After all these problems I simply decided I did not want to keep the console, Amazon would accept the return after their 30-day return period but would refund an 80% of what I paid. So I shipped the unit back to them and am waiting for my refund. So far, what should have been a better gaming experience has cost me $70 I will not get from the return, $59 of a videogame I will not play anymore, $19 of a battery I had to buy for the control, $30 of the shipping charges and my old Xbox unit.

You'd think that after paying all this money for their product you would expect quality (not only of the product but their service as well); to me this was nothing but a waste of my time and money. I'd like to think I simply had bad luck but after reading in their own web site I can tell they are having lots of problems with these units, my dad who is a sales manager at a retailer store told me customers return these consoles all the time.

Also lets not forget that the xbox 360 is the only game console where you have to pay a yearly fee to play online AND the only game console that will not allow any business besides their own to make repairs. This means that you will have to pay about 30 dollars to ship a broken system back to the company and in addition to that a average repair fee of about 50 dollars so not only are they producing a cheap quality system they may also be profitng from it. Just incase you wont take my word on these problems just try googgling it yourself.

So far, in two years, I have had to send in my Xbox 360 THREE times for repair; after the second repair, I was sent a refurbished replacement, then that one sputtered, ultimately being replaced by a brand new model. In fact, EVERYONE I know who has an Xbox 360 has experienced at least one repair for their machine, which is fairly outrageous. Yes, there is a three year warranty, which has covered all my repair costs, but the whole process of getting the 360 repaired is quite tedious and inconvenient, taking up to six weeks.

If you buy this product and have any kind of warranty issue, (like ours that one of the buttons on the wireless controller does not work after only 2 months) be prepared to be EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED. Once you finally get through to someone at XBOX, they will want you to send in the defective item and wait until they get around to sending you either a repaired item or a replacement...

no they will not refund a penny just send it in and we'll send you another piece of garbbage that will break in 3 months time. There are great games for other consoles as well so steer away from this horrible contraption. Xbox customer support, great,what they should change is their engineering and manufacturing departments,

This item has not worked since it arrived. We called X-box and they sent a box to return it minus the hard drive. They returned it several days later and it still does not work.

and it's onlly a matter of time before I have to send it back to microsoft to get it fixed (or even get sent an older model refurbished instead, which may not even come with the HDMI ports!). Of course, the repairs are covered under warranty, but I have to say that if I spend $350 on a console (not to mention upwards of $200-300 I've spent on games and accessories) I shouldn't have to send it back in the first few months for repairs, and have to wait a month to get it back. Also, Microsoft is claiming to have fixed this problem, but obviously have not...

I should note that this was a xbox with the new Falcon chip, so apparently the bugs still need to be ironed out. I'm not ready to give up on the Xbox yet (I'll try one more time), but I'm pretty disappointed. Best of luck, and buyer beware.

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "PS3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

I was told my son would be out his controller for at least 2 weeks!!!NICE NON SERVICE. In the mean time his gold account does not get put on hold, so there is 2 weeks of it (at least) that he can't use. I know someone who sent in their console because it was under warranty and was DEFECTIVE, that was 3 months ago and xbox can't seem to find their console!!WHAT A CROCK - OR SHOULD I SAY CROOK???Seems like the only thing more defective than their products is their customer service.

Then it made an awful noise and the CD drive burnt out. Nice. Amazon took it back but told us that they didn't have anymore so they could only refund our money.

SURE you can....time to spend 120 bucks for it because its not built in.... Wanna play TRUE HD gaming and play on 1080p.....guess what you cant even though they do have a HDMI port in the system its only ver 1.2 you need 1.3 to get TRUE 1080p.....yea i know microsoft lied to you and i did like the system at first when i got mine but after i did some research i learned that its not good at all and sending my system back 8 times was starting to get very very old so do yourself a favor and do not buy this system and if you do buy it you will see what i mean when your systems dies and you have to send it in 6-100 times

I am now returning my third Xbox360 to Microsoft for repair in the last six months. Each time, it takes 30-45 days for them to send a "refurbished" replacement to me. They refuse to send a "new" unit and the replacements have always failed within 60 days.

The high fail rate, for starters, even on the newer Falcon-based systems would certainly give one pause. The fact that this console has been out for over 2 years and still has major issues like that borders on the unacceptable, although I give credit to MS for trying to address it with their recent warranty extension. The CAP (Cost After Purchase) of products and services on XBOX Live is a bit frustrating - having paid $50 for a year of Gold level membership, you'd think they'd throw in minor items like gamer tag pictures and themes for free, or at least discounted.

Officially Microsoft states they have a low failure rate but won't publish their stats. Unofficially company's such as Best Buy and GamePro are stating their customers are returning 1 in 3 of every unit purchased. If you purchase be sure to pay the extra and get an extended warranty on this thing and even a second to back you up.

Gold members pay a $50/year fee in order to play on-line as well as download new content as it becomes available on XBL. Silver members cannot play on-line; however, they are able to download new content, typically, a week after it has been released on XBL. XBL is pretty reliable, but it does have its occasional problems (no, you do not get refunded if problems persist).

A week later, two more freezes within 10 minutes. The other day, it froze again. I have been told and read from numerous sources that when the console freezes, it's an early sign of console failiure.

He hooked it up, started playing and about 10 minutes later, it stopped working. Whenever he tried to use it after that, he would get the 3 flashing red lights. I googled that and discovered that means "general hardware failure." If I would have bought this from a brick and mortar store, I would have been able to take it back that day.

This review is running long, but I would like to add (though I believe this bundle is no longer being sold) that whoever wrote in their review that these are old consoles that Amazon just stuck "GO PRO" stickers on was wrong. "GO PRO" is printed right on the box (not a sticker) and these ARE the new "Falcon Chip" models. In summation, this console is as fun as it gets, but buyer beware...

Also lets not forget that the xbox 360 is the only game console where you have to pay a yearly fee to play online AND the only game console that will not allow any business besides their own to make repairs. This means that you will have to pay about 30 dollars to ship a broken system back to the company and in addition to that a average repair fee of about 50 dollars so not only are they producing a cheap quality system they may also be profitng from it. Just incase you wont take my word on these problems just try googgling it yourself.

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "PS3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

SURE you can....time to spend 120 bucks for it because its not built in.... Wanna play TRUE HD gaming and play on 1080p.....guess what you cant even though they do have a HDMI port in the system its only ver 1.2 you need 1.3 to get TRUE 1080p.....yea i know microsoft lied to you and i did like the system at first when i got mine but after i did some research i learned that its not good at all and sending my system back 8 times was starting to get very very old so do yourself a favor and do not buy this system and if you do buy it you will see what i mean when your systems dies and you have to send it in 6-100 times

I first contacted Amazon, assuming they would exchange this defective item. The answer, from multiple customer service representatives, was no. I then managed to persevere through the Microsoft support system, reached a live rep., found out the problem is most likely the power supply, and that they will send one to me in 5-6 business days.

You do not get your original box back, they send you someone else's system that they refurbish. The warranty does not cover any other issues, which there are many. After getting a refurbished system back (which had an older production date than the one we had sent them) it had another failure.

The RROD requires the consumer to call customer support (1-800-4MYXBOX) in order to send the console into repairs. My suggestion is to pay for the warranty that comes with the 360 because it covers the system for 3 years. If you do send your 360 into repairs, typically, they will send you a refurbished 360.

Still, I give the system 4 stars overall. Main pros are the Live service and selection of games. Main cons are the CAP combined with the "cover charge" of the Gold membership, and the potential for system failure - which warranty covers, but still means you won't be playing games for the weeks or months it takes to get a refurb unit.

I've spent a lot of sleepless nights since I first started playing. I bought this system specifically to play Fable 2, but Fable 2 has had the release date pushed back until next year. I'm not dissapointed however, because I have plenty of hours worth of fun games to distract me until it is released.

But do ya research on the system yea they are backing them but its ignorant that they are even breaking... But microsoft is known for glitchy things... Good luck on your purchase!!

I have thus far been unable to contact a customer service rep to address the issue; I've only been shunted through the automated system. If Amazon does make amends and compensates me in some way, I will update this review. I give Amazon's service 2 stars.

After all these problems I simply decided I did not want to keep the console, Amazon would accept the return after their 30-day return period but would refund an 80% of what I paid. So I shipped the unit back to them and am waiting for my refund. So far, what should have been a better gaming experience has cost me $70 I will not get from the return, $59 of a videogame I will not play anymore, $19 of a battery I had to buy for the control, $30 of the shipping charges and my old Xbox unit.

Also lets not forget that the xbox 360 is the only game console where you have to pay a yearly fee to play online AND the only game console that will not allow any business besides their own to make repairs. This means that you will have to pay about 30 dollars to ship a broken system back to the company and in addition to that a average repair fee of about 50 dollars so not only are they producing a cheap quality system they may also be profitng from it. Just incase you wont take my word on these problems just try googgling it yourself.

and it's onlly a matter of time before I have to send it back to microsoft to get it fixed (or even get sent an older model refurbished instead, which may not even come with the HDMI ports!). Of course, the repairs are covered under warranty, but I have to say that if I spend $350 on a console (not to mention upwards of $200-300 I've spent on games and accessories) I shouldn't have to send it back in the first few months for repairs, and have to wait a month to get it back. Also, Microsoft is claiming to have fixed this problem, but obviously have not...

I was told my son would be out his controller for at least 2 weeks!!!NICE NON SERVICE. In the mean time his gold account does not get put on hold, so there is 2 weeks of it (at least) that he can't use. I know someone who sent in their console because it was under warranty and was DEFECTIVE, that was 3 months ago and xbox can't seem to find their console!!WHAT A CROCK - OR SHOULD I SAY CROOK???Seems like the only thing more defective than their products is their customer service.

The high fail rate, for starters, even on the newer Falcon-based systems would certainly give one pause. The fact that this console has been out for over 2 years and still has major issues like that borders on the unacceptable, although I give credit to MS for trying to address it with their recent warranty extension. The CAP (Cost After Purchase) of products and services on XBOX Live is a bit frustrating - having paid $50 for a year of Gold level membership, you'd think they'd throw in minor items like gamer tag pictures and themes for free, or at least discounted.

A week later, two more freezes within 10 minutes. The other day, it froze again. I have been told and read from numerous sources that when the console freezes, it's an early sign of console failiure.

This review is running long, but I would like to add (though I believe this bundle is no longer being sold) that whoever wrote in their review that these are old consoles that Amazon just stuck "GO PRO" stickers on was wrong. "GO PRO" is printed right on the box (not a sticker) and these ARE the new "Falcon Chip" models. In summation, this console is as fun as it gets, but buyer beware...

This person asked me to contact my supplier first and see if warranty applied (even though the warranty info on the box asks you to go to Microsoft first), the reason for that he said, was that the supplier could simply change the unit and provide me with a new one. He told me I could mail them my console to fix it, but if that were the case, it was likely that they would simply replace the disc drive with a used one, if the console need to be changed, they could mail me back a refurbished one at the risk of it being an older unit without the features of the one I purchased (of course, had I purchased their extended service contract they would `gladly' send me a new unit free of charge). After spending $349 in a videogame console and with only 1 month of use I found this unacceptable and could not believe a Microsoft representative would tell me that.

The RROD requires the consumer to call customer support (1-800-4MYXBOX) in order to send the console into repairs. My suggestion is to pay for the warranty that comes with the 360 because it covers the system for 3 years. If you do send your 360 into repairs, typically, they will send you a refurbished 360.

About three weeks ago, I came home from the office and turned on the console, the disc tray made a strange noise and there seemed to be no disc on it as the dashboard had the `Open Tray' text in it, I was almost certain I hadn't removed the game so I checked, the game was indeed in the tray, the console would simply not recognize a disc in it. I tried CDs, DVDs and other games and got the same result, no disc was recognized at all and the tray made noises every time I opened/closed it. The console had a warranty note asking you not to go back to the retailer in a case like this as they may not be `as well prepared as their technicians' and contact their support center instead.

This item has not worked since it arrived. We called X-box and they sent a box to return it minus the hard drive. They returned it several days later and it still does not work.

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "PS3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

Then it made an awful noise and the CD drive burnt out. Nice. Amazon took it back but told us that they didn't have anymore so they could only refund our money.

This person asked me to contact my supplier first and see if warranty applied (even though the warranty info on the box asks you to go to Microsoft first), the reason for that he said, was that the supplier could simply change the unit and provide me with a new one. He told me I could mail them my console to fix it, but if that were the case, it was likely that they would simply replace the disc drive with a used one, if the console need to be changed, they could mail me back a refurbished one at the risk of it being an older unit without the features of the one I purchased (of course, had I purchased their extended service contract they would `gladly' send me a new unit free of charge). After spending $349 in a videogame console and with only 1 month of use I found this unacceptable and could not believe a Microsoft representative would tell me that.

Now we have to send it back with the hard drive.. This is too much work. Next time we are buying from a store that we can return it to.

This is apparently caused by 1 of three things, a lense proble, hard drive problem or a little magnet inside the harddrive that becomes detached so the disk won't spin. Needless to say they will not fix this free of charge. They request $100 plus to fix the problem and once again it will takes 3-4 weeks to get the refurbished unit back.

The arcade lacks HD cables of any sort and the lack of a hard drive would make downloads impossible along with backward compatibility. The system comes with 2x games - Forza2 [racing] and Marvel Ultimate alliance [like the game Baulder's Gate for the last gen systems, except with Marvel characters]. I don't like racing simulations, so I didn't play Forza2, but Ultimate Alliance is fun.

There is a high failure rate on early models, some forecasting as high as 30%, though my 2-year old system has not had that problem even once. It would have been nice to have a high definition disc drive built-in, but it is available optionally and Microsoft isn't forcing everyone to pay for the new expensive and unproven technology as Sony does with the PS3. Some criticize the "small" hard drive that accompanies the Pro model, but I still haven't come close to filling up my drive yet, so it hasn't been an issue for me.

downsides (just to prove this isn't a freaking commercial): If you are not online, this system is essentially half as good. That's how integrated the online experience is. The system is noisy, even just the difference between the disc drive spinning and and when it's not is dramatic.

At first, I was going to purchase the "arcade" version of the Xbox system. However, after talking to a couple of the gamers at work, they convinced me to buy this version for two reasons. First off, this package contains the hard drive, which is a value of over $125 that I got for about half that.

So far, in two years, I have had to send in my Xbox 360 THREE times for repair; after the second repair, I was sent a refurbished replacement, then that one sputtered, ultimately being replaced by a brand new model. In fact, EVERYONE I know who has an Xbox 360 has experienced at least one repair for their machine, which is fairly outrageous. Yes, there is a three year warranty, which has covered all my repair costs, but the whole process of getting the 360 repaired is quite tedious and inconvenient, taking up to six weeks.

If you buy this product and have any kind of warranty issue, (like ours that one of the buttons on the wireless controller does not work after only 2 months) be prepared to be EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED. Once you finally get through to someone at XBOX, they will want you to send in the defective item and wait until they get around to sending you either a repaired item or a replacement...

and it's onlly a matter of time before I have to send it back to microsoft to get it fixed (or even get sent an older model refurbished instead, which may not even come with the HDMI ports!). Of course, the repairs are covered under warranty, but I have to say that if I spend $350 on a console (not to mention upwards of $200-300 I've spent on games and accessories) I shouldn't have to send it back in the first few months for repairs, and have to wait a month to get it back. Also, Microsoft is claiming to have fixed this problem, but obviously have not...

I was told my son would be out his controller for at least 2 weeks!!!NICE NON SERVICE. In the mean time his gold account does not get put on hold, so there is 2 weeks of it (at least) that he can't use. I know someone who sent in their console because it was under warranty and was DEFECTIVE, that was 3 months ago and xbox can't seem to find their console!!WHAT A CROCK - OR SHOULD I SAY CROOK???Seems like the only thing more defective than their products is their customer service.

The high fail rate, for starters, even on the newer Falcon-based systems would certainly give one pause. The fact that this console has been out for over 2 years and still has major issues like that borders on the unacceptable, although I give credit to MS for trying to address it with their recent warranty extension. The CAP (Cost After Purchase) of products and services on XBOX Live is a bit frustrating - having paid $50 for a year of Gold level membership, you'd think they'd throw in minor items like gamer tag pictures and themes for free, or at least discounted.

Officially Microsoft states they have a low failure rate but won't publish their stats. Unofficially company's such as Best Buy and GamePro are stating their customers are returning 1 in 3 of every unit purchased. If you purchase be sure to pay the extra and get an extended warranty on this thing and even a second to back you up.

This person asked me to contact my supplier first and see if warranty applied (even though the warranty info on the box asks you to go to Microsoft first), the reason for that he said, was that the supplier could simply change the unit and provide me with a new one. He told me I could mail them my console to fix it, but if that were the case, it was likely that they would simply replace the disc drive with a used one, if the console need to be changed, they could mail me back a refurbished one at the risk of it being an older unit without the features of the one I purchased (of course, had I purchased their extended service contract they would `gladly' send me a new unit free of charge). After spending $349 in a videogame console and with only 1 month of use I found this unacceptable and could not believe a Microsoft representative would tell me that.

You do not get your original box back, they send you someone else's system that they refurbish. The warranty does not cover any other issues, which there are many. After getting a refurbished system back (which had an older production date than the one we had sent them) it had another failure.

The RROD requires the consumer to call customer support (1-800-4MYXBOX) in order to send the console into repairs. My suggestion is to pay for the warranty that comes with the 360 because it covers the system for 3 years. If you do send your 360 into repairs, typically, they will send you a refurbished 360.

About three weeks ago, I came home from the office and turned on the console, the disc tray made a strange noise and there seemed to be no disc on it as the dashboard had the `Open Tray' text in it, I was almost certain I hadn't removed the game so I checked, the game was indeed in the tray, the console would simply not recognize a disc in it. I tried CDs, DVDs and other games and got the same result, no disc was recognized at all and the tray made noises every time I opened/closed it. The console had a warranty note asking you not to go back to the retailer in a case like this as they may not be `as well prepared as their technicians' and contact their support center instead.

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "ps3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

Also, it gets extremely hot, if not properly ventilated (the same goes for the ps3, for that matter) and it gets fairly noisy when running. It's hard to believe that all of these commonplace hardware malfunctions that the Xbox 360 has become infamous for was so easily missed by Microsoft's hardware QA division (in fact, I don't), and although all of today's gaming consoles have their pros and cons about them (incidentally, I enjoy all of them), it is a pretty big thing to take into consideration when buying one (although the three-year extended warranty covering the three-ring of death DOES take the sting out of it, somewhat; if only there had been such a deal on the PS2, which I had to replace a few times to shoddy design, as well). The newer Xbox 360's have purportedly rectified the issues that caused these malfunctions; only time will tell.

UNBELIEVABLE PS: this repair takes 4-6 weeks I find this totally unacceptable I would suggest as ps3 or a Wii instead.

On the ps3 everything works, but absolutely no better than on a PS2. They graphics are still rendered low-res and there ain't no hardware anti-aliasing (yuck). The 360 has very limited backwards compatibility (there are bugs and some great games won't even run), but when it does work it's FANTASTIC.

That's the reason for an extended 3 year warranty, which is a lot more than the ps3 or any other console. Would it be a hassle to send it back? Yes.

There is a high failure rate on early models, some forecasting as high as 30%, though my 2-year old system has not had that problem even once. It would have been nice to have a high definition disc drive built-in, but it is available optionally and Microsoft isn't forcing everyone to pay for the new expensive and unproven technology as Sony does with the ps3. Some criticize the "small" hard drive that accompanies the Pro model, but I still haven't come close to filling up my drive yet, so it hasn't been an issue for me.

I can write a 10 page article on the reasons to purchase a ps3 over XBOX 360 but theres no need, I'll only outline the hot points: 1) Like it or not Blu-ray is the future, Sony did not spend 1000B in R&D for no reason. 2) ps3 has built in WiFi/ XBOX 360 is an extra $99 for a Network adaptor

Microsoft has had it's problems this year with the "red ring" problems and the recall on the wireless steering wheel, but it is still the best system out there for most gamers. Take a look at Guitar Hero III... I can find plenty of them for the ps3, but good luck finding it for the 360!

Some of the units have better chipsets, but it's all random whether you get one or not. The games available are fun, but many of them are also available on PC and ps3 platforms.

Some of these I've found as well - only have access to about 60% of the storage space on the hard drive [rest used for system], downloading large files from "Live" service is slow [may be function of high use during holiday season], DVD drive and fans EXTREMELY loud when in use, and Microsoft tends to nickel-and-dime you to death for the extras [i.e. wireless adapter], and the system doesn't have all the features that the ps3 has such as Bluetooth, Blu-ray, card reader, web-browser [however, I find I don't need/miss these features].

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "PS3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

You do not get your original box back, they send you someone else's system that they refurbish. The warranty does not cover any other issues, which there are many. After getting a refurbished system back (which had an older production date than the one we had sent them) it had another failure.

However, I would liked to have known that this was an old model 360 (Zephyr-based) before purchasing it. Because of the date listed (Oct 9, 2007) on the title of the page I assumed it would be on or around that manufacturing date, whereas in reality it was much earlier (Aug 22, 2007). The new systems (Falcon-based) started coming out on the Aug 24, 2007.

Amazon is sending out the new models so you don't have to worry about the RROD. Mine came quickly with a manufacturer date of November 6,2007. The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ethernet cable is way too short and Forza Motorsport is quite boring.

I've spent a lot of sleepless nights since I first started playing. I bought this system specifically to play Fable 2, but Fable 2 has had the release date pushed back until next year. I'm not dissapointed however, because I have plenty of hours worth of fun games to distract me until it is released.

Reading around the internet, it seems to be some kind of over heating issue. I also came around a site where a guy who's Xbox 360 kept dieing out after a few minutes of play, who had his Xbox 360 past the return date, took it apart, added a new heat sink to the CPU, and apparently now it's working for him for a couple hours of play before overheating. Congrats to all who haven't had their Xbox 360 die on them yet, my sympathy and understanding goes out to those who did, and good luck to you if you decide to get one of these Xbox 360s.

The manufacture date is 2007-10-08, but Im not sure if this is the newer version, or the new version with the falcon chip.

manufacturing date of 11/4/06! the factory seal was broken on the box. needless to say this is going right back to amazon.

With a lising date of october youd think they would be sending out the new systems with the resolved heat sink issues. But the are NOT.

Things started to go wrong when Ninja Gaiden's release date was moved from April to May, then from May to June. Amazon would do a great job informing me of the changes (as I had pre-ordered the game) and ask me if I still wanted to buy the item given the date change.

Also lets not forget that the xbox 360 is the only game console where you have to pay a yearly fee to play online AND the only game console that will not allow any business besides their own to make repairs. This means that you will have to pay about 30 dollars to ship a broken system back to the company and in addition to that a average repair fee of about 50 dollars so not only are they producing a cheap quality system they may also be profitng from it. Just incase you wont take my word on these problems just try googgling it yourself.

This is the worst game system out to date you must beware. There is a 33% fail rate "but i feel its alot more then that because i had to send mine back 8 times because it just died on me" and if u want games with good graphics then yea this system is good but still not the best "PS3 has the best" and if you want to watch an HD movie you can do BUT you would have to spend an extra 200 bucks for the HD-DVD drive to watch em.

About three weeks ago, I came home from the office and turned on the console, the disc tray made a strange noise and there seemed to be no disc on it as the dashboard had the `Open Tray' text in it, I was almost certain I hadn't removed the game so I checked, the game was indeed in the tray, the console would simply not recognize a disc in it. I tried CDs, DVDs and other games and got the same result, no disc was recognized at all and the tray made noises every time I opened/closed it. The console had a warranty note asking you not to go back to the retailer in a case like this as they may not be `as well prepared as their technicians' and contact their support center instead.

The arcade lacks HD cables of any sort and the lack of a hard drive would make downloads impossible along with backward compatibility. The system comes with 2x games - Forza2 [racing] and Marvel Ultimate alliance [like the game Baulder's Gate for the last gen systems, except with Marvel characters]. I don't like racing simulations, so I didn't play Forza2, but Ultimate Alliance is fun.

So getting a lot of value out of that game. Ultimate Alliance isn't my exact type of game I would buy but I've been playing it a little since it came with the system and it's pretty engaging. I am interested in finishing it to see the end of the storyline.

The only part that is warm is the fan on the back, but that is because the fan is just doing its job. The fan is some what noisy but once you turn your game on you won't even notice it. The huge PSU "brick" is something I try to conceal as much as possible.

The game selection for the XBOX is hard to beat - but it should be, as it's been out longer and thus able to build a solid catalog of titles. The main flaws with the 360 are ones I have not encountered personally (yet) but are noteworthy.

Cons: - Doesn't include Xbox live Golf subscription (not even free for 1 month). - Noise - the drive hums when a game is being played, but the noise from the game usually drowns it out.

I'm no electrical engineer so maybe it doesn't matter, but it seems odd that Microsoft would cut down on safety features for a $350 game console.

Things started to go wrong when Ninja Gaiden's release date was moved from April to May, then from May to June. Amazon would do a great job informing me of the changes (as I had pre-ordered the game) and ask me if I still wanted to buy the item given the date change.

I should note that this was a xbox with the new falcon chip, so apparently the bugs still need to be ironed out. I'm not ready to give up on the Xbox yet (I'll try one more time), but I'm pretty disappointed. Best of luck, and buyer beware.

The high fail rate, for starters, even on the newer falcon-based systems would certainly give one pause. The fact that this console has been out for over 2 years and still has major issues like that borders on the unacceptable, although I give credit to MS for trying to address it with their recent warranty extension. The CAP (Cost After Purchase) of products and services on XBOX Live is a bit frustrating - having paid $50 for a year of Gold level membership, you'd think they'd throw in minor items like gamer tag pictures and themes for free, or at least discounted.

This review is running long, but I would like to add (though I believe this bundle is no longer being sold) that whoever wrote in their review that these are old consoles that Amazon just stuck "GO PRO" stickers on was wrong. "GO PRO" is printed right on the box (not a sticker) and these ARE the new "falcon Chip" models. In summation, this console is as fun as it gets, but buyer beware...

However, I would liked to have known that this was an old model 360 (Zephyr-based) before purchasing it. Because of the date listed (Oct 9, 2007) on the title of the page I assumed it would be on or around that manufacturing date, whereas in reality it was much earlier (Aug 22, 2007). The new systems (falcon-based) started coming out on the Aug 24, 2007.

After weighing the pros and cons of each, I decided that the Xbox just has more games I want to play... and I allowed myself to be fooled by the "falcon Chip" (google it) fix to what is called the "Red Ring Of Death" problem (console failure to the layperson). I've gotten more enjoyment out of this thing than I had even expected.

whish Amazon or Microsoft would communicate better on what they are selling (falcon included or not). One other thing that really bothers me, the DVD player is quite loud!!! I live in an apartment and cannot play loud at night.

Mine was manufactured on 11-22-2007, has an HDMI port, and 175w power supply, so assume it is a falcon chipset. My only problem was with the amount of time Amazon took to send it to me.

The manufacture date is 2007-10-08, but Im not sure if this is the newer version, or the new version with the falcon chip.

Thats great for my piece of mind, but like someone else said on here, it does not really change the noise coming out of the disc drive. Love the 360, still waiting on Halo 3 and Gears of War to come in, but this is a great package, and it seems like Amazon has enough turnover with their inventory now to expect a falcon when you order here!

Maybe I just got lucky, I don't know, but when my system arrived it was the "Go Pro" version and it WAS printed on the box. The system came with the 175w falcon chipset which is awesome, supposedly this makes the system run much cooler, preventing overheating and the infamous "Red Ring of Death". I didn't even think they started producing the 360s with it yet.

The high fail rate, for starters, even on the newer Falcon-based systems would certainly give one pause. The fact that this console has been out for over 2 years and still has major issues like that borders on the unacceptable, although I give credit to MS for trying to address it with their recent warranty extension. The CAP (Cost After Purchase) of products and services on XBOX live is a bit frustrating - having paid $50 for a year of Gold level membership, you'd think they'd throw in minor items like gamer tag pictures and themes for free, or at least discounted.

I first contacted Amazon, assuming they would exchange this defective item. The answer, from multiple customer service representatives, was no. I then managed to persevere through the Microsoft support system, reached a live rep., found out the problem is most likely the power supply, and that they will send one to me in 5-6 business days.

Still, I give the system 4 stars overall. Main pros are the live service and selection of games. Main cons are the CAP combined with the "cover charge" of the Gold membership, and the potential for system failure - which warranty covers, but still means you won't be playing games for the weeks or months it takes to get a refurb unit.

One thing you should know when You buy the XBOX 360 that says free 30 days of GOLD XBOX live is they do everything to make you pay for it. They do not tell you anywhere in the box how to get the freee GOLD 30 days. The only way you can get it is to say all you want is the SIlver then they will offer you a gold for 30 days free.

whish Amazon or Microsoft would communicate better on what they are selling (Falcon included or not). One other thing that really bothers me, the DVD player is quite loud!!! I live in an apartment and cannot play loud at night.

well hi, i just recieved my x360 just to find out that even in december they're still pushing out the problematic cpu and gpu based xboxes. i dont mind taking the risk of braking it but it's a shame i have to live with the tought.

XBox as a gaming platform: 5 stars. -1 star for dishonosty: "XBox live Silver Membership" seems to be as good as no membership.

The system comes with games that are very good unlike the other systems that come with either none or lame ones. 3. Back in the time that you had to buy the old 360 it didn't have a wireless controller, no hdmi support, they were priced at $399, didn't come with a mic, no games, no Xbox live gold trial.

You will be without your system approximately 21 days and they provided a 30 day free Xbox live card with your refurbished system. They also provide you with a 3 year warranty should your system suffer the 3 rings of death again. Warning though.

Some of these I've found as well - only have access to about 60% of the storage space on the hard drive [rest used for system], downloading large files from "live" service is slow [may be function of high use during holiday season], DVD drive and fans EXTREMELY loud when in use, and Microsoft tends to nickel-and-dime you to death for the extras [i.e. wireless adapter], and the system doesn't have all the features that the PS3 has such as Bluetooth, Blu-ray, card reader, web-browser [however, I find I don't need/miss these features].

It didn't say it's Go Pro on the box; I have seem the Go Pro version at CircuitCity, the box looks different. And if it's the premium or the Go Pro, it should support all the original xbox games, right? and I can't play any on this one, is there any support stuff I have to download or update through internet, or it's just a Arcade version xbox 360 with a 20 GB harddrive, does anyone know.???

they do not carry the old version with the old proccesor. it has the new slower proccesor.you can tell if you have the old version or new version by looking at the system info on the 360 itself. i dont remember the exact numbers but if it says that the proccesor is like a 207 or something than it is the old version.

At first, I was going to purchase the "arcade" version of the Xbox system. However, after talking to a couple of the gamers at work, they convinced me to buy this version for two reasons. First off, this package contains the hard drive, which is a value of over $125 that I got for about half that.

The manufacture date is 2007-10-08, but Im not sure if this is the newer version, or the new version with the falcon chip.

Unlike what others have said this is the Go Pro version. It is written on the box and not on a sticker.

Maybe I just got lucky, I don't know, but when my system arrived it was the "Go Pro" version and it WAS printed on the box. The system came with the 175w Falcon chipset which is awesome, supposedly this makes the system run much cooler, preventing overheating and the infamous "Red Ring of Death". I didn't even think they started producing the 360s with it yet.

3. the system is not the pro version; No HDMI or HDD. It was built October of 2006.

It was made in October and it is the 175 watt version. Amazon is sending out the good stuff.

We specifically wanted the version with the 20 GB hard drive, and could find none in stores a week or two before Christmas. Amazon had them and sent it to me guaranteed in time for Christmas.

if you get stuck with the old version you should use the black inko intercooler not the white one(it messes up you system) and a bottom fan is also helpful.