The New Xbox Experience (NXE) update which has been confirmed for release worldwide on the 18th of November 2008 has gotten a few of the local South African users a bit concerned. This follows the news last week that the NXE will require about 128 MB of storage on either an Xbox 360 Memory Unit or an Xbox 360 Hard Drive.
Microsoft have since revealed their proposed storage solution whereby qualifying Core and Arcade owners can receive either a free Xbox 360 Memory Unit or Xbox 360 Hard Drive. Unfortunately this seems to only apply to Xbox 360 owners in the US and Europe. More details on the international Xbox 360 Memory Upgrade program can be found on that over here.
I’ve just gotten off the phone and I’d like to let the South African Xbox 360 users know, Microsoft Xbox South Africa is working on a similar program for South African users. So don’t stress you will still be able to get to experience the New Xbox Experience when it releases even though we don’t officially have Xbox LIVE yet. Remember that firmware updates for the Xbox 360 console ship on the retail game discs so even if you aren’t an Xbox LIVE user you will be able to get the update from new game releases as well as through download from the support site.
Thanks for the effort mate.
More to follow then 🙂
Yeah more to follow, closer to the release date. 🙂
Thanks Craig… now if they would allow a “trade in rebate” on 20Gb units for 120Gb units, I would be one happy camper 🙂
Please keep us and Lazygamer posted on what Microsoft SA decide and when they plan to introduce a similar deal locally,I’m dying for a hard drive but a grand is way too much cash,at the current exchange rate it should be about R 250.
Thanks Craig….nice to know someone has our backs.
When is the official release date of the NEW EXPERIENCE ?
Whoops I made an error in the post, its officially the 19th of November 2008, I presume Pacific Time so that would be sometime on the 20th for us.
Hi, with less than a month to go for NXE, is there any update on this? Or do we need to start saving up to pay R1000 for a 20 gig HDD?
Also any word as to the complete lack of HDD stock in SA?
Nothing more than can be confirmed right now. As soon as there is more information I’ll be the first to share it.
As for the lack of HDD stock, its odd, I’ll drop a few emails and see what the story is.
What ever happen to Xbox live coming to South Africa as stated by Cindy White, Xbox 360 Group Manager, and Marc Batten, Country Lead Xbox 360, in this article.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2110645,00.html
Another empty promise or are they waiting on Telkom?
One week to go… and still no word?
I should be posting something early next week.
And?… Whatever happened to the storage solution? NXE comes out tomorrow
24 hours to go and no word yet?
We being shafted some more by MS?
Perhaps with us not being an official live territory, the NXE will only really become a priority for MS SA when the game discs start shipping with the NXE update?
Drum roll…………
And the answer is?
Any news from MS SA about the upgrade? Using a 256mb MU not so fun…
No official news as yet. Note that the offer is not for Arcade owners as a 256 MB Memory Unit is sufficient. This only would be for Core owners using Xbox LIVE.
um Craig, how does that follow from
“Microsoft have since revealed their proposed storage solution whereby qualifying Core and Arcade owners can receive either a free Xbox 360 Memory Unit or Xbox 360 Hard Drive.”
So MS SA is not offering the NXE storage solution but something different of their own design?
If you read a little further I stated “Microsoft Xbox South Africa is working on a similar program for South African users”. The program won’t necessarily be the same as the 128 MB of storage is technically only required for Xbox LIVE functionality, not for the general firmware update.
so…. in other words we get nothing?
If you are not a Core console owner, then you get what you paid for. Do you expect stuff for free?
Its this attitude from Microsoft that makes me regret buying their console (and which I will now be selling). Yes Craig – Get what we pay for – R2000 for an arcade that you cant play on Live with… I dunno but R2k is a lot of money to me….Also funny how South African xbox owners get shafted once again…
no i thought they would offer the hard drives @ a cheaper rate. I mean the NXE can store onto arcade memory units. but then limits the amount of game saves.
Yeah true, but the NXE storage is only needed if you use Xbox LIVE. Arcade users are typically not Xbox LIVE users, most have hard drives for use with Xbox LIVE and all the wonderful downloadable content.
Lets all move to america 🙂
Ok, well my hopes were so high for a reduced price hard drive. guess we gotta dish another grand out our pockets
“If you are not a Core console owner, then you get what you paid for. Do you expect stuff for free?”
No, but i would like to still be able to use the Xbox Live Arcade i bought the console for. Duke Nukem at 85 odd mb doesn’t leave a lot of space left for anything else after the nxe finishes downloading. It would also be nice to be treated like other MS customers.
Well i guess we just have to wait to see what the final offer from MS is…
Well considering we don’t have Xbox LIVE officially, we can’t exactly expect to be treated like an officially supported Xbox LIVE region.
Still sucks
Any news so far on prices or if its still gona happen?
Well I am selling my Xbox 360. Not because of this but because I can’t really fund it but I also hate the lack of features and Microsoft as a whole.
This is why I never believe people and their ramblings on their blog sites. Everyone always have a “source”, but then nothing comes of it. And it it never comes up on the blog again, hoping everyone will just forget about the “wonderful” news that will never happen…
I must say that I have an Arcade version and I’ve been playing Xbox live and loving it like nothing else. It’s awesome. Hardly any lag and I connect via normal Telkom ADSL – nothing special about the connection at all. The only thing is the purchasing of the Gold Membership and you can just use http://www.gamepointsnow.com/ to get that side of things sorted.
Be patient guys – it’s a fairly large logistical undertaking to get Xbox live into SA. There are probably very nervous lawyers representing Ster Kinekor and NuMetro that are causing problems. The very same people who make it impossible to buy stuff from Amazon.
Anyway – Microsoft will do it soon enough and we’ll love it when it arrives.
Also, I wouldn’t be too harsh on Microsoft for the high prices of things. Remember that the retailers have a part to play in this as well. We’re a long way away from civilization and there’s hardly a market to speak of.
Living in SA I would have thought that you guys would have been used to high markups from Musica, CNA, Incredible [Waste of Time] Connection, etc. Should Microsoft also be held responsible for the high price of food in SA? I think not.
Happy gaming.
pls can you keep me informed of this “free memory card” i read your post in the Nag magazine and i would really like the new nxe but i dont have enough space i am an arcade owner
Yeah, still sucks, considering I do need the update so that I can get 16:10 support across my VGA cable. I guess this means I have to fork out for another 256mb card, even though by all rights as a paying customer I should get the 512mb card because I own an Arcade. Hmmm, I wonder, perhaps they should start selling Xbox here at half the price since we’re only allowed to use half it’s capabilities. It’s like selling someone a shiny new sports-car, and then telling them they can only use it in their driveway.