Gamestop ups Xbox 360 trade-in value just in time for Elite

by Ross Miller { Apr 16th 2007 at 7:59PM }

The precocious lads at Xbox 360 Fanboy have confirmed with multiple Gamestop managers that the trade-in value for both SKUs of Microsoft's console has increased. You will now receive $250 for Premium, $200 for Core (about 67% its original value) and $50 for the original Xbox.

Obviously, the financial upgrade coincides with the impending US release of the $479.99 Elite model on April 29. Trading in an Xbox 360 Premium and picking up an Elite will leave you with a net cost of $230. Being that the 120GB HDD costs $180 separately, you're paying an additional $50 for the black paint job, HDMI output, and HDMI cable. But will we get a chance to transfer our save files in-store? Doubtful. (You can still play full titles, if you re-download them, via your Gamertag without having to pay again.)

The Gamestop managers said that the money does not have to go toward the Elite. So whether you plan on upgrading or looking to bid farewell to the console altogether, now is likely the best time to go the Gamestop route.

Tags: GameStop, retail, sku, xbox360elite

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

El tonto @ Apr 16th 2007 8:10PM

Not to mention an all new DVD-drive and the .45 chips. My 360 DVD drive has thousands and thousands of hours of usage.

Hamicide @ Apr 16th 2007 8:16PM

i believe you mean 65nm chips, which wont be in the new model 360's until later in the year.

you are correct about the new drives though.

El tonto @ Apr 16th 2007 8:16PM

Plus a new controller to replace the worn out one now.

Matt B @ Apr 16th 2007 8:18PM

1st question:

What are they going to do with all the white ones?
My guess is re-sell them at a $50 markup.
$630 with no HD-DVD or wifi after all is said and done.
I do have to give them some credit though. They could offer NO trade in so that in itself is somewhat of a decent deal. This could be great or a huge mess.

caramelzappa @ Apr 16th 2007 8:24PM

So, if I trade in my now useless Xbox, and one of my 360's, I get an elite for the price of just the harddrive? Sweet.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 16th 2007 8:25PM

'Trading in an Xbox 360 Premium and picking up an Elite will leave you with a net cost of $230. Being that the 120GB HDD costs $180 separately, you're paying an additional $50 for the black paint job, HDMI output, and HDMI cable.'

Given that the 120GB HDD is WORTH $90 separately, I'm paying a lot more than $50 extra.

No matter how you cut this up, you'll end up having paid $630 for your black, 120GB, HDMI-having game machine.

And if I redownload my stuff to my gamertag, I can play them as long as I am logged into Live. If Live goes down for a day and a half (like it did recently), I can't play them. MS has to fix this. Sony and N have it covered already.

LumpStatus @ Apr 16th 2007 8:49PM

It seems some people never understand the press releases or interviews.

The Xbox 360 Elite does NOT feature a new DVD-Drive, and it also does NOT feature a new processor. The only changes to the console itself are HDMI port, Black case and 120 gig hard drive.

There is no "new" dvd drive, there are multiple manufactures of the dvd drives so whatever one you get is based on luck or whoever they decide to put in that particular 360.

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 8:57PM

LISTEN UP.

To anyone reading this. You do not have to trade in your HDD at the same time you trade in your system. Gamestop/EB takes to two in as separate trades because the HDD's have to be sent away to be formatted. So, get the Elite, take it home, transfer your saves, and then go back and trade in your HDD at a later date. It's as simple as that. In the end your only coughing up another $25-30 to make up for lack of a traded in HDD to begin with, so if you want to keep it, then do so.

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 8:59PM

Your get $210 for the system w/ a wireless controller, plus another $40 for the HDD.

TheCash @ Apr 16th 2007 9:04PM

Hey Dsub, didn't you read the story last week about the guy who bought a 'new' 360 from Gamestop, only to find it still had someone's gamertag and info on it when he booted it up?

If any formatting actually does go after you trade in the 360, it happens in store. 'Send it out' must be secret corporate speak for 'get billy the new kid to hook this thing up in back and go to the format option under 'memory' in the System blade.'

LumpStatus @ Apr 16th 2007 9:06PM

This may or may not be Gamestop policy, buy why would they need to send it away to format it when there is an option to do so right in the dashboard of every xbox 360?

LumpStatus @ Apr 16th 2007 9:07PM

However, I do know for a fact that they give you extra for the hard drive.

jusmailuck @ Apr 16th 2007 9:13PM

@Lump

Why would they have to send it away?
Probably due to the fact that even when it it reformatted through the Dash, there may be some bit and pieces of valuable data still left in the machine.

I don't know about you, but it's better to be safe than sorry these days when credit card fraud is so widespread.

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 9:17PM

TheCash, I work for EB Games. I can assure that, at least at the store I work at, the HDD's get sent back to be formatted. I am well aware of the fact that it could be done in store, but ever since all the nonsense a few months ago with the kid that bought a memory stick with porn on it, they make us send everything back. Including Wii's and PS3's.

As far as the "new" 360 with a used HDD goes, it's likely that some manager was just to lazy to send it back and it got resold, or it was likely a mix up during a return. Often times when people do bring back defect 360's, we will let them keep the HDD and swap it out with the new one that is in the box with the new 360 that we give them. Said systems are then boxed up in the original 360 box and placed in the backroom in a defectives pile to be shipped back. It's very likely that "billy the new kid" was on his first day of the job at GS and went in the back to get a 360 for a customer and picked up one that was to be sent back on accident. At the store I work at the two would be far away from each other, but I've seen it almost happen at my store numerous times.

scott @ Apr 16th 2007 9:24PM

If you read your store email dsub, you'd know we can format wii's in store now! :)

Grant @ Apr 16th 2007 9:33PM

"This may or may not be Gamestop policy, buy why would they need to send it away to format it when there is an option to do so right in the dashboard of every xbox 360?"

This is simple, and obvious if you've ever shopped at a GS.
The employees simply are not able to pull their thumbs out of their asses long enough to work the dashboard menus.
duh.

Arturo @ Apr 16th 2007 9:48PM

@ dsub

"judging by the flyer its all or none, premium=250 , core = 200 you cant not have a hd, cuz that would mean you have a core." a buddy of mine that works at a gamestop said that...

LongshotX @ Apr 16th 2007 9:51PM

So I can go out find two broken cores and pay the $89 difference?

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 9:56PM

arturo-

trust me. in the computer system there are only two listings for 360's. w/wired or w/wireless controller. EB/GS does not sell 360's used with an HDD at all. They only sell them with a wireless or wired controller.

Scott-

I did read the email, I just forgot about it. Likely because we so rarely see Wii's new, let alone used that it really doesn't even matter.

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 9:57PM

the $250 for the "premium" does include the HDD, but in the system they are taken in separately. The $250 is listed because it is the sum of the $210 you get for the system and the $40 you get for the HDD.

dsub @ Apr 16th 2007 10:03PM

Longshot-

no. all systems are tested upon trade-in on the spot.

Alexander @ Apr 16th 2007 10:45PM

no at one time I had two 360's and sold one for 432 back in may of 2006 and they never tested it and I sold a broken Ps2 and they did not test it either

Arturo @ Apr 16th 2007 10:55PM

@ dsub:

i know that i used to work at gamestop too. im just relaying what my buddy said. im on your side, i wanted u to see what he has to say...

John @ Apr 16th 2007 11:06PM

"...bid farewell to the console altogether,"

Does that mean that we can trade in an Xbox of any type toward a Sony machine?

I seek not to flame, only to acquire information!

oldschoolgamer @ Apr 16th 2007 11:06PM

I just spoke with xbox live customer support about
deleting your
profile from the hard drive. For those considering trading in their
360 with the hd who are worried about the next person getting your
credit card info just do the following:First you must begin by
signing out of xbox live, after you sign out follow these steps..1.
Go to the system settings in the xbox main menus2. Select the memory
option3. Click on the hard drive option4. Scroll down to the gamer
profile option and select it5. Click on the gamer profile you wish to
delete and then select delete gamer profile and items. Just make sure before you do this that you
remember your gamertag and especially your password and email address
associated with your gt since this will be the only way to recover
your stuff. Of course you can always just format the hard drive afterwards just to make sure everything is gone. Hope this helps.

Arturo @ Apr 16th 2007 11:11PM

@dsub:

"they arent going to give you an extra 50 dollars for having a wireless controller, they will want the hd, its going to be a bundle thing im sure. We will also have the normal amount if you just want to get in store credit. Just like the ps2 towards a ps3 deal. You can either ger 65, or you get 100 towards a ps3"

what my buddy just said

John @ Apr 16th 2007 11:33PM

My friend bought a ps3 when he couldn't find a Wii. He doesn't play it, but his kids do. He finally found a Wii, and sometimes they play that, too.

There wasn't any... I dunno, red ring thing, the ps3 is on all the time, so is the Wii, they have a really big plasma screen...

They haven't talked about taking these things in to gamestop, they downloaded games for free from the Sony store...

Everything works, I dunno.

Even the Blu-Ray discs, supposedly so sensitive, sheesh, my nephews would destroy Gamecube or PS2 discs in a matter of weeks, but these blu-rays, they have fingerprints and slobber all over them, but they still work, and the PS3 hasn't overheated, and neither has the Wii, there's no... what is that thing?

Red ring of death. I wonder what that is.

I know what a blue screen of death is, after all, most of us have owned Windows at some time or another (this is being typed on a Linux machine. What? Viruses? What are those? I don't know from viruses. I leave my computer on all day, there's no viruses, it doesn't break down. Oh, wait, I'm not using a Microsoft product.)

Guys.

Yes, it's nice to support an American company, but did we support American cars in the 80's when they made cars like crap, and the Japanese were making things that lasted 4x longer?

Give credit where it's due, one world.

That said, American car manufacturers have finally figured out how to make things that are not total crap, and they're even matching the Koreans (Hyundai) with 100k warranties.

The xbox360 is a little behind, and I'm starting to feel like supporting it, because it's obviously the underdog.

But how do you make a machine that fails with a red ring of death, where you cannot retrieve any of your data, and it's like your hard drive is washed, and it just doesn't work? How does that happen? How does it happen to so many people? And why are so many 360 owners talking about trading their machines in? For some better 360, which might actually work, with HDMI?

You guys are already spending more than the cost of the bigger PS3...

Sure, you're devoted, but why?

usedtabe @ Apr 17th 2007 12:00AM

#27:

It's called games, and the PS3 has none, unlike my 360 ,which has many. At least none I'm interested in. And I have a wii, it's great. Glad you like your PS3, but don't fucking troll on a 360 board becuase no one else wants a $600 doorstop (at the moment). There are so many reasons not to support a fuck-up company like Sony, like unwarranted arrogance, forcing your desires on consumers(blu-ray), crapping on your fanbase(they'll buy anything Sony!!), etc. And yes, all corporations are souless machines, but none so blatant about in the games industry as Sony

rfom @ Apr 17th 2007 12:28AM

usedtabe,you just confirmed what #27 said - you and the other xbots are just a bunch of MS-loving sucker who deserve the crappy console and the lousy collection of shooters and GTA / FF clones that you are getting

"There are so many reasons not to support a fuck-up company like Sony"
We ALL know they are arrogant. But they have a reason to be arrogant - they invented some of the greatest electronic devices heard of - what has MS invented other than crappy OS?

forcing your desires on consumers(blu-ray)?
Can you name ONE person who wnated Vista? Yet they are foisting it on you!

And your comments are a great collection of the same bare-faced lies that keep floating around.

1. "It's called games, and the PS3 has none, unlike my 360 ,which has many."
The PS3 has R:FOM, motorstorm, VF5 plus AAA PS2 games launched last year (GoW2, FF12) better than most 360 games. 360? ZERO good exclusives for almost a year, at most 5-6 till now.

2. "don't fucking troll on a 360 board"
This is joystiq...not the 360 board. And funny, seing the number of trolling comments on PS3fanboy.

3. "no one else wants a $600 doorstop".
PS3: 3mn units sold in 4 months
360: 3mn units sold in 4 months (with no competition, 1st next-gen console to market)

dsub @ Apr 17th 2007 12:57AM

rfom-

you know, I could agree with everything you said, if it weren't for the fact that I could make so many comparisons between the 360 and PS2 that it's not even funny. The PS2 launched a year before it's competition with a pretty poor launch lineup. It had an extremely high failure rate, and to this day the large PS2's still do. It's competition were two consoles. One that was more focused around superior hardware (XBOX), the other was focused around family-oriented simplistic gaming (Gamecube). However, by the time the other two consoles had been released, it had already built up a substantial library and had many AAA titles deep in development for it. Even though for years the console still continued to have widespread defective units (disc read error) the non-stop onslaught of excellent games kept sales of the console up.

What does that sound like? Replace the PS2 with the 360, the XBOX with the PS3, and the Gamecube with the Wii. The only difference this time is the curve ball that Nintendo threw in with the new controller. The 360 still continues to sell well. Why? Because while it may seem that the 360 has a high failure rate (and it obviously does) that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of broken consoles HAVE either been replaced by MS under warranty or taken back by stores as returns.

Now, two or three more years down the road, when all these 360's are no longer covered by warranty and they break and must be replaced at the cost of the consumer, what will they do? They have a vast library of 360 games, and the industry (developers) will still be continuing it's strong support for the console. So what will they do when their 360 breaks? They'll buy another one. Why? Because by the the 360 will be $200 or less, and it will simply be the logical choice.

Think about it. Buy another 360 that all your great games will work on, or sell them all and shell out the dough for a PS3. Which will likely STILL be more expensive than 360, and then they have to replace their ENTIRE library.

It makes sense. It worked for Sony. You can call this made up bullshit or a crazy far-fetched scenario, but it's the truth. I, like MANY MANY more people have owned MULTIPLE PS2's. I'm on my third one now.

MS has already gained mass support from the industry with the 360. Sure, somewhere down the line the failure rates will drop dramatically as more and more hardware revisions take place, but so long as they offer that one year warranty, 360's will continue to sell.

One more thing. I find it funny that you claim all the 360 is getting are GTA/FF clones, because from what I can see all the PS3 is getting for now are games that were already out on the 360 MONTHS ago.

-Oblivion
-Splinter Cell
-Ghost Recon
-Rainbow Six: Vegas
-Saint's Row
-Enchanted Arms
-FEAR

Even for good measure:

-Ninja Gaiden Sigma...a remake of an XBOX game.

Then of course there are all the PS3 exclusives that are going multiplatform.

Anyway you bend it, the 360 has the biggest install base of the three Next-Gen consoles. Sure, the PS3 will get better, I am sure of it. But the point is, the damage from MS has already been done. They stole the PS3's thunder. They have gained the attention of developers and created an irresistible installed base that buys up new games like crazy. Sometimes you just have to tell it how it is. This isn't a fanboy speaking either, if you just step back and look at the broader picture, it's easy to see.

GoonieGooGoo @ Apr 17th 2007 2:19AM

@ John....

How much time did you waste writing that useless drivel??

Cuja @ Apr 17th 2007 3:23AM

The Xbox had superior graphics over the PS2 plus more 480p and WS games. When the 360 first launch, a lot of Sony fanboys would say that the graphics were no better than the Xbox 1. Now of course they didn't want to bring PS2 into the equation because it would really show their ignorance. I do agree the PS2 has come a long way, squeezing everything it can get out of new releases. But still they won't put up or shut up. And now that they have PS3 to fall back on, this arrogance will continue.

degree @ Apr 17th 2007 5:00AM

i wouldn't trade in my hard drive. seems impossible to get the credit card info off. a risk i rather not take.

bxbailey @ Apr 17th 2007 6:41AM

With the number of red ring of death issues out there I wouldn't pay any extra money for a more expensize faulty hardware. I'm going to be that this spring update will bring the next cycle of ring of death issues caused MS trying to have one update for 2 different motherboard sets one with HDMI and one without and knowing the issues they caused trying to update for the VGA, I look forward to seeing the Xbots champion the issues on their Elite skus :)

usedtabe @ Apr 17th 2007 7:53AM

@rfom:

Not an Xbot. My first console after the N64 was a PS2, which up until I got my 360 I had the most games for. I eventually got an Xbox(which was superior to the PS2, just lacking games a la PS3). And you can try and play off my opinions(which is all they are), but the FACT that most of the games coming to the PS3 are shooters and ports from 360, makes you're statement about 360 games hypocritical. Also, the comment about FF12 and GoW being better than most 360 games is nothing more than you're opinion. Me saying the Ps3 is a $600 doorstop is an opinion. I guess I will label any further posts with a "fact" and "opinion" tag next to each statement.

Oh, and Vista is an option, while Blu-ray is not, so if you want to counter my claim of Sony forcing something on the consumer, you have to do better than that. I'm using Windows XP just fine, and thats only because I don't have the time or know-how to use another operating system on my company laptop.

And I know this is Joystiq.com, but this particular article is about the 360, not an article about this bullshit $630 that the new 360 is going to cost you(where do you people even get these figures?). Don't tell me about the $100 add on for wi-fi either, as there are cheaper peripherals, but beyond that, anybody that has any type of online play knowledge would know that wired is more reliable for online gaming. The only thing that's $600 is the PS3, which minus the 20 gig option, makes it $300 more than the basic 360, or $200 more than the premium. And those are facts(in this last paragraph), not some BS from a troll.

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Apr 17th 2007 9:20AM

@ John

Last time I checked the Xbox 360 was manufactured in Asia, not the US. What's your point?

Ryan LN @ Apr 17th 2007 1:47PM

Can't we all just get along?

Everitt Chase @ Apr 17th 2007 2:28PM

I thought I would provide my 2¢ on two things. #1 is the save transfer... if you can afford it you could purchase the elite in advance of the trade-in and do your transfer @ home. You would need to spend the credit on games in the future, unless the manager would pre-approve this kind of deal. (They probably would, if asked nicely)

#2, on the new DVD drive comment (like a million posts ago) I beleive the user was talking about a "fresh" new DVD drive, rahter than a new model of DVD drive. Also, nobody has mentioned the new warranty coverage that would come, giving this trade-up additional value.

With this bieng said, microsoft can kiss my dirty boot. Between BSOD, RROD, and the rest of thier crapware/riped-off products I will never own one of thier sheepboxes.

PS3 seems like the clear choice for value (add up those acessory costs M$fanboys) and futureproofing. That bieng said, I'm on the fence for another few months.

JarrettP @ Apr 17th 2007 3:37PM

This is the thing that gets me and I profess to not be a fanboy of any system....but what is it with the fascination with the failure rate of these things? It is harped on way to much. I mean in reality....when you are mass producing things whether it is tv's, appliances, lawn mowers etc...you are going to have some sort of defects along the way. It happens to cars all the time...they are called recalls. So your system failed or "bricked".... if anything you are out of your time you will have to send it in or get it repaired. Yes when you shell out that kind of money for something you want it to work. But you have to know that their is some inherent risk involved. I mean if that were the case no one would be buying plasma's and lcd tv's because "early" models had burn in and dead pixels. They improved upon the technology and are putting out a quality product.... time will obviously tell but this whole red ring of death thing and complaining about it is getting old......