Xbox 360 Elite Console

Isn't it time we had a review that isn't along the lines of "360 RULEZ!! PS3 SUX!!" or vice versa? Here's my attempt, as an owner of an original x-box, a 360 Elite and a PS3.

First up, to the poster complaining about blu-ray's quality - either get a better display in your shop or get your eyes tested! Blu-ray in 1080p is simply stunning, as is HD-DVD.

Now, down to the important matters - how does it compare with the standard 360 and the PS3? We'll look at the 360 first. First up, let's dispel some myths. The Elite isn't 360 v2.0- it's what the 360 v1.0 should have been, if Microsoft hadn't been in such a flap to get it out first. I love the increased storage, and it looks cool as in black. The HDMI output is long overdue and it runs smooth and sweet. And personally, I'd rather have the heat sink improvements than a noisy fan peripheral any day. But, apart from that, is it any different to the 360? In a word, no. If you've got a 1080p TV and absolutely must have the bigger storage and the fancy black case to fit in with your home entertainment set-up, then fine, go for it. If your TV is not 1080p compatible, you'll see very little difference in picture quality between this and the standard 360. So, if you're new to 360s (like I was) this is a highly recommended piece of kit. If you're just looking an upgrade, wait until they become available for your existing machine (though how can Microsoft justify £120 for a 120GB drive that retails for about £30, just because they put it in a fancy caddy?)

Now on to the PS3-v-360 debate that gets so tiring in the hands of the tribes. There's no straight forward answer which console is better without looking at what else they offer (360 has a much bigger range of games, but PS3's online play is subscription-free; 360's online service is well established while PS3's is still finding its feet...etc, etc). At the end of the day, it's a personal choice but for me its one based on facts and not to a blind loyalty to one of the two biggest corporations in the world (so much for teenage rebellion, eh? In my day, we'd rebel against them rather than cling to the coat-tails of a multi-national business! :) How times change...) Physically, the Elite has the edge for me - it just looks better and I prefer the controller, but I for one prefer the extra options offered by the PS3's wifi and blu-ray player (which is a mighty fine piece of kit in its own right).

If you're coming to this trying to decide what next-gen console to buy, then let the facts inform you. If you need wifi, a hi-def player and aren't too happy about having to pay to play against your pals, then go for the PS3 (to get these functions for your 360 will cost you about another £200). If you're after a bigger range of games, need a lot of storage and want a well-established online service then the Elite may be for you.

As a games machine, is it better than the PS3? No, but at least now it's equally as good. But as the centre of a multimedia setup, it's still lagging behind Sony's offering (though it does offer a more user-friendly interface). Avoid the fanboys and look at the facts - Microsoft have released one heck of a games machine, but it still feels like they're playing catch-up.

I'm so annoyed, got red ring two times .. very disappointed! Microsoft doesn't know how to make a quality hardware. And it is noisy like hell, and breaks again and again. I wasted lot of time+money for getting it fixed. Is there any authority which checks the quality of products, damn more than 30% failure is too much. And what the hell why i am paying extra fee for using network (xbox live), are they so poor that can't offer it free? and what about the time when my xbox was away for repair, they should compensate for that... my opinion after experience is that it is a very low quality product...Microsoft, I feel myself cheated, it looked cheaper but it is really not when you start paying for all these extras....

After 10 months my premium 360 couldn't read discs, it got carted off to Microsoft, to swap the disc drive, so I thought, I spent the most of August playing Wii Sports.. Since Blue Dragon was released on the last Friday, and still no 360.. I got the Elite on release. It's worth the money, it's quieter from both the fans and disc drive. the inclusive HDMI cable gives only a slightly better picture than component, so I got a Phillips gold plated (24k), triple shielded and oxygen free copper, and the picture is greatly improved - strangely only men could tell.. nevermind that..
When I got my premium 360 back, well, a replacement.. I compared the two systems, both consoles on and there's an audiable diffrence, the Elite is noticeably quieter, the noise from the disc drive varies from game to game. I find that having mine standing beside my tv and by wall, it hides the noise a little.
Under the hood, the Elite IS more reliable, be it the revised motherboard or the apoxy-resin on the triple core processor - this is because whoever (currently) build the 360, use non-toxic solder which has a lower melting point than the toxic stuff, so the 360 could effectively remove it's own brain as the solder - which makes it important to make sure the console can 'breathe'.
At least 6inches space behind the console, 3 inches the 3 'sides', do not put it in a tv cabinet, the glass front / back panel will cook it.
Also, never for any reason move the console while a disc is inside or the disc will get scratched to the point it's unplayable, game stores know of this and class it as your fault
The Elites revisions aren't what they could of been, namely..
the disc drive - some games cause heart churning noises, the disc is spinning faster than any other console, backing a HD format could of been a way of quieting things.
Secondly the heatsinks, these take heat away from the processors, keeping things cool as possible, keeping things running smoothly, at least most the time..
Maybe the Ultimate edition will cure these problems, and as usual, the revisions go into the cheaper versions.
In this Next-Gen era, games seem to ship with niggles, bugs and glitches., so whether it's a 360, or the Blu-Ray player, aka PS3, I strongly recommend getting it connected to the internet, always logged on for any patches and extra content..
moving onto games, 360 is the only place you can play Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Forza 2 / Project Gotham Racing, Lost Odyssey and Bioshock..
EA are planning to port Mass Effect to PS3, if it's anything like FEARs, Orange Box's ports it'll be unplayable, if it does work, than it'll be one of the best games on the console (I'm sure Microsoft actually played a big part in its development)..As Microsoft love to point out, Xbox 360 is where to get the full GTA IV experience - because of exclusive downloadable content - which also could mean any PS3 content will also appear on 360 after a time, but 360 content stays 360 content..
Also 360 version games usually get the higher review scores between the 3 consoles, they also run better, 360 even does 1080p better than PS3 (360 has more system memory (512mb) that's used for games, PS3's operating system uses up more hardware, only 256mb available in a few cases)
Lastly, the 120gb hdd, you get 114gb to yourself, this space will last an age, I download a lot of trailers, a few demos, 2 Xbox originals, around 80 albums on there, I have around 70gb remaining, so there's no need to keep making more space for your next download like with the 20gb..
Because I get so much out of my 360, my other consoles get no use.. my Elite is still going strong, I just wish Microsoft were a bit more quality orientated from the start..

We'll start with the Cons:

Online costs money
Red Ring of Death
Wireless not built in

And thats it

Pros!

Backward compatability with nearly all old xbox games

Online is awesome, the best, well worth £35 a year or £15 for 3 months, its up to you.

120GB HDD, great for storing Demos, and rented movies and anything else!

HDMI, yes the PS3 has it, but the PS3 has about 3 games that can do 1080p (the rest cant even do 720p, its at like 480p or somet, how embaressing)

Memory Card slots, if you want to take a pimped out car or other things to your friends house

Controller Vibrates, great for shooters

Its matt black, so it doesnt get dusty like the ps3.

The red ring doesnt happen on the elite (or for xboxs anymore, since June 2007). It only occurs if your room is too hot, it happens to the ps3 too, except it doesnt tell you why its broke, it just doesnt work, at least the 360 tells you.

All the games play at 1080p(from 2007 onwards, any before play at 1080i) and there all awesome. Gears of War, Halo 3, Forza 2 any so many more. Also, non of them have any frame-rate problems and over all look better.

Yes over all, this console may be more expensive than a ps3 £250+ £55 for wireless and £35 for Live, but hey, you get thrice as much memory, and a better online experience.

But, theres always the premium £180+ wirelss £55+ Live £35= £270, cheaper than a ps3, and has more games available

The benefits of the elite are obvious and at the current price difference HDMI and an extra 100GB mem are worth paying an extra £50 if you are buying your first xbox. But the cost of upgrading from premium to elite would be around £120 and would make existing owners think twice. After all for that £ you can buy 3 full price games and with the amount of titles due for release, including Halo 3 and COD4 that may be the wise choice. Personally I would love the extra space as I download arcade games from live but I will wait for the drive to come down in price then but one.
As for the PS3 v 360 debate, I only bought my 360 because of the PS3 delays but I am now converted. Love the achievements system and the online community rocks. I still have a soft spot for Sony and still I dislike the gates empire, but hey, spend a few hours playing rainbow 6 vegas or gears online and you forget politics.