NXE requires 128MB space, MS to offer 'storage solutions'
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 10th 2008 at 12:33PM }
Details are promised in the coming weeks, so for now we're left to wonder how Microsoft plans to provide solutions other than the current option of purchasing a memory card or hard drive. Full statement after the break.
Microsoft statement:
"The New Xbox Experience will require 128MB of free space. A hard drive is recommended for the optimal experience, to take advantage of some new features, and to be able to enjoy the great movies, TV shows and games available on Xbox LIVE. While we expect the majority of consumers to download the New Xbox Experience without a problem, a small percentage of Xbox 360 owners do not have enough memory to accommodate the update. To help ensure all Xbox LIVE members are able to download the New Xbox Experience and enjoy its new features, Microsoft will be offering storage solutions to the Xbox LIVE community. We are not sharing details of this offering yet. Be sure to check xbox.com."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dirty @ Oct 10th 2008 12:37PM
The solution Im hoping for..... reducing the price of their hard drives... drastically.
jonatho @ Oct 10th 2008 12:47PM
I'll second that.
Ghen @ Oct 10th 2008 12:43PM
Down around the price of any external 120GB plus maybe a $30 microsoft fee.. so I'm thinking $85 would be a fair price.
copa @ Oct 10th 2008 12:57PM
Relax guys, Microsoft has announced a completely free storage solution.
When you power down the console, your XBox 360 will display a 128,000 character save code. You can jot down the code, or send it to a printer on your local network.
The next time you power up the console, enter the code using your controller and the NXE will load seamlessly.
Jakka @ Oct 10th 2008 1:20PM
LOL!
It took me two read-throughs but I see what you did there!
Anticrawl @ Oct 10th 2008 1:46PM
Will probably be an offer for free 128mb cards for anyone who has a serial attached to a core console.
DigDug @ Oct 10th 2008 1:48PM
What happened to Arcade being excellent value? Now Microsoft's story is that that "A hard drive is recommended for the optimal experience"..
Seems Microsofts story changes every week to suit...
Jakka @ Oct 10th 2008 1:51PM
It is an excellent value although mostly for casuals who don't give a shit and RRODERS who can just put their old HDD in.
Badboy1979 @ Oct 10th 2008 2:00PM
Keyword being "recommended" and not "required" ... so the arcade will still have the NXE and it is still of excellent value since you can play games, get online, extend media center, stream audio/video from you pc, hook up your ipod, watch DVDs, etc on the Arcade... WITHOUT a harddrive.
Paulmichael @ Oct 10th 2008 3:46PM
@copa, haha that reminds me GTA2 on my GBC, I had to copy a long string to continue my game. Oh and by the way the code would have to be 128,000,000 characters long. :P Maybe less if they could compress it somehow.
Anyway, if Microsoft had just made a hard drive mandatory in all SKUs they wouldn't have to do this. Then again, it's yet another peripheral that they get to sell and make more money off of people.
SecretAgentHam @ Oct 10th 2008 12:41PM
free 128mb flash cards? ...pfft. ms giving something for free maybe? hmm... seems too good to be true. im all for the HDD price drops though, bring that on! with all the games i am going to install i might need another 120gb or even upgrade to a 320 or 500gb. oh the possibilities...
Tiptup300 @ Oct 10th 2008 1:04PM
If you don't have a memory card or an HD. You most likely aren't connecting to xbox that often.
Ellianth @ Oct 10th 2008 2:15PM
Just thought you'd like to know that Microsoft gives away a lot of free stuff. In fact, they do it really often, and they don't just give away garbage.
When was the last time YOU gave someone something good free of charge?
P.S. That blow job you gave your math teacher for a passing grade doesn't count!
Tiptup300 @ Oct 10th 2008 2:19PM
Yeah, my zune was out of warranty, the earbuds died, and I needed a set of their older premium earbuds (The kind that don't go in your ear, just sit on them), well, I call them up and they send me the non-premium earbuds and the $30 premium in-ear ones. I guess they don't make the older prem. earbuds. :(
NOT ME @ Oct 10th 2008 2:36PM
At least they a "free" HDMI cable. and this is when Most, Not all but Most were paying $100 for them.
KeenCommander @ Oct 10th 2008 12:41PM
Can't we just burn the 'tards who bought one without a hard drive? Would be much more fun than a "storage solution".
Chin-Poh @ Oct 10th 2008 12:53PM
Oh shit, I'm one of them! : 0
Reason I haven't bought one is because I'm not sure if I want to keep the 360, thinking of selling it after playing a bit of Gears 2 to get a gaming PC instead.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 10th 2008 1:13PM
Really? There's probably like 40 really solid games out for that thing, plus like 30 more great arcade games. I'd recommend keeping it and picking up a hard drive.
KeenCommander @ Oct 10th 2008 1:19PM
There's probably like 400 really solid games for PC...at least.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 10th 2008 1:24PM
Touche.
Lars @ Oct 10th 2008 1:47PM
Hey, it's Commander Keen! I loved your games! Can I have an autograph?
Is that a gray-haired Hitler NXE avatar?
AwesomeTown @ Oct 10th 2008 12:41PM
Hey, how about making the 120gb hard drive the price of a 120gb hard drive.
Jacksons @ Oct 10th 2008 1:30PM
Seriously.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 10th 2008 5:22PM
So simple...But it just might work!
Martin Bormann @ Oct 10th 2008 12:43PM
Just buy a Nintendo branded SD card.
Kingdox @ Oct 10th 2008 12:44PM
My bet is online storage for your saved games.
Dracula Jones @ Oct 10th 2008 1:13PM
Seconded. The wording on "Microsoft will be offering storage solutions to the Xbox LIVE community" suggests it will be a LIVE feature, thus requiring an internet connection. What other storage solution could that mean?
T @ Oct 10th 2008 1:17PM
That sounds like a terrible idea. The last thing I need is a hiccup in my internet connection (or LIVE) to wipe out my saves.
I vote for cheaper harddrives. And also making the NXE optional.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 10th 2008 1:22PM
That's definitely something they should be thinking about. It'd be nice if there was a way to easily be able to port your profile and saves to any box you log into It'd be like...I dunno...Live Anywhere.
(you could also include some sort of smart local backup system, if you're afraid of losing data.)
Mike @ Oct 10th 2008 1:39PM
No thanks. I don't want to rely on saving to a cloud and hoping that my internet works. Not to mention the times I'm travelling and don't have internet at all.
Desi_D @ Oct 10th 2008 12:42PM
Xbox 360: the Frankenstein console.
Dirty @ Oct 10th 2008 12:43PM
Its not as bad as the Genesis.... yet.
tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 10th 2008 12:43PM
The prices for their hard drives are ridiculous but I still have a hard time feeling sorry for people who refuse to get one and are only working with those archaic memory cards. Shit, I actually need to upgrade to a 60GB cause I only have about a gig left thanks to Jade Empire....and I had to delete 3 originals just to clear up space for that :(
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 10th 2008 12:47PM
I'm curious to see how Microsoft will handle updating the upcoming core sku's. The update alone will take up about 1/4 or the bundled memory card.
Jakka @ Oct 10th 2008 1:23PM
They could make some hardware revisions so that every new console has 128MB of internal memory flashed with NXE.
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 10th 2008 1:54PM
Thats possible.
Although if that were the case, I would guess that all system sku's would have that new flash memory. I can't imagine Microsoft would bother creating a new manufacturing line just for the core systems
Erwos @ Oct 10th 2008 1:58PM
The upcoming "Core" (they're really called "Arcade") SKUs come with a 512mb card.
T @ Oct 10th 2008 2:51PM
I would imagine that going forward, new 360's will be manufactured with the NXE built in vs. having to be installed.
Sesur @ Oct 10th 2008 12:48PM
who really buys a 360 without a HD?
Also, a 'storage solution' should involve non-raping prices for extraordinarily cheap and plentiful hard drives.
Desi_D @ Oct 10th 2008 12:52PM
People buying it as gift for someone else. I'm planning on buying one for friend's son, gonna buy him the cheapest model for his birthday. He loves games and won't leave my PS3 alone, but his parents won't buy him one.
Sesur @ Oct 10th 2008 1:34PM
Wow, you're buying your friends son an Xbox? Try getting his parents in on it to shell out for the better model?
OK, for a child, a hard drive might not be missed; but I think everyone here agrees that it's pretty much essential.
Desi_D @ Oct 10th 2008 2:09PM
They always buy something in that price range for my kids, so it's fair. I'll let him bug his parents about HDD.
Markez @ Oct 10th 2008 3:15PM
The term "non-raping" is pretty incredible. Kudos.
jimmyink @ Oct 11th 2008 8:17PM
Because it is what all you xbox fanboys use to justify the xbox being the 'cheaper' alternative to the PS3. Looking at all the comments here there are clearly a lot of xbox fans that visit Joystiq, imagine if Sony pulled this stunt on the PS3, we wouldn't here the end of it. Good thing Microsoft aren't one of the big money lenders because its companies with this attitude and lack of ethic that have fucked up the global economy.
You are all sheep! BAHHHH!
LR_Se7eN @ Oct 10th 2008 12:49PM
Game saves don;t take up much space. I am betting on online storage as well, but not for game saves...
Cyntalan @ Oct 10th 2008 12:51PM
So, wait. Does this mean that the NXE is an optional download, not just part of the fall update? Only way I can see it if they are now making a requirement. Only when the core shifted to the arcade did it come w/ the memory card. Considering their (and the 3rd party devs) philosphy on developing things requiring optional components, no matter how stupid you'd have to be to not have one all this time (kinda dumb for no HDD, but no memory card? Hard to believe but I have no doubt there are some w/o one), I'd be surprised if this was a forced component. Psuedo-bricking a dumb person's 360 'til they go buy a component would be a bit odd.
My guess is I'm the dumb one and just missed the part where they said the NXE is optional.
Titanium_Orchid @ Oct 10th 2008 12:56PM
Its optional in that you have the choice of not connecting your 360 to the internet. Other than that, the update will be manditory
Cyntalan @ Oct 10th 2008 1:08PM
That's what I figured. So while a small number of people, those that both have no memory card/HDD and still use XBL are boned come this update. Ouch.
Badboy1979 @ Oct 10th 2008 1:17PM
NOTE: A memory card is required already to get onto XBL if I'm not mistaken.
The only people this will affect are the people who original bought the CORE model (and went out and purchased a 64MB memory card only) before it became the ARCADE model with the included 256MB card.
1) That small percentage will still be able to play offline (the console will NOT be "bricked")
2) There is a small chance that they will be allowed to play online for a time period until they get the "storage solution".
3) The storage solution may arrive in time for that small percentage to not experience any downtime.
So I guess it's a waiting game to see what MS has in store.
Mark @ Oct 10th 2008 12:55PM
Tard pack or not, Microsoft better get this together quick. Since the NXE is not optional ... Microsoft is going to brick systems come 11/19?
Say I bought a arcade pack at launch and a small memory card. Now I am going to be toasted by Microsoft because I made the mistake of buying the SKU they offered me?
Look, Redmond: you made the decision to offer the non-hard-drive product. It's too late now.