Buying an Xbox 360 - help!

[Kinoko]

I want an Xbox360. Right now. It bothers me that I could be playing Ninja Gaiden and N3 and Bioshock and other great games right now... and yet I'm not.

I could go straight out right now and buy one but... I hesitate. The technical problems that original releases of the 360 have are my primary concern.

I live in Japan and Microsoft is very unpopular here. How can I trust that an Xbox 360 I pick up in a store here won't be an older model?

So, is there a way for me to know by looking at the box whether I'm getting a decent model?

Any tips? I'll order one online if I must.

[zabnat]

Check for HDMI logo on the packaging. (As you are probably buying the premium version).

In July 2007, this version of the Xbox 360 began appearing with the Zephyr motherboard (the motherboard used in the Elite) which features HDMI output and an improved GPU heatsink.[25] The console's packaging displays the HDMI logo to reflect this addition.[26]

edit:
Also you can take a look at the serial number (should be visible through the box/on the box) and decode the manufacturing date following this guide.

[Al_Ninio]

Or you could look at the bit just *slightly* above the serial number (should also be visible through the box) which says "MFR date". Much easier to decypher.

Mine was made in December '06, I suppose I should worry a bit.
Right now what bothers me is that I've modded mine yet somehow backed-up games won't play. Bah, I've had some bad experience with discs getting scratched (like, "disc unreadable" in the middle of a ranked Gears of War match) and I do not want this to happen again.

[zabnat]

Or you could look at the bit just *slightly* above the serial number (should also be visible through the box) which says "MFR date". Much easier to decypher.

Well, I can't possibly remember what was visible through the box so I though the information on the site was correct:

The date is available on the back of the unit but when buying a console, this information is not available.

[LimpingFish]

You want an XBOX 360 ELITE, Kinoko.

The ELITE model has better reliability over the old PREMIUM model, but is still susceptible to fatal hardware failure.

I'm not sure if the Japanese market got the ELITE, though. 

Microsoft have another version in production, which supposedly fixes the hardware failures through a combination of new component design and better cooling, but there's no way to determine which consoles are fitted as such.

[Domino]

My Xbox360 was manufactured in February of 2006 and I purchased it in April of 2006.

Unfortunately she died on Thursday September 27, 2007.  She is en route to Texas to be repaired.

I know i won't be getting my baby back, i am going to get a refurb that will end up being worse than my original 360.

I miss it already.  Microsoft said it will take 4-6 weeks before i get it back.  :'(

[Kinoko]

Well, I've read all up on this now. Thanks for the advice! I've decided to get an Elite, however, yes... there are none to be found here. I'll be ordering one online.

So, first of all, if I order one and have it sent to Japan, is my warranty just as good here if I need to have it repaired?

Also, where's the best place to order one? I checked out amazon.com. Erm, that's it.

[LimpingFish]

My first instinct was to check Play-Asia, as I use them all the time and find them very reliable.

Apparently the Japanese XBOX 360 Elite will be in stock 11/10/07, so it appears that Japan will be getting the Elite after all. You'll probably be able to pick one up at retail at the same time or soon after. Unless it's...um...delayed.

Might be worth hanging on until then. I suspect the cost of shipping an XBOX from Europe or the US would be fairly wallet-hammering, considering the weight of the bloody things!

EDIT: Looking over the list of NTSC-J compatible US releases, both Bioshock and N3 will work fine on a NTSC-J XBOX. US versions are usually cheaper (online anyway) than native Japanese releases, so it might be worth checking out. The full list is available here.

[Kinoko]

Because Americans use crazy dating systems, I'm not sure whether you mean the 11th of October or the 10th of November. I assume you mean November but I HOPE you mean October ^_^

[LimpingFish]

Americans maybe, but Irish people stick to the sensible dd/mm/yy system.

The 11th of October 2007. Yay!

But, like I said, delays are a possibility. Japan is hardly gasping for more 360's.

[Kinoko]

Hurrah!

Now the only question that remains is whether I'll be able to find one.