Cable Forum - View Single Post - Neil's XBOX 360 Guide (WIP) (Updated 18/11)

Neil · 11-11-2005, 10:12

I thought it was about time we had an XBOX 360 guide to help people who are thinking of making the jump to Microsoft's Next Gen console.

I'll try to keep this as updated as possible, but please PM me if anything becomes out of date, or if there's something you feel that needs adding.

I've split this into several sections, which wlll (hopefully!) make it easier to follow.

1) General Info.
2) Video.
3) Audio.
4) Games.
5) Accessories-HDD/Wired & Wireless controllers etc.
6) XBOX 360 Live.
7) Pre-ordering an XBOX 360.

General Info

1) When will the XBOX 360 be released?
2) How much will the XBOX 360 cost?
3) Will there be 'bundles' available?

The machine(s) will be released in the UK/Europe on December 2nd 2005.
There will be 2 'packs' available, there are called the 'Core' Pack, & the 'Premium' pack.

The Core (base) Pack will cost Â£209.99, & the Premium Pack will cost Â£279.99.

The Core Pack

The Premium Pack

Bundled with the Core Pack will be the following items:

1 x Xbox 360 console.
1x Wired Controller
1 x composite AV lead with scart 'adapter' (like the one that came with the original Xbox, but does not include an optical out lead for 5.1 sound)
1 x White Faceplate (this is removable to enable customisation of the appearance of your machine.

Bundled in the Premium Pack will be the following items:

1 x Xbox 360 console (with chrome detail)
1 x Wireless Controller.
1 x White Faceplate.
1 x Component/Composite HD AV lead with SCART adapter (this will connect to composite, component HD and non-RGB scart and this WILL feature an optical out for 5.1 sound)
1 x Xbox 360 Live headset.
1 x 20GB (removeable) HDD.
1 x Ethernet Cable.
1 X Mini Media Remote.

Science bit....

Although the full package costs Â£70 more, the extra bits you get with it make it well worth the extra Â£'s.

As the 20GB hard drive is expected to retail at Â£70, the HD lead is expected to cost Â£20-Â£25 and the Live headset will be Â£15.

The mini remote is not the full version that will be available separately, but it still appears to be a worthwhile item.

The core system will require a memory card be added to save games which should cost approximately Â£23 (which basically bumps up the cost of the Core System to Â£233)

But at only Â£47 less than the Premium Pack, the difference in value is still obvious.

FAQ

Q1) "Iâ€™ve heard that the Xbox 360 games will be â€œHi Definitionâ€â€“Do I need an HDTV?

A) No

MS have said that all developers should code to 720p resolution (as a minimum), but the console will downscale to 480i for non HD televisions.
So you don't need an HD display to use an XBOX 360, it will look awesome when played in 720p or even 1080i.

Q2) "Does the 360 offer 5.1 surround sound?"
A) Yes, the 360 will have 5.1 Dolby Digital sound on all games, and DVDs also.

The only way to get full 5.1 surround sound will be to use an optical connection. All leads except the one that comes with the core 360 package have an optical out connection located on the end of the lead that connects to the XBOX 360.

Q3) "What games will be available at launch (and how much will they cost!?)"

There still appears to be a bit of confusion over this at the mo, with most online retailers having 'TBC' as a release date.

A rough guide for games available at launch should be:

Amped 3
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Dead or Alive 4
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup
GUN
Kameo: Elements of Power
NBA2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL2K6
The Outfit
Perfect Dark Zero
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Saints Row
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Top Spin 2.

The games are expected to retail for approximately Â£45.00

A good indication is normally Amazon, & they've got a list here.

Q4)"Can I download trailers for the XBOX 360 games?"
A) Hi Def trailers here

http://events.teamxbox.com/movies/2...-Video-Montage/
(Quicktime)

Hi Def movie of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GR3) ftp://files.xboxworld.nl/pub/movies...presentatie.avi
(DivX)

Call of Duty 2 (CoD2): Complete level. http://www.squadxp.com/Games/cod2gp2.wmv

Q5)"Will Xbox 360 games be region-locked?"
A) Almost certainly, yes.

Q6) "What accessories will be available (& how much will they cost)?"
A) There's a great list on the Official UK XBOX 360 site.

11-11-2005, 10:12	#1
Neil . Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 6,239	Neil's XBOX 360 Guide (WIP) (Updated 18/11) I thought it was about time we had an XBOX 360 guide to help people who are thinking of making the jump to Microsoft's Next Gen console. I'll try to keep this as updated as possible, but please PM me if anything becomes out of date, or if there's something you feel that needs adding. I've split this into several sections, which wlll (hopefully!) make it easier to follow. 1) General Info. 2) Video. 3) Audio. 4) Games. 5) Accessories-HDD/Wired & Wireless controllers etc. 6) XBOX 360 Live. 7) Pre-ordering an XBOX 360. General Info 1) When will the XBOX 360 be released? 2) How much will the XBOX 360 cost? 3) Will there be 'bundles' available? The machine(s) will be released in the UK/Europe on December 2nd 2005. There will be 2 'packs' available, there are called the 'Core' Pack, & the 'Premium' pack. The Core (base) Pack will cost Â£209.99, & the Premium Pack will cost Â£279.99. The Core Pack The Premium Pack Bundled with the Core Pack will be the following items: 1 x Xbox 360 console. 1x Wired Controller 1 x composite AV lead with scart 'adapter' (like the one that came with the original Xbox, but does not include an optical out lead for 5.1 sound) 1 x White Faceplate (this is removable to enable customisation of the appearance of your machine. Bundled in the Premium Pack will be the following items: 1 x Xbox 360 console (with chrome detail) 1 x Wireless Controller. 1 x White Faceplate. 1 x Component/Composite HD AV lead with SCART adapter (this will connect to composite, component HD and non-RGB scart and this WILL feature an optical out for 5.1 sound) 1 x Xbox 360 Live headset. 1 x 20GB (removeable) HDD. 1 x Ethernet Cable. 1 X Mini Media Remote. Science bit.... Although the full package costs Â£70 more, the extra bits you get with it make it well worth the extra Â£'s. As the 20GB hard drive is expected to retail at Â£70, the HD lead is expected to cost Â£20-Â£25 and the Live headset will be Â£15. The mini remote is not the full version that will be available separately, but it still appears to be a worthwhile item. The core system will require a memory card be added to save games which should cost approximately Â£23 (which basically bumps up the cost of the Core System to Â£233) But at only Â£47 less than the Premium Pack, the difference in value is still obvious. FAQ Q1) "Iâ€™ve heard that the Xbox 360 games will be â€œHi Definitionâ€â€“Do I need an HDTV? A) No MS have said that all developers should code to 720p resolution (as a minimum), but the console will downscale to 480i for non HD televisions. So you don't need an HD display to use an XBOX 360, it will look awesome when played in 720p or even 1080i. Q2) "Does the 360 offer 5.1 surround sound?" A) Yes, the 360 will have 5.1 Dolby Digital sound on all games, and DVDs also. The only way to get full 5.1 surround sound will be to use an optical connection. All leads except the one that comes with the core 360 package have an optical out connection located on the end of the lead that connects to the XBOX 360. Q3) "What games will be available at launch (and how much will they cost!?)" There still appears to be a bit of confusion over this at the mo, with most online retailers having 'TBC' as a release date. A rough guide for games available at launch should be: Amped 3 Call of Duty 2 Condemned: Criminal Origins Dead or Alive 4 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup GUN Kameo: Elements of Power NBA2K6 NBA Live 06 Need for Speed: Most Wanted NHL2K6 The Outfit Perfect Dark Zero Project Gotham Racing 3 Quake 4 Saints Row Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Top Spin 2. The games are expected to retail for approximately Â£45.00 A good indication is normally Amazon, & they've got a list here. Q4)"Can I download trailers for the XBOX 360* games?"* A) Hi Def trailers here http://events.teamxbox.com/movies/2...-Video-Montage/ (Quicktime) Hi Def movie of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GR3) ftp://files.xboxworld.nl/pub/movies...presentatie.avi (DivX) Call of Duty 2 (CoD2): Complete level. http://www.squadxp.com/Games/cod2gp2.wmv Q5)"Will Xbox 360 games be region-locked?" A) Almost certainly, yes. Q6) "What accessories will be available (& how much will they cost)?" A) There's a great list on the Official UK XBOX 360 site.