Xbox 360 Elite Announced, gameSlave

Wednesday, March 28 2007

Xbox 360 Elite Announced by James B at 20:08

Microsoft announced today that the much rumored 'Xbox 360 Elite' is a reality, and a new version of the popular console will be first available in the US towards the end of April.

The Xbox 360 elite comes in a black finish, with a 120GB HDD and HDMI support - for the price of $479.99 USD. We've got a few photos of the new beast in our gallery. No word yet on when Europe can expect to see the Elite.

REDMOND, Wash., March 28: Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360TM 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 price of $479.99 (U.S.) and will come packed with components and accessories for the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience:

* 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. 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.).

Tags: Xbox 360

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Comments
Mani Posts: 6957 Rank:	28 March 2007 20:23
	bet it's still noisy as feck
Bigbird Posts: 156 Rank:	28 March 2007 20:25
	bloody microsoft im not buying this unless my 360 breaks out of warranty
malis Posts: 1740 Rank:	28 March 2007 20:26
	HDMI, finally
Obi Posts: 114 Rank:	28 March 2007 20:27
	been waiting for something like this from microsoft, always have been money grabbing **s. everyone slags sony and their price for the ps3 but at least they give u the full features from the start and dont expect u to shell out again for a better console. bet this costs about 400 on release here, microsoft can kiss my ass the **s
malis Posts: 1740 Rank:	28 March 2007 20:38
	well it's not really that much different to the premium 360 except for HDMI. I'm not fussed about the HDD, you can buy it separately and I've never even come close to filling my normal one up yet
poog Posts: 288 Rank:	28 March 2007 23:08
	I think you've taken this the wrong way g. The 360 was released early, and HDMI hadnt taken off as much back when they would of been making it. The reason theyve made a new one is because so many people moaned at them asking for a HDMI option. But then people like you see it and think they are just trying to grab money rather than fill a hole the consumers have made.
Scrappy Posts: 1185 Rank:	28 March 2007 23:45
	HDMI had been around for quite a while before the 360 was released. They should never have released a HD Console without it in my opinion. I never liked the white, so it's nice to see they have bought it out in black. I might consider getting one at some point, it seems to be the lesser of two evils brand wise.
ralinn Posts: 1971 Rank:	29 March 2007 02:31
	Obi - glad someone noticed that. People whine about the price of the PS3 and say it's over priced. When MS announce this, people have nothing but good things to say. I can still do a lot more with my PS3 so it's completely worth the price, IMO a 120GB HDD on a console is a complete waste of money. You can do pretty much sweet FA with the MS HDD as you can only stream your own media on it, you can't store it on the HDD. I'm not saying one is better then the other, only that one is more useful for me, But ****ing hell IMO by doing this, MS has pretty much admitted that Sony are actually going the right way with things... I don't see people owning an original 360 buying an elite though... if they do then it's going to be the very effing definition of ironic. That's like, what... £700(?) to M$ while complaining about the PS3 having a £440 price tag? D:!
Obi Posts: 114 Rank:	29 March 2007 11:24
	As scrappy says hdmi had been around WAY before the 360 release, and u cant say that hdd sizes werent generally over 20gb at the time either, this was blatantly planned from the start, they build an inferior machine first which only has about a years lifespan due to its shockingly bad cooling, so that wen everyones starts to break theyll be forced into buying a new model to play the mountain of games they already have. typical microsoft im really not suprised by this. yes the ps3 is probably overpriced, but as ralinn says at least they aint stinging u twice for basically the same product like microsoft r trying to do here. always hated this company, if only the ps3 had been released the same time as the 360 i prob wouldve opted for that, even tho theres alot of quality games for the 360.
poog Posts: 288 Rank:	29 March 2007 11:45
	I said hadnt taken off, it had been around but it wasnt THE connection for HD just then. anyway people wanted one with HDMI so they got one. Stop crying its not like you have to buy one. And speculating that it was planned from the start is bollocks, utter bollocks. Sorry but it is. Your sounding more and more like a sony fanboy with each post
Midnight Posts: 2826 Rank:	29 March 2007 12:33
	yeah I agree, that's a load of shit about them planning it lol. I've had my from nearly the start and I've never had one problem with it, it's loud yes but who cares. I never worry about it when the volume is up on the TV etc. The new 360 looks nice but I have nothing to take advantage of it so I won't buy it - having the choice is good though if you're that way inclined. The harddrive being small is easily solved on the 360 by buying the £10 usb cable so you can backup things on your pc like i've sad millions of times on every post about the small drive. I just chuck stuff on my pc's HDD's and then move it back if I want to - not that I have much on there anyway.
Tricky Posts: 1655 Rank:	29 March 2007 13:38
	Shame they won't be available till late Summer (rumour) as apparently my 360 died last night so may well be after a new one anyway. About the various comments above, it's funny to see so much rubbish twisted to make a dig. It's not hard to figure out why both companies probably made the choices they made. For me it's pretty simple, the Xbox 360 has had a year to mature and as a complete packages is considerably better than the PS3. Until Sony catch up and either becomes cheaper or have some exclusive games then the choice has been made for me. The 360 Elite seems like a reasonable package depending on the price, if you don't already have a 360.
Mani Posts: 6957 Rank:	29 March 2007 15:52
	2 year warranty cant have run out Jim, have MS fix it
Bigbird Posts: 156 Rank:	29 March 2007 18:48
	its only one year warranty unless u paid the extra
Abstract Posts: 753 Rank:	29 March 2007 20:25
	The 360 is really quiet for me, cos i'm used to my noisey PC which has five case fans, the CPU fan and two PSU fans. So the 360 is real quiet in comparison.
malis Posts: 1740 Rank:	29 March 2007 22:10
	Not sure what the fuss is about - there's virtually no major differences between this and the premium. As mentioned you can upgrade the HDD anyway if you're desperate. For most of the population (myself included) a premium white 360 + HDTV = HD gaming anyway. When the PS3 gets some exclusive games then worthwhile comparisons can be made - i've even heard DMC4 is coming to 360 now
Tricky Posts: 1655 Rank:	30 March 2007 10:39
	The 360 is only noisy when the DVD drive is spinning full wack. They're now on their 3rd? DVD drive since launch and it's meant to be a bit quieter. It is one year warranty, I'm chasing that up at the moment. I'm guessing they'll probably fix it rather than replace, would have quite liked to have one with the newer DVD drive to see if it's much of an improvement noise wise.
Mani Posts: 6957 Rank:	30 March 2007 11:33
	European law says 2 years on all electronics m8, that's one of the reasons the PS3 and Xbox 360 are more expensive over here.
Tricky Posts: 1655 Rank:	30 March 2007 13:58
	Are you sure? I phoned Microsoft support and they said it's out of the 1 year warranty so it's not covered and they recommended I waited until April because MS would then let me pay £85 for one years warranty so it's then covered for the repair. I wished I'd queried that further now, and I will when I call back next week.
Mani Posts: 6957 Rank:	30 March 2007 14:06
	Yer I'm sure Euro law is 2 years.
Tricky Posts: 1655 Rank:	02 April 2007 13:04
	Apparently it's law for the manufacturer to cover the 1st year and the retailer covers the second? However I phoned MS again today and they now say they have extended the warranty for 2 years anyway so unlike last week its now covered !?!??
ralinn Posts: 1971 Rank:	02 April 2007 14:02
	lol - madness (sparta jokes get shot)
ralinn Posts: 1971 Rank:	02 April 2007 14:05
	Malis - you couldn't pay me to play DMC4 on the 360 >.<
ralinn Posts: 1971 Rank:	02 April 2007 14:05
	Ok, that's a dirty fib, I'd quite happily accept money.
Tricky Posts: 1655 Rank:	03 April 2007 12:45
	On a related note, Microsoft Adds Xbox 360 Warranty "Enhancements" http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6754

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