We're not sure who the market for these things is. On the one hand, every new Xbox 360 comes with an HDMI port built-in. On the other hand, if you've got an older system, it's more or less guaranteed to fail and the system you get back just may have an HDMI port in it. Process of elimination leaves people who've already had their 360 replaced and are left with fully functioning – yet cruelly HDMI-less – consoles, so we'll direct the remainder of this post to that no doubt highly lucrative demographic.

If staring longingly at your pal's HDMI connection has you feeling like less of a man, then consider MadCatz's HDMI Conversion Kit, available in January for the low, low price of $89.99. The device supports resolutions up to 1080p, includes an optical audio port, and comes with both HDMI and optical audio cables. Isn't that worth it for a strong, thick digital video signal?

[Via Engadget]

If you or a loved one have been thinking of trading that glitchy Xbox 360 console for one of the newer HDMI-equipped models with the (thus far) more reliable Zephyr motherboard, you should be aware of what isn't included in this offering. While the premium experience of the Xbox 360 Elite nets you that 120GB hard drive and "elite" black casing, it also buys you an HDMI cable and an "audio adapter connector" that extracts either stereo or digital audio out of the box, if you're not into the whole HDMI audio thing.

There are two solutions for those of you with external stereo systems that don't support HDMI: 1) Buy the $50 HDMI cable with adapter or 2) switch your HDTV's audio setting to reroute audio from the internal speakers out to the stereo, as described by Joe Hutsko. If your setup requires the $50 adapter (with HDMI cable!), you can either consider the Elite and its massive hard drive for only $50 more or just hit eBay for someone else's leftovers. Just sayin'.

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.

Apparently cutting $50 off of the price of the Xbox 360 Pro yesterday just wasn't enough for Amazon.com. Like Fancy's mother painting her soon-to-be-harlot daughter's face and jamming her into high heels, the online retailer is doing what it can to unload the systems on well-heeled callers. In this case, they've cut the price an additional $20, selling the systems for $329.99.

We don't know exactly why they're trying to clear some 360s out of their stockroom, but, were we in a betting mood, we'd bet that it has something to do with the invading 360s that include HDMI connections. Out with the old, in with the new, as it were. There's no similar sale on Elite or Core models. If you don't yet have a 360 though, it's a fine bargain. We don't know how long it'll last though, so you may want to act fast.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Shack is reporting that Microsoft has confirmed the inclusion of HDMI in Xbox 360 consoles (sorry, no Core model for now) stating, "Retailers are gradually introducing HDMI-enabled Xbox 360s into the channel to meet demand." Still no word on whether these systems use the new 65nm processors (is the power supply different?) Any retail employees able to survey the outside of one of the new Xbox 360 boxes and share tips on spotting them with the class?

Following renewed grumblings of a quiet initiative to install HDMI ports into all Xbox 360 SKUs, comes a convincing set of images that appears to show an HDMI-equipped Premium unit, manufactured on July 4th. The images allegedly originate from a Shacknews community member who purchased the console today at a Target in Atlanta, Georgia for the newly discounted price. Hey dude, mind crackin' it open and checking for the 65nm chipset?

Though Ars Technica is quick to label this a rumor, what they heard from an "inside source" sounds awfully similar to what Engadget's otherwise reliable tipster told them last March, though a bit more specific. Ars says, "a new version of the Core and Premium [Xbox 360] hardware in late August or September ... will include an HDMI port." Microsoft has never said that the Elite would be alone in having an HDMI port – in fact, the Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 will come packed with an HDMI port this September though, notably, no HDMI cable.

Of course, it's presumed that this hardware revision would also include the 65nm chips we've all been waiting for, as well as quieter DVD drives (quieter than the BenQ VAD6038?). But how will prospective purchasers discern which retail box includes the new hardware? There will apparently be a small "call out" on the packaging so savvy buyers can take their pick and casual shoppers can drain the existing inventory. C'est la vie.

Mod company XCM has reportedly created an HDMI cable for the regular, non-Elite white Xbox 360. According to the product page, the cable will allow you to output in 1080p. XCM told maxconsole that the product will be finished in about four weeks.

No details have been revealed as to how it will work, and if any modifications to the hardware will be necessary -- the above image is listed as conceptual, totally baffling our concept of reality. Our friends at Engadget reported when the Xbox 360 Elite came out that the visual upgrade is nigh discernible when using the HDMI cable, but we're betting someone will like the idea of using only one plug head as opposed to the five (three for video and two for audio) for component cables.

[Via X3F]

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Q: What color is it?
A: It's black.

We kid, the rest of the questions are handily contained after the break. But seriously, it is black.

For audiophiles, this may hurt. For everyone else, this may induce yawning.

The Xbox 360 Elite will ship with HDMI version 1.2, as opposed to the latest version 1.3. What do you lose with such a monstrous degradation? HDMI 1.3 adds support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams; this can be accomplished in HDMI 1.2 if the player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, but unfortunately neither the Xbox 360 nor HD DVD add-on support it. (For reference, the PlayStation 3 was the first device to use HDMI 1.3.)

Other differences include audio / lip sync technology, a greater transfer speed -- which would matter if you were outputting above 1080p, but that is currently the maximum resolution -- and Deep Color, which again will be more distinguishable in future resolutions.

For now, the only major disparity will be the audio. Does this affect anyone's decision to purchase the Elite?

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Our BFF, Engadget, got a tip about an upcoming component to HDMI cable for the non-elite 360, and we're left shrugging our shoulders. Such adapters already exist at a steep cost; you plug component and audio cables in one end, and a single HDMI cable feeds out the other.

That's cool if you're down with OCD, but for the rest of us, why bother? One feature of HDMI is to run a digital signal for audio and video over a single cable. Connecting each audio and component feed into an analog-to-digital converter negates that one-cable, digital-only benefit.

Another "feature" of HDMI is its support for HDCP, and these adapters can't handle that copy-protected signal. What that means is someday, when a studio executive pushes a red button to turn on an Image Constraint Token for new movies, an HD-DVD enabled 360 will down-scale HD movies to DVD-quality; full quality in that future scenario will require a direct HDCP connection between a device and a TV. And some of our fancy HDTVs don't even support HDCP. Thank you, piracy panic.

Maybe Microsoft is preparing an HDMI cable to interface with the original 360's video-output port. Even then, the interface change won't impact games; it's only a convenience and movie issue.

Note that pictured adapter includes component to VGA cable.

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?

Update: Engadget has the scoop on the limited-edition 'Xbox 360 Elite'! (Details below.)

Looks like Game Informer's black Xbox 360 rumor wasn't so much a rumor as it was a pending exclusive in their shiny mag. Of course, GI weren't the first outlet to whisper secrets about an elusive revision of the Xbox 360 -- actually, Engadget got pics of the console's (dubbed Zephyr) HDMI port, proving its existence. Now, GI's April issue has the deets.

This news has been floating around for a couple days -- first hitting NeoGAF and subsequently our tips line -- but, Kotaku has managed to get some pics of the page and even confirmation from GI that this isn't an April Fool's hoax. So, without further delay, the specs:

• Uh, it's black
• HDMI port and HDMI cable (oh, you bullies!)
• 120GB hard drive (but you told us 20GB was more than enough!)
• A $479 price tag (ouch!)
• No HD-DVD integration (yup), the "format's not proven" (pssst, and it's being outsold)
• The 120GB hard drive will be available for under $200 (uh, we certainly hope so!)
• It's coming in "late April"

Engadget adds:

• Dubbed the Xbox 360 Elite
• Limited-edition; probably a couple hundred thousand units
  
• Case, controller, and headset will be black; new packaging
• Confirmed: 3rd SKU; sold alongside Premium and Core bundles
• Elite runs cooler than other models
  
• Eventually Elite hardware (in white) will replace Premium; estimated to be in late summer or fall

Our questions:

• Where the hell is the built-in WiFi? Seriously. Our DS Lite has it built-in -- and DS is only $30 more than the 360's adapter! (Engadget: "There are no current plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premiums...")
• Will this be a third SKU, or will they finally pull the Core? Yeah, #3.
  
• Will the Zephyr Elite release come coupled with price-drops for the other SKUs? (Engadget: "Prices may remain the same with the 120GB / HDMI hardware upgrade in the Premium Xbox, but we may still see a price cut on the line when 65nm chips start shipping.")
• Does this model have the desirable, albeit delayed, 65nm chips? (Engadget: "not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips.")
• How pissed off will early adopters be?

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Some PlayStation 3 users who play on Westinghouse 1080p screens might have noticed a blinking problem when loading up their games, wherein no sound comes up and the screen's imagery blinks off and on. Popular Mechanics has been following the story and trying to deduce the culprit of this problem.

The blinking phenomenon stems from High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection, or HDCP, a form of DRM for signals that run through HDMI cables. Initially, Westinghouse VP of Marketing Rey Roque explained that the issue was firmware within some of their television sets but has now retracted that assertion, placing the blinking blame on the PlayStation 3 itself. Roque notes, "Westinghouse products are fully compliant with the HDMI and HDCP specs."

Westinghouse and Sony reportedly met yesterday to discuss the issue, but Popular Mechanics went ahead and offered a quick-and-dirty fix to the problem: simply unplug HDMI cable, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in. Video of the phenomenon and its quick fix is embedded after the break.

[Via /.]