Sony welcomes Xbox 360 to 'Elite' HD experience

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 27th 2007 at 7:24PM }

As word spreads that tomorrow Microsoft will apparently confirm that Xbox 360 Elite is currently being manufactured in a plant somewhere in China, Sony PR sent around a welcome message, attributed to SVP of Marketing Peter Dille:

"We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an 'elite' experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50 GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc. Sony has been the strongest advocate of high definition as the future of next-generation gaming. This requires high-definition components, including HDMI output, and large storage devices to deliver and store all that rich and vivid HD content. Microsoft's announcement ~~today~~ [er, "tomorrow"] not only legitimizes Sony's PS3 strategy, it moves us closer to adopting universal standards in the area of high definition gaming that will benefit game developers and ultimately the end user."

Clearly Dille and Sony are eager to seize this opportunity to play the leader. Sixteen months after launch -- 12 months ahead of PS3 -- Microsoft is suddenly playing catch-up. And, as Sony points out, even the 'Elite' efforts don't necessarily match up well against PS3; certainly for consumers also interested in high-definition video (on disc). Are the facts enough to sway consumers over to Sony's side -- or does PR also need to FedEx the beer and deploy the boats to win this console war?

Tags: 360, elite, harddrive, hd, hdd, hdmi, ps3, xbox360, xbox360elite

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Rob Accomando @ Mar 27th 2007 7:29PM

What about the millions of people who don't have HD, like games whether they are HD or not and still like buying Standard DVDs?

TDR25 @ Mar 27th 2007 7:31PM

Ah, nothing has changed. Sony is still pushing their hardware as the be all end all, yet Microsoft and Nintendo continue to slaughter them with better software and sales! Nothing has changed. If the HD argument was really an issue and it was something I really had to have, I would've jumped into high debt and brought both an HDTV as well as a PS3...too bad it's not an issue to me.

m ike @ Mar 27th 2007 7:30PM

well the elite will come with hdmi in the box included so sony really has nothing to talk about

dsr7997 @ Mar 27th 2007 7:44PM

Yeah they forgot the HDMI but at least Microsoft didn't forget about games unlike Sony.

m ike @ Mar 27th 2007 7:32PM

and i don;t care bout bluray or hd-dvd. i ahve been watching movies in hd off of the live service since they launched it in the fall. infact i have 2 720p movies on my hdd now i am goign to watch tonight with the wife.

all for 200 less than a ps3. funny how that works

Myke @ Mar 27th 2007 7:34PM

I love the console wars

Jason Tyra @ Mar 27th 2007 7:36PM

Sony does have a point, though. There is a reason that MS felt the need to change their system.

Johnny @ Mar 27th 2007 7:38PM

doesnt have the same impack unless done with an equally clever prank.

Dave @ Mar 27th 2007 7:38PM

"We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an 'elite' experience..."

Then how come they didn't just bundle an HDTV and HDMI cable with each PS3 and just charge everyone $4000? Oh, some people may not necessarily NEED a new TV? OH, they may not be willing to spend $4000?

By the way, doesn't an "elite" console experience require a decent game library. I guess jerking off to your new Blu-Ray player is an "elite" experience in Sony's mind.

m ike @ Mar 27th 2007 7:39PM

Jason Tyra

not cause of sony casue some people wanted a bigger hdd which they said well befor sony launched the ps3 would be comming and hdmi for 1080p.

if ms was getting rid of the 2 lower priced versiosn than fine but they aren't and this is a limited time sku muhc like the halo xbox's last gen.

this is just sony trying to play down its price and its not funny its old. if they want to do something get a boat and crash a party, send some beer but don't be hey they are copying us specially after the whole sixaxsis and rumble so last gen crap.

sheppy @ Mar 27th 2007 7:40PM

Consider this thread evidence.

When Microsoft pulled their shenanigans, it was cheeky and fun. Sony goes sends a letter saying "So... umm, guess we were right about this whole HDMI thing, huh. Catching up much?" and suddenly Sony is the egotistical bastard again.

The hypocrisy of posters never fails to amaze me. I wonder if Sony brought airhorns to X07, how many people here would be up in arms?

Triforceowner @ Mar 27th 2007 7:46PM

Sony is acting as if Microsoft has ditched their other SKU's. Microsoft may eventually ditch them, but for the time being, I can still walk in a store and purchase a core.

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 7:41PM

Ok, on Sony's side after 5 supporters of the Xbox 360 attacked the comments...

Sony is saying that from day 1, they have had what the 360 is just now adding (HDMI and large hard drive). Further confirming that their way is the right way to go and it took Microsoft to realize it and reissue their system, which is functionally an XBOX 360.5.

This is not something to bash sony over the head about, it's Sony congratulating Microsoft for seeing the light, so to speak...

m ike @ Mar 27th 2007 7:42PM

sheppy

it was just that good freaking fun. had sony did something similar i would be the first to laugh. but they always run their mouths thru their pr guys and it always smacks of that arrogance that turned me off the ps3 so far.

rumble is last gen.

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 7:46PM

and @Dave

Is Microsoft sending you an HDTV with the 360 Elite? Maybe I missed something...

JesseJames @ Mar 27th 2007 7:45PM

Notorious B.I.G said it best with the song - playa hata)
To all the Current 360 owners.......
Chorus:
Playaahh, turn your head round
Lay on the ground, you've been robbed
Wake up, open the door
Lay on the floor, you've been robbed

LOL; Don't hate on the PS3;

THE NEXT GENERATION DON'T START UNTIL WE SAY SO!!!!!!
AND WE SAID SO!

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 8:23PM

dsr7997

come on, now you're just being condescending. FOUR MONTHS PEOPLE, SERIOUSLY. Was gears of war out this time last year or something?

sheppy @ Mar 27th 2007 7:48PM

m ike, I'm the last guy you want to talk about rumble with. It's been a gimmick since Starfox 64.

However, what's wrong with this letter, exactly? Rumors turn out confirmed, Microsofts words of "consumers will not need a larger hard drive for a long time" have constantly backfired on them (read: people are fucking PLEADING FOR IT) and their statements of HDMI not being important because it's not a widespread thing is funny coming from a company that pushed broadband only online gameplay during an era when less than 20% of America had access to affordable broadband. Not to mention during 360s original unveiling, we were all promised HD-DVD drives.

This is Sony saying "Yo, noticed you noticing some of our shit. Congrats, thanks for rushing to match our specs." This letter is more of a "yeah, remember when you called us stupid for this shit?" gesture.

sheppy @ Mar 27th 2007 7:50PM

"Yeah they forgot the HDMI but at least Microsoft didn't forget about games unlike Sony."

As a guy who owned a 360 since launch, I just gotta say this... "Niggah what?"

Seriously, 360 finally started picking up steam mid summer. PS3 is finally picking up steam. I'd say their both par for the course at this point in the game.

Nova Scotian @ Mar 27th 2007 7:51PM

Ahahhahaaaaaaa... that was classic!

lol

m ike @ Mar 27th 2007 7:51PM

sheppy

well prior to the no rumble announcment i was going to get a ps3 at launch.

so it matters to some of us. now that it looks like rumble is back in as soon as ff hits i will get one.

but don;t play off rumble because you don't care for it. some of us do

jsn @ Mar 27th 2007 7:53PM

c'mon, it was a practical impossibility for microsoft to include an HDMI port when it was released. Sony should have talked more about why their games don't fully support the resolution that they claim is TRUE HD. Or they could talk about how their console, which came out over a year after the xbox 360, isn't capable of so much more. Sure they'll tell you it is, but where's the proof?

I've said it before and i'll say it again, the PS3 is nothing more than a year old console attached to a blu-ray drive.

Xbox Fan @ Mar 27th 2007 7:56PM

HDMI and a movie player are bonuses. Only the real hardcore will go after the Elite if they want a 360. Unless they run Elites as the mainstream 360 from now on and the price eventually drops. Again it is meant for the minority that own the whole HD setup. The rest will be content with their regular premium bundle, unless a reason to upgrade is that the new hardware is more reliable(ie.. the much proclaimed RROD stories). In the end, it's all about the games... not matter which system you buy.

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 7:59PM

jsn

I can't prove or disprove your comment about Sony's system being a year old w/ a blu-ray.

I believe at this point, Sony is in it's infancy stages. It doesn't support TRUE HD mostly because of an error within the system that has yet to be fixed in a firmware update. In other words, it is LITERALLY a firmware update from making that issue you talk of a non-issue.

And the PS3's capabilities is not going to show it's full potential 4 months after release. Sony will have it's 'gears of war' moment, but you talk as if they were supposed to have it immediately. Be serious.

sheppy @ Mar 27th 2007 7:59PM

Actually, m ike, I didn't play off rumble. I just said I was the wrong guy to debate the fact with. It's a piss poor excuse for force feedback, too many developers use it as a crutch, and it some games it's downright fucking annoying (read: Lost Planet). So you can mourn Rumble all you like. I think it sucks, will continue to think it sucks, and when it was lost to PS3, I had about as much mourning for that "lost" feature as I would a goldfish.... in a tank full of oscars.

Now, if we got to the point where, when I fired my gun, the aiming analog would adjust slightly on recoil and I would have to realign my shot or as I'm climbing in an airplane and the analog starts to fight the direct I'm pulling because of air resistance, then I'll start talking about immersion. Because until then, rumble is piss poor force feedback.

And also, here's an interesting laugh bit about rumble and how fucking sad it truly is. Were you aware that Rez for PS2 quit shipping with the trance wand because woman thought it was actually a masturbatory aide?

DSR7997 @ Mar 27th 2007 8:01PM

@Sheppy
As a guy that owns all three systems, my 360 at launch as well, I can say from experience that you are smoking crack. Your posts always lean towards favoring Sony so don't give me your, "I had a 360 at launch" line. I really want Sony to succeed as well however; when some PR guy comes out spewing some garbage about how they are being copied, it does come off as arrogant. And yes, the 360 launch titles as a whole smoked the PS3 launch titles. It's a shame when the best game I played on my PS3 was God of War 2 for the PS2.

GJM @ Mar 27th 2007 8:01PM

There was no point in putting HDMI on the original 360 release because HDCP was not finalized yet. Now that it's finalized they're @$$holes for making a revision? Everyone makes revisions. Who cares? Conole Fanboys are the worst.

And c'mon sheppy, the PS3 is not picking up steam. I'm pretty sure my PS3 will remain a Blu-Ray player until MGS4 comes out (hopefully Heavenly Sword proves me wrong).

Digi Smalls @ Mar 27th 2007 8:02PM

so when can we welcome Sony (back) to rumble and online community features?

.

MthdDirector @ Mar 27th 2007 8:43PM

That's nice of Sony to step in like that.

They don't offer their customers a choice. Hardly a decent game on the PS3, let alone decent multiplayer.
Maybe they should get THEIR priorities straight.

Killer @ Mar 27th 2007 8:06PM

I will laugh to death if Microsoft never confirms the Elite. In fact I would go as say this is what happens when PR people thing that they can make something classy and it hits them in the face.

Rule 24: in business do not listen to rumors. They sometimes turn out to be wrong.

Digi Smalls @ Mar 27th 2007 8:07PM

Shep,

i think your opinion on rumble is in the vast majority. in fact everone in the game press disagrees with you, not just the entire internets.

this was almost as bad as when you said Blue Dragon didn't sell because it was on 3 discs. or are you also going to blame that on Dark Sheppy?

and since when is getting women involved in gaming a bad thing? especially like that?

.

tmmoore_nc @ Mar 27th 2007 8:56PM

With the addition of a wireless adapter, you're better off buying a PS3 with the Elite. It's ridiculous Microsoft wouldn't pack it in, especially since their adapter is hit and miss.

DeaconBlade @ Mar 27th 2007 8:10PM

so tell me why Sony decided not to include an HDMI cable?

Dave @ Mar 27th 2007 8:09PM

"Is Microsoft sending you an HDTV with the 360 Elite? Maybe I missed something..."

You did. My point is that Sony's argument is that they want every PS3 owner to have an "elite" experience. They insinuate that they ensure this by providing an HDMI port (with now HDMI cable) and a hard drive with every unit. However, if you follow their argument to its logical conclusion, an "elite" experience, based on their general guidelines, would include EVERYTHING necessary to fully appreciate and enjoy their "elite" console. That would include:

1) The console
2) The HDMI port
3) The hard drive
4) The HDMI cable
5) The HDTV
6) The games
7) The network

Otherwise, some users may not truly get that "elite" experience. Neither console provides everything--and some users may not require or want to pay for everything on that list. So, essentially, I'm saying Sony is full of shit.

Digi Smalls @ Mar 27th 2007 8:09PM

yes, "majority" was sarcasm.

Peacefuloutrage @ Mar 27th 2007 9:21PM

@sheppy

Dude, the PS3 was supposed to launch the same year as the 360 and was delayed several times. They found out that just the "cell broadband engine" wasn't good enough for the visuals they wanted and added an Nvida RSX graphics chip. Finally, they decided to include the HDD that was originally optional. After games being in development for more than 2 years, they not only dropped features (1080P, online), but many were pushed back (Oblivion just now releasing and Heavenly sword pushed back to August). Considering that the original 360 games that were developed with the alpha kits only used one core and still look as god as PS3 games, i'm not sorry about my purchase at all. Microsift never originally advertised 1080P or High Definition movies or TV shows, but now I can watch them. I can even stream high definition video from my PC without even chosing a possible losing format for $30/movie. And guess what? Everyone that owns a 360 can use the VGA cable to get 1080P. There is nothing that the new xbox 360 has that I can't get, and it didn't REMOVE features and functionality like the PSTWO or the euro PS3.

All told, I may still buy a PS3 (which is why I know about Heavenly Sword, I asked about it today) but it currently isn't worth it IMO.

mccomber @ Mar 27th 2007 8:11PM

Those of you that can't laugh at this but thought MS's stunts were hilarious are great. How does it go? Something... if they can't take a joke. I personally would have ended the message with "And nice choice going with black and chrome trim. Looks great, doesn't it?"
I really hope these jabs continue, at least someone is having fun in this industry. Reminds me of: http://www.eatliver.com/bmw-audi-subaru-bentley/

AG @ Mar 27th 2007 8:12PM

How many times is MS going to contradict themselves before you blind fanboys see the light. This is not the first time that MS said what Sony has in their system is not needed only to go back and try and add those same features. And they still don't add up to what the PS3 has.

Between constantly upgrading their system because they didn't get it right the first time, bricking consoles with their updates, and the red ring of death, it is clearly obvious MS has no idea how to build a good piece of "Hardware".

rTwelve @ Mar 27th 2007 8:12PM

Of course consumers are interested in high definition videos on disc. They make such fascinating coasters.

Slaziman @ Mar 27th 2007 8:13PM

Microsoft is still right, HDMI was not needed. That doesn't mean people don't want it (brainwashed into it), so they made a nice higher-end Xbox 360 to please the videophiles. They also are going to release the 120GB HDD for those people that still don't care about HDMI and got the Premium Xbox 360's. I'll be buying the Elite if it comes down in price, or the Premium 360 with a 120GB HDD, depends if the Premium drops in price, and how much the 120GB HDD costs. Not to mention the Elite supposedly runs cooler and should fix the pathetic failure rate of the 360.

matt @ Mar 27th 2007 8:16PM

Bah! enough of this foolishness. There is no "right" console- each offers something similar, but different so just shut up and buy what suits your needs. I'm a gamer- that is, i play games. i don't really care about HD movies so the console for me (at this moment) is the 360 and to a lesser extent the wii.

this PR bullshit is just that- bullshit. none of these consoles are perfect: the 360 is reliable as a meth addict and really freakin' loud, the wii is underpowered and currently suffers a dearth of good games, the PS3 is in the same situation and has issues with price and HD support on older CRT HD-TVs, so the idea that one console can "win" is insane. just compare the list of features you need, price, performance etc and make the right choice for you.

THE POWER IS YOURS.

Digi Smalls @ Mar 27th 2007 8:16PM

ah yes, the classic Sony Fanboy 180 Reversal.

when Xbox1 was clearly technically superior to PS2, it's all about SOFTWARE. when PS3 has precious few games but has HDMI and Blu-Ray, it's suddenly all about HARDWARE.

don't you guys even take notice of yourselves?

.

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 9:05PM

@Dave

So you are reiterating what you said, which I am still sure that I didn't miss anything by saying, Is Microsoft sending you an HDTV with the 360 Elite?

What I am getting at is what Sony has said since the inception of the PS3 and it's elite experience, is in turn what Microsoft is saying about this new 360 elite. Therefore, essentially doing with the 360 what Sony has done with the PS3.

In other words, both of them are offering the elite experience, niether of them are offering the elite HDTV. So maybe I am still missing something?

Rubang B @ Mar 27th 2007 8:18PM

Yeah this was kind of lame on Sony's part. Not what they said, but the fact that it was a boring press release, which is no way to fight back after a well-planned prank.

EihBeir @ Mar 28th 2007 12:30PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Spin

It's good spin, but it's spin.

Pete @ Mar 27th 2007 8:21PM

@mccomber

It's harder to take the joke when your console of choice is being shitted on

SpaceButler @ Mar 27th 2007 8:21PM

Yeah, its not like anything comparable happened last generation.

PS2 launches with no ethernet adaptor or hard drive.
XBox launches, with ethernet port and hard drive built in.
PS2 releases add-on ethernet port and optional hard drive
PS2 revises technology to add ethernet port built in.

Yeah, Sony has never revised their hardware before. Except for the PSTwo and the PSOne. Bitching about IMPROVING HARDWARE? That's how desperate people are getting? Wow.

Guru G @ Mar 27th 2007 8:22PM

Sony: $599 (HDMI, standard HDD, FREE network gaming, Blu Ray,Wi-Fi, Card Reader, bla bla bla bla, Excellent insult today!!!!

MS:$479 (rumored elite price? could b more) + 200 (hd-dvd)+ 99(wifi) = 779 hdmi on limited user base, hdd on limited user base, hd-dvd on limited user base, costly networking gaming (who cares about achievements and micro transasctions, i just want to play networked games for free like in the CS days..), ...?