Microsoft Xbox Elite System

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite - The Next Generation in Gaming Hardware

Microsoft Xbox 360 is all about the next generation of fun. The new system is a real power house that delivers the highest-rated next geneneration games line up with 6 out of the top 10 rated games.

There are two consoles to choose from. The Xbox 360 which has a 20GB hardrive and the new Xbox 360 Elite . Both systems come with wireless controllers, network cable, headset, AV cable, and a Silver Membership to Xbox Live. Both are backwards compatible with Xbox games. To transfer content from your current Xbox to the 360 Elite, you'll need a Hard Drive Transfer Cable. Games are supported in high definition with a 16-to-9 aspect ratio, at either 480p, 720p or 1080i, with anti-aliasing as well as standard definition. Audio can be mono, stereo, or Dolby Digital 5.1. During installation, you can set audio and video preferences easily.

The new system has several advantages over its predecessor. Hard-drive capacity leaps from 20GB to 120GB--a huge benefit if you plan to use the system to download lots of movie and music files from Xbox Live. And the unit now has an HDMI 1.2 interface; HDMI provides the optimal interconnection for high-definition video playback, and it delivers better image quality (at up to 1080p resolution) than can component video (limited to 1080i output on the Xbox 360) or VGA (at 1080p).

Microsoft's HD DVD Player add-on drive provides a seamless integration with the 360 Elite to provide superior image quality. HD DVD images at 1080p were significantly sharper than those produced by the Xbox 360 over component video at 720p resolution. Keep in mind that your HDTV also needs the 1080p resolution. HDMI and 1080p resolution may have less effect on how games appear than on how movies appear. This is because many games were created at 720p resolution; by contrast, all HD DVD movies are encoded at 1080p. It's just a matter of time before games will take advantage of the higher resolution.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has the wide popularity with the game Halo 3 which has given it a jump in the competition. Play station 3 and Xbox 360 both have the game The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Out side of differnt lighting and focus the games play the same on either console. The main difference is, the load time for the game, is by far faster on the Playstation 3. The war between Xbox and PlayStation will ultimately be won by the popularity of the games exclusive to each system.