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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Console, good for a 2nd time purchase, just as fragile as ever, 17 Aug 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are looking to purchase an Xbox for the first time, this is probably the wrong product for you, you should look at a version of the Xbox that comes with a hard drive, which is imperative really for long term console use. This is really more beneficial to those who have had one before that has broken down out of warrantee, which unfortunately can be a frequent occurrence with this console. This Arcade model was the second xbox unit I purchased after my 20GB launch model broke down after a year and a half, it was not specifically a red rings failure and so was not covered by the current 3 year red ring specific extended guarantee. It failed by having absolutely no video output, only flickering white streaks on a black background.
Put off by the idea of paying £80 to Microsoft for a grubby refurbished console, I purchased this new Arcade package the important thing being that I could attach my hard drive from the old unit to the new unit and keep all my game saves intact. No extra configuration or setup is required, the console just carries on working as if you were still playing the same console that was replaced. The old controllers can be reassigned to the new console, the wired ones simply connect in and work straight away, the wireless ones can be re-synced with the console using the little white buttons. This unit has the added benefit of an HDMI port for connection with an HDTV, I found that the normal component input was inferior to the HDMI connection as it used to have some faint ghostly shadows, the cleaner digital HDMI transmission cleared this up. Supposedly the chip in this arcade unit is less prone to overheating than the earlier launch models (Xbox Core, or with 20GB hard drive), but I found that to be debatable.
Unfortunately the arcade unit I currently have broke down again, 2 weeks outside of the guarantee period! It consistently froze within minutes of start up, it was another 2 months of attempts before I finally got a 3 red rings failure and it is now off for free repair. I always kept it well ventilated on a glass surface but it must have still managed to overheat. My point it that while Microsoft have issued an extended warrantee for red ring failures, that is not the only problem that can arise, as I have twice experienced. I would advise buying a 3 year guarantee for it, which may seem costly in the short term but in all likelihood will reap its value.
As for the gaming, there's not much I need to say, it can be a fantastic experience especially online! The controller is ergonomic, the online play can make you wonder where hours of your life disappeared to, and there is a vast selection of high quality games to suit your individual tastes. It's a great console to own, just take as many precautions as you can with it, keep it in well ventilated area, avoid moving it around so much, only play for a few hours at a time, don't get chocolate fingerprints all over the game discs etc. For as long as your unit has vitality in it, you will be rewarded with a fully immersive HD experience.
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