So after months of speculation and purported spy shots, it’s finally admitted; the new Black XBOX 360 is for real. For months, people have been speculating about a new “Elite” XBOX 360 that will take care of a lot of advantages the PS3 had: Integrated HD-DVD, HDMI output, bigger hard drive, a cooler, quieter system, free online gameplay, etc, etc…
Instead, we are offered a system that for about $100 more than the current Premium, adds a 120GB hard drive and HDMI output. That’s it. Oh, and the plastic is a greyish black colour…
To put it in perspective, I have drawn up this nifty table comparing the specs of all three XBOX 360 systems that are available:
| XBOX 360 Core | XBOX 360 Premium | XBOX 360 Elite | |
| Hard Drive | None | 20 GB | 120 GB |
| Headset | None | Yes | Yes |
| Media Remote | None | Not anymore | Yes |
| Gamepad | Wired | Wireless | Wireless |
| HDMI Output | No | Yes* | Yes |
| Component Cables | No | Yes | Yes |
| XBOX Live Account | Silver | Silver | Silver |
| Fab Process | 90nm | 90nm | 90nm |
| Integrated HD-DVD | No | No | No |
| Integrated Wifi | No | No | No |
| Plastic Colour | White | White w/ Chrome | Who cares? |
| MSRP | $299 | $399 | $479 |
| Lowest Price Online | $280 | $373 | $481 |
* = in the latest versions found in stores today
o looking at the specs side to side, we see not only what the Elite version adds, but more importantly what it doesn’t add. Fab process is still 90nm, so it’s the same hot processor that the other consoles have; the Elite should be just as noisy and hot as any other XBOX 360. You still get a Silver Live account, with a 1 month trial of Gold. Could that not have at least included a 1 year Gold subscription for the Elite? Integrated HD-DVD is nowhere to be found, but I am not going to blame them too much for that. XBOX 360 is clearly a gamer’s system first, and a media player… well… 3rd at best. Plus HD-DVD is very likely going to lose the war, so I don’t blame MS for not wanting to invest too much into it anymore.
Integrated WiFi is nowhere to be found, so you’re left having to buy one of those for $90 if you want WiFi access.
So for the extra $100, you truly get nothing more than a hard drive, which game developers can’t really use to its full potential anyway, since games have to be developed without the hard drive in mind for owners of the Core System. Instead, you are able to fill a bigger hard drive with more content purchased from XBOX Live. Woo-hoo!
And you get an HDMI cable, even though the component cables are perfectly suitable for games in 720p and 1080i. Update: As of now, Premium Edition consoles come with HDMI output. This makes the Elite version even more retarded, as the one advantage it did have has now been negated. The HDMI cable does enable 1080p for HD-DVD but remember that the Elite doesn’t even have an HD-DVD player. You’ll have to buy the addon for about $190.
And it’s black, so it will stand out like a sore thumb in your A/V setup. Remember when black video game consoles were cool? Welcome to 2001!
Yes it’s true. The XBOX 360 Elite is the new “Retard Edition”. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to buy one of these, especially to replace their current system. If you already have an XBOX 360, you will be able to just buy the 120GB hard drive for $179.99, so I guess Microsoft will say that you’re actually saving $80 by going with the Elite! Never mind the fact that a 120 GB SATA Notebook drive should normally be under $100.
i have both 360 and ps3 as of right now i play the 360 more .. way more. because it has way more titles out right now. such as gears of war, unreal tournament 3 is comming out, call of duty 4 modern warfair, devil may cry 4, grand theft auto 4 and gutitar hero 3 both came from sony to 360 and not to mention halo 3 which has over 1 million pre orders and still is about 2 months from release. the online community (movies, tv shows, demos, trailers, ect) destroys the ps3s. many of you guys are speaking without knowing all the facts or are just plain fanboys for the xbox or playstation. what i am getting at is if you want to spend the money for the elite go for it, it is only $80 more. as for the war between 360 and ps3 it is in microsofts hands but the ps3 has a chance to regain the title because they did just come out.it is an ongoing war between all consoles that will never end no matter what is said. if you are smart you will agree if not you are just very narrow minded.
[...] has a sweet bundle deal going on now for the recently-reduced XBOX 360 Elite Edition. Sure, we called the Elite the new Retard Edition, but at this price it’s too good a deal to pass up. Included in the bundle [...]
if u ppl could pick a console (xbox 360 white or xbox 360 elite) which console would u prefer?
I purchased an xbox360 about 10 months ago, I loved that consoled dearly. As of two days ago, the system began to freeze during game-play and finally yesterday it produced the infamous “red ring”. I spoke with Microsoft and I will be sending my 360 in for repair covered by the 3 year expanded warranty. I just bought a ps3 which I’m extremely happy with, however, despite my new system and my altercations with my xbox, my 360 will always be my baby. For those considering to invest in a 360, at this point in time I believe that the elite version would be a more solid investment than the premium, due to the fact that the elite at least for the time being seems to be less vulnerable to the red ring of death than the premium version, I sincerely hope Microsoft gets their act together in tern of product quality, because the 360 is a great system with tremendous potential.
I got my Elite from Dell on their ‘Dell Days of Deals’ it was just $499CDN AND it came with Halo3 (preorder)! :D Plus I went through http://www.airmilesshops.ca and earned 50 AIRMILES on my purchase :)
Its gonna arrive today. Cant wait! Just one question, I have winXP and want to stream all my videos and mp3s through the xbox. Is it doable or do i need windows media center?
hemiboy, there is a way to stream without WMC, however you cannot copy files directly on to the hard drive (you need to put the MP3/vid on to cd).
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/knowledgecenter/howto/mp11/Xbox360toWMP11XP_StepbyStep.aspx
theres a link to microsofts help
hey ty for the info i have been searching every where to find out the differences are so since i dont have any system besideds a ps2 i will just buy an elite thanks
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[...] on a disc. That version is $279.99. Finally, there is the Elite Edition (or as we call it, the New Retard Edition) which is exactly like the Premium, but is black and has a 100GB more hard drive space for an extra [...]
right your all banging on about black is best no white is just by a tin of black paint spray and spray the white black.save money .. the point the guy is trying to make is xbox360 and the xbox elite its the same just different colour. so what the elite as hdmi that’s it … 3 day ago i had my 36o back from Microsoft because the red ring of death and today its going back because the r.r.o.d after 2 hour’s game play…think ill try my luck with a ps3 instead
you lot have nowt to worry about the elite over here(uk) is near double what you pay for it its cheaper to buy premium and on a seperate hard drive as you get four games bundled in to boot,europe excluding rip off britain has lowered the price so here the elite is the same price as the lower end ps3
just for your info and every one else the elite is running at 65nm not 90nm
I have the Elite system and yes it is a load of crap i cant believe i spent that money. I had a generation 1 Xbox 360 which i loved and thought this would be better…. WELL IT ISNT Bill Gates has really wasted my time. I now own a PS3 as well as the elite and there is no competition. I’m sorry to say this as i love X box but i gave in. The X box system is great but stay away from the elite…..
There is virtually no difference between the elite and the first generation, all it does is look slicker, and have a bigger hard drive, all of which are not really necessary. Unless you are storing full-length movies on your 360, why would you need 120 gb of space. I am just gonna stay with my regular xbox.
so do i have to by the extra hd dvd player in order to watch hddvd’s on an 360 console
yup pete, it’s cause microsoft knew all along that hd dvd would probably lose the new “disc battle” they didn’t want to integrate them into all of the systems and have them phase out. pretty clever really. they should’ve made the players cheaper though:(
Everything else in my AV rack is black, so I like the black color of the new Xbox 360 Elite. However, it is still the “Retard Edition” for lack of value added. Major toolage from MS.
To PS3PWNSXBOXN
“lol to “Tom”
Dude, Xbox 1.5 (elite or not) has nothing can compare to PS3 – PS3 just beats xbox 1.5 (again w/e elite or not) in everyway. We can ven play PS3 games like dam wii with our six-axis controller, can you do that on xbox 1.5?”
I’m sure if you ask any Xbox 360 owner, 100% of them would not give a fuck about not having “six-axis” abilities.
“oh about the online service you say, PS network is complete free with voice chat support, almost all the PS3 games come with multiplayer function now, Resistance: Fall of man, which is the earlist PS3 first person shooting game – support 40 people death match and it’s absolutely free to play on PSN, not mention PS HOME is on beta now (assume you know what PS HOME is ;), do you really think the cheap solution of xbox live (with monthly fee) stands a chance?”
I’d rather pay for Xbox Live, which is multitudes better than Playstation Network. More people, better games, better features … it’s just … better.
“Wipe your eyes and see how xbox 1.5 become a shame, buddy.
My suggestion: trade in your xbox 1.5 white and get a PS3.”
My eyes are quite clear and I’ll be keeping my 360, thanks.
Oh by the way, learn to use periods instead of littering commas throughout your giant run-on sentence.
I got the Xbox 360 Elite because I own an HDTV that outputs 1080p. The Elite COMES with an HDMI Cable. If I had gotten the Premium system, yes, this would come with an HDMI Output, but I would have to buy Microsoft’s HDMI cable pack for $50 more.
In my mind this bumped the Premium System price up to $400.
Xbox Premium with HDMI Attachment: $400
Xbox Elite with Attachment Included and 100GB MORE …………… $450
The choice was obvious. The Elite was a better Value due to the simple fact that the HDMI CABLE was included with the elite package.
Why not just buy a normal HDMI cable for $10?
Re: “Why not just buy a normal HDMI cable for $10?”
If you can tell me a retailer where I can get an HDMI cable for $10 (not ebay) – I will bow down to you as the god that found the most awesome deal on the planet.
A good HDMI Cable these days costs at least $70. (Monster Cable)
While it’s not quite as good as a monster cable Microsoft’s HDMI Package (that comes in the box with the elite) sells for $50 – and it comes with an additional attachment that allows one to output audio only through the once AV Jack (outputs Digital Optical Audio Out & Standard Red/White jacks).
If your audio reciever does not have an HDMI input, but your TV supports HDMI Video, you NEED microsoft’s package to output Digital Optical quality sound.
Needless to say, if your audio receiver has HDMI capability, or you are satisfied with the sound that is output through your HDTV thru the HDMI cable (I don’t know who that’d be)… all you need is the HDMI Cable.
So the answer to your question is: Microsoft’s $50 package gives you all of the audio options that should be included with the XBOX 360:
-HDMI Audio Out
-Digital Optical Audio Out
-Red/White Composite Audio Out
Steve Waters, Monster Cable is the Bose of the cable world. That is, it’s overpriced junk designed specifically as an impulse buy at checkout that makes the $100 it costs pale in comparison to the thousands in components you just bought with it. Go to monoprice.com to see HDMI cables that will work just as good as your monster cable for like $4.
Also: Here’s a link to what I’m talking about with microsoft’s HDMI bundle that is included with the Elite. It allows more versatility with your audio connection:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hdmiavcable/
“Utilize the Optical/RCA Audio adapter for enhanced sound in non-HDMI supported stereo systems. Feel confident connecting your console to high-definition equipment with the quality you expect from an authentic Xbox® product.”
If you think you need a Monster brand HDMI cable, I’m afraid you’ve been severely misinformed.
A good quality cable can be found at places like http://www.monoprice.com which has a very good reputation.
When you pay anything more than $10 for a reasonable cable, every penny you put in over that $10 goes to nothing but marketing and profit.
A good TOSlink optical cable would be less than $10 as well. Check around.
The link you have provided to monoprice.com is Excellent! Thanks for this link, it will save me tons of money when I need to purchase another HDMI cable (once I upgrade my sound system)
Thanks Again.
From reading this article it sounds to me like the dude who wrote it hates black consoles. WTF?!? Even the PS3 is black, so WTF? And there is one other difference that the ELITE console has which he failed to mention: the ELITE has an extra heatsink which ensures that it doesn’t overheat as easily.
I have nothing against black consoles. I think the black PS3 looks much better than the white or silver ones. I think the black XBOX 360 actually looks a bit nicer than the regular white one.
But to pay almost $100 extra for black and useless hard drive space? That’s what makes it retarded. There are no extra heatsinks compared to the normal Premium now.
Interesting how you failed to mention the elite COMES BUNDLED with the HDMI cable which is $50 separately. The other sku’s do not come with this.
If you spend more than $10 on an HDMI cable, you are making a HUGE mistake. Don’t buy that crap they sell at the electronic stores. Order a good quality cable for $6-10 from Monoprice or somewhere else.
I wanted to see and upgrade to the 360 elite, to the hardware itself, not the dvd player but the chipset and motherboard that cooks and fries itself (the ring of death).
I know three people with a 360 and four with a ps3.
Two of the three 360s were down with the ring of death.
zero ps3s down so far.
If your going to call it the elite, it needs more that a paintjob and hd space.
“Instead, we are offered a system that for about $100 more than the current Premium, adds a 120GB hard drive and HDMI output.”
I dunno, $100 for a 120GB HDD + HDMI output sounds like a bargain to me. Usually that would cost twice as much.
You’re right: you Don’t know.
Twice as much? Stop huffing glue and check prices for yourself before posting like you know what you’re talking about.
A 5400rpm 250gb 2.5″ Hdd is 130 bucks in my local big box retailer, Now.
A Solid State 2.5″ 60gb Hdd is $400 (”twice as much”).
So yeah, if you wanted the most bleeding edge hard drive (which doesn’t work in your 360, but will work in my PS3), then by all means, go ahead and blitz the cash on a drive that costs as much as the PS3, lol.
I’m an Australian and I know where I stand. The elite here with three games (Halo 3, Gears of War, Saint’s Row) costs around $649. Bundles for the PS3 including one game (eaither MGS4 or GTA4) are $749.95 (or still a massive $699 without a game). And this is the cheap shitty 40gb PS3 we’re talking about too. The one where they even dropped emulation support for PS2 games essentially meaning you’re buying an expensive media player that plays the few decent titles Australia has access to. And did I mention pretty much every game worth buying on the PS3 apart from Metal Gear Solid IV is also here on the 360? It’s really a no-brainer for me. I want my console for games, not some damned overprice DVDs that show movies in a resolution so high it’ll only matter on displays I can’t afford.
I read someone above talk about the motion sensitive controls of the PS3 controller. So what? I’m yet to see it employed successfully in anything other than one or two crappy games anyways.
As far as I’m concerned the PS3 became an expensive media player/paperweight the moment Sony dropped emulation support. Hell I was annoyed about hearing of the emotion engine getting cut… And then I hear several games said to be exclusives for PS3 have gone multi-platform as well. The Final Fantasy main series is Sony’s alone no more. As far as I’m concerned Microsoft seems to be constantly improving what the 360 has to offer, while Sony’s dropping more and more features faster than they’re dropping their price leading me to personally feel that Sony feels nothing wrong with ass-raping all the Sony fanboys of Australia.
In the days of PS2 vs. XBox I preferred the PS2. These days? A PS2 and my new xbox 360 elite. Did I mention I’m an RPG nut and PS3 has shit all in the name of exclusives? It had the entire back catalogue on PS2, but then Sony had to pull that shit recently… The 360 though has a few, and while several have become ported to the PS3, it’s still a few RPGs short of even vaguely interesting to me.
Play whichever console you like, but as far as I’m concerned the three dual cores of my 360 elite are great enough for any game I want to play. :D
ok wait, black consoles are bad, they stick out like sore thumbs? HOLD ON, my entire auido/video setup is black! including my TV, DVD/stereo receiver and tv stand. tell me in what way, a black console would stick out like a sore thumb….
So….just cause its black….its more retarded?
Racists……
anyway….
umm….everyone knew the Elite was a waste of time other than the black thing…everyone likes black….grow up you stupid 60 year olds developing these things
Wow. I bet you feel like a retard now with the NXE you can save games onto your hard drive for virtually instant load times and no disk drive noise. I only have the premium but i am buying the 120 gig hard drive which is 100 bucks so the elite is really worth it because its like buying the hard drive but also getting a cooler looking console and controller. Because shit i also plan on painting my 360 black and printing a gears stencil to put in red on the top (doesn’t void warranty either). Oh yeah and original xbox games take up a lot of space so it is also good for that.( most likely a better deal since it’s only like 10 buck ms points and more likely higher in stores). So yeah i bet you’re just some butthurt ps3fag or Wiifag that doesn’t like that the 360 is cheaper with more capabilities.
Christ, people are still adding to this?
360 still doesn’t present the experience I get out of PS3. A G25 with a gated shifter and clutch pedal made for the PC, or there’s now the Porsche wheel which is even better and still doesn’t work with Forza 2. Instead you’re forced to use, the McWheel.
I don’t give a shit if it’s wireless, I want the wheel, the pedals and the shifter. 360 is a cheap alternative with all the same games.
This is why I own a PC. Because I don’t need to invest in ‘the cheap alternative’.
I’m fortunate enough to wire my hardware direct to the home entertainment, so I get everything the 360 offers, including the controller, if I so choose.
All this and I still play online for free.
I’ve upgraded the PS3 to a 250gb, which cost a $130.
I use it as an everything player, and although the new ones don’t have the emulation support (a big mistake imo) the system still accepts more plugins than Photoshop.
The 360 is a cheap system to begin with and doesn’t offer anything I don’t have on a PC.
I’m happy you have Fable 2 on 360. Nothing is exclusive (for long) on 360. Were I truly concerned to play any 360 title Before it reached PC, I can always buy the game, and use an emulator.
Fancy that.
Now here’s a quick sidenote: Y’know all the articles talking about piracy and the PC? Any of you ever notice typically the articles are citing 360 games?
Fancy that.
PS3s suck in the way I find most important. Games.
For every game on the PS3, there seems to be a dozen Xbox 360 games. Or here in Australia anyway. I own a 360, a Wii AND a PS3 and apart from using the PS3 as a cool multimedia box or installing Linux on it so it can be used like a PC, it doesn’t do anything for me. Blue Ray? I don’t got the cash or space to store a screen big enough for me to tell the difference between DVD and blue ray resolution.
The 360 plays almost all of the better new games out (I only really need the PS3 for a few titles that do manage to be exclusive like Valkyria Chronicles amongst a couple others) and the Wii plays all the good old skool titles which are often better than anything new despite their outdated graphics/sound/gameplay.
I have a few PCs myself, and I can tell you that I don’t believe you’ll be emulating any 360 games any time soon even if you have a modern mainframe. Why? Because there aren’t any good emulators around. Unless of course you know someone who worked on the Xbox360 and they gave you something not available to the public or something…
But then that defeats the purpose of you saying that as no-one bar you could emulate them.
What you called a ‘cheap alternative’ can play games a lot better than a similarly priced PC. It also saves the hassle of wondering whether or not a game will work on your hardware.
I personally don’t mind shelling over some pocket money for a quality online service. You get what you pay for there. And don’t diss the McWheel. If you can’t win with the cheaper peripherals, chances are you suck at the games anyways. =)
[...] audio output. This cable sells for about $50. That said, the Elite Edition certainly isn’t retarded as it was when it cost $479.99, and seems like a sensible purchase considering you can’t [...]
Yeah the pro edition is by far the best.
If you want a black console, paint your pro, just like I did.
But im noy even gonna go into painting and all
Just wanted to give a suggestion.
what do you mean the elite should be louder??? i have one along with 2 white consoles which one has red ring and the other has the “This is not an xbox 360 console” error and they were at least 3 times louder than my elite.
Knowing for a FACT you can’t upgrade the HDD yourself(I have tried)and 60GB isn’t ever close to enough space,I got the 120GB and I have about 8GB left.The Elite is a way better deal,you get the HDMI cable and optical cable adapter,and isn’t everything comming in black nowdays?To say its retarded is a little too harsh,you wanna know whats retarded?PSHOME!! It takes first place in the worlds stupidest videos game ideas and all time wastes of money.If you like to play games without the jet engine sounds,download the game to your HDD,thats why its there.
A buddy of mine has been fixing them for the past year or so.
When you get under the hood… wow, the 360 is only that much more a piece of shit.
Strangely he fixes all systems… but all he receives (until recently) is 360’s… lots and lots of 360’s.
He sells them, after refurbishing them, buys broken ones off EBay too, fixes’em up, gets them running, puts new crossmembers on the chips, etc.
Sells them for a hundred bucks a pop.
It’s been quite lucrative.
So’s the PS3 compared to a modern day mid-range PC.
I always thought consoles were more about knowing your games are compatible and making the gaming aspect that much easier.
If you want a gaming machine that’s not ’shit under the hood’ you need to spend some bucks on a decent gaming PC.