Xboxist

Xbox 360 Arcade Jasper Units: Double the Storage, or Double the Failure?

It's official. Microsoft has announced that Xbox 360 Arcade units are now sporting the less RROD-prone (but more E-74 Error-conducive) Jasper motherboards, which double the amount of internal memory from 256 MB to 512 MB.

Whoa! Not so fast! Before you get too slaphappy bouncing down memory lane and googling images of the Double Mint Twins (that's our job), note that doubling the storage space doesn't necessarily double your pleasure (despite what Chris Brown thinks).

In fact, the big push behind increasing the internal memory storage space is purely a decision made out of necessity.

Microsoft wants everyone to upgrade to last year's much touted New Xbox Experience (NXE) dashboard/front-end for the Xbox 360 console. Unfortunately for Arcade owners, the size of NXE was a little too big for the britches of the slim-waisted 256 MB internal memory.

Flash forward to today's Arcade announcement and 512 MB feels just right... until you realize that NXE takes up around 256 MB, leaving you with exactly what you had before... 256 MB of free space. This means you're still out of luck when it comes time to download that fat ol' XBLA game or DLC pack you've been eying for so long. Too bad for you, just as soon as Microsoft technically "doubled" your storage space, they take it away. Due to the size of NXE, doubling the internal memory storage size turns out to be an empty gesture. Again, you're left holding the short end of the stick for not manning up and buying a pro or elite unit in the first place. Without a hard-drive, you're stuck in the casual zone indefinitely.

One thing is for sure, Microsoft is banking on the allure of Jasper units to attract savvy costumers who've avoided making a 360 purchase in fear of the dreaded RROD. Sadly, the Jaspers are a double-edged sword that may get a few of these patient customers crying in a different way. There have been numerous stories suggesting an association between NXE and a different crop of hardware failures.

Apparently, a certain percent of people experienced E-74 errors after installing the NXE software. E-74 errors weren't originally covered under the 3-year protection program, opening a swath of angry NXE early adopters. Public outcry and the infamous Joystiq exposé forced Microsoft to change their tune recently.

What's the benefit of the new Jaspers and their 512 MB of internal storage when the question emerges: RROD or E-74? In the end, aren't you trading one hardware failure for another? Because pick your poison -- either way, both spells a loss of quality time with your honey bunny while she's off to get refurbished.

LIVE was down this past week, perhaps in preparation of rolling out patches to fix the E-74 bug. Who's to say? All we know for certain is "Double" doesn't mean what it used to, and neither does the assurance of Jaspers guarantee reliability.

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