Posts Tagged ‘xbox 360’

Where do gamers go?

The choices you have as a gamer are:

1. Buy (Online, Ebay, used, Gamestop..)
2. Rent (Gamefly, blockbuster…)
3. Trade (Goozex, Switchplanet..)

Renting in the past at your brick and mortar rental place can easily set you back more then $5-$7 every week like Blockbuster. Many places like Gamefly charge a monthly service fee. Renting isn’t all together bad but playing videogames isn’t like watching movies. There is a considerable larger amount of time invested in videogames then in movies. Most movies range from 1.5 hours to epics of 6 hours. Where most videogames you could get a good feel for a game in 3 hours but most sports games and long role playing games could be played for more then 70 hours.

This is where Goozex Game Trading steps in. Goozex allows the gamer to keep the game as long as you want but have the option to sell it too. There is only a $1 transaction fee if you request a game on their network. So basically you can trade in your older games and build up Goozex credit until you get enough for a newer title and just pay the $1 transaction fee. All shipping costs are handled by the sender so if you are requesting a game you only pay the and not the shipping and handling. No membership fees so no need to feel you need to use the system. This is ideal in the sense that you could play the game until you are actually sick of it then send it in for credit. No hurry as you play and ship at your own pace. Plus you OWN the game. From then on the game is yours, not a rental.

You only send games directly to the next member. There is no single central warehouse and the pricing of the credits of the system are in points (100pts = $5). The pricing of the game is determined by market demand, release date, initial cost of the game, and a couple other factors. Most xbox 360 titles will go for 800-1000 pts which translates to $40-$50. This isn’t bad for a used game. You could probably save a little bit of money if you bought it at a used gaming store but then you would have to pay tax and actually go to the store. Goozex gives you free shipping to you with no tax charge. You can buy games directly but will cost you a premium but then again this money is locked in credits anyways. Price fluctuations occur and you can see the points swings. I’ve had a couple games I requested and I can see that price increase/decrease. It doesn’t happen that much but some games change +/- 200pts depending on market demand.

So why use Goozex instead of a used videogame store or an auction site with games like Ebay? You just need $1 to pay for the transaction fee. Most people don’t like to continually shell out more money for a game and then feel like the games they bought are depreciating at a very fast rate. Selling your game for cash anywhere will not give you that much. Selling it to a store they will mark your game up to make money. Selling it online at an auction site will incur fees and you still have to pay for shipping. You can get great value from Goozex and just trade in games you don’t want with a demand. There might be more difficulty in sending older sports titles as those don’t have much demand once their season is up like trying to sending in EA sports Madden 2005 will be a hard game to sell to someone on the network. Older games on ebay are a hassle to sell. On Goozex you will be able to list it and it will just stay there without having to pay insertion fees.

Each videogame is packed with information like reviews from Gamepro, some tips/trick, game description, and some even have instructions. The best feature is the ability to see how many copies of a game are listed on the network verses how many are being requested. This will let you know if you have a game people want or if you can possibly get a game on the network. The system chooses who gets paired up. There is a waiting list that is generated and when you add a game you will see in what place you are waiting for that game. This is a fabulous idea as impatient gamers can tell if they should expect a game soon. You need to make a list for want and haves for your games. They will show you your place in line per game. This is a good way to build up a wishlist and then have your core set of games your really want now. Building a large list ensures some games will continue to come to you. I was requesting Crackdown for the Xbox 360 and I was 60th person in line. Turns out I got the game in less then 2 weeks. Just because you’re really deep in line doesn’t mean you won’t get the game soon. Newer games do get pushed out in the system fairly quickly. You have many options to what you want to trade in terms of instructions, case or just game. Some people tend to not keep cases or instructions. The value of the game doesn’t go down as the credits don’t reflect what is included. This is because the user requesting the game can have the option to request only full packaged games, games with instructions, or just the game itself. I have not had a problem with getting full packages as I’ve gotten over 49 games and I’ve sent out 54 in under 2 years of being there.

Why NOT to use

For this site to be a perfect 5 star site I would like to see:

1. More users (will there ever be enough?)
2. More old school games (nes, snes, saturn….)
3. is still not free. I’m a member of another site that has no transaction fees yet still protects the members.
4. Video game trailers for each game
5. More community interaction (user reviews, recommendations…)

All the above are small tweaks to the system that is already very functional. The main reason someone would NOT want to use this system is time and money. If you have the dough you would just buy it new down the street? Why wait? Saving money and the community are the main draws to the system. Save money and also connect with other gamers. If you wanted to save money but are impatient then this sits is NOT for you. Most new release games takes on average of 1-2 months. Why? You are placed in a waiting line. The order of the Que determines when you get the new game, but more importantly is how many are available? Most will eventually get bored of their new game and will send them out as “have” games. The wait times do get long. Say you want to play a game that takes a long time to beat. You gotta factor in that a player like me would take over 1 month to beat a game like that. More popular games of course like Madden will hit the system quicker but that is also a bad thing. If you hold a game too long it will depreciate in value just like on the streets. Trading for early on might be for 1000 points but in a couple months with the market being saturated it could be 500 points in no time losing half of it’s value. Not Goozex’s fault but some games just don’t move well.

Current Goozex Simultaneous Transaction on the Network as of Mar 11, 2009 = 4793

Definitely, the Xbox 360 is one of the finest gaming consoles  available in the videogame market currently. A vast range of titles,  unparalleled visuals and ability to function in a wireless mode allows it to keep up with competitors. However, nothing in this world is  perfect and the Xbox 360 is not an exception. Thus, if your Xbox 360 does go haywire, that’s when knowing Xbox 360 troubleshooting really turns out to be handy. 

Xbox 360 troubleshooting is the solution to all of the  possible problems that you may find while  playing your Xbox 360.  The three first errors the  users routinely face are the red ring of death, disc reading  errors and overheating consoles. 

Amongst the most typical  issues is the advent of three red lights, commonly called  the red ring of death.  It’s essentially a warning that the Xbox 360 is in difficulty.  However if you come across this issue it is not always straightforward to  get a distinct fix. 

In spite of being a dynamic and  technically sophisticated system, the Xbox 360 can get overheated over  prolonged lengths of play. When this happens players are alerted to  the problem by the Xbox 360 overheating sign. Xbox 360 troubleshooting for such a  difficulty can be done by relocating the console in a cooler  environment allowing it to cool in free air. 

Essentially, the  tools that are important for successful Xbox 360 troubleshooting are a basic know- how of the Xbox 360 system, and a group of basic electric tools like screwdrivers and solders. 

By this point, you must have  gained a fair idea about Xbox 360 troubleshooting guides. Basically,  these are tutorials and suggestions mostly in form of video or text to help you  detect and solve problems associated with an Xbox console, available  typically via online sources. The money back guarantees associated with  these troubleshooting guides make it a worthy investment and a trustworthy solution to basic  Xbox 360 faults. 

I’m hoping with the aid of the discussed  Xbox 360 troubleshooting guidelines you’ll be able to solve basic Xbox problems.  This being said, in the event of critical console failure, it is always advisable to contact your local Microsoft dealers.

Gamers looking for a cheap alternative to PC gaming are in luck. You don’t need to spend 0 or more on a graphics card alone to get fantastic 1080p graphics when you could be spending as little as 0 on an entire console for the same level of graphical fidelity. Although it came out several years ago, the Xbox 360 video game system still produces the best graphics in the video game console market, and gamers with high definition televisions will be able to experience gorgeous graphics and some of the most entertaining game titles to come out in recent years.

Different Methods

Getting discount Xbox 360 games through renting is pretty self explanatory. Many online services charge a monthly fee in exchange for letting users rent games for as long as they desire. Brick and mortar stores like Blockbuster charge by the game and have late fees, but you can spend less on renting games if you complete them more quickly. Online discount Xbox 360 game renting services are most like Netflix in their business model.

Buying used is another great way to get discount Xbox 360 games. Often, you can purchase these games within weeks of new releases, as gamers quickly exchange them for a significant portion of their retail value. At first, this will only save you about five or ten dollars as demand remains high, but they will drop to a fraction of their original price as demand falls. Used games are a safe bet, although many people have a stigma about them. They don’t feel that they can trust the quality of the game discs, but the truth is that most gamers take great care of their video games. In fact, resellers will refuse to purchase faulty equipment and video games, so you can rest assured that used discount Xbox 360 games will work as intended, or you will always be able to return them for replacement copies.

Walmart

Did you know that Walmart carries the Xbox line, including the Xbox 360 Premium system? If not you do now, and this is one retailer that you are surely going to want to check out for yourself. We all know how great of prices Walmart offers on a regular basis, and the same applies here to the Xbox systems.

The bottom line is that this is a fantastic video game console, one that is definitely worth trying for yourself. Keep in mind that the prices are constantly lowering on the older Xbox 360 pro system as newer versions take their place, and so you can wait even just a few months and the cost will drop dramatically. You do always have the option of buying the game used, but you have to be very cautious if you decide to go this route because you can never really be too sure of the condition of the game if you are buying it used.

I am as many people would call me a Xbox 360 fan boy but I do have the other two so at least I can actually compare them personally. Just because it is my favourite it doesn’t mean that the console itself wasn’t released with some problems that are still perhaps not fixed.

I actually still have my original 20GB console which is of course the first to be released and I somehow managed to get mine on month of release as a Christmas presents with two games. I was stuck with Kameo and King Kong as my very first two games for the console on a small tv which has now all changed. King Kong is now of course used for the easy achievement points and Kameo is often seen in the bargain bin of many gaming stores. Of course a lot of games go down in price overtime because they are now made in such large quantities.

The main issue is with the console and not the games. Many fans of the box will get aggravated by the term the three red rings or rings of death and it is known as this for one simple reason; get this and your console is dead and you are going to have to send it off to Microsoft for repair.

I have done this twice now and although I am still happy with the service I received they haven’t even fixed the problem with the newer consoles. There aren’t enough fans within the console itself so when it overheats it will slowly begin to melt away the soldering on the motherboard which then of course breaks the console. You can in fact quickly wrap the console in a cold towel which will fix the problem but this will only work temporarily so it is best to send it off straight away.

It could be an idea to put more fans into the system? There is already an issue with the loudness of the console, adding more fans could really cause another problem. So what is likely to happen is that we are going to have to wait until the next console release for the problem to be sorted. The bad repairs has certainly not stopped me from ordering in my new Super Elite containing a nice 250GB hardrive.

It is funny how far fan accessories and a few electrical components can go isn’t it?

The XBOX 360 achievements setup is one of the main contributors to its booming popularity.  It’s a brilliant idea wherein you stack points by playing XBOX 360 games and finishing the various stages and challenges therein. Having amassed enough points you can redeem them for actual rewards in the form of downloadable content from Microsoft. There’s a lot more to it than this though. 

Garnering points is a simple job for hardcore gamers at freedom to spend hours beating difficult games and feats.  But what about those among us who can’t invest hours at a stretch in trying to amass XBOX 360 achievements? Well you do not need to feel shortchanged any longer. 

Here’s what you can do to get the highest points on the XBOX 360 with minimum hours of gameplay;

To start off you can pick the easiest titles that are available for the XBOX 360. Bear in mind that a simple game will mean simple gameplay aswell and some straightforward points to boost your XBOX 360 achievements. Some of the less complicated games currently available are King Kong, Madden NFL, Fight Night Round 3 and teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name some.

Some games might consist of easy parts as well as difficult parts. Normally you get the big points for finishing the tough parts, but that may be really long haul.  Attempt to get as many XBOX 360 achievements as feasible from the simple levels and you may be better off. 

Ultimately, it might be a good idea to concentrate on your skills. You may be really strong at sports games and not as good at ‘first person shooters’. Therefore, get on with the soccer and throw the gun away for a while! Just for the sake of getting XBOX 360 achievements, it’s best not to play the titles from genres you don’t like. In doing so you might end up with little points but plenty of frustration instead. 

There are plenty of XBOX 360 achievements guides available online, which can offer you updated info on the simplest way to maximize your points total simply. So you may wish to keep an eye fixed on these tips. 

By employing a bit of methodology and guile you can pile up the points while enjoying quality gaming time.  So best of luck with your XBOX 360 achievements and shoot at total mastery!

Though all videogame consoles would like to be the entertainment focus of your home, Nintendo’s Wii is marketed towards a more general audience (with which it has been wildly successful) while the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and Sony’s Playstation 3 chase the hard-core action-gaming crowd dominated by male teens and tweens, as reflected by Xbox 360 Accessories like an Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter.  When it comes to hardware, the Wii is outclassed by both the Xbox and the PS3, but it’s really the software that makes a game console. Thus do Microsoft and Sony’s catalogs appear rather similar, as both are targeting the same market with a similar number of titles offering a similar range of action gameplay.

But serious numbers mean serious bragging rights in action-gaming, and it should also be remembered that, no matter what else is said, it is the hardware that drives the software.  (Though no one boasts of their Xbox 360 Power Supply.)  And thus it is that many may find the Xbox 360 and PS3 pretty similar under the hood, despite Sony’s much-hyped “emotion engine” said to render facial expressions so realistically as to make for a much more emersive gaming experience. Nonetheless, each console does have its following of die-hard devotees who insist that major differences abound between the two. Yet it’s safe to say that very few would turn down a rival console given as a gift!

The real differences, in fact, involve those truly special features offered by each platform, as well as the online experiences each provides. And Microsoft has a noticeably richer online experience than that of Sony, whose online service is not bad at all. But the Xbox 360 provides a more extensive experience in that department, though the PS3 does try very hard to make up for it with a built-in Blu-ray DVD player, WiFi web surfing, and support for Bluetooth wireless devices. To which it ought to be noted that NetFlix on-demand is available through the Xbox 360, likely neutralizing the PS3’s multimedia advantages. But the PS3 is extensively moddable by users with the technical interest, while Microsoft rather discourages such hobbyist tinkering under the hood.

Then there’s the matter of prices, with the PS3 selling more going for than the Xbox 360 on account of its slightly longer list of features. Then again, if you’re a hard-core gamer, prices are probably not going to be all that big a consideration, because purchasing decisions will often be made based on software exclusive to each platform. Of course, the truly hard-core don’t care about prices at all and would simply buy both systems!