Analysis: 360 Elite forum reception not so elite

With all the press attention being paid to Microsoft's new Xbox 360 Elite, you'd think the idea of the unit was setting the gaming world on fire. Not so, according to a report from research group BrandIntel, which examined 600 posts by 328 gamers on 25 different gaming forums and found interest in the system rated only a 2.6 on a 1 to 5 scale. The original Xbox 360, for comparison, ranked a 3.9 on the same scale before its release (BrandIntel usually considers three or higher a positive score).

Despite the lukewarm reaction, 48 percent of people discussing a purchase in the small, skewed sample said they would buy an Elite, compared to 43 percent who said they wouldn't. Then again, these are forum trolls, so the ones who said they won't buy are probably just hiding how powerless they are to resist the siren song of shiny new consumer electronics.

Previously: Marketing formula determines 'hottest' video games