We received an Xbox 360 Arcade edition for Christmas this year. It came with a 256 MB memory unit (MU), but no hard drive. The MU is all you need if you only want to play a few arcade games, maybe store some save games. The problem is if you want to watch any video content, play games from the original Xbox, or download game add-ons, you need more space.
Microsoft is offering a refurbished 20GB hard drive along with a 3 month Gold subscription to the Xbox Live service for $29.99 to Arcade edition owners. It says to go to http://www.xboxstorageupgrade.com and enter your serial number and console ID to see if you qualify. I did it last night when I saw it, and it said something along the lines of “An error has occurred. Please try again later.” I tried later in the evening, and I tried several times this morning. Now when I try it goes back to the same page as if I didn’t enter in my information at all.
I called MS Live support and they basically took my serial and console ID, entered it on their website and said “Yep, it appears to not be working” and that I should try again tomorrow. I asked if I could be notified when it is working again (since she just took my e-mail and contact information for the ticket) and said they are unable to send e-mails from that location.
My concern is it says it is a “limited time” offer and that I won’t be able to get in on it. I’ve priced used 20 GB drives and they tend to run about $40 on eBay and local used game shops, and nobody has one locally. To be able to get one for $30, and have it include a Gold card (normally $20 by itself) is a killer deal.
Microsoft of all companies should know how to run a marketing campaign that works. I’ve noticed a lot of online (and regular) offers lately that are unable to handle the demand they generate, but this is Microsoft. They know exactly how many customers have eligible systems, how many of them have already signed into Xbox Live and have seen the advertisement, and should not be surprised by the traffic levels. Of course when you choose to run Windows for your server, you do get to reap what you sow.
On a semi-related note, if you want to get a 30 day trial of Xbox Live Gold, don’t reserve your gamertag online ahead of time. I did that when Microsoft offered the ability since I wanted to get my name and didn’t have a 360 yet. Now I don’t have the ability to get the customary 30 day free trial to Gold. I asked support while on the phone and she said I could create a new gamertag on the console itself (not in a web browser) and would be eligible for the free trial on that account. I created my tag because that is what I wanted, and I shoudn’t have to switch to a new tag and lose my name and acheivements. Way to drop the ball again Microsoft!