I'm sick of playing this game on my PS3 so I'm breaking down and getting an Xbox.

I'm on quite a budget and can only afford the 4gb version.

First of all, will I be able to install the game?

Secondly, will it run smooth? I'm getting this system to improve my game play and if it's only *slightly* better than my laggy PS3 then I might as well not get it.

I'd like to hear from people who play on this system (4gb), but I'm happy to hear everyone's opinion.

Have you patched yet? Lag and frame rate issues on the PS3 as you progress through the game are a bug fixed by the last patch.

The game runs fine, no issues like that.

You probably won't be able to install. Xbox disks have max of 8 GB, and Skyrim has a lot of content. It's not neccesary I imagine though.

im playing on xbox 360 on patch 1.1 and its great ! and the game is 3.8gb so yes you can use the 4gb hardrive and its 4mb per save

I've spent ~100 hours on skyrim on the 360, and the worst i have had is a crash (happens very rarely) and some lag, but fast traveling fixes the lag.

You can play Skyrim on the 4gb, BUT you will not be able to install in to your HDD or download DLC. ( unless you use a flashdrive.)

Yes I have patched, I even made a new acc after uninstalling the game and all the old updates AND rebuilding my PS3's database...

The frame rates are still ugly even from the start, I can't go anywhere without little skips and ugly textures popping into existence, and the game locks up pretty often.

I just got done watching a video of a guy playing on his Xbox and after being pissed for about an hour... I decided to svck it up and just get a damn Xbox...

I have the lowest end xbox with 500mb of memory, and Skyrim installed on a 16gig usb stick.
Works just fine.
Buy an 8 or 16 gig usb with your xbox and plug it in, it will auto configure for xbox.
Then you can install games on it, savegames that sort of thing.

Will the game perform better installed on an external USB drive, or straight from the disk?

Im playing on a 360 elite. It is running smoothly and has only crashed 2 times in what I guess is over 50 hours. I have not experianced lag that I have noticed other than just before a crash. I like xbox :3

I am in the same spot as the person that started this topic. How bad would you consider the xbox 360 lag? Youtube videos of Skyrim Ps3 Lag let me know if it that bad or not. How often do you experience the lag? How long does fast travel fix the lag for? Do you play on disc or your hdd?

Maybe try buying a xbox from a friend or something, I got a 120gb Elite (Not a likely result) for 60$, but you might be able to get a better deal than straight up buying a 4gb.

Onto your questions:
In my experience, I bought day one, somethings were fixed.

Lagged a bit on the opening scene when I hit the ground after the dragon killed the executioner.

Second time, I was walking near whiterun and the game froze, I thought it was crashing, it did not, just sorta froze up for 15ish seconds.
This happened MAYBE once more for 5 seconds.

It crashed once upon entering the Malkreath or whatever dark brotherhood sanctuary, (or maybe froze, donno I restarted). No big deal, nothing really lost.


That, as listed, is the total amount of negatives in way of lag and freezing/crashing I've had in my entire 70+ hour playtime. Those were all in the first 3 days of it being out, most likely patched. So really, it seems like this would be a good choice for you to go with.

To performing better off hard drive or disk, I'd just run it off the disk, that's what I do, donno if it changes much. Load times are never over 2 minutes (usually initial first load takes 1.5 minutes or less, each subsequent load takes wayy less, < 10 seconds.)

Question does your flash drive pop up and say does not meet xbox requirements? And yet works good still?

For smoothest performance disable all autosaves and run on USB.
You must get in the habit of saving manually often, but it reduces loading times by a lot and prevents save game bloating.
Playing the game installed means your disc isnt being used constantly, and this is better for your xbox.
You will still need the disc in the xbox to play, but it is only accessed when you start the game.

No, that does not happen with me.
What do you mean 'flash drive pop up'?
Im not sure I understand.

Well, I don't recommend disabling autosaves, but I guess installing sounds like a good idea from what he says. I've never had the issue with xbox being overstressed, but hey, why risk it?

Autosaves have saved me time and time again, the 3x saves are fantastic, you hardly notice them, never last more than 5 seconds. When you open the menu/fasttravel/enter or exit cells, it autosaves, so I feel thats pretty dang fantastic for anyone. Sometimes you don't notice it is autosaving when you open your menu and you may think it's freezing, but you can see the Autosaving... thing in the upper left corner, so don't fret.

when you click configure on the usb flash drive In the xbox 360 memory spot that shows hd and memory unit. After i click configure it pop saying my flash drive was too slow or something yet it still would work for stuff just slower. What brand Flash drive do you have?

Im not really sure sorry.
I bought my xbox 2-3 years ago.

Do not get the 4gb model. You will just be spending another $100 dollars a week later to get a 250gb hard drive. I work at Gamestop and I warn people all the time and they blow me off. Then they come in a week later complaining that they cannot do [censored] on their 360 because of lack of space. Either get the 250gb model for $300 or stick with your PS3. Plus you won't even be able to install the game on it. You only truly have about 2.7gbs of usable memory.

Im sorry, but for me using USB sticks works just fine and my xbox has 500MB, not even 4 gig.
Of course, I dont do anything online with it except download a patch or dlc occasionally.

I doubt there will be much of that 4gb left after systems updates and what not...

I'd imagine you get about 2gb of usable memory. But if someone actually knows I'd appreciate an answer.

Honestly you could get a 250gb hd off ebay for probably $50 or less..... And Sticking with the Ps3 is a very bad ideal.

To the OP.

If you are getting the 4gb X-box 360, you will not be able to install the game as part of your memory is going to be used for system functions, so you don't truly have 4gb of usable space. That being said, even if you could install it with 3.8gb, there would not be enough space to function properly without minor inconvenience to game play.

Like others have suggested, get a cheap 8gb flash-drive and install the game on that. That's the best option in my opinion.

Well that answers my memory question.

The 4gb system would have to be a serious fail for me to keep playing on my PS3.

I'm getting the system for Skyrim alone. No online or anything.

Cheapest way to do that is a low end xbox and use USB to install games and keep savegames on.
I would get a new one and not a used one, you never know what someone else has done with it and they are fragile enough.