Xbox 360 Full System

The regular Xbox 360 system includes the Xbox 360 console, a wireless controller, a headset, Ethernet cable, HD component and composite AV cables, and a 20GB hard disk drive all for $399. The hard disk will come preloaded with an Xbox Arcade game, and Microsoft will also throw in a media remote control through the end of 2005. This hardware package should have all the accessories you need to get started playing any of the system's games at launch, both online and offline, including that hard drive to store all your saved games, so you won't have to worry about a memory card. Although both packages include a "Silver" level subscription to Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service, the full package also includes a headset.

Brian Ekberg/Sports Editor

Paying $400 for a gaming console is undoubtedly a lot of scratch, I'll grant you that. But listen up--if you're not shelling out that extra Benjamin for the $399 console bundle, you're not getting the real Xbox 360. In fact, I daresay you're getting ripped off. Nearly every accessory included with the $399 bundle is hardwired to Microsoft's vision of the next-generation console: the wireless controller (as opposed to the Core bundle's wired version), the 20GB hard drive (which should never have been separated in the first place), the component HD cable, the Ethernet cable, the Xbox 360 headset, and even the media remote control. Even if you don't have an HD-compliant TV or if you lack high-speed Internet in your home, chances are you'll benefit from one or more of the other accessories found in this bundle.

Face it, as a Core system owner, sooner or later you're going to want to take your 360 online and find out what the next generation of Xbox Live is like on your brand-new headset. Even though microtransactions don't sound that much different to me than, say, paying for course downloads in Links or new tracks in a Project Gotham Racing game, you'll still need somewhere to save all that extra data you went to the trouble to pay for.

And the 20GB hard drive will be your best friend when that time comes. As far as I'm concerned, several accessories in the $399 bundle--the headset, the hard drive, and the wireless controller--aren't optional in 2005; they're an essential part of today's gaming landscape. Bought separately, that trio of hardware will run you around $170. You do the math.

Sarju Shah/Associate Hardware Editor

In my eyes, if you can't afford the $399 Xbox 360 package, you shouldn't be buying the system. It makes no sense whatsoever to buy the $299 Core Xbox 360 system. Buy an older console, or save up a little more money if your heart's set on getting the 360. The Xbox 360 Core system just isn't a good deal. You will, in all likelihood, spend far more in the end as you buy all the accessories to make up for your incomplete system.

With the Core system, you still have to buy a $40 64MB memory card (and 64MB isn't a lot; it could be a free toy in a McDonald's Happy Meal) if you want to save your progress in any game. Suppose you decide you want to get a headset for the already included Xbox Live Silver membership; it's an extra $20. And who knows, one day in the future you might decide that you want to play a game or download one that will make good use of the $100 20GB hard drive (by the way, normal 20GB notebook drives only cost $50). The end cost will be $459.

The lower priced package might be worth buying if Microsoft bundled the hard drive in with the Core system. But it didn't, so you have to spend, at the minimum, $340 to have a usable system. Don't buy the $299 Core system with the intention to upgrade over time. Bleed once and get it over with.

Bottom Line: Reasons for the full Xbox 360 system

• The value of the accessory bundle is much greater than $100.



• Includes everything you need to get the full Xbox 360 experience, including HD cables, Ethernet cables, a media remote, and a wireless controller to avoid tangles.



• The package also includes an Xbox Live headset, so you can get online and chatting immediately.



• Xbox 360 Core system lacks essential storage accessories that you'll have to buy anyway.