By Joshua Henry
Webmaster

Microsoft, and their state-of-the-art gaming console, the Xbox 360, took a hard hit when Sony’s Playstation 3 came out last year. As the PS3 has gained more popularity, consumers and 360 owners have found the console inadequate because of all the fancy features on the PS3 that Microsoft overlooked when designing the 360.

This is all about to change.

Microsoft has been keeping new developments quiet, but leave it to the Internet to bring us the good news. To combat the PS3, its numerous high-definition output options, and vast storage capacities, Microsoft is releasing the new Xbox 360 Elite.

The Elite has several new features, inside and out. The most notable is the addition of an HDMI audio/video output. HDMI is a new high definition output that is becoming increasingly popular with newer plasma televisions to deliver the best picture possible. Also, the 360’s storage capacity has more than doubled with the included 120-gigabyte hard drive. There are also rumors of internal tweaks to cut down on the massive amounts of heat and noise the 360 makes while running.

However, despite the technological upgrades, the best part to many will be the changes on the outer styling. The Elite will be all black. The original white Xbox 360 was considered by many to be a too bold of a statement by Microsoft.

One drawback of the new design is that Microsoft is not planning to put an integrated HD DVD drive in the Elite. This means you still have to buy an external unit to play HD DVD content. Sony still has the edge in this department with a built in Blu-ray drive requiring no external components.

Microsoft is rumored to be planning to release the Elite in small quantities, likely in the 100,000-unit range, alongside the release of Halo 3.

So, have those credit cards ready ASAP to reserve one for around $475.