Exactly, also on a console you can play your mates online because again everyone has a console.

Messing around trying to make a PC like a console is a bit pointless to me, the only reason I would get a PC is to have amazing FPS (Frames per second I mean) and Graphics, of which don't really matter enough to me to justify buying and updating one.

I'm tempted to buy another Xbox 360 as I haven't had one of the new ones. Currently have a PS3 but I arn't a big gamer at all any more currently only have 2 games but mainly use it to watch my Blu rays. Have missed been able to play games such as GOW3. Does any one know any offers going on good deals?

None of my mates play PC games but I've met loads of people playing PC games. There is definitely more of a 'community' with the ability to chat a lot easier and the transition to forums, IRC, etc. simpler.

Apparently the next Xbox will be sold on a similar basis as a mobile phone contract. Eg. console only £450 ish, console with 12 months Xbox Live £200 up front plus £12 a month, console with 24 months Xbox Live £100 up front and £12 a month, console with 24 months Xbox Live plus music, TV & movies subscriptions £0 up front and £25 a month.

They have started trialing it by selling current gen 360s in the states for $89 plus 24 months Live subscription at $14.99. That's a £250 console for £60 up front.

I think it's a brilliant concept on two fronts. Firstly take up of the new console will be far higher than usual. A 'normal' console release sees relatively slow sales as people are put off by the massive price they put on them to recover the development costs as quickly as possible. But this way, there would be potentially nothing to pay up front and many people are already paying for Live anyway, so upgrading to the new console could be extremely cheap. Secondly it will massively increase the take up of Live if people are getting it when they buy the console and know they are paying for it.

Clever by Microsoft if true...

No one know any good deals going about for a 360 which isn't the 4gb version?

Sainsbury's were doing save £60 on a new console when you spend £30 on games or accesseries, not 100% sure if this makes it a decent price or if the offers still on though.

That sounds decent but also pretty crud. If it becomes a 'contract' situation, what happens to the kids that want to go out and spend their Christmas money on one? What about the younger people who want to get one, but maybe don't have the credit rating? How many parents do you know that buy their children mobile phones on contract? Maybe teenagers, but not children. If Microsoft go that way, it will only make Nintendo do even better IMO. They already have the under-12 market by the balls, if Microsoft basically go out and say we only want people to be paying monthly for our service like a phone, are they basically saying they don't want offline gamers anymore? If they value the console at £400+, they're pricing out quite a large percentage of people who just want to go to a shop and buy a console, especially if those people decide at a later date that they want to invest in Live.

It's a good idea from Microsoft, and it will definitely work for a portion of gamers, but I wouldn't be interested in taking something out on a contract and, judging by the many people I know with 360s and PS3s, I doubt they would be either.

Those figures aren't real, just examples. In this scenario the contract idea is optional. You can still buy the console outright if you choose to and the estimation of £450-£500 includes the assumption that it'll come with an improved Kinect sensor. It's basically just an interest free deal assuming you're paying for Live anyway. I know I wouldn't be paying £400+ for a console on launch, I'd wait at least 12 months until the price had halved.

The PS3 was £400 at launch in the UK, so I'd say the next gen from both Sony and MS will at least match that.

The next Xbox won't come out for £400. I think realistically it'll be £350 tops.

I do think the option to pay monthly is a good move in terms of encouraging people to take up the new console at launch when the prices are at their highest and also getting people signed up to Xbox live gold.

The current deal they have is you get a new Xbox + kinect sensor for $99 if you sign up to a 2 year Xbox live gold subscription which runs at $15 a month. So overall you work out to have paid more then if you had just bought the console outright, but you do get to spread out the cost quite a lot.

There's a lot of people out there who would be interested in the new machine but maybe couldn't pay out 3-400 in one go for a machine plus peripherals and games, but could pay, say £15 per month over 24 months making a total outlay for the machine of £360.

More importantly, they'll have to carry over Gamerscore and achievements, right?