Spot the HDMI-enabled Xbox 360 Premium at retail

by Christopher Grant { Aug 10th 2007 at 10:05AM }

After discovering that some newly price-dropped Xbox 360 Premium units were packing HDMI ports – a feature previously reserved for the more expensive Elite model – we immediately wanted to know how savvy shoppers could track down these beasts at retail. Thanks to some pics snapped by anonymous Photobucketer "wonderkins" you can clearly see that the HDMI models are labeled as such. See, right there: "HDMI port."

The packaging has more details, however, on what exactly is inside the case. A label clearly refers to the model as "Zephyr" – the codename for the Elite motherboard. It would appear that the purported 65nm "Falcon" motherboard has yet to make it into stores so, for know, HDMI and an improved heatsink is all you're getting.

Tags: HDMI, Zephyr

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Brucie B @ Aug 10th 2007 10:10AM

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh YEA!!! Wut up wit the 65nm... Is that in there too.....

adam @ Aug 10th 2007 10:35AM

Did you even read the whole summary Brucie? The mind boggles.

Jouten @ Aug 10th 2007 1:18PM

Mind Bottling

Brucie B @ Aug 10th 2007 1:57PM

I asked because it's not like joystiq knows!! I wanted to see if anyone has actually opened one up...
Mind Bending I Know...

Liqwid @ Aug 10th 2007 10:11AM

BUT! The Core console now comes with a wireless controller.

Liqwid @ Aug 10th 2007 10:14AM

Ooops... not a Core. But the console picture looks so very much like a Core (no HDD on the top/left, and no chromed front).

steelfrog @ Aug 10th 2007 10:13AM

I'm still pissed I didn't get an HDMI port.

GWolf @ Aug 11th 2007 6:22PM

Yes I am really pissed I bought my 2003 year model car instead of a 2005. Are you kidding.

Crono @ Aug 10th 2007 10:13AM

CRAP!

I have a theory: I'm willing to bet they over manufactured their Elite Mobos. I'm also willing to bet that the 65nm chips are still right around the corner. Therefore, the premiums are now getting the HDMI port to reduce the stock of the overmanufactured elite mobos in preparation for moving the entire line over to the falcon mobo.

Eh? Yes?

MooseMuffin @ Aug 10th 2007 10:38AM

I think you're close. I think they stopped manufacturing the old non-hdmi mobos entirely once the zephyr ones were in full swing. They'll probably use the ones they have left on core systems and when they're gone, so is the core.

Alex K @ Aug 10th 2007 11:44AM

yeah, it'd definitely be more expensive to continue manufacturing two different motherboards just to sell a small number of elites.

machrc @ Aug 10th 2007 10:14AM

thanks joystiq now im gonna warn the whole world!!!!

GRANTED @ Aug 10th 2007 10:27AM

what seems to be the officer problem?

TonyBlair @ Aug 10th 2007 10:14AM

The triple digit head down here has slowly over-whelmed the air-conditioning in my apartment, and my poor 360 has begun to intermittently give me the Cirque du Rouge after too much HD movie playing or gaming.

When it finally gives up for good, Im sending it in for repair, then trading it in. Hopefully I can get me a Falcon-based Elite.

David @ Aug 10th 2007 10:16AM

Chris:
Did you make that graphic in the Skitch Beta on a Mac? It's so easy and fast to do simple things in Skitch without having to open Photoshop. Interesting post too.

GRANTED @ Aug 10th 2007 10:30AM

way to be relevant

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

Christopher Grant @ Aug 10th 2007 10:37AM

Yeah, on skitch. It's really great for blogging. I actually opened this up in Photoshop to fix the levels and crop the images for comparison purposes better, but then added the text and arrow in skitch, cause I like the way it does 'em better.

Kizzle @ Aug 10th 2007 10:19AM

Wow, that's barely noticeable, not that I expected it to be printed all huge on the box.

Went to Best Buy yesterday to take a look, and there were no consoles in stock at all. Went to another Best Buy closer to my house on the way home from work, same thing there. That's the first time I've seen that happen since April/May '06 when the consoles stopped being so hard to find. I don't even know if they were the HDMI models (and doubt that they were), but I guess the price drop seems to be having at least some effect.

Jouten @ Aug 10th 2007 1:28PM

I too noticed a lot of units selling at my local Fred Meyer's. They have these PS3's that aren't moving, and a constant resupply of Wii's but they are selling shelves upon shelves of 360's along with the HD-DVD drives. This happening before the price drop. Not sure what is going on, but the 360's and Wii's are definitely flying off the shelves.

OnimushaSoki @ Aug 10th 2007 10:24AM

Nice. Thanks for the heads up. I probably won't get mine until after the "300" contest is over though. I kinda wish Micro$oft went with selling that custom case over the Halo3 one. :\

phattie @ Aug 10th 2007 10:27AM

Most likely they are using the old, non-65nmCPU Elite board... they had a contract with the supplier to produce x number of these boards, they would want to exhaust this supply before eventually jumping the 65nm specific board.

Stevo @ Aug 10th 2007 10:29AM

Great deal-- especially with Halo 3 coming out.

BPM @ Aug 10th 2007 10:35AM

Ah, nice. Didn't know the box would list the codenames. That'll definitely make it easier to locate a 90nm, a 90nm+HDMI, or a 65nm+HDMI 360.

David @ Aug 10th 2007 10:37AM

I wasn't trying to start up the whole Mac / PC debate, I was just wondering if he used Skitch on the graphic, because it looks like he did. And I've already read that post by Maddox, it's hella old now.

Sidepocket @ Aug 10th 2007 12:57PM

Anyone who uses the term "hella" in this day and age is as old a George Washington's Turds. :D

ill trooper @ Aug 11th 2007 4:29AM

Set an example, 'Granted' and STFU yourself... Maddox? Yeah, what a ZINGER... Funny! ...If you're 14 and insecure!

Terra Brooks @ Aug 10th 2007 10:55AM

What a waste of money.

MS releases a half-assed console and expects their customers to keep buying it over and over again.
(Until they finally fix the damn thing)

They should have just released the console "right" in the beginning. An all shit that's going on now, probably wouldn't be happening.

But of course the console would've cost around the same price as a PS3, if they did that.

So what's more important? Having a reliable console available to their customers? Or a having a console available that has a shit load of problems, but a least its cheaper than our competitors.

Watership @ Aug 10th 2007 11:01AM

All Xbox 360s behave the same. They play the same games. They perform the same. Thank you for playing.

LeChuck @ Aug 10th 2007 11:04AM

Having a console with lots of games I want to play.

0ldb0y @ Aug 10th 2007 11:16AM

Do all newly manufactured consoles have the new heatsink installed?

ExMcloud @ Aug 10th 2007 12:42PM

Yeah all the Zephr models have the new heat sink installed plus a three year warranty...You know what I might put my Xbox in he oven to make it Red Ring...You know cuz I can just get another one for free....LOL

grit @ Aug 10th 2007 1:06PM

Well it's the only system hardcore gamers have got. PS3 is going the way of the gamecube considering 3rd party game companies are going to put their priorites with systems that acutally sell.

And the WII is cool I guess but there is barely even online play yet, let alone even a decent fps.

thescorpion @ Aug 10th 2007 3:41PM

Terra Brooks
Aug 10th 2007
10:55AMWhat a waste of money.

"MS releases a half-assed console and expects their customers to keep buying it over and over again.
(Until they finally fix the damn thing)

They should have just released the console "right" in the beginning. An all shit that's going on now, probably wouldn't be happening.

But of course the console would've cost around the same price as a PS3, if they did that.

So what's more important? Having a reliable console available to their customers? Or a having a console available that has a shit load of problems, but a least its cheaper than our competitors."

You are a looser. You Copy and paste the same thing on all posts. Get a life. Play you'r PS3 (I have one 2). Why are you so angre at the Xbox 360. It is a bad ass sistem

spidoman @ Aug 10th 2007 10:57AM

And to think I was going to buy one today.

I suppose I can wait another month so they can start throwing in the 65nm chips.

You're almost there with your hardware microsoft, now stop trying to rip us all off.

John @ Aug 10th 2007 11:02AM

Hmm, what are the chances the 65nm motherboard will make it into the UK Elite consoles by august 24th?

Crono @ Aug 10th 2007 11:17AM

I'd say slim to none.

Cyber @ Aug 10th 2007 11:42AM

I'll hold out for the Falcon board, also because I still have my launch box and it works fine! even though I nearly killed it using one of those stupid nyko intercoolers (1st gen with the plastic connection) it almost shorted it out, in fact it did burn the nyko and I had to pry it off. But once it was off still works just fine. kinda freaks me out lol but no complaints

ForceUnleashed @ Aug 10th 2007 11:18AM

Carry on the crusade Joystiq! Spread your beacon of light for all to see!

Stu @ Aug 10th 2007 11:41AM

Evidently I missed reading something somewhere. What's the benefit of the HDMI?

Christopher Grant @ Aug 10th 2007 11:48AM

1080p output for those of you with 1080p native sets that don't accept it over component, or don't have VGA. Also, DVD upscaling for those without VGA input.

BPM @ Aug 10th 2007 11:49AM

Digital video and audio through one little cable. I don't think it's completely relevant right now (given the still-small HD penetration), but in a couple of years, I'd expect everything to use HDMI as the de facto standard.

Kizzle @ Aug 11th 2007 1:59AM

Just about every HDTV manufactured in the last few years has HDMI. Simply put, it's the standard for HD content.

Ordeith @ Aug 10th 2007 1:27PM

I would rather use displayport.

More bandwidth, higher resolutions, better color depth, longer cabling, and no licensing fees to get in the way.

Display port was designed primarly as a video connection. HDMI was designed primarly as a money making DRM licensing scheme. DisplayPort has been adopted as a VESA standard and is gaining a lot of support.

Samsung is just starting to get DisplayPort displays on the market, and ATI is preparing a DisplayPort equipped Video card. Hopefully we will get DisplayPort on our consoles and just leave the whole HDMI behind.

Sky Shark @ Aug 10th 2007 11:46AM

This is sweet, it doesn't affect my launch console but its great for new buyers.

So now lets see for what 350 we get a 20gb Hard Drive, HDMI port, Hidef cables(presuming HDMI cables since the Elite came with them I think.), Wireless Controller, Ether net Cable, Wired Headset. And the system with the best first part and multiplatform games and a kickin online system. This is really starting to make PS3 look bad.