XBox 360 Elite

[GoodKingJayIII]

Rather, it is placed to replace the "premium" 360 and eliminate the "core" 360 version altogether.

Not true. Core and Premium are sticking around.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160875

 

[drothgery]

Not true. Core and Premium are sticking around.

If they do drop the Core, they wouldn't do it (or announce that they were doing it) until cutting the price on the Premium, because they know they need a sub-$300 version out there. I can't see MS sticking with these three SKUs indefinitely, though. With a $180 price difference between Core and Elite, it's supportable. With a $100 price gap, it's not (and with no feature changes, they'll become closer in price with each round of price cuts).

I can see a few different scenarios
1 - Core is dropped with the first big price cuts; Premium is $300; Elite is $360.
2 - Core is slightly upgraded (add a 512 MB flash memory unit to the box), and the premium is dropped; Core+ is $250; Elite is $400.
3 - Core is dropped, 'super-Elite' SKU (Elite with integrated HD-DVD and Wi-Fi) added after HD-DVD drives that do 12x DVD playback become available in 2008; Premium is $300; Elite is $360; Super-Elite is $450.

 

[Arnwyn]

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.

Believe me, if there's anyone forward looking, it's me. And since I have little interest in Live, the Elite does indeed hold little value for me.

An HDMI connector is a pretty big deal too.

Maybe... though while a recent update finally allowed the 360 to actually do 1080p, there probably won't be any games that'll use it... Does anyone know if that USB HD-DVD add-on allows for 1080p?

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.

Exactly so. Ragging on Sony while lauding MS because of price is more than a little disingenuous. A simple economic analysis very clearly shows that either 1) if you're interested in online or 2) feature-for-feature, the cost of owning a 360 is much higher than the PS3 over the system's expected life. Considering MS, this is not unexpected.

There are a lot of reasons to hate Sony, but the price of the PS3 ain't it. (Not saying anyone in this thread is doing so...)

 

[Vocenoctum]

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.

I dunno, aside from the more rabid fans, I haven't seen any MS love based on this new model. It's just another option. A lot of the PS3 hate has to do with paying for stuff people don't want, vs getting more options from MS as to what you actually want. The Elite was obviously brought out to compete more directly with the PS3, and is still cheaper.

 

[TwistedBishop]

I certainly won't be getting an Elite. The HDMI port would be nice to upscale my standard def DVDs, but it's not needed for games. And already I barely use my HDD for anything except saves and demos.

 

[Lazybones]

I'll get an elite if and when my current 360 craps out. I know that unfortunate accident can happen pretty much at any time, but I'm certaintly not going to root for it.

I am actually more interested in the die shrink and rumors of quieter DVD drives coming down the pipeline than in the bigger HD and HDMI. I can probably fill the larger HD (can't we all) but right now streaming media from my server PC with its 410 GB of drives is a much better solution. I occasionally have to delete old demos to make room for new stuff but that's not that big a deal.

 

[GlassJaw]

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!

It comes with an HDMI cable, which is part of the reason why the Elite is a good deal.

 

[John Crichton]

It comes with an HDMI cable, which is part of the reason why the Elite is a good deal.

I don't trust one bit that the cable is of any decent quality. The component cables boxed with the Pro were terrible.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I don't trust one bit that the cable is of any decent quality. The component cables boxed with the Pro were terrible.

Expensive HDMI cables are a scam. The thing with digital signals is its either a good signal, or its no signal - the only difference might be in durability, but 99% of the time, you'll plug it in once and that's it. You can get HDMI cables for under $10 online, and for under $30 at Target (which is where I got mine), and they will look just as good.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

So as someone seriously considering a 360, what model should I consider? A few things:

1. I don't own an HDTV
2. Not sure I care about XBox Live (though I really like XBLA)
3. Do I really need 120G of hard drive space for games?

A lot of the games I'm liking are (to the best of my knowledge) primarily single-player: Oblivion, Mass Effect, GTA IV, and so forth. A friend claims that XBL "makes the system." Is XBL still worth it even if I'm not engaging a lot in the multiplayer? What's the price for an account?