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Microsoft announced yesterday that the Xbox 360 will be released in two different bundles: Xbox 360 at £279.99 and Xbox 360 Core System at £209.99. For the full details check out yesterday’s Xbox 360 announcement. It will be inevitable that you’re going to need to factor in the cost of extra peripherals when buying your Xbox 360, so we have a rundown of everything that’ll be available at launch.
Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB). 20 GB and detachable, the hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace and more (ERP £69.99). It is believed that a hard drive will be required for backwards compatibility and for certain Xbox 360 titles. The only title that is currently known to require the hard drive is Final Fantasy XI. We expect other MMOs will follow suit.
Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64 MB). Easily portable, this lets gamers save games, in-game achievements and unique gamer profiles for quick and easy access on the go (ERP £22.99). A must for those not buying the Xbox 360 hard drive as you’ll need something for your game saves.
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. It features the Xbox Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music and games libraries as well as a range of up to 30 feet and battery life of 30 hours on two AA batteries (ERP £32.99). You’ll get one of these bundled in with the £279.99 Xbox 360 package, but are likely to want one more for multiplayer action. Those opting for the cheaper package will get a wired controller as standard.
Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit. This allows plug and play for high-performance, precision wireless gaming with the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. Gamers will be given ample warning when the end of battery life is nearing so they can connect the Play & Charge cable for uninterrupted play (ERP £14.99). Rather than waiting for your wireless controller to recharge, you can plug this kit in and continue playing whilst charging.
Xbox 360 rechargeable battery pack. This provides up to 25 hours of gameplay for wireless gaming fun (ERP £9.99). Save yourself some pennies on disposable batteries by investing in this rechargeable pack for the wireless controller.
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter. With this, gamers can chat with friends and play games via Xbox Live, as well as stream videos and music to Xbox 360 from a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC, all without the clutter of wires (ERP £59.99).
Xbox 360 Headset. This heightens the Xbox Live experience by letting gamers strategise with team-mates or trade banter with opponents while playing games (ERP £14.99). This will be bundled with the £279.99 Xbox 360 package.
Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. This integrated control centre for the entire digital experience lets consumers play DVDs, movies and music, as well as control their TV and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC (ERP £19.99). This comes bundled with the £279.99 pack, but for a limited time only.
Xbox 360 SCART AV Cable. This cable provides optimal audio and video signal transfer for SCART connection (ERP £17.99). We assume this will be a fully wired RGB SCART for the best possible non High Definition picture quality.
Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable. Gamers can experience high-definition gaming on flat-panel TVs or VGA monitors. This cable provides optimal audio and video signal transfer (ERP £19.99).
Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable. Gamers can experience high-definition gaming on HD compatible TV sets (ERP £19.99).
Xbox 360 Faceplate. If you want to be cool and customize your Xbox 360 then you’ll probably want to buy a new faceplate (ERP £14.99).
Before you go ahead and order the Xbox 360 Core Console package take a look at the cost of buying accessories later. The Xbox 360 package at £279.99 is £70 more than the Core Console package, but comes with more than £100 worth of extra accessories. Buying the Core Console pack will mean you are without a wireless controller and you’ll need to buy a memory card for game saves, costing your another £22.99. If you want to use voice chat on Xbox Live then you can also add on £14.99 for the headset. Obviously if you’re on a tight budget, go for the cheaper Core Console pack as it will give you the same fundamental Xbox 360 experience, but the £279.99 Xbox 360 package offers by far the best value for money.
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