Originally posted by: secretanchitman
arcade: (best if you are a casual gamer, want the easy way to finding a jasper right now, or just want something to play a certain 360 only game)
$199
white wireless controller (comes with 2 batteries) - no play/charge kit
comes with a 256MB memory card, but the newer 360 arcades will have that built in already
no hard drive, but eligible for the $30 refurb 20GB hd + 3 months of live
this years holiday bundle comes with sega superstars tennis, in addition to the already included 5 XBLA games
has hdmi, but no hdmi cable is included
only comes with composite (yellow white red) cables
white colored 360 console
pro: (best if you want all of the accessories, a decent sized hard drive, and the best value)
$299
white wireless controller (comes with 2 batteries) - not sure if it comes with a play/charge kit
comes with a 60GB hd
this years holiday bundle includes kung fu panda and lego indiana jones
has hdmi, but no hdmi cable is included
comes with an ethernet cable and a headset
comes with component and composite cables
white colored 360 console
elite: (best if you want the best of the best)
$399
black wireless controller (comes with 2 batteries) - again, not sure of play/charge kit
comes with a 120GB hd
same holiday bundle as the pro - kung fu panda and lego indiana jones
has hdmi, and it does come with an hdmi cable
comes with an ethernet cable and a headset
comes with component and composite cables, as well as a digital/analog audio dongle too
black colored 360 console
my recommendation - go for the $199 arcade with the $30 20GB/3 months of live from microsoft or just get the pro for $299 if you need the extra accessories and a bigger hard drive. elite isnt worth it to get the additional hard drive space, and to have it all black.
if you need an hdmi cable - monoprice.com is your best bet. any ft you want, at a very cheap price.
controllers can be bought in any color, usually you can find deals on them online.
headset - dunno about that one.
This is pretty much dead on, a few minor points though...
Neither the Pro or Elite comes with a play/charge kit. Just two non-rechargeable AA batteries.
Just using any old HDMI cable works fine if all you want to do is run HDMI. However, if you want to run your display with HDMI, but want to run audio via RCA or optical, you will need MS' HDMI/optical kit. The A/V harness that comes with the Pro obstructs the HDMI port, so they cannot be used at the same time. The required
HDMI kit (included with the Elite) will set you back ~$50.
The point is that MS nickle and dimes you with accessories, and that if you were to upgrade an Arcade to Pro, and/or Pro to Elite by purchasing the HD and accessories separate it would cost you a lot more. Most people get tangled up in the different hard drive sizes, but that isn't where the true future money pit lies... It's in the overpriced accessories.
The best thing to do is to make sure you know what accessories you might need before you decide on which version of the 360 you want. Then, the next thing to do is shop around... For instance, I got my Elite from Dell with $70 off. At $330 for the Elite vs. $300 + $50 for a Pro and the aforementioned HDMI A/V kit, the Elite was actually less. (regrettably, Dell wasn't offering a coupon for the Pro at the time)
Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure you have cash for some sort of re-charge option if you have a wireless controller, or you'll be spending a fortune on batteries. I opted to get an
Eneloop AA 4 pack + charger kit, and I'm happy with this choice so far as it doesn't ever require me to plug in my controller.