UPDATE: 250GB Xbox 360 Spotted on (And Pulled From) Amazon

[John Funk]

UPDATE: 250GB Xbox 360 Spotted on (And Pulled From) Amazon

The listing of a 250GB Xbox 360 on Amazon Germany has sparked new rumors about an upcoming high-end 360 model that might hit shelves before Christmas.

Well, it was almost inevitable, don't you think? With the rumors about the price-slashed PS3 Slim and the price-slashed 360 Elite proven true, it was only a matter of time before the internet served up a brand-new juicy rumor to dissect. In this case, the rumor revolves around a brand-new 250GB Xbox 360 bundle that was spotted on Amazon Germany [http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/27/xbox-360-with-250gb-hdd-and-forza-3-spotted-on-amazon-germany/] by Engadget.

The bundle in question would offer up a heretofore-unseen 250GB 360, two wireless controllers, and Forza Motorsports 3, all for 279 Euros (£245/$397) - 30 Euros over the current price of the Elite. It was, of course, quickly taken down, but the proof remains online via screenshots (you can't hide from the 'net, Amazon!) Though no release date was listed, CVG points out [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=222221?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS] that Forza 3 hits Europe on October 27, so... make of that what you will.

Amazon Germany hasn't been very good about this sort of thing, either - it had a listing for the PS3 Slim 20 days before the announcement [http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/31/playstation-3-slim-listing-pops-up-on-amazon-germany/] (with the same Amazon Stock Identification Number as it has now in its official release, no less), so that lends a bit of support to the idea that this is real. On the other hand, practically everyone leaked the PS3 Slim before its announcement.

Now that the Elite is the new Pro and the Pro is being phased out, it would stand to reason that Microsoft might be looking to capitalize on a high-end 360 to replace the Elite (even if it is just an Elite with a bigger hard drive, as far as we can tell). Maybe this one will come with HDMI cables.

Update: Via has been spotted in South Africa [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/28/250-gb-super-elite-360-spotted-in-south-africa-too/], too.

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[Katherine Kerensky]

doesn't 250GB seem a bit over-kill?
I may often run out of space on the 20GB, but it's hard to imagine filling a hard drive of that size.
they'd have to download A LOT of stuff to fill that. most of it they probably wouldn't use.

 

[Smack-Ferret]

Really? $400? This really seems to be over doing it.

 

[GamerLuck]

why in the hell would you need that much space? And why didnt they make the pro the new arcade and phase out that instead?

 

[jahsol]

Hardware up grade would be more perferable to a bigger hard drive. I guess they are banking on the game on demand feature to take off.

 

[New Troll]

why in the hell would you need that much space? And why didnt they make the pro the new arcade and phase out that instead?

With downloading becoming more and more a viable way to get games, the larger size will mean more games you can store and play.

The reason Microsoft is phasing out the Pro is because it's the system they make the least amount of profit from. They make so much more money off the Arcade and then the extra peripherals everyone has to buy to make it a viable console.

 

[Irridium]

My wallet cries at the thought of how much the 250GB hard drive will cost on its own.

With the 60GB hard drive at about $100, it doesn't look good.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Maybe this one will come with HDMI cables.

And, God forbid, built in wireless.

 

[Simalacrum]

woooooh! rumour rave! hurraaaay!

edit: *ehem*... on topic, I think this may turn out to be true... afterall, why would they have put it up there if it was just rubbish?

 

[Sparrow]

Y'know, if this is real, I know what I want for christmas.

 

[plastic_window]

doesn't 250GB seem a bit over-kill?
I may often run out of space on the 20GB, but it's hard to imagine filling a hard drive of that size.
they'd have to download A LOT of stuff to fill that. most of it they probably wouldn't use.

I agree. I didn't need to upgrade my hard drive from 12 gigs until recently, and I don't think the day will ever come around where I need 250GB of space to download demos and the like.

That said, some people use the hard drive space to install their games to so they don't need to swap disks to play games. I can see how this might be of use to them, but like you say, 250GB is a ton of space, and it's probably more than anyone would need.

 

[bodyklok]

Isn't this the second time this week that Amazon has released something before they were meant to?

UPDATE: OK, 'Super Elite'? I don't want to sound like to much of a fanboy but that's... Oh well, PS3 Slim isn't that much better. But Super Elite just sounds a little bit retarded to me. Again, I'm not trying to offend anyone, that's just my opinion.

 

[Angron]

haha, the size of that hard drive and the price of xbox hard drives... it doesnt add up...

the hard drive itself would be the price of that console xD

 

[DRADIS C0ntact]

doesn't 250GB seem a bit over-kill?
I may often run out of space on the 20GB, but it's hard to imagine filling a hard drive of that size.
they'd have to download A LOT of stuff to fill that. most of it they probably wouldn't use.

It isn't really over-kill if you're big into downloadable content for games, music/movies, and digital distribution. It may seem like a large amount of storage space, but it depends on the user. I could fill that thing up in less than a month. If Microsoft's digital distribution system takes off, lots of people will need this extra space. Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken Microsoft this long to increase their storage capacity, seeing as how the PS3's hard drive can be upgraded incredibly easily. All you need is a compatible laptop hard drive...and as far as I know, there is no limit to the size that can be used. I'm almost certain that we'll see a 500GB hard drive for the 360 before the end of its lifecycle.

 

[NuclearJonJon]

doesn't 250GB seem a bit over-kill?
I may often run out of space on the 20GB, but it's hard to imagine filling a hard drive of that size.
they'd have to download A LOT of stuff to fill that. most of it they probably wouldn't use.

I agree. I didn't need to upgrade my hard drive from 12 gigs until recently, and I don't think the day will ever come around where I need 250GB of space to download demos and the like.

That said, some people use the hard drive space to install their games to so they don't need to swap disks to play games. I can see how this might be of use to them, but like you say, 250GB is a ton of space, and it's probably more than anyone would need.

You still need to swap disks even with the game installed on the HDD otherwise stealing games from Blockbuster and the like would be extremely easy. I suppose there is Games on Demand, and maybe 1080p movie downloads? I know they're doing 1080p streaming soon.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I lime having more space than I will ever possibly use as a safenet. It gives me that feeling of having an extremely overpowered security system that can keep out everything but MacGyver.

Case in Point. My Zune is 120GB and I just got a new 120GB hard drive for my PS3 (It was originally a 60GB...BACKWARDS COMPATABILITY, BABY!)

 

[PizzaDentist]

That said, some people use the hard drive space to install their games to so they don't need to swap disks to play games. I can see how this might be of use to them, but like you say, 250GB is a ton of space, and it's probably more than anyone would need.

I could swear that you still need to have the disc in... you just don't get the whirring of the drive once it's been verified... saves power, as well.

 

[plastic_window]

I could swear that you still need to have the disc in... you just don't get the whirring of the drive once it's been verified... saves power, as well.

You still need to swap disks even with the game installed on the HDD otherwise stealing games from Blockbuster and the like would be extremely easy. I suppose there is Games on Demand, and maybe 1080p movie downloads? I know they're doing 1080p streaming soon.

If you still need the discs then I don't see the point in that at all. Well, I suppose if it does save power then that'll save money in the long-run, and it might outwiegh the cost of buying a 250GB hard drive...

The only way you could max it out is with Games on Demand and the movie downloads, like NuclearJonJon said. Still, to me 250GB seems like too much. That's as much space as I've got on my laptop, and I'm nowhere near full with all the games and music I have stored on it.