Microsoft has announced a beefed-up version of its Xbox 360 with a 120Gb hard drive and a high-definition video connection, in an attempt to broaden the appeal of its popular console beyond video games.
Earlier versions of Xbox 360 came with 20Gb of storage, but that filled up too quickly with movies, TV shows and games, Peter Moore, a corporate vice president in MicrosoftÂ’s interactive entertainment group, said.
The new Xbox 360 Elite will sell for $479.99 (£245) when it goes on sale in North America on April 29. The 120GB hard drive will also be available separately, priced at $179.99 (£92), for those who already own the console.
Microsoft also added an HDMI connection, which sends high-definition content from the console to the TV without losing picture or sound quality, while also helping prevent piracy.
Sony has long said that its PlayStation 3, launched in Europe last week and in the US last November, is much more than a games console. It comes with a high-definition Blu-ray disc player, HDMI port and 50Gb hard drive. The Xbox 360 does not come with a high-definition DVD drive, but an add-on HD-DVD player is available.
In the US market, the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 in January and February to data from NPD Group, a market researcher, but both were beaten by the Nintendo Wii.
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