New Xbox 360 and upcoming add-on HDD to include data cable?
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Mar 22nd 2007 at 11:01AM }
It looks like Microsoft might have a heart and will possibly be including a data-retention cable with the new and improved, back-in-black Xbox 360 model. Ars Technica has a line on a secret source who lets it slip that Microsoft had sent a new SKU for the upgraded unit, which specifies that this cable will be included.Additionally, the same source says that the cable will be included with the standalone 120GB HDD as well, which hasn't officially been announced yet. Will the cable and the HDD be available in both black and white? We don't want to mess up our precious gaming color scheme. We might see a rise of third-party HDD stickers and skins that'll let you dress that Xbox up in your love.
This will be a huge incentive towards getting existing Xbox owners to either upgrade their unit to the "Elite" model, or to buy the new drive, because no one wants to lose all their picture packs, arcade games, and episodes of Battlestar Galactica. We're just happy to know what we probably won't have to download that Eragon demo again. However, this sounds like one of those "use it once and you're done" items that'll soon be collecting dust in the back of a drawer somewhere, so look for 'em on eBay not long afterwards.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Virtua Fanboy @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:03AM
APRIL FOOLS!!!
Intentless @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:04AM
Yay... and boo... I don't have the money right now for either... Oh well...
rfom @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:42AM
"This will be a huge incentive towards getting existing Xbox owners to upgrade"
Couple of interesting things about this
1. After all the noise about the PS3 being expensive and "copying" features, it turns out that a more expensive 360 that copies PS3 features is a good thing. Oh, the deceit!
2. If you buy the USD100 hard disc which is proprietary for 360 (the "choice" console) OR swap your old console for new (a loss of say USD60) the cost comes close to USD500 / USD530 - so the final cost comes to almost same as the PS3 DESPITE no HD or multiplayer.
hmmm..let me think whats the spin xbots will put on this?
The most popular:
Thank you M$ for launching a year early with a low spec, high-defect, noisy, no BC console instead of those evil SONY people who supported the PS2 for 2-3 years longer and brought out games like FF12, GH2, Okami, GoW2, KH while we had ZERO good exclusives on the 360 for nearly a year.
Michael @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:16AM
Why would they sell a black version of the 120 gig hard drive? All elite models will come with one. Everyone else already has a white unit.
Chuck @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:18AM
Is Battlestar Galactica available on Live Marketplace? In high definition?
Man I gotta get me one of these 360s...
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:16AM
Ok, this kinda falls under the same type of story about the Wii with all the data transfered over. Why does everybody get ape-shit excited that a company is allowing you to keep the products/data you've already paid for? It's not like you're getting anything for free here, they're giving you a cord to keep what you ALREADY OWN. I understand that it's cool that they're making it easy (kinda) but people need to stop acting like these companies are putting forth such noble efforts for thier consumers. What did you think was going to happen? You'd have to pay for it twice?
Intentless @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:30AM
No what I thought was going to happen is I would have to transfer my data parts at a time to my memory card switch hard drives then transfer then rinse and repeat till all 10 gigs of info had been transfered over...
skullivan @ Mar 22nd 2007 5:29PM
#4 For those of us who were planning on buying the so called "Elite" and a $50 Datel Xport or some such device to go along with it in order to backup and transfer the stuff from our old 360 this IS something to get excited about. If it's true it saves me $50.
No one said anything about it being a "noble effort for thier consumers", just that it answers a question that people have had about upgrading and given MS's Xbox history I wasn't expecting to be able to transfer stuff legitimately.
XBLM stuff you can always redownload for free once you've paid for it. The issue is all your save files and such that can't be replaced.
Zamfir @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:35AM
"data retention cable"? Oh my... Glad I bought a PS3 which means that any USB cable can be used for "data retention". Love open standards, something Microsoft has never been too fond of I suppose. Time to sell my crusty 360 and "upgrade" to the newer model - that'll sure give those 360 sales numbers a boost, similar to the DS if I recall.
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:35AM
Yeah, that would have pissed me off. Thats kinda my point though, ya know, I mean when you pay this much for a piece of electronic equipment, this kind of thing should be expected and it shouldn't be viewed as a perk of any kind. I'm glad they did it, because what you just described would have sucked ass for sure, but I was just trying to dampen any 360 pwns jjooo!!!!11 comments that I had a feeling were coming.
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:38AM
"Love open standards, something Microsoft has never been too fond of I suppose."
Yeah, like the Betamax, or the UMD, those were proprietary at all...by the way, how did those turn out? If I recall, the UMD is losing multi-media support left and right as far as movies goes (nothing against the games at all) and the Betamax...well, we just won't get into that....
Adam Sutherland @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:42AM
Will I be able to download game saves to my hard drive with this cable? Could I update my sports game rosters?
Zamfir @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:43AM
"Yeah, like the Betamax, or the UMD, those were proprietary at all...by the way, how did those turn out?"
How is UMD anymore more "proprietary" than CD, DVD exactly? How was Betamax anymore "proprietary" than VHS again? What's your point? Oh, because Sony is the technology leader behind a format (versus Philips, or Toshiba, etc), then is MUST be proprietary right? Or, if a company introduces a format that doesn't take off, then that obviously makes the format proprietary? Maybe it's because I haven't had my coffee yet, but please help me, explain your logic.
Thanks for coming out, want to play again?
AirIntake @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:59AM
Why would you need a black HD? I don't think the HD's even have white plastic on them, aren't they're all silver/metallic?
Dolla Dolla @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:01PM
@Zamfir
Last time I checked, I could stick a DVD and a CD in a lot of devices to have them play.
Where else do you stick a UMD? Just asking.
AirIntake @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:02PM
@rfom
If you are unhappy with the 360, then by all means do not purchase one, enjoy your PS3, and STFU.
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:05PM
"Where else do you stick a UMD? Just asking."
Zamfir could stick it up his ass. It would play movies just about as good up there as it does anywhere else.
And if you need me to explain to you why the Betamax was an enormous mistake for Sony, then yes, you do need to have your coffee.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:07PM
it's a black limited edition. w/ the new bigger drive.
whats the big deal? you can get the same drive for your current machine, you know that came out in 2005?
HDMI is not a feature, sorry. it's an A/V connector. it doesn't change the resolution the 360 supports.
anyone who claims it's a feature has been reading the back of the PS3 box over and over again because they have no games to play.
.
Leshrac @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:08PM
I didn't think BSG was available on Live... although the season is almost over, and you can bet your ass that I won't be waiting until the last episode is on Live just so I can watch it in HD.
-Leshrac
http://alinktothefuture.com
aquazone @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:11PM
new xbox 360?
please show me a link on a microsoft page so i can read more eabout this.
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:10PM
Zamfir - Here ya go, and this is just off of Wikipedia, a site that even you should be able to find your way over to.
"A multitude of technical drawbacks along with the PROPRIETARY nature of the Betamax format hurt it in its competition with VHS, in spite of the Betamax's superior video quality. Other proprietary formats from Sony such as Memory Stick, UMD, and ATRAC have since been similarly criticized."
Done now? Just makin' sure...I'll stop back later in case you have any questions...
GJM @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:11PM
This is definitely nice for those looking to upgrade.
rfom, as a PS3 and 360 owner, I can say without a doubt, that you are full of crap. Stick with your one machine and miss out on all the great games that Wii and 360 have to offer. Right now my PS3 is only being used as a Gow2 player (not that I couldn't use my PS2).
slacker164 @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:15PM
I’m still waiting for a price drop. I don’t care what new features they throw in, the price is now almost as insane as the PS3.
IslandLife @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:16PM
Xbox 360 is becoming the new Voltron.
Dolla Dolla @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:19PM
@GJM
Do me, and all of us, a favor. GoW2 is capable of being displayed in 480p on the PS3. Could you do a comparison of it running on the PS2 and the PS3, and tell us the difference?
I'm interested.
Phranctoast @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:24PM
#24.
PS3 progressive scan through hdmi looks better than the ps2 counterpart on progrssive scan. It may be the difference between the hdmi cable and the component....
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:24PM
the harddrives are silver and gray. shouldn't be different.
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ha @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:51PM
Myke!!!!
How can you say people are getting excited when you had the 3rd comment...WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO!!!!! You did even let people weight in on it until you started bitching about it. STFU!!
Zertoss @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:27PM
I was wondering how I would go about getting all my stuff off my old 360 if I bought the new one. If they would just use the standard SATA connector instead of this silly proprietary one, then my PC could do all the work. If the new 360 comes with a cable to get it done, then great! Problem solved.
I was thinking about getting the new 360 and giving my old one away to a buddy. This is good news for me.
GJM @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:30PM
Dolla Dolla, I'm sorry, but I am WAY to lazy to do that. I'll tell you this much. My buddy watched me play GoW2 on my PS3 on my 60" SXRD via HDMI and then went home and played his copy on his PS2 on his 50" SXRD via component (480p) and said it still looked real good but slighty less so. Also, he said the rumble was a great enhancement over playing it on the PS3 with no rumble. If I wasn't already 4-5 hours is I would rather have played it on my PS2 for the rumble.
polar @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:39PM
Now to sell my old 360 to my buddy who doesn't want HDMI, and buy this new version with the cable to get all my old save games off!
AirIntake @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:59PM
@polar
I'm thinking of doing that too. My buddy couldn't care less about HDMI, a 120G HD, and the colour black. You know, he's one of those people that many Joystiq posters forget exist.
Neal @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:01PM
I understand buying this system to the people who don't yet have a 360, but to sell off your premium system, to get the black one, which offers almost nothing better than what you already have...
lol. tools.
AirIntake @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:07PM
I don't want black Neal, I want HDMI (and the bigger HD if they ever bring movies and TV to Canada), as I'm going to be buying a 1080p TV in the next year, and I'll have more choices if I don't have to worry about 1080p working over component or VGA. Saving hundreds of dollars on a TV due to greater selection will more than offset the extra I'll spend getting the 360 Elite.
ssuk @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:15PM
Yet another bad April Fools, after the extent Microsoft went to stop us from putting whatever we like on the HDD, I doubt they're just going to turn around and give us lovely gifts like this, especially around April Fools. Besides, you can just get a Sata PCI card and a sata -> sata data cable and put what you like on the HDD now anyway, hell there's even Sata -> USB for people. Shame you need signed code to run anything (and correct gamer tags).
Chris @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:34PM
See, this is why MS is playing it cool with the Xbox folks. Even if you have a Core, which I do, you can still upgrade your ride with a new hard drive and a data cable, whatever the hell that's supposed to do.
And, yes, I like my console matte beige, thank you. No frills, no chrome, and no crazy colors (like black). Just all beige, and all business, man.
Core owners ROCK.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:21PM
i hate the black. i may get the hard drive, i don't know. but it's good knowing i can if i want. and 1080p comes through component so...yawn
i feel a hundred times better about my $400 purchase in 2005 than my $600 in 2007.
.
Brian @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:34PM
I can't wait for the new HDD. Hopefully, it comes out in time for any expansion for FFXI.
razer @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:56PM
rfom: First off, MS hasn't announced anything and it's just blogs running wild with this story at this point. Also, this model is a LIMITED EDITION if it does come out. So it's not replacing anything.. You still have all the choices and price points you had in the past. This is meant to appeal to the hardcore and not the Joe Blow who buys one off the rack.. If this does come to true, you will see the price drop and all future white 360's will have the 120gig and an HDMI output. Really the only people getting hosed on this are the early adopters.
MS is smart with offering options and not making the consumer pay a high price just so they can stick a BR player in your house.
Myke @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:58PM
Um, ha? Yeah, I was anticipating a reaction like a thread that popped up several days ago in which people were praising Nintendo for something that should be expected. Hence, I was attempting to prevent the same reaction by stating the reality of the situation. You seem kinda stressed out, do you have high blood pressure?
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:24PM
rfom is the classic definition of a troll. he just leaves droppings then goes on to the next thread with the same dropping.
for example, he won't answer how the 'low-spec' 360 has a better videocard than the PS3 $200 more and a year later.
and why was all he talking about PS2 games? we're talking about THIS generation. guess he's not a european PS3 owner trying to play Okami....
.
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rfom @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:47PM
Well, I am genuinely curious. Why is it that Sony is evil becuase it "copied" some elements of 360 in Home or has a pricier console, but M$ does the same and that is fine?
"how the 'low-spec' 360 has a better videocard than the PS3 $200 more and a year later"
"better" video card, no multiplayer, no HD, minimal disc space, pathetic BC, no HDMI / wifi, obselete in 2 years, greaaaaat deal
"why was all he talking about PS2 games? we're talking about THIS generation."
Well, M$ gained a year's lead in this gen by launching a premature, low spec console. So, the PS2 got so many GREAT games, well after XBOX1's kaput.
So, when cribbing about the PS3 price, why no mention of the fact that the PS life (7-8Y) >> XBOX life (4Y).
Cost of 360 = 399 / 4Y
Cost of PS3 = 599 / 8Y
GJM @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:56PM
rfom excels at proving Darwin wrong
dusty @ Mar 22nd 2007 5:21PM
I don't think people read the comments after the first page so this post may be in vain. However, I thought it was interesting that this mistake was made:
"because no one wants to lose all their picture packs, arcade games, and episodes of Battlestar Galactica."
You can never lose your arcade games. You may have to re-download them, but you don't have to re-buy them. I have deleted over half of my arcade games just to save space, and then I re-download them when I want to play 'em.
No big deal.
RHP @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:29PM
Don't confuse something that became a standard with something that's open standards.
Sony often creates technology that they license to others in the hopes it'll become standard. It some cases they have created standards, and in other cases, they've failed to introduce new standards. Open standards to me, would be something that anyone could create based on a specification. I don't believe Sony is introducing open standards.
Betamax, UMD, ATRAC-- among others were introduced and licensed by Sony. Betamax achieved some success, but was never as popular as VHS. UMD showed initially signs of success, but has since lost support and was never widely adopted.
MemoryStick also comes to mind, and has achieved success only because Sony forces you to use it to interface with their equipment. So it's a "standard", but not open as say-- other memory options which everyone else adopted.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:02PM
thanks for revealing your age to all of us with that last post rfom.
but i'll humor you. Sony makes a hell of a lot more money selling games to 100 million PS2 owners then trying to launch a new console. but obviously they sacrificed a lot on the PS3's launch because of it.
if the PS3 doesn't sell as much as PS2, and 360 'wins' this generation, you can BET the PS3 won't last 8 years. you'll see them focus on PS4 sooner to get the lead back. see how that works?
.
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Rootbeer @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:22PM
WTF is a "data retention cable"? Is that anything like the Ethernet crossover patch cable I can buy at CompUSA for $5?
Digi Smalls @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:31PM
it's a cable to allow transferring data from your old drive to the new one.
.
rfom @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:56PM
These two comments sums up xbot reaction when all the lies and sepculation unravel
1. Attack the individual if you cant beat the logic
"rfom excels at proving Darwin wrong"
2. Spin, spin and spin
" Sony makes a hell of a lot more money selling games to 100 million PS2 owners then trying to launch a new console."
???? Drunk? Sony sold MOST of those 100 million by 2005, and they didnt need to make GoW2 for PS2. They CHOSE to support the PS2 for 8 years, even after the PS3 launch. Whereas M$ CHOSE to discontinue support in just 4 year
"If the PS3 doesn't sell as much as PS2, and 360 'wins' this generation, you can BET the PS3 won't last 8 years. you'll see them focus on PS4 sooner to get the lead back. see how that works?"
Neither of us have a crystal ball. But:
FACT NO 1: Sony has publicly stated their commitment to PS3 for 10 years - M$ HAVE NOT.
FACT no. 2: Sony does not need a PS4 becuase they CHOSE to future proof the PS3, even at the cost of a delay, heavy loss and losing exclusives, by packing it with next gen tech (BR, larger hard disc, HDMI, wifi). Whereas M$ will NEED to bring out a 361, no matter how well 360 does, becuase 2-3 years later when game sizes increase and HDTVs are common, all those tech missing in 360 (which was rushed to market) will make it obselete.
baby sea tuna @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:11PM
Man, I can't think of a worse game to use as an example of Sony's "continued support" of the PS2 than Okami...a game that was supposed to come out in like 2004 but suffered repeated delays. That's like citing Zelda:TP as a testament to Nintendo's continued support of the long dead Gamecube.
Simply retarded...