Xbox 360 Elite Finally Unveiled

[Kefkataran]

I don't normally post 1UP links, but in this case I think it's warranted. Looks like the 360 Elite has been revealed, and it's about exactly what we've been expecting. Check it out (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3158254):

"Think about these [the three versions of the Xbox 360] as if they are bundles. The console is the same, we did some neat stuff because a lot of people said they liked black," Albert Penello, Director of Global Platform Marketing for Xbox, says, while he explains the new Elite version of the Xbox 360. "We think it's cool to try something interesting. When you're a new customer, what configuration makes sense for you? All three of these consoles are different bundles."

Microsoft announced the "Elite" version of the Xbox 360, an announcement that comes after numerous reports of an expected console revision (remember how Microsoft downgraded shipment figures back at CES?), and as previously speculated the Elite will be available in late April (April 29) for $479.99.

Official Microsoft website for the Xbox 360 Elite (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm)

Full press release in the thread below...

[Kefkataran]

Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite

Premium black console includes 120GB hard drive and line of new accessories.

REDMOND, Wash. — March 27, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system that will include a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller and Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience. Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, will be available separately. The Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories are expected to begin arriving in U.S. stores on April 29.

“Today’s games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 Elite’s larger hard drive and premium accessories will allow our community to enjoy all that the next generation of entertainment has to offer.”

Distinguished by its black finish and signature metallic detailing, Xbox 360 Elite will have an estimated retail price1 of $479.99 (U.S.) and will come packed with components and accessories for the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience:2

· Xbox 360 Elite console. The console is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, HDMI output and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box.

· Xbox 360 120GB hard drive. The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).

· Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (black). This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller, now in black, features the Xbox® Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of 30 hours on two AA batteries. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.).

· Xbox 360 headset (black). Now available in black, the headset lets gamers strategize or trade taunts while playing games and send voice messages to friends on Xbox LIVE.

· Xbox 360 HDMI cable. New to Xbox 360, HDMI allows consumers to get HD video (up to 1080p) and multichannel surround sound, all from one cable.

· Xbox LIVE Silver Membership. With this, gamers can chat with friends online, collect achievements and gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, HD movies and TV, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade.

· One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, chat with more than one person at a time, and take advantage of unique privileges in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

The following accessories for the Xbox 360 Elite console will only be sold separately:

· Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit. Complete with a charging cable and a black rechargeable battery pack, the Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit allows gamers to recharge their Xbox 360 Wireless Controller without interrupting their gameplay. it is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $19.99 (U.S.).

· Xbox 360 rechargeable battery (black). The rechargeable battery pack provides more than 25 hours of gameplay per charge. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $11.99 (U.S.).

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a catalog of more than 160 high-definition games and is available in 37 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

#########

1 Prices stated are estimated retail prices; actual retail prices may vary.

2 Total retail value: more than $600 (U.S.)

3 TV and movie downloads available only in the U.S.

[bean19]

$479 . . . You get a big hard-drive and a recharge pack as well as HDMI, so it's sort of worth it, but then again it is kind of crappy because it kills the price advantage between the Xbox and the PS3.

[BabyJesus]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm

Official Site...

[Kefkataran]

Thanks for the link, BabyJesus, added it to the OP.

Wish the HDD was cheaper. :(

[Lord Nerdious]

Why would you pay $179 for a HDD? Oh that's right, you wouldn't. When Microsoft rolls out the spring update it will make it possible to slap in any 2.5" drive and get up to 120 Gigs. My box is about to get chopped.

[Zeal]

I would ask for props, but there's no need.

[Philonious]

It certainly doesn't warrant the upgrade some people were planning. What kind of jump are we looking at going from component to HDMI? Any real edge to it... Microsoft had been trying awfully hard to convince us there was no point.

[Tel Prydain]

The drive comes with the cable/software to move everything from the old drive to the new one.

[Kefkataran]

Why would you pay $179 for a HDD? Oh that's right, you wouldn't. When Microsoft rolls out the spring update it will make it possible to slap in any 2.5" drive and get up to 120 Gigs. My box is about to get chopped.

?? I haven't heard about this. Is this confirmed?

[Tel Prydain]

It certainly doesn't warrant the upgrade some people were planning. What kind of jump are we looking at going from component to HDMI? Any real edge to it... Microsoft had been trying awfully hard to convince us there was no point.
They said that on Major Nelson.
They said that the HDMI is for convenience, and if your HD-Tv supports both equally then there is no graphical improvement.

[DeskJob]

I don't read limited edition anywhere, or am I missing it? It be nice to always have the black version available.

[DubiousQuality]

You also get an HDMI cable right out of the box. Actually thats a pretty good package, all in all. headset, 120gig hd. Still a hundred less then the high end PS3 sku for pretty much the same thing, minus the headset and hi def cable. Can't wait to see how the SDF spins this one.

[Kefkataran]

I don't read limited edition anywhere, or am I missing it? It be nice to always have the black version available.

Yeah, I'm not seeing that either.

[Durandal-217]

?? I haven't heard about this. Is this confirmed?

Xbox 360 120GB hard drive: The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).

LINK: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/13111/Microsoft-Unveils-Xbox-360-Elite/

[DeathtollWRX]

Looks interesting and still is a bit cheaper then the lesser PS3. I really do think this should have been the premium bundle and not the elite bundle. I also feel that the Xbox should have been black to begin with. What I am intrested in seeing is a Halo3 special edition 360.

[Finnegan]

honestly, i like the look of the premium (regular) sku better.... maybe i jsut got used to it. I dunno, the black version looks a bit cheaper (visually) to me. Oh well...

I wish that HDD was cheaper

-B

[Kefkataran]

Xbox 360 120GB hard drive: The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).

LINK: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/13111/Microsoft-Unveils-Xbox-360-Elite/

No, no, I knew about that. But this guy was saying we'd be able to slap "any hard drive" onto the 360 as of their Spring update, like with the PS3.

[Rafer]

I don't read limited edition anywhere, or am I missing it? It be nice to always have the black version available.

"The Elite is not a limited edition. It's permanent. And we will not replace any sku," Penello explained when referring to the flurry of rumors preceeding the official announcement. "We now have three SKUs and we predict the primary seller will continue to be the Pro system."

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/776/776448p1.html

[Tel Prydain]

Looks interesting and still is a bit cheaper then the lesser PS3. I really do think this should have been the premium bundle and not the elite bundle. I also feel that the Xbox should have been black to begin with. What I am intrested in seeing is a Halo3 special edition 360.
PS3 has Blu-Ray and free on-line. That's worth $100.

This isn't anything to party about.

[Zeal]

I can confirm this will be limited. Microsoft is doing a limited production run and then shipping HDMI and the larger harddrive as the Premium SKU.

[DeskJob]

No, no, I knew about that. But this guy was saying we'd be able to slap "any hard drive" onto the 360 as of their Spring update, like with the PS3.

I'm guessing that the update will tell current machines to accept a 120gb hd, which could then be put into the machine through unconventional means.

[Tel Prydain]

I can confirm this will be limited. Microsoft is doing a limited production run and then shipping HDMI and the larger harddrive as the Premium SKU.
Interesting.
So... you're saying that the Elite is a money hole?

[gojira]

I like the Elite package, I just want one in white.

Oh well, not gonna jump in yet. I'm waiting for at least the cooler chip-sets to arrive.

[Philonious]

"The Elite is not a limited edition. It's permanent. And we will not replace any sku," Penello explained when referring to the flurry of rumors preceeding the official announcement. "We now have three SKUs and we predict the primary seller will continue to be the Pro system."

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/776/776448p1.html

Zeal... You seemed to have missed this.

[Kefkataran]

I'm guessing that the update will tell current machines to accept a 120gb hd, which could then be put into the machine through unconventional means.

Hm. I suppose so.

[Zeal]

There is nothing to miss. Microsoft is indeed producing the black unit in limited runs and I stand by that. The Elite also does not have the new cooler running chipset.

The only thing that will change is a new chipset and color, not the name.

[DeskJob]

I can confirm this will be limited. Microsoft is doing a limited production run and then shipping HDMI and the larger harddrive as the Premium SKU.

Hmm... That might cause reason to pre-order one, like tomorrow.

[fatefodder]

I've got to say, that this is an almost arrogant price point from Microsoft.

With the premium pack it's easy to argue the value of the XBox 360, considering what comes in the box. This pack does a pretty good job of illustrating why Sony needs to make more $499 PLAYSTATION 3 SKU's.

It may be that Microsoft believes in its title line-up from now into the holidays, but sooner or later 2008 will come. Maybe a price drop will be in order then?

[DeskJob]

I've got to say, that this is an almost arrogant price point from Microsoft.

With the premium pack it's easy to argue the value of the XBox 360, considering what comes in the box. This pack does a pretty good job of illustrating why Sony needs to make more $499 PLAYSTATION 3 SKU's.

It may be that Microsoft believes in its title line-up from now into the holidays, but sooner or later 2008 will come. Maybe a price drop will be in order then?

I could see them bringing the current Premium bundle to $369.99 in an effort to create that $100 price difference between the two SKUs

[Philonious]

While Microsoft declined to comment on specific launch numbers for the new model, they did say it would not be a limited edition run. The Elite is here to stay, as are the core and standard Xbox 360.

Not to obstinant Zeal, but Brian Crescente disagrees with you. And their launching black accessories seem to confirm it.

[Dirty Harry]

I would ask for props, but there's no need.
ice cold man ice cold :3.

[Zeal]

They just said in the Major Nelson podcast that they wouldn't be creating black accessories lol.

[NeoSuplex]

chat with more than one person at a time
I can't be the only one that noticed this.... Mistake, or a leak of a feature coming in the Spring update?

[Philonious]

They just said in the Major Nelson podcast that they wouldn't be creating black accessories lol.

Really?

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360rechargebatterypackblack/default.htm

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelesscontrollerblack/default.htm

[Tel Prydain]

When talking about the HDD price, they were comparing the 360 HDD to self-contained Laptop drives, rather then normal PC HDD prices. Also talked about extra stuff on there, like security stuff.

Sounds like crap to me, but maybe somebody cares.

[Zeal]

Then the Microsoft representative in his podcast is absolutely full of this shit. All this misinformation is just funny to me.

[dimsumx]

Let's get this out of the way really quick before people ding the price (yes, 'ding' was intentional):

It's not just the HDD, and HDMI, but it also includes the HDMI cable.

79 dollars more than the existing premium is a great deal, IMO...

[silv]

$179, holy f*cking sh!t.

[Philonious]

Then the Microsoft representative in his podcast is absolutely full of this shit. All this misinformation is just funny to me.

Like I said, I'm not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing, it just seems like there is a lot of conflicting information out there. And I haven't listened to the Major as I am using this as an excuse to procrastinate from my work.

[Rafer]

It's not just the HDD, and HDMI, but it also includes the HDMI cable.

Best Buy has to be furious over that, selling HDMI cables for $100+ is a big revenue stream for them.

[Zeal]

Like I said, I'm not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing, it just seems like there is a lot of conflicting information out there. And I haven't listened to the Major as I am using this as an excuse to procrastinate from my work.
No, you're right and I absolutely agree. Some people were saying Microsoft would be showing this system around Christmas, some saying around Fall, and some saying within a few days. Then comes the issue of the harddrive price (which is ludicrous) and the question of whether this unit contains the new chipset. All information regarding this thing has been shady and to be honest, I'd say is completely worthless. I really don't understand Microsoft's logic here.

I was laughing at the representative on Nelson's podcast trying to justify the idiotic price point of the harddrive.

Thumbs down all around.

[phantomhitman]

wootabegas
Maybe I can now preorder it...
And pay of Halo 3 Mega Fuck Edition...
And Upgrade my Forza preorder to collectors edition...

Hell yes, MS owns my soul.

And yes, if MS releases the new chipset with a black 360 I will sell this one and get the new one. That is how gangster I am, that is how I roll.

[Philonious]

And yes, if MS releases the new chipset with a black 360 I will sell this one and get the new one. That is how gangster I am, that is how I roll.

Crecente says no to the new chipset... And like his site or not, his seems to have his story straight.

[Tyrant]

If MS does proceed with the replacement of the 20gb HDD and addition of HDMI in the premium bundle, I guess it's safe to assume that a price drop will be occuring for the older version before then.

[Zeal]

If MS does proceed with the replacement of the 20gb HDD and addition of HDMI in the premium bundle, I guess it's safe to assume that a price drop will be occuring for the older version before then.
That's actually what I was attempting to type out.

What they're probably gonna do is inevitably phase out core (like Sony), keep premium and lower its price, then start producing white Elites with the cooler chipset.

So essentially there would be only 2 SKUs, both with HDMI.

EDIT: By the way, notice how the seperate 120gig harddrive ain't even black.

[Mashidar]

The only thing that I read that was good news for me was that AD Vision was going to release anime titles on the marketplace to download. Now I just wonder what titles and for how much?

I don't really care much about HDMI at the moment and I really don't need a bigger HD either. I tend to erase things I download after watching them or playing the demo a few times. So really this model has nothing to offer me at this present time.

[KingGorilla]

Should I jack this thread too?

[Eleo]

This thing has no killer features. Plus I heard eventually normal premium consoles will have HDMI? So why not just wait for one of those? Don't hate because the case will be white, anyone can get a new shell for their 360. They might actually have the new chipset at some point, perhaps better hardware in general.

The hard drive is absurd regardless. Can MS stop overcharging us for everything now? I mean we're still paying $50/yr to host games off our own internet connection and look at ads on the dashboard. I also recall wanting to buy a wireless adapter but then finding out it was $80+, so I just saged it and used internet connection sharing like a normal person. These prices are absurd and unfair.

[KSmitty]

Color me meh. I don't need a huge harddrive and I actually like the coloring of the current 360s. I'd say just wait for the price drop and get the more than adequate Pro for a lower price, but then again some people just can't resist a shiny new black console. Honestly I'd be a bit wary of a new console from MS, I hope the 360-Failure Monster doesn't get too many Elite owners.

[phantomhitman]

Crecente says no to the new chipset... And like his site or not, his seems to have his story straight.
I mean in the future when the 65 nm chips do arrive. I would sell this black elite version to get a newer 65nm black 360.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Hmmm... I might just get one now...

[Philonious]

I actually think they made this package only moderately attractive because they stand to make a larger profit on the HUGELY overpriced HD-Drive, they don't want to lose sales to a market flooded with used units and pimping it out too well would have negated any remaining price advantage over the PS3.

That being said next time anyone one asks Sony when we can expect a price drop I think they should paraphrase Microsoft and say they just got one - If for no other reason than to be jerks.

[Mantooth]

It's not just black. It's Premium Black! That right there is easily worth $80.

[Tyrant]

Aside from the PR rep mentioned earlier making no acknowledgement towards the non-HDMI capable...ness of the current batch of 360s, I wonder how of an impact this announcement will make for sales of the system in April.

[Philonious]

Aside from the PR rep mentioned earlier making no acknowledgement towards the non-HDMI capable...ness of the current batch of 360s, I wonder how of an impact this announcement will make for sales of the system in April.

I actually think this might end up helping the PS3. The psychological jump between the price of a 360 and the price of the PS3 just got smaller... Once you've justified buying an Elite its hard to argue against $20 for Blu-Ray playback. This could be a slippery slope.

[Watership]

$479 . . . You get a big hard-drive and a recharge pack as well as HDMI, so it's sort of worth it, but then again it is kind of crappy because it kills the price advantage between the Xbox and the PS3.

IT's still 120 dollars cheaper than the PS3. If you say the 20 GB PS3... No. That's a myth. I wonder if they even make that SKU anymore.

[Zeal]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

[Philonious]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

Its about price... Adding all that stuff would have put their price point too high, and they had no clue what Sony would charge so they couldn't risk it.

[Gpig]

You also get an HDMI cable right out of the box. Actually thats a pretty good package, all in all. headset, 120gig hd. Still a hundred less then the high end PS3 sku for pretty much the same thing, minus the headset and hi def cable. Can't wait to see how the SDF spins this one.

For $20, less than the price of new blu-rays, you could get blu-ray support by buying a PS3. This is a horrible "deal".

I just hope the $400 white version of this comes out before Overlord hits, because that's my must have title that I want (I could upgrade my PC I suppose but ew Vista).

[Anthony W]

I have a 360 and a PS3, so I don't need this...and yet I want it. If anyone spots me walking into a mall can they tackle me before I make it inside?

[Pluvious]

Not sure I would plunk down the money to rebuy one (which alot of you will .. ;)) unless it had those rumored new features about the quieted cd-rom drive and the better chipset design. Shouldn't they have waited to add those into a new rev like this?.. or are they going to quietly slip those chips in by Xmas and in the process piss of the early adapters of the Elite??

[Tyrant]

While the extra $20 will get you the seemingly non-existant Blu-Ray playing 20gb PS3, one must ask, "Does your PS3 play Xbox 360 games?"

[Watership]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

The logic why they didn't do that is very simple. It was 2005. No final HDMI standard yet. HD-DVD was 6 months away. They wanted to reduce the price of they're entry level SKU while making it upgradable.. ie..external drive.

They could have waited a year, but Xbox needed to be out before PS3. Look what 2005's E3 did to MS.. Sony raped everyone with fake out films and the 360 was seen as Old tech 6 months before it launched.

It wasn't a poor design choice, it was the only choice.

[Pluvious]

I was about to mention how great of a deal it was to have them include the HDMI cable, saving us another $80+$100 cable cost.. until I noticed this article which shows consumers are figuring out the price scam of HDMI's.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/2/19/7116

[PsychoticVile]

I wouldn't mind trading in my current 360 for one of the black ones as I think it looks better but I will wait until they get the chip down to 65nm and hope they keep with producing the system in both black and white.

I do wish they would of waited to release this version for when the 65nm tech was available though.

[PsychoticVile]

I was about to mention how great of a deal it was to have them include the HDMI cable, saving us another $80+$100 cable cost.. until I noticed this article which shows consumers are figuring out the price scam of HDMI's.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/2/19/7116

Yep went to Best Buy & Circuit City cheapest they had was $80 to $100. Then I went to Target they had a nice RCA branded one for $40.

I used to work at Best Buy and the employee discount there used to be cost + 5%(may still be that don't know) anyway I needed a centronix parallel cable for a printer and the retail price was like $30 went to the manager to get my cost and it was less than $3 so you can imagine the kind of mark up there is on these types of cable.

[Sandman]

$179.99...sigh. MS still charging too much for their hard drives.

[Meatgortex]

This video seems very clear:
http://on10.net/Blogs/tina/exclusive-video-first-look-at-the-xbox-elite/

Released April 29th for $479
Is NOT a limited release but a third SKU, not replacing current premium
You are paying $80 more for HDMI+cable, black color and 100Gb extra space

$179 120Gb stand alone drive comes with a cable to transfer files from the previous one. Transferring save games from a premium to elite seems to be up in the air though.


Personally both the drive and the system seem overpriced. It would have been better to release a monster drive later in the year when they roll out IPTV.

[rjcc]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.


an hd dvd drive would have been retarded, more expensive and slower than the dvd drive thats in it. hdmi is not nearly that big of an issue. hard drive, thatI wouldn't argue too much on, although I understand the logic of it. I don't think you're correct in assuming MS will phase out the core model though. It may even confirm the opposite, they'll need a cheap version to keep pulling people in and upsell them later. The "premium" as we know it may disappear altogether.

[PsychoticVile]

$179.99...sigh. MS still charging too much for their hard drives.

Not really as they are using laptop hard drives which still cost more than standard IDE and SATA hard drives used in desktops. Plus they are adding in a transfer cable and software with it so you don't need to buy a memory card to transfer your game saves and other items. Not to mention the specialized casing and connector they are using.

I wish it was cheaper too but it's not like the price is outrageous in comparison to similar hard drives.

[Pluvious]

edit: boy this thread is active.. $179.99...sigh. MS still charging too much for their hard drives.

I agree.. $180 is just too much. Imagine how many they would have sold at around.. $60? Close to over 2 million my guess. At $180?.. not even close.

[Jack B]

Looks like Microsoft is not interested in starting a price war just yet with Sony. Not sure I agree with their strategy, but I'm sure they've crunched a lot of numbers before deciding on a price.

It's lacking Blu-Ray and built in Wireless, but it comes with a headset, cable and a bigger drive at a lower price point than either PS3 model. Not a bad deal, but not really a game changer either.

It's a net bonus for Microsoft, but I wonder why they didn't go for the big price drop? Maybe they're content to just keep pace with Sony for now and will wait on a price drop, 'til Sony blinks first. In the eyes of the analysts and shareholders a price drop by Sony is a sign of weakness, so maybe that's their plan. Or maybe they just aren't willing to take a loss. Or they could be planning a Netflix announcement or IPTV sooner rather than later and figure adding the extra functionality is enough to keep pace and negate the Blu-Ray advantage...

One things for sure. It looks like we may have to wait a while longer for a price drop.

[Meatgortex]

Pluvious & PsychoticVile

Buy your HDMI cables from www.monoprice.com $6 for a 6ft cable.

[Pluvious]

With the service LIVE in place.. they don't have to lower the price if you want to be serious about it. Don't underestimate that infrastructure they have in place. I've been downloading a ton of stuff in HD off marketplace.. I once scoffed at 'streaming on demand' stuff.. not anymore. With that Netflix speculation .. I think Apple TV is late to the party.

[Watership]

Yep went to Best Buy & Circuit City cheapest they had was $80 to $100. Then I went to Target they had a nice RCA branded one for $40.

I used to work at Best Buy and the employee discount there used to be cost + 5%(may still be that don't know) anyway I needed a centronix parallel cable for a printer and the retail price was like $30 went to the manager to get my cost and it was less than $3 so you can imagine the kind of mark up there is on these types of cable.

30-40 dollars is good for a HDMI cable is a good deal. Avoicd the 10-15 dollar ones. If you get a crappy HDMI cable, why bother with HDMI at all?

[PsychoticVile]

Pluvious & PsychoticVile

Buy your HDMI cables from www.monoprice.com $6 for a 6ft cable.

Thanks, but not a patient person if I am buying something it means I want it now and not wait a week for the post office or UPS to decide when they will take the time to drop it off at my house(even though I live in a city in excess of 100,000 they consider it a rural area since it is a desert so they don't guarantee delivery dates). I could maybe do overnight shipping but that would defeat the cost benefit of getting the cable for $6. :D

[Shodan2020]

I was getting peeved about not waiting an extra month to just buy one of these instead of my Pro version. The more I think about it though, the happier I am with my Pro. I don't need the extra 100 gigs. I stream all the video/music and images off my computer where I have 210 gigs of HD. 13 gigs on my HD is just fine... it will take me awhile to fill all that up, and by the time I do, the standalone HDs will probably not be too expensive.

[Tyrant]

30-40 dollars is good for a HDMI cable is a good deal. Avoicd the 10-15 dollar ones. If you get a crappy HDMI cable, why bother with HDMI at all?

If you were familiar with how HDMI cables work, you wouldn't be saying that.

[Lord Nerdious]

?? I haven't heard about this. Is this confirmed?

Sorry, should have clarified on this one. You can currently stick any laptop hard drive into the 360 and it will be recognized through some hacking. The problem is, because the 360's OS is set to only have 20GB hard drives it limits the space you can use on any HDD. With the new update they will have to increase the size limit on HDDs, making it possible to use your own.

As I said, why pay $179 for a hard drive?

[Rafer]

Looks like Microsoft is not interested in starting a price war just yet with Sony. Not sure I agree with their strategy, but I'm sure they've crunched a lot of numbers before deciding on a price.

Well when you have two competitors with the resources of Sony and Microsoft, it would be in both parties best interests not to get into a price war. I really think we may be entering a time of Three Kingdoms in regards to consoles.

If you're by an Apple Store they have HDMI cables there for $20, and even that's a rip off but it may be more convenient than monoprice.

[Evil Avatar]

Looks like Microsoft is not interested in starting a price war just yet with Sony. Not sure I agree with their strategy, but I'm sure they've crunched a lot of numbers before deciding on a price.

I think the bulk of their strategy revolves around the idea that it doesn't matter what they charge - the PS3 still isn't attractive to consumers.

In the end it gets back to the whole "costs too much and has no software" thing. Until Sony fixes those two problems it is going to be a hard road for them to travel down.

I'm not saying they are in any trouble, just that it is going to be a long, slow, bumpy road till they reach some success.

[Nite_Moogle]

Not getting the 65nm chips with these is a bit of a let-down, as is the retarded price for the hard drive as a stand-alone.

[archon]

Not getting the 65nm chips with these is a bit of a let-down, as is the retarded price for the hard drive as a stand-alone.

Yeah, I'm just gonna wait until they update with the smaller chips before spending on the system. Hopefully they'll still include HDMI cables when they do that.

[Zeal]

By the way...Halo 3 beta imminent. Get ready.

[Chameleo]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

should've also included wireless out of the box. MS is the only one who doesnt of the three.

[mixuk]

Having a lower price would make all the premium 360's obsolete.

[Hemalin]

I wish it was cheaper too but it's not like the price is outrageous in comparison to similar hard drives.
Yes (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136007) it (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149057) is. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145115)

[Deadend]

Well, the price is higher, and the extra features are not too amazing, so I don't feel like I got the shaft buying the Premium 360.

[MaiXu]

· Xbox 360 120GB hard drive. The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/watermark.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2006/07/lex-luthor-wrong.jpg

[LilEvilFish]

OK lets do some good old currency conversion math! :D

$479 = £243 at the current conversion rate (1.96 dollars per gbp)

But we all know they don't use the full conversion rate, lets say.. 1.7? so we're at roughly £280! (Current price of premium in this country)

now to factor in VAT (17.5%) = £330.00

So for 50 quid extra, I get a bigger hard drive, HDMI, a cable and black to match my TV.

AND It's £95 cheaper than a PS3, that's $185.

Sounds alright to me.

[muddi900]

Not really as they are using laptop hard drives which still cost more than standard IDE and SATA hard drives used in desktops. Plus they are adding in a transfer cable and software with it so you don't need to buy a memory card to transfer your game saves and other items. Not to mention the specialized casing and connector they are using.

I wish it was cheaper too but it's not like the price is outrageous in comparison to similar hard drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136007

the laptop hard drive costs 82 bucks with shipping. This + a Torx screwdriver + some freeware = I have a new 360 HDD, for less than 100 bucks.

The fact is the us current owners are really fucked. Why should I pay twice for something? 400(that I already paid) + 180(for the HDD) = 580$. We certainly don't have any right to bitch about Sony's pricing anymore.

[92miata]

is it just me, or if this included the hd dvd player would it be the final punch to the ps3. why does microsoft fuck up all the time?????

[Abash Alarmist]

Bleh. Bad move Microsoft. The price on both the new SKU and the HDD is atrocious ($180 for a 120GB HDD? What is this? The late 90's?) The bloody least that they could of done was have the HD-DVD built in the fucker. But no. To take FULL advantage of HDMI, you must spend an ADDITIONAL $200 on the add-on. Bleh.

If Microsoft doesn't do some buy back program on the old 360 Premiums, I would much rather spend my money on a 60GB PS3 than a third, BLACK, 360 (bought 1 for me and 1 for my brother at Christmas time) with the only advantage is a bigger hard drive. With Vista Ultimate, I no longer need a bigger hard drive as most of my videos and music are stored on my 500GB SATA Harddrives (got each for $140) and via Media Center, they are all quickly playable over my wireless network. Pike off, ya berks!

[Abash Alarmist]

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/watermark.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2006/07/lex-luthor-wrong.jpg


He is right.

It comes with the new console and you can also buy it separately for $180 so you can upgrade your old 360 console.

Having Yellow fever again or something?

[Odyzen]

That's actually what I was attempting to type out.

What they're probably gonna do is inevitably phase out core (like Sony), keep premium and lower its price, then start producing white Elites with the cooler chipset.

So essentially there would be only 2 SKUs, both with HDMI.

EDIT: By the way, notice how the seperate 120gig harddrive ain't even black.Just so I understand your reasoning. They will phase out the curren Premium SKU and replace it with this elite edition but in white and produce the new white elite edition with the 65nm chipset?

So people are paying for the black color?

[MaiXu]

Having Yellow fever again or something?

Like you wouldn't believe! I just wanted to use that Luthor pic because its the first thing that popped in my head, and I rarely feel dumb enough to post pics like that.

Actually my brother and sister are coming to visit this weekend, launching an epic two-week odyssey through China. I can't wait.

[DarkDaY]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136007

the laptop hard drive costs 82 bucks with shipping. This + a Torx screwdriver + some freeware = I have a new 360 HDD, for less than 100 bucks.

The fact is the us current owners are really fucked. Why should I pay twice for something? 400(that I already paid) + 180(for the HDD) = 580$. We certainly don't have any right to bitch about Sony's pricing anymore.

how are we fucked??? im doing just fine with my 360, it still plays my games,
hmm,,,,what just cause something new is out you *have* to but it?

im good thanks..

*that being said, i want it, i will give mine to my brother, and i will buy the new one. win win.*

[Borys]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

Not only that but the quality of PS3 is just plain better than 360's.

[Vandenh]

This is just a slightly revised 360. Why would you *need* to buy it if you already have one? This is stuff for people who need every new gadget and people who were waiting for a new 360 model. This thing will sell out in 5 secs. Microsoft learned from Nintendo ;)

[mixuk]

If Microsoft doesn't do some buy back program on the old 360 Premiums, I would much rather spend my money on a 60GB PS3 than a third, BLACK, 360 (bought 1 for me and 1 for my brother at Christmas time) with the only advantage is a bigger hard drive.

So, by your logic, car makers should also buy back all the old models when a new, more expensive one, with better engines is introduced?

Come on.

[Morratut]

If this doesn't have the 65nm chipset then the Elite doesn't interest me. :(

I'll wait some more.

[Achilles]

Interesting, the HDD is cheaper than I thought it would be. The black controller also looks nice. Looks like it comes with an HDMI cable as well. No news on the HDMI core system though or the systems with the new chipsets.

Weird choice not to market it as a limited edition, it could make the system seem more expensive to the casual passer-by. It looks like the content transfer cable only comes with the additional HDD, not the black system? Well that’ll be a mark against it when it comes to people who already have a 360 deciding to upgrade.By the way...Halo 3 beta imminent. Get ready.Groovy. I know you’re not really too keen on it, but I think as production continues it’ll be less like Halo 2.

[Watership]

If you were familiar with how HDMI cables work, you wouldn't be saying that.

I had to take a breath before I wrote a response. Why don't you tell me what you know about HDMI cables that I don't?

[phantomhitman]

Microsoft not including HDMI and an internal harddrive from the very beginning was their fuckup. What does this new Elite console look like to me? Looks like Microsoft's trying to play catchup with the PS3's design.

360 should have had an HD-DVD drive, HDMI support, and swappable internal harddrive. Sony at least was able to get their hardware right.

And I don't even want to hear the "it's about choice!" marketing nonsense.

It should not include and force feed hd-dvd to anyone, choice is good. In fact all addons should stay like that. MS is simply giving out options for different levels of gamers, not all people play online, or watch hd movies, or download marketplace content. It would suck to have to drop $575-670 on a decked out 360 just to play some games with friends. Not everyone has a use for all of these options or the equipment to take advantage of them. But then again forcing people to buy all that shit at once makes Sony right, especially in regards to their own proprietary next gen dvd format!? Come on now.

[DubiousQuality]

Not only that but the quality of PS3 is just plain better than 360's.

In what sense? Because of blu ray which isn't needed for gaming? Or is it higher quality because theres practically no games worth shelling out for the system for yet? Or how bout the unified friends li.. oh wait it doesn't have unified friends list, or anything of the sort that Live offers I forgot..

The PS3 will be worth it at some point. I just don't see that some point happening until theres games worth owning and developers are actually able to ulitilize Cell to its potential which prolly won't happen til much later in the console's life cycle.

[bapenguin]

Yeah...I just don't get the point of this product. Basically it's to get you 1080p over HDMI for your HD-DVDs which you have to buy a seperate drive anyway. They SHOULD have included the HD-DVD drive standard in this and sold it for $479.

And $179.99 for a 120 gig drive? Go fuck yourself Microsoft. Really.

[bean19]

Not only that but the quality of PS3 is just plain better than 360's.

And though the Blu-Ray player is a colossal waste of money for a gaming system that doesn't gain advantage from the device, the PS3 is a better overall deal for what you get.

When you are looking at the top Xbox 360 costing $400 compared to the top PS3 costing $600, then the price difference is great because both systems let you play games, but when the difference in cost is only $20. . . well, that makes the Blu-Ray player suddenly look like a good deal. Unless Microsoft is planning to make the HD-DVD addon cost $20, then Sony is suddenly offering a better deal.

That's not exactly true because you get a larger hard-drive ($100 value - I know $179 to buy a Microsoft one, but spring firmware will let you slap any one on there and only idiots will buy the $179 one) with the Xbox Elite and a recharge pack ($20) and an HDMI cable ($40). That's $140 worth of accessories for $80. . .

That's a pretty good deal when seen from that angle, but I promise you that many people will see it as a PS3 minus the Blu-Ray player at that high price. Microsoft needs to price-cut if they want this to fly.

[51|RandoM]

I think the bulk of their strategy revolves around the idea that it doesn't matter what they charge - the PS3 still isn't attractive to consumers.

In the end it gets back to the whole "costs too much and has no software" thing. Until Sony fixes those two problems it is going to be a hard road for them to travel down.


That is what it boils down to. The insane expense of the ps3 allows MS to offer a 360 with these features, at this price, without looking retarded. It would be less feasible if the 20GB PS3($500) was more than a figment of our collective imagination.

IMHO, they should be throwing in the HD-DVD drive, but whatever.

[Yeti2005]

That is what it boils down to. The insane expense of the ps3 allows MS to offer a 360 with these features, at this price, without looking retarded. It would be less feasible if the 20GB PS3($500) was more than a figment of our collective imagination.

IMHO, they should be throwing in the HD-DVD drive, but whatever.

You're right. If this sku was part of the original launch (before the ps3 price was known) then people would have flipped out.

This sku was designed to fit what I see as a small niche. It's expensive so only the hardcore will be inclined to buy it but those people already bought the premium version earlier. While I don't understand MS's reasoning for releasing this sku they did at least listen to their customers about a bigger HD and even thought of a transfer cable for copying data.

[Phanto]

Those this mean that the "REAL" next gen console of Microsoft start rolling now??
Or this is just and idea to counter the PS3 that was recently launched in Europe ?
Anyway they really are doing things very interesting this time.

[TrackZero]

There is nothing to miss. Microsoft is indeed producing the black unit in limited runs and I stand by that. The Elite also does not have the new cooler running chipset.

The only thing that will change is a new chipset and color, not the name.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm only interested in a new system when the 65nm processors are out.

[TrackZero]

Those this mean that the "REAL" next gen console of Microsoft start rolling now??


? Uhhh....no, it's the same system it was before. And it is next-gen. Don't be a troll.

[Phanto]

? Uhhh....no, it's the same system it was before. And it is next-gen. Don't be a troll.

I'M NOT being a troll in fact I don't even know what the fucking "troll" word means. Maybe you misinterpreted what I was trying to said after all English is my second language so its no so perfect as my Spanish. Culo.

What I was trying to said is this: Microsoft is starting their "next gen" console again but revamped in some ways with some new features thats all or we can said the Elite version is an update so people think that the Xbox 360 is new and not 1 year & half old.

[Jack Random]

The price point here just leaves a bad, bad taste in my mouth. One of 360's main advantages was it's price point, and here they go setting it on fire and pissing out the flames.

This reminds me of the patented "Sony Arrogance," bad move MS. :mad:

[Haemorrhage]

Is it just me or is everyone missing the point of the Elite. It is the platform to introduce IPTV.

The previous versions of the Xbox 360 didn't have the necessary internal hardware to support IPTV, the Elite does. It also has a 120 gig HDD and HDMI, but those are secondary and not necesarry for most average gamers.

[laggerific]

It certainly doesn't warrant the upgrade some people were planning. What kind of jump are we looking at going from component to HDMI? Any real edge to it... Microsoft had been trying awfully hard to convince us there was no point.

Closes their marketing edge...plus allows them to start enforcing HDCP if they so desire. Thankfully they fractured their market on that item, which will make it harder to try to push that on us...unlike PS3 which is constantly talking about that component.

[phantomhitman]

Is it just me or is everyone missing the point of the Elite. It is the platform to introduce IPTV.

The previous versions of the Xbox 360 didn't have the necessary internal hardware to support IPTV, the Elite does. It also has a 120 gig HDD and HDMI, but those are secondary and not necesarry for most average gamers.
o rly? I have never heard of this, in fact the MS reps keep saying that NOTHING will be specifically designed for this elite version. Anything that works on the current 360 will also work on the elite and vice versa.

[Haemorrhage]

o rly? I have never heard of this, in fact the MS reps keep saying that NOTHING will be specifically designed for this elite version. Anything that works on the current 360 will also work on the elite and vice versa.

In one of Major Nelson's previous podcasts discusing IPTV, the tech guy (can't remember his name) states that current 360 will NOT have the hardware to support IPTV. He then says they will be releasing a revised 360 with internal IPTV support. And from all that I have been researching, that seems to be the Elite.

As an aside, he also mentioned a trade in program but I am not sure if that was valid.

[epyon]

· Xbox 360 120GB hard drive. The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).
Looks like anybody who wants a 120 gb hdd and already has a system is dicked agian (Core to Priemium hdd.) 179.99 is insane :( will probably stick with my 20 or get an elite rather than buy the drive seperate.

[phantomhitman]

Let me be the first to say that MS would have hammered that bullet point into the ground by now if only the elite could do IPTV. The only difference that it could possibly be is that somehow the new chipset can send out hdcp signals over hdmi. But that is a stretch.

[Haemorrhage]

Let me be the first to say that MS would have hammered that bullet point into the ground by now if only the elite could do IPTV. The only difference that it could possibly be is that somehow the new chipset can send out hdcp signals over hdmi. But that is a stretch.

I agree that is why I am finding this all a little confusing that there is no mention of IPTV yet. Unless, they have managed to find a way to run IPTV via software or god forbid they will be releasing a 4th SKU in the fall to support IPTV.

[Venkman]

I'm an Xbox fanboy but I gotta say at that price point, I'm getting the PS3 for the Blu-Ray playback.

And Heavenly Sword and Resistance. ;)

[KingGorilla]

Heavenly Sword does look really hot.

[JawaSnack]

I don't think the Elite comes with the charge and play kit like people are saying!
http://hardware.teamxbox.com/screenshots/screen-hires/42903/Xbox-360-Elite/
I wish it did though... (and does anyone know is it is using the 65nm processor?)

and it says "sold separately" next to the charge and play kit here too:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm

[Telefrog]

$179.99 is a terrible price for a 120GB notebook drive. I'll live with my 20GB drive, thanks.

[KingGorilla]

The Premium and the Elite really SHOULD come with at least a rechargeable battery pack, or s P and C. That controller chews up juice so fast, it is just disgusting. And for those of you who STILL do not have a Quick Charge Kit, that thing is really much handier than the P and C. I only had one controller, but 2 battery packs and that charger makes for easier swaps(and it plugs into the wall which means your 360 is not on stand by and ruining your power bill).

[cp#]

The 360 still has the price advantage unless you buy the HD-DVD drive. Even then you can find it for well below the MSRP of $199 if you look around. I've seen it for $149.. So at that price you are paying about $630 -- you get a bigger HDD (120 vs 60GB), and an HDMI cable (worth about $7 at monoprice ;) ), no built in wifi. All in all I am still waiting for a price drop.

The PS3 might be a better buy what with the built in wifi and Bluray playback but the games are still shit.

[PXG 360]

Any current 360 owner who gets this is a moron...

[synth3sis]

I would ask for props, but there's no need.

self-righteous arrogant prick much?

I can confirm this will be limited. Microsoft is doing a limited production run and then shipping HDMI and the larger harddrive as the Premium SKU.

no, you can't, because it isn't limited. it's nice that you read into rumors, cause that's what was rumored, and now you're wrong, so stop trying to act like a know-it-all. and yes, it's an act, you're not fooling anyone.

They just said in the Major Nelson podcast that they wouldn't be creating black accessories lol.

you seriously have closed ears. straight from the podcast that you referred to, "We also have the black controller...rechargeable battery pack, play and charge kit..."

EDIT: By the way, notice how the seperate 120gig harddrive ain't even black.

only the 120gigs coming with the elite are black. the standalones that you're looking at are still grey to match current cores and premiums. duh? listen to the podcast much?

By the way...Halo 3 beta imminent. Get ready.

oh man, are you gonna ask for props again but no need? LOLOL!?

[ferrarimanf355]

I think I'll wait until the 65 nm chips are included. That was my big hope, but I'll wait it out if need be.

[KingGorilla]

self-righteous arrogant prick much?



no, you can't, because it isn't limited. it's nice that you read into rumors, cause that's what was rumored, and now you're wrong, so stop trying to act like a know-it-all. and yes, it's an act, you're not fooling anyone.



you seriously have closed ears. straight from the podcast that you referred to, "We also have the black controller...rechargeable battery pack, play and charge kit..."



only the 120gigs coming with the elite are black. the standalones that you're looking at are still grey to match current cores and premiums. duh? listen to the podcast much?



oh man, are you gonna ask for props again but no need? LOLOL!?

You are off to a real shitty start here pal.

[walkstheplanes]

You are off to a real shitty start here pal.

Ahah -- usually only those with padded post counts flamebait the mods. Besides that, nothing he said (outside the insults) was wrong, however.

[Phanto]

Any current 360 owner who gets this is a moron...

There is always a moron in this world ;) .
Thats whats great about it.

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

There is always a moron in this world ;) .
Thats whats great about it.
heh, it's fine to take their money. If you run out of morons, you can have a "Weekend Sale!" and sell to the dorks and nerds who aren't technically morons but still like to be "special".

Then after that you can toss them onto Amazon as a promotional gimick for the normal price at that time of $399, but it's special because its black. Limited edition you say? ooooo, I bet this baby will be worth a ton in 20 years!

[ZephidsEmbrace]

I know I'm late to the party and I'm not gonna sift through the thread, but damn that thing is sexy as hell. This may be my push to buy a 360 here in the next year or so. We'll have to see how it goes.

[Xerxes]

There is nothing to miss. Microsoft is indeed producing the black unit in limited runs and I stand by that. The Elite also does not have the new cooler running chipset.

The only thing that will change is a new chipset and color, not the name.
New HDD is desired, but you said the magic words.

The Elite also does not have the new cooler running chipset.
NO DICE!!!! Fix that, keep it black and you got me.

[phantomhitman]

I agree that is why I am finding this all a little confusing that there is no mention of IPTV yet. Unless, they have managed to find a way to run IPTV via software or god forbid they will be releasing a 4th SKU in the fall to support IPTV.
Just read about iptv again, its not even being tested fully until late summer.

Any current 360 owner who gets this is a moron...
hi http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/anlove1.gif

Ahah -- usually only those with padded post counts flamebait the mods. Besides that, nothing he said (outside the insults) was wrong, however.
that is correct, nice first post. way to pwn.

[Pluvious]

Another big deal is not including that cable with the Elite version. IF you are rebuying your 360 (for whatever the reason.. there are many) you won't be able to transfer your stuff over to it?! I hope *** is smart enough to sell that cable separately...

[Zanzibar]

$180 = Angry Zan.

[Zeal]

I see our friend "synth3sis" has joined us from NeoGAF (obviously). Welcome to EvilAvatar, and I look forward to your inevitable banning.

By the way, your points are wrong.

[KingGorilla]

Ahah -- usually only those with padded post counts flamebait the mods. Besides that, nothing he said (outside the insults) was wrong, however.
Only Serapth and Me can do that to Zeal. Speaking of which, where are all the Zeal MasterChief photoshops? I ask you dicks to do one wimple thing.

[synth3sis]

I see our friend "synth3sis" has joined us from NeoGAF (obviously). Welcome to EvilAvatar, and I look forward to your inevitable banning.

By the way, your points are wrong.

listen, kid, first of all, you need to stop with the false information feeding for today. i think you've had enough.

POINT 1: i don't come from neoGAF, i don't even know wtf NeoGAF is (obviously?) so, thanks?

POINT 2: By the way, my points are wrong. Nice argument.

[cp#]

You are off to a real shitty start here pal.


Looks like he's off to a kickass start to me :)

Seriously Zeal, you think you "called" the elite? Puhlease.

[Zeal]

Nah, I'm just one of the first people around here to drop factually accurate information surrounding it's existence and what the unit would ship with. You can simply do a search on those, look at the dates, and verify. Kamalot also did a very good job.

And synth3sis, you're on your way out. Seeing as how your birthday is listed as 1988, don't call anyone kid, kid.

Damn, what's with the influx of the troll brigade recently at EvAv.

[synth3sis]

And synth3sis, you're on your way out. Seeing as how your birthday is listed as 1988, don't call anyone kid, kid.

I judged that based on your character. Not your birth date. Grow up.

EDIT: if i'm on my way out, at least i'll say goodbye. later everyone =) <3

[jpc_theoneandonly]

I am so fed up with this new xbox 360 elite. What is it really offering. If your HDTV supports both HDMI and component cables is there really going to be a big difference? The HDD I guess I could understand. But if your premium system works just fine then why buy the elite?

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

I somewhat like the 360 Core plus the large HDD. I still think they will do the 65nm reduction in the fall, and probably drop the prices. That's when to buy this combo.

[Zeal]

I somewhat like the 360 Core plus the large HDD. I still think they will do the 65nm reduction in the fall, and probably drop the prices. That's when to buy this combo.
Cool username.

[Tyrant]

I had to take a breath before I wrote a response. Why don't you tell me what you know about HDMI cables that I don't?

Perhaps you're already aware of this, but HDMI cables transfer digital signals, that is, binary data. As such, digital interconnects such as HDMI are not affected by the woes of analog signals, like interference. With that in mind, there's really only two things that can happen with an HDMI cable, it either gives you a clear picture(and sound), or it doesn't show anything at all. That's part of the reason why digital connections exist and so factors such as cable shielding are of minimal concern.

If you were to do a blind test with a $10,000,000 or whatever Monster's HDMI cable goes for nowadays against a cheap $6 HDMI cable from Monoprice, I'm willing to bet that you won't see an iota of difference.

[Mantooth]

I am so fed up with this new xbox 360 elite. What is it really offering. If your HDTV supports both HDMI and component cables is there really going to be a big difference? The HDD I guess I could understand. But if your premium system works just fine then why buy the elite?

I don't see a reason to upgrade, but if I hadn't bought a 360 yet, I would pick up the Elite. One feature that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that it will upscale DVDs.

[Xerxes]

I don't see a reason to upgrade, but if I hadn't bought a 360 yet, I would pick up the Elite. One feature that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that it will upscale DVDs.

I doubt it. But if you used a VGA Connection, bam upscaled from what I hear.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I was hoping against hope that all these rumours would turn out to be false, but it's been very clear for several weeks now that this was coming. I can't believe that this isn't a "special" edition though. That's just fucking stupid IMHO. Pricing the system closer to the PS3 is a huge mistake.

My purchase of the 360 is now pushed back to fall at the earliest. I'm waiting until I can get a decent (80+ gigs) sized HDD and a chipset that doesn't overheat with a disc drive that's actually quiet enough to go into my tiny apartment without scaring the neighbors. I won't spend more than $400 for this either, as that price is high enough. Making the thing MORE expensive is just plain dumb.

Honestly this makes the Playstation 3 that much more attractive to me. $120 for Blu-Ray and more stable hardware (at this point) is almost a no-brainer. I'm going to hold off until at least one of them actually comes down to a price I'm willing to pay though. $400 for a 360 with the 120gb HDD, cooler chipset, and quieter drive and I'd be there. Even better since this is coming out the day before my birthday - at this price though and without the new chipset I'm just not interested. Actually I'm disappointed. :(

[Magnanimous Gnome]

One more thing -

There is absolutely no justification for charging $180 dollars for a 120gb harddrive. None at all. The apologists will point out that MS is using a 2.5" drive which ups the cost, but who's choice was that? It wasn't mine, so why should I and other consumers have to spend ludicrous prices just because MS chose an over-priced proprietary system over the open market system of their competition?

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Not sure I would plunk down the money to rebuy one (which alot of you will .. ;)) unless it had those rumored new features about the quieted cd-rom drive and the better chipset design. Shouldn't they have waited to add those into a new rev like this?.. or are they going to quietly slip those chips in by Xmas and in the process piss of the early adapters of the Elite??


With the way things are going with MS they will probably release the Supreme Edition with the cooler chipset and quieter drive.....for $550.

It's about choice!

[Banacek]

One more thing -

There is absolutely no justification for charging $180 dollars for a 120gb harddrive. None at all. The apologists will point out that MS is using a 2.5" drive which ups the cost, but who's choice was that? It wasn't mine, so why should I and other consumers have to spend ludicrous prices just because MS chose an over-priced proprietary system over the open market system of their competition?

Agreed. A look around Newegg puts a SATA (I'm assuming the 360 uses a SATA drive) 120GB at around $120. $180 is just too high.

[Zeal]

The price for the drive is laughable and the unit itself provides no noticeable benefits.

[Schnoogs]

The price for the drive is laughable and the unit itself provides no noticeable benefits.

So being able to hook it up to 1080p digital only displays is of no benefit?

(Throws TV out window)

[Banacek]

So being able to hook it up to 1080p digital only displays is of no benefit?

(Throws TV out window)

There are 1080p only displays out there? That's crazy. Besides the PC and the PS3, what do you use on it?

[Pluvious]

Will this drive work with the 'rumored' spring patch??... and will it be limited to only 120GB with that patch?.. even though its a 250GB?.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136022

I highly doubt *** will allow us to just go and by any hard-drive off the shelf.. they are going to want to stick it too us with that absurd $180 jobber. Which I won't pay btw. I still say they should have went for quantity and priced it so cheap, EVERYONE would buy one. How big is the 360 user base now?.. that's a lot of drives even if you only make $5 bucks on them.. seems to me their making over $85+ on them and that's just greedy. You can find 500GB drives for under $180.. so its not the storage.. we're being scammed for the formfacter and proprietary bs.

[Zeal]

I use HDMI and component on a 60" 1080p screen and see no noticeable difference.

[Xerxes]

So being able to hook it up to 1080p digital only displays is of no benefit?

(Throws TV out window)

Don't answer Zeal. Trust me on this. :(

[Schnoogs]

I use HDMI and component on a 60" 1080p screen and see no noticeable difference.

So having an image and none at all isn't different?

(picks up broken TV from outside window...plugs it back in...sits and stares at blank screen since TV only digital input and not component) ;)

[phantomhitman]

I use HDMI and component on a 60" 1080p screen and see no noticeable difference.
If you were using the vga cable to get 1080p before and then used the upcoming hdmi cable you would see a difference, big difference.

[Zeal]

Let me clarify, since you're acting like you have some type of mental disorder. I've used 1080i over component and 1080p HDMI on my HD-DVD player and haven't noticed a major jump in image quality. It's almost indistinguishable.

For people who actually know what they're talking about, I direct you to www.avsforum.com. I'm also an active member.

[Mfgtpe]

10 year old 36 inch CRT here. Next-gen? What Next-gen? I could never tell the difference.

[Mantooth]

I doubt it. But if you used a VGA Connection, bam upscaled from what I hear.

You doubt that it will upscale DVDs? "and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box" (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm?WT.svl=nav)

I would assume this is only over HDMI.

[KingGorilla]

Let me clarify, since you're acting like you have some type of mental disorder. I've used 1080i over component and 1080p HDMI on my HD-DVD player and haven't noticed a major jump in image quality. It's almost indistinguishable.

For people who actually know what they're talking about, I direct you to www.avsforum.com. I'm also an active member.
Pretty much, unless you sit closer than like 10 feet to the TV, you are not going to notice a huge difference. It is not like changing the resolution on your PC.

[phantomhitman]

Let me clarify, since you're acting like you have some type of mental disorder. I've used 1080i over component and 1080p HDMI on my HD-DVD player and haven't noticed a major jump in image quality. It's almost indistinguishable.

For people who actually know what they're talking about, I direct you to www.avsforum.com. I'm also an active member.
And if this was aimed at me you can go fuck yourself since you apparently do not know anything about the vga connection and 1080p. Here it comes...the VGA signal is bugged. BAM, POW, ZING! The colors are washed out due to the fact the vga is not displaying pure white and pure black, just a slight shade of grey. I would love to have my saturated/correct colors back as they appear over component. I would simply use component at 1080i but I like to get the native 1080p I paid for and there is a slight lag in game response over component. (I tested my xbox on 4 different 1080p sets in BestBuy and they all showed a slight lag over component, even in the game mode)

If that was not a shot at me then carry on with your flaming.

[Jack B]

Is it just me or is everyone missing the point of the Elite. It is the platform to introduce IPTV.

The previous versions of the Xbox 360 didn't have the necessary internal hardware to support IPTV, the Elite does. It also has a 120 gig HDD and HDMI, but those are secondary and not necesarry for most average gamers.

I don't think most people are thinking about the future. I agree with your comment and would add a couple other features to the list, that would change how the Elite's value proposition.

1. Netflix On-Demand integration
2. Tivo like DVR functionality
3. IPTV

Even one of the 3 would change how many people look at the Elite. I expect we'll see some announcements in the next month or two.

Microsoft has been betting on the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray drives should be an option approach for quite a while. They haven't fully played their cards yet.

[Xerxes]

You doubt that it will upscale DVDs? "and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box" (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm?WT.svl=nav)

I would assume this is only over HDMI.

I was just saying that my premium upscales so it's nothing special. All 360s upscale. VGA cable or HDMI does it really matter.

[phantomhitman]

VGA cable or HDMI does it really matter.
Yes it does, see my post above. But yes, premium, core, and elite all upscale the same over vga.

[Pluvious]

10 year old 36 inch CRT here. Next-gen? What Next-gen? I could never tell the difference.

RUN don't walk to Costco (or Sams club) and get the Vizio 37" for $799. Does 1080i and has built in HD tuner. I did it before the $100 price drop and couldn't be more happy.

[Zeal]

And if this was aimed at me you can go fuck yourself since you apparently do not know anything about the vga connection and 1080p. Here it comes...the VGA signal is bugged. BAM, POW, ZING! The colors are washed out due to the fact the vga is not displaying pure white and pure black, just a slight shade of grey. I would love to have my saturated/correct colors back as they appear over component. I would simply use component at 1080i but I like to get the native 1080p I paid for and there is a slight lag in game response over component. (I tested my xbox on 4 different 1080p sets in BestBuy and they all showed a slight lag over component, even in the game mode)

If that was not a shot at me then carry on with your flaming.
I was responding to Schnoogs pretending to throw his TV out the window.

Also, I was comparing an HDMI based HD-DVD connection to 1080i over 360, so thanks for the worthless trolll.

[Jack B]

should've also included wireless out of the box. MS is the only one who doesnt of the three.

I agree, but can see both sides of the argument. I starting using wireless, but switched to Cat-5, since it's close enough to my router and performance was a bit better connected.

I have witnessed other users however struggle with the idea of buying a wireless access point (they barely know what that is...). Saving $30 or so off the cost of the 360 isnt a bad thing, although I'm not sure how much including the wireless would have added to the price had they done it.

I know costs are critical, since Sony just pulled the emotion chip out to save what is probably $20 or so. Pissing off that many PS3 owners just to save $20, shows how important saving costs is on hardware.

[Tyrant]

Here it comes...the VGA signal is bugged. BAM, POW, ZING! The colors are washed out due to the fact the vga is not displaying pure white and pure black, just a slight shade of grey. I would love to have my saturated/correct colors back as they appear over component. I would simply use component at 1080i but I like to get the native 1080p I paid for and there is a slight lag in game response over component. (I tested my xbox on 4 different 1080p sets in BestBuy and they all showed a slight lag over component, even in the game mode)

If that was not a shot at me then carry on with your flaming.

The VGA connection is technically not bugged. It's just outputting an YPbPr colourspace instead of PC VGA/RGB. The only difference is that instead of outputting a color range from 0 to 256, it's going from 16 to 235. When it comes to displays that don't support/don't have an option to switch the colourspace output by the VGA cable, you won't get absolute blacks and whites.

Part of the issue also seems to involve the quality of the cable you're using(as VGA is an analog connection). For instance, I used to use a Joytech VGA cable and generally speaking, it looked pretty bad on my Gateway 21" monitor and my brother in-law's 26" Samsung. I then tried out a Dragon whatever cable from Play-Asia and noticed that the colours seemed quite a bit better and the overall picture was sharper as well. So keep that in mind if you were using a cheap 3rd party cable(although the Dragon whatever at $8 wasn't exactly expensive).

There are apparently some colourspace convertors out there, but of course, they would be an additional cost.

[Jack B]

I didn't realize the Elite came with an HDMI cable (I thought it was just the port). It's $59 for the PS3 cable, which doesn't come with either model.

$79 for an extra 100mb of hard drive space and an HDMi cable sounds a little better now, assuming you neither either/both.

[Xerxes]

Yes it does, see my post above. But yes, premium, core, and elite all upscale the same over vga.

I wasn't referring to that at all. Not everybody has 1080p TV. I sure as hell don't. Just saying upscaling is already there. Nothing new.

[Conway]

I've got a question about this Elite package that's been bugging me..

how will the people who trade in their Xbox 360's for this elite package transfer their data from their current HDD to the new 120gb HDD?

[Jack B]

I've got a question about this Elite package that's been bugging me..

how will the people who trade in their Xbox 360's for this elite package transfer their data from their current HDD to the new 120gb HDD?

It has some kind of transfer cable included.

[Conway]

It has some kind of transfer cable included.
oh ok.

so both the Elite package and the stand alone 120 gb HDD has the transfer cable?

I was under the impression that only the stand alone 120 gig HDD had the transfer cable.

[Jack B]

oh ok.

so both the Elite package and the stand alone 120 gb HDD has the transfer cable?

I was under the impression that only the stand alone 120 gig HDD had the transfer cable.

Hmmm, not sure.

[phantomhitman]

I was responding to Schnoogs pretending to throw his TV out the window... so thanks for the worthless trolll.
Yep, I am the troll for thinking you are talking to me, especially since your response was right after mine and included no quotes. This line also seems to back up my assholery:
Let me clarify, since you're acting like you have some type of mental disorder.
Yep, I am was acting like troll for no apparent reason.


Thank you Tyrant, I was looking for those values and could not find them. Some tvs have a ton of adjustments via vga, some have a few, and some have none. I have not seen a single tv that has an option to completely change the color space though, any links to one?
The elite is aimed at higher end gamers that do not have a 360 yet and people that are feed up with the shitty vga connection. That means their advertisement base is smaller than a gnats ass.

[Schnoogs]

Let me clarify, since you're acting like you have some type of mental disorder. I've used 1080i over component and 1080p HDMI on my HD-DVD player and haven't noticed a major jump in image quality. It's almost indistinguishable.

For people who actually know what they're talking about, I direct you to www.avsforum.com. I'm also an active member.


Super for you...new flash for you...not all TVs come with component these days. Your experience is just that....yours...it does no good to people who dont have component inputs or VGA.

GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p

One more thing for you Zeal. Many individuals own TVs with a single HDMI and component in yet they own a PS3, a 360, an HD cable box and in my case an HDDVD player. My receiver doesnt have component in for every audio source. BUT many of them now adays have 3 or 4 HDMI inputs. You can now see how the HDMI 360 would benefit people who want to be able to easily switch the inputs without having to unplug one HDMI device and then plug in another.

I'm glad you can't tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p...what the fuck that has to do with everyone elses use for HDMI is beyond me. :p

[Zeal]

So you're essentially saying the 360 Elite is justified for people who want to "easily switch inputs without having to unplug one HDMI device". Then right before that, you say "many individuals own TVs with a single HDMI input".

[Tyrant]

Thank you Tyrant, I was looking for those values and could not find them. Some tvs have a ton of adjustments via vga, some have a few, and some have none. I have not seen a single tv that has an option to completely change the color space though, any links to one?
The elite is aimed at higher end gamers that do not have a 360 yet and people that are feed up with the shitty vga connection. That means their advertisement base is smaller than a gnats ass.

Unfortunately I can't recall offhand any specific models with the option to change the VGA input's colourspace.