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4GB Xbox 360 arrives in Japan on Sept. 9
Microsoft is launching its cheaper 4GB XBox 360 S in Japan on September 9. It'll sell for the same ¥19,800 ($235) price as the original Arcade system, and will come packed with a wireless controller, AV cables and an AC adapter. No big surprises. It makes even more sense to have a cheaper Xbox bundle in Japan than it does here, since Microsoft has to do something to try to sell some of these. What is a bit more surprising, considering the stealth launch of the accessory in America, is that Microsoft officially announced a separate 250GB hard drive for Japan at the same time. The ¥15,540 ($184) price is a good indicator that people should seriously just buy the 250GB Xbox 360 bundle.
Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle discounted to $249.99 at Amazon
If you pounced on what was already a good deal for the Final Fantasy XIII bundle, then we apologize, because it's been discounted again. Amazon has knocked another $50 off the price tag, bringing the console down to a very appealing $249.99. For a 250GB HDD, two wireless controllers, a copy of Final Fantasy XIII and the console itself (plus the custom faceplate, which Amazon is still throwing in), that's a damn good price -- even if there is a sexier, slimmer console on the block now.
New Xbox 360 4GB's packaging shows off 250GB HDD upgrade option
It seems like a no-brainer, but at this point Microsoft has yet to confirm a separate 250GB HDD for its new Xbox 360 consoles -- and really, if you're picking up the 4GB model next month, that might come in handy. Newer press shots show a different side of the packaging, however, and if you get a high-res snapshot, you can see that it's touting the various accessories you can buy to enhance your new Xbox 360 4GB experience: wireless controllers, Kinect, and... a 250GB HDD. Now, it could very well be misleading advertising -- such a disc drive already exists, but you have to buy the current slimmed-down model or Halo Reach special edition bundle to get it. Somehow, though, we get the feeling this HDD is destined to be wrapped in separate packaging all by its lonesome -- Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg even insinuated as much not two weeks ago. Only question is, when and for how much?
Amazon's FFXIII 360 bundle to include UFC 2010 and Bioshock 2 on August 2
Amazon's upping the ante to try and move more units of its recently discounted Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle. According to the retailer's Twitter account, the $300 package will come with free copies of UFC Undisputed 2010 and BioShock 2 when purchased this coming Monday.
Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive
Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has confirmed the inevitable to Joystiq: Xbox 360 Memory Units and the 120GB hard drive are being phased out. Acknowledging what's been in the stars since February, the Xbox spokesman stated that "the channel is being drained" of the storage options. The same goes for Memory Units, which, after today's official announcement of USB support, makes the MU even less useful. This makes the $130 250GB HDD the primary option ... well, at least until this fall, if the Xbox Slim comes to pass.
120GB Xbox 360 hard drive drops to $99.99
With the new 250GB 360 hard drive moving into the price territory once occupied by the 120GB drive, it should come as no surprise that the old model is getting a price cut. In fact, we're a little surprised it's not getting more of one. Microsoft just told us that the price on the 120GB HDD has been cut to $99.99, effective immediately. Microsoft tells us the drive is available at that price "while supplies last," so it sounds like they may not be on the market all that much longer. In case you're bad at math, that's $0.83 per gigglebyte on the old model and $0.52 for the new. In case you're bad at Newegg searches, those are both still bad prices.
Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard [update]
While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price). Though it's odd to see an official reveal through the Xbox Dashboard, we have been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- listings even popped up on retail sites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've contacted Microsoft for pricing and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the Dashboard advertisement for you below. [Update: We've just gotten official word from Microsoft that the 250 GB HDD retails for $129.99 and should be available today.] %Gallery-88789% [Thanks Rodney!]
PS3's Torne DVR launching in Japan March 18
If you want to pick up the Torne PS3 DVR unit, March 18 is the day to do that. If you're buying a PS3 for the first time and hoping to get the bundle, you should know that the package (which includes a PS3 with a 250GB hard drive and the Torne unit for ¥42,800 or $466.52) will be available in "limited quantities." You should also know that this is designed for Japanese terrestrial TV signals, and isn't likely to work outside of that country. On Saturdays throughout February and early March, Sony will hold demonstrations of the Torne device in electronics stores in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as Sony's own Ginza Sony Building.
Greenberg: No plans for 250GB Xbox hard drive outside of bundles
If you've been downloading demos and premium themes at a furious pace in anticipation of an upcoming 250GB hard drive for Xbox 360, you may want to rethink your data footprint. Speaking to Joystiq yesterday at X10, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Product Manager Aaron Greenberg told us that the 250GB hard drive is likely to remain exclusive to limited-edition bundles. "We did it with the Modern Warfare bundle, which, as people know, was a huge success, completely sold out," he reminded us. "We're excited to bring it back with the limited edition Final Fantasy bundle." Greenberg said that the limited nature of the bigger drive is "part of what makes it special." Greenberg also mentioned that much of the Xbox 360's functionality, like Netflix, Facebook, and Twitter, and even the Zune Video Marketplace, doesn't require storing big files on the hard drive. "That said, we understand that game demos, a lot of the game add-on content does take up space." "We're always evaluating," he said, "but for now we feel like the 120 is serving us very well as the standard offering, and then having the 250 as a limited edition is a good balance." Keep some space in your browser cache free for our full interview with Greenberg.
120GB Xbox 360 HDD discounted in Europe 'while supplies last'
According to Eurogamer, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 120GB hard drive has now been discounted to €129.99 ($180) in Europe and £79.99 ($125) in the UK. Curiously, the Microsoft representative appended "while supplies last" to the announcement, implying that the 120GB won't be around for much longer. This news comes on the heels of a standalone 250GB hard drive being announced for Japan. When asked whether that drive would release outside of Japan, Microsoft informed Joystiq that it had nothing to announce at the time. If the separate 250GB drive did become available elsewhere and the 120GB were discontinued, consumers would have to choose between 60GB and 250GB add-ons. As Microsoft's typical strategy has been to replace the lowest end of its hardware spectrum, it would make more sense to discontinue the 60GB drive instead. Then again, as we've learned time and again, sometimes that strategy can be typical Microsoft.
250GB Xbox 360 HDD headed to Japan in March [update]
Update: When asked whether the 250GB drive would release outside of Japan, Microsoft has informed Joystiq that it has "nothing to announce" at this time. Microsoft has announced (translation) that it will release a standalone 250GB hard drive in Japan later this year. The drive – which carries a price tag of ¥15,540 (~$170) – is set to be released on March 11. On the same day, the company will also be releasing the Wireless Controller Game Pack and the Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter. This will mark the first time that Microsoft has released the 250GB hard drive as a standalone product. Thus far, the 250GB model has only been available as part of certain bundles such as the Modern Warfare 2 bundle released in 2009. Previously, Microsoft's Albert Penello noted Microsoft didn't have any specific plans to release the 250GB drive by itself, though he did note the possibility. While this particular drive is currently slated only for Japan, it seems likely that other territories will follow. We've contacted Microsoft regarding any North American or European release plans and will update this post with any new info.
Mass Effect 2 'super elite' 360 bundle bound for Australia only, EA says
EA has confirmed it will only be shipping its $600 AUD ($550 USD), 250GB HDD-equipped "super elite" Xbox 360 bundle (breath) to Australia, according to a report from VG247. "This is a local bundle deal that the [EA Australia] team has sorted," an EA representative explained. The bundle is said to contain two black wireless controllers (standard Microsoft issue) and a wired headset; a regular, non-fancy copy of Mass Effect 2; an Xbox 360 Elite (sans promotional artwork, unfortunately); and a 250GB HDD. Just like the Modern Warfare 2 "Super Elite" console, we imagine supplies will be limited -- to Australia, in this case. %Gallery-70022%
Sony: 250GB HDD + Uncharted 2 PS3 bundle 'complete fabrication' [update]
A PlayStation 3 Slim bundle containing a 250GB hard drive and Uncharted 2 was leaked by an anonymous tipster at Engadget. Though no price or release date info was provided, Engadget was able to independently confirm the bundle's legitimacy. We've reached out to Sony for comment and have yet to hear back as of publication [see update below], though a representative from Uncharted 2 developer Naughty Dog had yet to even hear of the bundle. Considering we heard about the larger hard drive nearly a month ago via an FCC filing (those things don't lie people!), we're pretty sure the Sony's just holding off on an announcement until the Tokyo Game Show next week. Those three UK-based PS3 bundles now seem to be that much more likely, don't they?Update: Sony America says, "That tip is a complete fabrication." To be clear, this statement does not represent SCE (Japan) or SCEE (Europe), though it does absolutely deny the existence of any 250GB PlayStation 3 bundle in the US this year.
Amazon Germany lists Xbox 360 with 250GB HDD, Forza 3, two wireless controllers, for €280
After being the first major retailer to release info on the PS3 Slim before Sony itself had announced the system, Amazon Germany is at it again, outing a 250GB Xbox 360 model for 280 euros ($379). An eagle-eyed Engadget tipster spotted the listing, which includes two wireless controllers and a copy of Forza Motorsport 3 in addition to the massively embiggened hard drive. Since Forza 3 won't be hitting shelves until October 23 in Europe, it stands to reason that this listing represents a deal still a few months off, though Microsoft could very feasibly release this new SKU (sans accessories) earlier. On the subject of new Xbox bundles, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told us in an interview yesterday that, "I'm sure there will be different offers depending on where you go and what time of the year it is." Looks like we've found at least one bundle so far! We've contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this post when we know more. [Via Engadget]
MiniPC goes Core Duo with the LF800
Japanese consumers looking for yet another Mac mini-style PC will soon be able to pick up the LF800 from miniPC, which won't run as silently as the ED612E we recently saw from this same company, but delivers a much more impressive set of specs. Instead of that pokey 1.2GHz VIA Eden processor powering the last offering, this model throws down a Core Duo T2300, while also doubling the RAM to 512MB and jacking up the hard drive capacity from 40GB to 250GB. If that particular configuration doesn't suit your needs then you're in luck, because you can also pick up a bare bones model that includes integrated Intel graphics, a PCI-Express x16 slot, and CF reader, along with gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, USB 2.0, S/PDIF, and S-Video ports. Both the fully assembled rig as well as the DIY version will be available sometime this month, with the former going for around $1,080 and the latter priced just under $600.[Via Impress]
