An example of a VGA Cable

When I first got my Xbox 360, it came with the component cables. Over the years, I’ve used both the component cables and a separate VGA cable that I got to connect the device to my computer. I’ve noticed that the Xbox has a tremendous amount of potential when connected to an HDTV compared to just a computer monitor though and with the newest Xbox 360 consoles sporting HDMI, I loved the switch even more. The fact of the matter is, if you haven’t switched over to HDMI on your Xbox 360 because you’re lazy or something you are TOTALLY missing out. The HDMI picture is just so much clearer.

When you are buying a HDMI cable for your Xbox however, don’t make the mistake I did in buying one that just barely fit the amount of distance between my Xbox and my TV. This made for some awkward placements especially since I really stretched out my cheap cable connector and it eventually broke on me because someone kicked the Xbox once. Of course my alternative according to the guy at the local electronics store was to buy the most expensive type of cable because everybody knows that those will never break on me. See, the cable industry is kind of like the car industry in that it attempts to justify a huge price for a product that doesn’t really deserve the markup (see Mercedes Benz). While at least a Benz is a status symbol, I don’t think too many women will flock to your living room and check the brand of HDMI cables you have…

Any cheaper cable will usually do just be careful with it. Of course I still had to get a new cable so I opted for a third choice in getting a longer cheap cable that had a little slack in case the Xbox or TV were moved. Also, most cables out there are good enough quality that they won’t break on you anyway. This made it a much easier ordeal on my wallet and I had saved enough money to purchase a brand new Xbox game at full retail of $59.99! When you compare the qualities, I borrowed a friend’s brand name cable and compared it to my own. As you probably already guessed, there is no difference what so ever.