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Xbox 360 Elite available for pre-order online

I'm beginning to question the Xbox 360 Elite's value for money -- add on a couple of games and an extra controller and it's £40 more than the PS3

Nick Hide Managing copy editor
Nick manages CNET's advice copy desk from Springfield, Virginia. He's worked at CNET since 2005.
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Nick Hide

Major online UK retailers such as Amazon and Play have started taking pre-orders for Microsoft's pimped-up new version of the Xbox 360, the Elite. Released on 24 August, the Elite comes in goes-with-your-other-stuff black, features a bigger 120GB hard drive and HDMI output, and will set you back £330.

All very well, but I'm beginning to question the Elite's value for money. Play, for instance, is offering the current Premium version (white, 20GB hard drive, no HDMI) for £260 with two games (FlatOut and Command & Conquer) or £300 with three games you'd actually want (Gears of War, Forza 2 and Crackdown).

Comparing it to the opposition, the 60GB PlayStation 3 is now available from Amazon for £400 with Resistance, MotorStorm and two controllers. If you were to buy yourself, say, the Elite, Gears and Forza 2 plus another controller from Amazon, you'd be shedding £440. The various merits of the games and systems aside, that's £40 for an extra 60GB of memory.

If you're desperate for an HDMI output to mate with your hot new TV, hold on a sec. News reaches us from our sister site GameSpot that the white Premium model is now shipping with HDMI in the US. So the question is, are you really that bothered about it matching your DVD player?