Not really, just warning people that they could end up paying money and not getting anything.

I just bought some Xbox Live Marketplace points (digitial download) at GAME online, and they sent me an email with no Xbox Live Marketplace points activation code in it. When I contacted them about it, they claimed that it was a fault with Microsoft providing the codes, and to try again later. Whether this is true or not, GAME are still selling Xbox Live Marketplace points on their website, knowing full well that the customer will not get an activation code. So my advice would be to avoid GAME entirely.

I see there are ways to download Xbox 360 title updates to your PC, which apparently isn't illegal either (and so it shouldn't be). Might have to look into that. I'd be a lot happier if I knew I had title update backups. And it would make life easier when taking updates to the offline Xbox.

What do you mean when you say the updates aren't permanent?

Edit: Oh I know what you mean. Because the updates for many games are downloaded to the cache and not the hard drive. Microsoft really need to fix that. Updates for all games (not just some games) should be downloaded to the hard drive. Otherwise we're all going to end up with non-updated games whenever the Xbox 360 servers are closed down.

At least Fallout 3 GOTY and Fallout NEw Vegas Ultimate Edition (both of which need their updates) have updates on their discs, which you have to install in order to install the expansions.

Compromised in the end and went for another Elite. They seem very reliable to me.

I know installs are different to updates. I just didn't know if it was possible to download and install an update in anticipation of the game being installed. I think I'll just install the games and their updates, and then I'm assuming his copy of the game disc won't complain and will still play the game.

I have an Xbox 360 and I am online with it. I'm picking up another Xbox 360 for my brother, which will be offline. So before I pass it over to him, I want to download any Xbox any updates, and I also want to download updates and patches for various games (Fallout 3, Skyrim etc), by putting my copy of each game in to run the game, and prompt the update download.

My question is, do you think I'll need to install the games as well (and then he would play the already-installed games using his discs), or can I just download the updates and patches for each game, which would create a folder for each game with the updates and patches inside, and then he can install the games himself later on with his copies of the games (which would save me some time)? I'm guessing that him installing the games later wouldn't overwrite the already-downloaded updates and patches?

I'm in the UK, and I have an Xbox 360 Elite 120GB console, which has done me proud for many years, no problems at all. Now I'm planning on picking up a preowned Xbox 360 (with a decent hard drive i.e. bigger than 20GB) for my brother, and at first I assumed that another Elite would be the way to go. But whereas the Elite is £90 preowned, the preowned Xbox 360 Premium 60GB appears to be £72, and even £55 on one website, although that one is out of stock, but hopefully it may not be out of stock in-store.

I've read online that the Elite and the Premium are pretty much the same apart from the hard drive size and the colour (and 120GB has always been way more than I've needed, so I'm guessing that 60GB would be enough for my brother). So are they literally the only differences? Are the pretty much the same noise-wise (which may be irrelevent now that you can install games anyway)? Is there any difference in RROD likeliness?

Wow, looks quite in-depth! Thanks for that, I'll pass that information on and see what he thinks.

My brother has a slimline PS3, which at one point started refusing to play PS3 games, although it still played PS1 games and DVD's. But now it won't accept discs at all. Do you think it would be worth paying for a new disc drive, or might there also be a problem with the laser? Would it be better to just buy a new preowned PS3?