New Xbox 360 HDD comes overloaded with content

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 29th 2007 at 2:47PM }

Remember the bits and goodies that came pre-loaded on your Xbox 360? Well, bigger hard drive = more goodies. Microsoft is really packing 'em in on the Xbox 360 Elite HDD, and the standalone drive that will be available separately -- same content on both.

Although it's a ton of stuff, would it have killed 'em to throw in some freebie arcade games to help offset the cost? Especially for those people who will be just adding the drive to their current setup. Plus, this is all stuff you can download off Xbox Live anyhow, and are you going to want your drive clogged up with demos of Zuma and the Holiday '06 Accessories Video?

A shout out to Xbox 360 Fanboy for the news. This "all you can eat" spread includes:

All 20GB HDD Content
Various Gamer Pictures and Themes

Trailers:

Forza 2 customization and damage videos
Halo Wars
Fable 2
Halo 3 TV Ad
Halo 3 Trailer
Halo 3 et tu brute video
Accessories TV Spot
Wireless World Video
Holiday '06 Accessories Video

Playable Demos:

Assault Heroes
Cloning Clyde
Geometry Wars
Marble Blast Ultra
Small Arms
Feeding Frenzy
Uno
Pac-Man
Street Fighter II
Lumines Live!
Zuma
Heavy Weapon
Lego Star Wars II
Lost Planet (multiplayer Live)
Madden '07
Fusion Frenzy 2
Call of Duty 3

Tags: content, pre-loaded, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Fanboy, Xbox360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

shase @ Mar 29th 2007 2:53PM

So basically i would need to delete files off of my hd once i get it?

Mike @ Mar 29th 2007 2:53PM

Why would I want demos? Why wouldnt it include free games?

Wort @ Mar 29th 2007 2:53PM

But, if you trasnfer your files from your old 20gb HDD, to you know preserve your XBL account info, it overwrites all this crap.

Chris @ Mar 29th 2007 2:57PM

Yeah... it would be better to not put a damn thing on the drive than this crap. I mean, really, Microsoft... you couldn't throw us a bone with a full version of friggin' Dig Dug or something? That's just LAME.

randomshagz @ Mar 29th 2007 3:06PM

Big Wow... I already own like half of those games, Why would I need a demo of them? I think a few XBL Arcade games would be nice, A free Movie or a few free Movie rentals? Better Music Videos would be nice.

Somethings wrong if you havent downloaded at least 1 Halo 3 trailer by now.

Intentless @ Mar 29th 2007 3:11PM

Thats great for a newb to the format...... But early adopters need something a little... Meatier...

sheppy @ Mar 29th 2007 3:19PM

Somehow, getting demos to $5 games on a $180 hard drive seems a tad.... dumb?

Dolla Dolla @ Mar 29th 2007 3:28PM

Microsoft/Behemoth should release Castle Crashers pre-loaded on the 120gb HDD. That would be a nice incentive.

This ... not so much.

Hiroken @ Mar 29th 2007 3:37PM

Just when I thought this whole Xbox elite thing couldn't get any dumber.

~

colin @ Mar 29th 2007 3:48PM

Seems like the good stuff keeps on coming from Microsoft these days (and i just can't wait for the gta4 trailer later)...this guy even reckons they have God on their side:

http://blog.teamsumpter.com/2007/03/god-wants-me-to-buy-xbox360.html

cool!

sheppy @ Mar 29th 2007 4:01PM

@colin

That blog listing was hilarious.

DVD playback is rubbish?
PS3 is louder than 360?
Menus are slow?

I will concede on the games aspect but seriously, PS3 barely lets out a peeps until it starts to get hot. And even then, it's a fairly silent system.

Grimolfr @ Mar 29th 2007 4:04PM

sheppy,

The 360 is noisy as all hell but to say PS3 barely lets out a peep either means you having hearing problems or you live in a wind tunnel.

FrankTheCrank @ Mar 29th 2007 4:08PM

For $179...you should get a couple of FREE games or some damn coupons.

$179 for a 120GB Drive??

Newegg has a 120GB SATA notebook drive for $80.

Sup wit dat?

Mr Khan @ Mar 29th 2007 4:09PM

Well, this is certainly a fun bonus (especially given all the DRM you have to submit to to get it)

but, seriously, who can resist the allure of Free Swag?

Fierce360 @ Mar 29th 2007 4:12PM

you can format the 360 hdd, its simple. go to memory and click format.

CD @ Mar 29th 2007 4:20PM

It would've been better to just give you a bunch of free points so you could download what you wanted and not a bunch of crap you'll never touch.

Kizzle @ Mar 29th 2007 4:29PM

Sorry Microsoft - that doesn't make up for the absurd price tag. Keep trying.

Camperton @ Mar 29th 2007 4:36PM

considering this thing is called the "Elite" they shoulda thrown something on there that you can't get anywhere else... like nanobots that make your dreams come true.

petecantu @ Mar 29th 2007 5:12PM

This free junk hardly justifies the price. Let me know when this comes down to about $100, then maybe.

joystickshow.com @ Mar 29th 2007 5:12PM

It's like meeting up with a girl for the first time and having to listen to all her baggage:) How about some Old Spice spray at least!
BogueSpear

oGMo @ Mar 29th 2007 5:15PM

Core 360 - $299
HD-DVD - $199
120G upgrade - $179

Best 360 configuration to impress your friends: $677

HD games still limited to 8.5GB content: priceless.

Steve @ Mar 29th 2007 5:26PM

Microsoft's harddrive cost is similar to those SD cards that Sandisk has released for the Wii. They cost nearly twice as much as a standard SD card so you're paying all that extra money for a white shell and the letters "Wii" on a card that you'll rarely look at.

I doubt the card is enhanced in any way like being extra fast. It's not like speed matters with those cards on the Wii. Even an 8MB VC game would load fast.

gregory mitchell @ Mar 29th 2007 5:38PM

0gmo.....You are obviously trying to make a stab at MS but you are indeed a dumbass. Why the hell would someone with a core get an HD-dvd and the 120GB drive??????? See what i mean idiot. Whoever has the core had it just for gaming not multimedia.

AND ALL PS3 ****suckers....HD-DVD IS DEAD NO ONE WANTS IT THERE'S NO MOVIES FOR IT(That battle has been lost)At I can admit that. Seeing how Sony screwed up countless times in the last year, you really dont have much to brag about...So for FUX sake let the $199 go. If your gonna boast about numbers use the average. not what a select few are gonna do. get you head out of sony's ass PLEASE!!!
Ill update.....

360E=480
360P=400

What most will probably do is sell there for probably $325(NO I DIDNT SAY TRADE_IN) and make up the difference. which come out to $155 instead of 180 just for the HDD. not to mention its black. Im assuming the better disk drive. and HDMI/w cable and audio hookup.

So there in the end you spend 480 from the date of you intial 360 purchace

gregory mitchell @ Mar 29th 2007 5:43PM

And yea i personally think this was a shitty move on xbox's part. So i am by no means defending this dumbass idea. Unless IPTV is the shit i doubt i would need all that space. They shouldnt had 80 and charge like $100-$120 and knocked the 20GB down to like $50

Kritz @ Mar 29th 2007 6:24PM

@21 oGMo,

Why would you buy the core, THEN the HDD? Why not just buy the Elite? And who the crap buys a HDDVD / Blueray player this early on anyway? That's just fucking stupid.

You see, this is why games can't be considered a professional media. It's because the damn community always splits themselves over some trivial bullshit like this. I don't understand why some people feel the need to flame people over opinion, and why morons can't just go back to their TV and do what gaming's all about.

Playing the fucking game.

ManekiNeko @ Mar 29th 2007 6:42PM

I'm just wondering what the heck happened to Hexic HD. If you didn't buy a Premium Xbox 360, you can't get the game AT ALL. I sure as heck didn't notice it in the Xbox Live Marketplace, anyway. What's the dilly-o, Microsoft... are you too good for my money?

JR

Jake @ Mar 29th 2007 7:13PM

Kritz,

Let me explain Sony fanboyism to you. Sony fanboys drone on and on about hardware now because the PS3 hardware has some slight advantages (imo) that they like to blow up as if it is night and day to the 360.

Last gen, when the xbox had the hardware it didn't matter because it was all about the games, which the PS2 excelled at. Last gen Sony fanboys only cared about games, and I agreed with them because I'm a games-first man myself. I had a PS2 and Gamecube; I didn't even own an xbox.

Hardware only assists in making good games. Better graphics, lower dev cost, lower system cost, better online, more disc storage, rumble, motion controls, etc. are all tools that hardware gives developers for creating a game experience. Basically, better overall tools (hardware), games sold per day, and 1st party support are the three key elements in deciding how many great games will come to a system. That, and a little luck.

As I said earlier, better hardware doesn't just revolve around graphics or controls. It takes everyting in. You could argue the Wii has better hardware than the PS3, even though the PS3 is vastly more powerful and multi-functional.

Now that the 360 clearly has the superior games, Sony fanboys have changed their tune from games first to hardware first. They also only focus on the aspects of the PS3 hardware that are superior. They ignore superior online, lower dev cost, system cost, and rumble.

But the bottom line is that games are all that matter to gamers. The PS3 hardware, as a whole unit, has been unable to supply games to surpass that available on the 360. Sony showed a Killzone2 trailer once that had graphics that would make the game blow away the entire 360 library, but it was fake.

The 360 had a year's head start (my favorite fanboy excuse because it involves handicapping the opponent's sytem), but that also means Sony had a year to hone their hardware and games to make it compete or surpass the 360 out of the gate. Personally, I think an extra year should make your graphics better, not worse. If Killzone2 (the trailer version) launched with the PS3 I would have considered trading in my 360 for a PS3.

Anyways, its the games man. I will prefer the 360 until I feel the PS3 has better games. You can call me a fanboy, go ahead. I prefered Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo, Sony, and now MS. I'm a flip-flopper, not a fanboy.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/
http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

happy shmappy @ Mar 29th 2007 9:13PM

how can you back up your old hard drive? I need to know how to do this. any links?

ALSO, take your lame console fights somewhere else. go get a job, earn some money, and buy all the consoles you can. that will calm you down.

Todd Rabanus @ Mar 29th 2007 10:05PM

why are people dissing the elite? i think it's a great buy for $180. I bought a 360 at launch and had to sell it to pay off my probation officer. A month ago i got back my tax return and bought another one. Now the Elite comes out. Do i feel jaded? NO. I think for anyone looking to move into the next gen this package is a great deal for them. Yes HD-DVD is losing the battle and I think that is a great move for Microsoft not to include it in the Elite (driving up it's price for a format that may not be around in the future).
But back to actual content of this article. #15 said it best. Quit watching Full House and take the 20 seconds it takes to reformat the hdd. There you go. Thats what I did to my drive and I was ready to go. And what's with all the people complaining about getting free arcade games? You buy a 360 and get Hexic for free which is more than Sony gave ya

thebiggameover @ Mar 29th 2007 11:33PM

i think everybody is forgeting something

"Any data stored on the 120 GB hard disk will be automatically deleted."

so all that crap that comes on the had disk will be gone as soon as you transfer all your old gave saves etc. to it....

TheHostileDwarf @ Mar 30th 2007 12:03AM

Still way too expensive.

VampireHunter Z @ Mar 30th 2007 1:59AM

Is that picture for real? There is no way they could fit that much on a truck.

Mad @ Mar 30th 2007 5:12AM

Call of Duty 3 demo! Any idea when this will be available on Live too?

letmethinkaboutit @ Mar 30th 2007 6:59AM

people know I'm no PS3 lover and 360 hater but Dang Microsoft. What the blank? $179 dollars blank you! I still not with my own system and now the price has raised! At least Fony added a movie to promote there blu-ray disk. but look at you? Nothing? You don't even have to give away a disk with all the printing cost. Sony is having to borrow money at a high interest rate but you have Billions sittring around and getting dusty! And what do you give me? Advertisements! Yes even demos are advertisments blank that. Compete are the tides of opinion will turn on you just like they did on Sony! This is a large stone you just thew through your OWN window. Sony is laughing now listen to that sound. Sony should sit still on the 80gig model (which I think is a sandbagging move anyway).