Okay, here we are, a week from CES and the rumors are already starting. The PSP is getting Skype support according to Sony’s CES page, and now Stuff.tv is claiming a new “Ultimate” 360 will be shown or announced in 2008 (not specifically at CES but other rumors seem to indicate a new model with an internal HD-DVD drive and possibly DVR functionality will be shown.)
Let’s take a look at all the “rumored” enhancements, shall we? It’s rumored to have an HD-DVD drive internally for watching high-def movies, it reportedly uses 65nm chips for cooler operation, the cooling system is supposed to be near silent, it’s reported to have a larger hard drive and integrated Wi-Fi, 1080p support via built in HDMI and built-in hi-def audio (a feature conveniently partially removed in favor of an adapter in the “Pro” model recently).
This all makes me scratch my head and ask “Are they trying to make a Playstation 3?” I only ask because short of the hard drive space, this stuff is ALL already in ALL the Playstation 3s (short of the 20GB which doesn’t have Wi-Fi).
More head scratching after the jump…
When you look at the 360’s pricing, especially the Elite which clocks in a smooth $20 cheaper than the 80GB PS3, how does Microsoft hope to bring this new “Ultimate” model to market anywhere near the PS3’s price? Also, with the format war for video still in full swing, the inclusion of an internal HD-DVD drive is both a shot in the arm for HD-DVD and a big fat gamble for Microsoft because if HD-DVD video fails as a format, it’s a wasted feature on the Ultimate unless Microsoft does the unthinkable and fractures their install base by releasing games on HD-DVD drives. A move so stupid I can’t even see Microsoft falling for it. At least on the PS3 if Blu-ray fails as a video format, games can leverage the enhanced storage capacity of the discs.
I realize this is only a rumor but as I look back, I see a trend of Microsoft naysaying things and then they turn around later and implement them on their own platform. Look at 1080p gaming, HDMI support, larger than 20GB hard drive capacities, HD movie support, etc. Except each time Microsoft implements one of these things, they get something slightly wrong.
- 1080p games; how many are natively 1080p and how many are upscaled (some even from sub-HD resolutions!)? Sure, Sony talked out their asses about this, but they’ve actually delivered a lot more native 1080p games than Microsoft has yet Microsoft is quick to toss out the 1080p buzzword as if upscaled were the same thing as native. Sorry guys, it’s not.
- HDMI; why implement it late and then NOT go with the 1.3 standard at the time, instead opting for the older 1.2 standard? The PS3 shipped almost year earlier with HDMI 1.3!
- Why make us blatantly pay you at least double the going cost for hard drive expansions? There’s no way a 20GB drive costs $99 or a 120GB drive costs $179. Yikes!
- HD-DVD support; despite what ANYONE says to me, is important to Microsoft because it’s harmful to Sony. End of story. I believe Michael Bay was right when he said Microsoft’s ultimate goal is digital distribution of movies and they would be happy as could be if both HD-DVD and Blu-ray didn’t catch on.
Now let’s look at what the past has shown us. Many Premium 360 owners upgraded to Elites to get HDMI. Along with that they got a larger hard drive and an admittedly cooler looking black case. Then Microsoft went and made HDMI standard across all models. Now Elite owners have a black case and didn’t have to pay the full $179 for their hard drive upgrade as it’s slightly cheaper to buy it as a complete package. The difference between an Elite and a Pro with the 120GB is basically color, plain and simple.
Now we’re seeing rumors of an Ultimate that’ll put the HD-DVD drive internal ($179), up the hard drive to 320GB (damn, the 120GB was $170), include Wi-fi ($99 currently) on top of all the features in an Elite ($479). How in the hell is this thing going to be priced?!?! They’re only $120 less than the $599 price the PS3 was crucified at. Are we going to get to see first hand if that pricepoint (or higher) will work if a full library of games are also available? As the models keep getting feature tweaked so much, are people going to be gun-shy spending even more money on what will probably be obsolete in another year again?
Having gone through three 360’s in my first year, I’m in NO hurry to rush out and spend $600+ on an Xbox 360 no matter what it can do.
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You read my freaking mind! I was seriously thinking EXACTLY everything you just wrote when I first read about what was going to be included in the new rumored Xbox 360 Ultimate.
1 of 2 things are going to happen:
1. This is all just a rumor
2. Microsoft is going to take a loss out the ass and price this bad boy at $400 to directly compete with PS3.
Can’t wait to see which it is.
If #2 happens…I just might trade in my current 360 and pick up this one.
I dunno… 450 or 500 with a 320 HDD wouldn’t be absolutely insane…
And no, I doubt that MS wants to make the 360 into the PS3.
Much like the girl no one is friends with in HS, and she claims it’s because you’re all just jelous of her, the 360 doesn’t actually want to be the 360.
See, the 360 has this thing called “An Extensive Library of Games”, and is, you know…
Turning a profit…
@AblativMeatshld – it’s easy to “turn a profit” when you just write off over $1.15B for your defective units and don’t count that “loss” when making claims of profit. I still am not convinced they’re profiting off each 360’s sale. Especially if they’re planning on shoving 2.5x the hard drive space, wireless, an HD-DVD drive, etc all in there. Let alone whatever tuner(s) might be used for the DVR functionality. $500 seems hilariously low for the price of all that…
Actually, Defectives/Returns is a write off on corp taxes…
If it will do DVR, 320gig HDD, HD-DVD internal, and internal wireless, honestly they can name a heack of a price.
If nothing, they can point to the game library, and the huge HDD/DVR combo, and people will flock to it.
I will say, as much as I love my 360, from sales and studio reports blu-ray looks like its pulling the bigger lead, its like betamax in reverse.
@AblativMeatshld: Don’t call me when the your Golden Girls Marathon is cut short due to the Red Ring of Death…
And frankly, if Microsoft doesn’t allow you to add your OWN hard drive, well, it’ll be a huge disappointment to me. Overpriced off the shelf tech, in a proprietary wrapper… lamer than lame.
Incredible Rant.
You made me want the new Xbox.
Extensive library? OH you mean Halo 3, Gears and look another shooter. I mean, noone ever says “Look, these guys have a copy of Fusion Frenzy 2! I’ve been looking for this everywhere but everyone is sold out!” Fact is theres alot of stinkers too in that same extensive library. Stop pretending you have a ton of games that you play even a month after you beat them.
Thr3e2wenty8 there are bad games on every console. What was the point of your comment?
“Stop pretending you have a ton of games that you play even a month after you beat them.”
Kinda funny, actually.
I have no idea what I am talking about.
im pissed because i bought it like5 months after it was released and now there throwing a big F u to the people who took this onboard near the launch
So when (if it comes out) will this new 360 be released?
I am so going to LMAO when this is debunked and this stupid rant is going to be pointless.. The 360 brand is doing well and it doesn\’t want to be a PS3 and THANK YOU MS for that! I don\’t need another dust collector in my house like the over-hyped PS3.
Gamers = the biggest bunch of sissy whiners in the world.
People it’s a rumor at this point, why speculate?
Honestly, I think the big announcements will be a price drop and a motion sensing controller.
But as usual rabid sites like this only serve to get everyone in a frenzy to the point that whatever is announced will never live up to expectations.
Give it a rest people.
ahhhh Mr rothbart I think you are a little bit angry with microsoft cause your 3 consoles broke. I remember the time I had the ps2 and it
could read 1 game out of 10. YOU KNOW WHAT? I had not a 3 year warranty…If microsoft sell a console you dislike don\’t buy it.
But you are critizising them for something they haven t done yet…
But spanish360, you DON’T have a 3-yr warranty, you have a 3-yr “Get out of Red Ring Free” card. If you haven’t noticed, a LOT of 360s are dying due to DVD drive issues. How precious will your 3-yr warranty be if like me, your DVD drive decides it doesn’t want to open/close anymore?
And I _clearly_ stated these things were rumors, very VERY clearly so please (everyone) let’s not get worked up into Sarcastic Gamer spreading this thing as fact or blowing it out of proportion. All of _my_ criticisms of Microsoft I stand firm on, all of the mistakes I feel they’ve made are very much “real”.
This move seems to me a bit too unbelievable to be true (anytime soon), but stranger things have happened (like the Wii being crazy-hard to get for OVER A YEAR!)
laugh…xbox what a disgusting piece of mistakes.
Can someone name another electronic in history that has been able to sell as well as the 360 its unholy failability. ….I mean cmon when you buy the product your buying into a great library AND the knowledge that it WILL break…