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Rumours continue across the net regarding the fabled hardware revision of Xbox 360.
The rumours take many forms but generally focus on the following, that Xbox 360 will be available in a black case, with a 120GB hard drive, HDMI connection and revised cooler/quiet internals.
As usual Microsoft doesn't want to say anything, "Microsoft doesn't comment on rumours and speculation."
Engadget says it has a trusted source that says this black Xbox 360 will be called the Xbox 360 Elite, will cost US$479 and be available for a limited time only. The hardware will replace the current Xbox 360 Premium albeit without the black case.
Meanwhile Ars Technica has a quote supposedly from an anonymous games distributor that not only corroborates those details but says the Elite and the 120GB hard drive will both ship with a transfer cable, so you can copy over te date from your current 20GB drive.
Of course, this is all still in the realm of rumours. But we're hearing more and more about this updated Xbox 360 and it's starting to look like the real deal.
Quote:
We can't guarantee that any black Xboxen from here until the launch of the Xbox 360 Elite won't just be shots of the original 360 dev kit that was sent around, but we've already got our first batch of "confirmada" Elite pics that sprung up. Let's be honest here -- the only thing that's gonna be different is the black plastic (which we've been seeing for a while) and some new box art. The real and important differences, friends, will be under the hood, and it's those things we're stoked to find out more about.
Update: Our trusted source that confirmed the Elite let us know that these shots are quite fishy; they don't have the same plastics details as the real Elite, nor does the retail box match up. Sorry folks, chalk this one up to the usual group of bored, fanatical photoshoppers.
We managed to dodge this rumour a few times over the past weeks, but since it keeps returning time and again with such perseverance, and with such veridicity lately, we'll stop the press for a bit to check it out. So, last week it was a German gaming website claiming (via Joystiq) that a black Xbox 360 model was in fact coming, and this week we have the more esteemed Game Informer magazine (via Kotaku) claiming the same thing. But with a few differences where it counts the most: the price.
Going a bit further back in time, last month we mentioned about a black Xbox 360 photoed at TGS (Taipei Games Show). At that time, rumour had it that the new model would cost around $580, while last week's rumour - albeit confusing in this regard - seemed to indicate a price point situated between $466 - $600. According to the latest rumour report from Game Informer, the final price will actually be closer to the lower end of that interval, at $479.
For that kind of money, the black Xbox 360 will pack a larger 120 GB hard drive, HDMI output and an HDMI cable - all as previously speculated - and there also seems to be room for a 360 with support for the IPTV announced at CES earlier this year. No built-in HD-DVD drive, though.
Finally, another crucial piece of information confirmed by Game Informer is that Microsoft are planning to launch the black Xbox 360 at some point during April. An official press release is also expected only next month, once things cool down a bit after the imminent launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe & co. And I have a feeling that won't take too long.
What's the surprise about Microsoft launching a Black XBox?
Nowadays there are people who just buys videogames as a hobby (check Blue Dragon's hype on Japan. I'd NEVER buy a videogame just because of a single game!) . Unfortunately, this is far from reality here in Brazil...
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