250GB hardrive add on announced for the 360

[eastmen]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/250gb-xbox-360-hard-drive-now-available-for-129-99/

Only $130 whch is $20 less than the 120 gig and $40 less than what the 120 launched at.

I wonder if this is what the slim will come with

 

[AzBat]

Great time to start looking for deals on the smaller sizes. Our local stores were selling a used 20gb for $50, but I was able to find him a new 20gb for the same price.

If the Slim is coming this fall, the retail release of the 250gb now seems odd. Maybe they're not planning on selling a lot of them or for very long. If the idea that the 2nd SATA connection is for an internal drive, then I would expect them to use a seperate chasis for that drive. So this new drive wouldn't even work on it.

Tommy McClain

 

[eastmen]

Great time to start looking for deals on the smaller sizes. Our local stores were selling a used 20gb for $50, but I was able to find him a new 20gb for the same price.

If the Slim is coming this fall, the retail release of the 250gb now seems odd. Maybe they're not planning on selling a lot of them or for very long. If the idea that the 2nd SATA connection is for an internal drive, then I would expect them to use a seperate chasis for that drive. So this new drive wouldn't even work on it.

Tommy McClain

Perhaps they are going DD and allowing downloads of new xbox 360 titles day and date ?

 

[AlNom]

hm... Might consider with a slim... I still have about 40GB left on my 120GB drive... Got about 6 installed games (RB1,2,GHM, ME2 - both discs, ODST) plus a couple XBLA... maybe about 13-14GB of RB DLC.

 

[manux]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/250gb-xbox-360-hard-drive-now-available-for-129-99/

Only $130 whch is $20 less than the 120 gig and $40 less than what the 120 launched at.

That is freaking expensive. From free market you can get 250GB disk with less than half the price But luckily enough I already have 250GB disk in my xbox360(bough the mw2 edition).

for example 250GB 2.5" sata disk 50$ here http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-MHZ22...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1269423847&sr=8-1-fkmr0

 

[Rangers]

That is freaking expensive. From free market you can get 250GB disk with less than half the price But luckily enough I already have 250GB disk in my xbox360(bough the mw2 edition).

for example 250GB 2.5" sata disk 50$ here http://www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-MHZ22...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1269423847&sr=8-1-fkmr0

This is a very unique post never before seen on the internet. I had no idea!

Ok, sarcasm aside, I was looking at Best Buy's packaged retail 2.5" hard drive prices (which I feel is a lot more real comparison than the usual newegg OEM (and probably 3.5" too) faux comparisons Neogaf usually does) and they had a 250GB for 49.99. I was surprised. Granted it's not a direct comparison as it's internal. 320 GB was 79.99 which makes MS pricing look a little better.

So basically it looks like 2.5" prices have just come down a lot at retail lately and MS is passing on the savings to you, as they say.

And I believe the 120GB originally launched at 179.99, so much more reasonable than that.

It also means you could put together a 250GB barebones box (Arcade+this) for $329. Sort of an interesting option in there.

Anyways, a much needed rejiggering.

The hard drive I actually see in stores is always the $99 60GB Live starter kit. I wonder if that will persist? It has some extra stuff (headset, 3 months Live) too.

 

[manux]

So basically it looks like 2.5" prices have just come down a lot at retail lately and MS is passing on the savings to you, as they say.

What I see is a money making machine for ms and ripping the customer off. The proper conduct would be to let customer use any compatible 2.5" drive they want. 50$ compared to 130$, it's really good profit margin for ms I doubt ms even pays that 50$ per drive if they have done a decent deal with manufacturer(s) to buy some 5-10 million hd's in one go...(addon drives + drives going to xbox360's on retail).

But I have to add to the previous that when I bought the mw2 bundle that was a really good deal. It's just the addon/replacement hd's that I don't like. I would rather buy 750GB drive with that 130$ instead of 250GB ms branded drive if I was looking to upgrade from smaller hd.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

What I see is a money making machine for ms and ripping the customer off. The proper conduct would be to let customer use any compatible 2.5" drive they want. 50$ compared to 130$, it's really good profit margin for ms I doubt ms even pays that 50$ per drive if they have done a decent deal with manufacturer(s) to buy some 5-10 million hd's in one go...(addon drives + drives going to xbox360's on retail).

If you combine the manufacturing costs of the hard drive AND the console itself, you'll realise that the profit margin is nothing to write home about. MS is not just selling overpriced hard drives here. If they'd let you use "any compatible 2.5" drive", the machine itself would be more expensive and it would all amount to nothing. The demand for the Arcade model suggests that their strategy is not bad.

 

[manux]

If you combine the manufacturing costs of the hard drive AND the console itself, you'll realise that the profit margin is nothing to write home about. MS is not just selling overpriced hard drives here. If they'd let you use "any compatible 2.5" drive", the machine itself would be more expensive and it would all amount to nothing. The demand for the Arcade model suggests that their strategy is not bad.

I quite like the sony approach to hw. I would never upgrade xbox hard drive with ms pricing. I bet if digital distribution and content owning becomes big thing it validates sonys strategy. Potential customers have better route to getting decent amount of local storage.

I already have quite a lot of photos, videos and mp3's on ps3 and none of that stuff on xbox360 Same thing as why I don't do any online games on xbox360. After first month of paying for live gold I decided it's stupid and get the online games for ps3 and discontinued live. Maybe I'm cheap but I call the xbox hd drive expensive.

If I was in charge and wanted to take money out of hw upgrades I would take one time activation fee for adding new stuff. i.e. Pay 10e/10$ to activate new hard drive and let user buy any hd they want. Clearly user could then choose which sized hd he needs and still give some money for ms.

 

[Rangers]

What I see is a money making machine for ms and ripping the customer off. The proper conduct would be to let customer use any compatible 2.5" drive they want. 50$ compared to 130$, it's really good profit margin for ms I doubt ms even pays that 50$ per drive if they have done a decent deal with manufacturer(s) to buy some 5-10 million hd's in one go...(addon drives + drives going to xbox360's on retail).

But I have to add to the previous that when I bought the mw2 bundle that was a really good deal. It's just the addon/replacement hd's that I don't like. I would rather buy 750GB drive with that 130$ instead of 250GB ms branded drive if I was looking to upgrade from smaller hd.

I look at it as a good business strategy. It's probably a better idea to sell a low priced main box, and higher priced accessories, than vice versa. If Sony had high priced proprietary drives, and was able to use that to knock $50 off the PS3 price, they'd probably sell more boxes.

The MS hard drive prices prior to this were fairly ridiculous though. This makes it a lot more reasonable.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

If you combine the manufacturing costs of the hard drive AND the console itself, you'll realise that the profit margin is nothing to write home about. MS is not just selling overpriced hard drives here. If they'd let you use "any compatible 2.5" drive", the machine itself would be more expensive and it would all amount to nothing. The demand for the Arcade model suggests that their strategy is not bad.

Added to that, MS were at least as interested, if not more so, in making a system that anyone could install or exchange.

And in that sense, I can't think of many people alive that aren't physically handicapped that couldn't change the HD on the X360. Can't say the same for the PS3.

The flip side to that, of course, is that it's far cheaper to exchange the drive on the PS3 than the X360, assuming you know how to do it and aren't afraid to do it.

My cousin in Las Vegas actually paid for my round trip ticket to come down and change the HD in his PS3. So that ended up costing him an arm and a leg. None of his friends wanted to take a chance on doing it and screwing something up. Not a single one of them are very into tech other than turn on and use. Although most make 6+ figures a year.

But at least we got to have some fun.

Regards,
SB

 

[manux]

I wonder if there is any statistics how much the hd addons have sold?

 

[manux]

Added to that, MS were at least as interested, if not more so, in making a system that anyone could install or exchange.

And in that sense, I can't think of many people alive that aren't physically handicapped that couldn't change the HD on the X360. Can't say the same for the PS3.

The flip side to that, of course, is that it's far cheaper to exchange the drive on the PS3 than the X360, assuming you know how to do it and aren't afraid to do it.

My cousin in Las Vegas actually paid for my round trip ticket to come down and change the HD in his PS3. So that ended up costing him an arm and a leg. None of his friends wanted to take a chance on doing it and screwing something up. Not a single one of them are very into tech other than turn on and use. Although most make 6+ figures a year.

But at least we got to have some fun.

Regards,
SB

I wonder how handless a person has to be not to be able to change ps3 hd. It's only 1 screw and a pull.

 

[corduroygt]

I wonder how handless a person has to be not to be able to change ps3 hd. It's only 1 screw and a pull.

They will also need an external USB drive fat32 formatted to back up the existing hdd content. It's a shame sony doesn't make an hdd transfer kit.
Still I'd rather have the cheap hdd option

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I quite like the sony approach to hw. I would never upgrade xbox hard drive with ms pricing. I bet if digital distribution and content owning becomes big thing it validates sonys strategy. Potential customers have better route to getting decent amount of local storage.

I already have quite a lot of photos, videos and mp3's on ps3 and none of that stuff on xbox360 Same thing as why I don't do any online games on xbox360. After first month of paying for live gold I decided it's stupid and get the online games for ps3 and discontinued live. Maybe I'm cheap but I call the xbox hd drive expensive.

I always buy my Live time and MS points from this guy:

http://www.konsolifin.net/bbs/xbox-...s-2100-points-19-5%80-seka-4200-ms-37%80.html

29e for 12 months, so about 2.4e per month. Think about that amount for a second. I would wager that your decision to play multiplayer games on PS3 has more to do with the company (friends) you play the games with, than the actual amount of money it would take to game on the X360. Or can you honestly make a case that the costs are prohibitive? I would quess friends>principles.

It seems like the European (in Finland atleast) price for the 250GB add on drive will be 99€, is that so bad for an Arcade user to upgrade?

 

[manux]

I always buy my Live time and MS points from this guy:

http://www.konsolifin.net/bbs/xbox-...s-2100-points-19-5%80-seka-4200-ms-37%80.html

29e for 12 months, so about 2.4e per month. Think about that amount for a second. I would wager that your decision to play multiplayer games on PS3 has more to do with the company (friends) you play the games with, than the actual amount of money it would take to game on the X360. Or can you honestly make a case that the costs are prohibitive? I would quess friends>principles.

It seems like the European (in Finland atleast) price for the 250GB add on drive will be 99€, is that so bad for an Arcade user to upgrade?

The mileage varies. I drew a line when I realized xbox360 "always" needs that one more proprietary accessory whereas ps3 seems to support standard stuff(bt headset, logitech wheel(g25 and dfp), hd, and so on). I made a principle after this realization that I won't be part of the ripoff as there is choice. As a gamer I still think I need xbox360 because it has some really, really good games I want to play(mass effect for example). I just skip the online/multiplatform games and car games on xbox(the wheel issue). I find the pad in xbox360 to be pretty good in fps games whereas the ps3 controller sucks on that kind of games. I generally don't want to game on pc if I have a choice as I like the nearly always hassle free experience.

Guess how happy I was when I realized how difficult it is to cancel live gold( I paid the first month with credit card from xbox360). I had to use pc to cancel it and the webpage didn't even have easy to use "cancel" button. I had to guess it was under profile(or something like that), then click through 3 commercial pages what I will be missing and then I was able to cancel it. I bet many people don't bother and just keep the account going...

If people keep participating to ripoffs the companies will keep doing it I vote with my money(what little I spend to gaming). And I still think the xbox360 mw2 package was a good deal, lot of value and that 250GB hard drive, extra controller and basic headset included.

So yes, it's principle in this case, not really the money or friends list

99e is not bad for branded product but still you could get 500GB for 73e http://www.verkkokauppa.com/popups/prodinfo.php?id=39633

 

[Zassk]

I already have quite a lot of photos, videos and mp3's on ps3 and none of that stuff on xbox360

As mentioned in the other thread, copying media to the HDD is not the usage model for the 360. The usage model for the 360 is to attach an external USB drive containing those files, or to access them across the network. The 360 is not a media storage device, it's a media player device. You can debate whether that is good or bad, but this is one of the reasons why HDD replacements are more fundamental to the PS3 than to the 360. The 360's HDD is only for games, and 250 GB is only useful for those who buy games-on-demand.

 

[eastmen]

The mileage varies. I drew a line when I realized xbox360 "always" needs that one more proprietary accessory whereas ps3 seems to support standard stuff(bt headset, logitech wheel(g25 and dfp), hd, and so on). I made a principle after this realization that I won't be part of the ripoff as there is choice. As a gamer I still think I need xbox360 because it has some really, really good games I want to play(mass effect for example). I just skip the online games and forza(the wheel issue). I generally don't want to game on pc if I have a choice as I like the nearly always hassle free experience.

My 360 and almost every person i know who bought a 360 came with a head set. Decent BT head sets are expensive.

My 360 also came with component and composite cables while my ps3 did not.

Also my ps3 controller died and wouldn't recharge. I had to go buy a new one. My 360 wll use regular double a batterys for the controler.

Add the fact that my 360 also works with my logitech harmony remote and my ps3 doesn't.

You can look at both systems and see lock in

Guess how happy I was when I realized how difficult it is to cancel live gold( I paid the first month with credit card from xbox360). I had to use pc to cancel it and the webpage didn't even have easy to use "cancel" button. I had to guess it was under profile(or something like that), then click through 3 commercial pages what I will be missing and then I was able to cancel it. I bet many people don't bother and just keep the account going...

You could have simly called them up nd canceled it.

If people keep participating to ripoffs the companies will keep doing it I vote with my money(what little I spend to gaming). And I still think the xbox360 mw2 package was a good deal, lot of value and that 250GB hard drive, extra controller and basic headset included

Its the price of doing busniess. Ony 360 i have to buy a hardrive from them , on the ps3 i have to buy a special remote or attachment to get my existing remote to play. On 360 I have to buy thier head sets , on ps3 i have to throw out a controler everytime the battery goes ocmpletely dead.

IT goes both ways. Trying to paint sony as the good guy isn't going to work. Both MS and Sony are companys trying to make a profit. Each try and lock you in to thier system in thier own ways.

 

[manux]

My 360 and almost every person i know who bought a 360 came with a head set. Decent BT head sets are expensive.

IT goes both ways. Trying to paint sony as the good guy isn't going to work. Both MS and Sony are companys trying to make a profit. Each try and lock you in to thier system in thier own ways.

I really wouldn't want to fight a bullet war. My main point was that I already had a bt headset as I use one with my phone (and it happens to work with ps3 and my netbook(skype) too) and I also had the logitech wheel before ps3(due to ps2/pc, coincidentally I also have some extra 2.5" drives I could use with arcade model but then again I cannot...). I just like when same thing works on multiple devices and I don't want to go to vendor lockins. The headset that came with xbox360 is actually pretty sucky plain model, if I gamed a lot online I would be purchasing a better one...

I could similarly list a lot of things I don't like in sony/ps3 side of things. All in all I really like the xbox360 and it's a nice entertainment system. It's just that it's pretty difficult to hold straight face and say the hd addon isn't expensive Didn't expect it to cause such an uproar which it unfortunately did(and then all the offtopic that pursued is unfortunate side effect). I think I have become somewhat price sensitive as I try to spend money smartly and save some to be able to retire at some point. Those small savings actually cumulate over the years and turn into something useful.

 

[manux]

The 360's HDD is only for games, and 250 GB is only useful for those who buy games-on-demand.

I wouldn't sign that statement. I have found the dvd drive on my unit to be really, really noisy. It's excellent feature to install games to hd to make the noise go away and also to make the games load faster. Also the videostore allows one to preload movies to hd and the rental time only starts when you open the movie first time. I actually think this is a brilliant feature. I can now preload some movies and watch them from the xbox360 from my parents place(they have really slow internet and I usually take either ps3 or xbox360 with me when I visit them). But I agree, 250GB is plenty of room, I think I still have around 100GB empty space.