August 27th 2009 6:00 am PT

In Europe we already have these prices and even the Arade is here 179,99!

So the Pro IS being phased out, correct?

P.S. Was that Halo 3 + wireless adapter bundle real?

Does this mean that the 120GB Hard Drives are going to cost less? Its pointless paying that much for a hard drive when its almost like buy another console.

I so saw this coming, you know microsoft won’t let sony bask in the glory for too long! Awesome deal, looks like in the near future I’m going elite!

Xbox 360 elite needs to at least bundle with the wireless adaptor at $299 to come close to the value of PS3 and still missing the Blu-Ray drive.

well I seen it coming lol.Yes does that mean the 120gb hdd are going to be a bit cheaper as seeing I have a 20gb one and in need more space, but I could buy a 1tb comp hdd for 129.99 CAN that’s a lot cheaper and as seeing that lacks space seem like the better buy………..

So now if you want a console with a HDD you have to have it in black, and if you want a console in white you get with no HDD then you now have to pay £40 more than before.
Way to go M$… you never cease to amaze. Drop one and increase the other so you don’t lose out.
Where’s the value in that?

Good Stuff… waiting for the 120gb HDD price cut now…..

When GOD is going to get a price cut?

So the Americans get a price cut and us Brits get a price increase? That’s nice.

There’s no longer an HDMI cable bundled with the Elite.. God, there’s not even a Component cable!!!

And I remember Microsoft attacking Sony saying that Xbox 360 was the only console ready to deliver and HD experience out-of-the-box…

Yay! An Xbox 360 price drop. (I already have one, as do most people who frequent this website).
Hows about a Price drop on the 120gb HDD so we can keep buying more crap off Xbox Live? And while your at it, drop the $99.95 price tag on Mass Effect in Games on Demand, it’s a stupid price!

Good news for my North American friends, but what about us in the land down under, by which I mean Australia…?

And I read the fine print on the link. Should have seen it coming, but still: Gold membership will be required for facebook and twitter. Boo!

So the Xbox 360 is supposed to be the future of HD gaming, but yet now all the HD cables the Elite used to come with are no longer included and you’re stuck with COMPOSITE cables??? I guess MS figures “Well Sony isn’t including HD cables with the PS3, so why should we?”. So that’s how a price drop is coming about, by taking out the HD cables? That could have been a perfect opportunity to one-up the competition. I can understand no longer including both HDMI and component together, but at the very least it should include both a standard AND HD cable option – is it really too much to at least throw in an HDMI cable with the composite cable? Oh well, I’m glad I got one while it still came with both HDMI and component cables!

Please Major tell your boy’s at Microsoft to fix that damn Red RING OF DEATH AND E74 PLEASE!!!

Sorry but taking the HDMI cable out of the Elite box is penny pinching too far, especially when you’ve also downgraded the bundled video cable to only be SD!

I can understand dropping the Component version of the cables now that pretty much every HD TV has HDMI and you get better picture and are allowed to upscale DVD, etc as it’s a protected digital connection…but how much would a generic HDMI cable have cost you to put in the box?

We all continue to laugh/cry that Sony does it…previously Microsoft treated it’s gamers better.

In the end the last laugh will be on Microsoft when all these new consoles only get run in Standard Def because people don’t read the manual…then they go round a friends and maybe see the PS3 running in high def and think that 360 has inferior graphics…

I see the console compare screen on xbox.com has been updated. However, it still says the Elite comes with a “Standard/HD” A/V cable. I thought it was composite only? Shouldn’t it just say “Standard”?

for the UK i heard there is not gonna be any arcade games included either when the Pro gets phased out and the Arcade 360 takes its place..so for us its a 30 quid rise,but no cables and no arcade games…strange plan you have MS

Since the Pro is now being phased out, does this mean that a new “uber-Elite” top-tier 3rd model with bigger storage space is in the works? The necessity for more storage space needs to be accomodated for with the increasing downloadable options like 360 Games on Demand and Arcade games getting bigger and bigger. It’s getting to the point where the 120 GB HDD is no longer going to cut it for those who prefer to download and install their games.

Glad to see the drop.
The 360 and PS3 are on equally pricing so now you can do features checking easier. I do not think you need to include wireless but it needs to be half the price it is now as an accessory as well as the hard drive upgrades need to drop significantly as well. Sorry to see the loss of HD cables of any kind as a pack-in as that was always a big positive plus it promotes the HD quality of the system. I still think XBL is worthy paying for over free PSN but they are starting to close the gap.
I bought a PS3 Slim for the Blu-Ray and would not have if the 360 had an add-on. The 360 will still be my primary gaming box except for the few PS3 exclusives. Final Fantasy will be an interesting test of that when it hits though.
In the end it will be PS3 Blu-Ray vs 360 Netflix Streaming this holiday season. Will Blu-Ray continue getting cheaper to DVD pricing or will Netflix’s Streaming Library expand to make Blu-Ray unnecessary?

Dvt en MJ: here in the Netherlands the Arcade is going up in price from €180 to €200, but rumor has it there will be more in the box than before the price increase.
Also, the Pro will be phased out and the Elite will drop to €250, although that does mean people’ll have to buy HD-cables which negate most of the price drop.

It cost more to ship it, that why it went up.

No Blu Ray player, smaller HDD, no WIFI, no HD cables? PS3 sounds like a better deal. ————What prices are we looking at in Australia? Also how is it a mass recall has not happened due to the amount of faulty consoles MS has sold and continue to sell? Why is it you can pick the errors that are covered under the warranty when the whole thing is basically faulty?

Why remove the HDMI cable when they are so cheap? As well I seem to recall M$ commenting on Sony only including composite cables in the “HD Era”.

In the UK the Arcade has gone up from £130 to £160 making it the same price as the current 60GB Pro. The Elite has gone from £220 to £200 which isn’t too bad compared to the £250 PS3.
However in the US how could anyone recommend the 360 over the PS3 now? For $300 you get built in Wi-Fi, Blu-Ray and free online, those are big selling points over the Elite.

Just to clarify…while I think it’s garbage that the Elite loses both sets of HD cables (I see no excuse at all for the “dual” cable that has always come with the Pro…HDMI I can understand s bit), but the PS3 has NEVER come with any HD cables. On the plus side, stores like Gamestop have used HDMI cables for around $20 (some pretty good quality), and the dual cable for $15-ish, so it’s not buying them is a deal breaker. Of course, this price drop should cover all models in stock, so if you can find a RE5, GOTY, or “old” Elite bundle, you’ll get a much better deal for $299!

Price cuts are always welcome but the new Elite SKU is a shame to be shipped without both HDMI and component cables.
So why not call this new SKU as an Arcade Plus or something like it?
Really, is THAT expensive to include a single cable for HDTV? Even so, with HDD prices dropping so low and with nothing special about the HDD used on the 360, just that of a price cut?
Not even to mention that STILL at this time, none of the SKUs have the wireless adapter which still costs a lot for a crappy USB wi-fi.
Now THAT’S a great marketing strategy.
Just a piece of advice? Try to find out if the ppl behind this AWESOME strategy are getting paid by Sony because with this amazing MASTERPIECE of marketing strategy, Microsoft is giving Sony an excellent chance to introduce the PS3 Slim with a blast of advantage over the 360.

This. Is. Good. Now I can do like ‘the vowel’ and get a 2nd 360 for the living room for watching Netflix and stuff. Watching videos in the game room was not comfortable for the fam (especially since the kids arent allowed in the game room).

This is good.

Total cost argument from PS3 folks is valid however. I would like the WiFi dongle to be lowered in price, PLEASE?

Now that PRO is over and Arcade is the only White option… it would be nice to have black accessories like messenger kit or wifi adapter XD

And… its non of this matter but… it will be okay to return to the “old” games library, showing the 3 last played games and not only the last 3 played games that are in the hard drive…

See ya!

@SalamanderSkill…how is a 120Gb HDD in the Elite smaller than the 120Gb HDD in the new PS3? Sony has phased out the 160Gb model, and it was never $299 (I think to clear stock it dropped to $350). I still prefer Netflix and the Zune marketplace for my movies, both of which have HD available, and there are very few Blu-Ray discs I pick up…that feature just isn’t a selling point for me. Built in wireless and the ease/ options available for storage are better on the PS3 (you can save games on Flash drives, swap hard drives, and use external hard drives), and I really don’t see why MS doesn’t patch some of those kinds of features in, as it’s mostly software (not the wireless, unfortunately, but they could easily build it in the new Elite system). Honestly, even the rest of this year’s update is moot with the PS3, as even though it technically doesn’t have Twitter, Facebook, or Netflix, it does have a web browser, which should allow someone to use all three, right?

KP – My bad on the HDD size… I should have emphasized on the fact that PS3 allows you to install your own 2.5″ HDD whereas MS sells ludicrous priced HDDs.

More importantly why can MS cover only certain aspects of it’s faulty console under their warranty? The whole damn thing has problems from day 1.. Surely it’s illegal in some countries for this BS warranty Ms offer… The whole thing is faulty thus the WHOLE thing chould be covered under warranty for 5+ years…

Major’s photos seem to show that a COMPOSITE cable comes with the Elite, but on Xbox.com’s compare page (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/compare101.htm) it says the HD component cable comes in the box.

Has anyone purchased a new Elite and can confirm that it only comes with a composite cable?

Price drops are good in all but seriously? Not make the HDD standard? Thats kinda of BS. MS just had the opportunity to rid the gaming world of games that don’t require a HDD to play. Requiring a HDD would push games a bit further. Look at GTA, didnt they say they had a small issue since the HDD wasnt standard on an Xbox? Why not have the Pro at $199 and the elite at $299? Take a risk MS, you could of made all the games on consoles slightly better.

Sweet now like others have said how about a price drop on the HD? I’ve had a 360 for 3 years now and it’s time to upgrade the drive but I can’t bring myself to pay $129.99 for 120gb…

Major please tell me you were being sarcastic with that “betcha ya never saw that coming” line there cause for 1) we have seen the leaked ads for over a week and secondly the ps3 is at the same price it makes complete sense you would at least try to match them if not undercut them. If you really thought that we would be all suprised by this then your not really in touch with the community like you say u are

nice to see the price drop in response to the PS3 slim, although you should phase out the Arcade not the Pro. I hope the next announcement is a price drop for the 120GB hard drive & possibly a bigger one, especially since you expect people to use the overpriced Games On Demand.

It was nice to see that Elites at Best Buy last night for 399 sans an HDMI cable and a component cable. *facepalm* Why in the hell did you guys remove both HD cables from the Elites? Everyone knows how much bad crap Sony got for doing it. Sure, we all know you can get HDMI cables on the cheap. However, the target demographic will pick up the Monster or some other cable that is ridiculously overpriced. Couldn’t that have been spent on Xbox 360 games or accessories?

Goodeye84 please tell me you were being sarcastic with that “Major please tell me you were being sarcastic” line there cause for 1) Every gaming article/blog about the PS3 Slim always followed with the prediction that MS was going to do a price drop 2) Major lives and breathes gaming so what makes you think he would be that out of teach. If you really thought he wasn’t being sarcastic by “betch ya never saw that coming” then you’re (not your) not really in touch with Major Nelson and his reputation like you pretend to be.

If your looking for an ultimate gaming machine buy a 360. If you want a sweet movie player buy a ps3. I can’t believe people still compare the 2 as if both are game consoles. lol.

Of course we expected this.

anyway price dropping is a good news to new players.
but could you please keep the HDMI cable? don’t be silly like that sony.

Price dropping the STILL faulty console is good. I like to know I’m paying less for broken goods. “3+ years selling broken consoles to consumers and proud of it” Xbox marketing division….

where can I get a transfer cable at?

If you need an HDMI cable, just pick up a bunch from Monoprice on the cheap. The Elite effectively costs $307 now, which is a nice price drop.

Of course we saw this coming, how else does Microsoft respond to a 120 GB PS3 slim?

I thought it was a 160GB PS3 slim?

“Betcha didn’t see that coming…did you ?”

I hope you’re joking, this has been as much of a secret as the PS3 slim has been.

Nice price drop! Now please lower the 120 HDD as well. Can’t wait next year to see the Natal 360 bundle. With games on demand will we ever see more storage? 500GB or even 1TB? I’m limited on my 20gb right now

MS really needs to drop the price of the Wi-Fi adaptor! It really should be included for free.

I love my 360 but I think at the same price the PS3 Slim is going to kill the Elite. MS should have dropped the Elite to $250, The Pro to $200 and the Arcade to $150.

Ok!
When the HD120GB price cut?

The only way I’ll go “Elite” is if Microsoft significantly drops the price of the Hard Drives. I invested in a 20GB console at launch. I shouldn’t be expected to by an all new console just because it’s only $180 more than the hard drive by itself. And the price of the hard drives has been insane since launch. Don’t expect me to be downloading videos, games on demand, or many Arcade titles with a 20GB HDD and don’t think I’ll “give in” to the current pricing of your other HDD’s. Proprietary was not a smart move, Microsoft.

Also; I’d like to see the wireless network adapter drop to $50. I don’t care how much Microsoft touts that it is that high quality. My home network is not setup for wiring my consoles and it’s a pain to have to rewire things just for the Xbox 360. I don’t care if Microsoft continues selling the $100 wifi adapter as long as they also offer a lower-priced $50 one (assumably less-quality). I use a $40 linksys wifi USB wifi adapter on my desktop and it runs as good as any other adapter and is barely noticable in speed from being wired.

Yeah, didn’t see that coming like I don’t see a Natal bundle coming to replace that price point. LOL

OK. So, I just sent my 360 Pro to the repair center. Because of the Pro being phased out, does that mean I’ll get an Elite 360 without the hard drive from them?

Larry, How about a comment on the lack of HD cables? You were one of the most vocal figures bashing Sony for not including them. What gives???

The Elite does come with HD cables, it just dropped the HDMI cable. Here is the product page:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/compare101.htm

For those complaining about no HDMI cable, buy one from monoprice.com
They’re like $4 US for a 6ft cable.

Bio. That list is wrong. The new Elite comes with standard def cords. Look anywhere. Everyone is saying it. No component, no HDMI, only composite red white and yellow.

@ Biomonkey: The product page still needs to be updated. Look at the pictures on Major’s flickr. The Elite contents now show only a composite cable is included. And if you look at a closeup of the side of the new Elite box in the Contents list, it only says “Standard Definition” for the Elite.

@ Codename6: If they’re that cheap, then there’s no excuse for why it can’t be included. The 360 should be HD right out of the box, not require you to have to get the necessary cables separately.

@ MACPH1ST0

Yes, they are cheap in general, but keep in mind Microsoft also sells a Microsoft branded cable for much more. They’ll hope you buy it, maximizing their profits. It’s business.

“Betcha didn’t see that coming…did you ? ” I betcha we did..! Just like I betcha Major there will be a new Natal bundle / redesigned Xbox 360 ( slim ) coming the fall of 2010!

1. For $299, the Slim PS3 is still a better bargain. It comes with a Blu-ray drive, wifi, and free online play.

2. It’s lame that if you want a hard drive with your console, you’re stuck with a black 360 since the “Pro” is phased out. Why can’t the black be a special edition, allowing people to choose a white or black elite?

Shame I already bought a brand new Elite last month, ah well, I know it’s money well spent.

Major, the box pictures are wrong. You should have them remove 1/4th out of each ring on the systems and make it a darker red. That will be truth in advertising.

You know I need to get my digs in right?

IF they would have kept the HDMI cable in the box it would been $350 for the system and you would still be complaining. I really can’t see how people can complain for $299 the elite is a killer system.

Gotta love pretend price drops.

So I’m guessing that MS thought the PS3 Slim would be going to 350.00 and not 300.00. I love my 360 but at 300.00 the PS3 is now the better deal with free online Multiplayer, WiFi, and Blu-Ray. I bet we see another price drop around November. Rebates anyone?

Yes i did see that coming, what with the other drops going on.

It seems like the trend at Microsoft with outrageous pricing, trying to get as much money out of you and see if they can get away with it before making any changes.

MS is betting people who doesn’t know better will by the MS HDMI cable (very high profit margin) instead of getting one from monoprice.com for less than $4.00 new. Same reason for not bundling the WiFi adaptor, high profit margin.

Another great example is the new Games on Demand and ridiculously expensive Avator marketplace items. Come on, a 160 points pom pom which has a lot more animation work put into the Avator vs 400 points for a two cyclinders texture mapped Lightsaber with not much animation with the Avator?

Man, it happened so suddenly, I don’t know what to say… other than my Pro is about to become a vintage product…

BTW, dropping all high-def cables from the Elite… well, I kinda understand it because something had to give to get that $299 price point. But still…

MS is riding on the installed base and the XBOX Live online play and features. If it was not my two best friends were already playing on Xbox, I would have never bought a MS product, period.

Which genius decided to remove the hd cables?

The loading screens on Forza 3 are circular red rings (RRoD)….. Who thought up that genius idea?

Once again CHEAP CHEAP B@STARDS! all of you, not Microsoft.

Will the elite get the white treatment?

Price Comparison from Amazon.com

Spring 2009 Xbox 360 Elite Bundle (still available) for $399 includes Halo3, Fable II, Official MS Component Cable, HDMI Cable.

Fall 2009 Xbox 360 Elite $299 + Halo 3 ($37) + Fable II ($37) + Official MS HDMI Cable with Audio break out ($31.49) or Official MS Component Cable ($34.99), total price: $299+$37+$37+$31 = $404 or to have exactly the same contents +$35 for the component cable, so $439. (but in real life people would either just get the component or the HDMI with adapter.)

So the only advantage is that you can get the Elite bare for $299. If you added the bits that were already available in the Spring 2009 package (that includes games most new 360 users *should* buy anyways… Halo 3 and Fable II) it wouldn’t be much of a deal at all… $25 off, especially if the users didn’t have an HDMI audio capable Receiver or TV, then it would actually cost more.

It’s just crappy MS marketing spin. Does MS just hope that their customers are bad at math?

Add that to the fact that the energy efficient PS3 Slim being released at $299 with Blu-ray and Built-in WiFi, that the Elite can’t have and costs and extra $73… and I’d say that MS’ marketing division made a huge tactical error.

As soon as the college money comes in next month, I will be getting one of these and a slim PS3. I can’t wait. I just plan on putting my Pro into the bedroom for Netflix watching. I’m not to worried about an HD cable since they come a dime a dozen nowadays if you know where to look. PEACE!!!!

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/27/amazon-germany-lists-xbox-360-with-250gb-hdd-forza-3-two-wirel/

1. G.o.D. prices WAY TOO HIGH.

2. This doesn’t include any kind of HD cables now? Wtf guys.

@DavidGX

Make more money, loser.

Hmmm…. June 2010 will be nice to me. Thanks MS!

How about a little perspective here, people? So Microsoft lowered the price of the Elite by $100 and everybody is whining about them not including a $4 HDMI cable? So net savings is $96. Skip a latte for one day and you can “afford” that HDMI cable. Otherwise if that’s too much work then you deserve to play the Xbox at 480i with the free composite cable.

@CARNAGE RULES

Yes yes you’re making money hand over foot giving out BJ’s in gay bars for $5 but I’m just not that desperate for money. Good luck with that, though.

Trolls aside, look how cheap these freakin things are: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3992&seq=1&format=2

There’s really no excuse not to throw one in the box for $200.

Also, G.o.D. prices are WAY too high.

-Wireless adapter’s price should be lowered. (Even though wired internet is better)
-120GB HDD’s price should be lowered. (Even though I bought one already)
-HD cable would be nice,(since MS bragged about it)but doesn’t need to be included since they are so cheap now.

Xbox 360 is still the best deal because it has the most games and the most gamers on the best online service.

How exciting – now we get to see the PS3 Slim crush it in sales.

Could you possibly include the new pricing for the UK too… showing the “old” and “new” prices of both the Elite and the Arcade.

@Bubblebear, Amazon lowered the Spring Elite bundle to $299. Elite Fable 2 and Halo 3 bundle for $299 with HDMI and HD Component cable. http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Elite/dp/B002KJ9XDE/ref=amb_link_85030471_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-1&pf_rd_r=1KAZ39XSWA15N3KYJZ7N&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=488903251&pf_rd_i=507846

Oops, wrong link in my previous post. Here’s the Amazon link to the Elite bundle with Fable 2 and Halo 3 for $299. http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Elite-Halo-Fable-Bundle/dp/B0026GQ8WA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1251470090&sr=1-1

@ LuKhon: First of all, the Fable 2/Halo 3 Elite bundle is already sold out at that price – no big surprise there, since you could get 2 games with the system and all the HD cables for the same price. And the fact that HDMI cables are cheap isn’t the point. It’s that MS has bragged about how the 360 is “the future of HD gaming”, so if they want to back up that claim, then at the very least, the Elite should continue to be HD right out of the box. Otherwise the name “Elite” just rings hollow.

HAH, CompoSHITE cables only? Welcome to Sony style nickle and diming.. since 1995. Though Sony cables cost 4x their actual value.

The horror of having hundreds of thousands of Arcade users using their composhite and having NO idea what they’re missing out on is enough by itself, but it will now be matched by an equal number of pro users.

Oh well, 99.99% of 360 shop stands are running in 480i so now the home experience will match that perfectly.

I like how Microsoft is trying to spin it as a super deal. They drop the price $100 then take away the HD cables and optical audio adapter. So basically it would cost about the same price anyway having to buy MS’s audio cable and the hi-def cables. Granted you can get that stuff cheaper elsewhere. Time for a name change, I don’t think we can call it “elite” anymore.

@DavidGX

Not trolling, I just don’t like you. Hiding your gamercard like you’re someone special and I guarantee that you don’t contribute anything to this planet. You’re the type who is always looking for a handout. I don’t know what state you live in but, its probably one of the lower class states.

@CARNAGE RULES

What does hiding my gamercard have to do with wanting to pay FAIR PRICES for things? Digital content = LOWER PRICED THAN RETAIL. It’s a simply concept that neither you nor microsoft seem to understand.

Make more assumptions, btw, makes you sound smart.

@DavidGX

Go start your own multi-billion dollar company and than we shall see how fair your prices are? I’m sure that a company like Microsoft has done plenty of research on prices. If you think they wrote a bunch of numbers on a wall and threw a dart than you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.

@CARNAGE RULES

No, I think they’re trying to get just as much as they possibly can, fairness be damned. They want us to pay more for less.

And they’ll get away with it too if everyone is as stupid as you are and actually goes along with it. If you don’t understand why digital downloads should be cheaper than retail then you need to just go away and stop embarrassing yourself.

I switched to all PS3 so long ago. Very happy I did. Was pleased with the year of service while gaming on the platform. Just play Halo every now and again but will skip this next one for sure. First time that will ever happen.

Just picked up one of these today. True fact it only has COMPOSITE cables. No Component or HDMI included in the box. It does have the capability, respectively. I found the 3 Yellow, White, and Red wires coming from the main video cable to be quit skinnier and made a lot cheaper than the ones that came with my Pro console. Another cost cutting measure? Also what sort of surprised me. The power supply was much smaller, probably because this console only pulls 12.1V, according to the serial number tag, but what disturbs me is the connector going into the console is no longer of a metal material, but entirely plastic. I personally enjoy metal more than plastic, but for $300, I can’t complain too much.

In Canada, we now have the elite for $330 including the wifi adapter and Halo 3. http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10128795&catid=23383 But our arcade versions are now $230.
But honestly who cares, everyone posting here already has an xbox, and how many people even buy another one?

In Canada, we now have the elite for $330 including the wifi adapter and Halo 3. http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10128795&catid=23383 But our arcade versions are now $230.
But honestly who cares, everyone posting here already has an xbox, and how many people even buy another one?

Major: Next time you are walking down the hallway at work and pass a marketing or budgeting geek who was (even partly) responsible for deciding ship an “elite” console without ANY sort of HD cable… please kick them in the nutz for me. Also, if that happens to be the same person who decided that we are stuck with proprietary WAY overpriced hard drives that are VERY difficult to upgrade (as in MS’ automated tool sucks and doesn’t work right…you still have to redownload licenses for content to work offline)… please kick them in the nutz a second time or pass it on to the proper id10t.

A reliable 2.5 inch 500GB drive is $80 now, shipped. There is no way 120GB in a stupid gray case should cost $120. 150% the cost for 24% of the space. Getting screwed by about 600% = priceless. Microsoft needs to unlock the HDD and allow it to be upgraded. Especially since DLC is being pushed so hard not just in full games, but Rock Band here pretty soon is going to start pumping out even more tracks. The money is in the DLC, not in proprietary hard drives. I only have a math minor and this is painfully obvious, surely an economist there at MS could figure out that the hard drive is a limiting factor that needs to be addressed.

HazyCloud said:
“However, the target demographic will pick up the Monster or some other cable that is ridiculously overpriced. Couldn’t that have been spent on Xbox 360 games or accessories?”

I think that is an excellent point. I am also sad that no HD (component or HDMI) cables are being included with the elite. Why even call it “Elite”? I also agree that the price of the 120GB HDD and WiFi adapter should be lowered. Microsoft’s strategy has worked fine since 2005. But, Sony finally took the plunge. Right now the PS3 at $299 is a better value than the 360. Even with crazy PR spin (360′s better games, XBL’s large community, etc), the two still can’t be made to look equal to a new buyer.

WiFi Adapter: MS has have to have made their money back on it by now. Slash the price on it, no one will be mad. USB adapters for laptops (G/B) are about $30. Given the 360′s adapter also supports A, I think a $50 price point is fine.

120GB HDD: Right now on Amazon, the 120GB drive is $120. $1/gig is really pricey. A Seagate 2.5″ 7200RPM 320GB SATA drive is only $79.99 on NewEgg. Please, lower the price of the 120GB hard drive or allow us to buy, install and format our own.

http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2009/08/28/sonic-knuckles-out-on-xbla-on-september-9th/

Can we get something straight: Microsoft did NOT reduce the price of the Elite by removing cables. At manufacturer level, you’re probably looking at about $3 tops. Not only that, but the HDDs cost nothing like we’re charged for them. Remember, they’re just standard 2.5″ SATA HDDs in a fancy enclosure.

MS have a strategy where they want you to pay for as many ‘options’ as possible – why else is the HDD-included Pro being dropped in favour of the HDD-less Arcade? To top it all, the Arcade is increasing in price in the UK by £30 ($50) with items being removed from the SKU. Also, our Elite is only dropping by £30, with accessories worth £35 at retail being removed. MS needed to pay for their awfully built machine’s faults as the repair bill has been astronomical – like any spineless company, they’re making the customers pay for their mistakes. MS – grow some balls and issue a product recall. We’ve still consoles suffering from E74 and RRoD now. The design is at fault and until you change it, you’ll be forever fixing them.

@MartinChris

Why don’t you leave? The only reason I hate my XBOX is because of all the little b!tches that cry about it. Can you all just leave or die already.

Blu-Ray, built in wi-fi, and free online make the PS3 an undeniable better buy. Microsoft better be prepared to lose a lot of ground this Christmas.

Lower price of HDD and make some bigger ones k thanks. Otherwise GOD will fail miserably

Whens the rumored super elite comming Major? with the 250gb HDD

According to some news pages, some german sites are already listing the new 250gb xbox lol

The 120gb elite is the new “pro”

@CARNAGE RULES – welcome to the grown-up world where people are allowed to have a difference of opinion than yours. I (and others) have as much right to be here than anyone. The fact you don’t like it indicates you have a little growing up to do yourself…..

Microsoft need to start getting more exclusive games announced. Somehow I don’t think Forza 3 and Halo:ODST is going to be enough to sway peoples decisions when it comes to console buying. They also need to release a game that can show what the 360 can do. I’m sick of hearing about Killzone 2 and MGS4 and how they wouldn’t run on 360 because it’s incapable.

If Microsoft are planning on keeping the Elite at the same price as the PS3 then they better bundle something good with it. Nearer Christmas,they could maybe do a bundle that includes GTA4 and the 2 episodes or something. If things stay as they are, I can see the 360 getting trounced.. sadly.

@MartinChris

Didn’t your mother ever tell you “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? You’re complaining about a company that you think did you wrong or is doing something wrong and yet you stay and support that company. What kind of moron keeps giving money to a company that the truly don’t like? It’s time to leave, Chris.

Yeah the Elite is $100 cheaper now but it comes with no HDMI or component cables.
Still a move in the right direction though but I feel MS Should have at least included HDMI Cable which cost around $5-$10 in reality. Anyone paying $90 for HDMI Cables are being robbed.

I bet Microsoft announce they are scrapping GOLD subscription soon and offer it all free…BUT with advertising.

@Ai Kago

There are more ads on Xbox LIVE than on PSN. The only time I see ads on PSN is in Home or in the Playstation Store. The XMB is free of ads even though the online service has ads. Xbox LIVE has so many ads, I wonder why I am paying for the service.