Xbox 360 Elite: Is the Backlash Justified?

This is an opinion editorial

The official announcement of the Xbox 360 Elite [click here] has stirred up quite a controversy. Why? The reasons are beyond me, although it wasn’t as if we were all left in the dark about a possible updated 360. The Zephyr rumors of months prior were the first indication that Microsoft was plotting to produce an updated machine. The rumor mill came about full circle when a Microsoft spokesman admitted that they were indeed fiddling with the Xbox 360 in their highly classified, secret laboratory of innovation. It was said that although the idea was ongoing Microsoft denied they were planning on releasing such a console in the future. Months later, and after leaked photographs of the Elite surfaced, Microsoft announced the newest version of the 360 and shit has hit the proverbial fan. Everyone seems to have been taken aback and surprised, although anyone who follows the gaming industry knew a revamped 360 was on its way. Crying foul is the latest trend as everyone has jumped on the pissed off bandwagon. Well, for all those riding the carriage jump off and place yourself back into reality. If you were shocked Microsoft announced a new version of the 360 I would suggest you relocate the rock you have been living under and place it near an area with internet access or around those in the know.

The gaming industry exceeds 9 billion USD in revenue every year. That is a substantial sum of money for video games. In order for a business to take a larger piece of the 9 billion dollar pie they must compete, and compete to win. Sony has always boasted the fact HDMI and a larger hard drive are included in the PS3 out of the box (save the HDMI cable). The Sony mantra was “Get true 1080p resolution via HDMI on the PlayStation 3”. HDMI is great and yes, it may be the wave of the future as some in the industry have alluded to, but you can still receive 1080p on the current Xbox 360 you own via VGA. It is possible Microsoft may be anticipating other electronic products being produced either by them or that other companies will utilize HDMI technology exclusively. It is also possible they are only attempting to cover all their bases and take preemptive action before it becomes too late. To blame Microsoft for attempting to make an already outstanding gaming machine even better would be blatant fanboyism or habitual complaining.

For those who have HDMI enabled televisions I can see why you may have become slightly frustrated but as I have stated before if it’s only 1080p you are looking for (which only 1 game supports so far) VGA does the job just fine. For those such as myself who have an HDTV but lack any HDMI capability the Elite is nearly a non-issue. I am content with my 1080i as are  many other gamers I have spoken with.

The 120GB hard drive was implemented into the Elite as well as being sold separately, not out of any real current necessity but rather in preparation for IPTV. I do know a few who have maxed their hard drives out and have been forced to delete many items but the vast majority of 360 players have yet to exceed the current GB limit on their existing hard drive. In the future I am sure I will polish off my current hard drive and I’ll go scoop up the 120GB version but until then the 360 I have works great.