I certainly hope so.
hehe
I just got a 360 about 3 months ago. If this 'black beauty' were to be released with a 120gb hdd, hdmi, quiet dvd drive, 65nm... I'd buy it but not right away. I can see this as a premium replacement.
120 gig black 360 almost offical? April ETA?
- Thread starter Brimstone
- Start date
hehe
I just got a 360 about 3 months ago. If this 'black beauty' were to be released with a 120gb hdd, hdmi, quiet dvd drive, 65nm... I'd buy it but not right away. I can see this as a premium replacement.
Fu3lFr3nzy
Regular
same news, but something caught my attention
Is that conversion right? And like you guys said, AU/EU prices are usually much higher than US prices (after converting the currency) so if this SKU is true, I wonder just how much cheaper than $585 it'll be
Is that conversion right? And like you guys said, AU/EU prices are usually much higher than US prices (after converting the currency) so if this SKU is true, I wonder just how much cheaper than $585 it'll be
Im under the impression that HDMI isn't some plug and play feature and requires a hardware revision. I doubt that MS would maintain a seperate production line just to produce hardware specific to some high end sku. HDMI benefits vs. its component cost would seem to warrant inclusion as an across the board feature available on all future skus. 120gb hdd is not a big deal because I see this being available as a standalone peripheral, purchaseable(?) and useable by all.
The only fundamental difference between skus are comestic as its not impossible to take a core and make it as functional as a premium. I doubt MS would move away from this model and the functional differences will revolve around hardware revisions instead of skus.
Being that the non upgradeable differences between skus are mostly comestic, I tend to look at them more like bundles than different skus. I don't see how a black hdmi 120 gb 360 will negatively affect MS even at a higher price as I see no reason for MS to maintain the limit of 2 skus.
The only fundamental difference between skus are comestic as its not impossible to take a core and make it as functional as a premium. I doubt MS would move away from this model and the functional differences will revolve around hardware revisions instead of skus.
Being that the non upgradeable differences between skus are mostly comestic, I tend to look at them more like bundles than different skus. I don't see how a black hdmi 120 gb 360 will negatively affect MS even at a higher price as I see no reason for MS to maintain the limit of 2 skus.
IPTV is all streaming, there is no local storage with it, so a bigger HDD is of no use with it.
The compatiablity testing with other HDMI1.3 devices to ensure there are no handshake issues would be my main reason. The other one would be passing on the TruHD to a HDMI 1.3 receiver and maybe even DTS-HD (if they ever support it) for the HD DVD add on.
Yes the service is streaming. But you can also setup scheduled recordings to you HDD if you're away.
3 sku's could work
Current core at $199 (drop the 20GB price down to $49.99)
Current premium at $299 (perhaps updated with HDMI)
New "Ultimate Edition" to coincide with Vista Ultimate. This gets your free name recognition marketing. Add HDMI1.3, 120GB and built in WiFi for $399.
Current core at $199 (drop the 20GB price down to $49.99)
Current premium at $299 (perhaps updated with HDMI)
New "Ultimate Edition" to coincide with Vista Ultimate. This gets your free name recognition marketing. Add HDMI1.3, 120GB and built in WiFi for $399.
scooby_dooby
Legend
I dunno, my friend at IBM told me this a few weeks ago, this was our MSN conversation:
So take it as you will, he's a systems admin for IBM and a contractor I work with regularly, so it's certainly a legit source.
A little googling revealed Bromont is a a semiconductor packaging plant in Bromont, Que. So maybe this is the canadian due date, end of 07.
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ca/en/
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Well I did say it would make a good PVR. I was under the impression most IPTV offerings provided that function, making it a valid use of the larger drive
Mintmaster
Veteran
This upgrade makes sense because it's a great marketing tool. MS is using Sony's marketing against them.
If Sony is asking for $100 to get the 40 GB upgrade (I know it's more than just the HDD, but superficially you see my point), then a whopping 120GB can really reduce the perception that the PS3 is better and worth the extra $$ over a 360, especially with HDMI and 1080p support now. True, there isn't anything stopping Sony from matching MS here, but they won't have 3x the storage space anymore.
I think it's pretty clever. Make Sony laud the HDMI, 1080p support, and bigger HDD of the PS3 as reasons (other than Blu-ray) why it's superior. They're all pretty trivial in cost now (or soon), so MS can pop them into their $399 model. None of that will reduce compatibility either.
If Sony is asking for $100 to get the 40 GB upgrade (I know it's more than just the HDD, but superficially you see my point), then a whopping 120GB can really reduce the perception that the PS3 is better and worth the extra $$ over a 360, especially with HDMI and 1080p support now. True, there isn't anything stopping Sony from matching MS here, but they won't have 3x the storage space anymore.
I think it's pretty clever. Make Sony laud the HDMI, 1080p support, and bigger HDD of the PS3 as reasons (other than Blu-ray) why it's superior. They're all pretty trivial in cost now (or soon), so MS can pop them into their $399 model. None of that will reduce compatibility either.
Microsoft doesn't manufacture HDD so platter size is unrelated to the price of HDD unless the competition between HDD suppliers is really fierce.
What platter size are the current 20GB drives using now? Like I said, I could not find anything retail that is still such low capacity, I would think that it'd almost be cheaper to jump into the highest seller line of HDDs and use the power of scale to give more capacity for the dollar.
Indeed they don't. However, the primary costs associated with HD manufacturing is not necessarily the quantity of space available, but how many platters and heads there are. A move from traditional to perpendicular storage organisation can yeild a significant difference in drive capacity without altering the number of platters/heads in the unit and is likely to be cheaper than a unit that maintains a traditional organisation but increases the capacity by introducing more platters/heads.
Drive manufacturers have been transititioning to perpendicular storage over the past year or so (which is one of the reasons why we are getting 500GB+ capacities at more than reasonable prices) and it is likely that there is competition in the drive manufacturers for the business and they are likely offering perpendicular solutions at incremental costs in order to secure that business. Even the fear of loosing business may motivate an incumbent to move technologies.
They went with the 20GB because it's physically the cheapest to manufactore. It has only one platter, arm etc.
I cant imagine since 100GB 2.5" retail for, I dont know but at least $70, that it isn't a pretty big cost.
That's why I'm not sure they should add this larger hd to the premium, or just offer it as an add on.
These are custom devices - they are basically notebook form factor drives, but with the shock and vibe safety mechanisms removed (as they are not in portable applications). I would doubt that MS is reliant on a single vendor for them though, and I'd guess that Sony is using the same principles.
http://www.gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=4067Is that conversion right? And like you guys said, AU/EU prices are usually much higher than US prices (after converting the currency) so if this SKU is true, I wonder just how much cheaper than $585 it'll be
The current XBox 360 is $649 AUD
The current 360 Core is $499 AUD
The new one is supposed to be $749 AUD
Using the AUD to USD ratio for the normal Xbox 360 should be able to work out an approx USD value for the new one
749 * 399/649 = approx $460 USD
Of course for completeness here is the same thing using core prices
749 * 299/499 = approx $448 USD
Cool, that just cements what I am saying then. Why the heck go with a custom device? Is this custom device really so cheap for MS that they'd go custom over a massively mass produced item like hard drives that must certainly be very cheap to produce considering how much hard drive prices just continue to fall.
IIRC perpendicular recoding doesn't give huge increase in the HDD size but only ensures the continuation of HDD density increase unlike the older technology which reached the dead end. From the outside of the HDD industry it'd look as the same as before.
Now, for the 120GB HDD, an HDD supplier can always make it more expensive than a 60GB HDD unless the supplier doesn't sell a 60GB HDD in the market at all.
