Forever Geek » Xbox

Original Xbox support discontinued, MS to upgrade in-warranty Xbox units to 360

Mel — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:25:28 +0000

Microsoft has announced that it is officially discontinuing out of warranty support for the original Xbox, officially ending the Xbox’s eight and a half year cycle. The Xbox’s production was officially ended in 2006.

According to the official Microsoft support site, all service repairs for the original Xbox video game systems “for which the warranty has expire will no longer be available.” Microsoft did say that other kinds of technical support, documentation and content will continue to be made available to customers through its web site. The company also said that original Xbox owners who need to have their units repaired and are still covered by the warranty can request for an upgrade to the Xbox 360. Pressed for more details, Microsoft said that the upgrade policy will allow for the upgrade of an in-warranty Xbox to a Factory Certified Repaired Xbox 360 Pro SKU. Their will be no fee to pay for the upgrade.

XBox 360 Hard Drive 60GB Live Pack

Jim — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:09:06 +0000

According to Gamestop, the XBox 360 Hard Drive 60GB Live Pack will pre-order ships starting Nov 4, 2008. Now we know why they do not allow external hard drives, LOL. Pricing is a little steep, but for the XBox hard fans out there, save up… you know you want one of these soon. Not sure if the timing of the release has something to do with the elections, probably not. The 60GB HDD Live pack includes a 60GB hard drive, a 3 month subscription to Xbox Live, a wired headset and ethernet cable all for $99. If it was my deal, I would’ve dropped the wired headset and ethernet cable (because most would probably have it anyway) and slash the price to about $85. But anyway.

More information from GameStop:

The easiest entry into Xbox LIVE for Arcade

- Incredible value; includes a 60 GB Hard Drive, Headset, Ethernet cable, and a 3-month LIVE Gold subscription.
- 60 GB Hard Drive allows users the ability to download HD video content, XBLA games, and Xbox Originals.
- Rip your music to the Hard Drive and create custom playlists to use in-game and out.
- Enjoy online multiplayer gaming and other exclusives with the included 3-month LIVE Gold Subscription Card.
- Strategize with teammates or just chat with friends while playing your favorite games with the included Xbox 360 Headset.

BD add-on for Xbox 360 rumors

Mel — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:46:06 +0000

Rumors are circulating again that a Blu-ray addon for the Xbox 360 will soon be made available. This rumor has been circulating for the last few months especially after HD-DVD’s defeat in the format wars, the losing format being backed by Microsoft. Sony has already made a statement that a BD in Xbox 360 is something that they will welcome. The rumors have gained traction because of reports that Toshiba-Samsung finishing the development of a BD add-on for the Xbox 360.

But it looks like this is just another unfounded rumor, especially in light of the fact that online distribution is the direction that the Xbox 360 wants to take. Until I see an actual BD add-on on display I’ll most likely believe these future add-ons as just hokum.

360 price cut rumors

Mel — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:17:05 +0000

Microsoft is rumored to be issuing price drops for its Xbox 360 units this coming September. According to rumors, the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade will be dropped to $199. There will then be $50 price cuts on both the 60GB Pro and the 120GB Elite units, putting them at $299 and $399, respectively.

This move could be Microsoft’s way of stemming the resurgence of the Playstation 3, which is still third in the console race but fast catching up to its competitors.