Don't buy an Xbox 360...
Xbox 360: back in black?
(Credit: Kotaku)... at least for the next six weeks. By then, the Xbox 360 "version 2" may finally be available. It seems that Game Informer magazine is reporting in its April issue that an upgraded 360 will soon be hitting store shelves, with at least some of the long-rumored goodies: 120GB hard drive (six times the current model's capacity), HDMI output, and a sweet black paint job. Kotaku (where we snagged the Game Informer page scan shown here) has confirmed with the magazine's editor that the story is legit, not an April Fool's joke. And Engadget followed up with "trusted sources" who verify the crux of the story, as well as fleshing out some other tantalizing details, including the name--Xbox 360 Elite--and whether or not the new version will sport an integrated HD DVD drive and Wi-Fi adapter.
The bottom line: if you're in the market for an Xbox 360, hold off. With the Xbox 360 Elite said to be hitting in late April, it may well be worth the wait.
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John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002. 
Well, at least I've gotten a year's worth of use out of my 360 Premium. If indeed this proves true and most of the listed goodies are really built-in AND Redmond doesn't jack up the price to PS3 levels, then it might be worth the upgrade. I can think of a couple of nephews who would consider this uncle a god if I hand down to them my old 360.
will it have the 65nm chips to run cooler?!?! will the HDMI be v1.3 like the PS3?!?! and why not support the horse you have in the race and include the HD-DVD drive as standard???
note to MS -- if this is truly the 360 Elite, give it the stones it needs to stand toe to toe with the PS3 without having to nickel and dime your customers...
to make a current Xbox360 = to a PS3 hardware wise you need to buy the top system $400, a wireless adapter for $60, a remote control charger for $60, and an HD-DVD drive for $200. You are now at $720, and you still have a smaller hard drive and no standard memory card slots and no motion sensor ability.
IF they make a Xbox360 Elite that has all the same stuff as a PS3 60gb, i can't imagine it being any cheaper. I would think they would make the elite system for $500, with everything the PS3 has EXCEPT the $200 hd-dvd drive. If they build the drive in i see the new Xbox being $600 to compete with the PS3.
The problem with them doing that, is even though it will be a better value than stand alone parts, people will complain it costs too much, just like the PS3.
Microsoft got it wright to start. People think in terms of monthly cost. "the gaming system cost me $400 now, and next month i can buy a wireless adapter, and then after that i will buy a HD-DVD drive, and then later i will buy a bigger HDD...
The playstation is more hones with its price up front, but that bakes the buy in price higher, even though in the long run it may be cheaper.
to make a current Xbox360 = to a PS3 hardware wise you need to buy the top system $400, a wireless adapter for $60, a remote control charger for $60, and an HD-DVD drive for $200. You are now at $720, and you still have a smaller hard drive and no standard memory card slots and no motion sensor ability.
IF they make a Xbox360 Elite that has all the same stuff as a PS3 60gb, i can't imagine it being any cheaper. I would think they would make the elite system for $500, with everything the PS3 has EXCEPT the $200 hd-dvd drive. If they build the drive in i see the new Xbox being $600 to compete with the PS3.
The problem with them doing that, is even though it will be a better value than stand alone parts, people will complain it costs too much, just like the PS3.
Microsoft got it wright to start. People think in terms of monthly cost. "the gaming system cost me $400 now, and next month i can buy a wireless adapter, and then after that i will buy a HD-DVD drive, and then later i will buy a bigger HDD...
The playstation is more hones with its price up front, but that bakes the buy in price higher, even though in the long run it may be cheaper.
There's also M$'s push for using the X360 as an IPTV "cable box," which the 120 GB would be adequate for.
BTW, the current HD content is about 1 GB for 20 minutes. That's about 20 2-hour movies.
Also, please explain "(half of that for HD games)." Doesn't make sense to me.
There is No built in HD-DVD drive and No Wifi. To get those it's $200 and $100 respectivly.
Current Xbox 360 owners will be able to purchase the 120Gb HD for $200 according to the article.
There was no mention of a way to add HDMI to existing Xbox 360's; however, on some forums people are speculating a device may come out in the future. Most feel that if an official HDMI adaptor comes out it will probably list from around $40-50 about the same list price as the official VGA cable.
At this point it is a limited production xbox 360 and they expect to run out by Septemberish.
The first RUMOR is that when this "Elite" box is sold out the Premium 360 will offer the same HDMI output and 120Gb HD, but will be white, and cost $399.
The next RUMOR is that the current Premium 360 will become the new $299 system at the same time.
It should be noted that the system still has not been anounced by Microsoft, and that Rumors are just Rumors. If all of the Rumors are true, then this means a fully equipped 20Gb 360 with a HD-DVD drive could be gotten for the exact same price as a current 20Gb PS3, and a 120Gb system with a HD-DVD drive could be gotten for the same price as a 60Gb PS3 or a 20Gb PS3 that was upgraded with a 120Gb HD. The diference being that the 60Gb PS3 would come with Wifi and the other two 120Gb systems would not. This was presented for console comparison reasons only.
Hopefully those rumors will be true, otherwise I would have wasted several months in waiting.
- Go figure, I just got one
- by JamiLeeD March 24, 2007 3:29 PM PDT
- Someone that I know works for Microsoft and got me a sweet deal on the premium system, which I've had for about two and a half months.
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(26 Comments)I knew this was going to happen.