Earlier then i thought. I'm a bit jealous (got mine for Christmas) but not too beat up about it. I don't need the bigger hard drive right now, nor the HDMI port since my DVD player is using it so i'll get over it.

http://www.on10.net/

video with microsoft guy.

really i don't want this. i hope the announcement they are gonna make tommorow is that they are lowering the price of the premium. they should of made the elite 500 bucks with hd-dvd added on because if i had the money for it i would get the ps3 for 20 bucks more.

So no new 65nm CPUs with the Elite, am shocked.

One of the points in that link to engadget on the previous page said "No price reduction on the core or premium sku"

That is just ignorant to have 3 skus. What retailer wants to stock 3 versions of the same item? Didn't they bitch about having 2 skus? 2 skus is confusing enough on Joe Consumer, 3 skus is mind-blowing.

This is a huge mistake on Microsoft's part to price the 360 twenty dollars cheaper than a PS3 without HD playback. This gen was MS's to rule with all the stumbling around Sony has done and here they are laying the ground work for Sony to get their footing back. It makes no sense.

The Elite should have been priced at $399 and be the new Premium sku and just phase out the other one with a $50 price drop.

Agreed on all counts. They were hyping up the price difference and hyping the Wii60 combo being cheaper than the PS3 and then they pull something like this. Giving the consumer options or not the draw is always to buy the nicest iteration of a system so pricing it so close to the PS3 without HDDVD playback is sheer idiocy.

I thought I read they are only going to have 2 sku's now, Core and Elite. Premium will soon fade away. $179 for the add-on 120 hd is criminal IMO.

No, I thought the core was going away. The premium would become the core and the elite would become the premium. The elite will only be a limited edition, afterwards it'll be back to white and should take the place of the premium while the current premium takes the place of the core.

Although I would love to have a black unit I feel this is only going to help Sony's cause. Now they can say why buy a xbox for 479 when you can get a ps3 for 20 more and get a blu-ray player. There's no way people won't compare this package to the 20gig ps3.

well, in all fairness, I believe PS is trying to phase out the 20 gig unit. I know it isn't available in a lot of countries.

I think it would work out, if they had some sort of upgrade plan for existing premium owners. An extra 80 bucks for all those people would really be nothing, and would be done in a heartbeat.

If they want to make it work at the 480 range, they should really pack in some first party title that didn't do well

like Fusion Frenzy 2 maybe

The Elite is not going to be limited and will be a permanent SKU.

well, if you mean elite = black system, than those are supposed to be of a limited quantity. I believe they will then launch the regular one with those specs, which will be permanent

I told my wife the same thing. Then a few days later I purchase not one but two wireless guitars for my ps2 and the game. It is kind of like crack. I was going to wait for the 360 version but I wanted wireless.

No 65nm = no sale for me, I want a stable/reliable system dammit. (I'm on #3)

Yeah but even at that they could say xbox + wireless adapter = 579. So you could still get the blu-ray player for 20 more. I just think this is going to do more harm for the system than good. Even though there are cheaper versions, Sony is still going to use the price to their advantage.

I'd love to see that happen although I highly doubt it will.

well, I could probably get away with the trade, since Im good friends with a store manager, but we'll see...

its defintely wishful thinking, but yea, its not going to happen

as far as comparing prices and rationalizing the ps3 price tag, i still think the library is ultimately going to be the deciding factor.

I agree 100% but the longer the PS3 is out, that advantage will start to fade. Once Sony gets some good 1st party titles out and more people get HDTV's their system is going to start looking much more appealing to customers. As much as I love my 360 I think the decision to release this version is opening the door for Sony to rake them over the coals. I'd feel differently if the Elite had the HD-DVD drive built in. If that were the case Sony would have no good selling point for the more expensive PS3. This is how it stands now...

Elite 360 + wireless adapter + HD-DVD drive = 779
PS3 60gig model = 599

Of course if you don't care about movies in HD and are using it just for gaming the 360 is still a better choice.

presummably, I agree.

I think they are only doing it now, knowing no one is buying a PS3, and try to eliminate some of the features that has over the 360. I think as soon as the PS3 library starts to pick up, i think thats when they'll make this one 400, and have a price drop for the 20 gig version.

I think if they did it that way, it wouldn't hurt them too much

It seems to me that Microsoft feels confident in the position that they are currently in and don't feel the need to keep the pressure up. I think it is quite telling that so many current 360 owners (myself included) were ready and waiting to upgrade to an Elite if the price was right (or even greater functionality included).

I think MS missed an opportunity. And opened the door for Sony to ride out the bad press regarding the PS3 and make it a real viable alternative.

If the Elite came with built-in WiFi, quieter DVD drive w/upscaling capabilities without the need for VGA, and cooler processor, I would've been willing to pay the current price for it.

Yeah, they're going to have to drop the price at some point. This model at 399 and the current premium at 299 would be the way to go.

Thank you, Microsoft, for making the PS3 look like a bargain.

Idiots. Why couldn't they concentrate on making a reliable console?

They are bigger backers of HD-DVD format. This would have been the perfect chance to get more support for that format. Include the HD-DVD drive in the Elite model, and with the other updates, still price it at $479. Then, it is still only 20 cheaper then the 20 gig PS3, but you get more storage and the HDMI and HD-DVD.

This makes sense from our view, but there's really no incentive for Microsoft to do this. All that would end up happening is they take a bigger loss per unit.

They really need to get their hard drive prices in line with reality. The rumored $200 for the 120gb separately is just asinine.

Yup, that would have been perfect. I would have been the first person to buy one even though I already have the premium and HD drive. As it is, there's no chance in hell I'll be buying one.
I'm pretty sure the price was announced at 179. Still WAY too high.

120GB @ $179 isn't nearly as asinine as 20GB @ $100

I agree MS should have taken the hit on the Elite and sold it for $400 and gotten rid of the dumbass core unit. The Elite package at that price point would have sold like hotcakes IMO.