I need to buy an XBox -- help?

[XPav]

So I got Halo 2 for XMas... even though I have no XBox. Well, now I have an excuse. I suppose I had better go buy the first console of my life.

So -- obviously I need the XBox, but what peripherals are recommended? Wireless controllers?

I don't have an HDTV, just a good normal TV, and I've got a surround sound system for it.

Oh, and are there any recommendations of girl-friendly games for the XBox? I know its not a Gamecube, but there's got to be a few.

Thanks!

[Dave Long]

Wireless controllers are nice, but not a necessity on the box if you don't have kids. The cords are nice and long and they "break away" if someone trips over them. A second controller is probably all you really need on the accessory front and/or Xbox Live to play online. You get 3 months of Live free in the box of Halo 2 but you won't have the headset. You could go buy that if you want or buy the Live kit to get Crimson Skies too.

Girl friendly games are really hard to come by on the Xbox. Does she like Buffy the Vampire Slayer? The game is good from what I've heard and it's at least got a female protagonist. Seriously though, the Xbox just doesn't have much girl appeal unless the girl likes the same games you do. That's not out of the question of course. We have a few girls that play Halo at Cathcart's when we get together.

--Dave

[J.theYellow]

Wait until June, get an Xbox 2.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Wait until June, get an Xbox 2.Are you kidding? June of 2006? Cause June of 2005 sounds impossibly soon, we would have a concrete announcement already I'd think. Even next Christmas still sounds optimistic.


I don't have an HDTV, just a good normal TV, and I've got a surround sound system for it. With a normal TV and a surround sound system, you'll want this (http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/advancedavpack.htm) cable. It gives you regular outputs, plus S-Video and an optical output for the surround sound system. I don't know if there are any third party options, but you don't need this (http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/highdefinitionavpack.htm) (it's the one for HDTV), so if you are exploring third party options, make sure you're not paying for something similar to this when all you want is the first.

[JPR]

He's not kidding. Middle of this year is the current projected US release date. One thing that he's not mentioning, though, is that word is there will be no backwards-compatibility.

[Wholly Schmidt]

He's not kidding. Middle of this year is the current projected US release date. One thing that he's not mentioning, though, is that word is there will be no backwards-compatibility.
I don't have any urls or sources handy, but I seem to remember hearing quite a while ago that backward compatibility wasn't a priority or likely feature for the Xbox 2, so that's no surprise. I'll still be amazed if we see Xbox 2 less than a year from now.

[Dave Long]

No backwards compatibility is expected. June of 2005? I doubt it. September, October or November? Most definitely.

--Dave

[VegasRobb]

That's kinda cool, getting the game and not having the system.

I'm a little surprised that there aren't many girl/family friendly games for the Xbox. Perhaps a couple DDR pads and DDR Max?

[Dave Long]

The system has been marketed very heavily toward the "XTREME GAMER!" so I'm not sure why you're surprised that it doesn't have a lot of girl/family games. :?

Nintendo's system is easily the best for family fun and the PS2 is a middling second mainly because you have to pay extra to play with four people and most games aren't designed for four players either. The best family games on both systems are the music games as you note. But that gets expensive too if you want to play with multiple players AND I've found that not all women (my wife included) like it when other people watch them "dance".

--Dave

[Dave Perkins]

Oh, and are there any recommendations of girl-friendly games for the XBox? I know its not a Gamecube, but there's got to be a few.


SSX Tricky and SSX 3.

[XPav]

I'm not going to wait and get an XBox 2. There are plenty of XBox games that will keep me happy for a while, and its cheap. Thanks for the advice.

Now I just have to find a place that has XBoxen.

[Dave Perkins]

Now I just have to find a place that has XBoxen.

Whazzat?

[Supertanker]

Many places have sold out of Xboxes, so I assume that's what XPav means.

You can probably find the holiday bundle still, which includes Top Spin and NCAA Football 2005. It also has a 2-month Xbox Live trial. You'll still need to buy an Xbox Communicator, which is the gadget that plugs into the controller, and you plug your headset into that.

Be sure to use the trial first before activating any subscription card you buy. Once you use a paying sub on an account, you cannot use any trial cards.

[Zteven]

Oh, and are there any recommendations of girl-friendly games for the XBox?

DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) was already suggested and I agree. You'll have to buy a dance pad too.

The Sims is available for the Xbox and it was pretty well received here. It is kinda like on the PC but less sandbox and more quests. Which makes it more fun, I think, but I didn't really play it.

Maybe you can buy one of the two RPG's on the Xbox? That is, Kotor or Fable.

Playing an adventure on the couch together is nice. I can recommend Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. Avoid Syberia 2, it is a stupid game.

Bye,
Steven

[XPav]

Absolutely no XBoxen to be found in the area. Did Microsoft not anticipate demand or what?

[Dave Long]

Seems that way. PS2s are hard to get too. You almost have to wonder if they did it somewhat on purpose given that the box costs them so much to build and they know the next system will ship in 2005.

I mean, if that guy saying June is right, they'll be selling Xbox 2 in six months!

I dunno what to tell you other than keep looking. The system is definitely hard to find right now.

--Dave

[XPav]

I popped over to Gaming Age forums -- found a thread. The "6 months" rumors are flying around there too -- all probably from the same source.

Oh well, I don't care. If I get an XBox now, I'll have, what, 3 years of cheap games that I can pick and choose from?

I'll just have to wait a week or so probably.

[Dave Long]

Yeah, I'm not at all advocating that you wait to get one. You've got Halo 2 and I can tell you that it's worth hours of entertainment, especially online or with friends. There are plenty of other games worth getting too. I was just noting that there might be a reason they haven't fileld the channel with product right.

--Dave

[bago]

I just want to see the end of Halo2.... *grumble*

[Dave Long]

The current rumor is a Halo 2.5 will ship on Xbox 2 at launch with all the content of the original, much improved graphics and the "real ending".

--Dave

[Ryan A]

The current rumor is a Halo 2.5 will ship on Xbox 2 at launch with all the content of the original, much improved graphics and the "real ending".

--Dave

No Way. That would be a major "screw you" from Bungie to its fans... and, while die-hard Mac purists may disagree, the folks at Bungie are pretty intent on not screwing over their fans.

[Dave Long]

Yeah, it does sound crazy, but I wouldn't put it past them at this point. Bungie has kinda backed down from the "That's how we wanted it to end" talk and now I believe anything's possible. If they ship the console without a Halo game, they're definitely going to need something ultra-major in its place. I'm not sure they want to count on Rare to provide that, you know?

It's not something I put a lot of stock in, but the way Microsoft has managed Xbox, I won't be too terribly surprised to see it happen.

--Dave

[asspennies]

Girls love Fable. Try that.

The whole "Bungie wanted Halo 2 to end that way" doesn't make sense for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it flies in the face of everything they've done in the first two games - start off slow, with a systematic process designed to allow the players to get used to the controls before bringing them into the major action.

Instead, Halo 3 will start with Mister Chef in the bowels of a Covenant/Ancient/Precurser/Shadow cruiser with minutes to go before all of creation is destroyed. I sure hope they have a set of four lights easily accessible to allow us to calibrate our analog sticks before we walk right into the bowels of the beast. Preferably wearing a Chef's hat.

I don't buy it. Bungie must have been pressed for time and/or had no idea how to end the story without tacking on much more game than they had time to complete.

[bago]

Remember, the ship date WAS tattooed onto some people, so they couldn't slip like Valve.

[Dave Long]

haha... true. TEMPORARILY TATTOOED but tattooed nonetheless. :)

--Dave

[MattKeil]

I don't buy it. Bungie must have been pressed for time and/or had no idea how to end the story without tacking on much more game than they had time to complete.

The current explanation (from Bungie) is that they realized during development that the big action setpieces they wanted to do as the slambang finale of the story were too complex for the Xbox to handle. Hence, Halo 2 ends where it does and serves as the middle chapter, and the story will finish on the Xbox 2.

[J.theYellow]

No backwards compatibility is expected.

Why in the blue hell would they not have backwards compatibility with the Xbox? As much money as MS lost marketing that big bastard, they might as well flush their entire division if Xbox 2s can't play Xbox 1 games.



Wait until June, get an Xbox 2.

This is humor right?

Not intentionally. My local Hastings is advertising it's coming in June, though the InStat/MDR report expects it by the end of 2005 instead.

[DaveC]

Wait until June, get an Xbox 2.

This is humor right?

[DaveC]

I'm not sure if it's just you area or not because where I live Future Shop had tons of Holiday Bundle Xboxes.

[XPav]

I'm not sure if it's just you area or not because where I live Future Shop had tons of Holiday Bundle Xboxes.
Had?

No place in my area has them now. Thats my small problem.

[DaveC]

I'm not sure if it's just you area or not because where I live Future Shop had tons of Holiday Bundle Xboxes.
Had?

No place in my area has them now. Thats my small problem.

Had as in when I was there yesterday they had piles of GCs, PS2 slims and Xboxes. I think Boxing Day didn't go all the well for retailers this year, at least no in games and computers. The deals were pretty sad, nothing to get excited about in my opinion.

[bago]

Switching your fundamental chip architecture can make it hard to go back.

[XPav]

Finally found an XBox. Hooray. Thanks for all the help.

[nutsak]

If you're still looking for chick games you could try the Crash Bandicoot series.. my girl loves those.. she also realy really likes Burnout 3. (Remember even though they're chicks they sometimes still like 'blokey games')