Problems with the XBOX360 Elite

With the XBOX360 Pro being phased out and the Elite dropping $100 in price, how could there be any negative in this move?

Well many Gamestops are reporting that the new “Elite” package will not include an HDMI cable, and a few of those stores are also saying there will be no Component cables in the package. Just a crappy bunch of Composite cables will in your purchase.

This is an awful move on Microsoft's part. One great reason to buy the Elite in the first place is because it came with the HDMI cable. Even though you can buy an HDMI cable online for about $10, its the fact that the cable came with it and that you didn't have to go out of your way to buy another one, and in most cases wait for it to be shipped.

Also with the rumor that there will not be any Component cable either, this means that you will only be able to play your XBOX360 at 480i out of the box. Not to mention that the Component cables are extremely proprietary, the only place you really would be able to get them new is from Microsoft themself. Buying them straight from the source is probably going to be expensive, and some people only have Component cables on their TV and not HDMI, which means in some cases it will actually be more expensive to play on a lesser definition. It's basically like charging you for owning a TV that is higher than SD.

Although the new Elite will be only $300, the only differences from this and the old “Pro” are that the Elite comes with 120gb hard drive instead of a 60gb one and that the Pro came with Component cables. This seems like a downgrade considering how cheap hard drives are nowadays. This doesn't seem like a smart move for Microsoft considering how much they have been pushing HD content.