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360 on the monitor?

1
hey [this is gonna be a small post] but i was wondering:
can the xbox 360 be plugged into a computer monitor and deliver HD quality? cuz i don't have an HDTV and i dont wanna shell out 1300000000 dollars for one laugh.gif. but yeah, i have a CRT monitor, but am planning to buy a LCD monitor. but if that doesn't deliver HD quality, might as well plug it into an SDTV.

oh, might as well ask this here, to all who own a 360: does ur AC adapter support 110/220V or just 110V or 220V depending on where u bought it?

Replies

  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I believe it will work, as long as your monitor supports HD resolutions... and these days I haven't seen a monitor that doesn't. It's basically a computer, so I don't see why it wouldn't.

    I'd have to look at my adapter when I get home, but I think it was 110 only
  • flaagan
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    flaagan polycounter lvl 18
    I had my 360 hooked up to one of my monitors for a long time before I got my projector set up. It's rather nice, even if you don't have a widescreen format monitor.
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    The aspect ratio will be slightly messed up unless your monitor is tv resolutions, but yes.
  • War_Destroyer
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    War_Destroyer polycounter lvl 18
    Here's something to try, I bought one of these a few weeks ago when my in-laws came for a visit(needed to keep playing Forza while they were distracted by the TV): http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-VGA-HD-Ca...8446&sr=8-1
    It's a microsoft product and I must admit it looks pretty good on my widesrceen monitor good enough that I have not moved the 360 from my monitor yet.
  • Richard Kain
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    Richard Kain polycounter lvl 18
    Six months ago, the answer would be...kind of. The 360 does support HD graphics using the VGA cable. However, there were some pretty serious issues with the signal. Specifically, the colors looked washed out. But in one of the recent XBox 360 updates, they fixed this issue. You would want to tweak the VGA settings in the 360's menu. (there is a specific setting to change) But yes, the 360 supports HD graphics through a VGA connection.
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    yeah i have used my 360 on my 19" widescreen gateway at 720p for a long time before i got my big screen hdtv. It looked awesome. Nothing like setting up a long render and hitting the switch on the monitor and firing up the 360 while still at my desk.
  • indian_boy
    oh wow! thanks for all your help! so i can run at 720p on a new monitor! but i need those 50USD wires right? ahh well! i'll enjoy the money spent! Oh, and the wireless controller works on standard batteries right? Like AAA batteries unless u have the rechargeable pack..... right?

    @notman: thanks for the response about the adapter. and in response: DAMMIT! so much for taking my 360 to india without a transformer frown.gif.
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    Yeah, the wireless controllers are AA batteries. It's a little sleeve that you put your batteries in to, then you clip it into the controller.
  • indian_boy
    ahh thought i'd revive this thread to get one last [hopefully last] question in:

    is the 360 THAT bad on an SDTV? i'm saving up cash to get an HDTV, but as of now, all i got is a standard def. afaik, i'll see some jaggies, and the textures will be a bit blurry, but that's about it... otherwise it should look good right? it won't be _as_ good... but it can't be _that_ terrible can it?

    just looking for somebody to fuel/end my doubts....
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    My only 360 on SDTV experience was Dead Rising, most of the text was so blurry you couldn't read it. I guess the reasonable thing would be to return the game but I went out and bought a HDTV instead
  • Asmuel
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    Asmuel polycounter lvl 17
    My mate has a big SDTV and a 20 inch LCD monitor and it looks way way better on the monitor. I play it on a massive SDTV also and it looks not nearly as hot. That being said, its really up to you. I'd try test it out on a HDTV before making a commitment.
  • SuperOstrich
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    SuperOstrich polycounter lvl 17
    My 24" LCD Dell monitor supports component 720p, so I had my 360 hooked up to that for ages. It looked great. As others have mentioned, you can go the VGA route too if your new LCD monitor doesn't have component inputs.

    And yes, the 360 on SD is really just not impressive at all. Just stick with a PS2 in that case. smile.gif
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    These people are spoiled! The 360 still looks great on an sdtv. Of course it looks a LOT better on my 27" 720p LCD, but it is silly to say it doesn't look good on a decent SDTV with svideo or component.
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    Well I don't know about sticking with a PS2 but yeah the difference can be seen very easily in Dead Rising. I also went out and bought an HDTV like Justin.
  • Rwolf
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    Rwolf polycounter lvl 18
    I Picked up this monitor for $400 Canadian (res is inbetween 1080p and 720p)http://www.memoryexpress.com/index.php?P...=10647&SID= Looks great for PC games, I don't have a 360 yet so I can't tell you how the supported hdmi and component cables work out.
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    Dead Rising is the only game that had shitty text in SD that I have played. I played with my 360 for 5 months on an SDTV and it was fine. It is a noticible step up from the PS2! However, once I started using it on my computer monitor at my new apartment (still saving for a TV) The improvement is enough to make me not want to go back to SDTV.

    So in conclusion, it's fine on an SDTV, but its remarkably better on an HDTV
  • indian_boy
    wow thanks for the responses guys! so ultimately, i've come to the following conclusion:

    i will buy the 360, and connect it to my SDTV [those red, yellow, white cables are still available with the 360 Pro right? i don't have to shell out money for standard AV cables right?] i will enjoy it without AA and high-def... i'll still get normal maps and spec maps, and higher polycounts [yay]. plus i'll get some kick-ass gameplay! I won't shell out 50-60 dollars [canadian] for the VGA cable to enjoy HD on a 19" screen, and instead save that money to get an HDTV [im thinking 37"... i'm not extravagant, and i'll be paying for it.... and i'm 16 dammit! lol].

    thanks for the replies guys! i now know what to expect on my 27" standard def TV that was made over 6 years ago frown.gif!

    cheers
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    You can get a VGA cable for like 10 or 12 bucks shipped on ebay. The standard AV cable has component and composite.
  • indian_boy
    hmmm i might get it then... but u have to wonder if its worth it... playing on a 19" screen.... occasionaly split-screen multiplayer?

    oh, and:
    http://www.gamespot.com/news/6176397.htm...estnews;title;0

    i hope they _still_ have the standard AV cables aswell lol! but now i can't wait to get me an HDMI compatible HDTV laugh.gif!
  • indian_boy
    oooh thanks! i never really minded the lower resolutions [hell, i still play games at 1024*768 with my 8600GT] and i'll get used to a few jaggies.

    as for purchasing an HDTV, i was wondering what i should watch out for. ie. i think i'm looking for high native resolution, high contrast [like 1000:1], 1080i, and what else? plus, should i go plasma or LCD... remember, i'm not rich wink.gif! oh, and are multi-system [pal and ntsc] TVs available in Canada? stores like Futureshop and Best Buy i mean... or even in those small electronics stores....

    oh and how's this TV?

    thanks for all the help guys....
  • indian_boy
    lol thanks!

    from what i saw of europe, they sell multi-system.... almost always... however what i've seen in canada till now... NTSC only, and only 110V. both my europe SDTVs work fine here though..... damn.
    thanks for all the tips Per! so im aiming for 720 [and i don't know the diff between "p" and "i"?] i might go tomorrow to check some stuff out too!
  • SuperOstrich
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    SuperOstrich polycounter lvl 17
    The only reason I can't stand the 360 on SD is that we have about half our devkits here on HDTVs and the other half on SDTVs. The visual difference is pretty severe, especially if the SDTV you're using isn't a high quality set.
  • indian_boy
    hahalol! then i'll be sure to avoid HD till i buy my own HDTV....

    but yeah, now that i look, there are some nice 720p, HDMI in, LCD HDTVs at around $600 US... pretty good stuff! none multi-system or multi-vaoltage though [uh-oh]. oh, and wth is ATSC? never heard of it lol!
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    I got an extremely nice 27" 720p LCD with HDMI, built in ATSC and QAM tuners, firmware upgradeable, etc for $400 at Circuit City.

    Actually, let me educate you a little on TVs (here I fucking go). You obviously don't want a CRT (a dying breed!). So I guess you're trying to decide between LCD and Plasma? If you are on a low budget for a gamer TV and plan to possibly use it as a monitor at some point, go with an LCD. Plasma has superior contrast, usually superior color, and honestly I think overall a better image. So why go with LCD? First of all, you can get them in any size, and they will be competitively priced at any size. Although Plasmas are actually cheaper once you hit the 42"+ range, the only smaller size they offer is 37" and it isn't very competitively priced. Second, they weigh a lot less. This may not mean much to some people, but they are much easier to move, mount, and buy stands for. Third, they use less power. A comparible size LCD will use about 1/3 less power, which can add up if you have a big TV. Lastly, LCDs tend to incorporate a digital ATSC (which means you can receive over the air high def channels) tuner, decent speakers, and sometimes a QAM tuner (almost the same thing as an ATSC tuner, but instead you plug it into a cable line and get free HD channels).

    The issue of burn in with plasma has become miniscule with new techniques developed to reduce the cause. If you are even remotely careful with it, you will never get burn in.

    That said, if you can dish out the money for a good 42" plasma (around $800+), go with that. I have an awesome quality LCD that will beat the majority of displays out there. The quality I expect from it is my new standard for HDTVs really. Every time I go to my grandparents house and see my Grandpa's Panasonic 720p plasma I am in awe at how beautiful it is. It is like looking out a freakin window to see some beautiful scenery in real life.
  • indian_boy
    oh wow! thanks for the in-depth sonic! extremely helpful!
    now here's the deal. the house im in isn't too huge, and so my viewing distance isn't that great. So i'm guessing that i should stick with 32" and 37". That said, it looks like i should get LCD. however, the way u say that Plasma has better picture quality, it makes me think, maybe i should save up and get the smallest available, well priced Plasma TV with 720p. if they come around $800... that's good... but i don't have the money to blow away on a tv. and atm, i can't even get a summer job at best buy or futureshop etc. etc., cuz they have online applications, and always ask for a SIN number, though i've got permission to work till i get my sin number and work permit etc. bleh!

    so, here's my thoughts. if i can get the cash, then i should go for a 720p, 37-42" Plasma TV. if not, 37" LCD 720p is good enough? something else i was wondering... does the brand name really matter? i mean, are the non-famous brands bad? cuz in the stores they look pretty good. also, is there any huge price-cut sale time in these parts [canada / usa]. like winter or easter or something, so i can save up or possibly afford more?

    finally: what is a good, yet affordable:
    response time; contrast ratio; resolution; number of inputs [HDMI increases cost?] and any other specification these TVs may have?

    oh, and circuit city seems very popular... any of those in canada?

    EDIT: btw: does the 360 look fine on 4:3 tv? cuz that's what i have right now!
    oh, and happy birthday sonic! [that _is_ what the cake means right?]
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks! smile.gif

    As far as name brands, some are good while some are absolutely horrible. Look for the individual set before you purchase it on avsforum.com . The ones that I know are garbage are Ilo (the worst) and Aiko. The ones that I know are awesome are Olevia, Vizio, and Westinghouse.

    On deal sites you will find refurbished LCDs for ridiculously low prices on eCost.com. Don't do it! I bought a TV for my new bedroom off of there that came packaged horribly and it wouldn't even power on. I call them to ask for a replacement and they said that in order to obtain a replacement I would have to order a new one (meaning pay another $350), pay to ship the broken one back, then they would refund the original within 1-2 months. I told them to suck it and just refund my money and I refused to pay return shipping. They finally agreed to pay for DHL to come pick it up. Still haven't gotten the refund on my statement yet.

    If you buy something from Circuit City, order it online and choose in-store pickup. My TV was $400 online, but it was $579 in store ON SALE!

    And the 360 looks fine on a 4:3. For response time, you want at least 8ms, contrast I'd say now the standard is probably 1000:1+, resolution 720p or 1080p (but 1080p will probably be out of your budget), and almost all LCDs will include plenty of inputs (mine has HDMI, VGA, Component, Composite, and S-Video).
  • indian_boy
    friend just bought the PS3, and we played it today on SDTV [he lives 30 seconds away from me laugh.gif] and it looked sweet! we played virtua tennis, and the only 'problem' were jaggies along the net..... nothing was really that bad! plus ppl say [i dont know about this] that the PS3 SD is worse than the 360 SD... if thats the case, i won't need an HDTV for a while lol!!!

    but yeah, thanks sonic for all the tips on shopping for an HDTV. i'm sure more questions will pop up when pruchasing time approaches lol.

    right now, i was wondering if u guys could answer another, rather worrying, question for me:
    how many of you have had problems [red lights] with ur 360s? how many of u are still on ur first?
  • indian_boy
    oh, and how much space is each savegame? is 20 gigs enough for owning many games with at least one save each? that's one thing i'm worried about.

    oh, and do games work without getting the update? i wanna save my xbox live trial till i get SKATE.

    EDIT: dammit! sorry for the double post!
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I just bought my 360 at the end of May, and I already ran out of space on my 20G. Since then, I have cleaned up and controlled things more, but it is possible to fill it pretty easily if you start downloading demos and some of the media content. The saved games are nothing. If you don't plan on using the marketplace at all, the 20G would do fine. Personally, I'm trying to find a good deal on the 120G... or hoping MS will stop trying rip people off and get a realistic price on it.
  • indian_boy
    oh crap.... wait, but you _can_ delete demos and media right? so like, i'll download the SKATE demo, and then when the game comes out, i'll delete the demo hence freeing up.... some space [how big are these demos?]. i don't see myself downloading too much. oh, and being with XBox Gold doesn't need any HDD space right? playing online i mean?

    oh, and is this a good deal:
    http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx...topnav=&s=1
    is costco reliable?
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    i delete the demos and stuff after playing them for a bit.

    I have a fair amount of arcade titles purchased and downloaded. The huge map packs for Gears, Call of Duty 2,3, Rainbow Six Vegas and Ghost Recon Games and I still have more room.

    If you start downloading movies and such you can run out of room easily though but I have netflix for that.

    Demos range from 400meg to 1.4 gigs.
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    To be honest, I have no f'in clue where my space went, because I have 13G free now, but when I first got my 360, I downloaded a crapload of demos and a couple of videos. The videos were deleted as I watched them, but the demos I kept around to see if I'd get tired of the game. If/when I was tired of the demo, I'd delete it. Then, one day, I tried to download a larger demo, and it told me I was out of space.

    Now I've cleaned up, and turned off the autodownload of new content. I have gotten a few arcade games, map packs, a guitar hero song pack, and some themes/picture packs now and like I said, I have probably 13G free. That and I have some saved games.

    One thing I plan to do is get an external drive for storage, but I don't know what it's limited to. I know I can put music and videos on it, but I don't know if I can get demos or saved games onto it.

    Edit: Also, that package you linked isn't bad. The accessories would run about $150, so combined with the system at $350, then you are about $30 ahead. To be honest though, I've seen better deals, and if you look hard enough, you can get most of those accessories for less than $150 total. Ebay has a whole bunch of brand new accessories cheap.
    I did find this though, in case you like Gears of War more than Forza: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Xbox-360-...roductDetail.do
  • indian_boy
    thanks for all the info! i don't see myself needing more than 20gigs in that case.

    but, oh....my....god! why is there no circuitcity in canada? or if there is, there isn't one with such a great deal! i mean... i prefer Gears over _any_ game right now. oh and then again, that is $480 US, while my deal is $480CAD... but meh, well worth it for gears!

    oh, and how trustworthy are costco? im just worried about that.

    anyways, thanks for all the help guys!

    EDIT: oh, one more question, how many of u guys have had problems with ur 360s in the past? like heating and red rings etc?
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    Costco is a good company. They deal with bulk purchases, so they get better deals, then sell it to their members at cost. Supposedly they have an excellent return policy also.

    My brother has had a 360 for about a year and a half now, and his just started getting the full ring of red (4). He reset it as they suggest and was able to play one game. Then it started grinding and gave him the 4 red lights. The typical issue is the 3 light ring though.

    To be honest though, you're getting lucky to buy one now, because these new/cheaper versions are suppose to include heatsinks on the memory, which I guess is going to fix the 3 ring issue. I'm a bit pissed that I missed out on this update, since it also includes HDMI. I would have waited the extra couple of months if I knew this was on the horizon. But of course, they don't want people to know, so they can sell off the old stock :/
  • indian_boy
    the 4 lights has to do with AV cables not plugged in right i think?

    as for the update u mentioned, don't think that's available in Canada atm. but cheer up! at least if urs does [touch wood] crap out, urs will be exchanged by a new one! [rumour]

    okay well, planning to take the plunge this saturday and buy it from costco. then exchange forza 2 with gears [yeah, EB games.... i'll get only 30 dollars store credit and i'll add some cash to that to get $65 laugh.gif].

    so just wondering, at costco, they do sell what they show online, in-store aswell right? its not like i _have_ to order it online right? and the warranties apply to everybody, or just those with membership cards? and the prices are the same for everybody right?

    cheers!
    thanks for all ur help guys!
    can't wait till this saturday, when i'll hopefully be in the next gen grin.gif
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    You have to have a membership to get that price. Costco doesn't sell to you if you don't have a membership... in fact, you can't get in the door (you have to go to the customer service desk). Actually, you CAN get in if you say you're there for the pharmacy, but you can't buy anything (at least that's how it works in the US).

    Also, if you go to many major retailers, you can return a game for store credit, if it's still shrink wrapped. My 360 came with Fusion Frenzy 2 and I took it to Walmart and got store credit for the FULL price. Then I bought Gears also smile.gif

    Sometimes Costco has trial deals, where you can try them for a day without a membership, but I don't know that you can do that any time you want. I think it requires them doing a special day. They usually carry the 360s in the store though, and they usually have packages like the one you described.
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    well you have to become a member to shop at costco. I was a member for 2 years before moving away from california. it is worth its money. the return policy is amazing and they get a lot of awesome deals.
  • indian_boy
    yeah, same in canada.... i'll get a $55 membership. it seems that coca cola is cheap there aswell laugh.gif! now i have no reason NOT to join !!

    anyways, just wondering, when / if we return our console to the store, we have to give back our hdd aswell right frown.gif? and the extra controller etc. etc. to get a whole new package right?

    oh, and walmart here said [very rudely] that they don't exchange. do i have to mention that it's still in original packaging? and u get full price back? i wish i can do the same! me wants Gears of War!
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    You don't tell Walmart what you're doing silly wink.gif Tell them you got it as a Birthday gift and you already have it. You take it to the store (remove any evidence that it was from Costco), then you go to customer service and return it. Make sure you tell them that you just want store credit. If they won't take it, then go somewhere else. The game shops are usually a bit more wise to this though, so stick to big retail chains.

    As for buying Coke at Costco, it's still usually cheaper to get it at a store that has it on sale. Costco charges their cost for everything. Grocery stores will typically take a loss on pop to get customers in (I use to work for Pepsi and Coke). But most other things in the store are still great deals.
  • indian_boy
    yay im in the next gen!!!
    but my first worry:
    it says, fairly clearly on my Forza 2 DVD case that it is not for resale. ummmm.... guess i can't replace it? or return it for store credit?

    anyways, time to plug my baby in!
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    wow forza 2 says not for resale? how did you get that? was it part of a bundle?

    yeah i get free games from microsoft all the time and usually i already have it or wouldn't be one i'm interested in so I return them to walmart for store credit and just do an exchange for another title that I do want.

    I just say they are birthday gifts and as long as it's still sealed and you don't do it once a month you are set.

    Still not sure why I get free games but I'll keep taking them as long as they come my way.
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    So what's your gamertag? wink.gif
    In case you weren't aware, there is a thread for PC Gamertags in the Archives section
  • indian_boy
    hahahahahaah! HAHAHAHAHAHA! hahahaHAHAAHAHAHAHH!!!!! oh that's so funny.....

    i'd get a gamertag as soon as i could get my 360 running for more than 15 minutes laugh.gif!!! lol. i'm on my second box within two days haha! yeah, 3 red lights..... lol. but it may be cuz of my power outlet in the wall. cuz the thing is on a friggin sidetable, away from the windows, in a house that faces north [no sunlight].

    ahh well. i've got my gears of war box, still in its plastic wrapping, testing my 360 through Forza 2. gonna plug it into a few different outlets if i must. frown.gif

    @JesseMoody: interesting... would u like my street address :ahem: to umm.... tell microsoft that u changed ur address laugh.gif! lol, j/k
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    hey, just remember, they are offering an extra 3 years to the warranty... doesn't that make you feel better? wink.gif
  • indian_boy
    ahhh okay. it was just the power outlet. been playing this baby [gears] for 2 hours lol.

    phew! anywys... do i wanna join Live right now? i just got a one month trial [i'm not rich enough to buy LIVE lol frown.gif] should i go OL with gears?

    cheers btw!
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I've only played GoW online with my brother, but when other people join in, they own the crap out of us. So, I'd say to get damn good at gears before playing it online. You can still create a gamertag though, using the silver level, which is free. Just put in your Gold trial when you are ready to play Gears online smile.gif
  • indian_boy
    call me noob... but:
    how do i connect? just a random connect of the supplied ethernet cable to my router and its done? but i heard that by choosing 'sign in to live' ur gold gets activated automatically?
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I'm trying to remember. I can't remember if they asked me if I wanted to start my gold membership at first or not.
  • Keg
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    Keg polycounter lvl 18
    indian_boy: you get 1 month free gold when you create a live account.
  • indian_boy
    dang.

    ahh well. since the next game i'll be buying is SKATE in sept, i might aswell start up my LIVE trial today... or tonight as the case may be.

    say, we can still download demos from marketplace like 'gold' people,,,, right?
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