Using Cheap 7th Gen Consoles as DLC Mules

[casterofdreams]

I just thought of a brilliant idea (not really brilliant).

During the 7th generation, I got myself a sizable amount of XBLA and PSN games digitally. PSN has a bunch of PS2 and PS1 games mixed in.

Anyway, I have a 47 inch TV in the basement not being used for anything, and neither is the room it's in for that matter, so I thought it would be a good idea to go to Gamestop and pick up one of those consoles for real cheap, hook it up in the room and use it only for digital games. This way it'll "offload" some wear-and-tear from my main console to a $40 Xbox 360 (original model; will hunt for a Jasper) with a flash drive and have my main console last that much longer, because they don't build 'em like they used to. This will give that room and the TV something to live for.

The digital library would transfer over easily for the Xbox as long as I login to Live even without Gold. The $70 PS3 (super slim 12gb) would be tricky due to a more restictive licensing system but I'll figure that out.

What does the community think? I think it sounds good on paper.

[isiolia]

IMO, neither system seems primed to really be particularly scarce. The low cost for the flash memory models might make for a good route to a newer console revision that'd likely run cooler to start with, if longevity is an issue (4GB 360 S and E models are $60 for instance).

The bigger concern I would have is with the data itself if/when servers become unavailable or a console/HDD fails outright. You can't, for example, just pull the HDD out of a PS3 and put it in another one. If it's working though, you can make a system backup to an external drive that you can restore.
I'd look more at having data backed up, basically.

[casterofdreams]

Yeah I was thinking that the newer models may be a better choice. I originally wanted to go the absolute cheapest route.

My purpose is two-fold: 1) to play only DLC games in order to offload some wear and tear on the main console (Xbox 360 S and PS3 Superslim); and 2) to have something in a basement room as I currently have nothing in there.

As for DLC preservation: Although I thought about it, the Xbox 360 has external hard drive support so that's a plus since I can back-up everything including physical game installs into it. Server shutdown is a possibility but Xbox One has backwards comparability so those servers will last a bit longer than others.

[fastbilly1]

I think it is a great idea, especially since you have so many digital titles. Best consoles version to do it with, I have no idea. I am very curious to the answer. I mean I have three wiis but that is because I could softmod them and add my purchases without issue. PS3 is somewhat similar, 360 however is a different beast all together.

[TSTR]

For 360, it would make sense to get the cheapest, newest model you can get for stability. Storage doesn't seem to matter much, since you can use flash on it.

PS3, I'd say get a Slim or SuperSlim, but storage is a bit trickier since you actually have to use an internal drive on those.

[casterofdreams]

For 360, it would make sense to get the cheapest, newest model you can get for stability. Storage doesn't seem to matter much, since you can use flash on it.

PS3, I'd say get a Slim or SuperSlim, but storage is a bit trickier since you actually have to use an internal drive on those.

Yeah based on my research, the PS3 is a bit tricky. The cheapest, newest used consoles are the super slim models with the 12GB onboard flash memory at $70. Then I have to get an internal HDD in that which adds cost.

For the 360, the model S and E are $60 for the 4GB model, or $40 for the older model, but you can use anything up to 2TB in space as long as it's fast enough.

I think it is a great idea, especially since you have so many digital titles. Best consoles version to do it with, I have no idea. I am very curious to the answer. I mean I have three wiis but that is because I could softmod them and add my purchases without issue. PS3 is somewhat similar, 360 however is a different beast all together.

I don't know much about the PS licencing structure but on the 360 you can have DLC on 10 different consoles. As long as you are logged in online, you can play all DLC. However it does not support concurrent login.

[fastbilly1]

I think it is a great idea, especially since you have so many digital titles. Best consoles version to do it with, I have no idea. I am very curious to the answer. I mean I have three wiis but that is because I could softmod them and add my purchases without issue. PS3 is somewhat similar, 360 however is a different beast all together.

I don't know much about the PS licencing structure but on the 360 you can have DLC on 10 different consoles. As long as you are logged in online, you can play all DLC. However it does not support concurrent login.

Well I meant more in the way that PS3 can be softmodded and you can install any of your purchases via USB (as an extreme backup). 360 does not have that option that I know of.

[casterofdreams]

Ahh I understand now. I normally don't do modding so I don't have experience on how all that works.

On the 360, a tiny file with licensing information is downloaded with all content that contains two things: which physical console can use the content and which profile (live) can use it. So you can have an offline console with all DLC and multiple consoles connected to the internet with the same access.

With soft modding the PS3 and backing up / restoring content, can one run into a licensing issue?