The XBOX 360 is back in black
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Supposedly, a revision to the XBOX 360 is coming. It is to be known as the Elite XBOX 360, will come in and black (black is just cooler) and is to be released in limited quantities. So if this is true, you’d better pick them up while they last. It is also going to pack in more features (but not so much to justify the higher price) than that old regular XBOX 360.
All the acceossories that come in the box will be black, it will feature HDMI outputs and a 120GB hard drive. The Elite XBOX 360 runs cooler than current Core and Premium XBOX 360s, that could either be due to a better cooling system or the new 65nm processors but it is not confirmed to have the new processors (though that would make a good deal of sense). Those are about the only differences between other XBOX 360s on the market.
The Elite XBOX 360 is to be sold as a third option next to the Core and Premium systems. Here is what Microsoft could have done to make the Elite version more enticing, include WiFi and the HD-DVD drive with the unit. I mean, wouldn’t that make sense. That is probably the only thing Sony did right with the PS3. I don’t want to string a 50 foot LAN cable across to my XBOX 360, okay, I could buy the WiFi module for $100 but I won’t do either any time soon. I don’t want to trip over a cable and $100 is ridiculous for a WiFi module.
Once all the XBOX 360 Premiums are sold they will be replaced by white versions of the Elite XBOX 360. Utimately Microsoft will go back to having two XBOX 360 options, the Core system and the Elite system.
The Core XBOX 360 costs $299, the Premium XBOX 360 costs $399 and how much is the Elite XBOX 360 going to cost, $499? Close, it will run a grand total of $480 not including taxes or other applicable charges in your area. Here’s how it works out, the WiFi module costs $100 so you can get WiFi and the Premium system for $500 or the Elite XBOX 360 for $480. What a choice, the Premium system with a smaller hard drive and WiFi or the Elite with a larger hard drive, HDMI and no WiFi. Am I the only one that thinks you shouldn’t be required to choose one or the other? I didn’t even get to the HD-DVD drive which will run you close to $200.
Microsoft currently does not have plans to integrate the HD-DVD drive or WiFi module in any version of the XBOX 360, either now or in the future. If you ask me, it’s like they are loading a gun, pointing it at their head and hoovering their finger over the trigger. It’s assured suicide if they don’t do this at some point. It will probably come down to the last minute when they do and then they will say it was the plan all along. If they don’t start including the extras at a lower price soon then they may well find themselves losing out to Sony (and no one wants that).
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on Friday, March 23rd, 2007 at 9:45 pm
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March 24th, 2007
[...] Both the XBOX 360 and Wii sold very well during their launches in the US, both have sold in adequate quantities since then, the Wii is doing very well and so is the XBOX 360. The PS3 is on life support in the ICU hooked up to every monitor and life sustaining liquid possible, one power failure and it will all be over. This is a sign of things to come for the PS3, but owners of the PS3 can still save themselves by trading it in for a XBOX 360, how about the Elite 360 or a Wii. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
March 26th, 2007
[...] The alleged revision to the XBOX 360 is now pretty much a reality. The soon-to-be replacement for the XBOX 360 Premium system, the XBOX 360 Elite has been spotted on the production line straight from a factory in China. It’s possible that the XBOX 360 Elite is now closer to reality than previously thought. [...]
March 28th, 2007
YESSS. THE 120
March 28th, 2007
YESSS THE 120 GB HARD DRIVE DOES SOUND GREAT AND I WILL HAVE TO PICK ONE UP BUT THAT IS ALL ILL PICK UP I WONT GET THE ELITE