How much storage space do I need on an XBox 360, anyway?

Caitlin Black · Sep 7, 2015

I can't believe I couldn't find a single video on YouTube answering this question, but... How do I choose between different GB sizes for an XBox 360? Like, I've seen them as low as 4GB and as high as 500GB. Obviously the more GB you have, the more data you can store... But what is the benchmark to go by? Like, I've seen some for 120GB - how many games would that really support? What other data is worth putting on the XBox 360 anyway?

I ask because I've had a sudden hankering to play some fighting games, which are just soooooo much better on consoles (simply because the controller seems more intuitive for kicking butt than a keyboard/mouse would...), I don't own a console, and I'm not about to buy a PS4 or XBox One just for some fighting games (far too expensive!). I like the XBox better than the PlayStation, generally speaking, based on having used both via friends having them, so yeah, XBox 360 looks like the right option - especially as the price has come down quite a bit, and I can get pre-owned machines with at least a partial warranty from some local stores.

Anyway. I really have no idea how many GB I should be going for! At this point, I just want to get a few fighting games, but I may wind up getting back into console gaming and would then want plenty of space to explore some other games.

Help me, AW-Kenobi, you're my only hope!

Osulagh · Sep 7, 2015

If you'll be downloading games directly onto the Xbox, then more would be better. If you're just buying physical copies, you don't need much at all. I got by just fine for years on my early one which was like 20gb or something. However, the older models are plagued with problems that were addressed with the newer iterations.

I also want to note: For $30 you can get a Xbox 360 controller, made by Microsoft, for the PC. Just plug it in and most games support it just like on a console. Though your ability to play those games depends on your PC's specs. If you're playing older titles, you don't need a very powerful system.

Caitlin Black · Sep 7, 2015

Hrm... Well, I have a pretty good desktop, so I'm sure I could run *most* games these days (provided they work on Windows 8). But with an XBox controller for the PC, what are the game options? Like, would sticking an XBox 360 game disc into my PC work, or would I have to stick with PC games? Because yeah... The pre-owned XBox 360s are going out so cheaply that I'd rather pay a bit extra just to have the option of more variety of games, I think.

Also, thanks for that info - I was intending on buying the discs, rather than downloading games. Mostly because Australia's internet situation isn't very fast (even with a recent upgrade to the infrastructure), so downloading a game would take too long, and use up too much of my data. On a related note... I'm assuming I can use the XBox 360 *without* hooking it up to the internet if I don't want to, right? Right? I sure hope so.

Osulagh · Sep 7, 2015

Cliff Face said:
Hrm... Well, I have a pretty good desktop, so I'm sure I could run *most* games these days (provided they work on Windows 8).

What's your computer's specs? If you don't know, I doubt you can run most games. Most base computers people buy in the last one-two years can run older games well, just not the newer titles without hitches. But sometimes you can upgrade these easily.

But with an XBox controller for the PC, what are the game options? Like, would sticking an XBox 360 game disc into my PC work, or would I have to stick with PC games?

You'd have to buy games made for the PC. You can't put a console disk in a computer and run it natively. They work on entirely different architectures. You can, however, emulate a game on PC by running a program which allows your computer to run the game like on a Xbox 360. You'd still have to have the game and go through a lot of technical walkthroughs to get this to work, which isn't impossible. The only problem is that you can really only emulate older games. PS2, original Xbox, and handheld consoles.

Because yeah... The pre-owned XBox 360s are going out so cheaply that I'd rather pay a bit extra just to have the option of more variety of games, I think.

The PC through Steam, GOG, and G2A has a massive selection. I don't know what games you want to play, but there's a good chance you can find them on PC or an equivalent. And also PC games run pretty cheap--especially if you catch sales. Steam sales are famous. But...

Also, thanks for that info - I was intending on buying the discs, rather than downloading games. Mostly because Australia's internet situation isn't very fast (even with a recent upgrade to the infrastructure), so downloading a game would take too long, and use up too much of my data. On a related note... I'm assuming I can use the XBox 360 *without* hooking it up to the internet if I don't want to, right? Right? I sure hope so.

I haven't heard anything about the Xbox 360 or other consoles needed internet connection to be run. That's one of the big dents that went against the Xbox One when it was announces, which was removed I believe.

I see it like this:

If you want the ease of just hooking up and playing games, consoles. Get an Xbox from a decent vendor that gives you a guarantee that it will work. I suggest going for a newer version (The Xbox 360 Slim, I believe), but that does have the cheapest 4gb version which is a limitation and I'm unsure if I'm right about this, but I've heard that it only has internet over wifi. Also weight what console you want to what games you want to play. PS3 had some great games as well.

PC can be a handful at the start, but is a valuable investment if you're willing to get into it. If you're not going to be playing a whole lot of games and don't want to sink a ton of time and money into it, go for a console.

Caitlin Black · Sep 7, 2015

1. My desktop has an i7 processor (I *think* it's 8-core, though possibly 4-core), 3TB HDD, 4GB dedicated graphics, and 8GB RAM. It's quite a beast, really, and wasn't all that expensive compared to other models with similar specs (it's a HP). I'm guessing I can run most modern games because I've checked out the spec requirements on the back of PC game boxes, games that have come out recently, and this desktop clears the minimum specs quite easily.

2. Yeah, I figured that console game discs wouldn't work in a PC, but the comment about Microsoft making an XBox controller that works on a PC made me question my assumption.

And I'm not going to bother with emulators and techy tricks to get things working... Life's too short to learn that particular skill set (for me, anyway).

3. I know there's a lot of variety in PC games, but for me personally, I have certain "types" of games that I will only play on PC, and other "types" I'll only play on console. For instance, on a console I'd happily play fighting games, first-person shooters, and racing games (though I don't much like racing games), because it just seems intuitive to use a controller for such things. But I'll only play strategy or role-playing games on PC, because again, it just seems more intuitive to me to use a keyboard and mouse for such things. I think the big sticking point for me is that the latter require more commands than a controller can generally give quickly, whereas coordinating movements in the former games is so much quicker on a controller.

4. Ah, good, because I really don't intend on hooking it up to the internet. (I have a WiFi modem, so that's not a problem, but I don't see any need to go online when I just want to play single-player.)

And, ah, so the Slim is a newer version? I saw them listed on the local store's website, and wasn't sure what was really different apart from, presumably, the box being slimmer.

Thanks for the detailed response. It's helping me think through what my best option is.

Osulagh · Sep 7, 2015

Cliff Face said:
My desktop has an i7 processor (I *think* it's 8-core, though possibly 4-core), 3TB HDD, 4GB dedicated graphics, and 8GB RAM. It's quite a beast, really, and wasn't all that expensive compared to other models with similar specs (it's a HP). I'm guessing I can run most modern games because I've checked out the spec requirements on the back of PC game boxes, games that have come out recently, and this desktop clears the minimum specs quite easily.

6-8 core i7s start around $600 and up, for just the chip. Most are quad core. Do you know what the "dedicated graphics" as in the video card is? You can get Speccy and it'll show you what you're running--it'll be under "Graphics". I ask because if your PC can run games you may have another option for playing games.

I know there's a lot of variety in PC games, but for me personally, I have certain "types" of games that I will only play on PC, and other "types" I'll only play on console. For instance, on a console I'd happily play fighting games, first-person shooters, and racing games (though I don't much like racing games), because it just seems intuitive to use a controller for such things. But I'll only play strategy or role-playing games on PC, because again, it just seems more intuitive to me to use a keyboard and mouse for such things. I think the big sticking point for me is that the latter require more commands than a controller can generally give quickly, whereas coordinating movements in the former games is so much quicker on a controller.

PC has everything, except for console exclusives. Like the newer Halo, Forza, Nintendo games, and others. And sometimes PC has to wait for ports. But there are far more exclusive PC games than there are on console games. And again, you can just plug in a controller for the PC to run on most games. The Xbox 360 controller, for the PC, runs native in most games. Just plug in and make sure it's detected.

I can't bare to play shooters without keyboard and mouse. I know there are some solutions out there, but they don't live up at all to the real thing on PC.

What games do you wish to play?

Boy, it sounds like I'm pushing for PC, don't it?

And, ah, so the Slim is a newer version? I saw them listed on the local store's website, and wasn't sure what was really different apart from, presumably, the box being slimmer.

The older ones were plagued with problems which were addressed, a tiny bit more, on the newer version. My old Xbox 360 got the red ring of death like many have before it, and while the newer ones (Slim) still do get this, I've heard not as much. And much of these problems come from how long the systems have been running for--the older ones have naturally been running older. But choose what you wish.

Caitlin Black · Sep 7, 2015

Ah, yep, I already made my decision before seeing this last post.

1. Just checked with CPUID (handy program

), and it is 4-core, though 8 threads. And the graphics is Nvidia GeForce GT 635.

2. Don't worry about the whole "pushing for PC" thing - I already have a PC that can handle a bunch of games, after all, and if the controller-to-PC thing is as cheap as $30, well, that's pretty much nothing compared to buying a new game (even PC games in Australia can be over $30 quite easily).

3. I bought an XBox 360 Slim with 320GB space and a wireless controller, pre-owned. So yeah - chances are it's old enough to have survived past the Red Ring of Death problem. Hopefully.

I spent slightly more than I had intended to, but not very much more. The thing is, the chain gaming stores here have all their possible deals for consoles listed on their website, but it can be a bit of a crapshoot as to which deals will be available in my local iteration of the chain stores. There was a slightly better deal listed on the website, but whatever. I didn't spend more than I was comfortable spending. Funny story, though - there are 2 game stores in my local mall, and I went into the 1 where the best online deal was, looked at prices and GB size, then checked to see if there were any games I wanted available *right now*. Found 2 games that I wanted. Then I went into the other store, and found 2 games I wanted (1 was the same in both stores, with a 5 cent price difference), but couldn't see any 360 consoles on display. So I asked the guy, and he said there was one being repaired at the moment, and it would have a 250GB hard drive - for $1 cheaper than in the other store. I said I'd think about it, because for some reason I was under the impression that the first store's deal was 250GB too... So yeah, I got an extra 70GB of space, on a machine that didn't need to be fixed, for $1. :tongue

I only bought 1 game (Dead Or Alive 4 - I'd played DoA 2, many years ago, and loved it) to get started with because, well, I go through phases of lots of gaming followed by a long spell of not gaming at all. So by the time I'm sick of DoA 4, I'll probably be taking a break from gaming anyway.

My arms are very sore after carrying the box back home on a 10-minute walk... Basically, it was too heavy to trust the handles on the plastic bag to not break, so I wound up having to carry the box from both bottom corners, with one arm slightly tucked around the front of the box to keep it from slipping. The weight plus awkward posture has left me sore - and rooting around under my computer desk to hook it up didn't help matters.

But yeah. I had to go on YouTube to see first, how to open the battery compartment on the controller (I had it right the first time, but needed to know it was right to apply enough force, rather than risk breaking it...), and then also how to sync it with the XBox. But it all works, and I won 2 out of 4 single matches against the computer (without having read the instructions... Long live button mashing to see what does what!).

Now? Now I think I shall finally have lunch, and maybe try to rest my arms.

Osulagh · Sep 7, 2015

Cliff Face said:
Just checked with CPUID (handy program ), and it is 4-core, though 8 threads. And the graphics is Nvidia GeForce GT 635.

Low end OEM, huh? That'll work for the most part, but if you want to jump into harder titles I recommend upgrading.

Don't worry about the whole "pushing for PC" thing - I already have a PC that can handle a bunch of games, after all, and if the controller-to-PC thing is as cheap as $30, well, that's pretty much nothing compared to buying a new game (even PC games in Australia can be over $30 quite easily).

Looking around for a sec, the controller seems to go for around 45AU, which is to be expected I guess. If you do decide to pick one up, I recommend getting one made by Microsoft and making sure it's meant for Windows. "Xbox 360 Wired Controller for Windows, by Microsoft".

Have fun.

Caitlin Black · Sep 8, 2015

Thanks.

Bufty · Sep 8, 2015

Interesting. I've played action and RPG's for over 20 years. I have a Microsoft controller that will plug into my PC but I used it once and never again.

Used to use that type controller on the first Nintendos but I hate being hypnotized and staring at a screen while addictively pumping both hands on a variety of buttons on a tiny controller.

I want to be in charge and go at my own speed and I feel I can only get maximum freedom and enjoyment from a PC, mouse and keyboard set-up.

But, each to his own and I do wish you all the fun in the world. Try Witcher 3- needs patience but it's rewarding.

Caitlin Black · Sep 8, 2015

Oh, yeah, I would only ever play RPGs with a mouse and keyboard setup, too. But I grew up with Nintendos, and at that age I played a lot of fighting games and first-person shooters, so it's embedded in my mind that such games are easier with a controller. I could probably learn to play any genre on the PC, but there'd be a bigger learning curve to switch from controller to mouse/keyboard for some genres. And yeah - I'd rather just get stuck into something without having to re-learn what I'm doing in a new format, because I don't have much patience these days. *shrug*

BradCarsten · Sep 8, 2015

The only reason you would need a bigger hard drive is to install games so that they're not running off the disk. Some games require it, but for the most part it just cuts down the load time and prolongs the life of the laser. So figure out how many games you would like to install at once, and go from there. Bigger is always better.

A GeForce GT 635 is a pretty low end graphics card. It would probably handle older games, but nothing too recent. You would probably need to upgrade this. The rest of your machine is a beast though.

Just to echo what everyone else is saying. There are definite advantages to going the PC route.
1) you can play most games on the pc using a 360 controller natively- even the correct button prompts are displayed on screen ie XYBA I haven't used a Keyboard and mouse in games for about 2 years now.
2) You can play most of the 360 games, as well as newer games.
3) PC will have much higher resolutions than the 360.
4) PC games are dirt cheap if you're willing to wait for specials. Eg. you can currently get Bioshock infinite for $1 over at Greenmangaming by voting in the Golden Joystick Awards, and humble bundle has most of the Tom Clancy franchise for $10. Deal like this come up all the time.
5) A lot of games use steam workshop, allowing you to find thousands of free add ons.
6) Steam supports big picture mode and in home streaming, allowing you to play on your big screen tv.
7) The Indie scene is huge on PC, allowing you to find some incredible, and more obscure titles.

Unfortunately you will have to download, so if bandwidth is a problem, then 360 may be the better option.

Caitlin Black · Sep 8, 2015

Really? That graphics card is low end? Huh... I mean, I knew it wasn't specifically a gaming GPU (those things can cost more than this entire PC cost!), but I thought it was pretty decent for a non-gaming GPU...

In any event, I'm happy with my purchase.

Oh, and I've now finished 3 characters storylines in DoA 4. Finished 1 sometime this afternoon, after having actually read the instructions (turns out, some of the buttons don't actually do anything, which is why I couldn't figure out what their function was!), then 2 more in quick succession after dinner. I must say, it's been ages since I've played a fighting game, and it's been good to have such a rapid-fire game to play! I mean, StarCraft 2 can be fast at times... But unless you rush your enemy and clobber them straight away, each match will take significantly longer than a round of a fighting game.

robjvargas · Sep 8, 2015

It's never been a big enough issue to test this, but I hear from other hardware techs that HP learned a bad lesson from Compaq when HP bought them out.

They buy hardware for their systems and underclock it for added reliability. Unless you use a benchmarking program, you may not actually have what diagnosis programs like CPUID claim.

If you want the computer to last, that's not a bad thing. If you want to game, now things get a bit dicier.

Caitlin Black · Sep 8, 2015

Eh, well, to be honest, after the early days of the N64, I've been perpetually behind the times when it comes to gaming. As in, playing games for the first time when they are already 5 or more years old... I finally finish those games (after several years of off-and-on gaming), and then buy some new games, which are, again, generally 5 years behind the times. I mean, I think my most modern game that I currently own is StarCraft 2... And I haven't played it enough to finish it yet. I've gotten through maybe 10 missions in the Terran game - don't even own the Zerg game yet. It's not that it's difficult (I don't think I've died in any of the missions yet), but just that I get bored easily and, like I said, go through spurts where I game a lot, then don't game at all.

On the plus side, this means that my current machine will be able to play games for some time to come (if I keep playing older titles to catch up), and when I buy games (or a console), they're far cheaper than when they first came out.

BradCarsten · Sep 8, 2015

Sorry, by that I mean low end of the gaming cards. Here's the benchmarks if you're interested.

I've got a radeon HD4850 which is just a few spots higher than the GT 635 on that list. I can play everything on medium settings, but some of the new games struggle, and some wont work at all. I wouldn't even try assassins creed unity for example, and would be wary of any other Xbox one game, but you should be able to play any xbox 360 title without a problem.

BradCarsten · Sep 8, 2015

Cliff Face said:
Eh, well, to be honest, after the early days of the N64, I've been perpetually behind the times when it comes to gaming. As in, playing games for the first time when they are already 5 or more years old... I finally finish those games (after several years of off-and-on gaming), and then buy some new games, which are, again, generally 5 years behind the times. I mean, I think my most modern game that I currently own is StarCraft 2... And I haven't played it enough to finish it yet. I've gotten through maybe 10 missions in the Terran game - don't even own the Zerg game yet. It's not that it's difficult (I don't think I've died in any of the missions yet), but just that I get bored easily and, like I said, go through spurts where I game a lot, then don't game at all.

I'm also a few years behind- By the time I get the games, they're selling for next to nothing, have all the bugs worked out, and usually include all the DLC.

Cliff Face said:
On the plus side, this means that my current machine will be able to play games for some time to come (if I keep playing older titles to catch up), and when I buy games (or a console), they're far cheaper than when they first came out.

With your rig, you will be able to upgrade the graphics card in a few years and will be able to play all the current gen titles as well- in 4k! My machine's getting to the point where even a new graphics card wont help.

If you feel like playing a fighting game, you should take a look at the batman Arkham series. That should run perfectly. I'm not a big superhero fan, but that game is so much fun.

Caitlin Black · Sep 8, 2015

Yeah, I've heard really good things about the Batman Arkham games, but have so far not bothered because I'm not really into superhero stuff. (I was as a kid, but that was a long time ago - the canon stories for superheroes are probably so different to what I remember, these days, that it'd be like learning about them all over again...) But I'll consider giving it a go at some point.

For reference, though, what I mean by "fighting games" is stuff like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken - that sort of thing. Y'know, where you just pummel a single enemy at a time who is powerful enough to put up a decent fight. Whereas from what I've seen of the Arkham games, you're running around fighting multiple (weaker) enemies, trying to find your way around a complex world. I'd probably classify those as first-person shooters moreso than fighting games... But that's just me.

And thanks for that link to the benchmarks. Honestly, I've never known much about video cards. In fact, this is the first "good" video card I've ever owned... But yeah, the spec requirements on the back of PC game boxes tend to specify a particular video card as minimum, and one as ideal, and it can be a bit baffling to figure out if mine qualifies... I had assumed it did, but I guess not (for some games, at least).

And you're right - by the time I've caught up with the games being released in 2015, it'll probably be at least 2018 by then, so I could upgrade my video card fairly cheaply.

Though it is good to know that meant "low end for gaming cards" as opposed to simply "low end". :tongue

...

I found a copy of Perfect Dark: Zero in the store today. That was one I saw in the less-good store, but hadn't spotted it yesterday in the better store. But it was there today, for $5 cheaper (possibly because it didn't have a proper case, just a store-brand replacement case - but the game case doesn't matter to me). So yeah, I picked that up, just to give myself a little variety for the 360. That'll probably be my last game purchase for the next few months.

PD: Zero received some pretty bad reviews, but I loved the original on the N64 (as in, played that game more than any other game, ever, apart from possibly StarCraft 1), and the video content on the reviews looked like a game I'd both recognise and enjoy, even if the storyline is meant to be kind of crappy. And as far as I know, PD: Zero was only ever released on the XBox 360. (I could be wrong, though.)

BradCarsten · Sep 9, 2015

Oh, okay, then you could look at Injustice gods among us. It's $4.99 at bundle stars at the moment. That's a superb fighter. Once again it's super heroes, (Unfortunately) but the production is top notch and there are a ton of moves. I think the tutorial alone introduces about 30.

I think your card will managed anything pre-2013 without any problems, but now that you have a 360, you will be able to play everything on that anyway.

I haven't played Perfect Dark, but another 360 exclusive I really enjoyed was gears of war- it's a 3rd person shooter with a great cover mechanic. Actually there are so many great games out there, I could go on recommending stuff all day.

Caitlin Black · Sep 9, 2015

Did you ever play Goldeneye 007 on the N64? Perfect Dark was essentially the sequel, but with different characters (no Bond) - made by the same companies, using the same mechanics (slightly upgraded for Perfect Dark), but with a bunch of extra stuff (like bots in multiplayer, smarter AI, a firing range training module, etc.). And Perfect Dark Zero seems to be fairly close to Perfect Dark... I'm finding it hard to get used to lining up a shot quickly, but that will come in time.

As for the recommendations... Well, I'm sure at some point I'll be back in the Games forum asking for recs, but right now, I'm all set.

How much storage space do I need on an XBox 360, anyway?

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Osulagh

Independent fluffy puppy.

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Osulagh

Independent fluffy puppy.

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Osulagh

Independent fluffy puppy.

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Osulagh

Independent fluffy puppy.

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Caitlin Black

Wild one

BradCarsten

practical experience, FTW

Caitlin Black

Wild one

robjvargas

Caitlin Black

Wild one

BradCarsten

practical experience, FTW

BradCarsten

practical experience, FTW

Caitlin Black

Wild one

BradCarsten

practical experience, FTW

Caitlin Black

Wild one