OK, it’s all true. The Xbox Elite in it’s ‘Good Guys Wear Black’ outfit has been confirmed by Microsoft and everything you read here on Gizmodo and elsewhere prior to this has come true, like a Fairy Godmother's wish.
It features an in-built HDMI port, a much needed 120GB hard disk drive, black headset, black wireless controller and more, importantly, a range of bundled cables designed to embarrass Sony. Top of the list is the bundled HDMI cable which Sony has taken some flak for not bundling with the overpriced PS3. Instead, Sony wants an extra £18 for it’s ‘official cable’. Microsoft is also throwing in component and composite cables, as well.
The new system goes on sale in the US from April 29 for $480 – just $80 more than the existing high-end model. Microsoft will also be offering the 120GB hard drive as a standalone peripheral for the rest of the Xbox 360 users who have needed a bigger HDD for some time. Asking $180 for it though seems a bit steep.
No UK availability or prices yet but I’ll keep you posted. Full details of what you get with Xbox Elite after the jump.-Martin Lynch
Xbox Elite Key Features
* Xbox 360 Elite console: The Xbox 360 Elite is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p, like any Xbox 360), 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 huge 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, extra game levels, demos and other content available from Xbox Live Marketplace.
* Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (black): The sleek black finish of this high-performance wireless controller matches the style of the Elite Console. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of 30 hours on two AA batteries.
* Xbox 360 headset (black): Now available in black, the headset lets you strategize while playing together online or trade taunts with your opponents. You can also send voice messages to friends on Xbox Live.
* Xbox 360 HDMIcable: New to Xbox 360, HDMI lets you 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. Subscribe to this premium service and engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor your matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, chat with more than one person at a time, and take advantage of unique privileges in Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade.
news technology gadgets games xbox console PS3
Post a new comment
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
RSS Feed
Comments
Is it any quieter? Does not matter how big the bloody drive is, or how it connects to the telly, you can not watch a movie on the current one!
Quieter and Cooler would be a start
how it connects to the telly?
via Component or hdmi surely.
Ive watched movies on my current xbox too, duno what you mean :o
less you dont have a component In on your TV..
Bah.. I thought it was going to play Elite. That would have been cool.
Why did doesn't Mircosoft fit it with the HD-DVD Drive instead of having it as a Usb plug in. That would make it Elite in my eyes, new paint job doesn't fool me!
Basically this is a big kick in the teeth for early adopters of the xbox 360, had i have waited for a couple of years i could have bought an elite modle for the same price as premium. Dissapointing Microsoft, but im still gonna get one, will microsoft provide a service for transfering game saves from tour old hard drive to the new one or do i have to go out and get a memory card? and will i be able to transfer my gamer card and live profile accross?
In response to Dr Killkrazy, if you didnt expect something like this to happen you're pretty naive. It happens with almost every console, the PSX had the PSone, the PS2 had the Slimline version, etc. There's always a V2 so to speak of most consoles, I'd put money on the same happening to the PS3 eventually.
Hey Dr. Microsoft said the detachable HDD kit comes with everything you'll need to transfer all your data from the internal Xbox drive to the new one.
Chris...well, yeah, but not 18 months after they were released!
would it b possible 2 use an imported 120gb hard drive on a uk machine
When does the xbox elite come out because my birthday is like 3 weeks away and i want it for then but it would be pointless in getting it if i am just going to wait til it comes out
"Rumours of an upgraded version of the XBOX 360 Console (codenamed Zephyr) have been circulating for a while..."
Official XBOX 360 Elite details