Customer Reviews

Xbox 360 Elite Halo 3 Fable 2 Bundle

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

First off, the XBOX 360 is an amazingly fun system, XBOX Live only adds to it so I would give the console 5 stars easily. My review is basically due to the fact that Amazon is in fact touting this Elite as the "latest version" when, even as others claim, is not the case. The "latest version" as Amazon claims, would then be the "Jasper" chip set. Well, that is what gamers would assume, correct? Most, if not all, of the people reviewing this system isn't for the XBOX 360 Elite system itself, but for the tagline "Newest Version" or "Latest Version". I believe what they are doing isn't intentional, but rather, advertising the system as the latest "bundled" version which it in fact technically is. Hardcore games read it as the latest "chip revision" which would be the Jasper chip set, but Amazon isn't in the market to be able to make these claims, I simply believe they are advertising it as the newest bundle to be released. It is all a simple miscommunication or advertising. What Amazon SHOULD do is title it as "Newest Bundle" or "Latest Bundle" and not use the word "Version".

But simply put, IF you want to save yourself the grief and headaches thinking you may get the latest chip set, simply do not buy an XBOX 360 via mail order. Find out for yourself by going to a retail store and looking through the break away in the back of the box. You may need to slightly jiggle the unit but you want to look under the "UL" logo on the back, for the line of text that starts with "12v". In that sequence of letters/numbers look for the "12,1A" and that will denote that it is the latest chip set "Jasper" (until the next chip set revision is released in either late 2009 or early 2010 code named "Valhalla". The arcade and pro units have this 12,1A already, the Elite systems though appear to be harder to find, however, the Resident Evil 5 Elite bundle recently released, as one poster mentioned, is in fact the first confirmed Elite system with the Jasper chip set. By the time you are reading this though, my guess is the Elite Jasper chip units will be in more supply at local retailers. It is impossible for Amazon or any online retailer to confirm this, as most will have no idea what you are talking about. Simply go to a store and check for yourself, it's the easiest way to determine and takes the guess work out of it for you.

I expected this "new" Xbox 360 Elite system would feature the current, more reliable "Jasper" chipset, but was disappointed to find my console had a manufacturing date of 6/9/08, proving Microsoft is just clearing inventory of the older, defect-ridden models ("Zephyr" and "Falcon") and trying to pass this bundle off as a great deal! I returned mine immediately. Two free games don't compensate for the increased risk of a RRoD or E74 failure!

I've been setting on the sidelines for the better part of a year, waiting for the jasper Xbox 360s to come out. Like many potential Xbox 360 buyers, I was hoping this was going to be an Elite Jasper release. As the other reviews have stated, it's most likely not at all.

I decided to check out the local blue/yellow electronics store to get a first hand look at one of these. They had four in stock and I got a look at two. After fingering the serial number slot on these two I found one to be a Falcon (14.2 amps) and the other to be....drum roll please.... a Zephyr (16.5 amps)! I had to do a double take to believe what I was seeing. At that point, I decided to let the nice lady helping me pull them down from the overhead rack go about her business. I didn't get a look at the manufacturing date because it wasn't on the labels and I would have had to tear up the inner cardboard liner to see it on the back of the console. I did notice that the box was different between the two units. The Falcon looked like the bundled games label was printed on the box. The Zephyr box looked and felt like a sticker - you could feel bubbles under it.

Despite my disappointment with Microsoft, I'm probably going to go with a Resident Evil 5 special edition console to insure I get a Jasper unit. Hey, maybe the fire engine red will add a splash of color to my living room!

UPDATE(5/26/09): I ended up getting the Resident Evil 5 limited edition Xbox 360 Elite. The unit is indeed based on the Jasper chipset. It is fairly quiet and seems to run very cool. After hours of gaming, the air coming out the vents on the back is barely warm. However, the Resident Evil 5 game sucks...so the value of the combo is diminished in my opinion. I think the Halo3/Fable 2 is a much better value if one has to have an Elite. You just run the risk of getting the older, less reliable technology inside the unit.

Another reviewer believes that the 60 GB Pro version is a even a better deal. In hindsight, I tend to agree. I only use my xbox to play games and watch netflix movies. Even with several games installed, I've only used 40 GB of the 120 GB drive. So for most users like myself, the 60 GB version is good enough. Also, the issue of console color tends to come into play when purchasing an Elite. The fact is the regular elite isn't really black....it's grey. So I'm not sure how well it will match with the normal piano black home entertainment gear.

The Elite game of the year bundle receive today is NOT a Jasper Chip unit. It has a manufacture date of June 2008! Microsoft put an OLD unit in a NEW box. I fault both Microsoft and Amazon for this. Microsoft for trying to pull a fast one on potential buyers and Amazon for describing the units as the "latest version."

Back in the box it goes...

The console I received is in fact NOT the newest version. It was manufactured in July of 2008 and has the higher power rating of the older models. I don't blame Amazon for this. But I am just a bit aggravated that Microsoft decided to stick old xbox's in the "new" elite console package.

I had been on the sidelines with the latest consoles but with the addition of Netflix streaming, I thought it was time to have a look in more detail at the xbox 360.

I did some research on the various xbox failures and discovered that they were heat related and that the latest chipsets were both cooler running and more energy efficient. Most excellent I thought, who doesn't want a more energy efficient device, and happily pre-ordered the latest bundle thinking Microsoft would put their best foot forward on the elite edition. Well, maybe hoping is the better word.

I was wrong. I got an xbox with a manufacturing date of June 2008. Hardly the newest available. I was not a happy consumer. I wanted the elite because it is black (matches the other AV equipment) but was also expecting it to be new technology at this price point.

I understand that Microsoft might not want to offer a distinction in the various xbox internals, i.e., an xbox is and xbox, but when there are functional differences (energy consumed, fan use, reliability), the top of the line should
be just that. Really too bad that it wasn't.

Amazon was great with delivery and return.

Just got mine today. I ordered it before reading the bad news that Microsoft is trying to unload their faulty stock. My "latest version" was made on 6-18-2008.

I've never had any problems with Amazon refunding, so I'll follow through with a review on that, but I'm no longer going to buy an Xbox 360. This is just horrible business, a company trying to take advantage of consumers because it recently reported the biggest losses in its history.

I think I'll go with a PS3. I never had any problems with their earlier consoles.

These units do NOT I repeat DO NOT have the Jasper chipset inside of them and therefore do not feature the latest hardware upgrades on the 360's. Microsoft is selling OLD SYSTEMS with OLD HARDWARE in these so called "new bundles".

Furthermore the two free games are in the SAME package and stuffed as tight as can be. I did not open the container but what you see is Halo 3 on 1 side and Fable 2 on the other. It is NOT 2 separate game discs and in my opinion is very tacky and not well done.

SHAME ON MICROSOFT FOR THIS CRAP. As much as I like the black finish on the Elite consoles I went ahead and got a Jasper Arcade unit and a 120GB Hard Drive.

Again the unit I bought was a Zephyr unit. Not even Falcon. There a few Falcon ones but I have yet to see any of these bundles contain a Jasper Unit.

But at your own RISK.

For the third Saturday in a row I went to the local Best Buy to look for an Xbox Elite. Lo and behold they had THREE Elite units! These were packaged with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda. I checked the informational areas I could see: this one was Lot #0842X but that's all I could see. So, after checking with a couple of people about their returns policy, I bought the Xbox and took it straight home.

When I got it home and tried to open it up, I noticed that the clear plastic circle that goes over the opening edge of the box looked like it had been peeled off previously. Bad sign. I peeled it back and opened the box. The unit was in wrapped plastic you could see through and the tape holding the plastic wrap looked pristine. I flipped the unit to check out the back label and it had a voltage number of 14.2. So this is NOT a Jasper unit. Jasper units have a voltage of 12.1. So, I sealed everything back up and brought it back to Best Buy.

So the lesson I learned is that Elite units bundled with extra games may be old non-Jasper units Microsoft is trying to remove from their inventory. I refuse to keep a non-Jasper unit so it's probably going to be a while before I'm back online with my Live buddies.

these are old xbox 360s packaged as new probably returns or refurbished they also still have the old falcon or zephyr chipsets not the new jaspers save yourself the time and get a resident evil 5 xbox 360 that are guarantee jasper units