Jun 30 , 2007. The Xbox Elite.

Okay, here is the Xbox Elite. And just as the name implies, this is one elitist console. The snob of 360s as we would say. The 360 that you all love to beat up in a dark alley cause it's always entering the room with that air of superiority. But is this elitist enough for your money? Which by the way is over $500 if you buy the extended warranty, which you will probably need.

Because you see, the Xbox Elite is the exact same as any other Xbox inside. The so called 3 red rings of death have not disappeared. Although according to Microsoft, these rings don't exist either! So don't buy the Elite thinking Microsoft fixed the 3 rings problem. Because the problem doesn't exist. The only difference between this 360 and others is the HDMI connection in the back, a 120GB hard disk, and of course, this thing is black.

The HDMI is only 1.2a instead of 1.3, although it doesn't really matter because no content exists for either on the 360, and according to Microsoft, no content will ever be made that uses HDMI on the 360. HDMI saves you one cable because the audio and video use the same connection. Big deal. But you do get the HDMI cable included in the package. So rejoice HDMI users. You got the cable for the useless connection.

The 120GB hard disk is great for downloading stuff from Xbox Live Marketplace like episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force or games. Although seriously, do you want this stuff on your 360? Do you need it? Maybe once every two months, there's something in the Arcade that's original and interesting enough to purchase. Of course there's people who want to play Streetfighter in HD or South Park in HD like it matters. The 360 Elite would be elitist enough for these people.

But as a product, the Elite falls flat. Microsoft gives you HDMI that it won't support. It gives you a bigger hard drive to download the equivalent of stuff you buy at a flea market that you'll end up selling in your garage a year later, except you can't sell this stuff to anyone. And it does not fix the 3 red lights problem that it says does not exist so you'll still have to buy an extended warranty. So you really end up with a black piece of electronics for those who like to color coordinate their electronics.