Cheap Xbox 360 Accessories Review: Faceplates Vs Decals

Face Plates And Decals (That’s a Vinyl Sticker to You and Me)

If you want your Xbox 360 console to stand out of the crowd, adhere to your personal sense of style or simply blend into its surroundings then purchasing an Xbox 360 decal is a really good idea. Xbox 360 faceplates and decals are easy to apply. The Xbox 360 faceplates are interchangeable to allow you the freedom of changing your console’s image whenever you want but at what cost?

Decals (4 out of 5)

A decal is basically a sheet on vinyl cut to fit the contours of your Xbox 360 console. Some companies differ with how they make them; some offer decals for the entire console – both side and face, while other companies only offer decals for the side or face.

Decals look great because the vinyl is generally reflective and shiny. If the design is shaped to fit your console right it can look amazing, literally like a skin slipped over it. A decal that is too large or cut improperly can be very obvious, especially around the face if it doesn’t fit the disc tray or buttons evenly, but this is becoming rarer and rarer with a huge amount of decals becomign available in amost any design especially on aution sites like ebay.

Aside from making your Xbox look great decals also help to protect against surface scratches.They also come off relatively easy and rarly leave any marks.

NOTE: A decal is not thick enough to protect your console from any other type of damage such as falls etc.

Applying Decals

Applying a decal is really straightforward. The majority of vinyl decals are slightly thicker than paper and supplied on a large sheet. Simply peel the decal from the sheet, making sure to take out any pieces for the disc tray or buttons. Place the decal very gently over the console. Make sure it is placed perfectly before you press it down. When you’re sure you have it in place press it down starting from top to bottom to avoid unsightly creases. If the decal does crease you can lift it off and try again, avoid doing this too much as it will eventually stop sticking as well and the edges will peel.

Removing Decals

I would advise against removing your decal unless completely necessary. Once you remove your decal after it has been on your console for a while it will be less sticky and if you try to put it back on the edges will peel and you could be faced with creases.

Decals do not usually leave any marks or residue on the Xbox 360 console, but if you do find yourself faced with these please do not use water or a damp cloth to remove them as you could severely damage the hardware in your console.

If you absolutely must rub at your xbox use a dry cloth or the smallest amount of alcohol possible and avoid touching the face of the console if possible.

Faceplates (5 out of 5)

Xbox 360 faceplates are another cheap xbox 360 accessory. You can find cheap faceplates online with random printed designs or you can splash out a little extra cash to get a faceplate covered in images of your favourite Xbox game. Anime fans can find faceplates of their favourite characters and those of you a little less adventurous can simply buy a plain coloured faceplate.

Adding A Faceplate To Your Xbox 360

Adding a faceplate onto your Xbox 360 console is unbelievably easy.

First you have to take off the current faceplate on your console. Do this by finding the slot at the bottom edge of the faceplate near the USB slots. Grip the console firmly so that it doesn’t fall and get damaged and begin pulling the faceplate off. It usually takes a little effort to remove. Once you’ve removed the old faceplate put the new one in front of your console and push it on until you hear/feel a click as it slides into place.

You can easily change faceplates as often as you like as long as you take care not to damage the console’s hardware.

Don’t Do These Things:

You should not have to remove and clean the faceplate on your Xbox 360. You never removed the original faceplate for cleaning did you? Leave it on unless you want o change it.

If you just have to clean your faceplate do so with a dry cloth simply wipe away any dust or dirt.

Never buy or use anything that instructs you to remove the side coverings of the Xbox 360.

If you remove the side plates of your console you will effectively terminate any warranty you have with Microsoft. This means that if your Xbox 360 breaks down you will have to pay for it to be repaired.

Decals Vs Faceplates

For me, choosing between a faceplate and a decal for my Xbox is difficult. I love the versatility that faceplates offer, as well as the idea of changing it whenever I want. Decals offer (slight) protection as well as being a stylish accessory. However not being able to change decal feely means that, unless you love the design you could find yourself bored with the image covering your Xbox.

Where To Buy

I have found that online accessory sites offer the best value for money in terms of faceplates and decals and other cheap xbox 360 accessories.

Decals can be bought from such reputable sites as www.decalgirl.com, www.pixeldecal.com, www.ebay.com and www.sontin.com.

Faceplates can also be purchased from www.decalgirl.com as well as www.play.com and www.xbox360faceplates.com.