How necessary is internet connection for the 360?

[JustLikeHeaven1]

[QUOTE=Will]Yeah, the Silver is definitely the way to go, but I am just so loathe to shell out $100 for a wireless adapter.  I have a wireless router (had to for Wii), but I just hate to spend another $100 after I paid $480 for the 360 in the first place.  I could use the ethernet cable included in the box, but that would require either rearranging my house to move the computer next to the tv, or buying  a wired router and another ethernet cable, and then I am back where I started. 
[/QUOTE]

That is exactly why I don't understand Microsoft's plan.  Why would they price themselves INTO the competitions price range?  Before the $400 looked like an incredible value (still is), but for what you get for $480 is pretty crummy. 

I'm like Will and I would have to plunk down $100 for the wireless adapter (a complete ripoff by the way) and at that point I'm in PS3 territory.  For $600 you get 10x more value than the $580 that it costs for the 360 Elite plus wireless adapter.  I can't for the life of me figure out why they didn't include a wi-fi in the Elite model.  The Wii has it for pete's sake!

For a system that trys to be the king of online it sure makes it a pain in the ass to actually get the friggin thing online.

[Will]

EXACTLY
So is there any solution - short of taking it back and getting a PS3?

[Will]

Since I can't afford both a 360 and a PS3

[Edward M]

I know some companies make a product that can send  a wireless signal, through the wired component.   This is one for 25 bucks after shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wireless-Extension-Logitech-Play-Link-for-XBOX-360-PS-2_W0QQitemZ320106605003QQihZ011QQcategoryZ41015QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't know if its any good as I haven't read any reviews.  I know its Logitech brand, which is probably the best brand for third accessories out there.   You probably should do some research and find out if its any good.  If it is, you could save 75 bucks. It claims to have a 100 foot range.

[Will]

Thank you very much.  I'll check it out.

[Edward M]

I've looked up the reviews on the product, I mentioned and they are positive for the most part.   But it has a huge problem, it is capped at 1.5 Megabits a second, which is about 187 kilobytes a second.    That is a decent speed if you just want to play online, but it will slowdown your downloads.  I have a 10 megabit connection, and using that tool I just mentioned would slow down my download speed by 85 percent.

You would probably want something more like this.  http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WGA54G-Wireless-G-Gaming-Adapter/dp/B00009X6DT


That's a linksys brand wireless adaptor, but I think its only compatible with Linksys routers, but thats what most people have.  It can do up to 54 Megabits a second which is far more than what most people have.  So this system shouldn't slow down your connection   But I am having trouble finding review for it, so you would probably want to do some research.  But overall, this should be better considering it is faster, and you should be able to plug it into anything that has an eternet port, which would include the Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS2, and the 20 gig PS3.

The problem is its a little more expensive, the cheapest I can find it for is 60 bucks after shipping..  http://cgi.ebay.com/Linksys-WGA54G-Wireless-G-Game-Adapter-XBOX-PS2-PS3-PC_W0QQitemZ250107885492QQihZ015QQcategoryZ61817QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

So basically, if you don't care about speed, go with the logitech one.  Its a quality product, but it will be slower downloading stuff.  It should be good enough to play games without much lag though.   Go with the Linksys one if you can afford to pay a little more, and want to download fast.  I'd recommend the linksys adapter over a microsoft one, because it can plug into any game console with a ethernet port, and so can the Logitech product.

[Will]

Thank you so much.  That is exceptionally kind of you to do all that searching for me.  I really appreciate it.
I'm glad I read your last post because I was just about to get ready to buy the Logitech one.  But, since I will not be playing online, but rather, will be downloading updates and Live Arcade games, it seems as if the Linksys adapter is better.  And I do have a Linksys router, so I should be good there.
Thank you. I never would have figured that out on my own since I am ignorant of tech stats for the most part.
Thanks again.

[Will]

Actually, what do you think of this one:
Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter?
It's alot cheaper.  Of course it says it is "Lag-free head-to-head or Internet gaming at up to 11 Mbps, without stringing wires"  whereas the other one you mentions is up to 54Mbps. 
Would 11Mbps be enough for downloading?

[HawgWyld1]

[QUOTE=JustLikeHeaven]Downloadable content is nice to get, so are patches that fix games that were rushed out the door.  Playing against other people online is also a great way to get more bang out of a recent purchase.[/QUOTE]
And, that's exactly why I probably bought my last "new" console when I got a Game Cube. If game developers know they can release patches, they'll abuse the hell out of that ability. That's one of the reason console gaming has been so much more enjoyable than computer gaming -- getting on the Internet and downloading a bunch of crap as soon as you install a game stinks.

[Edward M]

[QUOTE=Will]Actually, what do you think of this one:
Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter?
It's alot cheaper.  Of course it says it is "Lag-free head-to-head or Internet gaming at up to 11 Mbps, without stringing wires"  whereas the other one you mentions is up to 54Mbps. 
Would 11Mbps be enough for downloading?

[/QUOTE]

Yes, 11 Mbps is definately fast enough.  That's faster than most internet connections can do.   Mine is a 10 Mbs  connection maximum, and  its faster than every other connection in my region.  And if you have DSL, most DSL lines  can only do about 1-3 Mbs.  Look up the specs on your connection (Your internet provider, not your router) and I highly doubt its over 11 Mbs a second.  so the 11 Mbs connector should be good enough if you can find it cheaper. 


Yeah so if you can find the WGA11B for cheaper, get it.  I found a review for it, and it seems pretty good. http://www.thinkbroadband.com/hardware/reviews/2003/q4/linksys-wga11b-uk.html

But if its the same price as the G model, than get the G model though, for incase if your internet's cap ever goes over 11 Mbs a second, your connector won't delay you.  But that would probably be a few years in the future anyways.