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Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land Just a quick update on the rumoured GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite bundle we mentioned a few days ago. Microsoft Australia has confirmed they have “no plans” to release such a console bundle locally. That’s all!
It’s two great tastes that taste great together next month, as Microsoft introduces an Xbox 360 Elite with Halo 3 and Fable II bundled together inside.
Microsoft may be offering a much more valuable version of its Xbox 360 Elite package, one that packs in two of the console’s biggest games, all for the exact same price its charging now.
Microsoft may be putting the Xbox 360 Elite out to pasture, letting stock of its high-end version of the console slowly deplete, saving the hardware configuration for limited edition releases only.
As part of their annual MyWishList deal, American Express will be selling a limited number of Xbox 360 Elites starting next month for $US 300 with five games includes.
The deal, for AmEx cardholders only, will include the Elite plus copies of Ultimate Alliance, Project Gotham Racing 3, Madden NFL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and Forza 2. Only 150 of the bundles will be available on Dec. 11 at 3 pm. and 7 p.m. I’m not quite sure if that means a total of 150 or 300 of the packs.
At noon on the same day, MyWishList will feature 100 Rock Band special editions for the 36o at $US 50 a pop. Not bad, not bad at all.
Background story: I have two 360s. One I paid for, one is a loaner from MS. Thanks to the awful phone connection setup at my house, only one console is connected to the internets. That console is in my office, and only really gets use as an XBLA/multiplayer rig. The Elite in my living room, that’s hooked up to my TV, and that’s where I do most of my 360 gaming. So. What’s happened is my Elite has racked up a ton of achievements and points. My other 360, the one that’s online, hasn’t. With 5 minutes spare today waiting for my PC to reboot, I figured I’d switch the HDDs over, update my gamercard with all the stuff I’d earned, won, etc over the past few months. That was a mistake.
It’s not only Akihabara where the Xbox 360 Elite is selling out, but also Osaka’s Den-Den Town. The console went on sale October 11th for ¥45,524 (US $388). By October 12th, the Elite had sold out in Akihabara; however, it wasn’t until the 14th that the console sold out in Den-Den Town. There were only something like 5,000 of these consoles at launch. Even in a territory where Xbox is hardly popular, that number certainly does not look like enough. Nipponbashi Sell Out [Ota Road Blog]
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Crap
Wanted to thank you and the other Kotaku staffers for sending a bouquet* all the way to Japan. Working in virtual Kotaku Tower means that our daily environment is probably different from most people’s office experience. I was touched that things like tangible sentiment transcend an invisible work place. Thank you and the other writers for reaching out. We really appreciate it. (And of course! This being Japan, the flower company screwed up the spelling. Doh!)
Last Friday, the Xbox 360 Elite went on sale in Japan. By the end of the day, the black HDMI console with a 120GB HD sold out at several major Akihabara retailers.
Shortly before I left for the Tokyo Game Show, my “fixed” Xbox 360 crapped out (right after I got it back from repairs). And when I returned from TGS, there was an Xbox 360 Elite waiting for me. Microsoft sent me a “loaner”, while my console is getting fixed. I put my 20GB HDD on it and am not using the HDMI cable. The machine does seem to run quieter than my first-gen Xbox 360. But man, the Elite sure can get hot. Here’s the pickle, though: It’s an American Elite, and I live in Japan. Not sure if that makes life easier or not. Wouldn’t it be nice if Microsoft sent everyone whose console broke an Elite to hold them over during the repair wait? Expensive, too!
Editor’s note: Sadly the Elite does not included a die shrink (it should have, though), which means it runs just as loud and as hot as your average Xbox 360. So make sure you really enjoy that HDMI port!
