Thursday, December 28, 2006

R.I.P. Xbox 360


On December 19, 2006 my Xbox 360 froze when I went to play Saints Row. I just turned it off and turned it back on again. It booted up and then made this weird sound that came through the speakers and froze, so I turned it off again and on again. It gave me 3 blinking red lights. Once again I did the same thing over and over and still the same blinking red lights. I panicked and went to the support page on Xbox.com and to my surprise I saw the 3 blinking red lights at the top of the page. It told me to do all of these test and if it still didn't work to call Microsoft. I called and they had me do all of the test again. After a few minutes customer service told me that I was gonna have to send in my machine. I asked how much this will cost me and she told me that it was still under warranty. I was like OK, since when I purchased it the 360 only came with a 90 day warranty. After I sent my machine off I read that Microsoft had just extended everybody's warranty to 1 year and after a quick calculation I realized my machine was about 363 days old. Lucky for me. I hope my machine wasn't jealous of my PS3 or Wii because I don't plan on getting rid of any of them soon. I do hope it gets back to me soon, since for Christmas I got a couple of things for my 360 that just have to sit there.

12/29/06
Update: My Xbox 360 arrived at the repair center 12/28/06 and today I got an email telling me that my deck is on its way with a UPS tracking #. Either they are sending me a new machine or a refurbished box for it to ship that fast. Anyways I will be happy to have it back and it most likely will come with a new 1 year warranty.

1/4/07
Update: Got my 360 a day early and I have no time to play it, but I made time to hook it up and fire it up. I haven't put my custom face plate on yet, so it doesn't seem the same yet, but I hope that changes once I play G.O.W and Saints Row. One thing that I have noticed is that it seems louder than my original one. It could be that I am not used to it again or that I have been playing with the PS3 and Wii that are much quieter. I'm pretty sure I got a refurbished unit, since it has a manufacture date of April 2006, whereas my unit was November 2005. I will keep you up to date.

Friday, December 15, 2006

A Christmas Story (REMIX)

Classic Christmas movie, funny new dialog. Must see....

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Xbox 360 vs. PS3


After talking to my buddy Jeremy about the differences between the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony Playstation 3 he convinced me to post what I had to say. I have to start off by saying that I have had my 360 for over a year and just got my PS3 last week and that both are great systems. For the 360 the game to own is Gears of War, a different take on first/third person shooters. It not about jumping around dodging bullets, it's about cover and tactics. You might just have to play it to know what I mean, because when I first picked it up, I didn't think I would be able to beat it, but now it is one of my top 10 games of all time, really. Well, on the PS3 I don't officially have a game for it, but I have been playing the Motorstorm demo, and like I have said before this game is the most beautiful and fun racing game I have played in a long time. Both systems have wireless controllers, High Definition graphics, and online capability.

Now with all of that out of the way, my main reason for this post is that I wanted to point out the price difference between the systems. Most people are bad mouthing the PS3 for being so expensive at $499 and $599. Yes, this is the most expensive system to date, even $100 more than the top of the line 360. There are two models of the 360 and they sell for $299 and $399. I do have to admit that with all of the criticism that Sony has received prior to the release, I didn't think that people would be that excited about the system. As all of us have seen the loads of people camping in front of Best Buy and how much they have been going on Ebay, but the attitude most people have in their quest to find one, I have to say them seem really excited.

If you really want to compare the system prices we need to compare them apples to apples. First if you look at the PS3 Premium model ($599), it comes with a 60 GB HD, WiFi, memory slots (CF, SD, MS) 4 USB slots, and Blu-Ray. The top of the line Xbox 360($399) comes with a 20 GB HD, 3 USB slots, and a DVD player. Hmm, seems we are missing a few things to compare the two, so to make them comparable, we will need to add to the 360 a HD-DVD player($199), and the WiFi adapter($99). Wait a second, $399 + $199 + $99 = $697. That is $98 more than the top of the line PS3 sells for. Hmm, if you ask me which is a better value if you want HD movies and Wireless capability, then I have name the PS3 a better value. Oh, and don't forget that the HD-DVD player is the size of a Wii, so it will take up some more real estate, so put that $199 towards a Wii.

I need to add one more paragraph, so my Xbox 360 friends don't dump me. Remember when I said that Gears of War is in my top ten, yeah, I am serious and that game alone is more enough of a reason to buy a 360. I also have to say the interface on the 360 is much more attractive and the online play is superb. If the Xbox 360 came out with a version with built in WiFi and a Blu-Ray player, then I would say it would be more comparable, but until that happens (if that happens, since MS in my opionion is against the Blu-Ray just because it is in the competitions console) I will have to say that the PS3 is a better value.

Leave you comments, I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you feel I left something important out, let me know.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Nintendo - GB Micro Commercial

Funny commercial that aired on TV in Canada. It includes a mouse, and the cool new GB Micro.

That's what they had to say, but I am shocked this is a Nintendo commercial, too funny.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Costco Scallywag Sloop Pirate Themed Club House


From time to time Costco has had some interesting things for sale on their website. This time they have a pirate themed club house. Looks really cool, and if I was still a kid I would want one, but with the $18,499.99 price tag. I imagine most kids will only be able to dream that they are captain Jack Sparrow. Also, I can't imagine most families having a backyard like the one in the picture, but OK Costco way to sell your product.

[more info]

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Next Gen Gaming


What do we have here, but all three of the "Next Gen Gaming" rigs. From left we have the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the very hard to find Playstation 3. I got the 360 last year a few weeks after it was released by ordering it on Samsclub website. My Wii was obtained by standing in line for 17 hours in front of Best Buy on November 19. Lastly the Playstation 3 was the hardest one to get. Originally I had planned to camp out in front of Best Buy for 1 night to get one, but then I heard 3 days before it was to come out that people were already camping out in front of Best Buy. I decided to test my luck and order one online. Well, that was a horible night, I woke up ever couple of hours to try my luck, but then my best chance came when Costco had it on their website, but the site crashed. Then a couple weeks later I was told by a Radio Shack employee that they were supposed to have PS3 systems on Black Friday, so my brother and I woke up at 3am and waited in his truck while playing DS for 3 hours. At about 5:45 one of the employees asked us what we were here for and we said the PS3 and he quickly said that they didn't get any. We hung around and came in to hear the same thing from the guys inside. I was very disapointed. Then my brother called me the other day said that his buddy from Compusa called and said that he got 3 PS3 and asked if he wanted 1. I asked how many could we get, since my other brother wanted 1 and one of my friends were thinking about it. He called back and said 1 and after looking at the playstation site for a bit, I decided that I wanted it. My brother came by and grabbed my keys and credit card and a hour later he showed up with my 20GB PS3. He said that everyone was getting very excited when the employee brought it out on the floor and that he ran to the truck to get out of there before he got jumped. I laughed.

After playing all three systems. I have to say if you are a true gamer, the only solution is to own all three systems, because each one has a good side to it. Overall I really like the 360 with the Xbox Live and the control and Gears of War, but the Wii has awesome controls with the wii-mote and Wii Sports and Zelda, but the PS3 has the greatest feature with the HDMI cable, 1 cable for your audio and video.

Fortune Cookie


I got this fortune with my meal today at Twin, wonder what it is trying to say. Those of you that know me, probably will get a chuckle with this one. Have a great day....

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Wii


Target and Circuit City stores have Wii's in stock today. Also Circuit City is holding a sweepstakes to win a Wii, for 24 days they are giving 1 away, so get over to the contest for your chance to win one of the coolest Nintendo systems ever.

[Sweepstakes]