More on the Xbox 360 Elite

The latest in Game Consoles will hit the streets on April 29th, 2007 from Microsoft in the form on the Xbox 360 Elite. On March 28th Microsoft announced the release of their latest gaming system and Xbox Live's Major Nelson Radio helped break the news with a special Podcast and interview from Albert Penello on the Elite. You can also check out Tina Wood's excellent video interview with Albert Penello, featuring the Xbox 360 Elite, from On10.Net.

So what's new and who should buy the Elite? At first glance, not much is different from the first two 360's on the block. They are almost the same machine on the inside. It has been stated that the motherboard is more and likely redesigned and this has to do with the changes for adding the HDMI ports. Claims have been made that the inside has been reworked a bit to help with keeping it cooler inside too. It still uses the same 90nm processor chips as the existing 360's, so we will not see those improvements till later in the year.

What is different then is the larger Hard Drive for one and as mentioned the addition of the HDMI port. Next is the cost for the Elite, coming in at an extra $79 compared to the Premium addition. So you'll get an extra 100 gig of space, HDMI, and perhaps some possible improvements on the way the insides are put together.

Who should buy it then? This is really for the new game console buyer, the person who doesn't have a console and is looking to get into a game console. This a perfect upgrade for a first generation Xbox user, who can leap from the existing 360 and move into the Elite. This is a really an answer from Microsoft to stop someone from thinking about moving into a Sony PS3 as well.

Microsoft has also stressed that the quality of the Elite is suppose to be of the highest for what they plan as their latest and cutting edge Game Console option. So although the Elite is very close to the existing 360's out there, the improvements should be considered a viable option for someone that has been interested in the Xbox 360 platform and playing online games.

Newsflash: Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system that includes a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller, and Xbox Live® headset.

The sleek Xbox 360 Elite is a digital entertainment powerhouse.

Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox Live Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience.

Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit, and the Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery Pack, will be available separately. The Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories are expected to begin arriving in U.S. stores on April 29.

"Today's games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "Xbox 360 Elite's larger hard drive and premium accessories will allow our community to enjoy all that the next generation of entertainment has to offer."

Distinguished by its black finish and signature metallic detailing, Xbox 360 Elite will have an estimated retail price1 of $479.99 (U.S.), and comes packed with components and accessories for the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience.

The Elites prepare for launch

Microsoft is about to release news on the latest version of the Xbox 360. More and more news begins to surface and from people that have the ears of Microsoft too. Its harder and harder for those to respond with its not official or this will be another April Fools joke.

Dean Takahashi writes for the Mercury News and wrote the books Opening the Xbox and Xbox 360 Uncloaked and is someone that has the contact with key players at Microsoft. So when he released his latest story about the Xbox 360 Elite, I think we all should take note that this is coming and is for real.

The Xbox 360 Elite is an improvement on the current versions and should help boost sales of the Xbox 360. Coming out in a limited cycle and for only $80 more than the current version. It should do quite well and if it had the cooler 65nm processor, it would be a slam dunk for Microsoft. Here is what we should expect from the Elite.

• The Elite will be limited quantities only; that may be as much or as little as a couple hundred thousand.
• The case, controller, and Live headset will all be black. It will have all new packaging.
• Elite will cost $479, and will be a 3rd SKU; it will be sold alongside Premium and Core packs.
• Eventually Elite hardware (in white plastics) will take the role of the Xbox Premium. That is to say, after the Elite is launched and sold out, future Xbox Premiums will have 120GB / HDMI.
• We do not yet know exactly when 120GB / HDMI will become the standard for Premium, but it is loosely estimated to be late summer or fall.
• Elite models run cooler than normal 360s, but they are not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips.
• Prices may remain the same with the 120GB / HDMI hardware upgrade in the Premium Xbox, but we may still see a price cut on the line when 65nm chips start shipping.
• The HD DVD drive will not be internal or bundled -- Microsoft never did or nor does not currently have plans to put an HD DVD drive in the 360.
• There are no current plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premiums (although that can always change).

Part of me wants to go ahead and get an Elite, but at the same time I'm thinking I should hold of just a bit and wait for the cooler 65nm processor. The new processor could help cut costs and will keep the Xbox cooler and keep crashing down and the need to send it off for repairs. No matter what, good things are coming between now and the end of the year.

I wanna Rock! Rock!

If you know the words to Twisted Sisters, I wanna Rock!, then it could help explain one of the latest crazes to hit the video game world. Guitar Hero & Guitar Hero 2, from RedOctane software, places you at center stage and Rocking out to some of your favorite rock songs.

My buddy told me this game was awesome and to hear him talk along with my co-workers, and even hearing the interviews from RedOctane staff, about the upcoming Xbox 360 version, I was still skeptical about the whole thing. So my friend kept telling me I just had to see it to really grasp how much fun it can be.

Last night I took center stage and had my first lesson and I was about to throw the guitar mentally across the room. The notes came flying down the screen and I barely made it out of the tutorial and into the first set of songs. I butchered my first couple tries at Shout at the Devil and barely recovered. I used to listen to this stuff and I could hold my own with the air guitar, so what was my problem here? Could it have been a little stage fright? Why did I have a death hold on the simple Green, Yellow, and Red frets?

Perhaps this is something that all Rock Stars go through, the nervousness I suppose. I wasn't about to become a No-hit Blunder. I wanna Rock! Time to reload the song and rock my way to the next song. I found if I relaxed a bit and just listened to the song, it would help out a lot, in most cases. I did alright and he was correct, this was a lot of fun.

The Xbox 360 will release RedOctane's version of Guitar Hero 2 around April and with the exclusive Gibson Explorer guitar. All of the standard songs from Guitar Hero 2 will be available on the Xbox 360 with an additional 10 bonus tracks exclusive to the 360 only.

Xbox 360 exclusive tracks
01 "Possum Kingdom" - Toadies
02 "Salvation" - Rancid
03 "Life Wasted" - Pearl Jam
04 "Billion Dollar Babies" - Alice Cooper
05 "Hush" - Deep Purple
06 "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" - Rick Derringer
07 "Dead!" - My Chemical Romance
08 "The Trooper" - Iron Maiden
09 "Drink Up" - Ounce of Self
10 "Kicked to the Curb" - Noble Rot

Lots of extras should also be available for download from Xbox Live and help provide hours upon hours of rocking entertainment.