Gaming Should I consider getting a 360 Arcade?

[john.jingle]

I don't know the spec differences between the Arcade and the Slim aside from the HD size but if I'm going to hack a 360 to play burned games is it even worth it to get the Slim? I mean, I certainly won't be going online cause I'll probably get banned anyways. Or is the difference between the two so significant that certain games are almost unplayable on the Arcade due to its inferior specs?

BTW, is there a usb iso loader for the 360 yet?

 

[MelodieOctavia]

There are many issues with the new slims at the moment, including but not limited to shitty wireless range with the built in adapter, the fan on the PSU is NOT whisper quiet, and overheating issues.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Slim consoles, as far as I'm aware, can't have their drives flashed for playing backups, so an Arcade unit is probably the way to go. If you have your discs burned properly, you can still go online with little or no chance of being banned.

As far as USB loading, you can load ISOs off of an external drive on JTAG'd 360 units, but to be able to perform the JTAG hack you've got to find a 360 unit with a certain menu version or below, so new consoles or any that have been updated in the last year (and a half, maybe?) aren't compatible, and it would require dicking around with the internals of the console more than flashing the DVD drive's firmware would.

 

[FAST6191]

August 11th 2009 was the update that killed JTAG. Mid June 2009 was when the last JTAG capable board was made.
The people beind the WODE were considering something like it for the 360 but nothing has been heard in ages on the subject.

Slims- custom firmwares have now entered testing although I am not sure about the revisions that it is aimed at (the slims have several different drive types).

Likewise a new method of extracting later non slim DVD serials (see pogo ma thoin) has appeared in the last couple of days which is far nicer than the old MRA/pin lift hack. Quite a few variations have appeared and most of them using basic electronics.

 

[codezer0]

I don't know the spec differences between the Arcade and the Slim aside from the HD size but if I'm going to hack a 360 to play burned games is it even worth it to get the Slim? I mean, I certainly won't be going online cause I'll probably get banned anyways. Or is the difference between the two so significant that certain games are almost unplayable on the Arcade due to its inferior specs?

BTW, is there a usb iso loader for the 360 yet?

If you get one of the older models (non-slim) 360's, there is firmware readily available. While it is now possible to read the drive key off of a slim's DVD drive, there is still currently no firmware to flash onto them yet.

The Arcade models (and 4GB slim) IIRC have an integrated flash memory. Combine this with a hard drive, you'll have some extra storage.

I doubt there will be any USB ISO loaders for the 360, given that the security scheme of the console is quite good. It's available for JTAG systems, but the ability to JTAG a 360 has been long gone. The 360 uses some encrypted memory and verification schemes (something the Wii nor ps3 use, or use as well in the latter case), so it's almost all about burning disc backups and making sure they're verified before playing them.