Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite gets unboxed and uncased

What once was special has apparently lost its exclusivity, as not only did Target completely ignore the April 29th street date set for the Xbox 360 Elite, but now we're seeing that a Wally World in Minneapolis (among others) has followed suit. As these things always go, an avid gamer with a hand at photography has done the honors of unboxing and uncasing the new updated console, but we've got to give props for going the extra mile and offering up a comparison shot between the new and old motherboards. Additionally, he pointed out that a Hitachi GDR-3120L FK78 DVD drive and Fujitsu MHW2120BH 120GB HDD were the new weapons of choice, and while he couldn't quite determine if Microsoft had snuck a 65-nanometer CPU core in there, we do know that Microsoft has updated the legacy compatibility list for the first time since December, giving you dozens of new titles to drown your sorrows in. Go ahead, indulge yourself.

[Thanks, l3ftonm3]

[Manuel @ Apr 20th 2007 11:08AM]

WOT !

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 20th 2007 1:07PM]

Good stuff. Here is a comparison of the JC/US vs EU PS3 MB and the missing PS2 E-engine ;^(...
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ps3jcus-v-eu.jpg
Itsok since they are going software for PS2, we hope ;^)...

----------
FB a.k.a LDM
Water-bending Master
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ldm_master_builder!.jpg

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 20th 2007 1:07PM]

Good stuff. Here is a comparison of the JC/US vs EU PS3 MB and the missing PS2 E-engine ;^(...
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ps3jcus-v-eu.jpg
Itsok since they are going software for PS2, we hope ;^)...

----------
FB a.k.a LDM
Water-bending Master
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ldm_master_builder!.jpg

[Scabies @ Apr 20th 2007 11:12AM]

would it not be easy enough to plug in a Premium and an Elite into a kill-a-watt to determine CPU fabrication?

[Tavis Veighey @ Apr 20th 2007 11:13AM]

Maybe, if they were exactly the same in every other aspect... However the larger HD throws that measurement out the window.

[Water @ Apr 20th 2007 11:21AM]

You could just take the drives off of both surely...?

[AG @ Apr 20th 2007 11:23AM]

Hey maybe before you rip those things apart you could just, oh I don't know, plug it in and see if it's actually quieter?

[alanoo @ Apr 20th 2007 11:26AM]

Sorry but as the die size is exactly the same as previous motherboards, there is absolutely no chance of 65nm here...

[techwarrior @ Apr 20th 2007 11:32AM]

good but no wifi is ridiculous and to think that Microsoft gouges $100 or there wifi adapter ooo and the adapter at $100 is not even N come on!

[Grant @ Apr 20th 2007 12:46PM]

N isn't certified to work with everything, won't be until 2008. and it's really the only standard(except the rarely used A) that would work well enough to put up a decent gaming experience. Especially not streaming media, which is one of the things MS is really trying to get going.
Any gamer whose used a PC knows that you want the lowest ping and highest data transfer speeds possible to have the best gaming experience, now your gonna go and horribly impede you upload speeds and ping time?

PS3 can have wifi for it's internet functions, but it's gonna seriously show when good games that actually require speed start showing up.

as for a 30-50% fail rate.
I'm pretty sure that of anything has to show you how awesome the 360 is... when it works. I've already gone through one, i know people that have gone through more than 2. ANY consumer electronic would have to be pretty awesome if people are willing to put up with such a high failure rate, wouldn't you say?

[h0mi @ Apr 20th 2007 1:28PM]

It supports 11a however, which is why it's so pricey. Good luck with trying to find a comparable 11g/a adapter, let alone find them for under $100.

[PA @ Apr 20th 2007 11:36AM]

Let's wish this time around that the Red Ring of Death wont be plaguing this new generation! At 30% to 50% failure ration of XBOX it's sure is a huge manufacturing problem from MS and a terrible blow to customer confidence in MS hardware expertise.

[craig @ Apr 20th 2007 11:45AM]

"At 30% to 50% failure ration of XBOX it's sure is a huge manufacturing problem from MS and a terrible blow to customer confidence in MS hardware expertise."

Funny, abnormally high failure rates haven't seemed to diminish "customer confidence" in the iPod or Apple.

30% to 50% is not confirmed. It's wild speculation from someone not even associated with MS.

[Mak @ Apr 21st 2007 4:18AM]

Being based on the same technology as the original 360, it's likely to be as unreliable as the original...

30-50% is shocking, and there is plenty if evidence to back these figures up. The worst part, Microsoft are lying to everyong claiming to be less than 3% failure rate, which anyone can tell is untrue..

[PA @ Apr 21st 2007 12:26PM]

another interesting article : http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=13636

I find it strange, each time I post a comment on that XBOX problem, I receive comments defending the xbox crap few minutes after posting. 2 weeks ago I saw a serious journalist inquiry on CBC, showing a high %%%(30% to 50%) failure ratio amongst XBOX owners, some reporting having to return the box 3 to 4 times and having to wait moths for replacement.

[PA @ Apr 20th 2007 11:56AM]

Googling this fact could help u understand the problem, I'm not bashing Apple here, just telling fact about this bad product, some gamers out there had to return their console 4 times! MS is reporting a 3 to 5% failure ration witch is hard to belive comming from MS. Each time someone bash against XBOX, a pro-xbox reply appear ;-)

[McGinley @ Apr 20th 2007 11:50AM]

You dont need to use the 100$ Xbox wifi,you can use absolutely any wireless bridge you want.Im sure you can get one for cheaper.

[craig @ Apr 20th 2007 12:51PM]

"Googling this fact could help u understand the problem..."

I did, that's how I discovered that you're referring to unsubstantiated and inflammatory claims that you refer to as "facts".

"I'm not bashing Apple here..."

Of course not. I was the one that mentioned Apple. Unlike Xbox failure rates, iPod failure rates are known to be quite high yet the product is still popular.

"...just telling fact about this bad product..."

Why don't you come up with something other than "30% to 50%" then? That isn't a fact.

"..some gamers out there had to return their console 4 times!"

Perhaps, and many iPod owners have similar problems.

"MS is reporting a 3 to 5% failure ration witch is hard to belive comming from MS."

It's hard to believe because it's Microsoft? Is that another one of your "facts"?

"Each time someone bash against XBOX, a pro-xbox reply appear ;-)"

Glad that you've admitted that all you're doing is bashing.

[dizilbdog @ Apr 20th 2007 11:57AM]

So is it out or a couple of lucky smucks got there hands on one? Or do we have to wait till april 29

[dizilbdog @ Apr 20th 2007 11:58AM]

So is it out or a couple of lucky smucks got there hands on one? Or do
we have to wait till april 29

[Kev50027 @ Apr 20th 2007 12:00PM]

STILL doesn't support most of my favorite Xbox games. If it did, I honestly would get one, but as it is, I'm saving up for a PS3.

[vardeman62 @ Apr 21st 2007 3:14PM]

kev50027, the ps3 won't play your xbox games either...

[Kevin @ Apr 20th 2007 12:02PM]

I'm very curious whether or not this thing has a 65nm CPU.

[Andy @ Apr 20th 2007 12:05PM]

Wow, after reading the original article at llamma.com, I feel much more stupid. The guy who wrote that article is obviously completely clueless when it comes to anything technical, especially anything having to do with hardware. He should have just given that thing to someone who knew what they were talking about for a decent review. Still, the pictures and such are nice.

[kingofwale @ Apr 20th 2007 12:19PM]

There is NO 65nm on there. IGN contacted Microsoft a few weeks ago and the confirmation is. it's still the same hardware.

so, inevitable ring of death for the future... check, it's only matter of time.

[jds @ Apr 20th 2007 12:21PM]

My current 360 keeps killing Rainbow Six Vegas. I've been through four copies of the game. If this new one is only different in color and HD, I'll pass as I'd have to assume it will also eat my game.

Anyone know why that happens?

DVD Drive?
Bad Discs?
User Error?
Impure oxygen in home?

[wei @ Apr 20th 2007 12:23PM]

It'd be nice if they could release a 360 with the 65nm core. Then again, I'd still be left with my old-design 360, which happens to be on its way back to my home today after biting it, ring-of-death style. I don't even have enough time to play my 360 often enough to think that I would run any risk of it dying, but alas, it still ate it. After that experience, I really began to think that the massive issues with 360 hardware are not exaggerated at all. MS is definitely doing something wrong.

[Maestro @ Apr 20th 2007 12:23PM]

@Kev50027

I'm pretty sure the PS3 you are saving up for won't play your old xbox games either.

[MaX PL and the 360 r4pe Tr4iN @ Apr 20th 2007 12:24PM]

yeh okay there Kev.

if you HAD favorite xbox games then you would by now own a xbox 360; saving for a ps3 is a BS excuse.

[h0mi @ Apr 20th 2007 1:34PM]

I suppose it's possible to configure your router to use QOS to improve the gaming performance, but not all routers support that, and those that do don't do so all that easily. People who'd know how to do that will probably use QOS for other purposes and just wire their console to the router anyway because ethernet >> 11g.

[AC @ Apr 20th 2007 3:19PM]

Wow, i'm not pro/anti Apple/Xbox anything, just stunned that you wasted all that time defending each individual point made clearly by someone of sub-par intelligence on behalf of a company that doesn't give two shits about you as an individual.

It's a games console. That's it. If i can help you understand that then i consider writing this comment not to be a waste of my time.

[craig @ Apr 20th 2007 7:26PM]

If it's such a waste of time, why did you bother bashing Xbox in the first place?

I'm not pro/anti-Apple/Xbox either but I'm anti-BS. You made an inflammatory comment using pure speculation that you presented as fact. I called you on it.

BTW, it's true that Microsoft doesn't give two shits about me as an individual. Neither does Apple or any other company and I don't know why you continue to make derogatory remarks regarding MS that serve no purpose nor differentiate them from anyone else. Somehow I suspect your objectiveness isn't what you claim it is.

[Jon @ Apr 20th 2007 1:00PM]

Just wondering , Can the current 360 be updated through software for IPTV or will they release a new SUPER ELITE 360 ...

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 20th 2007 1:08PM]

Woops, sry...

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 20th 2007 1:09PM]

Woops, sry...

[Pete @ Apr 20th 2007 1:14PM]

OMG all of a sudden N is the standard?? Give me a break dude, 802.11N just came out and barely anyone in the world has it so you can't bitch about MS not supporting that. PS3 doesn't have 802.11N either. Once it becomes standard MS can at least offer a different adapter.

[cold71 @ Apr 20th 2007 1:40PM]

MS already comfirmed the elite does NOT have the cooler more efficent 65nm cpu core yet. From what I understand tho evently it will be put in to all 3 flavors of the 360.

[lecor @ Apr 20th 2007 1:44PM]

@ the individual who mentioned the 'ring of death' problem... you can bet that Microsoft has made changes to address the cause of the problem. If you look at the root causes of the failure, one of the principal ones has already been addressed. I was unfortunate enough to get the failure, but was able to open up the console and make the appropriate fixes... that said, it can't be expected of customers to go about and fix Microsoft's design problems themselves. It still looks, from the pictures of the Elite, that the absolute horrible job done with the 360's cooling architecture has not been addressed. Any average computer enthusiast knows that this is an absolute p*ss poor job at moving heat away from and out of the console... what's even funnier is the pathetic add on and mod fans that have surfaced to address the problem... ie Talisman (or is it Talismoon) whatever, they're a waste of time and money...

I suspect, and hope, that the Elite will improve on the unacceptable failure rate of earlier 360 consoles...

[gcforreal @ Apr 20th 2007 2:21PM]

still dont see a need to upgrade to the elite and when i s microsoft gonna add some better games to the bc list? they always have a couple of good games then the rest are ones that nobody cares about come one where is my def jam fight for ny hell its better than def jam icon! lol

[Ben Hobbs @ Apr 20th 2007 3:06PM]

I was at walmart today and saw them selling 2 of these to some grandma, so apparently they disregarded the "launch" day too. Grandma wasn't too happy that the HD-DVD player was $200 more. Her exacts words were, "then why don't I just get a PS3". hahahaha...savvy shopper.

[chad @ Apr 20th 2007 5:08PM]

Haha... grandma knows what's up. This thing makes PS3 all the more enticing. Forgetting the fact that PS3 has a lackluster game lineup (which admittedly is a large factor to forgo), the PS3 is a much better deal at $100 more in the long run. They should have at least put Wireless in this thing!

BTW, Walmart back end caught on (though the store front is still as clueless as ever). There were two on sale at my local store but it's not ringing up anymore; couldn't buy them.

[Zeus the God @ Apr 20th 2007 6:33PM]

Ahem... Sony douche-bags, the Xbox gives you the CHOICE of what you want. They don't FORCE you to buy anything you WON'T use. That's the thing here. They don't FORCE you to pay for a new format drive that may or may not win the format "war". Sony FORCES you to pay for Blu-Ray, when it is not even required. They could just use the standard DVD and let Blu-Ray be an option, allowing the PS3 to compete with the Xbox in price.

Anyway, tell me, what happens if you buy a PS3, and HD DVD wins out, and Blu-Ray is then obsolete? You're fucked. You payed about 150 dollars more than you need to for a system, that didn't even REQUIRE Blu-Ray to operate. Yes, the games are formatted on Blu-Ray, but that's just so they can mark those up as Blu-Ray sales as well. Blu-Ray in no way contributes to the quality of a game. Yes, it has more capacity than DVDs and possibly HD DVD, but you see, they can't even fill up a single DVD yet, nor have the really come close. None of the games on PS3 currently contain more information than a single DVD. Then you take into account the loading times, and this is where the upgradeable hard drive comes in handy, because the Blu-Ray drive in the PS3 is 8x, thus much slower than the Xbox's 12x drive. Take into account that the Blu-Ray discs are harder to read, and you get the first play "installation" of cached info on the hard drive, so that you can speed up the still terrible load times just a little bit more.

So, you bought a PS3, and it offers built in WiFi. So, uh... You don't need it? Well, too bad for you, you are FORCED to buy it, especially with the lower range PS3 off the market. Well, sucks to be you.

Ok, so you DO need it. Oh, you have Wireless-A or B? Well, you're boned. It only offers G. The reason the Xbox adapter costs so much is fact that it has all three main bands (A, B, G), and it has EXCEPTIONAL speed and efficiency. Much better than any other adapter, at least on the 360.

The 65nm processors aren't that big of a deal; I mean, most of you bitching about it don't even know what the fuck the difference is! I mean, the 90nm processor in it right now isn't bad, as a matter of fact, the performance difference isn't even there. They will perform the SAME.

As far as heat goes, I have mine in a fairly tight space with little air flow, but it still works great, has never, EVER over heated, and has never frozen on me. That's saying a lot, seeing as how I play with it quite a bit. I mean, really, if you are having problems with it over heating, then you need to give it some air (or take it out of the oven. Either one works).

To whoever made up that bullshit with the 30-50% failure rate: Stop your lying you dumb-shit. It's about 1 in ever 20-25 Xboxes that have ANY hardware failure, including any disc drive problems. That would make the 4-5% failure rate true.

The reason the Xbox 360 doesn't offer full legacy game support is because the Xbox's firmware has to be modified to allow these games to be played on the 360. The PS3 offers better legacy game support only because the first generation systems literally have PS2 chipsets built into the console. That's like buying both a PS3 and a PS2, further jacking up the price.

Don't get me started about online support, 'cus the PS3's online support is a fucking joke. According to most reviews, the downloads are horrendously slow, and the online play is alright, but nothing compared to LIVE.

All you with a PS3 think your graphics are better? Well, take this into consideration. If you know anything about PCs, you will recognize the name NVidia. The RSX (Reality Synthesizer X [The GPU {Graphical Processing Unit}]) in the PS3 uses the NV47. Now, you may think, "Wow, totally new GPU just for the PS3!" Well, no. The NV47 is the renamed GPU from the NVidia 7800GTX video card for PCs. Now, with that little tid-bit of information, you will now want to compare that to the Xenos in the Xbox. One thing you need to know, is that the Xenos is really an early iteration of the ATI R600 GPU. You know, the GPU that overpowers the G80 GPU from NVidia in nearly all ways. Now, this early version isn't quite as powerful as the actual version coming for the PC, but is still FAR superior to the NV47, thus, making that argument nil.

In the RAM department, the PS3 has the 360 beat. This allows the game creators to add in more impressive AI and physics features, but then, you still only have 256Mb of it, compared to the 360's 512Mb. Albeit is shared with the GPU and CPU, it still alternates on which chip needs more memory, making it perfect for games.

As far as the processor goes, the 360 still wins out here, even though the Cell processor is impressive in it's own right. The Cell processor has only 512Kb L2 cache, versus the 360's tri-core PowerPC based CPU's 1Mb L2 cache. The 360 has 3 cores compared to the PS3's 2 cores that are spread apart over the 7 "cells", making the Cell processor slightly more efficient. The argument can be made that the PS3 has 7 processors, but really it has 1. The Cell's architecture is mixed with 1 cell based on PPE, with the last 6 based on SPE. That really makes in 1 processor with 6 "assistant" processors. In all truth, the Cell processor has 8 "cells", but one lays dormant processing only the operating system (if you can call that PSP ripped hunk-a-junk an operating system). I have also heard the comment of the PS3 running at faster than 3.2Ghz, but rather, having that multiplied by 8, for each "cell". The ENTIRE Cell processor is running at 3.2Ghz TOTAL.

Then there is the argument, "But the PS3 can run Linux." Well, while that is true, I'm not sure you would want to do that. You see, this is totally impractical, because the PS3 and Xbox (and every game console to date) runs an in-order execution processor, rather than an out-of-order execution processor as found in all PCs. With this, the processor CANNOT run Linux WELL. The processor is not BUILT to handle extravagant lines of code that Linux uses, and therefore is not well suited to running Linux, making this "feature", in all practical uses of the word, useless.

The Xbox really does things better than the PS3.

About this new Elite Xbox 360. I don't know what all the fuss is about. I mean, if you have a 360, then you aren't missing out other than the black color and larger hard drive, and possibly the 1080p support (1080p is worthless for game consoles, because when you get into those resolutions, the graphical faults are much easier to see because of the clarity of the picture, making 1080i better suited for this type of application).

You aren't missing out on much, and for the love of God, stop complaining about the 65nm chipsets when you don't know what the differences are; also, if you DID know the differences, you wouldn't be complaining because you would notice there is really no need for them.

[Zeus the God @ Apr 20th 2007 7:48PM]

Are you replying to me? I'm not bashing Xbox...

You are right, that Grant guy is a dumbass.

[chad @ Apr 20th 2007 7:58PM]

@ Zeus

Holy Bejebus... get a grip! I stopped reading your drawn out diatribe after the 1st paragraph. That being said, I'm not a PS fanboy hoss; I haven't had a PS since the original. I just recognize a better deal for MY wants. If I'm gonna spend $500, what's an extra $100? For comparable parts on the Xbox, I'd spend a whole lot more and have a idiotic, fugly dongle HD-DVD drive on my entertainment rack.

I want internal WiFi for times the system is nowhere near a switch/router and for overall less hassle and so what if blu-ray doesn't win the format fight (though it's really looking in their favor atm). HD-DVD will be cheap as hell by then, and I'll still have a library of titles in 1080p. I'm in the now; not the future.

[Rick @ Apr 20th 2007 8:14PM]

Diatribe? Somebody has been watching too much news lately.

[Oknarf @ Apr 20th 2007 8:07PM]

DVD Media as a delivery vehicle for movies is dead, but if you must have HD DVD, MS gives you the choice, for $200. But why? You can download movies to the drive and save money and space.

Blew Ray is ridiculous and the PS3 has a crappy library. Game over.

When IPTV comes out MS will have another arrow in it's quiver while the PS3 and Crapple TV pale in comparison. It's not even close.

Bring it on.

[chad @ Apr 20th 2007 8:21PM]

I am quite versed in downloading content but truly wonder if you are. So what encoders pray tell are you talking bout? No movies are 'legal' and ready for download that touch either the quality of HD-DVD or Blu-Ray w/ a 10 foot stick.

And DVD being dead? That's a pretty ignorant statement. DVD will still dominate for some time. :)

Equally ignorant is if you think IPTV is going to 'revolutionize' things anytime in the near future. Oh wait.... ATT's U-Verse just called from 2004 and said they want their slogan back!

[chad @ Apr 20th 2007 8:23PM]

WTF are you talking about? I can only surmise that 'news' is the place where you learn all new words. Get a grip.

[Rick @ Apr 20th 2007 11:35PM]

Ummm that's not a commonly used word, but has been quite frequently used this week.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Diatribe

Enough said. Should be helpful when you go to take your SATs though. Just make sure you know exactly what it means.

[Zeus the God @ Apr 20th 2007 9:07PM]

Umm... Chad. You are making no sense. Your posts are, for the most part, incoherent.

You mind... Waking up or rewording your posts? I'm dumbfounded at whether or not you are on my side or Sony's or if you're neutral. Really, your posts don't make sense.