Brand new to Xbox scene, little help?

[Frodo]

So I'm brand new to the Xbox scene, and have been searching these forums, as well as a few others for information about the 360. Unfortunately I have a few questions I can't seem to get.

1.) I am on my way to buying my first xbox 360 console. I am a very casual gamer, usually spending most my time on 1 maybe 2 or 3 games at most. I would like to play on Xbox Live, but will probably not spend much time downloading or streaming videos/ music. Should I go with the Arcade console, or is it worth it to upgrade to the pro with 2 free games etc? Searching these forums has given me mixed opinions, however most my friends say to go for the pro.

2.) I currently own a Wii and a PS2. The ps2 was bought as a dvd player and it does it's job fine. I understand the 360 can play dvd's out of the box, correct? I also own a Samsung 32 inch HDTV and it has slots for HDMI AVI, S-Video Cable, and Component. Will the component cables with the Premium edition allow me to game in High Def (720p) or will they just give me 480p?

3.) I have read alot about the new 65mn Falcon consoles. What are the chances of me picking one up if I buy at a time like now. Have most of the defective consoles faded out by now? If not Microsoft offers me a 3 year warranty on RRoD correct?

Thank you very much to anyone who answers. Much appreciated!

 

[T3kNi9e]

1.) Just get a Pro. Premium does not come with hard drive. Arcade does not come with Component Cables so you are forced to play without HD.

2.) Yes it comes with Component Cables, you can play with 720p which btw looks way better than a standard TV.

3.) The chances of you getting the 65mn are very very high. I would say the chances of you getting the older one is almost impossible since christmas has past and the 65mn started shipping in September. Even if by some slim chance you did get the older one, yes there is the 3 year warranty. I have the old one that I bought back in August, still works perfect, no problems ever.

 

[Minto]

The Premium does come with a hard drive^^^

 

[The_Mitch]

1.) Just get a Pro. Premium does not come with hard drive. Arcade does not come with Component Cables so you are forced to play without HD.

the pro and premium are the exact same thing. idk why people started calling it the pro. its official name is premium and it comes with a 20gig HDD and HD cables. also the arcade, while it doesnt come with HD cables, you can buy then seperate (you can even use HDMI to game in 1080p)

 

[Sovieto]

i think the arcade version does come with component cables now.. i might be wrong though. the thing is though the arcade version does come with a HDMI plug, so, you want these instead of component cables anyways. using HDMI, it upscales your regular DVDs you play in your 360 into HD. the arcade does come with 5 free arcade games as well, and youll be able to play online still and what not, just, you might run out of memory quick with the memory stick.

 

[T3kNi9e]

Oops, I always get Premium mixed up as two different consoles. I meant Core which I still call the Arcade.

And the Arcade only comes with Composite.

 

[Frodo]

Hey thanks for the replies guys.

Just wondering about a few things. Do the newer premiums not come with an HDMI output. I thought I read somewhere they did.

Also, component will play 720p, and composite (arcade cords) refers to your standard AV cables, correct?

With component (720p) will it upscale DVD's at all? (I am not planning to get the HD DVD player at the moment.)

Thanks once again

 

[T3kNi9e]

They all come with HDMI output now.

Component I believe plays up to 1080p

Composite (Arcade cords) is AV cables, you're correct.

Not sure about it upscaling DVD's since I dont buy HD-DVD's. I personally think its a waste of money

 

[Sovieto]

They all come with HDMI output now.

Component I believe plays up to 1080p

Composite (Arcade cords) is AV cables, you're correct.

Not sure about it upscaling DVD's since I dont buy HD-DVD's. I personally think its a waste of money

upscaling DVDs work only with HDMI (strangely enough, which also pisses me off because my model doesnt have a HDMI output and I have an HDTV!!!)

 

[T3kNi9e]

I think some accessory company is coming out with a HDMI converter. I forgot which company it was though. Supposed to be coming real soon.

Does VGA upscale DVDs? I have my 360 hooked up to my plasma monitor from my old PC.

 

[SensesFail]

not exactly sure what your asking about the DVDs there teknine, but i know the 360 is complete crap when it comes to DVD playback. i saw an article on it a couple months ago, they said it was one of the worst DVD players available and they had some screenshots to back it up and what not.