With the X-Box 360 launching a full year before either of the other next-gen (this-gen?) consoles, Microsoft must have found it hard to stay in the limelight. Sure, the 360 had the highest holiday sales, but no one was lining up at four AM to find one, and, as a proven success, there was little speculation regarding 360 titles. But now, with a new name and new features, the X-Box 360 Elite just jumped back into the discussion.
As rumored for months, one of the major changes for new console will be hard drive size. The X-Box Elite will have a 120 GB drive in order to accommodate huge file sizes from the game and video X-Box Live download services. The color scheme will be switched over to black (or "premium" black, as Microsoft puts it), and the console will ship with a matching wireless controller and headset. The X-Box Elite will also have an HDMI output port and come bundled with an HDMI cable. Take that, Sony.
The new console will retail for $479 in the United States, a full $20 less expensive than the "cheap" PS3. The 120 GB harddrive plus a data transfer cable will also be released separately for $179.
Source: GameSpotDespite Sony's snotty reminder that the new X-Box still won't come with high-def DVD playback that no one has any use for anyway, this looks to me like Microsoft is giving gamers what they want. If Sony could knock the PS3's price into this range by making BluRay optional, I'd be right there. It seems ironic to me that Microsoft, the same company that insists on huge bundles for their PC products, is allowing consumers to decide for themselves whether or not they want a video game console or an entire entertainment center.
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