Video: Xbox 360 Games on Demand service
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jun 6th 2009 at 6:30PM } 
Curious how the Xbox 360's recently announced "Games on Demand" service is going to look in your Dashboard? Microsoft made this helpful video, walking you through the entire process. First off: Buying Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, for $19.99 (note: no Microsoft Points here, folks). Next: Booting up the already purchased BioShock. Simple as pie, no disc needed. And the cherry on top: Quick Launching Mass Effect from inside BioShock. Looks like a great feature ...
... now, let's talk about those hard drive prices.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
B3astofthe3ast @ Jun 6th 2009 6:39PM
Sigh....this is the thanks I get for camping out for the 360...getting stuck with a useless 20 gig HDD. Say what you want about the PS3, but Sony DID design a future proof system, I haven't needed anything extra for my PS3, sans a $6 HDMI cable. For my 360, I had to buy a $100 wifi adapter, multiple play n charge kits, and now, a new, grossly overpriced HDD.
:/
InFaMoUs1- @ Jun 6th 2009 6:45PM
damn that sucks.. I only bought a PS Eye and have a PS bluetooth Headset everything else was already in the Box =P
Peter Moore @ Jun 6th 2009 6:46PM
No one's forcing you to buy your games digitally.
B3astofthe3ast @ Jun 6th 2009 6:54PM
It's not even the digital games, My HDD is just about full. Rock band DLC has pretty much murdered my HDD, and so even if I wanted to DL a full game, the option is not there. Sony, on the other hand, included a nice 60 gig HDD, a card reader for further storage, and even supports usb mass storage.
MarkHawk @ Jun 6th 2009 6:59PM
I agree, it does suck. Im not voting you down because your points are valid. I do believe though the 360 did a lot more things right from the begining then the PS3 but it did do some things better then Microsoft. But I m glad we have the option to upgrade this console cycle and not have to upgrade to the next gen system 5 years later.
shane86 @ Jun 6th 2009 7:26PM
Yep it sucks, all my rock bands songs take up a lot of the room on my 20gb drive. Unfortunately I can't use this service and I'm not paying the ridiculous prices MS are charging for a bigger HDD
potato @ Jun 6th 2009 7:28PM
I don't know why you're being downvoted, I feel the same way. I got a first-gen 360 with the 20GB HDD and even without any installed games it's already nearing capacity. DLC absolutely destroys you.
It's greed, that's all it is. MS could have easily allowed us to install our own 2.5" HDDs - this is not rocket science, it's just a hard drive. I would easily slap in a 250GB drive for cheap... if I could.
I will probably end up splurging for the 120GB HDD, but even that won't be enough in the end. With full games now downloadable the only logical thing is to move into the 250+ GB range.
Cosmo @ Jun 6th 2009 7:33PM
Damn, who the hell downvoted you? All your points ARE valid.
Though the PS3 did come out a year after the 360, so I suppose they had time to learn from these mistakes and make their system more future proof and upgradable.
Microsoft also sucks for us having to purchase a $20 kit to charge the batteries in the controllers whereas with the PS3's controllers, just connect a mini-USB cable to the PS3 or anything with USB ports and charge your controller.
I cannot believe their official MSRP on the Wifi adaptor is $100 and around the same for the 60gb HDD if I'm not mistaken.
Danny @ Jun 6th 2009 7:46PM
Yeah aside from your obvious fanboyism everything you say is a completely valid point. I love my PS3 and my 360 but if Sony introduces a decent system for downloading current games you better believe I'll use my 80GB over the 20GB in my 360 any day.
rkrocks123 @ Jun 6th 2009 7:52PM
"Obvious fanboyism"?
Let's see...he camped out for a 360, and has good things to say about the PS3. I'm not sure which one he's supposed to be a fanboy of. I don't own a PS3, but I still think Microsoft's peripheral pricing is nothing short of shameless profiteering. And the whole "companies exist to make money" line does NOT cut it in this situation.
Staccat0 @ Jun 11th 2009 12:07AM
You are right. My 20G is filling rapidly and I'm not a fan of paying the insane prices MS charges for a HDD.
I don't own a PS3, but they cartainly gave you a lot for your money. Its just more mpney than I have to spare on this hobby:P
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Jun 6th 2009 8:14PM
you pissed of teh fanbotz!!!!
truth is truth tho.....KNOWING making small HDD options and even on WITHOUT a HDD while planning to focus on DLC heavily, movies, and FULL titles is just terrorism...
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 6th 2009 8:16PM
Yeah I only have about 3 gigs left on my 20gb, and I had to delete the 4 or 5 xbox originals I had to just have that much left. Rock Band songs and various DLC are destroying what little space I have left.
I've put what seems like a huge amount of stuff on my 60gb ps3 drive, and I still have about 20 left. It's also much more reassuring to know that if I do need a bigger drive, I can get a 320gb drive for around the price of a new game.
I can't imagine why Microsoft thinks people should have to pay over $100 for a 120gb drive.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Jun 6th 2009 8:29PM
tmac...they HDDs are SPESHO!!!
Its not Like Toshiba Makes dem at all!!
Dey Come fum Dey MOON!!
Type105x @ Jun 6th 2009 9:18PM
I dont see you point on downloading the games?
Sony crap even turn to this! downloading a 30+BG game haha..... yea because you can fit many of them on a 80GB.
my point is your a yap coming on here pointing out things (5 years old)
OMG XBOX HAS A 20GB harddrive..... omg xbox has a DVD DRIVE!!
yip and your point is >.< I dont get you people
Garst @ Jun 6th 2009 9:21PM
His points aren't at all valid. A wireless router doesn't mean you have to use it wirelessly. Any respectable home router has four ethernet ports on them. Move the router next closer to the Xbox, and buy cheaper wireless adapters for your computers. Rechargable AA batteries are much more economical, because you can also use them in other devices. You might have had a point about the HDD if it weren't for the fact that you knew that it was a proprietary drive. I'm sure you said, "Like Hell!" to Sony when they tried to sell you movies on UMD, but said nothing about the HDD on the Xbox. It's your own fault that you thought a 20GB HDD was going to last you the life of the system.
AndyS @ Jun 6th 2009 10:13PM
@Cosmo
"Microsoft also sucks for us having to purchase a $20 kit to charge the batteries in the controllers whereas with the PS3's controllers, just connect a mini-USB cable to the PS3 or anything with USB ports and charge your controller."
I just use rechargeable AAs. Cheap, and I already had a bunch and a charger. I've actually got a couple of the charge kits unopened that I keep meaning to put on ebay because they seem pointless to me.
Charlie @ Jun 6th 2009 10:21PM
What you say is factually correct and it sucks that MSFT hacks are voting you down. The PS3 supports external USB storage and even better, uses standard laptop hard drives so you can go buy a commodity 2.5" SATA 500GB drive right now for $85 shipped and slip that into your PS3. MSRP on Microsoft's 120GB Xbox hard drive: $149.99.
This feature (being able to download full games) would work much better on a system with better storage options. Microsoft should stop being stubborn and acknowledge that they have more to gain by allowing their customers to fill up larger hard drives with the content that they are buying from them anyways. They should replace the proprietary hard drive caddies they have now with ones that have standard 2.5" SATA docks, or even just allow people to use USB hard drives.
Premature ejaculation man @ Jun 6th 2009 10:40PM
YEah it sucks. Mine has about 50mb left. I always consider buying an upgrade but my mind screams at me to not do so because they charge so much.
Its one of the most surprising things to me though, that Sony, the king sticking to their own branded peripherals, is so open. I'm used to having to buy special usb cables, special memory cards and all of that, yet the PS3 has all the standard formats with the ability to upgrade the hdd aswell.
Cosmo @ Jun 6th 2009 10:50PM
Correct if I am wrong, the Xbox 360's hard drives are also standard 2.5" hard drives commonly used in laptops and the same used in the PS3, they are just in a special enclosure.
d889 @ Jun 6th 2009 11:48PM
yeah the xbox drive is just anormal one in their special enclosure ... i mean its microsoft can you really be suprised?
im honestly over complaining, i mean theres nothing to fill the drive up anyway, ive never had any space issues with my 20 gig, i usually just install the newest game i have on the hard drive and leave it at that, i mean theres no need to fill the drive up ... demos? who cares ... music and video you just stream anyway.
Draco @ Jun 7th 2009 12:00AM
thats a moot point Cosmo as you can't change the drive in the enclosure.
if someone gave you a box with 1000 dollars in it, but told you that if you open it the box would explode, you may have 1000 dollars in your hand but how the hell do you plan on spending it?
H Choi @ Jun 7th 2009 12:58AM
@Draco
Apparently there is a way to swap the 20gb HDD for a 120gb. You need to buy a specific HDD from Western Digital in order for it to work. I'm guessing that it's the exact same one that MS uses for their 120gb HDD.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/150970/upgrade_your_xbox_360s_hard_drive_on_the_cheap.html
It'll take a bit of work, but you'll wind up saving alot of money in the end. I haven't tried it myself since I don't need a bigger HDD yet.
vidGuy @ Jun 7th 2009 2:17AM
There's actually a number of series from Western Digital that you could use to replace the 360's drive. About $40 and ten minutes of removing the enclosure and formatting gets you 120GB. I still think they should provide an official solution at a reasonable price, but it's not impossible to do now.
Of note, though you can't install anything bigger than 120GB now, that is dependent on the software, not hardware. So you could install a bigger drive and unlock that capacity once MS allows the BIOS to recognize drives larger than 120GB.
BudzMcGee @ Jun 7th 2009 3:24AM
First, if I may, the hard drive Sony included with the first several generations was made by Hitatchi (spelling more than likely wrong) which, if you don't speak whatever language that is, I think, means crap hard drive literally. (aka they put the cheapest computer hard drives on the market into the most expensive gaming system)
I won't down vote you though cause I think the downloading of full games is kind of stupid with the extremely limited space xbox gave to most default packages and the redic price of HDD upgrades. Not to mention the fact they clearly won't be looking at standard used price when trying to sell a 3 year old game. This is why EB has nothing to fear from this move.
Haohmaru (PSN - DimmuBurgerKing XBL - A Real Puppet ) @ Jun 7th 2009 10:21AM
A couple of you are completely missing what he's saying here. The point B3ast is trying to make isn't that PS3 had a larger HDD out of the box. It's the fact that we can upgrade it with a standard HDD on the cheap instead of shelling out big bucks for a proprietary one. I wish MS had gone that route, too.
mrmackavelli @ Jun 7th 2009 12:16PM
Not sure why you are being downvoted, oh wait, yes I do. The hordes of 360 FanBoys who can't accept that both consoles did things right, and both did things wrong.
For me, due to the over priced hard drive on the 360, and the cost of online gaming, my 360 is only for MS exclusives.
Tep @ Jun 7th 2009 1:43PM
@the idiots above.
You guys actually bought DLC? I don't feel sorry for you.
The Baron @ Jun 7th 2009 2:37PM
Yeah, buying songs you like for a couple of bucks on a music game you made a muxh larger investment on? What idiots! They could be doing something better with their time, like making sweeping generalisations on the internet.
ALBGunner04 @ Jun 7th 2009 5:46PM
I don't understand why people voted him down (must be the fanboys).
It's a valid statement to say that Microsoft did not think of the future when designing the XBOX 360, and now that these features are coming in, they're resorting to creating new SKUs to accommodate those needs. Sony on the other hand was prepared for this kind of stuff which helps out the consumer a lot.
Giving the choice to upgrade to any laptop HDD also was a great idea. Say what you will, this isn't a fanboy statement, these are valid, not pretty, but true points. Microsoft messed up with the whole hard drive fiasco.
? @ Jun 8th 2009 3:42AM
I'm downgrading you cause your point is usless. This is an extra feature to xbox owners. you don't have to buy the game on demand. we all know they are targetting the xbox owners of a higher hardrive 60 +. 20 gb when xbox 360 launch was a big deal. now with the competition MS needed to boost the GB and they give us 120GB. it make no sence to point at MS for giving us 20 gb for the first version of xbox.. over the years technology has improve so now they are able to offer more feature to customers and this is one of them. this is for ppl that have extra memory and for those who don't want to deal with a use copy at gamstop.. I think is great. i might get bioshock if is $20.. you got your opinion I got mine. lets all go play Halo 3 :D
Super_Trey_Bros @ Jun 8th 2009 5:49PM
How did your 20GB HDD become useless? Did it lock up? Did you drop it off a 54 story building? You mention no complaints about your 360 RROD or giving an E74, so I take it you have had a 360 since November 2005 and your only problems have been that the Hard Drive is upgradeable, but in a controlled environment, and your stupidity when it comes to networking so that you actually bought $100 Wireless Adapter.
Not to start anything more than this is, I like the PS3 as well as the 360, although how does having a built in 802.11b/g WiFi adapter future proof anything? How does such a small amount of video RAM future proof it? Or on the XBOX 360, how could a DVD drive future proof that system?
Nothing is "Future Proof." Last time I checked, the PS3 uses mechanical parts, like to spin the disc and a Hard Disk Drive, not solid state. Mechanical things eventually wear out. It can only be future proof if the owner plays it once, to make sure it works, and then puts it away safely and never uses it again.. or only uses the system a few times a year. That will make it last longer, one would hope, but where's the fun in using a game console 3 or 4 times a year?
goo @ Jun 6th 2009 6:39PM
that's awesome! having to buy another hard drive is different story altogether, i have to beat my old one do death with its own shoes
aristokrat @ Jun 6th 2009 8:24PM
Nasty business, really, but sure enough I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.
Max @ Jun 6th 2009 6:43PM
So it said at the bottom "pay with credit card" does that mean there is an option to pay with points? as i don't have a credit card and may want to try this one day.
Author X @ Jun 6th 2009 7:00PM
Well, first it showed info for price in dollars and the last four digits of a credit card and "Buy with microsoft points" on the bottom. Then it switched to showing a price and current of MS points, with "Buy with credit card" on the bottom. The way I interpret that is, you can either buy with a credit card or with points, and you just hit Y to choose which one..
skyzbig @ Jun 6th 2009 6:43PM
20gb 360 owners don't need to worry do they? Digital download only is a long, long way off.
If you don't have the space, just buy the disc. What's the problem?
OrangePuck @ Jun 6th 2009 7:20PM
The problem is how much they charge for it. In the beginning they charged $180 for a 120gb HDD. PS3 users can upgrade their systems to 500gb for about $80 if they go to Fry's. I'd love to use this feature but unless Microsoft is going to make available 500gb HDDs for about $100-150 then I'll be sticking to buying the discs.
Cosmo @ Jun 6th 2009 7:34PM
One reason is to silence the loud as hell DVD drives in the Xbox 360, especially the older units.
cloud858rk @ Jun 6th 2009 7:53PM
I think the problem lies with the fact that Microsoft is adding features that a good amount of their audience won't be able to use. Overpriced hard drives are ridiculous and definitely something Sony did well on with the PS3. If I want to upgrade my hard drive, I either have to go but a $100+ one from Microsoft, or I have to perform a risky hack to add one into my current shell and flash it with the correct software.
As soon as the download only future comes, I predict that Microsoft will not make it worth our while, thanks to their stupid memory restrictions.
rkrocks123 @ Jun 6th 2009 7:56PM
Full games aren't the only things you can download from Xbox Live. I just bought a 120 gig hd online because my "20 gig" - which is actually 13 GB - is packed with Rock Band DLC, XBLA games, and other DLC. The 20 gig hd pretty much cripples 360 users - and I've owned mine for less than a year.
aristokrat @ Jun 6th 2009 8:27PM
I'm sticking with GameFly anyway. I only buy things I'll want to keep around (Halo and Gears games, so sue me...).
I feel like GameFly is me paying a monthly fee to not have to deal with the hassle of reselling things on eBay.
OMGOMG @ Jun 7th 2009 5:10AM
MICROSOFT IS ALL ABOUT CHOICES!!
And smiles.
Tann @ Jun 7th 2009 7:59AM
Just in general I need a bigger hdd though.
my 20gb is totally out, with all the rb/gh dlc i have, I barely have room for 1 demo, I would also like to copy my games to my hdd, but 20gbs isn't enough =(
bioadam @ Jun 7th 2009 10:16PM
The problem is games like Fable2 and GTAIV run much better installed on the HD. Downloading is also great: no stores to travel to. All this is moot with a wee 20GB hard drive. Microsoft really doesn't know what they are doing, do they?
Grant G @ Jun 8th 2009 1:09PM
@orangepuck
"PS3 users can upgrade their systems to 500gb for about $80 if they go to Fry's"
In all fairness, the only 2.5" 500GB HDD at fry's was listed at $90 before tax/shipping.
d889 @ Jun 6th 2009 6:45PM
hm might be time to buy a 120 gig bevs drive ... or just wait for ms to announce larger drives
ThatPCgameryouhate @ Jun 6th 2009 10:24PM
If they announce a 250gb HD at 120$, I'd buy it. Hard drives are cheap, the fact is, MS has to make the HD in that format, that works with the Xbox 360.
Or, if MS would just let us add our own HD for the price of a small cable, I'm all up for that.
1tb drives are 100$ these days, that's a nice deal, and that would definitely make this service worth while.
cloud858rk @ Jun 7th 2009 5:48AM
Keep in mind the 360 takes laptop hard drives. I'm having a hard time finding any 1 TB laptop hard drives on Newegg, Amazon, etc.
meist3r @ Jun 6th 2009 6:46PM
Pretty much useless to me sinche the market place only offers localized (read: censored) versions. I'll rather wait another six months and get it dead-cheap off some online retailer. (Bought Bioshock for 13GBP from Amazon.co.uk - 2 days shipping to Germany). Sure it's not "on demand" but at least it's what I'm actually demanding.