Differences between the Xbox 360 Arcade, Premium, and Elite
While the Xbox 360 is an excellent games console, Microsoft have created a confusing situation by releasing many different versions of their popular console. This article aims to explain the differences between the models currently on the market.
The current versions of the Xbox 360 on the market are the Arcade, Premium, and Elite. Strangely enough, all three are entirely the same apart from two major factors; the hard disk and the colour.
Crucially, the Xbox 360 Arcade (previously known as the Xbox 360 Core) comes with no hard disk. The only option for storage is to buy memory sticks (expensive) or a special external hard disk (VERY expensive).
Even if you’re really short on money, you’ll want to stretch to buy the Xbox 360 Premium, which comes with a 60GB hard disk. An Xbox 360 without a hard disk may not be able to play some games, does not allow Xbox (original) backwards compatibility, will have difficulty accessing online content and Xbox Live, and can be more expensive in the long run from buying the proprietary memory sticks.
On the other end of the scale, the Xbox 360 Premium is still the recommended choice even if you have a lot of money. The 120GB hard disk on the Xbox 360 Elite is complete overkill. The 60GB hard disk in the Premium is not large in PC terms, but for a console is more than you’ll ever need. This means the only good reason to get the Xbox 360 Elite is if you really want your console in black (and it does look very good in black).
Apart from the colour and the hard disk, all three versions of the Xbox 360 are entirely the same. The Xbox 360 Premium is the recommended model to buy.
The Xbox 360 Arcade (previously the Xbox 360 Core) is severely limited due its lack of a hard disk. The Xbox 360 Elite is great, but its only advantages are one free month of Xbox Live, a larger hard disk, and that it comes in black.
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Check out our article on the best Xbox 360 bundle deals.
Or compare prices for the Xbox 360 Arcade, Xbox 360 Premium, or Xbox 360 Elite.