XBox 360 Rally

If there was ever a doubt that the 360 was going to win the console race going on, lay those doubts to rest. With the recent string of deals going on with the system, they have something for everybody. Compusa has jumped on this with their deal giving you the very slick looking Madden NFL 08, the Premium system, and a bonus extra wireless controller, all for $349.99 (Compusa Product Page).

Sports games not your thing, there is the Amazon Elite System, HD-DVD player, plus 7 HD movies! All for the price of $599.

Not ready for HD yet, hold out for the holiday season, where they are going to have bundles which include Forza Motorsports 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

If your friends don’t have a 360 by now, slap them for me, and then send ‘em a link to this page.

Are you in the market for a new Xbox 360 Elite? If you’re not looking for one for yourself, keep in mind that the holiday season is right around the corner (as is your favorite journalist’s birthday *cough*) so you may be in need for a gift for that special someone. Well, Amazon has you covered.

Amazon is offering an Xbox 360 Elite/HD-DVD Bundle for $599, and includes:

• Xbox 360 Elite Console (w/ wireless controller & 120GB HDD)
• Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player
• King Kong (HD-DVD)
• 300 (HD-DVD)
• Five FREE HD-DVD Movies

• That, to put it simply, can not be beat. That’s an $835 value you’re getting at a $235 discount. I don’t know how long this offer will last, so act while you can. You won’t regret it. If nothing else, you can rationalize it to yourself by looking at your PS3, which cost you the same amount as this entire bundle.

  [Xbox 360 Elite/HD-DVD Bundle]

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Even if you hate the PlayStation 3 as I do, you can not deny that the PlayStation 3 Starter Pack being sold overseas is a good bundle. Hell, a 60GB PS3 with two controllers and BOTH Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm? That’s a good deal.

It’s a bundle that Microsoft has seemingly caught on to as well. Superblog Kotaku recently found two images showing what certainly appears to be the box design for an upcoming holiday bundle.

Both the Xbox 360 Premium AND Xbox 360 Elite (Notice the lack of a Core?) appear to have stickers on the boxes advertising two free games: Forza Motorsports 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

The original images were found on a Microsoft-owned site, so I would imagine that these images are about as accurate as you can. But the question remains: How much will these cost? Are these games truly free, or will the price of the bundle be inflated slightly to give the impression that they are free? Only time will tell, I suppose.

[Kotaku]
[Gamick]

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Take a look at that picture right there. As you can see, one of these things is not like the others. You aren’t seeing things, either — that middle price is $42.99, while the others are $39.99. The top is Microsoft, the Bottom is Circuit City. So who is in the middle?

Best Buy, of course.

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Who says no one likes the Core? Circuit City’s online distributor (also known as “CircuitCity.com“) sold out of the newly discounted Xbox 360 Core. While it’s far too early to tell if this will be a trend, the price drop of the Xbox 360 Core puts it in the same general price range as the Nintendo Wii, giving consumers who may not have much pocket change a choice.

I ask you, the reader: Does this price drop finally give the Wii a true contender in it’s price bracket, or is this sell out a temporary anomaly?

[Circuit City]

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DEAL IS OVER FOLKS! YOU MISSED OUT! (Thanks Digg user ). Looks like Amazon has taken care of the rest of their 360 stock left.

Post in its original form below:

Today on Amazon, the listing for just the Xbox 360 Premium console has seen yet another price drop, already going from $399 to $349, they have cut it down another $20 to bring it to $329 total (no tax no shipping). The best theory on why this is being offered that I have heard so far, is they are clearing out the non-HDMI having units. Either way, I guess if you are reading a 360 site, you might already have one, but, tell your friends and loved ones now might be the time to ““

Shacknews, who will forever be cooler than us, has been able to confirm the rumor surrounding HDMI coming to Xbox 360 Premium consoles. Hell, they even have pictures to prove it, like the one right there.

A Microsoft representative told Shacknews in an e-mail that Microsoft has indeed begun incorperating HDMI cables into the Xbox 360 Premium consoles.

Yes, we are offering an HDMI port for Xbox 360 simply as another choice in Xbox 360 owners’ games and entertainment experience. Retailers are gradually introducing HDMI-enabled Xbox 360s into the channel to meet demand.

When asked whether or not Microsoft had begun to incorperate the 65nm processors into the console, Microsoft wasn’t as willing to budge.

We are constantly updating the console’s more than 1700 internal components and therefore will not comment on details of specific components or manufacturing processes.

Well, damn. That doesn’t tell us anything… other than the fact that Microsoft is seemingly always updating their hardware. Which is kind of offsetting. If anyone is willing and able to crack their console open and see if they HAVE started with the 65nm processors, let us know.

[Shacknews]

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The servers are melting. Paco spilled his cola on the keyboard. JW’s out back trying to wrangle the horses. In short, we’re all kinds of FUBAR, so we may not be able to update as much as we’d like today.

Sorry, peeps. We’ll be back soon.

Ars Technica is the Wall Street Journal of the technology blogging world — they don’t have the largest readerbase in the world, but they are always reliable and carry themselves with dignity.

Ars Technica is reporting (as rumor) that Microsoft is set to include HDMI in all it’s models, starting “late August or September.” It’s also expected, [story writer Ben] Kuchera says, that the new crop of consoles will feature the long-awaited 65nm processors and quieter DVD drives.

Outside of a small marking on the box, Microsoft won’t be making a deal of this. The HDMI-featured 360s won’t have any fanfare when they are released, as Microsoft has opted instead to just slide the new models out the door quietly.

Now, while this is but a rumor (a well-founded rumor), this has already convinced me to hold off on buying a new 360 until, at the earliest, the end of September.

[Ars Technica]

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Last week there was a rumor that we didn’t cover (because I never heard of it) that stated that Best Buy would no longer be stocking the Xbox 360 Core system. Now Joystiq has received a tip from an anonymous source (who is surely more reliable than our Bothan spy) that has told them that Target will also soon be axing the Xbox 360 Core.

That image above (taken from Joystiq), is the clearest image they have of what looks like the word “Discontinued” on the Xbox 360 Core.

Now, I’ve been a long-time defender of the Core. I think it is a good console for someone who may not have the financial means to invest in a Premium console, but still want to get in on the fun. If Microsoft is, in fact, axing the Xbox 360 Core, then that may alienate an entire segment of their fanbase that would then only have the Wii as their means of gaming on a budget.

Also, that picture absolutely sucks.

[Xbox 360 Fanboy]

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FINALLY! After months of “speculation” regarding the worst-kept secret in the gaming industry, it has finally become official as Major Nelson announced on his blog that the Xbox 360’s price will, indeed, drop for all three SKUs. The price drop will take effect starting on August 8th, and for the moment will only take effect in the United States.

Xbox 360 Elite - $499.99
Xbox 360 Premium - $349.99
Xbox 360 Core - $279.99

For the record, the Halo 3 Special Edition of the Xbox 360 Premium has been announced at $399.99.

In regards to the foreign market and a possible price-cut, Nelson quoted Microsoft’s marketing team:

Today we are announcing a price reduction in the U.S. We will announce other regional price decreases at the appropriate time.

Read the whole press release after the break.

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As a soldier in the United States Army, it always tickles me to see that we’re getting special stuff. Microsoft and the USO are teaming up to give soldiers a special treat, as Microsoft has announced a special brown version of their Halo 3 Zune, entited the “Halo 3 Military Edition”.

The Halo 3 Military Edition Zune will be available only at military posts across the world, and will be discounted from the normal $249.99 price tag.

If you ask me, if you truly want to support the military… free. Make everything free.

Read the Press Release after the break.

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There have been growing rumors and speculation that there will soon be games that will require the Hard Disc Drive to play. However, when asked by GamePro about the sticker, a Microsoft spokesperson said “Every game will work with every Xbox 360 system.”

Seems fairly clear, doesn’t it? Well, hold on — he’s about to muddy the river right back up.

But just like some games will require you to have a Memory Unit to save games, some games will require you to have a Hard Drive to experience them.

Now I certainly understand the need for a memory card — we’ve needed memory cards to save our progress since the days of the original Playstation. But when you say “some games will require you to have a Hard Drive to experience them”… that kind of sends mixed messags. Not cool.

[GamePro]

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There has been a lot of controversy regarding a recently posted rumor regarding SEGA’s possible Tokyo Game Show line-up. Now, I was originally very defensive of this piece because of who sent it in. He, a long-time go-to guy named Rob, has sent me exclusive tips for four years, and until this most recent one, they were ALL accurate.

Regardless, after the link had been posted by reader “Cedge”, I immediately contacted Rob via GoogleIM.

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Wow, those calls to 1-800-4MY-XBOX must have got out of hand. In taking slow steps to find a realistic approach to the terrible red rings, Microsoft has set up a web site, http://service.xbox.com, to ensure you can get your 360 repaired in a quick and easy fashion.

From the site you can set your repair up and track it online, all without having to be put on hold or be given troubleshooting tips that won’t help you at all. If your Xbox is not covered by the 3 year warranty, they offer a $5 credit for your repair (those cheap bastards, it is almost an insult, it would have seemed better if they offered no credit at all imo). All in all, a positve thing for a negative situation, good job Microsoft (I guess).