Microsoft System Discussion

So you need a place to post your Gamertag, talk about general information about the Xbox 360 or games on it, or want to set up some matches? Well that would be here. You want to play Halo Reach (or any other 360 game) but need a few more friends to play it with? Then post about it here and see if you can get a few people together. Thinking about getting a 360, or maybe you just got one and want to know where to start. Got a question about some random 360 thing like "Why does my 360 disc tray open when I press the eject button?" (something I've asked for years), or "Why does my iPod not play music on the 360"? Well post it here.
Basically discuss anything and everything related to the Xbox 360 here.

It is the best console out there, although it is showing it's age. With only 512 mb of ram I'm surprised company's are still trying to push for better graphics on the system. Example: Halo Reach trying to make its cutscenes look nice but make it too good looking that it causes the framerate to be choppy. Tack on the fact that it only displays in 720p and upscales to 1080p and you have a console that is good, but not amazing.

I've had 3 Xbox 360's now, and I can't say I really care that much anymore. From late 2006 to late 2009 I played my Xbox 360 non-stop. I thought a keyboard and mouse was evil and I couldn't find enough games that I wanted to play on others systems to warrant buying them. Then in May 2009 I finally got a new PC that I built for gaming and that all changed. In July of 2009 I bought Team Fortress 2 on steam and I never looked back.

I buy almost all my games for PC now. I've even rebought a few games I had on my Xbox 360 on Steam (Mass Effect, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead 1, The orange box). I've got to say I'm a complete PC gamer now. I rarely touch my xbox, and when I do it's only to play a few rounds of MW2 while I wait for my PC to defrag or something. Games like Fallout 3, Oblivion, Halo and Mass Effect play so much better on a keyboard and mouse than they ever did on a console. Probably the biggest example of this was Mass Effect 1 on the Xbox 360. I rented that thing twice trying to get into it but never could because of the odd controls, the clunky interfaces and slow texture loading times. When I rebought it on steam I loved the game, the keyboard and mouse was perfect for that type of game. Sitting here 6 months later, I've beaten both Mass Effect 1 and 2 on PC and plan to buy the third on the day it comes out for PC.

Darth Bagger, I will have to agree, the pc is the best gaming platform. However, for the fast majority of people, the 360 will be good enough. Lets be realistic. A good gaming rig is what, 500 dollars? A new 360 is at $ 200 currently, plus a deal for Halo and a year of gold for less then 50 dollars. So for some people, a 360 is what they can afford.

Besides, I rather like the controls for Mass Effect :P

I have nothing against PC gaming but I'm just more of a console gamer myself. I love my Xbox 360, and that isn't going to change any time soon. This summer will be two years since I got into Xbox because I was always a Sony fan and loved my Playstation until I made the jump from a PS2 to the 360 (at the time 360 was cheaper than PS3 so I chose it for that reason). I was pretty unsure at first if I would like Xbox at all since I really wanted a PS3, but I have never looked back since. I love a lot of Xbox only titles like Gears Of War, Halo and Left 4 Dead. I couldn't imagine being without them. I also upgraded my 360 from a Pro to a Slim when they came out, and I totally love it now, no more noise unless I play on disc but it's nowhere near as loud as the Pro was.

That said, I still think PC has better graphics and you can definitely customize your game play more with parts you want computer wise and not have to worry about modding or voiding a warranty and such. I only have Left 4 Dead on my PC games because I was really into wanting to modify my characters appearances and weapons, and since that's the only game I play I can't say much about playing on PC. I'm more of a controller person so even on PC I play with a 360 controller. Keyboard and mouse are too hard for me to grasp, and I also can't afford to spend a lot of money on computer parts just to have my PC up to speed and looking nice.

I still find the 360 is a decent system and I love playing it. I hate when I'm away from home for days or weeks and don't get to play it, that's just how much I love it. ^^

I've recently obtained an Xbox Core with no wires for $20. It works, as I've tested it using my friend's wires. He had a PSU with a similar wattage, as the family's Xbox has a different one than mine. So in the next couple of days, I'll be looking at accessories to get it working on my monitor. So far, after a bit of research, I'll need to pick up the following:

-VGA cable
-RCA male to 3.5mm female
-Ethernet cable
-Hard drive
-203watt PSU
-Headset

Now, I have two questions.

-I plan to use my PC headset, which only works with PC, with my Xbox by plugging it into the 3.5mm female port. Can I hear crazy players this way, or do I absolutely need to use an Xbox headset to hear them? I was going to have a mic plugged into the controller and set it on the desk. EDIT: I've figured out how to use my headset microphone with Xbox Live. I'd need a different cable, though.
-What size hard drive would suit someone what doesn't really download anything? Maybe a few Blankets (like Sonic IV), but it would mostly be for saved Blankets.

I guess I love my Xbox. If anyone wants a game of Left 4 Dead 1 or 2, or a co-op in Army of Two The 40th Day, feel free to message me and get my XBox Live Gamertag off of me.