Yes, over ten millions of units have been sold! Microsoft has won the next-gen war! Well, guess again!
Eat your words Microsoft! Not that I'm against Microsoft or anything, but on April 29th, I would expect any 360 fanboys will be skipped out by the launch of Elite more or less.
I like Sony, as well as Microsoft, but I'm gamer first and foremost, so don't stamp me a Sony or Microsoft fanboy! But when I heard the news of Elite, the first imagery that came to my mind was a vivid picture in slow-mo of Microsoft slapping itself in the face.
I've always liked Sony's products because not only are they great technologies, but I've also expected them to last. Which they did, well, most of them! When Microsoft decided to enter the video game industry, they made a big impact; the specs of an XBox were superior than that of a PS2, top to bottom. However, their timing was off, aside from a few mega games that seem to make an XBox owner think the system is worth its money, Microsoft lost to Sony's PS2 horrendously.
Therefore, in order to counteract, Microsoft cut XBox's life span short to pave ways for 360. That they did, they made sure that 360 came out before Sony's Next-gen console so they can make a killing. And it was a success, in fact, this may just be the best move Microsoft ever made! But is it good enough? I don't think so!
Even as we speak, Americans are trying switch over from a SD era to a HD era, so for Microsoft to have come out with a system that doesn't have HDMI ports is just ludicrous and absurd! And prior to the launch of PS3, Microsoft wasn't shy about bashing Sony's system. Apparently, they thought they had won saying things like 360 can fully support HD contents with 1080p graphics even with a DVD drive, Blu-Ray is overrated. Turns out, they were right, but with how many DVDs (Blue Dragon)?
Remember when Microsoft said 360 could support 1080p without HDMI ports? They were right as well, with a GVA port. Now, if only I can find a HDTV with a GVA port...
The fact that Microsoft pushes Elite out is a huge slap in their faces no matter how you look at it. Still, they refuse to admit that maybe their number one competitor had it right all along. Yes, Elite will be made available as another option for newcomers, and the transfer cable will only be packed in with one hundred and twenty GB HDD. What the hell? So Microsoft doesn't like making profit anymore, it seems.
The only reason 360 came out sooner than expected was because Microsoft was losing the war to PS2. So rather than fighting a losing war, they made sure 360 came out before Sony's PS3. It's a good strategy, but this tells you something, doesn't it? In terms of the overall picture, Sony is more far-sighted and prospective with their products. No HDMI port in a HD era? Contains DVD drive only to have you buy an external HD-DVD drive? With the increasing HD contents being put into games, a DVD will be outdated pretty soon; in fact, some might say it already has! I like and respect 360, but I honestly don't expect 360 to last too long, Microsoft will have to make a new hardware to combat PS3. The fact that Microsoft's making 360 Elite proves they are a bit myopic!
So ask yourself this question, Sony will support PS3 for the next ten years (that doesn't mean PS4 won't see the light of day until then), but if 360 is already making changes to it's original designs (less than 2 years after it's initial launch) to compete with the more versatile PS3, how many versions of 360 will there eventually be? Or how soon will Microsoft abandon 360 and come out with a new console? Because some might consider adding a HDMI port and a bigger hard drive may be small changes, but changing a DVD drive to a HD-DVD drive for more HD contents to compete with Blu-Ray sure isn't, and it is with kind of actions taken by Microsoft that I have always feared purchasing an XBox. So Microsoft, what's your next move?