Xbox 360 Elite Finally Unveiled!

Microsoft has made the rumors true with their announcement of the Xbox 360 Elite available in the US & Canada on April 29th! 120 GB hard drive, HDMI outputs and cable, black case and black wireless controller with a black headset.. everything we expected, at $479 (LAME!). So if you buy this, and an HD-DVD drive, you’re up to $678… and the PS3 is just not seeming quite as expensive.

Microsoft, you had a golden opportunity to rocky Sony on the price front and you, in my opinion, blew it.

Also announced was the availability of black wireless controllers, with black battery packs and the play-and-charge kit, the separate 120GB drive in white to match your Premium/Core (at a whopping $179.95!! INSANE!). And according to the Major Nelson mid-week podcast, it will have a transfer cable that will clear out your old 20GB drive, copy everything over to the new drive, and have you up and running.. and you can give your 20GB drive to your Core-owning grandma.

They’re trying to justify the jacked up price as being the difference in price from the core (at $299) plus the $179 hard drive. Seriously, the price of 120GB hard drives in the real world are NOT that expensive, regardless of the proprietary case you place it in. And you’re manufacturing loads of them! I listened to your justification for it, and it’s CRAZY! They say that it’s got “security” it’s “pre-formatted” and at a certain performance quality… seriously do you think we’re technically inept? It’s a terrible price, there is no way around it.

In the end, the Xbox 360 Elite is a pretty case, with an overpriced drive and if you have a plethora of HDMI inputs in your TV, you’ll be able to use that cable. That is where the differences end. I sure like the looks of it, and I’m sure it will be one of those hard-to-find items when it’s out, but until they drop the price to the Premium levels, I can’t give it the raving reviews I want to give.