Xbox 360: Buy or Sell?

[Reeves]

Apparently, Sainsbury's are selling Xbox 360s for around £100 til Sunday...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/a131 ... bp100.html

...now, I've always been a Sony person (if Sega never buggered off). I've only ever played on an XBox once many years ago. I'm tempted to buy a 360 and stick it on eBay afterwards to make a bit of a profit... but then I started to think if I should actually have it, or is it worth it? I already own a PS3 and most games I own/like available for the 360 are available on the PS3. I'll admit, I prefer the tech side to gaming rather than the games itself, as stupid as it sounds, which is why I'm wondering whether or not to buy it and keep it.

What do you reckon? Buy or Sell?

[Nini]

Red ring. There you go, make your choice based on that.

[Netizen]

I thought the overheating and optical drive problems were a thing of the past with current hardware?

Sounds as if you don't really need it unless you can identify some games that you just can't get on the PS3 that make it worthwhile. There's no shortage of idiot buyers on ebay that will pay more than the going rate for something, but naturally there's still a risk involved. I'd say you haven't got much to lose nor gain by getting one, especially as the PS3 is the technically superior box in the first place.

[Nini]

I thought the overheating and optical drive problems were a thing of the past with current hardware?

I don't know, a friend has quite a few Xbox 360s die through red ring issues and it's common as hell so I've not got an incredible amount of faith in the product.

I figure if you purchased one and sold it through eBay, you could turn a profit.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

I've never seen any red ring problems - not so sure they are as common as is often made out. Although, if I knew anybody who'd had quite a few 360s die through red ring issues, I'd question the user rather than the kit itself!

[lukey]

I've never seen any red ring problems - not so sure they are as common as is often made out. Although, if I knew anybody who'd had quite a few 360s die through red ring issues, I'd question the user rather than the kit itself!

I think on the 'launch' consoles (ie. everything manufactured from launch up until the rollout of the revised hardware around about the summer of 07) the failure rate was as bad as perceived (a few weeks ago a defect rate of ~40% was being mentioned). I'm currently on my fourth console - between August 2006 and July of last year I had three die, and my current one is on its way out - with a dodgy disc tray that often doesn't stay shut, as well as randomly failing to read discs.

Consoles manufactured in the last year should fall within the 'usual' failure rate for something of its type - ie. no longer a systemic problem. *All* of my friends who own 360s, bar one, have had at least one die on them.