The Xbox 360 has always taken the fight to the PS3, both next¬gen consoles vying for the largest piece of console gaming pie. Of course long-time users of Xbox and PS2 consoles mostly chose to go for the 360 and PS3, respectively, when they needed to upgrade.

With most high-end TVs now coming in black or black-silver combinations, the new color was a no¬brainer. Peering over the specs in detail, there aren't a lot of differences between the 360 Premium console and the Elite, but sometimes it's the little things that count a lot. The 20 gig hard drive on the Premium was a bother to most, especially since 7 GB was used up by the console itself and there was no option to swap it out for a larger one yourself. Well now, with the 120 GB hard drive you have more space for movies, photos, trailers, songs, and game demos.

The wireless controller provided in the box is also black, as is the headset. Finally the HDMI, the major new standard that's poised to carry the high-def revolution on its tiny little shoulders. The HDMI out is located right next to the usual AN out and Microsoft has been kind enough to provide both component and HDMI cables in the box. Now, after the excitement has died down, let me tell you that there is no discernable difference in image quality between the component and HDMI.







We plugged the Elite into a 28-inch Viewsonic VX2835wm monitor (HDMI input, 1920x1200 pixel resolution, and 3 ms response time) and played Bioshock, Halo 3, and Burnout Revenge till about five sets of AA batteries lasted for the controller (and that's pretty darn long!). Possibly the blacks were a little better with HDMI, but more than anything, the convenience of a single cable connection for high-def video and audio is great.

If you're an existing Xbox 360 Premium owner, it might not make much sense to upgrade for just the HDMI. You can just as easily get yourself the 120 GB hard drive as an accessory. The only other issue is that PS3 prices have dropped from 35k to 30k. And with a built-in Blu-Ray drive, 60 GB hard drive, and HDMI, it just might become too good to resist.