Xbox 360 Elite: HDMI-enabled black unit in late April for $479, limited-edition

by Christopher Grant { Mar 20th 2007 at 11:20AM }

Update: Engadget has the scoop on the limited-edition 'Xbox 360 Elite'! (Details below.)

Looks like Game Informer's black Xbox 360 rumor wasn't so much a rumor as it was a pending exclusive in their shiny mag. Of course, GI weren't the first outlet to whisper secrets about an elusive revision of the Xbox 360 -- actually, Engadget got pics of the console's (dubbed Zephyr) HDMI port, proving its existence. Now, GI's April issue has the deets.

This news has been floating around for a couple days -- first hitting NeoGAF and subsequently our tips line -- but, Kotaku has managed to get some pics of the page and even confirmation from GI that this isn't an April Fool's hoax. So, without further delay, the specs:

Uh, it's black
HDMI port and HDMI cable (oh, you bullies!)
120GB hard drive (but you told us 20GB was more than enough!)
A $479 price tag (ouch!)
No HD-DVD integration (yup), the "format's not proven" (pssst, and it's being outsold)
The 120GB hard drive will be available for under $200 (uh, we certainly hope so!)
It's coming in "late April"

Engadget adds:

Dubbed the Xbox 360 Elite
Limited-edition; probably a couple hundred thousand units
Case, controller, and headset will be black; new packaging
Confirmed: 3rd SKU; sold alongside Premium and Core bundles
Elite runs cooler than other models
Eventually Elite hardware (in white) will replace Premium; estimated to be in late summer or fall

Our questions:

Where the hell is the built-in WiFi? Seriously. Our DS Lite has it built-in -- and DS is only $30 more than the 360's adapter! (Engadget: "There are no current plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premiums...")
~~Will this be a third SKU, or will they finally pull the Core?~~ Yeah, #3.
Will the ~~Zephyr~~ Elite release come coupled with price-drops for the other SKUs? (Engadget: "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.")
Does this model have the desirable, albeit delayed, 65nm chips? (Engadget: "not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips.")
How pissed off will early adopters be?

Tags: Elite, HDMI, xbox360elite, Zephyr

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)

colin @ Mar 20th 2007 11:54AM

sold

Quigley Guy @ Mar 20th 2007 11:27AM

I dont want it in black :(

Ross @ Mar 20th 2007 12:11PM

No HD DVD?

Sux!

Whats the point in HDMI with no HDDVD player

Intentless @ Mar 20th 2007 11:28AM

The only part that pisses me the hell off is the larger hard drive... Although my Gears Faceplate will look so much better on this one...

Frosty @ Mar 20th 2007 11:28AM

HDMI doesn't really bother me. My optical/vga combo seems to do the trick rather nicely. Harddrive would be a convenience... but I make due with the 20gb. All and all it looks like a nice spec and if I did not buy a 360 many moons ago I would probably get this one, but I've been very happy with the 360 that I currently have. The additions are conveniences to me (convenience of one cable and convenience of not having to constantly delete data when my 20 giger fills up).

Jonah Falcon @ Mar 20th 2007 11:28AM

I'm not pissed off. I have no use for the HDMI, etc. And the HD will be seperately sold.

Daniel D @ Mar 20th 2007 11:30AM

Uh So what if HD DVD is being outsold you make it sound as if "blu-ray" is a proven technology. When it isn't either.

Also if you don't want it in black then I suggest you avoid buying it in black.

Jack of No Trades @ Mar 20th 2007 11:29AM

MS is the best! Hell yea I will buy it!

Thryon @ Mar 20th 2007 11:29AM

I'll get one.

As an early adopter, I am not pissed one bit. Why should I?

PS1, PS2, Nintendo DS, Gameboy, Sega Genesis, all consoles I can remember getting redesigned....no major kicking and screaming there.

Dolla Dolla @ Mar 20th 2007 11:30AM

Hello 360 Purchase. Hot Damn.

I wish Castle Crashers was being released :(

dvdguy @ Mar 20th 2007 11:31AM

I wasn't pissed when the Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1 and PS2 were updated during their lifecycle. As a 360 owner since launch, I don't mind at all. Choices are good.

If you have a 360 and want this one, sell it or trade it in somewhere.

blamecanada @ Mar 20th 2007 11:31AM

$80 more for a larger HDD? HDMI should be added to all SKU's imo just because MS has always said that the lower 360's will be upgradeable to the higher specs. I want to see this at $400 w/ the premium accessories, and the current premium put at $300 w/ the core accessories.

Tadioku @ Mar 24th 2007 2:53PM

why did I even buy the first Xbox360 god damn it Microsoft stop acting like Apple I think I'm just going to get a PS3 and be done with this Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank, Warhawk, and Tekken looks pretty good right about now

Defenestrator2.0 @ Mar 20th 2007 11:44AM

Early adopters won't be as pissed off as late purchasers. I got a 360 in December, and I'm pissed off now that they're coming out with the Zephyr, and it's too late to return my 360.

Brandon Johnson @ Mar 20th 2007 11:34AM

No I'm not angry. If I do ever need a bigger hard drive I will just get it seperate. And I don't really need HDMI since I don't own a HDtv.

Daniel @ Mar 20th 2007 11:35AM

The 360 looks excellent hooked up via VGA, no real reason for me to be pissed.
You can always buy a 120gb drive for your old 360.
... and a can of black spray paint.

Oxybeles @ Mar 20th 2007 11:37AM

Microsoft should allow all early adopters to purchase the Upgraded unit for $100 with Trade. Maybe; $50.

chris ciancanelli @ Mar 20th 2007 11:43AM

Anyone else notice that this is in the April issue? Magazines always pull jokes like this, and I'm not saying that it is definitely a joke, but certainly up for speculation.

Myke @ Mar 20th 2007 11:37AM

Love the black, gotta rock it, Son of a B!!!!!

White Rose Duelist @ Mar 20th 2007 11:37AM

I'm not sure why Microsoft would be trying to make their console more like the PS3. I mean, the 360 is succeeding.

I'm almost certainly getting a 360 in the future, but with no HDTV and no plans to download large-scale content like TV programs, the Premium is more than enough for me. Just drop its price already and you'll make another sale!

Flit @ Mar 20th 2007 11:37AM

Huh. Don't know how i feel about this. Would have hoped for it to be $399 and a price drop on the other two (or get rid of core all together). I'm staying away from the 360 and ps3 until they are practical to own without making 30 small children into gold farmers to afford them.

I miss the good old days of the original xbox. Still is a great machine and didn't have 4 different sku's. (Ninja Gaiden still looks better than some ps3 games).

BillyBastion @ Mar 20th 2007 2:34PM

i have a feeling this is going to be a huge april fool's joke.

here's the problem with the game industry: even if this turns out to be true, there will be people like me who wont take it seriously until the various april fools jokes are confirmed.

perhaps if the game mag industry werent run by a bunch of poorly schooled 13 year olds, then id put more weight on their stories.

Scott @ Mar 20th 2007 11:38AM

As a buyer at launch, I'm not pissed. Just hope that the 120GB HDD is sold separately at a reasonable price.

ShaleX @ Mar 20th 2007 11:55AM

I've been playing kick ass Xbox 360 games for almost a year and a half... i wasn't pissed about the DS Lite, I'm not pissed about this.

Richard Mitchell @ Mar 20th 2007 11:38AM

"So, early adopter, how pissed are you?"

"So pissed."

:)

Billy @ Mar 20th 2007 11:39AM

I can't believe they're going to charge almost 500 for it. The 360 has been in production for over 18 months now, surely their costs have dropped considerably. The current $400 model should move to 300 or 329 or something, and this new one should be 400. The only thing you're getting is 100GB and HDMI... that's not worth an additional $80 for something that has been the same specs and the same price for 16 months.

Oh wait, I get it... they're pulling an Apple and chargin a premium simply because it's black... oh yah, that's really hip. Nevermind, I'm totally going to go out and buy ten of them now, because they're black. :P

jsn @ Mar 20th 2007 11:40AM

why would anyone be pissed? It's cool that it's in black, but I like the white one just as well. The bigger HD is moot, because is anyone REALLY going to trust putting all their media on a console? I would not, which is why I have it stored safely on the network. HDMI is nice, but certainly not a big deal since 1080p is practically meaningless, every TV still has component inputs and DRM isn't going to be a problem for years to come in HD movie formats.

BlindsideDork @ Mar 20th 2007 1:29PM

You can't compare this redesign to the redesign of the Sega Genesis or NES. Those were just adjusting the size of it and making it more compact. No improvements were made such as better output.

Tim Anderson @ Mar 20th 2007 2:28PM

Pardon my hardware lack of knowledge, but what practical benefit does the 65nm chips provide (assuming it is included)? Less heat/more efficient therefore quieter?

Dolla Dolla @ Mar 20th 2007 11:40AM

@White Rose Duelist

The Premium will drop in price, at least $50. And, if you ever do want to upgrade the HDD, you can, cause they'll be selling the 120GB separately for less than $200 (199? lol)

I knew they would have to increase the hard drive for the IPTV release in May. I just hope these have the 65nm processor.

Bman @ Mar 20th 2007 1:34PM

I wonder if it's too early to call April Fools.

Neil @ Mar 20th 2007 3:27PM

Less than $200 always translates to $199.

Tigerdirect has 120GB drives for around $95. Considering M$'s bulk buying power, they should be able to get a better price than that, and pass some of that on to the consumer.

Andy @ Mar 20th 2007 11:41AM

My question is, this being the April edition, what are the odds its an April Fools joke?

On the serious side, will this come with premium accessories like wireless controllers and all? Or will we have to shell out for that stuff also?

kris @ Mar 20th 2007 4:38PM

Story about to appear on xbox360fanboy in 3....2....1....

LongshotX @ Mar 20th 2007 11:42AM

Well I just wonder how you will transfer data from either Hard drive and whether there will be a trade in program. I also wonder if it'll be the quieter and cooler Xbox 360.

Elatis @ Mar 20th 2007 5:16PM

Too many MS plants post here. Sad people in their sad little worlds.

It's funny how people say that other companies have done this before but I ask when?

All new version of home consoles we're slimmed down and the price lowered, but new features like a larger HD and better video output were never added.

I learned from my 360 and the MS repair team to never buy MS products again. The only people that will pick this up are the geeks who love FPSs that seem to be MS's only adopters on the 360.

Andrew @ Mar 20th 2007 3:05PM

Well, we have Sony to thank for the $480 price tag, because this model is still less than the $500 core PS3. I think this is a mistake on Microsoft's part. This model should be $400. The current premium should be knocked to $300 and core be gotten rid of as it never should have existed in the first place.

For $480, this model should also include Wi-Fi, and the $100 needs to come down by at least half. I don't care either way since I wire all of my internet connections, except for my laptop and my Wii.

SyChO @ Mar 20th 2007 3:36PM

Drop the price a bit and I will get it also.

All I keep reading about is how crackdown, dead rising, halo and uhmmm... Gears of War are totaly amazing games.

---

If at some point I do buy it, I will be part of the Wii360 gang.

dolemite @ Mar 20th 2007 11:56AM

I applaud the addition of the HDMI port, but why the higher price? I guess because gamers will pay it(answered my own question), but now the 360 is damn near the same price as the PS3(my PS3 was 499). What happened to trying to lower the price, not raise it? and how many of these will be sold to current owners rather than to new customers? that is a number I'd like to see.

Phil @ Mar 20th 2007 11:45AM

Not pissed and no need to purchase:

I only have a 480P TV so I don't need HDMI.
I have an external USB hard drive that is 60GB if my current 20GB hard drive ever gets full.
I like the color of my current 360.

jsn @ Mar 20th 2007 11:45AM

and hey, if you don't like the price, don't buy it, it's as simple as that. It's only a little bit more than the premium system currently and it gives you HDMI and a bigger HD. IF those are things you wanted adn were holding off buying a 360 for, great, now you can buy one and it doesn't cost much more. IF you already have a 360, it's hardly a reason to upgrade.

Myke @ Mar 20th 2007 11:45AM

They contacted GI and the editor confirmed it was true and that there was no joke in the works, they swore on Katamari.

logikil @ Mar 20th 2007 6:41PM

I've been wrestling with whether i will be picking this up or not. I have my original launch 360 and love the thing. Now the question is whether the larger drive, hdmi, and the color are worth selling my original and using the money for the new one.

I do so like the black color and the poster above was right, the gears faceplate will look gorgeous on it.

KR @ Mar 20th 2007 11:50AM

My question:

Can we transfer stuff between hard drives if we already have the premium?

If not, piss off. MS should think ahead more than they are if this is something they didn't bother to do.

And how about that HDMI cable? So are we going to find out that MS was lying when they said the 360 was capable of HDMI and they'd release it "when the time was right?" If they weren't lying, then we should also see an HDMI adapter/cable released for the current model 360. Right?

...

Right?

joemama @ Mar 20th 2007 11:50AM

*****
OMG! Another LIE from Microsoft!
*****
They denied this repeatedly, then they come out with it. And what about all their previous statments that HDMI was unnecessary for the "HD Generation"?

Nice to see they've further punished anyone who's already invested in one of their consoles, after a record short time, and further fractured the 360 user base - those with hard drive, those without; those with HD-DVD, those without; those with HDMI, those without.

Anyone considering purchasing this system may want to wait another 9 months for the 720 to come out.

Hoffer @ Mar 20th 2007 1:04PM

HDMI isn't worth that much to me. My TV has an HDMI port, but I'm not paying $480 just to use it. The bigger hdd would be nice, but I make due with the 20 GB I have now. I usually have between 7 and 8 GBs free. So, I have room to download HD movies, demoes, trailers, etc...