Xbox Advice Please

*If this is in the wrong section feel free to move it.*

Long story short I enjoy playing games but certain games are only available on certain consoles and the like. Now what I want to know as I'm thinking about getting an Xbox is which one is the better buy. I know that older models had the RRoD problem but did they fix that in the newer models? If I did buy an older model what should I look for as far as quality and reliability? It's common knowledge that we all aren't the richest people around and I like to spend more time enjoying my games than worrying about my console being broken. Can anyone offer some advice or tips for me?

Yes. There is no RRoD on the Slim. The Slim Xboxes have a built in monitor and when they are in danger of overheating, they will automatically shut down to prevent any damage. It won't care if you are in the middle of a 10-kill killstreak or watching something on Netflix. It will shut down.

I would suggest that you get a Slim if you play newer games. The Slim is backwards compatible, but not all games are. Just make sure not to get the 4gb model. The 4gb model uses flash memory. It doesn't actually have a hard-drive. Many games require a hard-drive for some of their function (most notably Halo: Reach with it's theater mode). You can purchase a regular Xbox360 hard-drive (20gb $20, 60gb [what I have] $30), crack open the case, take the hard-drive out, and just plug it in the hard-drive slot of the Slim. Plus, the Slim has built in WiFi.

Thanks for responding! Another question; does the Xbox have a wireless controller like the PS3? I'm getting mixed answers about this saying yes and no.

As has already been said, the Slim models are the best choice and do come with a wireless controller and a set of AA batteries. I can't recommend getting a rechargable battery enough. If you play more than a couple hours a day, it'll save big bucks pretty quick. On the note of the acutal system you're getting, how many games will you be playing; and more importantly downloading? Lots of games = larger hard drive. If you can, go for a size bigger than you think you'll need just to be safe. Of course, you can always get an external and format it to FAT32 to back stuff up to.

I was told at some point that they had a second wave of the white xbox's (the first series) that they fixed the overheating/ shorting issues... which is when I got mine, and that's been going strong for quite a few years.

But, yeah, ESPECIALLY if you want it to use wifi, get a slim... otherwise you have to buy other shitful parts for the xbox... I'm using my computer as a router, and it's painful.

Also to note; I started off with a 64mb memory card, and that worked well for a bit, but then it filled up, so I got a 20gb hdd, thinking I'd never fill it, cause I never download dlc. Turns out newer games saves are pretty big. And if you want to install games to your hdd, it's handy as well. So, get a larger sized hdd, if you can.

Wireless controllers are good, but at the same time, they aren't great. Depends on the battery... I got one dual set, and they seem to die pretty quickly (it's an official dual set, iirc) but, it's probably because I leave the spare on charge when i'm not using it...


So:
-Slim
-100+gb recommended
-Wireless controller (or 2, if you have friends to play with/ siblings... if friends, they can bring their own ones if need be)
-Rechargable battery system (if your controllers didn't come with one)

Thanks for all the responses guys. They really helped a lot. One last question: I noticed that the Xbox achievements have a score along with them (10G and such). Can they be used for anything or are they just for show?

As far as I'm aware they're just for bragging rights, or at least I've never come across any opportunities where they've governed whether or not I might get some kind of free content or game in all the years I've owned a 360.

Yep, pretty much for bragging rights, and e-peen measuring.
Mine is like 14k or something... Back in the day when I first got my xbox, I had 1k, and thought 14k was rediculous... It's not really exciting anymore. Having said that, when I had 1k, my friends had 14k, now that I have 14k, they have 70k+... Mainly because up until last year I'd only been playing games in single player, and I couldn't get as many points. Plus, I'm pretty selective of games, hah