Saints Row is one wild ride. It’s like Grand Theft Auto on steroids, with an added dose of wackiness and humor – the original one that is, not the zoomer version.
You play as the leader of the Third Street Saints gang, trying to take over the city of Stilwater one block at a time. The gameplay is pretty solid. It’s a sandbox game, which means you can go anywhere and do anything you want. You can drive cars, shoot guns, and even fly helicopters. The missions are varied and exciting, ranging from taking out rival gang members to rescuing your homies from prison. There’s always something to do in this game.
The customization options are also a big plus. You can create your own character, from their physical appearance to their clothing and accessories. You can also customize your cars and weapons, making them unique to your playstyle.
But where Saints Row really shines is its humor. This game is hilarious from start to finish. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and the characters are all memorable in their own way. The game never takes itself too seriously, which makes it a refreshing change of pace from other, more serious sandbox games.
Some of the characters in the game
The Protagonist – The player-controlled character and the leader of the Third Street Saints gang.
Julius Little – A founding member of the Third Street Saints who helps the Protagonist take over the city of Stilwater.
Johnny Gat – A charismatic and violent member of the Third Street Saints who becomes a close friend and ally of the Protagonist.
Lin – A tech-savvy member of the Third Street Saints who helps the gang with their computer-related needs.
Aisha – The Protagonist’s girlfriend and a former member of a rival gang, who becomes a strong supporter of the Third Street Saints.
Dex – A member of the Third Street Saints who is known for his business acumen and negotiating skills.
Troy – A high-ranking member of the Los Carnales gang, one of the rival gangs the Third Street Saints must defeat.
Victor Rodriguez – The leader of the Los Carnales gang, who serves as the primary antagonist of the game.
The Gangs
The Third Street Saints – The main gang that the player controls in the first three games of the series. Originally a small-time gang, they become one of the most powerful and influential gangs in Stilwater and later in Steelport.
Los Carnales – A Mexican-American drug cartel that serves as the main antagonist gang in the first game of the series.
Vice Kings – An African-American gang that controls the southern part of Stilwater. They are the main antagonist gang in Saints Row 2.
Westside Rollerz – A gang that specializes in street racing and drug trafficking. They are one of the three gangs that the Third Street Saints must defeat in Saints Row.
Activities
The game features a variety of activities that players can engage in to earn money, gain respect, and improve their skills. These activities range from traditional side missions to more unique and unconventional challenges. Escort where the player must escort a VIP to a destination while protecting them from enemy attacks, Mayhem – The player must cause as much chaos and destruction as possible within a set time limit, Hitman – The player must assassinate a target without being detected by the police or rival gangs and Racing – The player can participate in a variety of street races to earn money and respect. There are other side activities like Insurance Fraud. There are also additional activities like drug trafficking, Insurance fraud and Snatch, many of these reward you with respect that is required to start certain missions, and rewards you with cash.
Like many open-world games set in urban environments, it does touch on some social and political issues, albeit in a somewhat satirical and exaggerated manner. The game prominently explores the world of street gangs and criminal organizations. It depicts the power struggles, violence, and territorial disputes that are often associated with gang culture, which can be seen as a commentary on issues related to urban crime. The game features corrupt law enforcement officials and politicians, which is a common theme in many crime-related narratives. It suggests that the line between criminals and those meant to uphold the law can sometimes blur.
Stilwater, the fictional city where the game is set, is depicted as a city with areas suffering from poverty and decay. This portrayal may reflect issues related to urban blight and inequality in real-world cities.
When the game was originally released in 2006, it was one of the few Xbox 360 exclusive titles, despite later sequels being multiplatform. It was re-released for the Xbox One as part of the backward compatible titles and can be brought digitally or played by using the Xbox 360 discs, though it still remains exclusive to the Xbox family of consoles.
A sort-of reboot to the Dead To Rights series, where you play as Jack Slate, a badass cop with his canine companion, Shadow.
Dead to Rights: Retribution primarily takes place in the fictional and crime-ridden city of Grant City. The game’s environment is characterized by its dark and gritty atmosphere, which reflects the city’s seedy underbelly and ongoing criminal activities. In terms of weather, the game’s setting generally features a consistent and moody aesthetic that contributes to the overall atmosphere.
While the game doesn’t have dynamic weather systems or changes in weather conditions, it typically portrays Grant City as a place shrouded in darkness, with rain-soaked streets, dimly lit alleyways, and a generally overcast and gloomy ambiance. This atmospheric choice aligns with the game’s themes of crime, corruption, and a city in decline. The game’s visual design emphasizes the noir-like qualities of a crime-infested urban environment, and the lack of variation in weather conditions reinforces the consistent tone of the narrative. Players will often find themselves navigating through grim and rain-soaked urban landscapes as they progress through the story and engage in combat encounters with various adversaries.
Jack Slate is the protagonist of the game and a tough-as-nails cop with a no-nonsense attitude and a physique that puts Marcus from Gears Of War to shame. He’s on a mission to uncover a conspiracy involving a powerful criminal organization and bring them to justice. Jack is skilled in both firearms and hand-to-hand combat and is accompanied by his loyal canine companion, Shadow. Most of the game is spent playing as Jack, with a few sections requiring the control of Shadow, either to access hard-to-reach areas, or if Jack is incapacitated as part of the game’s plot.
Shadow is Jack Slate’s faithful canine companion and a key element of the gameplay. Shadow can be commanded to perform various tasks, including attacking enemies, retrieving items, and assisting Jack during missions. Shadow’s presence adds a unique dynamic to the game, as he can help Jack in combat and solve puzzles. Be careful around enemies, Shadow does not have much health and can only attack at close range.
I wonder if this was any inspiration for Riley from Call of Duty Ghosts?
The game’s main focus is hand-to-hand combat, with gunfire taking a side role. Many of the guns you pick up in the game have very little ammo, meaning you have limited use of these weapons and must be used sparingly. You might want to save them for distant enemies instead.
The gameplay tried to mix brawling & melee attacks with shooting, however this gets repetitive fast with very few puzzles to break up the gameplay. There are some sections where you will have to fortify and hold out against a horde of enemies but again there is very little diversity in the gameplay.
Grant City is depicted as a city where corruption runs rampant within its law enforcement agencies and political institutions. Jack Slate’s journey to uncover the truth behind the criminal conspiracy highlights the pervasive corruption that has taken hold, with powerful figures involved in illegal activities.
The game touches on the abuse of power by individuals in positions of authority. The criminal organization known as the Triad wields significant influence and control over the city, and part of Jack’s mission is to expose and challenge this abuse of power.
While not explicitly political, the game’s portrayal of Grant City as a dystopian and crime-infested metropolis can be seen as a commentary on the societal decay that can result from political corruption and a lack of effective governance.
The character of Cassandra Hartz (seen below), a journalist investigating the criminal activities in Grant City, indirectly highlights the role of the media in exposing corruption and holding those in power accountable. Her presence in the game alludes to the importance of investigative journalism in a society plagued by political and criminal misconduct. Most of this is explained through the game cutscenes with her.
The type of enemies found in the game will change as you progress, initially facing against the Triads, the GAC later become the main focus of the game who are much more difficult to take down. The GAC were the Anti-crime units that became corrupt, whilst the Triads are your average gang where you must take out the boss to defeat them.
The game was only ever released on consoles, with no PC version released. Although It can be played on the PS3 or Xbox 360, Sadly it remains on seventh-generation consoles as we have yet to see it released or made compatible with the Xbox One. It also appears to be the final game in the franchise, as no new games have been released.
Ridge Racer 6 is a fast-paced and adrenaline-fueled racer that’s easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. The game features a wide variety of cars and tracks to choose from, each with its own unique handling and feel. The controls are responsive and tight, and the drifting mechanics are especially satisfying. However, some may find the game’s AI to be a bit too aggressive and unfair at times, especially at the last section of the world tour.
Like other Ridge Racer games, it features a mini arcade game based on a Namco property, in this case it’s the original Pac-Man. The interface is very similar to Ridge Racers on the PSP, with a very similar menu structure and HUD design, this would also carry over to the iOS version.
The game makes use of its own brands of cars that feature unique handling and statistics, with some cars performing better at drifts. Some examples of fictional cars that are known to be included in Ridge Racer 6 include the Kamata Fiera, the Danver Bayonet, the Assoluto Bisonte, the Terrazi Wild Gang, and the Himmel 490B. Each of these vehicles has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Harborline 765 – a city course that winds through a harbor area.
Southbay Docks – another city course that features tight turns and narrow streets.
Highland Cliffs – a mountain course with plenty of twists and turns.
Sunset Heights – a coastal course with plenty of jumps and high-speed sections.
Midtown Expressway – an urban course with long straights and wide corners.
Seaside Route 765 – a coastal course that takes place along a scenic seaside highway.
Lakeside Parkway – a course that features a long straightaway and tight turns around a lake.
The World Tour mode is a game mode in Ridge Racer 6 that allows players to compete in a series of races across a variety of different locations and tracks. In this mode, players progress through a series of Grand Prix events, with each event consisting of multiple races that take place on different courses. I believe this is also the first Ridge Race title to feature online lay over the internet, using Xbox Live, which remains active to this day.
As players progress through the World Tour mode, they earn points and unlock new cars, upgrades, and tracks. The difficulty of the races increases as players advance through the Grand Prix events, providing a challenging and engaging gameplay experience. In addition to the standard races, World Tour mode also includes a variety of special challenges and events, such as time trials, drift challenges, and lap battles. These challenges offer a unique twist on the standard racing gameplay, and provide an additional layer of depth and variety to the World Tour mode.
The Nitro game mechanic in Ridge Racer 6 is a system that allows players to temporarily boost their car’s speed and acceleration, giving them a strategic advantage during races. The Nitro system works by filling up a meter that is located on the game’s heads-up display (HUD) when players perform certain actions, such as drifting or drafting behind other cars. Once the Nitro meter is full, players can activate the Nitro boost by pressing a button, which causes their car to accelerate at a significantly faster rate than normal. This can be particularly useful during key moments in a race, such as when players are trying to overtake opponents or catch up to the pack.
In addition to the standard Nitro boost, Ridge Racer 6 also features a “Full Nitro” mechanic that can be activated when players have filled their Nitro meter to its maximum capacity. Full Nitro provides an even greater speed boost than standard Nitro, and can be particularly useful for closing large gaps between players or pulling away from the pack.
The game was only ever released for the Xbox 360, but was ported to the Xbox One as an Xbox 360 backward-compatible title. This isn’t Xbox One X enhanced which means it does not benefit from the higher resolution the Xbox One X provides.
Many of the tracks and cars appear in Ridge Racer 7, a PS3-exclusive game. Some of the music tracks that feature in R6 could also be downloaded for the PS3 as DLC.
Speaking of DLC there are numerous unlock codes to enable machines to be unlocked, and you can also purchase additional songs that were featured on the PSP version of the game.
The song downloads are rather large for their size, which makes me think these are using a lossless format, or they feature additional files. I always assumed Xbox 360 games used the WMA format for audio, or at least the Xbox version of it which should result in a smaller file size. It could also be for surround sound or additional channels, as the songs have additional effects when you fire off Nitorus.
A quick warning, the DLC become attached to your save file and you cannot load your save without them, this becomes more problematic as the Xbox 360 store becomes more ‘broken’. In order to redownload the DLC I had to navigate through the download list in the Settings/Account section of the Xbox dashboard. They no longer appear in the game information tile of the dashboard.
A better way is to purchase them from the Xbox One store (console or Web) which will then push them to the top of the download list on the Xbox 360, which makes it easier to download. Remember to save the files to the same storage location as your gamesave, the hard drive or memory unit is best.
Also a nice touch, you can change the race announcer from the standard voice to the robotic system voice, or Heiachi from the Tekken series. And there’s an option to lay the Mac-Man game from earlier.
Overall, Ridge Racer 6 is a fantastic racing game that’s sure to please fans of the genre. The game’s stunning visuals, tight controls, and satisfying drifting mechanics make for a truly exhilarating experience. While some may find the game’s AI to be a bit too aggressive, it’s a small price to pay for an otherwise fantastic racing experience. As it stands, it was a great launch for the Xbox 360, and a taste of what HD gaming would bring for racing games.
Inversion, released in 2012 for multiple platforms, aimed to offer a unique twist on the shooter genre with its gravity-manipulating mechanics and a focus on destructible environments. Developed by Saber Interactive and published by Namco Bandai Games, it generated some initial buzz due to its innovative concept.
It’s best thought about as a Gear of War clone with gravity gameplay mechanics.
The story of Inversion centers around the protagonist, Davis Russel, and his quest to rescue his missing daughter in a world invaded by an alien force known as the Lutadores. Set in the fictional city of Vanguard, the game explores the aftermath of a catastrophic event called the Inversion, where gravity has been altered, leading to widespread destruction and chaos. Davis Russel, a police officer, and his partner Leo Delgado find themselves separated from their families when the Inversion occurs. As Davis navigates through the decimated city, he discovers that the Lutadores are using their advanced technology to control gravity and oppress humanity. Davis encounters an underground resistance group called the Resistance 33, led by a man named Dr. Raymond Gonzales, who holds knowledge about the Lutadores and their motives.
Throughout the game, Davis embarks on a journey to find his daughter and unravel the mystery behind the Inversion. Along the way, he confronts various Lutadores forces, including powerful bosses and their minions. Davis gains access to a gravity-manipulating weapon known as the Gravlink, which allows him to manipulate gravity, alter the environment, and combat enemies. As the story progresses, Davis discovers the Lutadores’ true intentions and their connection to his missing daughter. The narrative explores themes of family, sacrifice, and the fight against oppression. Davis must overcome personal challenges and make difficult choices to save his daughter and liberate humanity from the grip of the Lutadores.
Inversion’s core gameplay mechanic revolves around manipulating gravity to alter the environment and combat situations. While the concept was intriguing, the execution left much to be desired. The gravity manipulation abilities lacked fluidity and precision, making it challenging to execute actions with the desired accuracy. The controls felt clunky and imprecise, hindering the overall enjoyment and responsiveness of the gameplay.
Inversion features numerous combat encounters throughout the game. However, the combat lacked depth and strategy, resulting in repetitive and monotonous gameplay. The enemy AI is often predictable, and the lack of varied enemy types and tactics diminished the challenge. Additionally, the AI of allied characters proved to be lackluster, failing to provide meaningful assistance or engage players in cooperative gameplay elements.
One of the touted features of Inversion was its destructible environments. Players could use gravity manipulation to collapse structures and create cover. While this added a layer of dynamism to the gameplay, the destructibility felt scripted and limited, lacking the freedom and interactivity seen in other games with similar mechanics. The impact of environmental destruction on gameplay and strategy was not fully explored, resulting in missed opportunities to enhance the overall experience. In most cases, you will use the gravity mechanics to clear debris so you can progress to the next area and that’s about it.
They really could of added secret areas to the levels that could have been uncovered using gravity that would reward you with additional ammo or collectibles that could flash out the backstory. Again very similar to Gears Of War but it adds a lot more depth to the game itself.
Versions
Like most seventh-generation games, it was released on the HD twins (Xbox 360 and PS3) and on the PC (Windows). Nowadays it’s difficult to obtain this game digitally, meaning physical copies are the only feasible way.
Windows
This version was available on Steam, but has since been delisted for users outside North America. I had issues running the game on Windows 10 & 11, with the game refusing to launch. Only way to play the game was to use an older Windows 8 machine. There are supposedly fixes available online but unfortunately I was unable to get them to work.
Also announcing is the lack of Stream achievements despite this game being released in 2012, many Steam games were supporting achievements by then.
Xbox 360
The preferred console platform, but sadly this is not compatible with the Xbox One.
PlayStation 3
Pretty much the same as the 360 version but suffers from a lower frame rate.
Looking at both the USB and the storage system of the Xbox, since they are both intertwined and there are differences across the major revisions of the Xbox 360
Background: Xbox Original
To understand the logic of the Xbox 360 storage, you have to look at the past. The original Xbox was one of the first consoles to include an internal hard drive as standard which allowed for storage of game saves, music that could be ripped from an audio CD, or DLC that could be downloaded from Xbox Live. For regular users this meant you did not have to worry about memory cards since the Xbox had plenty of internal storage for game saves and since this was on a hard drive rather than NVRAM like the Sega Saturn, which means saves could be lost should the internal battery die.
The hard drive in the Xbox was one of the more expensive components of the Xbox, and this was one of the reasons the Xbox never made any profit for Microsoft. This had to be addressed with its successor, With this in mind the 360 would be designed over two storage options:
A basic version that would mirror the storage options of the PlayStation 2/GameCube, where there would be no internal user storage, but an external memory unit would be used instead. The user would still have the option to add a hard drive should they run out of space on the memory unit.
A premium version that had an internal (or sideloaded) hard drive that brought all the benefits of the hard drive in the original Xbox.
Giving the end-user choice may have been a good idea in hindsight, but there were issues and limitations that followed for both the end-user and the game developers, which will be discussed later.
Type of storage available on the Xbox 360
Xbox Memory Unit: Offered from 2005 – 2010 and was the primary storage option for the initial core and arcade consoles, available in capacities up to 512Mb and designed to be plugged into the front of the 360. Internally uses USB like the original Xbox memory unit. These are not directly compatible with the 360 S models since they lack the ports, third-party adapters are available that allow these old memory units to be used on the S models. Datel are one such provider.
You cannot use an original Xbox memory unit on the 360, or vice versa. Even though they both use USB and are formatted to FATX.
For the early 360 models without a hard drive, the NXE made these memory units mandatory, since portions of the dashboard are now stored on this memory unit since it exceeds the capacity of the onboard flash. The hard drive-equipped models will simply store this on the drive itself.
USB Mass Storage: This option was introduced around 2010, before the launch of the S consoles. You can connect a USB memory stick or an external hard drive and use it as additional storage for game saves, DLC or for games themselves (both downloaded and installed from the DVD disc). When first introduced you were limited to 4GB of storage, this was later increased to 16GB, then 32GB and then to 2TB following the release of the Xbox One.
Not all devices can be used, USB flash drives that are not fast enough will not be approved for use, since the Xbox 360 performs a speed test when initializing the storage. This is because some games may malfunction if they cannot access the data fast enough.
Xbox Hard Drive: Generally the most popular form of storage since its fast and easy to set up, but there are some caveats. First was the hard disk design changed from the original models to the S model, whilst the drives are the same internally and could open the case and manually swap the drive over. This is because the hard disk enclosure was redesigned, on the original models the hard drive was connected either on top or on the side depending on the orientation your 360 console was in, whilst the hard drive for the S model was designed to slot inside the console itself.
You cannot use your own hard drive since it has to be formatted and partitioned using Microsoft proprietary format, and Microsoft has not officially released a formatting tool. If you wish to use your own HDD you must softmod the console, or reflash the hard drive itself to make it appear as a Microsoft drive, for which you are limited to 500GB capacity as this was the largest hard disk Microsoft had released for the 360.
The hard drive is the only storage medium that allows for backward compatibility for original Xbox titles, since these games were reliant on using the hard drive for caching and user storage. These games will not run if the Xbox 360 does not have a hard drive. Some third party hard drives can also cause issues as they lack the partition 3 that stored the Xbox emulation and game data, this will need to be restored manually by the user and will allow original Xbox games to save.
Internal Flash storage: This was available for Arcade models released after 2008 that did not come with a hard drive. These models have either 256MB or 512MB of internal storage that was used for the dashboard, which became essentially when the NXE dashboard was released. Memory units and hard drives could still be used for these models. With the release of the 360 S, the 4GB model came with internal storage that was really a USB drive mounted internally to the console, like the Wi-Fi adaptor. This internal storage behaves like the memory unit. Some users have been able to modify and replace this internal storage.
HD-DVD: This addon also came with a built in memory unit, but was designed to be connected to the rear of the console and was intended to store a copy of the HD-DVD movie player.
USB Transfer Cable: Was intended to be used to move contents from one Xbox 360 drive to another but from looking at footage online it seems to appear in the storage section of the dashboard as a ‘Transfer Cable’ but its unknown if the Xbox can store files here directly or if its limited for copying only.
Storage Summary
Memory Unit
USB Storage
SATA Hard Disk
Capacity
Upto 1GB (512Mb per memory unit, upto 2 can be connected)
Up to 4TB, upto 2 can be connected at once
Upto 500Gb for an unmodified console
Speed
Unknown, less than 480Mbps
Up to 53MB/s (480Mbit/s) shared between different USB devices
Up to 150MB/s (1.5Gbit/s)
Availability
Original models only, S model requires an adaptor
All Models
All Models
Can be used for
Saves, Music, DLC, Apps
Game installs, Saves, Music, DLC, Apps
Game installs, Saves, Music, DLC, Apps
Game Installs: Xbox 360 games can be installed to the hard disc, which allows for faster loading times since hard drives are generally faster than the optical drive, and has the benefit of reducing the wear and tear of the optical drive, and the reduction of heat in the console since the drive can spin down. Thanks to this feature you will want to get the most storage avaliable for your 360, especially if you have a large game library.
It’s worth noting there are some games that are discouraged from being installed this way, such as Halo 3 as that game will cache data to the hard drive regardless, and will load data from both the DD and hard disk simultaneously. It is claimed that installing this to the hard drive would see a reduction in performance (Although the dashboard still lets you install the game). But if you install the game to USB storage instead, the game has access to both the USB image and the cached data on the hard disk, which should yield a noticeable improvement over just running it from the DVD drive.Allegedly this issue was not fixed for the game’s on-demand version, which is downloaded to the Xbox hard drive regardless, you will possibly want to install Halo 3 to USB storage, even if you have plenty of space on it your 360 HDD. Further Information
Maximum Storage: Theoretically the maximum storage for the Xbox 360 is 5.505TB, with a 500GB SATA HDD, two 2TB USB drives/HDD and two 512MB memory units, along with a 4GB internal flash memory assuming a basic S model is being used. I’d say that’s enough for the entire Xbox 360 game library.
USB Ports
The number of USB ports vary on the different models
Launch Consoles
USB 1 – Rear of the console
USB 2/3 – Front of the console, hidden behind the flap
USB 4/5 – Used for the Memory units
USB 6 – possibly used on later revisions for internal storage
S Consoles
USB 1/2/3 – Rear of the console
USB 4 – Kinect port
USB 5/6 – Front of the console, hidden behind the flap
USB 7 – internal used for flash storage for 4GB S model
USB 8 – internal, used for WiFi adaptor module (Why not use PCI express?)
The later E revision removed one USB port at the rear, and comes with a hard drive by default negating the need for the built-in memory unit.
Good idea to run Kinect games off USB storage?
USB has limited bandwidth which is shared across the different devices that are connected, in the case of the S models this included the internal Wi-Fi adaptor. This could potentially cause issues when running games that use the Kinect sensor which uses the USB bus, and a USB external drive. There is a theory below that the Kinect/rear USB port has its own dedicated controller/bus, which gives its own bandwidth.
Are all the USB ports the same?
No, or at least there are certain devices that can only be connected to specific ports:
Kinect – original 360 models: the rear USB port was designed to run on its own bus, intended for a device connected that has the full bandwidth that USB2 can provide which is why Kinect can only be connected to this port for the original models, the other USB ports seem to share bandwidth possibly along with the memory units which was referenced on an online podcast (Major Nelson, sadly the link is no longer active and does not appear in the podcast archives.)
Memory Unit Adaptors
Although the S models lack the memory unit ports on the front, Datel released a USB to memory unit adaptor that was intended to connect a memory unit to a PC to transfer and backup save files. The side effect of this was the memory unit can be used on the S model XBOX 360, despite Microsoft not officially supporting it. However only the front USB ports can be used, and the icon varies depending on which port you connect to. The left USB port appears as Memory Unit A, whilst the right appears as Memory Unit B.
This may mean the USB ports are hardcoded by the kernel and would explain why they do not function on the rear USB ports.
Microsoft decided to channel the spirit of Sega and released an addon in 2006 to add HD-DVD playback support to the console, but does not allow games to boot from the drive. This is for video only, Microsoft never released games on the HD-DVD format (If only they did, some games took up three dual-layer DVD’s). The drive connects to the console via the rear USB port and features two USB ports on the read of the drive itself, allowing for the wireless adaptor to be mounted and connected to the rear, and a free USB port for another accessory (But not Kinect, since that won’t function behind a USB hub). This drive also features an internal storage device that the user can access and was intended to store the HD-DVD playback software, and possibly any files the HD-DVD disc might save. From this we can conclude there is a four-port hub internal to the drive, one for the drive itself, another for the built-in memory unit and two for the rear USB ports.
Miscellaneous observations
USB: I have noticed some differences in behavior between the front and rear ports of my Xbox 360 S, specifically with USB Memory stick when you turn it on. Sometimes if the flash drives are plugged into the rear and you turn it on, the 360 will not detect or mount the drive and you have to unplug and connect the drive before the 360 will recognize it. This never happens when you leave them plugged into the front. However as of 2021 this seems to have been rectified, so maybe a dashboard update has resolved this issue? Also, the rear USB ports are recessed into the case, and some flash drives might be too thick or large to fit in, which requires a short extension cable.
External Hard Drives: Use of external hard disks is recommended due to the speed and capacity they provide (external SSD’s can also work but will be heavily bottlenecked, and might be limited by the power that USB2 can provide) However I would advise avoiding the cheaper external hard drives that you will see on Amazon or eBay, purely because they are dumb in the sense that they do not spin the disk down when the Xbox 360 is powered off. They will keep the hard disk spinning constantly despite the host device being powered off, wasting electricity and reducing the lifespan of the hard disk if not properly ventilated, essentially they are a false economy. A lot of the branded drives (Western-Digital/Seagate/Samsung) external drives do spin the drive down when the host has powered off and reactivate when they detect the device being powered on.
Some 2.5inch drives and SSDs are capable of being bus-powered, whey they only require the use of a single USB connector to provide power.
Xbox 360 Consoles & SKU’s
Xbox 360 Core: Launch entry level model – No internal flash user storage, no hard drive included but can be added later, memory unit required for NXE update,
Xbox 360 Arcade: Replaced the Core model, No internal user storage, No hard drive included but can be added later, memory unit required for NXE update.
Xbox 360 Arcade (Jasper): Same as previous Arcade model but with 256MB onboard user storage, no hard drive included but can be added later, Can take the NXE update without any additional storage needed, 512MB version later available
Xbox 360 Pro: Launch premium model, Shipped with 20GB/60GB hard drive which is required for it to boot post NXE dashboard, No internal flash user storage
Xbox 360 Elite: Revised premium model, Shipped with 120GB/250GB hard drive which is required for it to boot post NXE dashboard, No internal flash user storage
Models from this point forward are Xbox 360 S
Xbox 360 S: Glossy black case (later matte), Shipped with 250GB/320GB/500GB hard drive storage, No internal flash user storage, Requires hard drive to boot
Xbox 360 S: Matte black case, Shipped with 4GB internal flash memory, No hard drive included but has a bay area for it to be installed, Hard drive not required to boot.
Xbox 360 E: Available in the same storage configurations as the S models (4GB flash or HDD)
NXE Update and storage: Because the size of the dashboard grew significantly with this update, additional storage was required in order for this dashboard to function. All Xbox 360’s have internal onboard flash memory, even the original core models and the ones shipped with a hard drive however this memory cannot be manipulated by the user. They contain 16MB of onboard flash which contains the dashboard kernel itself and the system software which is required for the 360 to operate. This was increased to 256Mb for the later arcade revisions so they could store the NXE update without the need of external storage. This 16Mb flash cannot be accessed directly by the user and was intended to be used for the dashboard itself
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