Xbox 360 Elite is the name of the new powered up version of the Xbox. Created to compete against other console companies such as Sony, with their own graphical and technological advances, a limited number of copies are to be released. The price tag for Xbox Elite is reportedly $479 and will come with a 120-gigabyte and will have IPTV capability. In a surprising move it will not come with a built-in HD-DVD drive which would give it the option of playing high-definition movies.

To drive down the cost of such pricey hardware, Microsoft aims to shrink the size of the chips. Such cost-saving measures are not new for the company, as every year they make scheduled motherboard redesigns. By reducing the size of the chip, the electrons travel smaller distances and with lesser material in use this is a bonus on both ends. The console quality is better for a cheaper price that the company can pass on to the customer.

Sony will feel the pressure as the Xbox 360 Elite will sell for noticeably lower price than the PS3, both with their 20 and 60 GB units. This will give Microsoft a foothold in the lucrative high-end consumer market who is interested in the most premium of systems for a still reasonable cost.

Tags : console redesigns : Xbox 360

Comments

By: Dragonfly On: 05:21 Mar 28th, 2007 Offline	My honest thoughts on this... is it even nessecary? Even more perplexing is the fact that the machine is going to be smaller and more technolocigally sound, but, but will only be avaliable in limited quantinties! Isn't that a little counter-productive?

By: ApplesauceNinja On: 06:58 Mar 28th, 2007 Offline	Words, I couldn't agree more. If you are Microsoft, and you're hellbent and glory bound to make a machine that's got horsepower to rival the PS3 (which, in my opinion, the 360 already does quite capably) then why not A. make it more available, and B. include HD capability? You're telling folks "Hey, we've got a machine that's even better than the 360, but we're only gonna make a few of them. Seems like a waste of the consumer's time and of the manufacturer's resources. Plus, the fact that the big M even feels the need to make such a device speaks volumes, at least to me, about their confidence in the 360's ability to compete with the PS3 and the Wii. The only reason I can think of as to why Microsoft would limit the supply is perhaps to create an artificial buzz and demand. I believe I speak for most 360 owners when I say there is no way in hell I would trade in my system and plunk down a little extra for a machine that really is only slightly more advanced than what I already own. I wonder if the new machine will be more quiet than the noisy beast it exists as in its current configuration.