Which Xbox Should You Buy?

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The different makes and models of Xbox are starting to make the landscape a little confusing. It used to be that an Xbox was an Xbox. But now that there's more choice, is it more difficult to know which one is best? Read on to find out just how easy it really is...

Xbox Arcade and Elite

These two systems are still going and you can buy cheap second-hand consoles in reasonable condition. To be perfectly honest, though, I'm not sure why you'd want to. The older models of Xbox were notorious for their "red rings of death" and while the newer models don't seem to suffer this problem, I wouldn't personally risk my hard-earned money on a refurbished or reconditioned Arcade or Elite unit (and absolutely not an earlier model).

For someone on a super-constrained budget, buying a pre-owned Arcade or Elite console might be the only real option. You'll certainly save a fair chunk of change in that initial purchase, but I strongly doubt you'll save money and/or end up with a working machine in the long run.

If you haven't got a lot of money to spend and you want a home gaming system, get an old PS2. They mostly play the same titles (except the handful of games such as Halo that are exclusive to Xbox) and they are much, much more reliable.

Xbox 360 4GB (with Kinect)

This is the "little brother" of the two new models. It has built-in wi-fi capability to work out of the box with Kinect, which is the new "interactive" gaming system a lot like wii Sports. We'll look at Kinect in a moment.

This new Xbox also plays DVDs, of course, and you can sync it with your home computer; it plays music, can connect to the Net (for streaming music and other stuff), and is ready to roll with Xbox Live Gold, enabling you to play online games with other people from all over the world. Halo was the game that pioneered this and it has been hugely successful for Microsoft and Xbox. This is a subscription service but you usually get your first month free as part of new bundle packages.

The main problem with this 4GB unit is that it simply doesn't have enough memory. Not for a lot of the most recently-released games and, in places, quite obviously not even for Kinect. This version is definitely not recommended. And, frankly, why would you even look at this one when its "big brother" version has 60x the memory and the price is hardly all that different?

Xbox 250 GB with Kinect

As mentioned, you can play Kinect or get engrossed in multiplayer online gaming with the 4GB model, but with the massive computing power both those apps require, gaming on a 4GB console is a little bit like driving a 1987 Toyota on the autobahn.

Kinect is certainly a big draw-card for newcomers to the Xbox. If you've played wii Sports or PlayStation Move, then you know the idea already. Your actual actions are mirrored in the game. If you need to jump, there's no looking for which combination of buttons to press, you simply jump!

The point of differentiation for Xbox Kinect is that, unlike its competitors, there are no controllers. Microsoft's marketing materials proclaim, in an admittedly clever piece of word-play, "You are the controller".

Conclusions? The choice is blindingly obvious: You should buy the 250GB model with Kinect. Not that you have to get Kinect, by the way. You can buy it as an add-on at a later date or if you already have a compatible Xbox (read the specifications clearly and be prepared to buy a patch cable). If you buy it as part of a bundle with a new console, however, you'll save yourself the headache of trying to get the right cable to match... and you'll most likely save around 50 bucks.

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Source by Toby Jakobson