by Jon Liu
Fans and newcomers alike, rejoice! The Xbox 360 Elite has finally arrived! Released on April 29th, 2007, the 360 Elite sports a new look and improves upon the already fantastic Xbox 360 Premium package.
What’s Included?
- Black Xbox 360 Console (with HDMI)
- Black Wireless Controller
- Microsoft’s Proprietary Component Cable
- Audio Dongle (to use with the HDMI cable if your receiver doesn’t support HDMI)
There are several questions to ask: What is all the fuss about? What’s the difference? And, most important of all, is it worth a purchase/upgrade?
So what’s the fuss about?
Well, the buzz out there is that this is, in part, Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s Playstation 3. There were several key features some believed gave Sony the advantage over Microsoft. A larger hard drive and HDMI connection were two of the things that the 360 lacked on launch, and that’s where the Xbox 360 Elite comes in.
What’s the difference?
Some fans of the Xbox 360, myself being one of them, griped and moaned about the lack of an HDMI option for the transportation of the video and audio. Others were also complaining about the lack of space on the current 20GB hard drive. They addressed both of those complaints in the 360 Elite. The new HDMI option allows for a better image quality, allowing the possibility of 1080p resolution for the first time, fewer cables to manage, and a nice bonus, the ability to upconvert the resolution of the DVDs you watch on your Xbox 360.
Is it worth the purchase/upgrade?
This is a loaded question. Is it worth the purchase, I’d say it is. If you don’t have an Xbox 360 already and are looking to get one, $80 dollars over the price of the premium package would make it an easy choice considering what you get, a bigger hard drive, HDMI, HDMI cable, and a black console, controller, and headset.
Now, is it worth the upgrade? Probably not for most people, simply because there’s hardly any new internals that would be worth the $479.99 price tag that the Elite carries. The HDMI and larger hard drive were a big deal to me, so getting one at that price and having a back up system seems worth it. But, realistically, most people wouldn’t find those two things worthwhile to make the upgrade.
My Opinion & Thoughts
First off, I must say, I really like the new black look that the Elite boasts. It fits better into my entertainment rack and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore. The black controller is a very nice addition to it. The matching Black 120GB hard drive is also a plus. They also seem to have addressed something I noticed about the power button on the console. On the Core and Premiums the button doesn’t give a good sense of whether or not you’ve pressed the power button. The Elite gives you a lot better sense of that feeling.
The HDMI upgrade was the primary reason for my uprading to an Elite. The image is improved, but marginally. Lines and edges are more defined and crisp but, the difference isn’t night and day. The HDMI allows for the upconverting of standard DVD, which is a definite bonus. I popped in several disks to check out how the upconverting looks and I was satisfied with the improvement. It’s still not HD, but it’s an improvement. HD-DVDs via the HD-DVD add-on did look cleaner, with better-defined lines and bolder more natural colors.
On the HDMI downside is the Elite’s inability to pass the higher resolution audio formats. The idea behind HDMI is that it has a ton of bandwidth, which would allow for such high-resolution picture quality and high-resolution audio. Unfortunatley, the Elite does not provide this benefit.
The 120GB hard drive space is probably overkill for my intended use, but it’s very nice having the option to use it. Before the Elite, I was constantly deleting content like demos, videos, etc. It will be nice not having to worry about deleting content once I’m done with it.
I was hoping that the console would be quieter, but the noise level is the same, if not louder. The disk drive still sounds like a jet engine, and it seems that Microsoft has now used three, instead of two, fans inside the console, likely adding to the overall console noise. If this means more stability though, I’m fine with the added fan noise.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an HDMI connection, larger hard drive, and new sleek black look, look no further than the Xbox 360 Elite. If you’re happy with your current console and drive size, the upgrade probably won’t be worth it for you.
Seriously though, my launch 360 only gets noisey on the more demanding material and even then its not distracting. 
Ain't that the truth! 
