XBox 360 Elite

[Felon]

Later this month the XBox 360 Elite will be released. I am seriously considering getting one, although for whatever reason preorders aren't being offered at most online stores. Not at Fry's, Amazon, BestBuy, Target, or Gamestop anyway. EBay vendors are selling them for close to $200 over the MSRP, and Circuity City charges sales tax, so I guess I'll have to sit tight for a while.

Anyone getting one?

 

[John Crichton]

Nope. Already have a 360. Don't need the HDMI or the extra hard drive space.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

What is the difference between the standard and the Elite?

 

[drothgery]

What is the difference between the standard and the Elite?

The Elite's black, has a 120 GB hard drive instead of a 20 GB hard drive, and has an HDMI output.

 

[Arnwyn]

Nope. No value to me.

 

[GlassJaw]

People are quick to discount the Elite's "value" right now but MS is releasing for the future, not the present. There is going to be a LOT of new content on Live in the near future, especially considering the deal MS now has with Netflix among others. An HDMI connector is a pretty big deal too.

I don't have a 360 yet but I'll definitely get the Elite when I do.

 

[drothgery]

People are quick to discount the Elite's "value" right now but MS is releasing for the future, not the present.

At $480, I don't think it's a great value (though if you need the bigger hard drive, it's a much better deal than adding it later). But I'm not going to buy a new console until
1) I get an HDTV and
2) The first round of price cuts happens

And I'm certainly not spending $650 on three consoles this time, since my 'Cube basically spent three years sitting idle, and Sony made the first PS2 cuts only a few months after I got mine. But I expect that I will get a 360 at some point, and depending on pricing after the initial price cuts, the Elite's definitely under consideration.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, considering the 120 gig hard drive costs what, $180 sold separately, the Elite starts to look like a good valuel.

Still, it's funny, Sony releases an expensive console packed with stuff in it (and uses standard hard drives/peripherials), people hate them for it. MS releases an expensive console with extras that cost even more than Sony's added up, and people love them for it and can't wait to buy it.

 

[freebfrost]

People are quick to discount the Elite's "value" right now but MS is releasing for the future, not the present. There is going to be a LOT of new content on Live in the near future, especially considering the deal MS now has with Netflix among others. An HDMI connector is a pretty big deal too.

A few caveats though - you can easily hook up your 360 and your PC and store your larger files (i.e. those videos) on your PC. And HDMI is only valuable if you've got a true 1080p HDTV and are willing to shell out another $100 for a 3' long cable!

As it is, the 360 still has yet to reach beyond the "hardcore gamer" audience, unlike the WII. So while adding theses features is nice, since most of the users are tech-saavy enough to get around them, it's not likely to be an earth-shaking seller. Rather, it is placed to replace the "premium" 360 and eliminate the "core" 360 version altogether.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Still, it's funny, Sony releases an expensive console packed with stuff in it (and uses standard hard drives/peripherials), people hate them for it. MS releases an expensive console with extras that cost even more than Sony's added up, and people love them for it and can't wait to buy it.

Well I like the Elite's extras because it's still cheaper than the cheap version of the PS3.

I have my own reasons for disliking Sony. Offering up a $600 console is just icing on the cake.