Good Bye to the 360 Elite?

[AdventChild]

A strong rumor says that MS is limiting production for the 360 Elite.

Elite 360

There's a strong rumor circulating that Microsoft will be limiting the production of the Xbox 360 Elite. It seems that retailers and customers are more interested in the Arcade and Pro versions during this economically challenging time. Fudzilla has reported:

"The story that we are hearing goes something like this… Microsoft will stop taking orders for the Xbox 360 Elite at some point during the second quarter and allow inventory of the Elite consoles to start to run down. The majority of retailers would prefer just a low-end and a high-end console, so this change will be made during the second quarter, which is the fourth fiscal quarter for Microsoft.

Once inventory is depleted, the Elite system will move to more of a limited edition role that will be available only at select retailers, and likely only in North America and Europe. The Elite consoles that will be available in these areas sbould be more like the recent Resident Evil 5 Red Elite Limited Edition console, rather than the standard Elite package that Microsoft has offered in the past."

It's a fascinating rumor with all sorts of implications. Does this put more pressure on Sony to cut the price of the PlayStation 3? I'd say so, simply because the PlayStation 3 will no longer have competition at the same price point and general consumers will mostly see the $100 price difference between an 80GB PS3 and a 360 Pro. Does this mean that the Xbox 360 is near its saturation point with enthusiast gamers? Probably...though I'm sure a lot of enthusiast gamers went with a Pro over an Elite due to economic factors.

What do you think of the rumor? Are you going to snatch up an Elite before they get hard to find? Or are you content with a Pro or Arcade system? Do you think this move forces Sony's hand in terms of a price cut?

Are the bold better, worse or somewhere inbetween? Well, I don't have to worry about that since I had an Elite for Christmas after the original 360 wasn't working right.

[Ticky]

At 60Gb, the Pro is fine for most gamers now. Plenty of DLC and Videos will fit on that. I think the issue here is the pricing of the Elite. 60 extra Gb does not equate to a 20% increase in overall price of a console. That's why it doesn't sell nearly as much as the Pro -- I know this 'cause I work at a certain

evil multinational

games retailer...

In terms of the PS3, I think it's been in trouble from the start. You can just look at our PS3 wall at work. It's less than half the size of the 360 section. Why? 360 games sell much more rapidly than PS3 games, which would indicate a much larger userbase. The PS3 is currently priced out of most peoples' budgets for the foreseeable future. Which sucks 'cause i really want one. =P

As for me, I've got a 360, but it's one of those old stingy 20Gb models. I currently have about 700Mb free on its hard drive.

If Microsoft want to move more Elites, or 120Gb hard drives, they need to price them closer to a 120Gb notebook hard drive! Sure, it's got proprietary casing and connectors, but it's still just a stock hard drive underneath! In Australia, the Xbox 360 120Gb hard drives retail for about AU$199, whereas a 120Gb notebook HDD is less than AU$100. The biggest I've seen for around AU$200 is 500Gb, priced at AU$189.

Oh, and I've yet to see a standalone 120Gb hard drive sell, or a 60Gb standalone. Those are AU$150.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Stupid move.

Games are only going to get bigger. DLC is only going to increase in both size and in terms of games that will have it.

The space may be working now, but in a years time? In the last 3 month theres been two giant DLC packs released for 2 big 360 titles, GTA, and Fallut 3. Fallout 3 has at least another 2 confirmed which are aparently larger than the first one.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Shouldn't Microsoft start thinking of making a new console now? It's been 4 years now since it was out. o.O

[Mollfie]

Why anyone would buy an Arcade 360 I don't know, but I don't see it as a particularly bad move as they should be developing a new console by now anyway. Alot of people will be trying to save money so won't want to splash out on a 360, although...at the same time a depression makes people want to escape and have fun more...so games would be more popular?

[ssssssd]

.

[Kapi]

I got the Pro one, the one witht h 60 GB hard drive. I was able to download about 50 demos before it ran out of space . So, yeah, its certainly a bad move, but, I understand why they're doing it, there's no point of producing a console that is not making money, because if they did, MS would go out of business, then companies like Dell and HP would also have to find aways around.

I know, not likely, but, I'm just saying while I understand WHY, it is a bad move..

[Remy]

Stupid move.

Games are only going to get bigger. DLC is only going to increase in both size and in terms of games that will have it.

The space may be working now, but in a years time? In the last 3 month theres been two giant DLC packs released for 2 big 360 titles, GTA, and Fallut 3. Fallout 3 has at least another 2 confirmed which are aparently larger than the first one.

Oh please. These DLC expansions are what, A couple GB at best? 60 is plenty. The elite is overpriced crap. The premium you pay for those extra 60GBs is insane.

And hey, they could even be upping the size on the pro HDD to take the elite's place..! 3SKUs is stupid anyway.

[ChaotixMan]

I already have a Pro, so I don't care.

[goku262002]

Why anyone would buy an Arcade 360 I don't know, but I don't see it as a particularly bad move as they should be developing a new console by now anyway. Alot of people will be trying to save money so won't want to splash out on a 360, although...at the same time a depression makes people want to escape and have fun more...so games would be more popular?

Excuse me i have an arcade and damned proud of it. the reason why people buy arcades is to keep it with the 360 scene without sucking out their bank accounts/begging mommy and daddy to buy them the SUPA EDITION with all the bells and whistles. the arcade is fine for cheap gamers like me plus theres always room to expand if you want to get all that extra crap.

NO NEW CONSOLE fuck people its only been 4 years i just got into the 360 scene and now people just want it to die. give it at least 7 years before begging for it to go away for shiner ones. PS2 is still here in its 10th year btw so i don't think 360 wont be going anywhere for a good long while.

As for the elite, fuck it. it was always an expensive model that didn't do much difference then its arcade and pro counterpart it was just there for bragging rights anyways. if you want a damn black 360 sooo bad save the $300 and go with these guys. they do excellent jobs with all types of electronic colors and plus you can get custom colors and details. btw, a full black 360 you send in is $135 thats with controller too ALOT cheaper then that elite.

[Ticky]

Excuse me i have an arcade and damned proud of it. the reason why people buy arcades is to keep it with the 360 scene without sucking out their bank accounts/begging mommy and daddy to buy them the SUPA EDITION with all the bells and whistles. the arcade is fine for cheap gamers like me plus theres always room to expand if you want to get all that extra crap.

The Pro is actually the standard, midrange version. It doesn't really have bells or whistles at all. Just a hard drive. For people who play games that have a large online component (EG: Gears of War, Halo, CoD) there will be DLC required to play. This won't fit on your 512Mb memory unit. Sorry. Halo 3 alone takes over 1Gb already, just in required DLC for online play. If you don't play online games, then good for you! The Arcade is perfect for you.

NO NEW CONSOLE fuck people its only been 4 years i just got into the 360 scene and now people just want it to die. give it at least 7 years before begging for it to go away for shiner ones. PS2 is still here in its 10th year btw so i don't think 360 wont be going anywhere for a good long while.

Microsoft may well be making their next console, but don't expect it to appear for a couple of years yet. This doesn't mean people want it to die, consoles are generally planned well in advance. If the rumour is true, it doesn't help or hinder that possiblity.

As for the elite, fuck it. it was always an expensive model that didn't do much difference then its arcade and pro counterpart it was just there for bragging rights anyways. if you want a damn black 360 sooo bad save the $300 and go with these guys. they do excellent jobs with all types of electronic colors and plus you can get custom colors and details. btw, a full black 360 you send in is $135 thats with controller too ALOT cheaper then that elite.

Sure, if you can go with no warranty...

[Pelly <3's U]

My main problem with the Elite is that how much more it costs then the pro doesn't reflect what you get. I'm pretty sure microsoft is well aware of how much hard drive space costs yet still decided to over price it cause....well I don't know..the paint they used is tinted with black diamonds? They could instead maybe lower the price a smidge to make it more appealing to people who don't like getting ripped off. Actually now that I think about it, gamers love getting ripped off so maybe they were just catering to the market.

[Sega DogTagz]

My main problem with the Elite is that how much more it costs then the pro doesn't reflect what you get.

This

I dished out the extra cash for the High-End PS3 but doing so for the Elite 360 just seemed stupid. The 360 model I went for (Pro) looked like the more logical choice for me.

The 360 has been out for a while though. Anyone out there who wanted the elite model probably got one already anyway. At least its likely to result in some price cuts on Sony’s machine which I think he industry could really benefit from.

[Roareye Black]

...if you want a damn black 360 sooo bad save the $300 and go with these guys. they do excellent jobs with all types of electronic colors and plus you can get custom colors and details. btw, a full black 360 you send in is $135 thats with controller too ALOT cheaper then that elite.

Sorry man, but the paint job on the consoles from that company look horrendous. Why are they so overly shiny? Use matte paint on a 360, not gloss! What retards. Also that's not much use to the majority of the globe, as they only have Region 1 machines. Add to that no warranty and a still small hard drive and the Elite still stands up as a far superior choice. I doubt anyone who is interested in an Elite simply got one "cos it's black". That would be ridiculous.

Not that I care, I have the old 20GB Pro and managed to bargain deal a 120Gb hard drive out of work for £30 If Microsoft sold them at this price as standard, everybody would be getting them. Silly Microsoft just won't learn though =/

Roareye Black.

[Hawkz]

Not that I care, I have the old 20GB Pro

Roareye Black.

My nigga!

I got that one as well, way back when 20GB was the standard...

In hindsight I should have held out more, but god damn I wanted that console hard.

As for the Elite, fucking beast of a machine. I want one, but I already got an adequate enough machine that does my bidding. Love my 360 XD

[Urtheart]

Shouldn't Microsoft start thinking of making a new console now? It's been 4 years now since it was out. o.O

It's already in development, I think they started last year sometime.

I think it partially depends where you are. I've got a 20GB hard Drive and except for trying to copy games to it (which I've seen no improvement to performance) I can honestly say I've not actually found a way to fill that 20gb, in part due to the fact that the EU regions don't have as much content as the US ones.

Heck I've had 20GB since the end of 06, and still only used 9GB.

[Sega DogTagz]

Heck I've had 20GB since the end of 06, and still only used 9GB.

That’s the kind of thing I mean. My 360 is still relatively new but I barley have used any of the Harddrive. No way I dish out the extra cash for an Elite.

Has anybody had a problem with 20 or 60 GB?

Is anyone even at the range where they might have a problem with free space in the next few years?

[Sarge]

I spent a small fortune on damn arcade titles... so yes, 20GBs was quiet inadequate for my needs. But I managed a bargain on eBay for a 120GB and I've not looked back since.

Honestly, the Elite never jumped out at me as a "DO WANT" even though I have this impulse buy thing with electronics... Actually, I own two completely working 360s and the only reason I bought the second one was 'cause "I wanted it."

There just was never any justification to splodge on the black case and HDMI port for me. I've always known the hard drive was a rip, the 2.5in hard disk only would run you about $60 now if you didn't look for a deal. And considering other removable hard disks sell at $200 for 500GBs and obviously have more proprietary connectors and software then our little 360 drives XD.

And I mean really, we are being shafted on memory for the 360. Over $50 for 512MBs of flash memory? Fuck, what is this, 2003 XD? I don't think you can even find two pack PNY drives at Wal Mart discount bins anymore in that size!

[Kernel Machinegun]

Shouldn't Microsoft start thinking of making a new console now? It's been 4 years now since it was out. o.O

To add on what Urtheart said, it's working name is the Xbox Pulse, or as fans call it, the Xbox 720.

There's also a "Wii 2" (unofficial nickname) in development, supposedly.

Both consoles are expected to be released by 2011 or 2012. There are also rumors of a PlayStation 4, however it might arrive later on seeing as Sony have the 10-year lifespan in mind for the PS3, however I doubt they're actually sticking with that.

...But really, the current consoles are very powerful and I wouldn't expect a now console in at least another 3 years.

--------

As for the 360 Elite being discontinued, I don't mind. They're probably planning on releasing a 120GB 360. It's better to just have a 360 Arcade and 360 Pro.

[Mollfie]

Excuse me i have an arcade and damned proud of it. the reason why people buy arcades is to keep it with the 360 scene without sucking out their bank accounts/begging mommy and daddy to buy them the SUPA EDITION with all the bells and whistles. the arcade is fine for cheap gamers like me plus theres always room to expand if you want to get all that extra crap.

Sorry, but the Pro isnt a "SUPA EDITION" the Pro has a bigger hard-drive which is what most gamers want so they can play online. Also, my parents didnt buy me a 360 lol it's my boyfriends and he bought it himself. If you like the Arcade good for you, I personally dont see why people wouldnt want to spend a bit extra and get a bigger hard-drive. As for the colour of the Elite, that's not why most people want it lol. We've used atleast 30GB out of 60GB, just from downloading lots of demos etc

[goku262002]

I'm just sick of people badmouthing the arcade because its not like its other 2. the arcade was the only way for me to get a 360. and I'm not saying it doesn't need a harddrive i got a 20gb before i got my console but thats all the space ill ever need the 60gb i guess if you want albums and lots of arcade titles and 120gb its just unnecessary! ill always defend the decision to make a arcade version and i hope it becomes the standard in all future Sony and Microsoft consoles. I really hate that theres a new console in the works now the 360 is going to be forgotten just like its former console and theres really no need for it right now.

@Roareye Black: oh trust me i known people who were that vein as to sell their old pros-cores just to get a black colored 360. and you can choose to have non-metallic colors as well it does suck that the "send in mine" option is US only. ill look into their warranty and see if its still covered they have done event promotion 350-ps3s for company's. But at least I'm providing other options other then to waste your money on buying a new console just for color.

[Strong Bad]

I'd get an Elite for the Falcon chip, the 120 GBs, and the black. I HATE white consoles (my Wii is already broken LOLOLOL) and my 360 gets a RROD regularly. If I had enough money I'd get an Elite.

[Rave92]

Shouldn't Microsoft start thinking of making a new console now? It's been 4 years now since it was out. o.O

No really need for it. It's stupid to make newer console after 4 years. Maybe for like 3 years, but not now.

[Eileanach]

Stupid move.

Games are only going to get bigger. DLC is only going to increase in both size and in terms of games that will have it.

The space may be working now, but in a years time? In the last 3 month theres been two giant DLC packs released for 2 big 360 titles, GTA, and Fallut 3. Fallout 3 has at least another 2 confirmed which are aparently larger than the first one.

This is what I was thinking. But in fairness a rumour is a rumour and unless Microsoft confirm this then I am not putting all my eggs into one basket. Luckily for me I got my elite and sorted it all and then modded the life out of it so I am not too fussed but if I wanted another XBox (because too much of a Microsoft product is impossible *shot* ) then I would certainly not be too happy if all I had to choose from were Pros and Arcades. Besides if anything if the games are going to get larger they should be phasing out the smaller ones like Arcades and Pros and making Elites and Super Elites etc anyway.

[Mollfie]

I'd get an Elite for the Falcon chip, the 120 GBs, and the black. I HATE white consoles (my Wii is already broken LOLOLOL) and my 360 gets a RROD regularly. If I had enough money I'd get an Elite.

Really? We havn't had any problems with ours yet (it lies on it's side so that all the vents can work properly and not overheat), that sucks!