Microsoft unveils enhanced Xbox 360 Elite

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  • Jose Amaral Rego
    Senior Member
    • Feb 2005
    • 11058
    • 1.1.x

    Microsoft unveils enhanced Xbox 360 Elite

    (CBC) - Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday took the wraps off of the Xbox 360 Elite, confirming weeks of intense speculation that it would release a new version of its flagship video game console.

    The upgraded machine is to launch April 29 in the United States, sporting features not found on the two existing versions of the console, including a 120 gigabyte hard drive, high-definition media interface (HDMI) port and cable, and a black finish instead of the white one on current versions, Microsoft said. It will not include a high-definition HD-DVD hard drive.

    The package will also come with a black wireless controller and headset, and sell for $549.99 CDN.

    Canada will be included in the initial launch period according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News. Microsoft announced on Thursday they expect to have new consoles in Canadian stores on May 4.

    "Today's games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content," Peter Moore, corporate vice president for Microsoft's interactive entertainment division said in a written statement. "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."

    Speculation rampant for weeks

    Rumours and photos of the new model have been spurring heavy speculation on internet video game and gadget discussion forums for weeks but Microsoft would not offer direct comment.

    "It is our standard policy to not comment on speculation," Jeremy Bartram, a spokesman with Microsoft's public relations agency in Seattle, told CBC News Online when asked for official comment on the rumours. "Microsoft has not announced anything regarding a new Xbox 360."

    Microsoft's Canadian spokespeople made a similar statement in response to CBC's inquiries.

    Photos of the console and advertising for its 120 GB hard drive had surfaced on the internet in recent days. One set of images on a Chinese-language website depicted units of the new console coming off an assembly line in a Chinese factory. An image published on the Xbox 360 Fanboy website on Monday is apparently a shot of a poster promoting the new hard drive.

    Microsoft targeting Sony: experts

    The refreshed console is a significant improvement on the existing versions, and surpasses rival Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 console on some features, according to observers who spoke to CBC News Online.

    The current Xbox 360, moulded in white plastic, comes in two versions. The Premium version includes a 20 GB hard drive but no HDMI connector and retails in Canada for about $500. A lower-priced Core version sells without the hard drive and several accessories for about $400.

    Sony sells two versions of its PlayStation 3 console, both of which include a high-definition Blu-Ray DVD drive built-in. The premium version of the console, which has a 60 GB hard drive, sells for about $660 in Canada, while a version with a 20 GB hard drive is priced at about $550. Neither includes an HDMI connector cable.

    "A 120 GB hard drive versus 60 GB on the PS3 sounds like ***** envy on the part of Microsoft," Michael Pachter, director of research at Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, Calif., said ahead of Wednesday's announcement.

    Analysts divided

    Ruminations about whether the new Xbox unit would come with a HDMI connector cable were clarified by the announcement.

    "One thing I'm pretty confident is wrong about the reports is that it includes a HDMI cable," he said, explaining he had recently bought one for $300 US. "It's frickin' expensive, which is why the PS3 doesn't come with one, and Microsoft doesn't have the buying power to make it cheap."

    Eddie Chan, an analyst with market research firm IDC Canada, disagreed.

    "The HDMI cable is a non-issue in my books," he said, explaining that bridging the gap between an analog signal and a superior digital signal is a logical step.

    The price is just a function of how "clean" a signal you want, and most people are not going to shell out for a top-quality cable that has low electrical resistance (and therefore a better signal) for what they may see as a marginal improvement on picture quality, he explained.

    "Sure, you can pay $300 for a Monster brand cable and lower-priced cables have more resistance, but you can get one for cheap - $10 or $20," Chan said.

    Device sets stage for IPTV

    "It would not surprise me to see a new console come to fruition," he added, noting that Microsoft has been talking about Internet Protocol-based TV (IPTV), which would use internet technology to stream a video signal across a data network such as Microsoft's Xbox Live. "It's probably a good segue in preparation for those rollouts."

    In a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Robbie Bach, president of the entertainment and devices division, made remarks that some say hinted at the new console.

    "I can play the best next-generation games, download movies and TV shows, connect to my Windows PC, and access my music and my photos, watch HD-DVDs, and now experience next-generation TV programs with IPTV," or Internet Protocol TV, Bach said. "This is everything I want, it's all in one box, it's all on Xbox 360."

    "It's pretty self-evident what the strategy is," Sam Punnett, president of Toronto-based FAD Research Inc., said about Microsoft's approach. "It's reminiscent of the walled garden idea - they have a sufficient claim to a captive audience that they can create an environment to sell content."

    Punnett, who has been a consultant to federal and provincial governments on developing strategies that would foster new media and video game industries in Canada, noted that Microsoft has a unique advantage over competitors.

    "They have that channel into the living room that no one else has," he said. "They can take that captive audience and branch it off ... and expand into music services, streaming video. It's one of those Holy Grail dreams of the games industry."
    *cbc news



    I am going to wait for Halo version and hope the price tag will not reflect in how trends go. I will get one on boxing day.

    EDIT: I hope they added backward capablilties software for the games they have released in the past year. Now, would not that be fun if you buy a game that only works for orignal xbox 360 and not for the elite version.
    Last edited by Jose Amaral Rego; Wed 15 Aug '07, 10:58am.
  • Quillz
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2004
    • 2787
    • 5.0.X

    #2
    If was to ever buy a next gen console, it'd probably be this one or a Wii. Seems pretty good, and certainly going to give PS3 a run for its money.
    Forums

    Comment

    • KimmiKat
      Senior Member
      • Jul 2003
      • 656

      #3
      But can it run an instance of vB? I recently got a PS3 for my b-day and the only things I use it for is play Blu-ray disks I get used from the local game store and store music on it.
      Kim

      Comment

      • JakeS
        Senior Member
        • Jul 2005
        • 1975

        #4
        And sonys reply:

        We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an “elite” experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50 GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc. Sony has been the strongest advocate of high definition as the future of next-generation gaming. This requires high-definition components, including HDMI output, and large storage devices to deliver and store all that rich and vivid HD content. Microsoft’s announcement today not only legitimizes Sony’s PS3 strategy, it moves us closer to adopting universal standards in the area of high definition gaming that will benefit game developers and ultimately the end user.

        Comment

        • Jose Amaral Rego
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2005
          • 11058
          • 1.1.x

          #5
          This is not a battle of the console wars thread? This is news about the newly and not so secret release of the 3rd version of xbox 360.

          You can read about what might happens if this thread starts going down that route, I do hope you can follow the links below to figure what I mean.


          Comment

          • JakeS
            Senior Member
            • Jul 2005
            • 1975

            #6
            Originally posted by JosƩ M. Amaral Rego
            This is not a battle of the console wars thread? This is news about the newly and not so secret release of the 3rd version of xbox 360.

            You can read about what might happens if this thread starts going down that route, I do hope you can follow the links below to figure what I mean.


            http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showp...0&postcount=29
            Sonys reply goes with it tho, you can't forget to add their half.

            Comment

            • Jose Amaral Rego
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2005
              • 11058
              • 1.1.x

              #7
              Originally posted by JakeS
              Sonys reply goes with it tho, you can't forget to add their half.
              What does this have to do with Sony's Playstation? This is xBox 360 Elite announcement and you seem want to close down threads by reponding about consoles you like and not take about topic at hand. If you like sony ps, then by all means start a thread on it. I do not recall Microsoft inviting Sony to get a responce on xBox Elite... I think it was for just reporters only..

              Comment

              • Onimua
                Senior Member
                • Apr 2005
                • 4572

                #8
                If there's a Halo version of the Xbox 360, then I'll probably get that. If not, then I'll probably get this. For right now, I'm' happy with my current one.

                Definitely tempting, though.
                Congratulations on the death of vBulletin, Internet Brands.

                Comment

                • Neal-UK
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2004
                  • 935
                  • 5.6.4

                  #9
                  So what's the specs on this new console? I was going to go for a PS3, maybe i'd be best waiting....
                  [URL="http://www.aviationweb.net/"]Aviation Web[/URL="http://www.aviationweb.net/"]

                  Comment

                  • Wayne Luke
                    vBulletin Technical Support Lead
                    • Aug 2000
                    • 73981

                    #10
                    Aside from the hard drive it is the same specifications as current XBOX 360 consoles according to xbox.com.

                    Translations provided by Google.

                    Wayne Luke
                    The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
                    vBulletin 5 API

                    Comment

                    • Vile
                      Senior Member
                      • Jul 2002
                      • 2779
                      • 3.6.x

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Wayne Luke
                      Aside from the hard drive it is the same specifications as current XBOX 360 consoles according to xbox.com.

                      http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x...htm?WT.svl=nav
                      Yes, the changes are the size of the hard drive and the addition of the HDMI port.
                      Webmaster / Administrator
                      www.MegaGames.com
                      www.MGForums.com

                      Comment

                      • Zachery
                        Former vBulletin Support
                        • Jul 2002
                        • 59097

                        #12
                        Wayne, it has HDMI as well.

                        Comment

                        • Wayne Luke
                          vBulletin Technical Support Lead
                          • Aug 2000
                          • 73981

                          #13
                          Microsoft states they are only including a cable in the new package. That implies it had HDMI capabilities before, just no cable. The cable is probably cheap and will be replaced anyway so really has no additional value.

                          Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite
                          Xbox 360™ Elite is the newest addition to the Xbox family that includes a huge 120GB hard drive (the largest available for any gaming console), a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable, and a premium black finish. The Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox LiveĀ® headset.
                          They should have made it $599 (USD) and included the HD-DVD player instead of the standard DVD in the same box. Now the HD-DVD player doesn't match the black case.
                          Translations provided by Google.

                          Wayne Luke
                          The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
                          vBulletin 5 API

                          Comment

                          • Vile
                            Senior Member
                            • Jul 2002
                            • 2779
                            • 3.6.x

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Wayne Luke
                            Microsoft states they are only including a cable in the new package. That implies it had HDMI capabilities before, just no cable. The cable is probably cheap and will be replaced anyway so really has no additional value.



                            They should have made it $599 (USD) and included the HD-DVD player instead of the standard DVD in the same box. Now the HD-DVD player doesn't match the black case.
                            They already commented on this, and said that they wanted to keep the HD DVD Drive separate and did not want to bundle it, because they didn't want to "force" people to pay for the HD DVD drive since not everyone wants it, and those that do can buy the external.
                            Webmaster / Administrator
                            www.MegaGames.com
                            www.MGForums.com

                            Comment

                            • Wayne Luke
                              vBulletin Technical Support Lead
                              • Aug 2000
                              • 73981

                              #15
                              Then they need a black external as well. An internal option would have been nice though... Having extra peripherals just leads to things being more difficult. Since the HD-DVD isn't in black, I'll probably just get the regular silver XBOX 360. At least then everything will match.

                              Yeah, I'm being a little picky but as a consumer that is my choice.
                              Translations provided by Google.

                              Wayne Luke
                              The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
                              vBulletin 5 API

                              Comment

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