Xbox 360 Elite Black 120GB Console

Very Solid

Strengths: HDMI Lots of game titles Incredible graphics XBOX Live XBOX Marketplace 120 GB hard drive

Weakness: DVD Drive still loud

I debated whether to buy XBOX360 or PS3. Both consoles are solid, but a larger game library and Xbox marketplace gave the edge to XBOX. I'm very happy with it.

By abernat - Apr 29, 2008

Xbox 360 Elite

Strengths: Sleek look, 120 GB hard drive is great for lots of demos and videos, HDMI output

Weakness: Expensive

I was looking into buying an Xbox 360 at the beginning of this year and I heard the rumors of the new black system with HDMI coming out soon, so I waited. It turns out that was the Elite and came with a 120 GB hard drive to boot (100 GB more than the standard Xbox 360). The downside was that, at the time, this system cost $80 more. However, for both the HDMI and the 100GB of extra space I thought...
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I was looking into buying an Xbox 360 at the beginning of this year and I heard the rumors of the new black system with HDMI coming out soon, so I waited. It turns out that was the Elite and came with a 120 GB hard drive to boot (100 GB more than the standard Xbox 360). The downside was that, at the time, this system cost $80 more. However, for both the HDMI and the 100GB of extra space I thought it was worth it. I was also hoping that this new model may have fixed the reliability issues of the 360. It turns out I bought it too soon on that account as only the most recent models (produced in June or July of 2007 and later) of both the regular and Elite models have the more reliable system design.

Right now the price difference between the regular and Elite 360 is a little higher ($100), and HDMI output is included on both models. The difference basically comes down to the color and the 100 GB of extra hard drive space. You do get an HDMI cable with the Elite and not the regular though and that is worth at least $10 by itself. Personally, I love having the 120 GB hard drive. I already have mine half full with demos and videos. Certainly you can get by with the 20 GB HD, but it is nice not to have to worry about space all the time.

Overall, I would say if you have the money, go for the Elite as the extra space is nice. You also get the HDMI cable. At this point, Microsoft has made some minor changes to the 360 design that is supposed to increase reliability (but the success of that remains to be seen) so you really can't go wrong with either model. Just be sure to get one with a hard drive (so skip the "Arcade Bundle" which lacks a hard drive).

By mojave - Nov 1, 2007

Still a lot of green but with a lot of bang

Strengths: Cool new color. Seems more stable. Great games. 3 year warranty.

Weakness: Microsoft isn't putting out all black accesories. Expensive. No reason to upgrade for existing users.

I didn't have the original 360 but I read enough about the red circle of death to be worried about buying one. The new elite system seems like it's going to be more stable. I jumped on on the elite because of the bigger hard drive and Microsoft's announcement to provide warranty support for 3 years. I'm glad I did. The elite kicks butt. It doesn't appear to run loud or hot unlike previous...
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I didn't have the original 360 but I read enough about the red circle of death to be worried about buying one. The new elite system seems like it's going to be more stable. I jumped on on the elite because of the bigger hard drive and Microsoft's announcement to provide warranty support for 3 years. I'm glad I did. The elite kicks butt. It doesn't appear to run loud or hot unlike previous complaints I've read about. Game play is amazing. Games are still expensive at an average of $50 for new games but you can find bargains out there for older games. Still, I wasn't dazzled by the system until I finally got my Xbox tied into my network and finally saw some of the videos and stuff you could download from Xbox live. The HD clips are amazing.


On the downside, Microsoft seemed to not go all of the way with the new color scheme. You can get some black accesories but the HD DVD drive and the wireless network adapter are staying white. Also, I haven't been able to fully use the 360 as a media extender despite have a Microsoft Media Center PC. All in all, still a great system though.

By javadrinker - Aug 20, 2007

Best Xbox 360 Package

Strengths: 120GB HD. HDMI cable. Online experience. UPnP support for media playback. Price is right.

Weakness: Little done to improve heat issues, fan noise.

With the 360, spending more buys you more. The extra $100 over the Pro package is well worth it for the extra 100GB on the hard drive. If you like trailers, game previews, add-on content for games, etc., then buying the Elite package is a no-brainer. The Pro is supposed to come with the HDMI port now, but the Elite also bundles the cable with it, in addition to the requisite component cable. This...
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With the 360, spending more buys you more. The extra $100 over the Pro package is well worth it for the extra 100GB on the hard drive. If you like trailers, game previews, add-on content for games, etc., then buying the Elite package is a no-brainer. The Pro is supposed to come with the HDMI port now, but the Elite also bundles the cable with it, in addition to the requisite component cable. This is the way every game system should be sold!

The 360 itself is still contending with heat issues. There is a lot of myth going around about this using a new chip. The motherboard and some of the chips HAVE changed, but it's not very drastic. This 360 still runs warm and the fan still makes noise. Any 360 sold today runs the risk of requiring service, don't kid yourself about that. With plenty of room around the system for air-flow, my system runs at a comfortable temperature. The fan is noticeable, but as soon as I fire up a game I forget all about it.

As for 360 vs PS3, I picked this based on the games line-up. Not because the 360 has better games, but because it has more games I want to play. The two systems are very good matches in performance and I'm sure the game selection will balance out too. For me, the 360 has a great offering of games. Pick your system based on personal preference!

Despite heat issues, this system is bolstered by a great online experience. I've downloaded tons of game demos and trailers already. I am astonished by the multimedia capabilities! I no longer need a dedicated home theater PC to play media files off other networked computers. The 360 works great with UPnP services like TVersity. I think the PS3 has similar capabilities. It's great that the gaming consoles have finally achieved true home entertainment awesomeness!

By FourScience - Sep 12, 2007

I like the new color and bigger hard drive!

Strengths: 120gb hard drive, HDMI.

Weakness: none yet

I bought this along with the new xbox360 black wireless controller. Ater previously owning an xbox360 premium system all I can say is it works great just like the original. I like the looks of it better in the new black color along with the 120gb hard drive and hdmi cable.

By bigboar - Aug 13, 2007