am about 6 months into a 13 month subscription.

That's all I can see as far as flaws in the Xbox 360.

This system has the most choices as far as games go if you are currently comparing it to the nintendo Wii and/or the Playstation 3.

The graphics are MUCH better than the Wii, and the gameplay is much more 'gamer oriented' if I can say that.

The Xbox 360 does play DVDs. This is nice because I don't have to buy another DVD player to hook up to the TV that I have my Xbox hooked up to.

The Xbox is cheaper than the PS3, but the PS3 also doubles as a blu ray player.

The Xbox 360 is arguably the best gaming console on the market right now for the money.

Ahh the X-Box 360....Another part of the next gen trifecta of consoles. They're getting almost as bad as Pokemon cards were back in the day (man I feel old).

Anyways, down to the basics. This system is home to a crap load of beautiful, expansive games. It has the best graphics out of the three I think. It seems to be the most geared towards first person shooters as well. For a few bucks a month you can gear it up for online play with X-Box Live so you and your bestest stranger-buddies can spend all day destroying each other to your heart's content.

But there is a terror that lurks within that massive (too big I think) console...I'd never heard about it until it happened to me. This phenomena called "The Red Ring of Death." Apparently it means that the hard drive has been destroyed somehow and you can no longer play. What in the name of Hel is that about?

But luckily Microsoft isn't entirely heartless (I heard it has a 60% death rate...they better not be). I called the toll free number and gave them my information. They sent me a replacement with instructions to safely package my dead one so it could be sent in for repairs. The process takes up to a couple weeks to finish but at least you can keep playing games. Your safe files should still be intact when they return it to you finally. For me they did this all for free (even paid for shipping) but I'd heard that other people had to pay up to $140 for it.

I'd had this for about 2 years with no problems until I started playing on X-Box Live frequently. I had that for about a month before it killed it. It's a cool system with lots of fun games but it always feels like a gamble with these systems.

Traditionally, everything Microsoft produces has a massive failure rate in the beginning, and eventually they get around to fixing it bit by bit with the later ones being far more stable. The Xbox 360 is no exception to this. A friend of mine sent in his 360 three times because it kept malfunctioning after about a week or so each time.

It has a number of good games on it, but I was extremely put off by the number of bugs and crashes that I kept experiencing with this system, everywhere. I had three close friends that got this, and all three of them had to replace it at least once. Personally, I find shooters and sports games to be rather dull, which is what the 360 is more famed for. They're repetitive and whatever new gimmick they may come up with gets old pretty quickly for me. I dislike the system for that reason more than anything else.

The paid Live service is fairly irritating, although expected given that Microsoft is still in the red for the 360. The games are the ultimate sustaining factor for this platform, although the pure ingenuity of the Wii design will give it a run for its money.

The Xbox 360 is a great system -let's get that out of the way right now. It's a powerful gaming system with a huge library of incredibly fun games. Xbox Live (the means of playing on the internet with other gamers across the world) is well developed and easy to use, and the wireless controllers have a great feel to them. If you're into video games, the Xbox 360 has a great selection of exclusive titles (Mass Effect, Halo, etc.) as well as a host of third party titles (Call of Duty, GTA IV) for you to choose from. On top of that, the 20GB HDD that comes included in the Premium bundle allows you to upload music, photos, and videos onto the system, and via networking, you can feasibly stream media from your PC as well.

At the end of the day, however, even if you are a hardcore gamer, the Xbox 360 may not be enough for you. Two years ago it would've been a no brainer to purchase, but as the Playstation 3 becomes increasingly more popular, the glaring flaws in the Xbox 360 become all the more evident.

The lack of a HD movie player is disappointing when Sony's Playstation 3 has a built in Blu-Ray player. The Xbox 360 does not support 1.3 HDMI. Xbox Live requires a subscription fee while the Playstation 3's online is absolutely free. Additionally, the Xbox 360 doesn't even have something as basic as a wireless network adapter (something which will set you back another $100) and its dependency on the DVD format may limit the development of games for it in the future.

That being said, the Xbox 360 is also the only console that you'll be getting awesome titles like Halo, Fable, etc. on in the future. If you're big into those titles, then the Xbox 360 is definitely worth getting. But if you're looking to invest in something that has a bit more utility, you might want to consider the Playstation 3 as a better alternative.

The microsoft xbox three-sixty is a great product. The grapics are great. They almost look like real pictures. I personally have one. They have lots of games out for it. The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't have a blu-ray player built into it. Instead you have to pay an extra one-hundred and twenty dollars for the separate hd dvd player. The game are expensive now. They rose from fifty dollars to sixty dollars. The plug and play could have a longer charge time. If you play steadily for three hours it needs charged. Thats my xbox three-sixty review.

I am a casual gamer, I always have been. I rarely purchase the main stream games, and gravitate more towards puzzles and things that are just plain simple fun. Therefore, the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) really is what pushed me to buy the system. The price of video games has really taken off, and with $50 for a new game I’ve lost the thrill of buying something on the release night.

The XBLA really opened up the system to the more casual gamer. Games generally range from $5-$12, and include a broad range of titles from old classics like Doom to the newer PopCap titles. XBLA arcade has another important feature: an online store. You can purchase XBLA titles online and download demos of nearly every regular title out there. This is one of the strongest features of the system. Games are just too expensive to purchase at random, but being able to download and play a full lets you purchase with more confidence that you’ll be happy with it.

Just as the hard drive is a vital accessory, internet access is vital to getting the most out of the system. Which brings me to my biggest problem with it: the $100 price tag on the wireless adapter is unreasonable. Why isn’t wireless built in? The PSP and Nintendo DS have it built in, why isn’t it in the 360 as a standard? Yes, there is an Ethernet port, but in many households it is difficult to run a hard line. I had to run a 50’ Ethernet cable through my apartment to get internet on it.

The Xbox 360 is a wonderful contribution to the next generation of consoles. The additional features of Xbox Live, the hard drive, and XBLA have expanded what we think video game consoles can do.

However, as we all know, buying a 360 is not without risk. I purchased mine with the full understanding that it is a sensitive unit and may die at any time. You must accept this before the purchase of this console. You can search for articles on the red ring of death for more information on potential problems.

My favorite features:
-the achievement system
-XBLA games
-downloadable demos
-Xbox Live
-Built in hard drive

This is a very popular gaming console out there made by Microsoft. The 20GB with HDMI model costs $349 now which is $50 less than PS3. While Xbox 360 is a very hot-selling console right now - it also has it's negatives. The good gacts: graphics are amazing - so you really get to enjoy all those NFL games and pleant of others..I like the fact that games are very affordbale comparing to PS3 and variety is much bigger. All is well with Xbox 360 aside from the fact that chances are it will break. Microsoft is spending billions of dollars trying to repair the broken xbox consoles while poor customres wait for weeks to get it back from service.

Overall, Xbox 360, when operational - is a great gaming console. But knowing it's failure history I only give it 3 stars.

Let me just start out by saying that the Xbox 360 gaming console is an extremely underappreciated machine. Yes it can play the latest FPS shooter at breakneck speeds with it’s 3.2Ghz processor and speed through those MMO’s like it “aint no thang”, but it is more than that. The console can be considered a multimedia warrior. You can download the latest titles released on DVD and High Definition for a nominal fee. You can purchase and download classic arcade games like Galaga and Pac Man, or newer titles like Totem Ball and Chess. And of course you have online capabilities. Most every game playable on the Xbox 360 has multiplayer opportunities. Battler it out with your friends online like never before.
The multimedia opportunities of this console are very self-evident. Of course there are rival consoles like the Sony Playstation 3, but in my opinion, and I’m sure those of my friends, the PS3 just doesn’t quite own up to the hype (especially for the price). Think of the Xbox 360 to the PS3 as the nice, down to earth kid on the block to the rich, materialistic kid a few houses down. For me there is just no contest between the two and I think that for this generation of next-gen consoles, the Xbox 360 steals the show.

I bought an HDMI equiped 360 shortly after it was released. I use the Xbox 360 almost everyday and I have had no issues with it.

The console is kinda loud, and gets hot, but that doesn't bother me much.

The games for the 360 are what makes it superior to all other consoles. Gears of War, Halo 3, and Forza 2 are some of the best games I have ever played, and are available exclusively for the Xbox 360.

At first I though the controller was bit clunky and large, but i have gotten used to it and I actually really like it.

I think that the X-Box 360 is a step up from the X-Box. The graphics are better and X-Box live is amazing on it. I think that it is a much better deal then the PS3. unlike the PS3 the X-Box has a very large range of games like Halo 3 which every one thinks is a good game. If you are looking at geting a system in the future then you should get the PS3 because Sony is making better graphics and a larger ram. So if you are about to go run out and get a new system but if you are going to wait before you go and buy one the PS3 is a good option too.

The Xbox 360 is one of the most popular gaming consoles available. Mostly everyone loves the device, but I have different feelings about it. My journey of heartache started about one month after purchasing it. I am not a fan of Microsoft products and this device just reinforced the feeling. Many of us purchased the Xbox 360 because it had a large amount of great gaming titles. I would not recommend this device to anyone until Microsoft decides to fix all of these faulty products. After spending over $300 for a large paperweight, I feel disgusted and disappointed with my Xbox 360. Once I am able to save up money for a new gaming console, I will look elsewhere. No more Xbox 360 devices for me because I have learned my painful lesson.

The Good:

The best console on the market, the Xbox 360 beats PS3 and Wii in game selection, graphics, and price.

Xbox 360 has a wide variety of games from shooter and role playing to sports, where it excels. No crazy controller you have to fling around and risk muscle pulls to use. And right now the best versions of most games come out for Xbox 360.

The wireless controller is terrific. With either the rechargeable battery pack, which recharges while plugged into the system, or rechargeable batteries you won't have to worry about buying lots of batteries.

The Premium system has the 20Gig hard drive, built in network port, HD output, and even an Xbox Live Silver subscription for on line play.

The Bad:

A lot of break downs continue to be reported, the Xbox 360 isn't exactly sturdy.

Bottom Line:

The machine to buy for a console gamer.

The xbox360 is a great console and very fun. When I play I am usually competitive playing sports games against my friends. The xbox360 has a lot of fun games including Gears of War, Halo 3, Madden, and a lot of other sports games. There are usually no problems playing like the old xbox which would overheat when you played too much. Also the xbox360 you can play online which is a lot of fun because you get to see how good other people around the world are compared to you. Also if you have a headset it is fun to talk to them and sometimes trash talk them if you are doing well and they aren't. Overall the xbox360 is a console that I would recommend.

The XBOX 360 is one of the greatest consoles that I have owned. If you get this console you wont be disappointed because the Xbox has much better graphics then the PS3 it also has more games then PS3 and 3 of my favorite game's for the XBOX is Halo 1, 2, and 3 these games are awesome and you will not stop playing them. I also enjoy the Internet use of the xbox 360 it is more active then the PS3. When I bought this Xbox it rally made my TV look great and also the price of this xbox is great, now its only $279.99 in some stores. The only thing that I am upset about it is it breaks easily and that is what happened to mine, but still over all this is a great console out there today.

The Microsoft Xbox 360™ Premium Console is the ultimate online gaming console at this time. If you enjoy playing against your friends or meeting new people via the internet on XBL (X Box Live) this is the console for you. A wide assortment for games are available for download on XBL. Many old arcarde style games and new ones are added constantly. Many titles are for younger players also. Kids from ages 5 and up will enjoy many of the educational games. A rating system for the games helps parents gain control of the content for their childrens gameplay. The console also has DVD play capability along with
the ability to download movies is also available on this console. A small fee is required. You can also play all your HD DVD movies on the XBOX360 when you connect the HD player (sold seperately) on your Hi Def TV. This console is also an add on to your Windows Media Server and can connect to you Microsoft Zune Media Player via a wi-fi internet connection.
Microsoft has also recenty announced that XBOX360 will become the first console to allow end users to create their own content for the console.
The community will be allowed to share their creations with the world. If you are a amateur video game designer this is a HUGE chance for you to strut your stuff and get instant feedback from the XBOX community.
The premium console is your best bargain right now as the lesser Core version isnt all that much less expensive and you have no place to store downloads.
You will be very satisfied when you purchase the XBOX360 Premium Gaming System.

XBOX 360 is a great system to own. I've had mine for 2 years now and it's a blast. Some people will say that theres a huge problem with the hardware over heating, which has happened to people.. but never me. (knocks on wood)

things to know about the xbox 360..

The Pro / Premium Console now comes with one wireless controller, two games (Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Forza 2), and a headset for online gaming/interaction. Also note that this is available with a HDMI output, just make sure you check the box. It has a BIG HDMI sticker on the box. (most people don't know this and get suckered into getting older models without HDMI.)

The Arcade / Core Console comes with 5 free arcade games, one wireless controller, 256MB Memory Unit, and is also available with a HDMI output.

If you're looking to upgrade to the next gaming generation, xbox 360 is your best bet! You can easily find deals on games for $19.99 and $29.99 which is great if you're not looking to spend $60 on every game out there. If you owned a PS3, its hard to get any game at that price.

Pros: Great amount of games available to buy, compared to the PS3 which doesn't have as many choices. More used games to buy, so its cheaper. Xbox Live has a great amount of content, as PlayStation Network doesn't.

Cons: The only con I can think of is not having a HD Player built-in. It's an add-on and goes for about $80-$120 online. It's not really a con for me, considering I wouldn't want to use my games and movies on the same unit. Having it separate is perfect for me.