Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System

Xbox 360 Elite

Posted Nov 1, 2007 - I was looking into buying an Xbox 360 at the beginning of this year and I heard the rumors of the new black system with HDMI coming out soon, so I waited. It turns out that was the Elite and came with a 120 GB hard drive to boot (100 GB more than the standard Xbox 360). The downside was that, at the time, this system cost $80 more. However, for both the HDMI and the 100GB of extra space I thought it was worth it. I was also hoping that this new model may have fixed the reliability issues of the 360. It turns out I bought it too soon on that account as only the most recent models (produced in June or July of 2007 and later) of both the regular and Elite models have the more reliable system design. Right now the price difference between the regular and Elite 360 is a little higher ($100), and HDMI output is included on both models. The difference basically comes down to the color and the 100 GB of extra hard drive space. You do get an HDMI cable with the Elite and not the regular though and that is worth at least $10 by itself. Personally, I love having the 120 GB hard drive. I already have mine half full with demos and videos. Certainly you can get by with the 20 GB HD, but it is nice not to have to worry about space all the time. Overall, I would say if you have the money, go for the Elite as the extra space is nice. You also get the HDMI cable. At this point, Microsoft has made some minor changes to the 360 design that is supposed to increase reliability (but the success of that remains to be seen) so you really can't go wrong with either model. Just be sure to get one with a hard drive (so skip the "Arcade Bundle" which lacks a hard drive).

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Still a lot of green but with a lot of bang

Posted Aug 20, 2007 - I didn't have the original 360 but I read enough about the red circle of death to be worried about buying one. The new elite system seems like it's going to be more stable. I jumped on on the elite because of the bigger hard drive and Microsoft's announcement to provide warranty support for 3 years. I'm glad I did. The elite kicks butt. It doesn't appear to run loud or hot unlike previous complaints I've read about. Game play is amazing. Games are still expensive at an average of $50 for new games but you can find bargains out there for older games. Still, I wasn't dazzled by the system until I finally got my Xbox tied into my network and finally saw some of the videos and stuff you could download from Xbox live. The HD clips are amazing. On the downside, Microsoft seemed to not go all of the way with the new color scheme. You can get some black accesories but the HD DVD drive and the wireless network adapter are staying white. Also, I haven't been able to fully use the 360 as a media extender despite have a Microsoft Media Center PC. All in all, still a great system though.

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I like the new color and bigger hard drive!

Posted Aug 13, 2007 - I bought this along with the new xbox360 black wireless controller. Ater previously owning an xbox360 premium system all I can say is it works great just like the original. I like the looks of it better in the new black color along with the 120gb hard drive and hdmi cable.

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Best Xbox 360 Package

Posted Sep 12, 2007 - With the 360, spending more buys you more. The extra $100 over the Pro package is well worth it for the extra 100GB on the hard drive. If you like trailers, game previews, add-on content for games, etc., then buying the Elite package is a no-brainer. The Pro is supposed to come with the HDMI port now, but the Elite also bundles the cable with it, in addition to the requisite component cable. This is the way every game system should be sold! The 360 itself is still contending with heat issues. There is a lot of myth going around about this using a new chip. The motherboard and some of the chips HAVE changed, but it's not very drastic. This 360 still runs warm and the fan still makes noise. Any 360 sold today runs the risk of requiring service, don't kid yourself about that. With plenty of room around the system for air-flow, my system runs at a comfortable temperature. The fan is noticeable, but as soon as I fire up a game I forget all about it. As for 360 vs PS3, I picked this based on the games line-up. Not because the 360 has better games, but because it has more games I want to play. The two systems are very good matches in performance and I'm sure the game selection will balance out too. For me, the 360 has a great offering of games. Pick your system based on personal preference! Despite heat issues, this system is bolstered by a great online experience. I've downloaded tons of game demos and trailers already. I am astonished by the multimedia capabilities! I no longer need a dedicated home theater PC to play media files off other networked computers. The 360 works great with UPnP services like TVersity. I think the PS3 has similar capabilities. It's great that the gaming consoles have finally achieved true home entertainment awesomeness!

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Xbox 360 Elite - Back in Black

Posted Aug 15, 2007 - There are plenty of articles about the feature differences in the Xbox 360 Pro and the Xbox 360 Elite, so I won't repeat it here. For details, see the official Xbox website. --- My experience with the Elite has been solid. My Elite has been much more stable than my previous Xbox 360 Pro system. My Pro froze pretty often. My Elite has frozen only twice in 3 months. It seems to run a bit cooler than the Pro, but it still runs pretty hot. --- For those who are trying to choose between an Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii... I've played them all. The Wii is very innovative and great for kids, parties, etc. However, the graphics are about where the original Xbox and PS2 consoles were a few years ago. The PS3 is no slouch, but Xbox Live has far more features and content. For now, Xbox Live and the price difference are what have swayed me to the Xbox 360. However, on September 25, 2007, there will be another BIG plus for the 360, and that is Halo 3... which is only available on the 360 (and eventually on the PC (probably)). --- If you already have 360 Pro, there's no need to upgrade, but if you don't have a current generation console, the 360 Elite is definitely the way to go.

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Truly an elite specimen

Posted Sep 24, 2007 - I owned a Premium ever since they came out, but it recently broke down. Just before the announcement of the 3-year warranty, I had someone open it up and try various methods of improving the cooling. It worked for a bit but then died again. So, being rational, I went out and got myself an Elite. In my opinion, the Elite is a much better buy than the Premium, especially if you're just entering the 360 market. It's got HDMI (though some bemoan the fact that it's an older version, I don't really care), so I can free up my TV's component plugs for other use. And it's black, which I think is more appealing (and more versatile) than the bright white of the original 360. I haven't used the hard drive (I switched the 20 GB one from my Premium, as I didn't have any way of transferring the data - though means do exist). However, 120 GB should be much more than enough for the average gamer, with space left over for some HD content (movies, TV shows, etc.). Now that the Premium is being packaged with HDMI capability, if you don't think you'll need 100 GB more space, the Premium is a good buy. But if you're like me and prefer black, the Elite is the way to go.

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Great System

Posted Jul 16, 2007 - Very happy with this system. Had spent plenty of hours with it so far. A definite buy if your a gamer. Love the all black case. Games look awesome if you owen an HD-TV.

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XBOX 360 Elite - Extreme Gaming and Multimedia experience.

Posted Jun 12, 2007 - The Elite edition, is Bigger (6 times more Hard Drive space), Better (HDMI included) and Quieter than before!Plus is now in beautiful black premium finish which looks and feels nicer than the original white one. Also it seems a bit quieter and less prone to freeze-ups than the first generation of 360s. All in all, a bit pricey and does not have some other goodies that they could have included for the price, but the smooth black finish; large Hard Drive to store HD movies, trailers and demos; and of course HDMI connection (with cable included) allowing true 1080p make it an awesome edition both as a gaming console and as home multimedia center.

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Great choice for 1st Xbox

Posted Aug 2, 2007 - I bought the Xbox 360 Elite yesterday and so far I love everything about it. I am not a hard-core gamer (I have not owned a game console since the Nintendo 64), but I wanted a next-generation console and decided to wait a bit. I hooked up the Xbox to my Samsung 32" HDTV and it looks amazing. I have only played Call of Duty 3 so far, but I have to say that I'm very impressed with the graphics and gameplay. I'm also getting Halo 3 as soon as I can. I like that there are many games for the Xbox 360 right now. The included wireless controller is great (my wife liked the fact that there will not be cables lying around). The included HDMI cable is a plus considering these can be expensive. I watched a couple of episodes of 24 using the Xbox and I have no complaints as far as quality. I can't find a difference between the Xbox DVD player and my current LG DVD player. They both up-convert very well with no visible differences. The 120GB HD might be a little too much, but I would rather have more space than I need than just enough. I can't speak for those of you who already own an Xbox 360, bur for those of you who don't, I think the Xbox 360 Elite is a great choice for only $80 more than the Premium version. I know the PS3 has "better hardware", but it's too expensive, I don't really want a Blu-Ray player, and I don't need my game console to have Wi-Fi.

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Great System with a few upgrades

Posted Nov 26, 2007 - There's not much left to be said about the Xbox360, a system thats cemented itself as a platform with many a good games to play What is important is to decide which model is most important for you. The Elite comes with a bigger HD at 120GB so you can store a lot of media on it. It also has the nice black finish. Now that all 360s have an HDMI port, that bullet point does not stand out as much. In the end, the 360 is a great system and if you need the HD space and/or like a system in black, go for this now.

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XBOX 360 Elite for Gaming and HD-DVD experience

Posted Jun 16, 2007 - I bought it mainly for HD-DVD playing on my new 46" 1080p LCD. Picture is awsome. It's a good value compared with the premium verison for only $70 more. One thing I don't like it's the occasionally Lost connection of HDMI with My sumsung 1080p 46" LCD. I don't know who to blame, the elite or Samsung.

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Xbox 360 Elite - a Powerful Upgrade

Posted Jul 14, 2007 - I owned a normal Xbox 360 Premium edition before upgrading to the elite. Personally I like the color of the elite better but I had already filled up the hard drive and thought the upgrade was worthwhile. The HDMI cable is a nice touch and allows a crisper picture.

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The Best System on the Market

Posted Aug 24, 2007 - This is the best system on the market. The HDMI and 120gb Hard Drive are great updates for the older model. I think the system might be a little bit quieter and cooler than my old elite too.

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Elite

Posted Nov 5, 2007 - The Xbox 360 elite is a great system. It fixes many problems the first one had, with a new motherboard (zephyr) and additional heat sinks (to combat the 3ROD). It also includes a huge hard drive (120 GB) and an hdmi cable in the box. With the 360, you get access to many original Xbox games through backwards compatibility. Also, the Xbox Live marketplace is a great way to get demos and trailers for upcoming games. Overall, great system.

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Very Solid

Posted Apr 29, 2008 - I debated whether to buy XBOX360 or PS3. Both consoles are solid, but a larger game library and Xbox marketplace gave the edge to XBOX. I'm very happy with it.

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