# Somebody please explain Xbox **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595 "2004-11-25T03:45:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/1 "2004-11-25T03:45:26Z")
What the heck is Xbox anyway? Some sort of computer game, I gather. My son asked for one for his birthday. It’s hard to tell exactly what I’m supposed to buy. I looked in the local BestBuy store and found a shelf full of Xbox paraphernalia, but only one single item on a bottom shelf that was simply labeled “Xbox.” It was priced at $149.00. I looked on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) to see if there was any discount available; they listed tons and tons of Xbox paraphernalia, but “Xbox” as such did not exist there. 😕 It’s that familiar sense of disorientation when you wander into a world where everyone takes basic knowledge for granted and can dispense with it, but you the beginner are left with noplace to even begin finding out what they’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/2 "2004-11-25T03:50:49Z")
The Xbox is a video game console. The $149 thing you saw at BestBuy was the Xbox. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/3 "2004-11-25T03:52:44Z")
The XBox is a game console system made by Microsoft. It’s sort of like the Atari 2600 or the Super Nintendo was back in the day. It’s essentially a specialized computer for game playing. Here’s a link to Microsoft’s XBox console page: [Xbox](http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox.htm) . The $149 price is pretty much the standard right now, but you can also buy used systems for cheaper. Bad news is that you have to buy games for the XBox system for it to be any fun. The worse news is that new games generally cost about $50 (but I try to wait and buy used games, though I don’t know that your kid will want to wait). The even worse news is that XBox live interactive game network charges a subscription fee. The good news is that the games are largely pretty good and will absorb lots of your child’s formative years solving puzzles, shooting things, and such. Frankly, I love it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/4 "2004-11-25T03:55:54Z")
Here’s another link that might help you: [link](http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-9399-900-1-5-x) ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/5 "2004-11-25T03:57:33Z")
Yeah, I saw used Xboxes at the local EB store going for $130 or so. Not much of a price break, but it’s something. I’d look at [half.com](http://half.com) for used games and such too. And of course, if you’re going to get him an XBox, he’ll need Halo 2. To further elaborate, the XBox is basically a computer. It comes with a hard drive (a fairly big one at that) and everything. Through illegal procedures I won’t detail here, people have made it so you can access the hard drive like you would a normal computer and copy things on it. Anyway, I’d look for a used one. Obviously your son isn’t so into this he has to have everything new as the XBox has been around for a couple of years now. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/6 "2004-11-25T04:01:56Z")
Yes, that $149 cube that you saw is indeed the xBox console, which is what you need to buy as a starting point. It’s a gaming console made by Microsoft to compete with Sony’s Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s Gamecube. I’m no expert gamer, but the battle for concole supremacy seems to be between the xBox and the Playstation 2, with most people giving the edge to xBox right now. Now, once you have the console you need to actually buy some games for it. Games like [Halo 2](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008J7NZ/qid=1101355683/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-2944613-4132045?v=glance&s=toys&m=A3UN6WX5RRO2AG), which is one of the latest and greatest, tend to run around $50 each for the good new ones, and less for older games. There are a whole heap of accessories you can buy for the xBox, depending on what you want to do with it. There are surround-sound speaker systems, projectors for large-screen viewing, new controllers and joysticks, and wireless kits to hook it up to your wireless network. With the right connections, you can play online against other people. Have a look [here](http://www.xbox.com/en-us/hardware/default.htm) for some of the hardware accessories. This site offers a console with two games and a two-month trial of xBox Live (online play) for $149.99. You can probably find similar deals in the stores. If you get the kid an xBox console and a copy of Halo 2, he’ll love you at least until his next birthday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/7 "2004-11-25T05:03:39Z")
Not sure what kind of deals you guys have going over there, but here in Australia you can pick up an Xbox Console and Controller, Halo, Top Spin, “Halo 2” CD holder, 5 x $20 Cashback Vouchers, all for a total of around $300AUD. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/8 "2004-11-25T05:12:00Z")
Buy him an Xbox and the following games: Halo 2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Tom Clancy 3 in 1. (Contains Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and I forget which other one, ALL on one disc) Get those and he’ll be the happiest damn kid ever. … Possibly more violent come February, but he’ll be happy in Decemeber. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/9 "2004-11-25T05:14:12Z")
Xbox is available on Amazon. [link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002Y50KY/qid=1101360240/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-9066807-6022458?v=glance&s=videogames&n=507846) On there it’s $149 and you get two free games and two months of Xbox Live, which I think is their online system. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/10 "2004-11-25T05:49:22Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Buy him an Xbox and the following games: > > Halo 2 > Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas That’s going to really suck, since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas isn’t an XBox game. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/11 "2004-11-25T05:50:49Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Buy him an Xbox and the following games: I sincerely endorse the above as extremely solid advice, (well, maybe “_any_ of the following games,” if that’s more realistic,) especially for someone in a position to pose the question “What the heck is Xbox anyway?” If it goes horribly wrong and you set the kid up with the console and a copy of the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ game, he’s liable to run away from home, or go out and get his frenum pierced, or something, just to get back at you. (If your kid’s under twelve, _Grand Theft Auto_ might not be the right choice, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/12 "2004-11-25T06:03:42Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > I sincerely endorse the above as extremely solid advice, (well, maybe “_any_ of the following games,” if that’s more realistic,) especially for someone in a position to pose the question “What the heck is Xbox anyway?” > > If it goes horribly wrong and you set the kid up with the console and a copy of the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ game, he’s liable to run away from home, or go out and get his frenum pierced, or something, just to get back at you. > > (If your kid’s under twelve, _Grand Theft Auto_ might not be the right choice, of course.) Hey! Hiring strippers for a cheap fuck in my backseat and then beating them to death to get my cash back, all before the age of thirteen, made me the man I am today! ---
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/13 "2004-11-25T06:03:52Z")
Twelve? Wow! Is that the age where one passes the “immune to sexual and violent imagery” phase? Kids grow up so fast nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/14 "2004-11-25T08:53:29Z")
I have a ten-year-old son who asked for, and received, an Xbox console last Christmas. My advice? Find out why your son wants Xbox, specifically. Xbox is competing with two other game consoles right now, the Playstation 2 (a.k.a. “PS2”) and the Nintendo Game Cube. I don’t have direct experience with the others, but from looking at the shelves, it seems that the Xbox has somewhat fewer games than the other two, and a higher percentage are aimed at the teen or adult market. The Game Cube has the most games for young children, and is also the least expensive. PS2 has a good variety. The PS2 and Xbox consoles can also play standard DVDs. Each console has exclusive games not available on any other platform. It may be that he asked for an Xbox specifically because he wants one of the Xbox exclusive games. If so, find out which one. Halo and Halo 2 are the two big ones, and they are supposed to be terrific games - but they are first-person shooter games and quite violent. If your kid just wants to play Halo and you don’t want him to, well, better to find that out before you sink all the money into an Xbox. Flodjunior is not yet allowed to play Halo. He likes sports games and racing games (e.g. Midtown Madness/Need for Speed), mostly, as well as the James Bond games, and plenty of those are available for Xbox, so he’s happy. The games are not cheap! If you can afford it, though, it’s a great way to get help around the house by encouraging the kid to do extra chores for extra pay 😃 The Xbox and I think the PS2 can also be connected to broadband to allow the player to play against others anywhere on the network. This costs extra, and at least with the Xbox it requires a credit card (even for the free trial). So far we haven’t connected the box, but flodjunior has a lot of fun playing by himself or with his buddies when they come to visit. Once in a while he’ll even let his baby brother play. It came with just one controller, however - we had to buy an extra so he could play with his friends. The graphics on the Xbox are just amazing. More than once I’ve glanced into the living room and thought flodjunior was watching sports on TV - then noticed the little black controller in his hands :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/15 "2004-11-25T09:17:34Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yes, that $149 cube that you saw is indeed the xBox console, which is what you need to buy as a starting point. It’s a gaming console made by Microsoft to compete with Sony’s Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s Gamecube. I’m no expert gamer, but the battle for concole supremacy seems to be between the xBox and the Playstation 2, with most people giving the edge to xBox right now. In terms of total units sold, the Playstation 2 dwarfs the Xbox & Gamecube sales put together. World-wide, the Gamecube edges out the Xbox for the number two slot, though I last check the numbers was a couple months ago - MS may have upped their market share a little. Graphics-wise, everyone will agree that the Xbox produces the prettiest games; it simply has more powerful hardware than the PS2 or Gamecube, though at a cost - Sony & Nintendo make money on every console they sell, while Micrsoft loses money on every Xbox they ship. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/16 "2004-11-25T10:35:54Z")
Im my day, we got a hoop and a stick and a slap 'cross the face and that was good enough! ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/17 "2004-11-25T10:56:03Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > That’s going to really suck, since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas isn’t an XBox game. Or suitable for children. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/18 "2004-11-25T11:14:53Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas I think **Bear** just got the wording wrong. XBox offers GTA III and GTA:Vice City in a Double Pak. Halo I & II are must haves if you like the FPS genre. For sports, XBox is the only way to go. Read any gaming magazine for reviews for titles offered on PS2 and XBox and 9 times out of 10, the Box gets the nod due to the better graphics card and processor speed. I bought the Box when it came out. Then I bought PS2 just to play GTA III. When the Double Pak came out, I sold the PS2. Had no need for it anymore. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/19 "2004-11-25T15:02:51Z")
Now I’m upset. I just beat GTA: Vice City and was planning to buy San Andreas soon. I can’t believe they dont make it for xBox. That’s freaking lame! Surely they’ll make it in that format in the near future, right??? ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595/20 "2004-11-25T15:03:38Z")
How old is your kid? The Xbox is probably the best out of all the consoles even with the fewer games. It’s pretty flexable with the large (20 gigs in mine - stock) Hard Drive. The PS2 requires memory sticks to save games so the PS2 price is a little misleading. Be aware that you cannot play DVDs on a stock Xbox. You have to buy a DVD kit. GTA3 is probably a little much for a 12 year old but ok for ~16 year olds (depending on your kid). Halo might be violent but it’s against aliens so it’s a little easier on the kids. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-please-explain-xbox/276595.md?page=2)