Console Watcher

If you can have a portable Wii laptop, why not a portable xbox360 laptop? So here we go, the man behind Wii portable came up with his gears again and brougt you the xbox ...

While we recognize that the Xbox 360 Elite is pretty much just an expensive, black Xbox 360 with an HDMI port, the fact that it comes with that extra-fancy 120GB hard drive can’t be overlooked. Seeing as how the 120GB HDD will also be available as a standalone product, current Xbox 360 owners have no need to upgrade to the Elite, lest they really want that HDMI 1.2 output goodness. If you are in that category, be forewarned - any downloadable content you purchased on your current Xbox 360 isn’t just going to straight up work if you pick up a new Xbox 360 Elite - not unless Microsoft lightens up on the restrictions currently imposed on Xbox Live downloads. You might be better off with just buying the new 120GB HDD and calling it a day. Heck, whether you get the drive on its own or with the Elite, you also get a bunch of content pre-loaded onto the thing.

Microsoft Corp. announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system that will include a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller and Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience. Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, will be available separately. The Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories are expected to begin arriving in U.S. stores on April 29.

Microsoft and Bungie Studios have announced that the multiplayer beta of its forthcoming Halo 3 game title for the Xbox 360 will to live on its Xbox Live service on May 16, 2007, running through June 6th. As one might guess from the title, Halo 3 is the third installment of Microsoft's Halo sci-fi battle franchise, and follows the adventures of Master Chief as he fights to stop the alien Covenant, destroy the impending Flood thread, and (naturally) save all humanity.

1. Early designs had the Wii intentionally looking very similar to the DS. (Nintendo ultimately rejected the similar design for fear of confusing gamers, and possibility of collateral damage if the DS failed.)

The anticipated battle between Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 for videogame console supremacy has become a sideshow to the unexpected rise of Nintendo's Wii as the new-generation game console of choice. Once a dark-horse contender, the Wii has outsold both its competitors in recent months. According to sales data from the NPD Group, the Wii sold 335,000 units in February to the Xbox 360's 228,000 and the PS3's 127,000.