In case you missed it, the Xbox 360 Elite is officially on the market for $479.99. Not only does the system ditch the fluffy white color in favor of a simple and sleek black, it packs a 120GB hard drive and HDMI compatibility. This means more room for music, downloads, and the sharpest image possible for that new HDTV sitting on your entertainment center. Let's not forget that it simply looks badass.

I like the idea behind the 360 Elite, but I'm sure that a lot of people who bought a regular 360 package a few months ago aren't so happy. Now they have to decide whether or not their system is good enough, or if they should sell and throw down the extra cash for an upgrade. At best, they could purchase the 120GB hard drive for an additional $179.99, but even that's not exactly an optimal situation.

With three different 360 packages sitting on store shelves, Microsoft likes to claim that it's all in the name of providing gamers with options. I'm more inclined to believe that "options" is just a spin-doctored way of saying, "We're indecisive." Just about every gamer out there realized what a joke the Core was. Then the complaints flew around regarding the small hard drive and lack of HDMI outputs. Microsoft responded.

Console games are supposed to be the simple solution to PC gaming. You don't need to worry about compatibility or upgrades. Just plug and play. I don't think anyone wants to see a rerun of the Turbo Grafx-16. The system had some great games, but the add-ons were out of control. Figuring out how to get a complete system literally requires a guide.

I don't forsee the Xbox 360 getting to that point, but still, offering three different packages seems excessive. As a gamer, I feel that everyone should be able to walk into a store, pick up a box, and go home feeling confident in the fact that they have a full-fledged gaming system. We have enough choices to make when it comes to determining which brand to buy. Do we really need to add "which version" to the list of considerations, or are we actually getting just what we wanted?

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	Halon - April 29, 2007 (10:14 PM) In a couple of weeks I'm going to blow around $2500 on a new PC so I'll be pretty much broke. The new 360 does look nice, though.
	carcinogen_crush - April 29, 2007 (10:27 PM) I think Microsoft just pulled a good play. 120GB drive plus HDMI? For $479.99? At this point in the game, you'd be a fool to give Sony $600 for a worse package, that's lost most of its early, front-runner exclusives. MGS4 won't be a justification, either.
	Genj - April 29, 2007 (10:31 PM) MGS4 won't be a justification, either. Oh, so you saw the new trailer with Snake being pooped on by a bird too?
	carcinogen_crush - April 29, 2007 (10:46 PM) Serious? Man, no, no I haven't. I dunno. The charm in my eyes for Metal Gear has died. I just can't get over how frickin boring the games are.
	honestgamer - April 29, 2007 (11:22 PM) The new MGS has Raiden in it, so not everything is lost. Heh heh heh. Really, though, from strictly a hardware standpoint, I'd at this point buy a PS3 over an Xbox 360 elite. For an extra $100, you get BluRay. And BluRay is cool. Microsoft really should have included a built-in HD-DVD drive and charged $499.99. Then the Xbox 360 Elite would've been a great deal. Right now, it's just Microsoft pulling a Sony. Of course, the above paragraph is talking strictly about hardware. From a games perspective, the Xbox 360 Elite trumps the PS3 in all ways that count and probably will for another year at the very least.
	carcinogen_crush - April 29, 2007 (11:27 PM) Oh, you're right! I almost forgot about the lack of HD-DVD. Kind of bogus. I don't really have the setup that you'd need to take full advantage of either that or BluRay, though.
	Genj - April 30, 2007 (05:44 AM) Blu-ray sucks. I don't want to spend $30 on Talladega Nights.
	Felix_Arabia - April 30, 2007 (06:05 AM) Snake gets pooped on by a bird? Show me.
	Genj - April 30, 2007 (07:02 AM) SNAKE GETTING POOPED ON BY A BIRD Sorry, it doesn't happen until the very end of the trailer. Along the way you can see how the animation (specifically for running) looks awkward and too fast. I don't see why Kojima just doesn't put this on 360. Maybe then he could use more than shades of brown.
	pup - April 30, 2007 (07:46 AM) MGS4 looks interesting to me - much like Splinter Cell without the 10 minute sessions of waiting in a dark corner. You are right about the animations though. They feel too linear and stiff. When the characters crouch and run, it looks like a torso hovering with some legs swinging beneath. MGS4 will sell a few PS3s, but it probably won't have the replayability to make a permanent impression in the same manner as Gears of War or Halo 3. These are two 360 games that are perfect for multiple play-throughs, and keep people coming back for multiplayer. Metal Gear Solid appeared on the PS2 with critical acclaim, but look at how the Halo series was able to sell an entire system. Multiplayer draws people in and keeps them coming back for more.
	Genj - April 30, 2007 (07:57 AM) Well the problem isn't that MGS4 doesn't look fun, it's that it doesn't look like $660 worth of fun. I'd gladly pick it up upon release if I already had a PS3, but why would I have a PS3?
	honestgamer - April 30, 2007 (08:03 AM) People criticizing BluRay need to remember that the prices are the same as DVD prices were when those are new. And in fact, BluRay seems to cost a little bit less than HD-DVD for a number of titles. It's a good format and has a nice shot at winning the next format war. $30 comedy movies won't stay at that price point forever. As more people jump on the BluRay bandwagon, prices will start to go down and in a few years, BluRay discs will probably be hitting at $20 the way DVDs are right now. In fact, right now DVDs by comparison are every bit as overpriced as BluRay. Expect the price of both to continue to drop as more BluRay discs flood the market.
	Felix_Arabia - April 30, 2007 (08:20 AM) That's a silly video, but MGS4 still looks pretty good. Here's hoping a more content-filled version hops onto the 360 a la Substance.
	Genj - April 30, 2007 (08:40 AM) I should have problem been clearer that Blu-Ray sucks right now. DVD is good enough for me right now and blu-ray films and players are just too damn expensive. Since Blu-Ray players can play normal DVDs too, I don't seem to have to be concerned about my DVD collection magically becoming junk. By the time movies stop coming out on DVD, players will probably cheaper. As I see it, early adoption of something that enables you to spend $30 on comedies is dumb so Blu-Ray is not a really compelling reason to grab PS3 right now.
	carcinogen_crush - April 30, 2007 (10:25 AM) Hopefully if the 360 lands itself a Substance type deal, they'll work out the kinks this time. Substance on the Xbox sucked. Lag and whatnot, plus the more than awkward controls.
	joseph_valencia - April 30, 2007 (01:06 PM) That trailer was really boring. I can't believe they're still using that same exact run animation MGS1 had.
	Genj - April 30, 2007 (01:27 PM) Kojima can't be expected to make new running animations. He's far to busy thinking up new ways to introduce poop and pee into the plotline of MGS4.
	Halon - April 30, 2007 (02:45 PM) fuck Blu-Ray, i'm waiting for this. And I still don't take MGS seriously.
	Felix_Arabia - April 30, 2007 (03:13 PM) MGS characters still have the same running style? It must suck! :D BTW, I think this may be the most popular blog post of all time, excluding EmP's brief retirement blog entry.
	carcinogen_crush - April 30, 2007 (04:19 PM) Yeah, the games are just boring. At least MGS2, was. And then MGS3. The first, though, had something special about it.
	Felix_Arabia - April 30, 2007 (04:27 PM) Nonsense! The third was awesome, and the second would have been if it didn't have Raiden or the ridiculous story -- in other words, the 2nd would have ruled if it wasn't MGS2!
	bluberry - May 01, 2007 (01:05 AM) the only good thing about MGS2 was the story, however ridiculously executed it may have been. some very good content amidst the silliness. the gameplay itself was just shooting fifty guards in the head and then swordfighting a dude with tentacles, hooray!
	pup - May 01, 2007 (07:46 AM) Sportsman, they could use cheesy looking crystals as the container like a '60s sci-fi film. How cool would that be to say, "Let me get my holographic crystal." As for MGS, I think I'll just tap out of this one.
	Halon - May 01, 2007 (09:57 AM) Well storing them on shelves might be a pain, but I'm all for it! The first MGS wasn't too retarded but the game was unplayable. Definitely the most overrated game of all time. 2 was playable but still not that great and had the worst story I think I've ever seen in any game, ever. I haven't played the third one yet but I here it's better than the first two.
	EmP - May 02, 2007 (01:28 PM) BTW, I think this may be the most popular blog post of all time, excluding EmP's brief retirement blog entry. VM's anti-Eragon picked up a large numbers of posts, too.