Xbox 360 "Elite" *Update*

I know this can be a touchy subject for Xbox fans, and can be used as ammo for Sony fanboys... But I'd like to clarify how absurd the whole ordeal is.

When you buy a new video card, nVidia 6800 for example, do you scream and cry why they release the 7800 6 months later? When you buy a new hard drive, do you scream and cry when a larger one is released the next week? No? Well this is even more trivial than those situations.

If the rumours are to be believed, the only difference between the current Premium SKU and the new "Elite" will be a larger hard drive, and HDMI output. Sure, nice features, features I'd like to have myself. But does this cripple the current consoles? Will there ever be games that won't function on the 10 million plus consoles already out there? No. the hard drive will be sold separately, as the current 20GB drive is, so the only feature you won't be able to add to your current box is the HDMI output. Now, realistically, how many people actually HAVE an HDMI capable television?

Sure, there's the supposed new scaler chip, that feature nobody even knows the 360 has... The claimed die shrink on the CPU, another feature most people don't understand, which is also a non-issue, as I regularly have my 360 on for 12+ hour gaming sessions and have never had any kind of overheating issues. A die shrink is primarily a cost reduction measure. There's no reduction is the quality of the chip, yes, it will run slightly more cool, but the current 360 is barely as warm as a slim model Playstation 2, which does get exceptionally hot if played for any length of time.

Some people are also whining that the HD-DVD drive isn't being integrated. Personally, I'm happy that it's not. I bought a game console, not a hi-def movie player, I don't want to pay an additional $200 to have one forced on me. If you want it, you can buy it. Others are whining about the rumoured price increase, but aren't getting all the information. The $479 price tag is for the limited edition black console. From what I've been hearing, the Core is being phased out, the current Premium is going to replace it at the same price point, and the "Elite" is going to take the place of the Premium, at $399.

Similary to the Oblivion situation, this whole thing is really just whining fanboys...

*Update*

Looks like it's official now. On April 29th $479 US will get you a 120GB hard drive, and HDMI output, which seem to be the only real additions. Also, it's not a limited edition after all, it will be the third SKU in addition to the Core and Premium. With the 120GB hard drive costing $179 US at retail as a solo purchase. Seems the 65nm CPU die shrink is not included with this new model just yet, so I guess we're still waiting for Fall for that update.

Kotaku has a feature up.

Major Nelson did a special mid-week show about it and posted some photos.