360core and saving games

[Hulk]

Say I get the core version of it, can I still save games or would I need a memory card?

And how much is the cheapest memory card?

 

[mikereeve]

Yes you would need a memory card to save games. I don't know your local pricing, but they are $50 Canadian where I live. So I would guess $40US?

 

[rcf1987]

Yep there 40$ US dollars I got the core simply because thats all they had If I were you I would get the premium edition or at least the HDD

 

[Hulk]

What a rip off.

I remember when you could save NES games without any memory cards, hell NES didnt even HAVE any memory cards for it.

 

[BoogerBomb]

What a rip off.

I remember when you could save NES games without any memory cards, hell NES didn't even HAVE any memory cards for it.

Don't you know that we no longer possess that kind of technology and the current cost to come up with and implement that technology would be very prohibitive.

 

[theNoid]

Just buy a memory card of eBay for like $19.99 .. and use it until MS releases a larger HDD for the 360.. then buy that.

 

[Hulk]

That's a good idea. I think I'll actually do that.

 

[Daggah]

There's a LOT of functionality you miss out on if you don't get the hard drive...from stuff as simple as downloading game demos to XBL Arcade...you also cannot play original XBOX games without the hard drive. You can get the core to save yourself $100 now, but if you want the hard drive later, you'll still end up spending the money. You also get other things with the premium edition...component cables (even if you can't use them now, you might use them later, no?) and the wireless controller which works really well.

 

[saintrobyn]

Here is why you want to get the Premium system for $399.

Core System - $299.99
Wireless Controller - $49.99
Ethernet Cable - $15.00 (Rough Guess)
Hard Drive - $99.99
Component A/V Cables - $39.99
Live Headset & Mic - $19.99
------------------------------------------------
Total: $524.95

The only time you should buy the Core system is if you have no other option. The prices don't take into account things such as Hexic preloaded onto the Premium system, backwards compatability, and Xbox Live Marketplace. In the end it just makes more sense from an economic standpoint to by the Premium system.

 

[ClearM4]

The only time you should buy a CORE xbox360 is when you have no plans to connect online and don't have a HDTV. But you really do miss out on a lot. No wireless controller, backwards compatibile games, downloadable demos, HD trailers, Arcade games!!! with playable trail versions, voice chat with friends, component cable for HDTV, more downloadable content, and ETC.

PS. I am a marketplace junky.

 

[Blauman]

The prices don't take into account things such as Hexic preloaded onto the Premium system.

Hexic is loaded onto the hard drive period, be it Premium package or bought to install in the core system.

 

[PWMK2]

What a rip off.

I remember when you could save NES games without any memory cards, hell NES didnt even HAVE any memory cards for it.

Because the games were on cartridges...

 

[Erasmus354]

What a rip off.

I remember when you could save NES games without any memory cards, hell NES didnt even HAVE any memory cards for it.

Apparently you dont remember how much more expensive those cartridges were than games today. You had games back then that were upwards of 70$. If you account for inflation that is over 100$ for a game today...now are you still complaining?

 

[saintrobyn]

Hexic is loaded onto the hard drive period, be it Premium package or bought to install in the core system.

I did not know that. I figured it was just another little perk for buying the more expensive system. Still, buying the Core system and the Hard Drive does not make sense when you factor in all the other items that you get for the same price.

 

[Netrat33]

Because the games were on cartridges...

heh

Curse those CDs/DVDs! Just a fade

 

[Blauman]

Still, buying the Core system and the Hard Drive does not make sense when you factor in all the other items that you get for the same price.

you are 100% correct about that. I bought the Core system only because I had to have a 360 and didnt pre-order one and could only find the Core system. I had about $275 in store credit from trade in's at EB so I used that to get the hard drive and some games. Then I got the wireless controller as a present for my Bday and bought a 1 year gold XBL so that came with the headset. Overall it is much smarter to get the Premium now that they are more readily available at stores.

 

[BoogerBomb]

Apparently you dont remember how much more expensive those cartridges were than games today. You had games back then that were upwards of 70$. If you account for inflation that is over 100$ for a game today...now are you still complaining?

Memory prices are super cheap for what a game cartridge would need nowadays. Back then memory was not cheap at all.

 

[BladeMrk]

actually you can download the XBL Arcade games to a memory card (I think one of the requirements of an XBL Arcade game is that the game file size is small enough to fit onto a memory card), although it's still not really practical.

 

[rcf1987]

actually you can download the XBL Arcade games to a memory card (I think one of the requirements of an XBL Arcade game is that the game file size is small enough to fit onto a memory card), although it's still not really practical.

Ya you can download XBL Arcade games on a memory card I've done it.

 

[Babbster]

Memory prices are super cheap for what a game cartridge would need nowadays. Back then memory was not cheap at all.

It's really not. It's relatively cheap for handheld purposes, where system RAM is tiny and screen resolutions/sizes are very small, but 4GB of memory (almost accommodating a single-layer DVD) for a modern console game would still be very expensive in "cartridge" form. Optical discs have not only allowed developers to stretch their proverbial legs when making their games, but they've raised the expectations of gamers to the point that cartridges just couldn't cut it on a home console, either because the cartridge wouldn't hold enough data or because the cartridge would be prohibitively expensive, Neo-Geo style.

I think that if memory truly was cheap enough for cartridges to make a comeback, console makers (particularly Nintendo) would probably jump all over it. They make games faster, they're easier to secure and, at least in Nintendo's case, they would probably try to take a bigger cut out of third-party sales again. But, it's unlikely to happen again given that the next generation of consoles (the hypothetical Xbox 720, PS4 and Puu) could have HD-DVD or Blu-ray, providing storage of up to 45-75GB per disc (triple-layer FTW!).

 

[BoogerBomb]

The only thing a save game should need is text information and I doubt it would need even half a meg for that. Its not like its saving the entire game plus the save information.

My remark was about why the games were so expensive back in the day. I see no reason for their not to be embedded ram in a console to eliminate memory cards. How many people really take them everywhere they go to play games elsewhere?

I am willing to bet that 90% of memory cards never leave the slot once they are put in. I know for a fact that ours haven't.

 

[Babbster]

The only thing a save game should need is text information and I doubt it would need even half a meg for that. Its not like its saving the entire game plus the save information.

My remark was about why the games were so expensive back in the day. I see no reason for their not to be embedded ram in a console to eliminate memory cards. How many people really take them everywhere they go to play games elsewhere?

I am willing to bet that 90% of memory cards never leave the slot once they are put in. I know for a fact that ours haven't.

Ah, I misunderstood you, sorry! In that case, I think you're right. Unfortunately, given that the core X360 is sold at a loss [without a built-in savegame solution], having a separate, expensive (compared to similar storage in formats like SD) memory card for the core system is simply a way to defray the cost of the "loss-leader" hardware. You're also right that in my systems with memory cards, the cards never leave the system. They might if I hung out at other people's houses playing console games, but I'm 34 years old and something of a hermit so that situation doesn't come up much.