the_hustleman's Full Review: Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite (120 GB) Black Console
I'd started with the original xbox 360 premium that I'd gotten a hold of via a very interesting story that I won't get into, but a couple weeks later, the elite was released, so I claimed to have the "Red Ring Of Death" that even to this die I think may be blown greatly out of proportion.
I told them I wanted to trade up, paid the difference, and upgraded to the elite.
I got it home and opened it up, noticed that there was actually an HDMI cable in the box! So I turned it on, transferred my LIVE account to it, added some music, all done quite easily. I purchased Gears of War and played it for about 4 hours straight and while the system was somewhat warm, it wasn't as hot as the white model.
There are some things I like and some things I dislike, but I'll get into my likes first.
I love the black finish! It goes great with the black theme of my living room and it looks sleeker.
The hard drive space is an amazing 120 gigs, and currently larger than any other available in a console. Plenty of space for downloading high definition movies, copying CD's, game saves, Xbox live Arcade purchases, and whatever else you want to do with it.
HDMI port. It was great to have that added on. High Definition TV owners such as myself cherish the HDMI connection for full 1080p visuals.
Quiet-running! I love that the system is very quiet. It runs with but a small hum that you don't even hear when the game is playing.
Reliable! I have not even had a FREEZE with this console. It runs exactly how it's supposed to and I've had no RROD (red ring of death) since it was launched (in april I believe) and it's still going strong. Even outlasted my PS3 (which I'm on my 2nd by the way).
The Games!
This system currently has THE FINEST games library according to IGN, gamespot, EGM, Game Informer and all other major gaming authorities. At one point, great games would drop 2x a month. This is truly the system to own for great exclusives.
Multi-Platform games tend to look/play better. for some reason, on the 360. Look at rainbow six vegas, fight night, splinter cell double agent, lost planet, orange box, Madden 08, and many other titles.
Now as for the things I don't like.....
HEAT! In my super-long gaming sessions (6+ hours) the thing will heat a room!!! It'll remain cool for 4-5 hours, but in that 6 hour range, you'd better have a cooling fan and a good AC. So far it hasn't damaged anything or stopped functioning, nor has it been too hot to touch, but it wasn't exactly cold.
No High Definition Drive included. At least the ps3 has blu ray. This system still uses standard DVD-9. This should have been improved since the price was raised.
The Price. It started at 480, then only dropped to 450 in what I honestly consider the absolute WORST price drop in console history. Then the only difference is the black finish, an extra 100 gigs of space, and an HDMI port (which newer premiums are coming with now!). A 120 gig hard drive IS NOT worth an extra 100 dollars when hard drives double that size are being sold for less. This one is just microsoft getting over.
XBLA download limits! Arcade file sizes are limited by microsoft for some reason. Their reason? They claim "it wouldn't work for the core system owners" but who would want a core system?
The hard drive isn't used for game installs to make loading faster. Loading is fast true enough, but it could be faster if there were installs.
No WIRELESS internet access!
You have to run an ethernet cable to the back of the system to a router or modem to get online. The wireless adapter is another 100 bucks.
Backwards Compatibility
This is a huge thorn in the side of this console. Original Xbox games are only played via EMULATION! Unlike the ps3, the 360 is only compatible with SOME original xbox games. Big mistake. Now you can't trade your original xbox in for credit towards the 360 because you won't be able to playe your games.
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