XBOX 360 Elite

[lordofduct]

So I haven't seen any talk about the 360 Elite. It seems to be a hot debate on Engadget with people bitching about its release and being a smack in the face to early adopters of the 360 (a phrase I don't get as most 360 owners came over from the XBOX).

A run down of the specs are:
(source engadget.com http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/20/xbox ... 0gb-drive/ )

The case, controller, and Live headset will all be black. It will have all new packaging.
Elite will cost $479, and will be a 3rd SKU; it will be sold alongside Premium and Core packs.
Eventually Elite hardware (in white plastics) will take the role of the Xbox Premium. That is to say, after the Elite is launched and sold out, future Xbox Premiums will have 120GB / HDMI. (LoD comment... rumor says)
We do not yet know exactly when 120GB / HDMI will become the standard for Premium, but it is loosely estimated to be late summer or fall.
Elite models run cooler than normal 360s, but they are not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips. (LoD later articles report it has been confirmed they will NOT have the 65nm chip)
Prices may remain the same with the 120GB / HDMI hardware upgrade in the Premium Xbox, but we may still see a price cut on the line when 65nm chips start shipping.
The HD DVD drive will not be internal or bundled -- Microsoft never did or nor does not currently have plans to put an HD DVD drive in the 360.
There are no current plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premiums (although that can always change).

continuing statements from me:

HDMI will only be v1.2, this means it will NOT support Dolby Digital 5.1 HD audio over the HDMI cable. But hey that is what the optical cable is for... if you have a receiver that does 5.1 it SHOULD have an optical input as well.
This HDMI though will allow for true 1080p output for HD-DVDs (on component, only in game and dashboard material is done in 1080p... multimedia is capped at 1080i/720p)


Personally I don't find that a new version that annoying. I guess you'd call me an early adopter, I own a 360, and I plan on buying the Elite and selling my Premium. The 120 Gig drive and HDMI would be a nice addition to my entertainment system.

All of this hub bub though seems as if the console will only suit those who have high end equipment in their system. Aside from the 120 gig HDD, this is meant to support 1080p systems much nicer. So those early adopters who well... can't afford it can just buy the 120 gig HDD seperately and probably won't miss the HDMI merely for the fact that the component maxes out the video quality on their entertainment system already. Why complain?

Anyways, it isn't like MS is the first company to do revisions on their hardware, although I will admit that the increase in certain specs (i.e. HDMI) which can't be added onto their base unit is a new for me.

One compaint from me though... WHERE IS GIGABIT ETHERNET!? People seem to complain about the Wifi factor, MS makes a good point they don't want to put out a format of Wifi that may soon be going obsolete with the new insurgence of wireless N. But gigabit... COME ON... they decided to slam me in the face with this stupid streaming video and dashboard for the media center extender which does NOT hold up well on a 100 Mbit LAN line. I've tested it and the speeds dive below adequate bandwidths constantly. My network is gigabit capable and most the computers (especially the one serving MCExtender) are gigabit capable. It'd be nice to have all that head room to allow for streaming high quality video over to the 360.

That or stop this whole streaming nonsense. Whatever this streaming is exactly. Because let me just say that the videos I have backed up on my server can be accessed and played directly off the server at 100 Mbit just fine, but can't be to my 360? Doesn't make sense. So if your gonna keep the damn streaming... GIVE ME THE HEAD ROOM!


So, what do you guys think of this new revision.

[Perseid]

I have a premium. The Elite doesn't bother me. The 20GB drive is big enough for a game console(for me, at least) and I don't have an HDTV.

These companies are always updating their hardware. If that bothers you wait for revisions like this to come out and buy that.

[metaleggman]

I've been wanting an 360 ever since the good games started rolling out (Dead Rising is the first one to catch my interest with Lost Planet and Gears of War rounding out the Must Have-ish games on the 360, imo). My problem, no HDMI. While at the moment I have no need for HDMI, because my TV, while having an HDMI slot, is 720p native. No need to get something for 1080p when I don't have 1080p. Then again, by the time I get a new TV for my room and a new TV for my family room, both will definately be 1080p as this will be at least a year into the future, so I'm just planning ahead. I have been waiting it out for quite a while now, camping out for 360 with HDMI.

Well, I was overjoyed to know that my waiting has been worth the wait. I love the black look and am excited to buy one, if I can that is. Considering I will be getting a nice Onkyo A/V Receiver to compliment my TV for my next birthday, it'd be great to have HDMI so I don't have to worry about analog crud. Also, I'd love to have the black headset so I finally have a headset to use on my computer (would just need to get an adapter). Plus, the 120GB HDD means if I ever go crazy with HD movie files or Live Arcade games. I don't really care that the HD-DVD isn't built in, same with WiFi, as I can always buy them seperately if I feel the need. Over all, I've waited and I'm glad Microsoft made it.

My only problem is buying one. Considering there are going to be "limited supplies", I'm worried if I'll be able to get a black one. No one else in my family wants one, with my sister vehemently hating it for some god forsaken reason, so it'll be a struggle, but I think I'll be able get one. It's too bad that they won't keep it black until the Elite permanently supercedes the premium.

Anyone else think they should've called it "7h3 X80x 360 3|373"?

[Abras]

I'm a little ticked of because I just recently got a premium one, but I guess I'll get over it.

[ImportBoy]

It looks like a nice system for someone who buys a lot of stuff to download and it is good they are not forcing a particuar DVD format on you like some other company is. HDMI is good if you have HD-TV TV.

Mabey next year they will drop the core system, make the premium cost $300, and the elite $400. I'd consider buying a 360 at that point in time....if they have any exclusive games that interest me by then...which they have not yet. I have no interest in playing Halo or Gears of War - I guess that sums up the exclusive game lineup right? Don't have an HDTV either...and don't forsee getting one until I'm out of college.

[Zork]

I'll buy an elite eventually because I currently share a Core system with a HDD with my brother. It would be great for me because eventually I will be getting an HDTV, and I'll want to download so many of the Live Arcade stuff. On top of all that, when you make what X-box games that work good on the 360 backwards compatible they sometimes take up a good amount of space.

[racketboy]

Looks nice, but obviously waiting for a price drop...

[Jubal]

Looks nice, but obviously waiting for a price drop... :)

I'll second that =)

[lordofduct]

The word on the web is that when the 65nm chips come out the 360 will probably drop in price some.

Also there is no plans says Microsoft at this time of taking the Core system off the market. This console is only going to be released in limited quantities for now, but that doesn't mean limited edition, they will continue making them to stand along side their other 2 models for the high end users.

But like I said, that doesn't mean a price drop won't be in the future. Hopefully the 65nm chip will decrease the price (and temperature) of the 360 some.

[Jubal]

I havent been following the 360 news, whats the deal with the new 65nm chip?

or where should I go to read up on it?

-Jubal-