XBox 360's How hard to find? and How fun now?

[bjackets]

Just curious to get people's thoughts on this machine now that it's been out for awhile.

I have no idea how difficult it is to get one now because I really haven't had the urge to pursue one, probably because I don't hear very much about them anymore. I could be very wrong but it seems like Microsoft really missed the target creating any long term buzz over their new machine.

I recently played Madden on a 360 at BB and came away less than impressed, even with the graphics. Granted I have a highend graphics card on my PC, but I like Madden (PC) a lot better.

ohiost

[dbdynsty25]

Search is your friend. It's been covered a million times.

[bjackets]

Just delete my post. Getting a little tired of the fashion police.

Thank you.

ohiost

[bjackets]

Just delete my post. Getting a little tired of the fashion police.

Thank you.

ohiost

[bdunn13]

I was in target saturday and saw 1 core.

[Brando70]

They are popping up more frequently. If I had to guess, I'd say by next month they will be relatively easy to find.

As for being happy with them, check this thread:

http://www.digitalsportspage.com/module ... ic&t=10308

[DivotMaker]

I recently played Madden on a 360 at BB and came away less than impressed, even with the graphics. Granted I have a highend graphics card on my PC, but I like Madden (PC) a lot better.

ohiost

I have a high end PC with an ATI X850XT-PE card and I have yet to see anything on my PC which compares to the kinds of experiences I am getting on the 360. Since you consider the PC version of Madden to be so superior, I wonder why you felt compelled to start a thread about the 360 when it is blatantly obvious you don't intend to own one.....?

[Kazuya]

I was looking in a SLAM magazine while waiting for a friend to finish her shopping, and an article asked Carmelo Anthony about some of the games he was playing. He said he was gonna get a 360 when he could find one. I was like damn, even a rich millionaire can't get one? Yeah, I know he wasn't trying nearly hard enough but I still thought it was funny.

Anyway, I don't know how to interpret this but,

"For its part, Microsoft said it expected the shortage to ease in coming weeks, thanks to an additional manufacturing plant coming on line, and the balance between supply and demand should stabilize before the end of June."

is from

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centreda ... 801734.htm

So June before you can just casually walk in and buy one off the shelf without fear of having to call ahead? That's ridiculous...

[Brando70]

The problem is not that they aren't available. The problem now is that, at least online, you are stuck buying a big bundle. There are bundles in stock almost every day now if you can shell out $800-$1000 (at least for premium systems). While that sucks, it also leads me to believe that the supply is starting build up a bit, and that fairly soon, you'll be able to get systems online without having to buy a bundle. I got lucky and happened to get one off KMart.com.

I imagine the same thing will happen in bricks and mortar stores. Numerous people have reported getting them, with the stories becoming more frequent. Another few weeks and I'll bet you'll see some stock remaining on store shelves.

[MizzouRah]

I recently played Madden on a 360 at BB and came away less than impressed, even with the graphics. Granted I have a highend graphics card on my PC, but I like Madden (PC) a lot better.

ohiost

I have a high end PC with an ATI X850XT-PE card and I have yet to see anything on my PC which compares to the kinds of experiences I am getting on the 360. Since you consider the PC version of Madden to be so superior, I wonder why you felt compelled to start a thread about the 360 when it is blatantly obvious you don't intend to own one.....?

I agree with bjackets, hence the reason I don't own one yet. I think COD 2 looks great on my pc. Granted, it's on a 19" LCD instead of a 50" HDTV, but imo it's comparable.

Madden 360 is missing some features Madden PC has, so I can definitly see where he is coming from there.

I honestly can't wait to see what the PS3 has in store.

[bjackets]

DivotMaker,

Just wasn't as blown over by the graphics and gameplay as most, probably because I mostly play modded PC games instead of console so the WOW factor just wasn't as great for me that's all.

I also read an article with the producer of Fight Night 3 and he stated that he has been very disappointed with Xbox 360 games in general thus far because all of the games have been just ports thus far and not true next generation offerings.

I will consider getting a 360 when games start coming out that are truely next generation and not until then. Why would I spend crazy cash on a system where the current games are't as good as the ones on the PC.

ohiost

[pk500]

I recently played Madden on a 360 at BB and came away less than impressed, even with the graphics. Granted I have a highend graphics card on my PC, but I like Madden (PC) a lot better.

ohiost

I have a high end PC with an ATI X850XT-PE card and I have yet to see anything on my PC which compares to the kinds of experiences I am getting on the 360. Since you consider the PC version of Madden to be so superior, I wonder why you felt compelled to start a thread about the 360 when it is blatantly obvious you don't intend to own one.....?

Down, boy, down. Just because he said he thought one 360 title was superior on the PC doesn't mean he has no intention of buying a 360. His opinion differs than yours, but it's an opinion, not a fact.

Responses like this are why people reply to some of your posts with such vigor.

Take care,
PK

[DivotMaker]

*Edit*

Never mind....

[Brando70]

DivotMaker,

Just wasn't as blown over by the graphics and gameplay as most, probably because I mostly play modded PC games instead of console so the WOW factor just wasn't as great for me that's all.

I also read an article with the producer of Fight Night 3 and he stated that he has been very disappointed with Xbox 360 games in general thus far because all of the games have been just ports thus far and not true next generation offerings.

I will consider getting a 360 when games start coming out that are truely next generation and not until then. Why would I spend crazy cash on a system where the current games are't as good as the ones on the PC.

ohiost

If you're a dedicated PC gamer who stays on top of updating your system, I could see why the 360 isn't that appealing. But being able to play the equivalent (or at least the close equivalent) of a top-shelf PC system in my living room for $400 was a nice incentive for me.

I just don't like having to constantly update a PC system and also sit in front of a computer to play games. So it was a no brainer for me and I'm very happy with the purchase.

[Dave]

I saw Core systems at two different Targets yesterday. Haven't seen a Premium yet, though.

[fatheadX]

My local K-Mart had two Premium systems in the case yesterday and ever since the new MegaUltraSuperDuperWal-Mart opened a couple of blocks away, the K-Mart is a ghost town. I wouldn't be surprised if those systems were still sitting there today. If you want a system these days, you can find them, but they're still tough to come by.

I still don't think the jump from the Xbox to the 360 is nearly as big as it was from the PS1 to the PS2, so the games may look a bit underwhelming, especially if you are used to the small screen and big power of PCs. I'm guessing if you blew a PC game up to 55" HDTV size, the 360 would acquit itself pretty well. I do agree there is measurable room for improvement with the 360 games.

[Danimal]

I also read an article with the producer of Fight Night 3 and he stated that he has been very disappointed with Xbox 360 games in general thus far because all of the games have been just ports thus far and not true next generation offerings.

I'm curious where you read that. I really don't fully agree with that assesment, some games look really good to me. Whether that makes them Next Gen i don't know.

While I am not overly impressed with Madden, I think a game like Need for Speed is incredible. In Madden, the detail they put in like stiching on the jerseys, sweating etc is all really well done. But I don't notice any of that stuff when I am playing and it has no effect on the game for me.

Now NFS, a game i would have never bought if not for the recco's around here is just fantastic. I'm not sure why it doesn''t get more press, maybe the PC version looks as good I don't know. But the rain and water effects not only look realistic to me, they also effect how I play the game. Being behind two cars and a semi on some rain soaked streets going 160 mph makes it very hard to see.

In the same vein, the light and shadows are also more realistic in 360 games to the point where having an eye condition I have problems. Again in NFS, coming over a hill into the Sun makes me actually squint. Coming out of a bright area, onto a tree covered street with all the shadows makes it hard for my eyes to adjust to what is happening traveling at that speed.

Anyway this got long and I'm not sure i am even making a point. But I think a lot of 360 games look incredible and they are only going to get better. While my PC can currently play games like Fear and HL2 on a really high level and they look good. I think I would need to drop 3 or 4 grand to get a top of the line system to even come cloe to matching my 360 in some areas. If i did that I would question how many games woul take advantage of my hardware to its fullest, programming for the PC you have to cater to a lot of configurations, for the 360 they know exactly what every 360 owners has in their box. I personally think that will allow them to make some really great looking games.

[OrangeCrusher]

Over the last couple of weeks I've seen 8 premium systems in the local Target stores. Seems like Tuesday through Thursday are the days they are coming into the stores here.