The Video Game Critic

I've been planning to buy a used Xbox 360 for a while now, but it's just come to my attention that the really low cost ones that I was looking at don't have a hard drive. They say I can still save my memory on memory cards, but a hard drive is still much the better option. What do you guys think? Should I go ahead and get the cheaper no hard drive model or save up a little longer for the more expensive one?

I tend to install my games to the hard drive, plus any DLC that you'll get will most likely exceed a thumb drive. The other alternative is to get several 32 GB thumb drives and use those. But, again, I'd suggest either getting one with a hard drive or getting an external HD for it.

I'd recommend getting a hard drive. It's hard to do much without it. You don't need anything too crazy--for my first few years, I survived easily with the basic 20 GB hard drive. I only outgrew that because I had it loaded with demos and downloadable games. Plus, at this point, a Xbox 360 hard drive is dirt cheap. For the earlier models, on Amazon, I see 20 GB drives going for $10 and 60 GB drives for $15. It's hard to justify passing that up.

DaHeckIzDat,

There are a few questions I have. First, what are your intentions with the 360? If you have a small list of games in mind that you're wanting to play, it might not be worth the investment to track down a hard drive. That money would be better spent on a hard drive for your PS3, which offers a much better GBs-to-dollars ratio. If you're planning to do a lot of gaming on the 360 (which has a fantastic library, by the way), and may even delve into downloadable titles, a hard drive is practically a must. Many games won't play without it. USB drives are a viable alternative for save games, but are discouraged for game data installs due to the unreliability and low speeds.

Def go with one with a hard drive as the others have said. My money is tight but when I got my 360 3-4 years ago I consulted peeps. Everyone said get one with a hard drive. If You are tight as well, get one with the minimal which is just 4 GB. They are really cheap at GameStop now and just buy some flash drives from Wal Mart. It has worked for me ever since fine. And make sure to get Alan Wake the game. I think it is around $11 at GS. You will enjoy the hell out of this combo I suggest!