That's all fine and good but I had a hard enough time shelling out $400 for a gaming console.. I wouldn't shell out ANOTHER $400+ just so I can have one that is a tad quieter and didn't produce "amazing heat".. Just my 2c.

"Xbox 360 Elite console. The console is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, HDMI output and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box."

So you still would need to buy the HD DVD add on kit that was reduced to $129 to play HD DVD?

Correct. It doesn't play HD DVD out of the box.

And when did the HD-DVD player drop to 129??

It hasn't. Some Wal-Marts are clearing them out at that price along with the movies. As with all Wal-Mart deals, YMMV.

No .65m chip reduce heat

Well i have not shelled out a single dollar so far for a next-gen console. I was hoping that when i do i will have one that runs cooler and quieter than the previous models. My answer to you (if you already own a 360) is to stick with the noisy, ultra-hot console you have. I am not suggesting to anyone that already owns a 360 to go out and buy a new one because it might be cooler and run quieter. I am suggesting that anyone that HASN'T bought a 360 might like to invest, especially if they have resolved the issues with noise and heat production. "And thats my 2 cents".

Ahhh I see.. I got confused by you saying you were agreeing with "them" and goLUCKY was who I was quoting.. He already has a 360 so that is why I was saying that...

Yeah i think that the idea of buying the Elite is great....just as long as you don't already own a 360. If you already own the 360 then i think that this new model simply doesn't add enough to justify a double dip. The cost is very high for the Elite and i think they should have brought down prices on the available systems and bring the price down on the Elite to a more reasonable level.

I have been building up a collection of Xbox/360 games, but have not got the console yet. I was due to pick one up a while ago, but then i heard the rumours about the Elite and thought it best to hold off. Now that the Elite is coming out i will be there in line to pick one up.

If the Elite included WiFi, quieter DVD drive, cooler processor, and progressive scan DVD (preferrably upscaling) via component, I would've double dipped.

I know it's not a selling point but the current 360 does do progressive scan for DVDs over component. No upscaling without VGA though.

really? I've had my 360 since launch day and never knew that. Then again the dang drive is so noisy that I've only watched a few minutes of a single movie just to see what the quality is like.

yeah 479.99 only to have the thing die on you 3 months later, no thanks. I'm already on my second soon to be third 360 premium in a little over a year as my first two shit the bed and low and behold my second one did it right after the 1 year warranty was up but the best MS could do was $100 and free shipping both ways

Well, if my 360 ever dies again, I wonder if I can use Best Buy's 2 year replacement plan and then put down $80 extra for the Elite.

Although, with my slow internet, I don't download a whole lot, my TV has no HDMI output, but the black is so nice looking. I don't know if I would actually pull the trigger or not.

With one swift move Microsoft has succeeded in making the PS3 look like a bargain. The biggest barrier to entry this generation is price, the PS3 has already shown this with lagging sales from the biggest brand in video games. I really don't think people want the console with the most features or biggest hard drive, they want a reasonably priced system that plays great games. Microsoft should have replaced the premium system with this at $400, not created a new SKU to make the choice even more confusing for the consumer.

In the end you are paying more for the bigger hard drive, because the hdmi and change in color aren't features to add to the price IMO. With the current available downloadable content, I don't think MS has shown a compelling reason to want a 120 gb hard drive yet. $480 is too close to the $500 PS3 w/ Blu Ray (even though you can't find these apparently).

This kind of ticked me off as well. I would have bought a 360 six months ago if everyone I knew wasn't constantly telling me about all their problems. Red lights of death, discs getting scratched, freeze ups, etc. Instead of addressing that with this Elite unit they just repaint the same old problems. They really need to get those cooler chips in this thing and deal with the quality issues, because right now it looks like the PS3 is the quality console and the 360 is junk. A complete 180 from last gen.

No thanks.

I'd consider a premium at $300, not interest in this at $480.

It would be nice if you can just get the system for $200 instead of all the other crap(accessories) that most people already have.

Considering that I needed wireless and wanted a High-Definition video format, glad I ended up going with the PS3...cheaper for me than the 360 Elite...

My Premium that I bought in August is still going strong (knock on wood). I won't be getting an Elite nor the hard drive for my Premium unless Gamestop or EB has a good trade in deal.

I doubt that will happen. I can see it now: "Trade in your working Premium system and controller and get $250 towards the purchase of a new Elite system!!!!"

Not interested. I already use VGA and the extra HD space doesn't interest me. I barely ever fill up more than 4 gig of space.

I am fine with the VGA as well. I would like to get a black controller or two.

Having a bigger drive, is a nice thing. I like the black. But, having a Xbox 360 now, it's totally not worth upgrading.

I concur. I'm happy with my 360 and i'm not close to filling up the drive. I'm sure i will sooner or later, but until then i'm not really filled with envy or anything.

I wonder if eventually the downloaded content and saves will become much bigger in size, almost forcing you to upgrade your drive.