95% of the time when I’m playing my xbox 360, I’m playing against other people online with Xbox Live. The xbox 360 comes with an Ethernet port, so you can plug your xbox into your router to connect to the internet. However, if you’re like me, then your xbox 360 is probably nowhere near your internet router. So how can you connect your xbox to the internet? By buying an Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter
.
There are currently two kinds of wireless network adapters available from Microsoft. There’s the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter for A/B/G Networks
, and there’s also the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter for A/B/G & N Networks. Both plug into the USB port in the back of your xbox. The difference between the two is that one adapter can connect to a Wireless N router, and the other can’t. If you’re planing on using your wireless adapter to play xbox live, then the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter for A/B/G Networks will suit you just fine. Plus, it’s about $20 to $30 cheaper then the Wireless-N version. If you want to stream movies and music from your PC to your xbox, then your should purchase the Wireless-N adapter.
The wireless adapters that Microsoft sells are bit overpriced if you ask me. I searched for a cheaper solution to connecting my xbox 360 to my wireless network before I bought my adapter. But the truth is, the Microsoft version is the easiest to install and I haven’t had any connection issues at all with my adapter. There is a company called Mad Catz that recently came out with their own version of a wireless adapter called the Mad Catz Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Adapter
. It’s about $10.00 cheaper than the Microsoft adapter, plus comes with free shipping from Amazon.com. It plugs into the Ethernet port of your Xbox 360, and then connects wirelessly to your home network.
I don’t think I’ll ever use a wired controller again. Using a wireless controller allows you to play your favorite Xbox 360 games without feeling tethered down. But, because it’s wireless, it needs batteries. Luckily the controller is pretty efficient when it comes to using power. You don’t have to change it’s batteries after every 2 hours of game play, but you’ll still need to change your controller’s batteries sooner or later. Hopefully you’re not using disposable AA batteries, but if you are it’s time to enter the 21st century and use rechargeable batteries. Not only will you save $100’s of dollars by using rechargeable batteries to power your wireless controller, you’ll also help the environment a little as well.
Microsoft offers a great product for the 360’s Controllers called The Play & Charge Kit
(Pictured on the right). The Play & Charge kit comes with a rechargeable battery pack and a controller cord that hooks your controller up to your Xbox 360. Say you’re playing a game with your wireless controller and the batteries go dead. You used to have to either replace or recharge the batteries before you could play again. With the Play & Charge Kit, just plug the controller cord into your controller, and then connect it to the Xbox. Doing so will allow you to continue playing, while also recharging your controller’s battery pack. There’s also a little indicator light on the end of the controller cord. A red light means that the batteries are still being charged. A green light means that you can unhook the controller from the cord and play wirelessly.
There’s probably going to be a time when you’ll want to travel with your Xbox 360. However, there’s just one problem. In order to take your Xbox 360 with you wherever you go, you have to take the power strip, the controllers, the games, the HDMI cables, and whatever other accessories you have. So, should you just throw all of those things in your suitcase and hope that you’re Xbox 360 will survive the trip? You better play it safe and invest in a Xbox 360 Travel Case
.
CheapXbox360Accessories.com recommends the G-Pak Xbox 360 Travel Case.
For under $30.00, the G-Pak allows you to store your Xbox 360 and all the accessories you’ll need in a secure yet light carrying case. Inside it has straps to hold down your Xbox, disc sleeves for to hold up to 14 games, pockets that can hold up to 3 controllers, and a place to store all the cables (power cable, HDMI Cable, etc). The inside is padded to protect your Xbox from bumps and scratches. When it’s all packed and zipped up, it reminds me of an over-sized laptop bag.
In this economy we’re all trying to save some money whereever we can, especially us Xbox 360 Players. But you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to p0wn noobs in Halo 3
over Xbox Live. If you’re not familiar with the different types of Xbox live, keep reading. Otherwise, skip the next paragraph to learn how to save money on Xbox Live.
Microsoft offers two levels of Xbox Live. There’s “Xbox Live Free“, previously called Silver Membership, and then there’s “Xbox Live Gold“. Xbox Live Free costs you nothing but is limited in it’s features. With Xbox Live Free you can chat with your friends and send them messages. You can also add Xbox 360 Live Points
so you can download movies, music, games, and other digital goods the Xbox store has to offer. But that’s pretty much all you can do with the free version of Xbox Live. You don’t get to play multiplayer games unless you pay for Xbox Live Gold. Xbox Live Gold allows you play your favorite games with your friends and others over the internet. Also, if you have Netflix, you can instantly stream movies to your Xbox 360 if you have an Xbox Live Gold Account. So how much does Xbox Live Gold cost, and how can you pay less?
If you prefer to pay month to month, then Xbox Live Gold costs $7.99 a month. That works out to $95.88 a year. But if you want to save money, you need to buy a 12 month + 1 month free subscription card.
Currently, Amazon.com is selling this card for $49.99 with free shipping. So for less than fifty bucks you get 13 full months of Xbox Live Gold. That lowers your monthly cost from $7.99 per month to $3.85 per month, a more than 50% savings! Now use the money you’re saving to buy a real game, like Gears of War 2.
If you’re one of the few people left on the planet that doesn’t have an Xbox 360, then it’s about time you get one! The problem is though, Microsoft offers three different verisons of the Xbox 360 with three very different price tags. There’s the Xbox 360 Arcade, The Xbox 360 Premium, and the Xbox 360 Elite. So which one should you buy? Let’s compare the three:
The Xbox 360 Arcade System
When I first started shopping around for an Xbox 360, I saw one in Walmart for exactly $199.99. I thought to myself “Wow, the Xbox is a lot cheaper than I thought”. It’s a good thing I decided to do a little more research before buying this particular Xbox 360 because I found out that what I saw was in fact the Xbox 360 Arcade System. The best thing about the Xbox 360 Arcade is the price. For $199.99 you can have your own Xbox 360. But the downside is that it doesn’t come with a hard drive. So if you want to save your games, you have to use the small memory card that it comes with. And you can forget about downloading anything from Xbox Live, because you have to store Xbox Live downloads on a hard drive. Also, the Arcade system doesn’t come with an HDMI Cable, which means you can’t really take advantage of the HD Gaming Experience. If you plan on using Xbox Live, and want to play a lot of games in HD, then the Xbox 360 Arcade System is not for you. Although the Arcade System isn’t for hardcore gamers, it makes the perfect gift for games who are 13 years old or younger. Oh yeah, it comes with Sega Superstars Tennis too.
The Xbox 360 Pro System
This is the type of Xbox I decided to purchase aftering comparing the Arcade, Pro, and Elite systems. The Xbox 360 Pro retails for $299.99, and it’s a giant step above the Xbox 360 Arcade. The 360 Pro comes with a 60GB hard drive, an HDMI Cable, an ethernet cable for connecting to Xbox Live, and a voice headset for talking on Xbox Live. I’ve found that the 60GB hard drive provides me with more than enough space to store game demos, movies, and TV shows that I’ve downloaded from Xbox Live. I also use the hard drive to store my saved game files. The HDMI cable that’s included allows you to play games in full HD on your HDTV. It’s amazing how real the 360’s video games look when you play them in HD. And what’s better is playing a multiplayer game in HD. The ethernet cable that the 360 Premium comes with is kind of short, so your 360 would have to be near your internet router unless you purchase a Wireless Network Adapter. The voice headset that comes with the 360 Premium works perfectly and is great for hollering at other players over Xbox Live. This is the Xbox that is perfect for almost every gamer. It comes with practically everything you would need to experience full HD and multiplayer gaming.
The Xbox 360 Elite System
The Xbox 360 Elite was designed for the Ultimate Gamer. It comes with a 120GB Hard drive compared to the Pro’s 60GB hard drive, which is perfect if you plan on downloading a lot of games, movies, and TV Shows from Xbox Live. So if you’re planning on buying a Xbox 360 Pro but think that a 60GB hard drive is too small, then buy the elite system. Otherwise you’d have to shell out $179.99 to upgrade to the 120GB Hard Drive
. The Elite is also the only one out of the three Xbox systems that comes in black. Although white isn’t such a bad color for an Xbox, the black Elite Xbox Systems are really sharp looking. The console’s black, the controller’s black, even the shiny
box it comes in is black. Also, the Elite system comes with 2 games, which currently are Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panada. If you plan on downloading a lot of stuff from Xbox Live and want a sleek looking black Xbox, you better splurge on the Elite System or you’ll regret it later. continue reading »