Xbox 360 Arcade console listed on retail sites for Oct. 23

the wii is basicly a cd player.. not much to improve or cheapen there ;P

@marcandrer:

Ironically, the wii doesn't play audio CD's, or at least mine doesn't

I don't think it's confusing anyone. No one goes out and drops a few hundred dollars without doing proper research.

You're confusing 'cheated' with 'jealous.' We paid our $400 knowing full well there wasn't an hdmi port on it. We didn't get cheated because we got exactly what we agreed to pay for.

That's the risk early adopters take. It happens with everything. People spending $1000 on a DVD player probably never anticipated a better model appear on shelves only a few years later for 150 bucks. But that's the way it works. The fact that 360's are crapping out left and right is a much more solid argument.

Actually, not me. I ebayed my 360 after it died for the 6th of 7th time, and plan on buying one of the newer models once the price drops and they fix the issues (god willing).

I would feel cheated.... if the damn thing was here instead of a MS repair center. Once it comes back, I'm ebaying it off and snagging a falcon. Not much of an improvement, but another three years of warranty is well worth the price when you consider my system has been in that center of theirs five times.

And people wonder why I buy multiplats on PS3 instead of 360.... now I can just point them at that "hot new" game called Halo 3 that I won't be able to play at LEAST until these units come out.

Nope not at all. I'm still stuck in the world of SD well aside from the occasionally computer monitor I jack into. But then again I bought most of my accessories when the local Sam Goody was closing. $40 wifi adapter isn't bad if I say so myself let alone $15 VGA cable

sheppy that sucks for you, my 1st 360 rrod'd on me a month after launch, but i'd left it on for a few days. now i turn it off every night and haven't had a problem

The exact same number as Sony - 4.

That isn't particularly the same. This isn't a bundle, it is a hardware revision.

While Nintendo did make the adjustments, they did so to boost sales of a flagging product. The 360 hasn't finished up year 2 and it already has 4 versions, each with different hardware setups. On top of that, the differences are immaterial. Different HD sizes and HDMI ports. The PS3 differences are even smaller. At least Sony has the forethought of pulling the old model off the shelves, Microsoft is likely going to keep 4 different models in stores, further confusing the hell out of people.

I forgot to mention GB Pocket.

unless you were severely mentally retarded..I don't see how you can be confused by this. The descriptions are on the box!! That is why we learn to read when we are very little.

Most likely. It's been confirmed that the Halo XBox has the Falcon CPU.

On topic. This is a package that makes sense. You get everything you need to start with. Doesn't have to start with buying memory cards or games.

Why the hell would this affect your wired controller....?????

Rember the xbox1's Big controller? When they stopped bundleing it into the console it bassicly went extinct. Even thow there were (few) people who liked the big contoller.

Well there are (a few) people who like the wired controllers. Now that it's not bundled into the 360 core, this could mean the end of it.

Oh you mean buying them in the future, I can see your point, although with a play and charge kit you can make a wireless into a wired.

Just out of curiosity, why do you prefer wired over wireless???

And I was one of those few people that liked "The Duke" back in the day.

Actually the play and charge kit just charges the controller and doesnt replace its wireless communication medium. So interference wouldn't be solved by using the play and charge kit.

Yes, get Viva Pinata. You will not be disappointed.

It comes down to what you want (or are going) to play. Don't make the assumption that people bought a Wii becuase it was cheaper than all the other consoles.

the wii rocks balls. they are the only system out of the three that have done anything new (and i am a proud ps3 owner so this isn't a fanboy talking.) the ps3 and xbox 360 are just having a pissing contest with the whole memory upgrade deals going on. that is why not just spend 30 dollars more on the 360. because you are saving thiry dollars and getting a better system that you don't have to worry about rrod'ing on you.

You forgot the Halo edition.

To be fair, the Arcade is replacing the Core, the Pro is replacing the Premium, and the Halo Edition is limited. Still, 4 versions is too many for anyone who hasn't done their research first.

That said, I think I may pick one of these up when they come out to replace my Elite (I got it for the HDMI, but I wanted a white Xbox) and just drag the HDD over to the new one. Plus, hey, free memory card!

isn't it possible that wired controllers cost more than wireless, but what you're actually paying more for is convenience?

Oh and by no audio/video quality advantage I mean that there isn't going to be any difference between a 720p Component signal and a 720p HDMI signal as well as with all other modes

HDMI is mostly just component/audio outs/some digital signals preventing copy protection and telling your TV what mode to switch to automatically. So really all it does for the consumer is make setup easier. And most TVs will adjust the resolution automatically anyway with component.

Everybody please read what this man wrote; he speaks the truth. There is far too much misinformation being spread about the differences between component video and HDMI. Those people who believe they are "missing out" by not having HDMI are misguided. HDMI actually has some disadvantages, such as signal loss/failure at long lengths and the ever-unpopular DRM (HDCP; look it up).

i use my 360 hddvd player over component @ 1080i, looks incredible

Shibathedog you're spreading quite a bit of misinformation yourself. While I think your central point is correct (that people stress over tiny details that have a negligible effect on the visual quality), your "hard facts" are wildly inaccurate. In response to your points:

1.) You really couldn't be more wrong about the video signal in HDMI. There is a core technical difference between component and HDMI in that an HDMI signal is purely digital all the way up to the display. You can debate over how much this improves the quality (which will largely depend on the display making the A/D conversion), but to say that "HDMI is mostly just component/audio outs" is bafflingly incorrect.

2.) It's true that for now that you can watch a full resolution HDDVD through component, but that's only because content producers (i.e. studios) have chosen not to make use of this security feature to push quicker adoption. If a studio decided to include the proper security flag on a title (which they could do at any time), your component-fed video would be downsized to 480p. I don't like it either, but those are the facts no matter how much you and busydoingnothing would like to think otherwise.

3.) If the Xbox can only deliver 1080p over HDMI, then for that device HDMI is a definite advantage. I doesn't matter if component video is capable of 1080p in theory if there's no way to do so on a 360.

Also, you are also exaggerating the "scientific studies." Just out of curiousity, have you ever actually seen one of these studies, or did you just hear that somewhere? Aside from the fact that 80 inches really isn't a ridiculous screen size in a world where home theaters are practically commonplace, you can absolutely tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 50" screen from more than 4 feet away. Maybe not with the horrifying abomination that is DirecTV HD, but a good clear signal 1080p signal from a HTPC or 360 is noticeably better than a 720p signal on the same display (generally...again, it depends a lot on the display).

Again, I agree with your central argument, because quality is a relative term. 720p is an enormous step up in quality from SD, and looks fantastic. I think the vast majority of people would be entirely satisfied with 720p if they didn't know any better. I personally would get a 720p LCD if I were buying right now and wouldn't dream of getting a new xbox solely to get HDMI. But you're backing up your argument with complete falsehoods and that harms your argument instead of helping it.