MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES XBOX 360 ELITE
P class=”storytext”>The rumors are true… partially. Microsoft has officially announced the existence of the Xbox 360 Elite, but it’s not quite as revolutionary as expected. While the console does indeed come in black, includes a built in HDMI port and ships with a 120gb hard drive, the system is not IPTV ready nor does it contain the newer 65nm architecture.
"In regards to the rumor that the Xbox 360 Elite would contain a smaller, quieter, cooler processor than the current Xbox 360 model, Rodman said that that particular part of the rumor was untrue, and that the “internal workings” of all the Xbox 360 models would be identical." – Game|Life
The system will join the Xbox 360 Core and Premium models on shelves come April 29th, creating three different SKU’s for the system and will be priced at $479.99. That price gets you the Xbox 360, 120gb hard drive, wireless controller, headset, combination composite/component cables, HDMI cable and a one month Xbox Live Gold trial membership.
Microsoft will also be making the 120gb hard drive available separately for $179.99 including a bundled hard drive transfer cable which will allow current 360 users to move their content from one drive to another. Apparently Microsoft still hasn’t gotten the memo about how overpriced the 20gb hard drive was and has decided to take things a step further with the newer drive model. Seriously Microsoft, the need for the larger drive is due to downloadable content and the video marketplace, so why charge users an arm and a leg for a device that’s main function is to allow users to buy more downloadable content. The company also stated that they will not be offering any kind of upgrade deal, though retailers would be allowed to offer trade-ins if they so desired.
Bottom line? If you don’t have an Xbox 360 already, have a TV with a HDMI port and want the larger hard drive, this system may well be the one for you. When you break down the numbers and take the 120gb hard drive out of the equation (at retail cost), the system is priced almost identically to the other two SKU’s – but whether or not you want to pay a premium for the additional hard drive space is up to you.
- Xbox 360 Elite – Xbox.com
- Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite – Xbox.com
- Microsoft Gets Elite – Kotaku
- Microsoft’s John Rodman Talks Xbox 360 Elite – Game|Life
120GB HARD DRIVE, HDMI EQUIPPED XBOX 360 COMING NEXT MONTH?
It’s a really big day for rumor-mongoring, so let’s move on to the next one. According to Kotaku, this months Game Informer magazine is carrying a story that Microsoft will be launching a new model of the Xbox 360 some time next month. This new model will not only come in black, but will feature a 120gb hard drive as well as a built in HDMI port. The projected cost of the system? $479.99.
While the issue in question is the April edition of the magazine, meaning that this could just be another April Fool’s hoax, Kotaku is also reporting that they’ve received confirmation from a senior editor over at Game Informer that the story is indeed true. Since that confirmation didn’t come on April Fool’s Day, I’ve got to assume that at the very least, the folks over at Game Informer believe the story to be true.
While the article also states that the updated system will not feature a built in HD-DVD drive, it doesn’t provide any details on whether this model will include support for Microsoft’s foray into IPTV service. Finally, there was also an indication that the 120gb hard drive will be sold separately for "under $200".
CHANGE IS COMING
This site’s layout hasn’t changed much in the seven years it’s been active, and while there’s a certain level of comfort in the familiar, if this site is to grow it’s got to put on a new face. As such, I’m currently working on a few redesigns which should class the joint up a bit. No worries though, the site will continue to be updated as normal while this work is going on, and there should be no downtime when it occurs.
I’m not going to give any kind of an ETA on the change at this time, as it really depends more on my schedule and the coding of a few features I’d like the site to have. Just giving you all some advanced warning if you hit the link and things look a bit different. It’s not you, it’s the site.
A 4.1 GHZ DUAL CORE PROCESSOR FOR UNDER $130? YUP
While certainly not a new story, I came across this while reading Tom’s Hardware yesterday and felt I should share. It appears that certain models of Intel’s Pentium D 805 2.66ghz processor can safely be overclocked to an amazing 4.1ghz, putting them on par with some of the higher end processors on the market today. Don’t believe me? Well, Tom’s Hardware has about 45 pages of information that backs that statement up. It’s a long read, and if you plan on trying it, be sure to read the entire article to make sure you’ve grasped all the things you’ll need to do and check for before you begin.From Tom’s Hardware;
“There are still some situations in life that are guaranteed to put a grin on anyone’s face, even hard-boiled technical skeptics like us. This particular story borders on being a sensation unmatched in our last eight years of hardware reviews. The news, for those who just can’t stand the wait any more, is this: Intel has offered a budget Pentium as part of its processor line-up for a little while now. With a simple modification, however, this CPU can outperform every top-of-the-line processor around.
The bottom line is that the Athlon FX-60 and the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 have both met their match – there’s simply no escaping this conclusion! This is bound to cause lamentation among the elite circle of users who’ve invested big bucks in their high-end systems, if not outright wailing and rending of garments. The basic stats for this insignificant-seeming budget processor read as follows: Pentium D 805 clocked at 2.66 GHz, equipped with two processor cores both with 64 bit support. At your friendly neighborhood retailer you can pick up this secret weapon for pocket change – right now, for example, it’s available at newegg.com for just under $130. We were quite amazed as the first performance figures emerged from our test labs: stable operation was possible at 4.1 GHz, and without even the need for substantial boosts to cooling!” – Tom’s Hardware
As always, keep in mind that overclocking your PC can be hazardous to your PC’s health, especially if you have no clue what you’re doing. Check out the Tom’s Hardware article – all 45 pages of it – here.
HUGE XBOX 360 DASHBOARD UPDATE TODAY
According to Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, Microsoft will begin systematically rolling out the Xbox Live Dashboard update this morning sometime between 5am EST/2am PST and 9am EST/6am PST. For those wondering, as per the Major, there is no way to force the download to begin – you just have to wait for Live to select you as ready for the update.
“While the update is being released at 0200 PT not everyone will receive it immediately. It can take up to four hours for a user to be prompted to receive this update, so please be patient. There is no way to speed up the process, every Xbox 360 will receive the prompt to upgrade sometime between 0200 and 0600 (or the next time you sign in to Xbox Live.) “ – Major Nelson
To be clear, this is the big Dashboard update everyone has been talking about for the last few weeks, not the upcoming backwards compatibility update. Looking over the list of new features, I’ve got to say the following are the ones I find most exciting;
New Features
- “Download manager” – Marketplace items now download in the background, queue up to six pieces of content.
- “Boot to Dashboard” setting will bypass the loading of any disc in the drive and open directly to Dashboard during power-on
- “All Arcade Games” added as a selection in the Xbox Live Arcade area
- Personal gamer pictures allowed as Gamertiles – displayed only to those on your Friends List
DVD Playback
- Improved visual quality
- Improved playback smoothness
- Repaired playback stutter during certain films
Memory Area Improvements
- Improved overall performance, allowing quicker access to content
Miscellaneous Improvements
- Show “Last Played Game” selection in Xbox Live Arcade first before enumerating all games (when Arcade game was last game played)
- Improved download performance for popular content being downloaded through Marketplace
- Total USB keyboard support
Looks like MS is hoping to keep people on the straight and narrow as far as gamer pictures go by restricting custom pics to people on your friends list. Not a bad idea, but I still see them getting complaints from people who may have a lot of people on thier friends list that they don’t really know well.
While the above list may seem huge on it’s own, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. You can check out the full list of changes to the Dashboard here and the full text of the Major’s message here.
MICROSOFT UNVEILS WINDOWS VISTA REQUIREMENTS
Microsoft has set up a site to introduce Windows users to the features that will be available in Windows Vista and help users find out whether their system will support the new operating system. In addition to all the relevant information on features and requirements, Microsoft has included a downloadable upgrade advisor which will check a users system and determine if they will be able to run Windows Vista as well as listing any needed upgrades.
Below are the minimum system requirements listed and the “Windows Premium Ready” recommended system requirements;
Minimum System Requirements
System will not be able to run “Windows Aero” 3D Interface at this level
- 800mhz or better 32bit (x86) or 64bit (x64) processor
- 512mb system memory
- DirectX 9.0 capable, SVGA (800×600) capable graphics adapter
- 20 gigabytes HD space for install
- 15 gigabytes HD free space
- CD-ROM Drive
Windows Vista Premium Ready System Requirements
- 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- Processor speed is specified as the nominal operational processor frequency for the device. Some processors have power management which allows the processor to run at lower rate to save power.
- 1 GB of system memory.
- A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero.
- 128 MB of graphics memory.
- DirectX 9 class graphics processor that:
- Supports a WDDM Driver.
- Supports Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware.
- Supports 32 bits per pixel.
- Adequate graphics memory.
- 64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels
- 128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels
- 256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels
- Meets graphics memory bandwidth requirements, as assessed by Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor running on Windows XP
- 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
- DVD-ROM Drive.
- Audio output capability.
- Internet access capability.
Click here to head over to the Windows Vista homepage and here for the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor download page.
MICROSOFT TO CHANGE CPU IN XBOX 360?
Chartered Semiconductor today announced that they have entered into an agreement with Microsoft to manufacture .65nm 3 core processors for the Xbox 360 beginning in 2007. Chartered originally worked with IBM to produce the current .90nm 3 core Xbox 360 processor. According to the press release, the new processor will consume less power, run cooler than the current 360 CPU and cost less to manufacture. While normally, this wouldn’t be a cause for serious concern, vnunet.net is reporting another feature that was not commented in the press release – namely that Chartered is claiming that the processor can also run software faster than the existing 360 CPU.
If true, that could open a whole can of worms as not only might games wind up being optimized for the new processor, but I’m quite sure John Q. Gamer isn’t going to be too pleased to find out that the 360 has more in common with PC’s than thought – namely that better, faster models might come along and degrade the experience of early adopters.
Hopefully this will turn out to be false. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I bought the 2 year extended warranty – you never know what kind of trouble a "slow-thinking" Xbox 360 could get into.
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