Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite 120 GB Black Console (NTSC)

The good: Excellent selection of games, including many 360-only exclusives; all games are in native high-definition; user-friendly Dashboard interface; supports wireless controllers and accessories; Xbox Live service offers online multiplayer (with matchmaking and voice chat) and content downloads for most games; backward compatible with many--but not all--original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender; online Marketplace allows easy purchases of minigames, add-on gaming content, high-def movies, and TV shows.

The bad: The Elite fails to correct most of the annoyances of the original 360 version: the noisy DVD drive and cooling fan; a gigantic, oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking; only three USB ports; a substandard DVD player; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live; proprietary wireless format limits third-party accessories.

The bottom line: While it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice.

THE GOOD: Excellent selection of games, including many 360-only exclusives; all games are in native high-definition; user-friendly Dashboard interface; supports wireless controllers and accessories; Xbox Live service offers online multiplayer (with matchmaking and voice chat) and content downloads for most games; backward compatible with many--but not all--original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender; online Marketplace allows easy purchases of minigames, add-on gaming content, high-def movies, and TV shows.

THE BAD: The Elite fails to correct most of the annoyances of the original 360 version: the noisy DVD drive and cooling fan; a gigantic, oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking; only three USB ports; a substandard DVD player; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live; proprietary wireless format limits third-party accessories.

THE BOTTOM LINE: While it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice.

Sony and Microsoft, both notorious for pulling out all the stops, are going head to head with their latest game machines. Although not a gamer, I'm drawn to the PS3 and the Xbox 360 (and its new trimmings) as feats of hitherto unseen technological wonder. Both companies have bet recklessly on their platforms, and both see them as gaming plus a whole lot more. So while the gaming world has its own critiques — and while the Nintendo Wii continues to charm with its less performance-based attitude — my desire was to see what the Xbox and PS3 could do in the way of movies, music and other entertainment. I tethered both of them to a smokin' 46-in. Sharp 1080p high-definition LCD TV and let them rip.

Most gamers know that the PS3's delay was caused by its Blu-ray drive, and many suggest that the Blu-ray advantage isn't worth the price or the wait. Sure, movies on Blu-ray have a picture quality six times higher than a standard DVD, but the vast majority of so-called high definition TVs don't even have the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (known as 1080p) to show Blu-ray's full glory. From a home-theater point of view, though, the PS3 was not only the first Blu-ray player to be priced well under $1,000, but the first to be introduced from Sony, the mother of the Blu-ray initiative. In other words, for anyone who already has a sweet 1080p TV, or is planning to spend $2,500 or more to get one, the PS3 is almost a requirement, being one of the only reliable sources of full HD video.

If you don't know about Blu-ray, it's because it's not the only successor to the DVD. A few companies, including Microsoft, support a different standard for next-generation movie discs, called HD DVD. The conflict between the two formats has made it tough for consumers to make any decisions, so sales have been miniscule. But now that Sony's Blu-ray is appearing in Sony's eagerly anticipated PS3, Microsoft's HD DVD format is appearing in, you guessed it, Microsoft's Xbox 360. Okay, not "in" the Xbox-an accessory drive that connects to the console via USB has just gone on sale for $200. That brings the total for Microsoft's premium high-def-movie playing system to $600, the same price as the premium PS3.

I'm a big fan of high-definition TVs, even the more affordable 720p sets, and I can vouch for the fact that whether they're on Blu-ray or HD DVD, movies look much better than they do on standard DVDs. Pop in the Blu-ray edition of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby that comes with the PS3, and you're blown away by the detail (and by how old and pockmarked Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly look up close). Likewise, load up the copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong that ships with the Xbox HD DVD player, fast forward to an action scene and suddenly, there are two T-Rexes and a gorilla duking it out in your living room. I can't spot the difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD movie; no one but the most finicky of videophiles could. So when looking at both game consoles as a source of high-def movie content, forget about differences in video quality and think more about your gaming preferences as well as the movies themselves, the Blu-ray and HD DVD lineups on Amazon.com or Netflix.

I've been looking to step into next-gen gaming for quite awhile now, but have been waiting for the right time - and the time finally came. I have done much research on all of the systems out there right now (Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and, of course, the XBOX 360). For a variety of reasons, I settled on the XBOX 360 Elite.

It has superior hardware, graphics processing and storage capability. It also has the best backwards compatibility of the 3 major next-gen systems available. Finally, it's online service (XBOX Live) has much to offer for a nominal fee (don't bother with the Silver Package, it is practically useless - go with the Gold Package. If you look around, you can usually find it for 10 - 15 dollars cheaper [per year] than the retail price, right here on eBay - which ends up being $35 - $40).

This model (the Elite) comes with a 120GB HDD (High Definition Drive), with 13GB being proprietary for the dedicated operating system (which is standard for almost any hard-drive, especially external). This leaves more space than you'll know what to do with, trust me.

The graphics are amazing, the sound is crisp and if you happen to have a Netflix account (even if you don't, check out the free trial - if you decide to keep the account after the free month, you can get unlimited streaming and rent 1 DVD at a time for around 8 dollars a month), the video's that you can stream with this system are DVD quality (which I couldn't even get with my regular connection on my main CPU).

The game choices are optimal, as you can download the best games of yesteryear (Golden Axe, Contra, Super Contra, All of the Sonic games ever released for Genesis, Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, Street Fighter, Tron, Castlevania and many more) or the hottest titles on the market today (Arkham Asylum, all of the Halo series [XBOX exclusive], Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe, all of the Gears of War series, Bioshock and more).

I set my Elite up in the living room and networked it with an Ethernet cable (I purchased 100 ft of the cable on eBay for around 10 dollars) and lined it up against the bottom panel of my walls, going behind couches and chairs etc. for the fastest connection. If that isn't something that appeals to you, there is also an optional wireless network adapter (usually sold separately) - although I must say that the Ethernet cable is really the way to go (and cheaper).

I have been able to minimize my entertainment system into 3 separate pieces 1) Television 2) HDDVD player (just a personal preference) and the XBOX system. Nothing more is needed. I also feel that the Elite's colouring is much sleeker than the customary white shell, and fits in much better with the rest of my system.

Overall, a very enjoyable and worthy investment. If I'm not mistaken, Microsoft has recently dropped the retail price of the Elite to $299, so it should be even easier to find a great deal.

Don't be hesitant to purchase a re-furbished system, as they are usually in mint / like new condition (I honestly couldn't tell the difference between my system and a new one) and sometimes, even better (superior quality mounting paste for the motherboard, super-clean etc). Just do your research and make sure the person or company you purchase your system from is reputable and that they have some sort of warranty (included in price).

Hope this helps - happy hunting!

This review is to review the focuses differences that are not on a "standard" XBOX 360 and the Elite, and rate the system as a new purchase, not an upgrade or replacement to your current XBOX 360, but overall.

When the Elite was first announced, the biggest thing that made this different than the other two versions: the HDMI output. Now, after the new XBOX 360 price drop announcement and hardware update, the only difference between the Elite and the Premium is the 120GB Hard Drive and included HDMI cable.

Almost everything about the Xbox 360 in white stands true for the Elite: It theoretically doesn't run cooler, or quieter, or faster, and you've already know that it is black. The Elites should have the added heat sink for realiability, but all models should be receiving that soon.

Don't let the black paint job distract you; the only thing you need to ask is if it improves the video quality and after many reviews and hours using this machine, the XBox Elite's HDMI output is the pretty darn good, and the 120GB hard drive upgrade is nice for all that downloadable content that you have been picking up on th market place.

Should you buy it?

Gamers who have an Xbox 360? No!

Videophiles looking for an HD DVD player? No!

Videophiles looking to get into the Xbox Live video marketplace? Yes, but know that this thing is still loud and you can now get HDMI in the newly manufactured XBOX Premiums.

Guys like me who are gamers and video geeks? Ya, this is for you. The fact that all that video and audio is being piped through a single HDMI cable is a bonus. I swear it's a touch cooler and quieter, and I could want it to be such, but reports say it is not.

When running the HD DVD player, using Tokyo Drift and the newly minted HQV Silicon Optics test disc—the rigorous test disc benchmarks showed the same flaws on both the HDMI and Component outputs. Jaggies That means the video processor between the older and newer Xbox is likely identical, or of identical quality. That's the processor, though. This isn't a high-end HD DVD player. As for the outputs and what I saw with my own eyes and confirmed with my camera. The HDMI's slightly better shadow detail showed itself. That detail might be lost on a lesser TV or the untrained eye. But remember that the component cables are limited to 1080i. So HDMI wins at full 1080p with no compromises, but with VGA cables you have a draw.

Playing games, Command and Conquer and Virtua Tennis yielded no differences between the 1080p signals of all three cables—except the strange washed out colors that the VGA cables sometimes show (GRAW and Gears of War, for starters). The HDMI again has that shadow detail boost that comes up over and over again. HDMI wins for a better picture, even though all cables do the 1080p dance with games.

Final Verdict:

It runs HDMI 1.2 (not 1.3 - the newest version), only runs 5.1 Dolby still (no 7.1 yet), and only has the bonus of the larger hard drive, and sleek styling. The 360 Elite is worth getting if you are just now entering the high definition video game market and need the extra hard drive space for all your goodies - if not,then save yourself $100 and get the newly updated Premium with HDMI, packaged with a game bundle (if you can find them) and game on.