I'm lucky buying this system and then applying for the 20 GB Hard Drive upgrade Microsoft program with 3 months of Xbox Live for an additional 30 dollars

I would recommend to anyone interested in purchasing a X-box 360 that you go for the Pro Console with the 60GB hard drive already attached.

It's missing a hard drive, HD cables, network cable, and headset

Microsoft is running a promotion where you can get a 20GB hard drive with a free Gold Live subscription for around $30

However if noise is an issue then do not get this console and instead get the model with a hard drive

But for the full 360 experience, I recomend getting a hard drive and XBOX Live subscription at some point.

Okay, my previously thought to be bomb-proof Sony PlayStation 3 was sent back to SCEA because of its dead Blu-Ray drive.

Now I bought this for $199 which is great, but you need a HARD DRIVE

To sum it up, I strongly believe that the Xbox 360 Arcade package is designed to target unwitting parents into thinking that they can get their kids a full system for $199, but the reality is that you NEED the hard drive in order to really use the Xbox 360 because game updates, game saves, and game expansion packs alone will quickly burn through several of the expensive memory cards

A hard drive does not come with the system

Although it comes with INTERNAL flash memory only, you can always buy and attach a hard drive to the system

I don't actually own a version of the Arcade system ( i do have a hard drive and 360-launch system), but I wanted to submit a review to counter the low score provided by the absolutely incompetent review below

So if you by any chance happend to be a proud owner of a dead xbox360 with lots of games, 2 or 3 controllers and a working hard drive, do not hesitate to buy this arcade bundle

a hard drive is a must have, the memory included isn't enough because the NXE upgrade takes half of the 256 MB

So my Pro died some weeks ago, and I decided to buy the Arcade version, it is great if you can get a cheap hard drive and the HD cables, I already had those from my previous console so if you do that you can have the equivalent of a Pro and cheaper

I recieved the Xbox 360 console on the same day as the hard drive I ordered for it in new condition as stated.

the only problem is there is no hard drive and if you want game demos videos music and all that i sugest you go with a 60 gig harddrive

For $100 difference between the Arcade and Pro packages, you get an ethernet cable, a voice-chat headset, an upgrade to HD-capable video cables, and an upgrade from a 256MB flash card to a 60GB hard drive

The Arcade version is the same as the other versions except it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, a hard drive, head set or cable you will need to play Xbox live.

I basically took the hard drive from the old unit, attached it to the Arcade 360, and plugged the new hardware in.

Or you could buy this one and just buy a hard drive from ebay for 35 dollars

I recently refreshed my Xbox Live Gold subscription and the optical drive no longer works

If you take nothing else away from this review, understand that the Arcade bundle is simply an Xbox 360 without a hard drive and some games thrown in

be+ Motion controls are only a year out, ensuring the console's game selection won't stagnateCons:- Though upgrading is possible, and even cost effective in all other respects, I must point out that Microsoft charges far too much for the Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive, and the slightly cheaper workaround to this is just a

Then follow this link to build your own hard drive, as Microsoft will rip you off on the same thing in there package: ([...] )now you have a nice console without spending a fortune.

version(with my hard drive on it), that on the same TV at 1080p it was fuzzy and the colors didnt look nearly as sharp

If you hear someone saying that the Arcade version can't play old Xbox games, they probably don't realize that all you have to do is install a hard drive

The largest drawback is the lack of a hard -drive, which you can easily buy over the internet at a cheap rate

My Pros:Great game selectionSupposedly no more RRODValueOnline gaming with friendsMy Cons:Very Loud DVD Drive (without Hard Drive)Doesn't look as

Unless you nees backwards compatability with xbox games, or a massive hard drive to be downloading full games and map packs, this 'discount' 360 is everything you'll ever need.

But after you buy a hard drive for it so you can play online with it, add a wireless adapter, and pay Xbox Live so you can get online, you actually wind up spending more money than the higher version of the PS3.

Buy the Xbox 360 Pro package now and save money in the long run, plus you get a better all-around experience because with the hard drive you can play original Xbox games, download videos and game demos, and generally use the Xbox 360 as intended.

also, its been said that the core system, after upgraded with a hard drive, is much less likely to get the red ring of death.

So if you buy any accessory with this system, purchase a HARD DRIVE!!!

The only thing that sucks about this is that there's no hard drive with it

You can buy more memory cards at $30 each, or more likely you will just end up spending $100+ for an Xbox hard drive

Yes, you can install a hard drive (that's what we did) but you will end up spending more on the hard drive/Arcade combo than you would if you just bought the regular Xbox 360

Buy a 20 gig hard drive for around [

, I would've rather had a wired controller and a 360 w/hard drive (at least the old 20gig one

The fact that this version doesn't have a hard drive is important because backwards compatibility (the ability to play old Xbox games) relies on emulator software which gets installed to the hard drive

was that you cannot play Xbox Live with out a hard drive

But since I don't have a hard drive I cannot comment on this

This was purchased for me as a gift and had to be returned almost immediately because it doesn't posses the hard drive needed to play most games.

but I believe we will be purchasing an external hard drive some day down the line.

I should have gotten a system with a hard drive included, but settled for the inexpensive version.

If you still choose this system you can but the hard drive seperately in stores, here on amazon, ebay, and from Microsoft directly

It also has HDMI, Ethernet port, and everything else the pro and elite have.(Do take into consideration that you'll need a hard drive to play original

The Arcade model worked for us because we already had a hard drive, otherwise I would recommend a pro or elite which come with hard drives.

(Not to mention the headache of having to purchase and install a hard drive).Otherwise a great product, my husband loves it

They give you a small memory card, but it can't hold much of anything and to download games and stuff from live you cannot until you have the hard drive!!

hard drive rather than paying four times as much for Microsoft's version

You can load from the hard drive which cuts down the noise

I picked up a refurbished 20GB Hard Drive and wireless controller from circuit city for $40

This is good if this is your first Microsoft X-box but if u perviously bought one and plan on playing you regular X-box games do not buy this buy the one that will come with a hard drive

You'll need a 360 with a hard drive (which the Arcade doesn't come with, but can be added later), an internet connection, and a subscription to XBOX Live as well as possibly other services for the full experience

I read if you have a hard drive you can put your games on it and it will be much more quiet.

That's like buying a brand-new DVD player with a wobbly/loose dvd drive

You do not need a hard drive to play; - The storage card that comes with it can save your games if you are a casual gamer.

If I would have known this when I was buying one I probably would have spent the extra money and moved up to a Pro or Elite, because they come with hard drives and some other accessories

A 120 GB hard drive should NOT cost $150

WAW the screen that asks you where you would like to load your saved game from came up and besides having my 20GB hard drive show up there was also a storage device named MU which had 214 MB of memory

The only thing I needed from the missing components is the Hard Drive to download games

Also you cannot play regular xbox games from the previous system until you have the hard drive!

Get regular Xbox and save yourself the trouble and extra expense of having to install a hard drive after the fact.

Do be aware that no hard drives come with the Xbox 360, but it is any easy additional purchase

We haven't had to upgrade the hard drive yet

If you want to upgrade to a hard drive later, you can

Buy it if you are poor like me and cant afford the one with the hard drive, but if you can get the one with the hard drive

This hard drive is required ONLY to play XBOX older version games AND to save new downloadable material

In the coming months, I might begin looking for an XBOX 360 60 GB hard drive for more storage.

the xbox 360 game system is an excellent game system.recomend adding a hard drive to save your games.

these days)+ 6 (5 arcade + Sega Tennis) free games, all of which are good enough in their own right+ Can be upgraded easily (Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive,HDMI

If it isn't available anymore, go to the X-box website and get a refurbished 20GB hard drive and 3 month membership to xbox live gold for $30.I have everything I need for a fraction of the price of a pro or elite model