The short version:
If you own or would like to own an Xbox 360 go add your name to this petition: http://www.sayyoursay.com/
The long version:
Any 360 owners out there can attest to two things:
1. Xbox Live is awesome
2. Xbox Live South Africa is, well non existent.
This hasn't been a problem for a while because (as with everything else here) we just pretend we're British and pay shocking UK fees for everything. Unfortunately MS is clamping down, and while fully in their right to do so, we find this far end of Africa a bit left out in the cold. We were suppossed to get our own official Live servers around April, but word is they're pushing it out to year end, but obviously we're not happy with that. There are more than enough locals to support a ZA server now, even if it's not hosted localled etc etc.
So for the betterment of mankind and to save the human race from certain extinction go here: http://www.sayyoursay.com/ and add your name to petition.
For those who are yet to get an Xbox but still want to help out, just create a gamertag at Xbox.com first.
Thanks all
Doobi
Yes Xbox LIVE is a fantastic service and one day we will have Xbox LIVE officially supported in South Africa.
Microsoft Xbox MVP | http://craign.net/
Bit off the subject!
I have been looking at the XBox to replace my desktop PC for gaming. I am very pro the PC but have seen the benefits in the XBox. I am currently have a 7950GT 512MB graphics card but I am finding that all the new releases are on XBox.
My question is should I go for the XBox Elite when it comes out or will the standard bundle with wireless controller be enough?
doobiwan:So have you added your name to the list? :)
Naturally I have. As an Xbox 360 evangelist I could not resist.
fridgi: Bit off the subject! I have been looking at the XBox to replace my desktop PC for gaming. I am very pro the PC but have seen the benefits in the XBox. I am currently have a 7950GT 512MB graphics card but I am finding that all the new releases are on XBox. My question is should I go for the XBox Elite when it comes out or will the standard bundle with wireless controller be enough?
Well firstly you can't go wrong with an Xbox 360 console if you like gaming. Currently the Xbox 360 is available locally in 2 SKUs - the Core for R2699 and the Premium for R3699. The Elite is a new fancy limited black edition that is scheduled to come out later this month I believe. I'm not sure what the price is going to be. The differences between the SKUs are what counts. The Core and Premium are the exact same console but the Core comes with a wired controller where the Premium comes with a wireless controller, a 20gig removable hard drive and an Xbox LIVE headset. Both consoles can take a mix of wired and wireless controllers. One other difference is the video cable that comes with the Core has composite (standard definition) connectors and the Premium comes with composite and component (high definition) connectors. Both can use either cable technically and there is an add-on VGA (RGB) cable as well.
The new Elite SKU is the same as the Premium except it that its black, has a 120gig removable hard drive instead of a 20gig drive and comes with an HDMI port. The HDMI port allows for a pure digital connection to your High Definition TV if you have one.
Apparently the Elite cooling fans could be a little bit quieter than the Premium & Core but this is pure speculation. In the near future the CPU and GPU will be taken from 90nm down to 65nm which will reduce the heat and power consumption I believe but this isn't part of the Elite SKU as yet.
I've heard rumours that after the Elite has been out for a while a white Premium with 120gig will be launched at the current Premium price and that current Premium will drop to the price of a current Core system. But this is pure speculation.
So do you need HDMI and the extra hard disk space?
I think the premier would do just fine!
Is the hard drive space an issue? It seems I could save games to it as well as copy my MP3 collection there. If i wanted to just save games is 20 GB enough?
Hard disk space isn't too much of an issue in SA as we don't have large amounts of bandwidth so we tend not to download demos and the likes. I actually subscribe to the UK OXM magazine which sends me a demo disc monthly - the cost of the magazine monthly is equivalent to just over a gig of ADSL bandwidth. Save games are typically small (under 5 meg) so hard disk space is used for game updates and add-ons.
Of course, ripping MP3s to your console can chew up space, but why not leave them on your PC and stream them using Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Center or any of the other free tools.
Looks like you guys got noticed...
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2110645,00.html
:D
Yeah, but there's a long way to go still. The responses are of the politcial variety, such as "We do plan on bringing Live to South Africa", basically nothing we didn't know. The plan is to keep piling pressure till we get real results. According the the rolling numbers, if there's currently at least 540 peeps on the petition, at an estimated R50/month that's R27000 a month, which would be more than ample to run the service, even at local bandwidth costs. In short there's absolutely no excuse.
Fridgi, 360 is a fantastic, I whole heartedly recommend you get one. I'm out of the PC upgrade arms race for less than the cost of a high end graphics card. On which console - The Elite is targeted, very much, at the US video marketplace users. HD movies are the only thing that take up so much space. For game demo's, game data etc etc, the 20Gb is ample. I have about a dozen demos, 36 arcade games (trials and full) and I still have about 7Gb free. And frankly I think the White looks a lot better ;) The other thing CraigN mentioned shouldn't be scoffed at either - it acts as a media extender, so there's no need to copy music or music onto it, just stream from the PC. The other thing to consider is "Microsoft Home Server" due out later this year - exactly as it sounds, and by the looks of things the 360 will be able to use it for storage as well.
As an aside - Musica and IC are currently running a special - R4000 gets you the Pro, an extra wireless controller and Project Gotham Racing 3.
It's not that you can't use live here already, you can, but you have to use UK details, and if you aren't prepared to use your credit card, it's an arduous process of trying to buy subs via ebay or other online sources.
In a bit of a follow up, microsoft did respond, but not as well as everyone had hoped. While they did promise Live is coming to S, they gave no firm dates or details.
http://www.sayyoursay.com/Xbox_Reply.aspx