Xbox 360 Elite System Console Includes 120GB Hard Drive Reviews

• An honest review from an actual owner.

  
  By A22CT4ZGGD2FJF on 2007-05-04
  First of all, when you purchase ANY xbox360 system, you should already know that it does NOT come with the HD-DVD drive. It is available separately for ~$200 USD. I think it's wrong for other reviewers to bash the Elite system for not including the HD-DVD drive when you should know its a separate accessory.
  
  This is my first xbox system purchase, however I have played many other 360 systems which belong to friends. I can say that the ELITE system is somewhat quieter and runs a little smoother due to the extra cache in the included 120gb hard-drive. "Smoother" meaning the dashboard is very fast with no hang-ups or pauses, even during gaming. My 360 Elite unit sits out in the open and the only noise emitted is the DVD drive spinning, which you can barely hear.
  
  I highly recommend buying the ELITE version if you do not currently own a xbox 360 console. For the extra $80 dollars, you get a much much larger hard-drive, HDMI, and black color scheme. However, I can't recommend it as an "upgrade" to a working xbox360 system. Don't go selling your current working system to trade up to an Elite system unless you just plain want it.
  
  I own a 32" LG HDTV, and the images look amazing! I am running HDMI for the video, and the audio dongle to my Denon receiver for the audio.
  
  Xbox live GOLD is fantastic and well worth the $49/yr fee. I am only a casual gamer, but purchased the xbox 360 for all its other capabilities. Mine has ran flawlessly so far (4 days now). I have rented online movies, downloaded TONS of demos and Xbox Live Arcade games.
  
  This is a 5 star system all-around! Remember to buy the Microsoft extended warranty for $49 dollars. The form is included in the box and must be mailed out within 10 days of purchase. Peace of mind for 2 years is worth the 50 bucks.
  
  Best wishes,
  Steven
  
  

• Excellent Fun! Horrible Support! BEWARE!

  
  By A21UU682WEIYJV on 2007-11-09
  
  I loved this product! My wife, son (four) and myself played a couple hours a night for three months. Xbox Live is phenomenal. We purchased the unit brand new and bought the extended warranty contract. Three months later RED RINGS OF DEATH. I have two friends with the Elite 360. One is fine the other just received three red rings of death. I thought the Elite's were somewhat impervious to this! Again, the games, graphics, etc. are just excellent. My family and I have never had more fun with a game console, or even our PC for that matter.
  
  Here's my story below, however! BEWARE! I'm going to Amex to reverse this three-month old purchase. My recommendation? Buy something else. I'm scared off of this console. Worst support I have ever dealt with. They literally tell you that you have no options and they won't help or escalate. Oh, you're a month without your product? Tough. We'll get to you when we feel like it. A month without Xbox Live that you PAID for? Tough. Deal with it.
  
  I've never encountered such complete disregard for the customer.
  
  BEWARE!
  
  Bought an Elite 360 in June. Loved it. Three months later three red rings of death. Now is where I start getting upset:
  
  Oct 12 - Call into Xbox Support for Repair
  Oct 17 - Receive Box to Ship Console from Microsoft
  Oct 17 - Ship out Xbox
  Oct 20 - Dallas Repair Center Receives my Xbox
  Oct 26 - Call for Status - Told "Being Repaired"
  Oct 30 - Call for Status - Told "Being Repaired"
  Nov 2 - Call for Status - Told "We have 12 business days to repair"
  Nov 6 - Call for status - Told "Escalated to Mgmt - will call you within 48 hours"
  Nov 8 - Been 48 hours - No Call. Called again. Stayed on the line until received Senior Tech Support Manager. Told "We have Four Business Weeks from time we receive your console to repair it" Will receive call back in 24 hours.
  Nov 9 - No Call Back. Been Four Business Weeks. No Xbox. No status. Not even repaired, shipped, tracked. NOTHING! It's lost. No call back
  
  I wrote a letter to Microsoft today documenting everything with names and times.
  
  This is a three month old Elite. I don't mind that it died. I knew that going in. What I do mind is that I've been without my console for FOUR WEEKS with no status and no hope of status.
  
  By contract, they have 12 business days to repair it. Nobody will tell me what the next step is once they breach that.
  
  They have four business weeks to get you a console from the time you first call in. That date has officially passed as of today.
  
  I have been without Xbox Live for a month, my son's birthday is tomorrow and he can't play his Lego Star Wars Complete Saga that he will receive for a present (he's four years old and will be sick about it).
  
  I can't get anything from Microsoft support. It's all outsourced to India and they are extremely protective about any kind of escalation.
  
  My next step is calling American Express and getting a refund for the console. They breached their contract and are unwilling to work with me. I dread doing it but I know that Amex will come through. I've used them once before and they were great about researching everything and negating a large purchase.
  
  My wife's brand new MacBook lost it's motherboard after one month. She called Apple support. Box fed-ex overnight, went in that night, they received it next day - repaired it on the spot - sent it out that day - we received it next day. Total down time from first call? FOUR DAYS!
  
  This is four weeks now and unacceptable. I feel I have no recourse other than venting on every forum and review site possible so that others are aware of this.
  
  Looks like I'll call Amex.
  
  Sorry for the rant but these guys are unreasonable and don't care.
  
  
  

• The best all around console of the 3 major currently available

  
  By A221VUR1PEUCI3 on 2007-05-11
  I had a Playstation 2 and PSP for years and resited getting a new system. I considered it and researchered the three next generation consules: the Wii, PS3, & the Xbox 360 and still didn't buy a new system. It was only when I was given a Xbox 360 Elite as a present that I changed systems. However if I had decided to buy a new system I would have purchased the 360 and here's why. The 360 is the best all around system out there. Like all the other systems it has great graphics and wireless remotes. In addition it has a wide library of games that cover all kinds of generes, it has a great online commuinity, and is very user friendly easy to set up with great support.
  
  Okay a little more in depth anaylsis. The library of games really is extensive with many Xbox titles playable with backwards compability with more Xbox titles added to the list on a frequent basis. The games run the gammit of generes with titles suitable to kids and adults and with many more titles coming there is truly something for everyone. This was one of my major problems with PS3 at release all titles were avaliable on other systems and there didn't seem to be a lot of titles in the pipeline I sort of got the impression that I would be paying $600.00 to play games made for PS1 and PS2. As for Wii the titles are relaible with old favorites like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid avaible but the ones beyond that are available and other consoles and look better on them.
  
  Xbox also has the best on-line community. I know one major complaint against this system is that it is not wireless ready but I bought the wireless router and works perfectly. In addition even with purchasing the wireless router the cost of the router and the system is still less than the PS3.
  
  There are lots of classic titles avaible for through the Arcade and you can test all of them before purchasing. You can also play demos or view trailers of most games which is great because the games are so expensive it's great to be able to test a game before purchasing it. A big part of the system is the ability to play via Xbox live. This feature is great! I have played multiplayer games both with friends and with people I don't know finding a game to join is easy and even if you can't find one immedaitly you can leave word that you want to play and someone will contact you. Microsoft also seems commited to finding was to improve the online community with frequent updates and new game titles avaliable frequently. The other systems online commuinties don't really compare. The Wii does have a lot of the classic Nintendo titles available but no ability to play with other people. The PS3 does not have much of an online community either with titles to buy or multiplayer ability. While Sony is working on developing it, the community is still light years behind Xbox Live and I wonder if it will ever catch up.
  
  Okay my problems with this system. I have heard that the Xbox does break frequently but I think the Elite may have some diffrent insides because it does not seem to get that hot or be that loud. It also comes with an offer to buy an extended two year warranty for $50.00 that will cover everything, very worth it. If it does break my experince with Microsoft support has been good on other products and I don't expect it to be diffrent with Xbox support. Yes people have complained about support but everyone has encountered a bad customer service person but on the whole I think Micrsoft support is very good.
  
  Next complaint the only way to save music to the hard drive is via a CD. You can play music through a portable music player but you cannot transfer music to the hard drive via it. It would be nice to be able to just transfer your whole music collection at once instead of having to do it one CD at a time! Also using Microsoft media center on the Xbox is somewhat a pain because you cannot store any of the media on the Xbox hard drive and must keep your PC on to use it. It would be great to use the Xbox media center independent of the PC. Lastly it would be nice to use the internet to check email or buy a game you have viewed a trailer for and like directly from the Xbox. However there is no true web browser but I hear that is coming with a wireless keyboard soon.
  
  As to the Elite versus the regular system. If you don't already own an Xbox it's worth it but if you do I don't think it's worth it. The major diffrence is the hard drive is bigger and you can purchase the bigger hard drive seperatly if you already own a system.
  
  Overall this is the best system out there, in my opinon yes it has it draw backs but what doesn't. My advice buy it you won't regret it.
  
  

• An amazing machine (from an actual owner of an elite)

  
  By AHCVWPLA1O4X8 on 2007-09-07
  The XBox 360 elite finally pushed me over the edge. I've been resisting buying a 360 for a while (mostly because of hardware reliability concerns) but recently purchased the elite console. Now that I've done it I can't believe I waited this long--I'm enjoying gaming immensely, have barely scratched the surface of Xbox live, and have linked the console to my Windows Media Center PC and am messing around with the many capabilities there as well. I own (and love) a Wii and have nothing against Sony, but I'm very impressed with the XBox 360.
  
  FIRST, THE CONSOLE: The XBox 360 features amazing graphics and an enormous library of games that, as of the time of this writing, dwarfs those of the PS3 and Wii. Initially I was concerned that the PS3 would perform better, but from what I've read and seen it seems the framerate and graphical capability of the XBox is at least equal to the PS3, though I have no desire to argue the point because I think they're both great machines. My reason for choosing the XBox had more to do with game selection, really, and in that the XBox excels.
  
  GAMES: The XBox's library of games is unparalleled right now. There are many incredible XBox exclusive titles, from the obvious Halo 3 to games like Bioshock, Forza 2, and Gears of War (and this is a very small sampling of what's actually out there). I'm not impressed with the PS3's game library, and while I couldn't live without my Nintendo franchises like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid I'm finding myself craving more games beyond the party type games (which the Wii is great for) and Nintendo's own titles.
  
  XBOX LIVE: The Xbox's online community is second to none right now, and while I can see promise for both Sony and Nintendo in this area neither system offers as much as the XBox does at the time of this writing. Aside from the enormous and well-established community, the XBox live marketplace offers classic games, TV shows, and movies for download, as well as game trailers and demos and a whole lotta other stuff. I love being able to download so many demos of games I might like to try--it saves on some rental fees for sure--and I'm looking forward to picking up some classic games like Contra and the incredible Castlevania: Symphony of the Night soon. I wouldn't say the classic game library rivals Nintendo's Virtual Console yet (not even close, really), but there are some great games nonetheless.
  
  THE HARDWARE: The XBox elite is black, which I personally prefer to the white. It has an HDMI port and comes with a cord, so it's capable of full 1080p HD. I also love the 120 GB hard drive--though I've never been one to fill a game console's hard drive it's nice to know I have the space, and with all the game demos and other things I've been downloading it may become a possibility. The Elite also functions as a DVD player with upconverting capability, and the quality I get from playing a DVD on my XBox is incredible, so much so that I'm not using my old DVD player anymore for regular DVDs.
  
  Hardware reliability has been a concern, and was something that really held me back for a while. Following were a couple of my major concerns and this is how the Xbox 360 has handled them:
  
  -Noise. My 360 is much quieter than many reviews led me to believe. My wife doesn't know its on unless she's in the same room.
  -Heat. This was a big one for me. I don't have space to keep the console upright--it has to be on its side--and I've heard horror stories of overheating after very little play. The console has about 18 inches behind it for ventilation and seems to run just fine, though I haven't had it on for more than about 3 hours at a time. There's a lot of heat coming out the back of it but the console itself doesn't seem to heat up much. When it's really hot outside I keep an upright fan blowing the general direction of my TV (where the Xbox is) and plan on getting a cooling system just to be safe, but so far heat has not really been an issue for me.
  -Ruining discs - I've heard of the console scratching discs beyond playability and also of cracking. My console lays on its side and I don't move it while a disc is playing, and so far I've had no issues, though I haven't used it enough to say it will never happen.
  -Red Ring of Death - Again, no problems yet. The 3 year warranty helps, though the prospect of not having the thing for a couple months while they fix it brings my blood almost to a boil just thinking about it.
  
  Overall I'm tremendously happy with my XBox 360, and my only real concern with it is the potential for hardware failure. Still, this is a great machine, and definitely worth the price tag for me. I'm disappointed that wireless capability was not included in the console (it's a pretty expensive add-on), since both the Wii and the PS3 have that built in. Since I have an HD TV I'd love to have a built in HD-DVD player, but I think it was a wise choice not to force it upon people who don't want it by building it into the machine.
  
  

• Broke in 1 day!!!

  
  By A3V9NSJBAT1SI8 on 2007-05-24
  Well, I hooked it up, had it running, and was very happy. The next day I hit the power switch and saw three blinking red lights. A quick google search revealed that I was screwed. I bought through Circuit City and Microsoft agreed to fix it, but that doesn't change the fact that I will not have it for a month, not to mention the hassle of shipping it. Hopefully most aren't like this. But, if I had it to do again, I'd wait until more people had the Elite before I bought one. I'd like to make sure that the system had been user-tested. Believe me, this sucks. If you buy, I hope you have better luck. Hope this helped your decision.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY FOR MORE THAN 479.99$
  By A2O28YKMRFWDXN on 2007-04-10
  This item will not have the demand the original had so do not even think about paying the outrageous prices some of these so-called sellers are asking. You will be able to get this item anywhere for retail on its release date so there is no reason to worry about not being able to pick one up from your local electronics/videogame dealer. Don't get fooled by these con artist, Amazon will only sell out because these thieves are buying them up thinking its the next huge thing when its just a new paint job with an hdmi port and a bigger hdd. It is not limited and it will not cause any lines to form! Now that i got all that out of my system, 360 is a great gaming device, if you own an hdmi capable television or need a bigger hdd for movies from the marketplace than the Elite is for you! don't forget if you don't need all the bells and whistles there are still two other 360's to chose from.
  
  
• Good Value at Retail Price
  By ADF9CYX1T9URH on 2007-05-12
  I just bought the XBox 360 Elite for $479.00. At this price it is a good value. I highly recommend it for potential new 360 owners. The Elite comes with a 120GB Hard Drive, 6' HDMI Cable, Component Video HD AV cable, Ethernet (Cat 5) cable, one black wireless controller with AA Battery Pack (Rechargeable Battery Pack Not Included), and one black headset. The Elite does not include a Data Migration Cable, which is included with the sold separately 120GB Hard Drive. However, you can request one from Microsoft free of charge. I got mine in three days. I had no problem transfering data from my previous 360's 20GB hard drive. If you already own a 360 and want to updgrade for more memory, you can just purchase the 120GB hard drive for $179.99 separately. No need to get the Elite, but if you want the HDMI capability, like I did, it is worth it. Through the HDMI connection the Elite is slightly sharper and looks unbelieveable on a 1080p HDTV (42'' Sony Bravia). Also, the Elite is much quieter than my previous 360, whisper quiet. The only time you hear it is when the disc drive is running, and that is also much quieter than my previous 360. The Elite also runs smoother. The Dashboard blades don't lag, and I have not had a single disc error to date. It seems to be much improved over the original 360, both core and pro. This is not to say that all newly manufactured 360's don't run smoother also. If you're going to buy a new 360 this is definitely the way to go, for only $80 more you get the larger Hard Drive and HDMI. If you are upgrading from a core or pro, it is still worth it if you have an HDMI connection on your HDTV, granted you can also sell or trade in your previous 360.
  
  
• Reviews prior to April 29th do not make sense
  By A36HHLGB8BRLQS on 2007-04-20
  How can you review a product you do not have? Reviews are for people who own the product or have owned the product. If prospective buyers want REAL reviews wait until after April 29th, 2007. Don't junk up the reviews and rating systems with uneducated opinions on products you do not own
  
  
• Shame on you Microsoft
  By A19N3S7CBSU6O7 on 2007-04-29
  As the proud owner of a Xbox, and Xbox 360 (premium), I've got to say: What are you doing Microsoft? Or maybe better yet: Where are you going to go today? Do you know how this makes owners of the supposed "premium" edition feel? If I buy this version are you just going to release one with an HD-DVD player tomorrow, or in a few weeks/months?
  
  I think the idea is to put out an incomplete product, reel in the masses, then release subsequent boxes with improvements that they know people will want, and force them to pay over-and-over again.
  
  This really reminds me of what Sega did during the Saturn days, when they came out and said "Saturn is not what we are about" and many of us had just purchased the system, then they turned around and released the Dreamcast. I liked the Dreamcast, but it was a real slap in the face for Saturn owners.
  
  The bottom line is MS is all about the money, they could care less about the gamer. Look at the original Xbox, all the hype of better graphics, more power. As soon as the 360 came out the machine was dead, no more game titles worthwhile coming out on it, no more support in general. Right now I'm using mine as a high priced beer holder.
  
  This machine should have been the initial release of the 360, if the previous ones were not complete, MS shouldn't have released them. Kudos to Sony for releasing a complete product at launch, taking the time to ensure the product doesn't have a high failure rate, and not releasing a new version every few months.
  
  Given all of the problems I've had with my 360, and this release, I'm really considering taking a hammer to my 360 and just playing my PS3 from now on.
  
  
• Xbox 360 Elite, A GREAT MOVE FOR MICROSOFT!!!
  By A29BP8B9HCGFZJ on 2007-03-29
  The video game industry's worst kept secret is finally out. Microsoft has today announced that it's adding the Xbox 360 Elite to its current console lineup. The $479 Xbox 360 Elite will join the $299 Xbox 360 Core and the $399 Xbox 360 Premium as Microsoft's high-end console offering. The Elite will be a permanent addition to the Xbox 360 lineup, not a limited-edition offering as rumors have speculated.
  
  Microsoft has equipped the new Xbox with a 120GB hard drive and an HDMI port to make the 360 comparable to the PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 Elite won't be replacing either of the current models, mostly because its advanced feature set is designed to appeal to enthusiasts and early adopters--the two consumer groups willing to spend more than $399 on a game console. The Xbox 360 Elite has a 120GB hard drive and a new HDMI port that supports 1080p movie playback. The larger hard drive lets console owners store more games and HD video content downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace.The Xbox 360 Elite has a new black and chrome color scheme, and the package includes a matching black wireless controller and headset. Additional black, wireless controllers will retail for $49. Microsoft will also sell black Xbox 360 Play & Charge kits and Xbox 360 rechargeable accessories separately for $19 and $11,Microsoft will also offer the 120GB detachable hard drive as a stand-alone upgrade for existing Xbox 360 owners. The $179 drive will come with a data transfer cable to make it easy for console owners to move data from their old 20GB drive to the new 120GB drive. Expect 20GB hard drive prices to fall as people put their old drives up for sale. AWSOME!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
  
  
  
  
• poor manufactured quality
  By A2LNDUKZZJBNWM on 2007-06-11
  After much soul searching and research, I finally decided to get the Xbox 360 Elite based on its library of games, present and near-future.
  
  Unfortunately, the hardware is a piece of junk. First off, the unit is noisy as all hell, and after just a few minutes, the console and monster power supply get extremely hot. Finally, right out of the box, the unit didn't work! I had to send it back.
  
  Do some internet searches regarding failed Xbox units (especially the three red rings problem), and you will find a surprising number of people with problems with their consoles. Most have to send their units back to be repaired. There are some people who are even on their fourth or fifth units!
  
  YOU MUST BUY THE "OPTIONAL" EXTENDED WARRANTY IF YOU GET THIS! Keep this in mind if you are using price to determine which console to get.
  
  I returned it for a full refund and got the PS3 instead. Not as many good games, but overall I am very satisfied with it.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY
  By A2HSE997ASGMQ4 on 2007-07-24
  This is my 1st review and a warning to others, I just recieved my 360 elite, and was suppost to be from Amazon ,I am a prime member and was expecting a New product withing the 2 days. What i recieved was a tatty box which was ripped , inside was ripped packaging, including an empty bag where im guesing the controller or headset used to be as i was missing both along with the hard drive , DO NOT BUY
  
  
• XBOX 360 Elite is a good buy if you want HDMI
  By A32ZXX8DYX0C20 on 2007-05-02
  This review is to review the focuses differences that are not on a "standard" XBOX 360 and the Elite, and rate the system as a new purchase, not an upgrade or replacement to your current XBOX 360, but overall.
  
  When the Elite was announced, the biggest thing that made this different than the other two versions: the HDMI output. When you play and use this, you will see it's not a new console. Almost everything about the Xbox 360 in white stands true for the Elite: It theoretically doesn't run cooler, or quieter, or faster, and you've already know that it is black.
  
  Don't let the black paint job distract you; the only thing you need to ask is if it improves the video quality and after many reviews and hours using this machine, the XBox Elite's HDMI output is the pretty darn good, and the 120GB hard drive upgrade is nice for all that downloadable content that you have been picking up on th market place.
  
  Should you buy it?
  
  Gamers who have an Xbox 360? No!
  
  Videophiles looking for an HD DVD player? No!
  
  Videophiles looking to get into the Xbox Live video marketplace? Yes, but know that this thing is still loud.
  
  Guys like me who are gamers and video geeks? Ya, this is for you. The fact that all that video and audio is being piped through a single HDMI cable is a bonus. I swear it's a touch cooler and quieter, and I could want it to be such, but reports say it is not.
  
  When running the HD DVD player, using Tokyo Drift and the newly minted HQV Silicon Optics test disc--the rigorous test disc benchmarks showed the same flaws on both the HDMI and Component outputs. Jaggies That means the video processor between the older and newer Xbox is likely identical, or of identical quality. That's the processor, though. This isn't a high-end HD DVD player. As for the outputs and what I saw with my own eyes and confirmed with my camera. The HDMI's slightly better shadow detail showed itself. That detail might be lost on a lesser TV or the untrained eye. But remember that the component cables are limited to 1080i. So HDMI wins at full 1080p with no compromises, but with VGA cables you have a draw.
  
  Playing games, Command and Conquer and Virtua Tennis yielded no differences between the 1080p signals of all three cables--except the strange washed out colors that the VGA cables sometimes show (GRAW and Gears of War, for starters). The HDMI again has that shadow detail boost that comes up over and over again. HDMI wins for a better picture, even though all cables do the 1080p dance with games.
  
  Final Verdict:
  
  It runs HDMI 1.2 (not 1.3 - the newest version), has the 90mm chip still, and only runs 5.1 Dolby still (no 7.1 yet), but with the larger hard drive, HDMI, and sleek styling, the 360 Elite is worth getting if you are just now entering the high definition video game market.
  
  
• Does not fix the "Red Ring of Death"
  By A244K9ZKZM9Q91 on 2008-03-07
  If you are like me then you waited on buying an Xbox 360 because of "The Red Ring of Death". I kept hearing stories about how people whould buy an Xbox 360 and a little while later get a critical error that would make their system unuseable. I have also heard that some people had a hard time with Microsoft customer service. So I waited...
  
  I finally bought one just two weeks ago. (Made sure it had the falcon chipset) To my dismay My system locked up in the middle of a game and started flashing the "RRoD". I was shocked, I was upset, I was angry! I thought after all this time they would have fixed this. I thought the Elite with the falcon chipset was the answer to everyone's problems. Why did this happen to me?!? I was so careful in my waiting. I wanted to make sure this "RRoD" was fixed and gone. Why is Microsoft so unreliable on their Xbox 360s?
  
  
• Realizing potential
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2007-04-23
  When Microsoft pumped out the XBox 360 in 2005, I looked at it with hesitation. Was it too much too soon? How long would it take Sony to reclaim the top spot with the PS3? Well, it's 2007 now, and in that span of time, things have changed. Though it's launch library hardly did the console justice, the XBox 360 is a marvelous machine, and now, there is a steady stream of excellent games coming out for the system that really make it worth buying over competing consoles. Not to mention that XBox Live can't be beat, and the XBox Live Arcade (which just added the masterpiece that is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, as well as the excellent Alien Hominid HD) service is spectacular as well. Microsoft is also (thankfully) expanding the backwards compatability with old XBox games, much to fans' delight. The only downside to the XBox 360 are the technical issues that many have reported with the system. The "three rings of death" are real, but hopefully that will be something Microsoft can correct with the next line of systems. This XBox 360 Elite console comes with a much larger hard drive, which automatically makes it worth owning if you don't already own a 360. More and more, the 360 is realizing it's potential, and with Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV on the horizon (along with one time Sony exclusives making their way onto the system as well like the new Devil May Cry), the future of the 360 is looking brighter and brighter every day. Below is a list of games that are essentials to your 360 library:
  
  Gears of War
  Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1 & 2
  Crackdown
  Call of Duty 2 & 3
  Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
  Project Gotham 3
  Dead Rising
  Burnout Revenge
  Fight Night Round 3
  Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
  Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
  Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
  
  
• Sony fan boys are hating!
  By AIP5XYC8VB131 on 2007-04-01
  im sure that all the bad reviews that this console is recieving are from PS3 fanboys...The fact is they revolted when they heard Devil May Cry is coming to 360 and now this...an 80 dollar difference is nothing...an HDMI cable can cost 80 dollars alone!! And you're getting one here not to mention an extra 100 GB. so i think its a great deal. i have a 360. but its useless with my 1080p hdtv...that will change now...so i dont mind paying for a new console with all those goodies. bottom line is u are paying 80 more for...and HDMI cable, 100 gbs more space to save games, a cool black color, file transfer cable, and a guarunteed latest generation model. trade in your old console if u like and you'll get all this for even less. when u do the math its a great move on Microsofts part..and on those that are thinking of purchasing...
  From a MICROSOFT FAN BOY!
  Yankstah
  
  
• Poorly Manufactured Product
  By A165DM3H96ELB3 on 2007-07-13
  This product is so shoddily manufactured that I simply cannot recommend anyone to buy it. A defective rate of 25%-40% is just inexcusable for any product. Microsoft has just extended their warranty to 3 years, but this still only covers one problem, albeit the most common one, the 3 Red Rings of Death. However there are still many other problems such as overheating and freezing while in use, not being able to start up at all, or the disc drive scratching your game discs and rendering them useless. There are still no solutions to a lot of these problems other than buying your own warranties.
  
  Don't let the fact that this console is 200USD cheaper than the PS3 fool you. All the extra costs associated with repairing and maintaining it essentially makes it much more expensive than it first seems. On top of that, be prepared for extreme frustration when you the machine malfunctions in the middle of a gameplay session, or you lose your save data, or waiting for weeks for Microsoft or a third party to repair or replace your console. Do I even need to mention that talking to Microsoft Customer Service is bound to give you high blood pressure?
  
  I've personally had numerous problems with this console and have now eventually given up on it. I bought a PS3 and it is working perfectly. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone looking for a similar, superior, gaming experience to go for a PLAYSTATION 3. It is now only 499 USD, and in many places, comes with great bundles or great giveaways like free Blu-Ray Discs or remotes/controllers. It has a defective rate of less than 1%. It is also much more feature-rich. An XBOX360 with all the extra peripherals needed to match the features of the PLAYSTATION 3 costs much, much more.
  
  WARNING: Only buy this product if you want to play games exclusive to it, and are willing to put up with lots of frustration, pay lots of money to repair/maintain, and buy additional warranties for it. Although, even then, no one should be supporting such a poorly made product.
  
  
• This hardware is the most expensive junk I've ever bought..
  By A1FLK47MNLEN4C on 2007-11-17
  I have the elite and the PS3, and as of so far, I have to say the PS3 is the way to go...Reason being Microsoft can't fix the 1000 diffrent problems they have in there system...But did that stop them from releasing it..NO...Are they fixed now that the Elite came out..NO...The system is a piece of @#$%...Are the games fun and extremly awesome...>Yes they are, if you can get your system to play them...I have had no problems with the PS3 as of yet...I've had several with my BRAND NEW ELITE...I wish I could just get my money back....I can't believe I spent that much money on garbage...And for those who dis this review because you happen to have gotten one of the few Xbox's that actually work..I'm very happy for you, but put yourself in the shoes of a owner who is trying to play games on a brand new broken Elite right out of the box...MICROSOFT SUCKS...
  
  
• MS Gets Faster
  By A26ITT1SYI2M80 on 2007-08-17
  Microsoft isnt't sitting on their laurels. Instead of shipping marginally engineered equipment that only runs for a day or so, they are now shipping stuff pre-broken, so you wont have to whine about only getting 10 hours before returning the unit for repair. My Elite was broken new out of the box. CD tray jammed. Play time = 0. Nicest $500 paperweight I ever bought, but a bit bulky. Waiting for return box. Everything else seemed to function for the 30 minutes I had it running to subscribe to Xbox Live Gold. A grinding cd tray that cannot close completely, then opens, than tries to close over and over is too iritating. Gave 1 star cause I was not able to load the Xbox game I bought. When MS sends me a used rebuilt unit in lieu of the brand new unit I paid for, I may be able to edit this with actual usage.
  
  
• Xbox 360 LOUD
  By A2NRIDLL019VTA on 2007-04-30
  I bought a Wii not to long ago and it was the greatest! The games are so fun to to play with the next generation motion sensor controls. But the graphics were not that great on the Wii. So I saved up for the Xbox 360 elite and bought it for the hi-def graphics. But when I plugged it in I thought the vaccum was on. This thing is so loud it's ridiculous. The graphics are great but this thing is loud.
  
  
• Smart choice.
  By A3AZ6MWE3JHBW7 on 2007-10-02
  I picked up the Xbox360 Elite system 4 months ago after my first one bit the dust with the infamous red ring. I had modified the case of my original 360, so returning it was not an option.
  
  So far, I have yet to have a single hiccup with this system. It DOES NOT run as hot as older 360 models. The heatsink/cooling setup is different/improved over older 360 models. Obviously this was the #1 problem that needed to be fixed, considering Microsoft spent millions fixing fried 360's.
  
  The HDMI connection is great for me because I run all my digital components through an HDMI switcher that automaticly senses the active HDMI port and switches accordingly. With component I had a few extra buttons to hit to change my A/V source. It will also provide 1080p for those of you that have a 1080p display. On the other hand, NOT ALL HDTVs (even those that are 1080p HDTVs) SUPPORT 1080p THROUGH A COMPONENT VIDEO CONNECTION. Consult your HDTV manual or manufacturer website to find out what your HDTV can accomodate via each type of connection. Honestly the difference in video quality between component and HDMI is neglegible. Most of you will not notice any increase in video quality. But some of you may see an improvement depending on what model HDTV you have. It's always a good idea, if you have a digital tv, to keep the signal digital. It does not carry Dolby Digital sound over HDMI, so plan on using a TOSlink cable for Dolby Digital 5.1. Bioshock, Rainbow6, Oblivion, Forza2, Nascar'08, Two Worlds, C&C all look and sound top notch on this baby!
  
  I cannot confirm the reviews stating that the fan is loud in the 360 Elite. The fan in mine is nice and quiet. From 8 feet away I cannot hear it at all with the volume at a reasonable gaming level. Maybe a slight whisper at times. It may even be quieter than my old 360, but I can't be sure since my old one is now a bookend.
  
  The 120gig drive is nice if you wanna fill it with music or movie downloads from Xbox Live. As for me, there's plenty of room for my custom soundtracks, Xbox Live Arcade Games, and game expansion packs. Some of the expansion packs are pretty big (Oblivion, Rainbow 6), so I was near filling my old 20gig drive. So far I have not even scratched the surface of this drive. I suspect that, in the future, there will be alot more HUGE downloads to help fill it up. Like downloading full games maybe? And 1080 video content. With 120 gigs you can be prepared for the future.
  
  One reviewer asked about the hard drive coming pre-loaded with games and movies. The answer is no. You should buy a game or two if you're going to give it as a Christmas gift. And yes you want to have it connected to the internet to download content. You can download feature films at the same time they are released on DVD. Some games can be downloaded, but games like Bioshock, Rainbow6, Oblivion, PGR4, and the like must be purchased from a retailer. You cannot download DVD sized games from Xbox Live...yet. However you can download updates, patches, and expansion packs for retail games if they are available.
  
  The 360 is the system you want if you like multiplayer over the net. Period! PS3 and Wii cannot touch the functionality or depth of Xbox Live. Don't get me wrong, those systems have their good points, but for online gaming nothing beats the 360.
  
  Bottom Line: If you can afford the extra cash and you have an HDMI connection on your A/V system, get the 360 Elite. I'm 35 and I've gamed on every console system released since the Atari2600 and this is the best console gaming experience ever created. You will not be disappointed.
  
  Notes: My 360 Elite is connected via HDMI and TOSlink optical to a Denon 3806 A/V Receiver and a Samsung HLS-5087W DLP 1080p HDTV.
  
  
• Sadly, just as problem-stricken as the original
  By AUWAGQMXO0IGK on 2007-06-02
  My boyfriend got the original 360 the second it came out, and it finally succumbed to the "red light ring of death" about a month ago. It had a pretty good run; it lasted over a year. He sent it into microsoft for repair, and starting going into crackdown withdrawal.
  
  After a sad couple of weeks, a friend and I decided to get him an Elite for an early birthday present. He is one of those supposedly "few" people who have a really nice TV, and really, really care about HDMI and 1080p, so he wanted an Elite. We figured sooner is better than later, so he could play the Elite while waiting for the old 360 to be repaired. After an exciting hunt, we bought an elite. Yay!
  
  He was happy for exactly one week, until it broke. He downloaded the spring update and crackdown patch that is now known to mysteriously cause your system to die for SOME but not ALL people. Despite the fact that this bug seems almost impossible, there it is.
  
  And here I thought that even with their known flakiness, if we owned two systems, we'd always have AT LEAST ONE xbox working at all times. MS wins this round.
  
  And no, I'm not a PS3 fanboy. I don't want a PS3. I like the xbox games. I like the system. We have the HD drive add-on and everything already. I am not an xbox hater! I'm just annoyed. I've never bought anything that cost over $20 that broke so quickly.
  
  Edit: MS fixed the old 360 surprisingly quickly, and it seems to work fine. The Elite is still broken. It sits in the living room, mocking me. I can't exchange it because Elites are still out of stock here. Also, Microsoft recently extended the warranties retroactively and will supposedly repay the fee to fix my original xbox. Despite my decades-long hatred of Microsoft, I must say that they are handling things very nicely. It's inarguable that there are reliability issues with every xbox model, but they are all getting replaced, usually for free. You can buy with (relative) confidence.
  
  
• I would expect this kind of thing from Sony
  By A2EAI4948TW53X on 2007-05-13
  Well if you are like me and went out and purchased an Xbox 360 in the begining...then you are probably very upset right now. The majority of us dumped well over $ 400 bucks on the system and some games and joysticks and what not. Do not get me wrong, the 360 is an awesome machine. Dead Rising, Gears of War, and many more incredible games grace this system. But what microsoft just did is ALMOST unforgivable.
  
  It's bad enough we have to drop tons of money to update to windows vista and home office since the old version will no longer work, but that's a computer. Upgrades are understandable. With a video game console, the only way we should have to upgrade is a new console completely. If it was so successful to just keep updating a console why did genesis die out? (sega cd, 32X, etc)
  
  I guess my point is this, what did they REALLY upgrade? A new paint job? Big deal it looks like a PS3 now. A bigger hard drive? So what? I must be the last person on earth to do so but i only use my console for GAMES, that is what it was made for. I don't get it. Everyone in the free world already had a dvd player, or an IPOD, or something along the lines of that. I wish these other companies were smart like nintendo, just make a DAMN VIDEO GAME SYSTEM ALREADY! And speaking of that, if they were "upgrading" the 360 did anyone at microsoft get the idea that MAYBE it would have helped sales if they made it an HD dvd player installed so it could compete with sony and blu-balz. I mean for anyone who already owns a 360 to even consider for one milasecond buying this is crazy.
  Their is no reason whatsoever to buy this.
  
  Give it a few months of slowing sales and you will see xbox 360 version 3 with my idea, the HD dvd installed. I should put a patent on that one.
  
  All joking aside, if you NEVER owned a 360, then i could see how this MAY be a good idea, but even that is stretching it. It makes me made because I really liked microsoft before and didn't expect them to pull a sony. Times change....
  
  
• Worthless
  By A2BDP3J5FHK5E4 on 2007-05-16
  The Xbox 360 has many good games, although there aren't that many killer-apps, it still has a bunch of AA games that are worthy to play. It's not that great of a system, but it's worth $300 (or $400) especially with GTAIV and Halo 3 coming this year.
  
  But $480? The Xbox 360 should be experiencing a price DROP not a price INCREASE... and why has the price increased?
  
  - Black exterior finish
  - 120 GB hard drive
  - HDMI cable
  
  That's it... $480 and it's not an upgrade. So instead of making the 360 more affordable (and they can now that manufacturing is only around $300 now), they make it higher, and it doesn't even have:
  
  - New 65nm CPU chips
  - Rechargable battery pack
  - WiFi
  - Better Xbox Live trial subscription
  - HD DVD (what's the point of the HDMI?)
  - Wireless headset
  
  If you buy this, then LOL at you. It does look nice though.
  
  
• THE BEST OF THE NEXT GEN IS HERE!
  By A10L98HV4DEDU5 on 2007-04-30
  I got an Elite yesterday and it is so sweet. I never had a 360 before and now that they offer a huge HDD I had to get one. I almost didn't get one because people complained that the 360 was really loud (thought I might wait for new chips or drive to come out). Boy am I glad I didn't listen! The Elite is really quiet, didn't even notice any sound comming from it all day yesterday. Maybe mine has different parts than the white ones. Either that or people are waaaaay too picky (Like the guy who wants to return his Elite because the power plug has two prongs instead of three, WTF?!). Anyway, if any of you are hesitant about getting an Elite because you are waiting for it to get 65nm chips or something, don't torture yourself. Get one now, it's totally awesome. There's really no online service better than Xbox Live and Forza Motorsport 2 is going to be absolutely amazing!
  
  
• Just switched from a PS3 to an Elite
  By A1YUZ3PFNAILHW on 2007-05-07
  Just eBay'd a PS3 60GB to buy my new Elite. Wanted to wait for the new .65 processor but couldn't wait.
  
  The PS3 was a great, reliable game machine. The games had great graphics, there are just not that many of them. Plus a lot of exclusives are coming out for Xbox 360 only. I know that the graphics/power of the PS3 is better than the Xbox 360, but there were so few games I wanted that I ended up using it 24/7 for Folding at Home. I got up into the top 10% of folding donors. Nail in the coffin was that GT HD doesn't have damage (don't buy the explaination about damage being too difficult, Forza 2 has it) and Killzone 2 still doesn't have a release date.
  
  I bought an Elite via Circuit City, no package - straight $480. Xbox Live is so much better than PS Store - difference a year makes. Bought Lost Planet and an extra white controller for my wife and have been playing non-stop. So many other games that I want Mass Effect, Forza 2, Halo 3, etc. I'm willing to go without BlueRay and extra power b/c the games are just better, for now...and I'm not willing to wait another 1 year w/$600 paper weight.
  
  Also on my 32" Sharp LCD, couldn't tell the difference between BlueRay or upconverted Faroudja DVD's - plus DVD's are cheap/available. Matt black finish is so much better than the shiny black, hair/dust/scratch magnet of the PS3. Folding 24/7 made my PS3 look like a fan grate after several weeks with all the dust caked onto the air inlets.
  
  The bad - Elite is still the old h/w so I opted for the $50 extended warranty from MS, first time I've ever bought an extended warranty. Don't want to deal with paying for rings of death. DVD drive sounds like a hair dryer and runs all the time w/DVD games (silent w/downloads -whoever says it's near silent must be deaf). MS has such low confidence in h/w that you need to spend $50 for extra 2 year warranty (I think this is cheaper than Circuit City's extended warranty 1/2 price). Wireless is not included? ...and it doesn't come in black.
  
  
• Elite
  By A2L94EXZ7RJR7N on 2007-05-09
  The elite system is a great deal, provided you don't already own an xbox 360. If your a new buyer, the HDMI cable and 120 GB hard drive adds up to about $200 seperatly, but this bundle sells it for only $80 more than the Premium system. And if your TV doesn't have an HDMI port, as they are relatively new, it comes with a component HD cable as well. If you already own a 360, you don't need to spend another $480, just get the bigger hard drive as an accessory.
  
  But don't pay $600 for this. I was lucky enough to get mine from Amazon in the short time they had them in stock, instead of through another seller. It was tax free and with free shipping, so $480 is all I paid. If Amazon doesn't have it in stock when you read this, just wait a few days, it's not worth over $100 to not have to wait maybe a week tops.
  
  
• Red Ring of Death within a week.
  By A22G8XL0G9LTXA on 2007-08-01
  I bought one from Amazon and got the Red Ring of Death after a week. If you really like playing Xbox only games such as Halo or Gears of War. You should get this thing from Best Buy or Circuit City with EXTENDED WARRANTY. One more thing I want to mention is that you may get some scratches on your game discs. What a crappy game console!
  
  
• Best Bang for your buck
  By AWNL99ZH7A37S on 2007-04-13
  To the guy that said he wouldnt waste his money. Think about it dude, The premium 360 was 400 dollars. The elite is only 80 bucks more. Price it this way, a fairly decent HDMI cable is gonna run you about 40-60 bucks, and then the 120 gig hard drive. The hard drive alone is 180 dollars. So I mean, the only real thing youre paying extra for is HDMI, and the paint job. The 120G hard drive is pretty much a bonus! Being a fan of Microsoft and Sony, I own a premium 360 and a PS3. I play them both, but I play my 360 alot more. I think Gates also brought the system out just in time, as the PS3 is just starting to come out with some great game titles, people have been lusting for an HDMI capable 360 since release.
  
  I have to agree though, since this is an Elite version, I do believe that they shouldve added the HD-DVD player internally. (like PS3 has blu-ray). Even if microsoft sold an HD-DVD Elite, I highly doubt that they would lose money, because people would be rushing out like crazy to get one. Gates has always been talking about shutting Sony down, that would've been the perfect system to do it. That shouldve been the original goal. But either way, I love the 360 and it has brought me many hours or entertainment. I look forward to getting one.
  
  
• Elite vs. Premium hands-on comparison
  By A1FNQHV04K4CVD on 2007-05-03
  Ok, so I owned another regular 360 until a few months ago, and I just upgraded to the elite yesterday. There are a lot of new large downloads availible on Xbox Live these days. A full feature length HD movie took up about 7 Gigabytes. On my old 360 that would be ludicris, because after overhead space on the drive, the real size of the 20GB Hard drive was a paltry 12GB. With my elite however, even after binging on downloads, I still have over 95GB left. Now that is a sight I would never dream of on my last machine. If you plan to download anything on Xbox Live, I would reccomend the elite over the premium bundle.
  
  In terms of the Equipment, you can tell they are using different components. The box is a lot lighter, and so is the controller. Taking it out of the box and moving it around felt more like a toy, but there was a significant difference on that end. The cables are always the highest quality, and it even comes with a nice HDMI cable for that spanking new HDMI slot on the box.
  
  In terms of style, I like the white xbox a LOT better. the all black motif when the box is not turned on just doesn't jump out at me, and kind of blends in. Although paradoxically, the black controller does look better in black.
  
  End result, the Elite is the system to get if you want to download movies and games, or if you have an HDMI TV you need to connect
  
  

• XBOX 360 Handbook: The Official User's Guide (Prima Official Game Guide)
• 3-Year Extended Service Plan - Covers Electronic Items $201-$500 - Repair
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Black
• Xbox 360 Rechargeable Controller Battery Pack Black
• Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit with Black Controller

• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Black
• Halo 3
• Xbox 360 Black Play & Charge Kit
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter