San Jose, CA – Dean Takahashi, known for his inside scoop on the games industry in general, and the Xbox specifically, wrote Saturday that Microsoft will launch a new Xbox 360, rumored to be called the “Elite.”  Takahashi said rumors of the new console have been confirmed by his sources.  Microsoft has made no official announcement.

The article reports that the Elite will go on sale “soon” for $479.  On specific advanced features, Takahashi wrote, “The details may not be precise here, but I believe it will have an HDMI connector so that you can connect at the highest speed to a high-definition TV. It will come with a 120-gigabyte hard disk drive and will have IPTV (internet protocol television) capability.”

The announcement arrives on the heels of what has been a spectacular run in the latest console wars for Xbox.  In an interview I conducted with IGN executives at the Game Developers Conference, the consensus was that the Xbox 360 has surpassed expectations, and is poised to continue its dominance in 2007. 

With a software lineup coming this fall that includes the much-anticipated Halo3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, Takahashi’s announcement should position Microsoft for more success.

 
Scott Goldberg

 
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