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The Elite is my 2nd Xbox 360 that replaced my old 360 premium which I ended up selling to a friend of mine. My old Xbox 360 had the older chipset so I made sure the Elite that I got had the Falcon chipset.
The 120GB hard drive is plenty enough to download arcade games, game demos, TV shows, and movies. My previous 360 with the 20GB hard drive got filled up too fast.
I've owned the Elite for about 2 weeks now and have been using it every night playing Call of Duty 4. So far the Elite has been very reliable. It's also amazing when using it on a HDTV! I've also downloaded a couple of movies with no playback issues.
Because there is no built in Wi-Fi I had to buy the Xbox wireless adapter which is another $99.00. I also sent in a check for the optional extended warranty for $59.90.
I was expecting the DVD drive to be quieter than my previous Xbox but it was just about the same. Just turn up the volume a bit and you won't hear it.
The RROD can still happen on an Elite with a Falcon chipset but it's not as frequent as the older versions. Just make sure the production date is sometime this year and the team location is FDOU. Also make sure that the Xbox is in a well ventilated area!
I ended up getting lot #0805, Team: FDOU, production date 1/27/2008.
By the way, 1.5yrs later my old 360 premium that I sold to my friend got the RROD. It took about 3 days to get the packing materials from Microsoft and 8 business days later they sent us a refurbished Xbox 360 and that's been working well so far.
Pros: Black finish, 120gb Hard Drive, HDMI output, HDMI cable, Falcon Chipset, 3yr warranty, Xbox Live
Cons: No built in Wi-Fi and DVD drive is a bit loud when reading disc.
UPDATE 6/8/08: Bought a PS3 but is only used for watching Blu-Ray movies. Xbox 360 is still my prime use for gaming and watching downloaded TV shows and movies. Noticed that the PS3 runs just a tad hotter than my Xbox after a couple of hours.
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It's hard to review a product without comparing it to it's rival, the PS3. I have both. Blu Ray has won the High Definition format wars, so I'll be picking up Blu Ray movies now. The 360 definetely has the better online experience, hands down. Sony touts Home, so we'll see if in the future it compares to Xbox Live, or keeps us wanting for more.
I see people complaining the Xbox Live cost $44.99 ( Amazon price) a year, and PS3 has free online. With the PS3's online experience it should be free because it feels free. With Amazons price on Xbox Live Gold, the price is $3.74 a month. I don't smoke, do drugs, or spend money on any other vice, so $3.74 doesn't hurt to give. If it does hurt you, give up the Starbucks lattes and smoking. If the price still hurts you, pick up every penny you see on the floor.
Comparing the controllers, the Xbox 360's feels better, and more solid than the PS3's Six Axis. Rumble is needed, and Sony will be coming out with them in the U.S. in a couple of months. The Six Axis just feels too light and gimmicky.
As for games, the Xbox 360 has a good variety for such a new system, and all 360 games are programmed with Xbox Live in mind, making it possible to give game invites and chat with any friend, no matter which game they are playing. The PS3 doesn't do this, but games are purely a matter of opinion. Both systems have games that should make them worth having...( Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gears of War). I do know that I will be getting Grand Theft Auto 4 for the Xbox 360 because of the extra downloadable content in the form of 2 extra storylines that won't appear to be going to the PS3, and for the achievement points. Achievement points are an ingenious idea implemented into every 360 game that compells most people to get the most out of their games.
As for interactivity, the 360 gets the nod, for now. I downloaded the PS3 eyetoy video, and saw that it's possible to video chat with up to 6 people. I do wish the Xbox 360 could do that.
As for the hardware itself, the PS3 is a better put together unit, with a more expensive look and feel to it...besides the controller. The PS3 is quiet, and the Xbox 360 is not. It's hum annoys some people, however, this is no problem if you have surround sound or turn up the TV volume.
As for reliability, the PS3 wins that hands down. I've had my original Xbox 360 premium ( yes, I have an Elite w/ HDMI also) replaced 3 times. I hope MS has fixed the problem with RROD. On the bright side, I've never had to pay anything for a refurbished unit, and now MS gives 3 year warranties as standard for the 360. come to think of it, if I actually turned on and played the PS3 as much as I do the Xbox, the PS3 may have broke too. Who knows.
The wireless adaptor should be $20- $30 or be included.
With all of this said, the Xbox 360 is the better gaming experience out of the two, in my humble opinion. My friends who have both seem to agree. I turn on my 360 everyday. The PS3 gets turned on to update it, or to watch an occasional Blu Ray movie. The PS3 should have good exclusive games coming soon, yet Xbox 360 has them now.
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This is my second Xbox 360 purchase. I replaced the first generation Xbox 360 Console Includes 20GB Hard Drive (with HDMI).
The main reason I wanted the Elite is because of the 120GB HDD and the HDMI output. My original Xbox 360 did not have the HDMI port, so obviously I could've saved the $100. Considering the Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive is $179, it's a no brainer to spend just an extra $100 to get the extra space.
I've owned a 360 for about a year and 3 months now, but had to send the original to get fixed 3 times because of the RRoD problem. Since I've had the elite console, I've had no issues whatsoever. It is noticeably quieter than the first generation 360, it still has fan noise, but not really louder than the fan in the TV.
The HDMI output is noticeably cleaner than the standard component output, and I'm very pleased that Mircosoft decided to include the HDMI cable with this unit. (Hint: you don't need to buy the $100 Monster cable, it's digital, so you don't get signal loss)
As far as usability and online capability, Xbox Live is heads-and-tails above the competition. Microsoft did do a very nice job of system-wide integration of this service.
The only real issue I have with the 360 is excluding the wireless adapter from being built-in. I realize it is an accessory, but my guess is most people don't have CAT5e running through their house to behind their entertainment center. It's a minor gripe, it's more of a convenience issue than anything.
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I bought 2 Xbox machines for my nephews for Christmas (A Halo-edition and a Pro). They've been sitting on their shelf since Christmas now. One machine has been exchanged 3 times and still locks up after 5 minutes of play time. The other one has been exchanged twice - it doesn't work either. It takes about a month to get your hands on a replacement - which doesn't actually work any ways.
Microsoft admitted that they are having serious problems with their Xbox. So... shouldn't they recall them until it's fixed. Apparently not. They'll let you sit there with machines that don't work for a month and then give you your monthly replacment that doesn't work either. Then your kids get to sit there for ANOTHER month with a machine that STILL doesn't work for more than 5 minues.
For the most part I like Microsoft, but come on. 3 months of two Xbox 360's not working and I'm still waiting for a replacement for either one! This is ridiculous guys.
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Great online support and many great games, but the box shows a wireless headset and a play and charge kit. When you open the box, you'll have the battery pack, but you won't find the cord for your controller, so unless I plunk another $50 for another controller, i'm doomed to use batteries all the time.
The headset isn't an earpiece as depicted, but instead it's wired, and has to wrap around your head, and looks archaic compared to what you should've recieved.
I don't like to be a b*tch, but this stuff isn't as depicted, and that's just crummy. And it was all factory sealed as well, so I know I didn't get somebody's returned console.
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