Xbox Bundle

Xbox 360 Pro Holiday Bundle
$399.99
This is the Christmas 2008 bundle where 2 games are included for free. So compared to the same-priced box without the 2 games, so if you were going to buy one anyway, there was no reason not to get this bundle. After the holidays the free games disappeared and the console shipped for the same price without the 2 free games. Having this box doesn't imply anything much about the version of the hardward you actually get other than you can expect the hardware manufacture dates to probably be within Januaray 2008 to October 2008 which spans several revisions of varous components, preloaded xbox operating system (which updates when you connect it to the internet anyway), and even among revisions the actual components vary by manufacturing plant. But this box doesn't mean any specific newer or older version within that range because all existing stock in retail stores were updated to this bundle. Microsoft representatives simply went to all stores, opened all the existing boxes, added 2 games, and applied new stickers to convert them to bundles. So you can see how all existing stock can be this bundle. Then there were actual new boxes that shipped with the holiday bundle box art. You can tell the difference by whether there are stickers or not that tell about the 2 new games vs being printed directly on the box.

Don't let the console revisions scare you about older versions. The biggest thing to look for is at least get one with lower power consumption, I think it was the 175 Watt power supply which is in most 2008 versions. I actually much preferred the June 2008 revision over the August/September 2008 revision and choose an older box after buying and returning several. There could very easily be more updated versions by now, but I can only speak of the 2008 versions that I spent a considerable amount of time pouring through when I bought mine. My biggest problem was a high pitched noise that came from the power supply brick. I had to go through several purchases and returns until I finally got one that didn't make a high pitched noise. Some were far better or worse than others. My bottom line is that when not using the xbox, I don't want a constant high pitched noise in the background when doing other things like watching movies on my DVD player. Some people cannot hear electronics noise since the higher range goes as you get older. If you are one of those that can hear if a TV is on without looking when muted, then you'll hear this since it is far louder than the TV noise. After several purchases, I finally found a power brick that didn't make a noise. If you are stuck with one that makes a noise when off, you can put it on a power strip and turn the power off, but that isn't very convenient.

The XBox console makes a bit of noise while running, especially when a game is in the DVD tray and not installed on the hard drive. I highly recommend using the option to install the game to the hard drive and it loads faster and is much more quiet when running. When installed, I don't even notice the noise, but it certainly isn't quiet. Note that some console's DVD drives are noisier than others. But if you just install all games, it make virtually not difference. It also saves wear on the DVD drive which is one of the componentns likely to fail first.

At this point in late 2009 you can probably find several bundles available from the past years and this year. So first figure out how much a plain console costs without a bundle, then see what games you can get for free bundled with it at no additional cost, or maybe slight additional cost as long as it is still a value to get the games included. Then choose which games you want. The 2 games included here are good for children and casual gamers, maybe not hard core gamers. Personally, my wife really likes the lego games and we can play together. Kung Fu panda is more of a solo experience, but I found it entertaining to play through once as a casual gamer.

Beyond considering hardware version & bundles, regarding the console alone, I really like my console. There are plenty of games at reasonable prices that I like. It has never failed me once. But I do feel like they are lacking some quality control due to the number of consoles & purchased and returned due to noise or vibration issues until I settled on my final one which has been great since then. But if you are a hard core Playstation fan, then I wouldn't force an xbox on someone who doesn't want one. I'm sure Playstation is great and am not comparing the two. All I can say is I am very happy with my xbox.

XBOX 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Package
$445.00
The Xbox 360TM Halo��� 3 Special Edition Console features an exclusive "Spartan green and gold" finish and comes bundled with a matching Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, 20GB Hard Drive, Corded Headset, Play & Charge Kit, and exclusive Halo 3 Gamer Pics and Theme (available via Xbox LIVE��� download). +PLUS+ Halo 3 Game for XBOX 360 - Xbox 360 Live 3 month Gold Card

Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle
$299.99
Everything you need to start playing is included. But be warned, this bundle does not include HD or HDMI connections, just the standard AV cable. This was not the case with some previous versions of the X-box 360 Elite bundle. Had I not been expecting better connection cables, this would be a 5-star rating.

Xbox 360 Arcade
$199.99
I bought this Xbox 360 to replace a 360 I purchased from eBay. It worked great right out of the box. All I did was hook up my old hard drive, and it was ready to go after the update. I was able to use twitter, play some online games, and stream some Netflix videos. The wireless controller works great as well. I have no complaints. Since I previously had a 360, I already knew what to expect. Xbox 360 is an awesome game system. I would recommend it to anyone.